CHAPTER 407: CHAPTER 407: THE PULSE OF WAR

Only one Chapter today due to work-related matters, apologies.

I am still the homeroom teacher for the third year class this year, and the start of the school year has been quite busy.

Due to writing novels, I repeatedly applied at the beginning of the year to not be a homeroom teacher. But this matter is like a vicious cycle: the more you do it, and the better you do it, the more you can’t get rid of it. Year after year, they force you to do it.

If you completely slack off, in a couple of years, no one will dare to assign you the role.

...

Shire was confident about this battle.

One reason was that the French Army had previously captured the "Upper Silesia" tank, and Shire had tested it, obtaining its complete performance data.

The front armor of the "Upper Silesia" tank is 14MM, the 37 cannon of the "Shire A1" can penetrate it from a distance of about 350 meters.

Conversely, the front of the "Shire A1" has been reinforced with additional armor to reach 45MM, and the 57 cannon of the "Upper Silesia" needs to get within about 200 meters to barely penetrate it.

(Note: At this time, there were no specialized armor-piercing shells, otherwise, the armor-piercing capability of the 57MM caliber cannon would not be so weak)

Knowing this, the First Armored Division’s tanks advanced to about 200 meters from the enemy trenches before pausing, constructing a steel front line in front of the German Army’s defenses.

They didn’t waste time aiming at the enemy tanks and 77MM field guns but targeted the machine gun positions and infantry in the trenches.

This was because most of the German tanks and cannons were hidden in bunkers, exposing only a small part, making it very difficult for the "Shire A1" to destroy them with precision.

The task of dealing with the German tanks was left to the following "Saint Chamond" and truck-mounted cannons.

The main role was played by the truck-mounted cannons.

Tijani’s First Mechanized Division was equipped with 80 truck-mounted cannons. After the "Saint Chamond" drove away the German artillery, they quickly followed up and prepared for artillery strikes.

This process could be completed in just a few minutes, as all they needed to do was find a flat ground or level the area a bit. Then the truck would turn around, and the 75 cannon at the rear would point towards the enemy positions.

The more complex and crucial preparations actually occurred before the truck-mounted cannons entered combat positions:

Artillery observers advanced with the infantry, using binoculars to locate the enemy tanks and calculate the coordinates.

Communication soldiers quickly connected telephone lines to the artillery observers.

Originally, Shire intended to use radio, but the quality of radios at this time was poor and easily interfered with. Communication on the front line, with the constant noise of gunfire and explosions, was extremely difficult, only suitable for relatively stable command centers.

The telephone’s flaw was that the lines could easily be cut by shells or run over by their own vehicles.

Shire’s solution was "regardless of cost," providing each artillery observation team with two communication squads, each responsible for setting up a line.

Additionally, he set up an emergency communication company.

This company drove armored vehicles and sidecars equipped with a drum that matched their speed. As the vehicle moved forward, the line would be laid behind them. A distance of three to four kilometers could be connected in as little as five minutes.

This perfectly solved the coordination problem between the front-line infantry and rear artillery.

Thus, artillery observers reported the coordinates of the enemy tanks to the rear by telephone, and the artillery at the rear fired according to these coordinates, eliminating the targets one by one.

The 75 cannon had a maximum firing rate of 30 rounds per minute. Even at a normal rate of over a dozen rounds per minute, the combined firepower of 80 truck-mounted cannons was quite terrifying.

Shells exploded one after another on the German positions, and in no time, the German tanks were blown to pieces.

...

The German tanks, however, achieved almost no results. Their shells only produced a flash in front of the "Shire A1," after which nothing changed, as it continued to fire shell after shell towards the German defensive line.

Erwin almost collapsed upon seeing this. This was one of the rare battles he didn’t know how to resolve since he started participating, the other being Shire’s previous counterattack in Combray.

After a moment of silence, Erwin suddenly shouted, "Retreat, retreat!"

He realized that defeat was inevitable, and continuing to fight would only increase casualties without any meaningful gain.

The signal corps quickly conveyed the retreat order, but in the end, only eight tanks managed to retreat, with two of them getting destroyed on the way.

The rear armor of the "Upper Silesia" tank was only 5MM thick. Even if a shell didn’t directly hit, fragments could still penetrate and damage the engine.

Erwin returned to the hidden forest of the tank division in a sidecar, covered in dust, his face blackened by the smoke of the shells. His previously confident eyes had now turned dim and lifeless.

Major General Nicholas was anxiously pacing in front of the bunker. Upon seeing Erwin arrive, he hurriedly approached and asked, "How are things?"

"Things are not good, General." Erwin reluctantly shook his head. "Shire is much more formidable than I imagined. The defense I organized crumbled before him."

Major General Nicholas was taken aback. This didn’t sound like something Erwin would say. This guy usually had an air of arrogance and never admitted defeat nor regarded others, including Major General Nicholas.

But now, he seemed as dejected as a defeated rooster.

"Pull yourself together, Captain," Major General Nicholas said. "We haven’t lost yet. At the very least, you figured out Shire’s intent, you were the only one! Now, I need you to guess his next move and intercept him ahead of time."

"Yes, General." Erwin swallowed, then gritted his teeth and forced himself to rally. He walked over to a map spread out on a vehicle wheel and looked at it. "General, we may have only one option."

Pointing at the map, Erwin said, "Vallo Town, about thirty kilometers ahead, is a necessary route to Brussels. It has a road bridge. If we can hold that bridge or destroy it, we can delay the enemy’s advance."

Nicholas did not hesitate any longer. He glanced at the map and decisively ordered, "The entire army retreat to Vallo Town, full speed ahead!"

The German First Tank Division bustled into action. Though they only had 38 tanks, a few of which had just been repaired recently, no one knew if they could make it to Vallo Town.

...

At the First Mechanized Division command post, Shire received the call that the front lines successfully occupied the German defenses. He then told Fuxu, "Sorry, sir, I may not be able to host you."

Fuxu noticed the guards were packing up documents and equipment, and asked curiously, "Are you planning to advance with the troops?"

"Yes," Shire nodded.

"No," Fuxu’s eyes flashed with surprise. "You don’t have to do that, Brigadier General. You know this intercalation mission is dangerous, one misstep and you could get surrounded by the enemy..."

"Precisely because it’s dangerous, I must go with the troops," Shire replied firmly. "Otherwise, how can we ask the soldiers to charge the enemy’s positions despite the dangers?"

Fuxu was stunned for a moment, then silently patted Shire’s shoulder. "You are right. I’ll await your victory news!"

"Thank you, General." Shire shook hands with Fuxu.

As Shire and his group left, the command post instantly felt empty, leaving only Fuxu and Wei Gang behind.

Fuxu reflected, asking Wei Gang, "Now, do you still think his theory is wrong?"

Wei Gang remained silent.

Compared to those strategists who only made battle plans at the rear lines, Shire was a commander who could throw himself into the battlefield.

This meant he could connect theory with practice, grasp the pulse of the war, and hold the enemy’s throat...

So, although Wei Gang didn’t want to admit it, he faintly understood in his heart that he was likely the one who was wrong!