Rise from the sword

Chapter 575

With humming.

Number [-] Downing Street.

Inside the prime minister's office.

A fat man with a cigar in his mouth, with his legs crossed, leaned on the sofa chair, humming a little song with a relaxed look while puffing.

Happy inside and out.

"prime minister?"

Looking at the appearance of his own prime minister, the chief secretary didn't understand.

The recent European war situation is very unfavorable, how can this master be happy?
Moreover, it seems that it is not generally happy?
Taking the wrong medicine?

A month ago, the Overlord Plan, which had been planned for several years, began to be implemented. The coalition forces assembled more than 200 million troops, more than 5000 warships, more than 5000 transport ships, and over [-] aircraft of various types.

Among them, there are more than 5000 bombers alone. Before the plan was implemented, they also bombed the German and French railway transportation lines on a large scale, cutting off the arrival route of enemy reinforcements.

And a year ago, they began to release false information, confusing the few defenders.

Be fully prepared.

In the initial stage of landing, everything went according to the outline of the plan, even better than expected. The resistance of the Germans was minimal, and all beaches were successfully seized. Only minor problems occurred in Omahai Beach and other local areas.

This surprise has no effect on the overall situation.

But the subsequent changes were so sudden that his chief secretary hadn't fully accepted it until now.

Ten days after the landing, nearly one million troops and equipment went ashore, and the two artificial ports were operating at full speed. The vanguard also gathered and gradually moved inland, and achieved the great victory of San Sauvo, cutting off the Cotentin Peninsula, and completely completing the preliminary plan of Overlord. plan.

Everyone believes that the opening of the second battlefield has been successful, and the next step is to slowly advance. The remaining German forces have been unable to stop the coalition attack, and it is only a matter of time before failure.

The accident came suddenly.

A severe storm of magnitude [-] suddenly appeared in the English Channel, a large number of ships were damaged at the landing site, two artificial ports were almost shut down, and the front line lost supplies, causing the army to suspend its attack.

Of course, this is normal.

The weather itself is unpredictable, let alone the English Channel, where even the most senior meteorological researchers cannot accurately predict the future weather with the help of hundreds of years of observation data from the Navy.

After the incident, according to the speculation of the staff, although the storm greatly affected the advancement of the plan, it was not a big problem. It was nothing more than a delay of a few days. The Germans' strength on the northern coast could not make waves.

then.

As soon as the staff report was sent to the headquarters, the accident came.

Taking advantage of the storm that made it impossible to unload the two artificial ports and the planes could not take off, the Germans suddenly exerted their strength and pulled out ten armored divisions and a dozen infantry divisions, a total of [-] tanks, dozens of Thousands of troops launched a counterattack.

Relying on the mobility of the armored forces, the enemy defeated the two Allied armies that had penetrated into Cotentin with one fell swoop, surrounded and annihilated nearly 20 Allied troops, re-opened the peninsula, and almost drove the landing troops back to the landing site.

If it weren't for the Air Force taking off to support the storm, I'm afraid they would have to be driven back to the landing site.

Moreover, during the aircraft support, it was also discovered that the opponent not only had a large number of tanks, but also a large number of armored vehicles, half-track transport vehicles, and accompanying mobile anti-aircraft vehicles.

Especially those anti-aircraft vehicles, which greatly strengthened the air defense capability of the armored division, resulting in the loss of supporting fighters.

The enemy then strengthened the defenses of Cherbourg and established a defensive line to prevent the Allies from taking this most excellent port.

So far, the Overlord Project has suffered a serious blow, and all plans have been planned.

Afterwards, the intelligence department shouted that it was impossible, and immediately investigated, using all intelligence forces, and did not figure out where these armored divisions came from, and where those tanks, armored vehicles, and fuel came from.

There was even news from the allies on the Eastern Front that the Germans took out more than 5000 tanks and launched a counterattack. They also surrounded and annihilated hundreds of thousands of troops and advanced nearly [-] kilometers.

Suddenly, out of nowhere.

The Germans stood up.

[-] tanks were taken out at one time, and more than [-] armored vehicles, transport vehicles, and fuel that could support the mobility of these vehicles were taken out, which was even higher than in the peak period.

"Don't panic."

After taking a sip of the cigar, the fat man said calmly:

"Everything is under control, we have an absolute advantage in strength, whether it is industrial capacity, economy, or population, the victory is ours in the end."

"and."

"This is actually a good thing for us."

As he said that, the fat man looked towards the east of the map hanging on the wall, still smiling very happily.

The war has been going on for three years. Even if the Germans suddenly broke out and produced enough tanks, planes, cannons, ammunition, and obtained enough fuel, oh, and enough food, it is said that the civilian base on the mainland All food restrictions have been lifted, including captives.

Even, the civilian fuel has relaxed a bit.

But so what?
On his side alone, that is, the Allied forces on the Western Front, there are more than ten million troops.

The key point is that there are more than 500 million combatants. If logistics, transportation, etc. are included, the number of people serving the battlefield may exceed [-] million.And can continue to recruit.

And the Germans have lost at least 300 million people over the years. They only have a few allies and a small population. If they fight in the end, they can only win.

Can't lose.

Now, the Germans suddenly stand up, and their own side does suffer a bit, but relatively speaking, the north suffers the most.

The combat effectiveness of [-] tanks and [-] tanks is obviously different.

Take a small loss now and endure it for a while. After the end, you can get greater benefits on your side. Anyway, with the continuous arrival of material resources from the United States, domestic conflicts have basically eased.

"understood."

Following the prime minister's line of sight, he thought for a moment, and as the chief staff officer, he immediately understood.

The current allies cannot remain allies forever. According to the current situation, many of the current allies will in fact be enemies in the future, and the Germans have nothing to fear.

Although I will suffer a little loss, others will suffer even greater losses. After all, the power in the east is not ordinary. The longer the time, the more favorable the future situation will be for Dai Ying.

Just now.

A secretary came in and handed the latest battle report to the fat man with a cigar in his mouth:
"Prime Minister, this is the battle report from the front line."

"very good."

The fat man took a sip again, holding the cigar in one hand and the telegram in the other, and read it with a smile on his face.

In Operation Overlord, the total strength of the coalition forces was 288 million troops. In the accident during the previous storm, the Germans claimed that they wiped out more than 20 prisoners, but in fact only lost 15 troops.

Drizzle only.

There is also the equipment of several armored divisions. This is not a big problem. Although the national strength of the belt cannot be replenished quickly, there are still Americans, and it can be replenished in a few weeks.

There aren't many German submarines in the Atlantic anymore.

After the storm passed and the port was repaired, the fat man couldn't wait to launch the second attack.

Target Cherbourg.

As long as this excellent port is occupied, the coalition forces will be completely invincible, and then slowly advance.The same number of troops is not much, then double, triple, or even more.

As for whether the Germans will block the coalition occupation, the fat man is not worried at all.

This time the attack was a three-dimensional battle. Nearly a thousand fighters bombarded intensively, covering and cutting off all the surrounding enemy supply lines. A fleet composed of more than a dozen capital ships, more than [-] cruisers, and dozens of destroyers suppressed the defensive firepower.

At the same time, the ground forces sent two armies to attack, of which there were five armored divisions alone, with a total of [-] tanks.

As far as Cherbourg is concerned, counting the surrounding troops, the enemy has only [-] divisions, and there is no solid fortification, and there is no shore artillery. Although there is information that the Germans are repairing it, it is only less than a month. in time.

What are they guarding against?

However, just after seeing the battle report, the fat man's smile suddenly froze, and the cigar in his hand dropped to the ground without knowing it.

"This is real?"

He couldn't help but ask the staff officer who sent him.

The fat man wanted to ask, was this a joke made by someone?
Nearly [-] warships, nearly [-] aircraft, and hundreds of thousands of ground troops attacked a mere Cherbourg. The strength was more than five times that of the defenders. They attacked for a day and failed.

That's all.

And the attacking force suffered heavy losses.

The capital ships were generally slightly injured, only five were intact, the heavy cruisers suffered huge losses, two sank, five were severely damaged, and the rest were all injured. As for the light cruisers and destroyers, the losses were even more outrageous, with more than ten ships sunk and more than ten severely damaged. Five ships, the rest were injured.

It was even more outrageous than fighting a decisive battle.

The aircraft loss of the aviation team was not small at all. Of the 370 attacking aircraft, more than 30.00 were lost, and the loss rate exceeded [-]%.

There are also ground forces, which also lost more than [-] tanks and nearly [-] casualties.

how can that be!

The fat man didn't believe it at all.

But if someone joked with him on such an important matter, Fatty wouldn't believe it, who would dare to do it?Unless it's the cripple, it's obviously impossible, but if it's true, it means that he made a major mistake in his judgment of the situation, and the future development of the situation will be completely unpredictable.

Like when coming to retreat.

This is not a good thing.

The entanglement and fear in his heart made the fat man stop thinking for a while.

"prime minister."

At this time, a person in charge of the intelligence department came in. He knew that the Prime Minister could hardly believe the news of the defeat, so he came to explain in person, and said to the fat man:

"The battle reports are all true."

"Our offensive suffered a major failure."

"why?!"

The appearance of the head of the intelligence department made Fatty accept the reality, and he was worthy of being the prime minister. After taking a few deep breaths, he regained his composure, but he still didn't understand.

how can that be!

It's okay to fail, how could it be possible to lose so much.

Are the Germans so fierce?

Why didn't you find out before?In North Africa, didn't Montgomery drive that Rommel around!

"Many of the enemies are beyond our expectations."

The intelligence officer replied:

"According to the front-line battle reports, I found that the Cherbourg area already has a very complete defensive fort system. There are solid concrete fortresses, large-caliber coastal defense guns, multi-layered anti-aircraft firepower nets, and long-range cannons of various calibers."

"A perfect concrete fortress."

The fat man frowned at that moment.

group!
And it's perfect.

In less than a month, no, more than half a month to be precise, in this little time, one, or a dozen, or even dozens of fortresses were built, Thaksin.

But in such a short period of time, how could it be possible to build a complete fortress group, which is still reinforced concrete.

Not scientific.

Manpower is not a problem, tools are not a problem, the most important thing is that so many fortresses, or reinforced concrete fortresses, require such a huge amount of materials, can this be transported in half a month!

"Correct."

The intelligence chief nodded and replied:
"There are a large number of solid concrete fortresses in the Cherbourg area and its surroundings, with heavy machine guns and artillery inside. The reason why this operation failed is because of these fortresses."

"We lack effective means of tackling tough problems."

"The battleship guns don't work either?"

The fat man was puzzled.

It is understandable that heavy patrols cannot penetrate. After all, there are only 203 caliber artillery, but battleships have more than [-]-inch artillery, and even [-]-inch main guns. How can they not be able to penetrate the mere concrete fortress.

Also, he still didn't understand how the Germans built those forts.

"According to the fleet's battle report and intelligence information."

"In the Cherbourg area, there are eighteen [-]-inch shore guns with an effective range of more than [-] kilometers, and more than [-] double-barreled [-]-inch naval guns with a range of more than [-] kilometers."

The person in charge of intelligence said that in the follow-up, he also emphasized his tone and continued to explain:

"Moreover, the enemy's naval gun fortresses all have reinforced concrete fortresses that are five meters or more thick, and may even be thicker."

Fatty, who used to be the Minister of the Navy, immediately understood.

Naval guns and shore guns are at a disadvantage because of accuracy.

To put it simply, one is to shoot a fixed target in a moving state, and the other is to shoot a moving target in a fixed state. Anyone who knows how to shoot knows that there is a big gap between the two.

Coupled with the reinforced concrete fortress of more than five meters, the fleet can't beat it and is normal.

Military concrete is much, much harder than civilian concrete. With a thickness of five meters, it is difficult for even a 16-inch main gun to penetrate. Besides, it is very difficult to hit itself.

"in addition."

The intelligence chief continued:
"The enemy deployed more than a hundred quadruple 40mm anti-aircraft guns and nearly a hundred 88 anti-aircraft guns in Cherbourg."

"so much."

The fat man suddenly twitched.

There are more than [-] anti-aircraft gun barrels in Cherbourg alone, not counting other troops. No wonder the air force suffered such a large loss.

"But how did they build so many forts in such a short period of time?"

Fatty still didn't understand a few points in the end.

Such a huge group of fortifications will take at least half a year to complete.

The fat man suspects that these fortresses, as well as the tanks, have long been on the west coast, but his own intelligence personnel made a mistake in their work and did not discover it. Otherwise, how can we explain it?It doesn't explain it at all.

"It is said."

Intelligence leaders have long been prepared:
"They used a modular construction technology, similar to assembly line technology, which can build a fortress like building blocks, and a quick-drying cement. Because the construction site is directly involved in the army, we have no way to obtain more information."

"However, it is certain that these fortresses were indeed built recently."

"Quick-drying cement, assembly line modular construction, so it is."

The fat man nodded, and then his tone suddenly increased:

"Where did their supplies come from?"

"There are also twelve-inch coastal defense guns and anti-aircraft guns. It is not easy to transport these things."

The front can be explained, but the latter is absolutely impossible. According to the battle report, there are eighteen 305 shore guns and thirty double-barreled 8-inch naval guns in the Cherbourg area, all of which must be transported by train.

To build a concrete fortress of this scale requires at least tens of thousands of tons of cement and steel bars.

"The sources of those tanks, armored vehicles, weapons and ammunition, as well as oil and reinforced concrete, we haven't investigated yet. We only know that they were taken from a warehouse in Cherbourg."

"but."

The person in charge of intelligence paused for a long time before replying:

"Through the intelligence personnel lurking at the top of the military, we discovered a very weird and suspicious intelligence about new technology research."

"Weird and suspicious information?"

The fat man's tone was very dissatisfied.

Is it time to change the head of intelligence?

Weird, very suspicious, technical information, which can basically be judged to be a fake, and those guys are famous for making all kinds of weird weapons.Still need to report to him?
"At first we also thought it was false information, so we didn't take it seriously."

The intelligence officer gave a wry smile:
"However, judging from the situation in Cherbourg, this is very likely to be true, and the Germans seem to be very strict about the secrecy of this project."

"Tell me."

Fatty suddenly became interested.

"I have sent a copy to the Americans, and they are also studying the accuracy of this intelligence."

Before speaking, the person in charge of intelligence added a sentence.

·····
Time came to mid-July.

Chengde.

Most of the Hattori reinforcements promised by the base camp have arrived, and the number of devils currently stationed in Chengde has reached nearly [-].

Reached the level of the peak period of the first army.

The large-depth and multi-layered positions have basically been built, and the rest is to strengthen, reinforce, and continue to deepen.

However, what Hattori expected was that he originally thought that when the enemy found out that he was building a large deep fortification group, they would launch a large-scale attack in advance, but things were somewhat unexpected.

According to investigations, there are as many as 12 Eighth Route tanks assembled opposite Chengde, and over a thousand heavy artillery pieces, not less than him. There are also siege-level [-]-inch heavy artillery pieces, which are fully capable of launching a general attack.

Instead of launching a large-scale attack, the independent regiment on the opposite side practiced with him.

Almost every day, the Independent Regiment would send nearly a hundred armored troops to attack his position under the cover of heavy artillery, break through the ground and then advance for more than ten miles before actively retreating.

Rain or shine, never stop, never tired of it.

For so many days in a row, he caused nearly ten thousand casualties.

Of course, the dozens of 12-inch heavy artillery never stopped, and they fired on time and every day, but the positions were different, which gave him a headache.

"idiot."

Angrily slapping the table, Hattori gritted his teeth.

This move was something he hadn't expected at all, and he had no way to deal with it. The attack had no chance of winning, and he lost his position. Whether it was a desperate charge or a night-time infiltration attack, there was no return.

All he can do is hide in the fortifications and wait for the enemy to attack.

Fortunately, in the multi-layer position that was more than [-] miles deep, he also had all the bridges dismantled and almost all the roads dug up, which would surely sink the enemy's armored group into it.

After cursing a few words, Hattori also began to think.

Now that he knew that the opponent's Eight Route Army would train with him almost every day, Hattori naturally planned in his heart whether he could use his tricks and ambush an independent regiment.

There are more than 100 tanks. If there is no follow-up troops, it is impossible for him to eat them all, but he can still take a few bites by gritting his teeth.It's also good to let the people in the independent regiment know that the imperial army of the Imperial Japanese Empire is not easy to mess with.

The only problem is that the enemy's armor is highly mobile, coupled with the lack of intelligence, he has no way of knowing which direction the enemy is attacking from.

the other side.

The independent regiment branch led by Ding Wei.

"Currently, the number of troops assembled in Ping County has reached 49 battalions."

The staff officer is reporting:
"Among them thirteen armored battalions and thirteen artillery battalions, half of which are newly formed troops."

"There are twenty infantry battalions, two-thirds of which are newly formed troops less than a month old."

"The rest are newly formed logistics support battalions."

"Not urgent."

Ding Wei said in a leisurely tone:

"Continue to train troops according to the current plan. Every time an old battalion brings a new troop to attack the devil's position, the actual combat training will be carried out. The specific combat plan will be formulated by the staff."

Because most of them are newcomers, so is the staff department, so Ding Wei needs to give the new staff time to grow up. The staff should not always ask him and me questions, but the staff should share the problems with him.

"correct."

He added:

"Beware of devils ambush, take countermeasures."

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(End of this chapter)