Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 144 Surprise Attack
At daybreak, the soldiers of the 4th Armored Division discovered that their unit had suddenly gained an extra chaplain.

"Looks like the higher-ups have already thought it through for us. After this battle, we can dig up a whole bunch of graves and then hold a collective funeral ceremony," a soldier joked.

“That’s right, it’s a good opportunity for everyone to get together, and it also saves space in the cemetery,” a colleague chimed in.

"Which spot have you chosen? I can hold it for you first." A cold voice came from behind, and a tall, thin colonel stood behind the two of them.

"Sir!" The two soldiers hurriedly stood at attention and saluted.

"Go dig the mud off the tank tracks, until noon! Run!" the colonel shouted, and two soldiers saluted and quickly ran off.

"Sir, isn't this punishment a bit too lenient?" Adjutant Frank felt that his superior's punishment was too mild.

"That's it then. Who knows how many of these people will survive in a few days?" With that, de Gaulle stopped talking and walked forward on his own.

"What's the pastor doing?" the colonel asked, turning around.

"Sir, he is currently in the field kitchen leading men to prepare food."

After leaving behind crucial intelligence last night, the man remained at the camp. Since he never mentioned his name, de Gaulle could only refer to him by the code name "Priest".

"In the kitchen? What's he doing in the kitchen?" The colonel frowned.

"Go and see."

When they arrived at the field kitchen, they saw the man standing atop a Shire B1 tank, holding a metal bucket high in his hand. Below him, several cooks were looking up, holding aluminum basins in their hands.

"Got it! This syrup needs to be stretched into threads and stirred well. We need to make enough for 6000 people!"

The priest, dressed in a black robe, was shouting.

"What are they doing?" De Gaulle looked up at the people on the tank.

“Oh, they said this tank has a problem with its suspension and can’t go to the battlefield for the time being, so I’m borrowing it for the kitchen…” The black-robed priest patted the big guy next to him.

No, I mean, what are you doing here?

"Of course it's to make breakfast for everyone. Isn't that the tradition of the military chaplain?" The man in the black robe stood on the tank, looking at the commander in front of him with some curiosity.

"Are you sure we'll win?" This was the last thing de Gaulle understood. He couldn't comprehend why the British man sent by them showed absolutely no sign of tension in such dire circumstances.

"Will we win?" The man in the black robe paused, then jumped off the tank while holding a bucket of syrup.

“Commander, if none of us have any confidence, what will happen to the people behind us?” The black-robed priest stared at the colonel, making de Gaulle’s heart tremble.

The scene was completely silent; even the cooks seemed lost in thought.

"Tomorrow morning, I will deliver the best fruit pies to every soldier!" With that, the man turned and picked up the syrup bucket again.

De Gaulle nodded silently, saluted the soldiers present, and left.

Misunderstandings often arise unintentionally.

In fact, the two people who had just spoken had completely different feelings about the upcoming battle.

Qin Hao, as a "prophet," was aware of the current battle.

The Battle of Moncolnet was de Gaulle's earliest and most glorious battle.

Taking advantage of Guderian's rapid advance, the instability of his troops' foothold, and the lack of protection on their flanks, de Gaulle concentrated all his forces to launch a surprise attack on the town of Monkorne, a weak point on the flank of the German 1st Panzer Division. This attack not only cut off the 1st Division's supply lines and destroyed a large number of tanks, but also captured 400 German soldiers.

This was almost unprecedented in the early stages of World War II.

Although in subsequent battles, with the German 10th Panzer Division and Stuka Squadrons reinforcing the battlefield and other French units unable to provide support, de Gaulle's 4th Panzer Division was forced to withdraw from the battlefield.

But this battle did indeed hold off Guderian's armored forces for 48 hours and inflicted some losses on the German army, making it one of the few bright spots for the French army in the early stages of World War II.

Knowing he would win the battle, Qin Hao was very relaxed. In fact, to avoid forgetting the key aspects of the battle, he even took out a piece of paper and copied down the French army's attack route from memory, so as not to miss any crucial moments.

However, he overlooked one issue: heroes also grow and develop over time.

At this time, de Gaulle was far from becoming the resolute, courageous, and indomitable man he would become later.

In other words, de Gaulle was not confident at this time.

From the perspective of this colonel, given the current paper strength of the 4th Panzer Division, the probability of successfully attacking the elite German armored division at this time is extremely low.

No matter how well he consolidated his forces, his chances of winning were no more than 30%, and there was even a risk of total annihilation. Although he highly valued the rapid assault tactics of armored units, this was his first time actually commanding such a large-scale operation.

Even regarding how to attack, he only had a vague idea in his mind, not a clear one.

At this time, de Gaulle was under tremendous pressure.

At dusk, he was alone in the command room, facing that sketch.

The results of the battle are fleeting, and if we don't act immediately, this intelligence, obtained with blood, will become meaningless.

Should we go?
Even if it means losing everything?
De Gaulle asked himself this question time and time again.

He took out a bag, reached inside, and felt around for what was inside.

He had a promise with his youngest daughter: before each battle, Anna would leave him a "mystery gift," which he would open when he missed her.

This is the source of his courage.

The item was hard to the touch, and when I took it out, I realized it was the storybook from that night.

Saints' Lives: The Heroic Legend of Belleville

"Back in Verdun, who could guarantee victory?" he said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"If none of us have any confidence, what will happen to the people behind us? That's a good question." De Gaulle murmured to himself, looking at the book in front of him. Then he straightened up, his face no longer filled with confusion.

He strode out of the house and headed towards the man's room.

"Pastor, I have something to discuss with you. I'm planning to..."

???

There was no one in the house.

De Gaulle walked to the wooden table and found only another hand-drawn sketch on it, with some black feathers beside it. The black-robed priest who should have been in the room had vanished without a trace.

Picking up the sketch, de Gaulle's pupils contracted after just one glance.

A detailed battle plan, specifying the exact time of the attack and even mentioning the possibility of dense fog at a specific moment.

Did he write it?!
Attack the weak points on the flank of the 1st Panzer Division and cut off the German supply lines…

How long did he spend thinking about such a detailed plan all by himself?!

Was this placed here specifically for me to see?!

Countless questions swirled in his mind as de Gaulle searched everywhere for the person involved, but to no avail.

"A deadly plan, yet you hide it away and hand over the choice to me?" De Gaulle smiled slightly.

Then the tall Frenchman stepped out of the door and said, "Then let me show you the spirit of a French man!"

An emergency whistle blew, and all the tanks in the camp were started up. De Gaulle climbed onto the command vehicle and rallied his soldiers for a fearless charge.

Half an hour later, nearly a hundred tanks roared out of the camp and headed straight for the town of Moncorne.

At 1 a.m., the 4th Panzer Division's raiding force approached the target area, with German searchlights and 88mm anti-aircraft guns visible in the distance.

A bloody battle was about to break out, and the soldiers were prepared to bleed.

A sudden change occurred!

Without warning, a thick fog rose up all around, completely concealing the bodies of hundreds of tanks.

"God bless France!" De Gaulle almost shouted out in excitement upon seeing the scene before him.

The raiding force surged forward, appearing before the German defenders like divine soldiers descending from the sky.

Boom boom boom! ! ! ! !

When the sound of cannons echoed throughout the town, de Gaulle looked at the battlefield before him and felt as if it were not real.

He stood on his command vehicle and muttered to himself:
"Who exactly are you, you bastard?"

(End of this chapter)