Imperial Elite

Chapter 51 Until Dawn
Although Holtz never said he was honored to be a member of the Stormtroopers.

Even in Stormtroopers, Holtz was like a wooden puppet, always with a blank expression, seemingly uninterested in everything.

In fact, Holtz felt that one of the luckiest things in his life was being selected for the Storm Commando.

Even now, with the Teutonic Empire facing resource shortages and having just experienced the 'Turnip Winter,' the Stormtroopers still enjoy the same daily rations as the officers, such as sausages or canned meat.

As elite soldiers selected from over two million soldiers of the Teutonic Empire, members of the Stormtroopers, the Teutonic Superman, could choose any light weapons they needed from the Empire's vast arsenal.

From the latest rapid-fire weapons called submachine guns to terrifying flamethrowers, and from light mortars to high-yield explosives, the Teutonic Empire armed its members to the teeth with the best weapons, while also providing them with sturdy metal armor for those tasked with breakthrough missions.

These Teutonic warriors, clad in black trench coats, became the most terrifying and deadliest enemies the Bunitalian and Gallic soldiers could encounter on the battlefield.

After all, in most units, apart from officers and non-commissioned officers, only a few wealthy soldiers have the money to buy a pistol at their own expense.

These Stormtroopers members are each equipped with a sophisticated Luger P08 pistol as a backup option for quickly emptying magazines when they don't have time to reload their main weapons in the trenches.

With such powerful weapons and sturdy armor, these Storm Assault Teams will probably be like some space marines—powerful, strong, and domineering, breaking through enemy lines head-on like medieval knights.

However, the reality is not like that.

The Storm Commando members' most proficient tactic is actually infiltration and surprise attacks, appearing from unexpected locations before the enemy can react, and then destroying the enemy with overwhelming firepower.

Early morning is their favorite time to launch an attack, partly because the enemies who have just woken up are not yet fully alert, and launching a surprise attack at this time can gain a greater advantage.

On the other hand, launching a surprise attack at night is far too risky as it could easily result in friendly fire. After all, for those armed with flamethrowers, if they don't check whether there are friendly forces in the trenches before firing, they could easily wipe out both allies and enemies in one fell swoop.

Daytime was not a good time for infiltration and raids, so they began infiltrating with their equipment in the latter half of the night. Then, when the sun was about to rise above the horizon and visibility on the battlefield was barely enough to make out the surroundings, that was when the Storm Assault Teams launched their attack.

Just like now, as the first rays of dawn illuminated the woods on the outskirts of Paris, Holz awoke from his brief slumber, wiped the dew from his face, and looked around at his surroundings.

He immediately imitated the hooting of an owl to remind his teammates that their rest time was over and it was time to kill.

Holtz and his team quietly infiltrated this position, not far from the Gallic position, in the dead of night.

The Gauls didn't have time to set up barbed wire, which saved Holtz and his team a lot of trouble.

In fact, if it weren't for the lieutenant colonel of the 1st Battalion of the 27th Infantry Regiment who arrived later requesting that Holtz and his men wait until dawn to launch the attack, allowing the newly arrived troops to rest and recover their strength...

Faced with this seemingly weak Gallic position, Holtz wanted to risk launching a night attack to destroy it under cover of darkness.

However, the lieutenant colonel stated that since breaking through the Gauls' defenses, during this frantic advance towards Paris, the troops at the forefront had essentially been broken up during this chaotic advance.

Last time, they advanced to the Marne River and were just a hair's breadth away from entering Paris. However, because the troops advanced too quickly, a serious disconnect occurred, and logistics failed to keep up, forcing them to painfully abandon most of their gains and the victory that was within reach.

Now, they are advancing even faster than at the beginning of the war, and the degree of troop disjointing is even more serious than in the last Battle of the Marne.

One infantry company from the battalion he commanded is still missing.

Therefore, to avoid repeating the mistakes of the previous Battle of the Marne, now that they have arrived in Paris, they should proceed cautiously and steadily.

First, secure a portion of the city's buildings for the main force, using them as defensive strongholds.

After the follow-up troops arrive, they will steadily advance into the city.

After all, the Teutons here now only have one battalion, although even the 27th Infantry Regiment that arrived last is one of the elite Teutonic troops, with a history almost as long as that of the Teutonics.

However, it would indeed be quite difficult to occupy the entire city of Paris with only this small force.

Therefore, the lieutenant colonel's opinion was that they should take advantage of the darkness, when the Gauls did not know what was happening and the garrison was hiding in the trenches and not coming out.

They could quickly repair their fortifications right under the Gauls' noses and, through the areas controlled by the hussars, occupy several buildings in Paris as footholds to set up positions for their machine gun company.

After daybreak, clear out the last remaining Gallic positions in this area and completely control the region.

Even if the Gauls wanted to launch a counterattack, it would be futile against machine guns with good visibility and fortifications. This has been proven time and again over the past three years.

According to the lieutenant colonel, the headquarters of the 27th Infantry Regiment, as well as the main force of their 7th Infantry Division, were less than a day behind them.

Moreover, not only have the hussars at the forefront arrived in Paris, but the Stormtroopers, who are only slightly behind the hussars, have also arrived here.

This means that they will receive a steady stream of support for some time to come, and all they have to do is hold this bridgehead to Paris for the follow-up troops.

Holtz and the cavalry commander both thought the lieutenant colonel's words made a lot of sense, especially since he was the highest-ranking officer present.

Therefore, Holtz chose to obey the lieutenant colonel's arrangement when the lieutenant colonel sent men to bypass this position and take control of other positions and some buildings on the outskirts of Paris.

Holtz and his men lay in wait here, silently awaiting the time to attack.

As birdsong filled the air, Holtz confirmed that his men were ready, and he began to crawl on the ground toward the Gauls' trenches.

The Gauls here are not as experienced as the Gauls or Buntanians that Holz dealt with before.

Half the night had passed, and the Gauls in those fortifications had neither sent out trench scouts to search the surrounding area nor erected barbed wire in front of their positions.

Such a thing would be unthinkable in the Somme and Verdun.

At Verdun and the Somme, as soon as night falls, engineers from both sides immediately begin repairing and adding barbed wire in the no man's land.

Sometimes, you might see that the shelling has destroyed part of the barbed wire the day before, but when you can launch an attack the next day, the damn barbed wire not only comes back, but there might even be more of it than the day before.

If you encounter some particularly dedicated sappers, they will even lay landmines in no-man's-land at night, so that those unlucky souls who accidentally step on these landmines will have to be more careful in their next life.

Even though the Gauls here were clearly not as experienced as the Gauls Holtz had dealt with in the past, Holtz's heart still raced as he drew closer to their position.

Unlike the no-man's-land Holtz frequented in the past, this area was not filled with craters of all sizes and all sorts of strange things. Holtz worried that as he moved through this open area lacking cover, some Gaul might spot him and shoot him.

Or, to make matters worse, at this distance a grenade is a greater threat than a bullet.

Holtz, now brooding on the grass, could only pray that the Gauls in the trenches wouldn't notice him or his own troops, especially the guy with the flamethrower.

Finally, when Holtz came to within twenty meters of the trench where the Gauls were, he stopped and pulled a grenade from his belt.

Without Holtz giving the order, the experienced commandos near Holtz also drew grenades from their waists or satchels.

As a barrage of grenades flew into the Gauls' trenches, the Gauls, who had just woken up or were still asleep, were jolted awake by the grenades hitting their heads and had no idea what was happening.

Then the officers let out sharp screams: "Enemy attack! Grenade! Take cover!"

Then the violent explosion froze the soldiers' minds in that moment forever.

In the immediate aftermath of the grenade explosion, Holtz stood up with his submachine gun and, with a shout of "For the Emperor and the Fatherland!", led his assault team into the trenches.

Although the sergeants who had survived the grenade attack in the trenches were preparing to fight back, these old men who had long since retired from service clearly did not know that in trench warfare, bayonets were merely a hindrance, and automatic weapons were the way to go.

After quickly clearing the trench, the assault team immediately began to advance along it, relying on their skillful coordination and the suppression provided by automatic weapons and flamethrowers that are not available to ordinary infantry units.

Soon the fighting in the trenches turned into a one-sided massacre.

The reason it is said to be "almost" is that after discovering that bayonets and rifles could not stop these assault troops, the veteran sergeants and young officers began to organize the bewildered soldiers to throw grenades into the trenches where the assault troops were located.

Regardless of whether it can be blown up, let's throw it over there first to slow down these guys' offensive.

Just as Holtz and his commandos were clearing the trenches, Jean-Pierre was preparing to lead a platoon, along with his old comrades, out of the trenches for a risky flanking maneuver.

Although the trenches dug by these new recruits were far inferior to the standard trenches at Verdun or the Somme, which had been under construction for a long time, they lacked reinforced wooden planks and drainage ditches, and were essentially unfinished.

But at least in terms of depth, these fortifications meet the standards.

Therefore, when these commandos were attacking their own men in the trenches, they could not see what was happening outside the trenches.

Jean-Pierre had every opportunity to approach them from outside the trenches and then take out the commandos with rifles or grenades, like shooting ducks in a bucket.

Just as Jean-Pierre and his men leaped out of the trench, preparing to charge and wipe out the Storm Assault Team that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, a dense volley of bullets swept down a group of men like wheat being harvested, pinning Jean-Pierre and the remaining half of his men to the open ground outside the trench.

Jean-Pierre looked up and saw a group of Teutonic soldiers charging toward his lines under the cover of machine gun fire.

Clearly, the Teutons intended to completely seize their position in this attack.

Jean-Pierre's troops were already at a disadvantage in trench warfare. If those Teutonic soldiers were to reach the trenches, it would only be a matter of time before the entire battalion was annihilated.

Faced with this near-desperate situation, with wolves in front and tigers behind, some of the men who jumped out of the trench with Jean-Pierre suffered a mental breakdown amidst bullets whizzing overhead and the screams of those burned by the flamethrowers of the Stormtroopers not far from them.

They had never received any training, and many of them had never even fired a gun in their lives. The closest they ever came to violence was when they encountered Gypsies on the street or when they went to watch a boxing match.

This hellish environment exceeded their limits of tolerance. Some covered their ears and screamed shrilly, while others lay on the ground, sweating profusely. Some conscripted women even unbuttoned their shirts and stood up, trying to use this ancient method to stop the Teutons from attacking them.

This method might have been able to quell many conflicts elsewhere, but unfortunately, bullets don't have eyes, so the woman fell to the ground without a sound the next second.

"Don't panic! Crawl forward!"

As the recruits broke down, Jean-Pierre shouted to the remaining recruits.

"Take out those Storm Assault Team members! Then we can hold the line!"

Just as Jean-Pierre wanted to have these new recruits join him on the mission to flank the Storm Commandos.

Jean-Pierre heard a familiar engine sound, along with the unfamiliar sounds of cannon fire and explosions.

The next moment, as the machine guns that had pinned them down on the open ground ceased firing, Jean-Pierre turned to look behind the position. In the morning light, several steel behemoths and a group of Buntanian infantrymen huddled beside those steel behemoths called tanks appeared on the battlefield.

On the turret of the lead tank, a Bunitania flag was fluttering in the wind.

The morning light shone on the tanks, making them look like warriors from heaven—a scene Jean-Pierre remembered seeing not long ago.

The moment the memories of the past surfaced, Jean-Pierre forcibly stopped reminiscing. Now was clearly not a good time to recall the past. With a long sigh of relief, Jean-Pierre immediately got up from the ground, raised his gun, and waved it behind him.

"Don't just stand there! Come with me and take down those Teutons!"

As tanks flying the Bonitania flag drove out of Paris, Prince Joachim watched in astonishment as the lieutenant colonel ordered a messenger to notify all troops to begin their retreat, a situation that Joachim found completely incomprehensible.

After arriving last night and taking command, the lieutenant colonel stated that the plan was to launch an attack at dawn, completely occupy the area, hold it firmly until reinforcements arrived, and then gradually take over the entire city of Paris.

How come this lieutenant colonel is already abandoning his position and retreating just because a few Bunitania tanks have appeared?
Did he misunderstand the meaning of the phrase "firmly defend this place" and the sentence as a whole?

"Lieutenant Colonel! I need an explanation!"

The lieutenant colonel, who was ordering the battalion's mortars to fire, turned to Prince Joachim. Although he looked somewhat impatient, he patiently explained to the prince, "Your Highness, I encountered something like this during the previous Gaulish offensive. Their firepower could easily tear apart infantry and destroy our carefully constructed trenches and fortifications, and we didn't have any particularly effective means to counter them."

"Although the newly issued K-rounds can temporarily disable them, the only way to destroy them is with large-caliber artillery, which unfortunately we do not have at the moment."

As the mortar positions began firing rapidly at the area where the advancing Buntanian tanks were located, thick smoke gradually obscured the tanks, causing those tanks that had been firing fiercely to temporarily cease fire.

"Last night I deployed most of the machine guns from the machine gun company in the buildings in the city. The fact that these tanks are here means that the machine gun company is basically finished!"

"Now we only have two choices: either leave here alive and wait for the opportunity to launch the next attack, or stay here and be torn apart by the tanks."

"The main force is right behind us. They have artillery, machine guns, and everything we need. As long as we're alive, we can take the position back later."

"As long as we retreat to the woodlands to the north, we can break contact with these tanks; they dare not enter the woodlands."

After listening to the lieutenant colonel's words, Prince Joachim left the lieutenant colonel's command post without saying a word.

Seeing Prince Joachim leave, the lieutenant colonel said nothing, but continued to order the mortar teams to fire smoke grenades to cover the battlefield, and at the same time fire signal flares to indicate that the troops were preparing to begin their retreat.

However, the lieutenant colonel did not forget the Storm Commando in the trenches. He sent another scout to inform the infantry company that had just launched its charge not to retreat in a hurry, but to cover the Storm Commando in the trenches as they left the trenches, and then retreat with them.

Prince Joachim, who had left the lieutenant colonel's command post, then rallied the hussars.

"This lieutenant colonel lacked courage, and I think that's why they failed at the Marne."

After complaining for a moment, Prince Joachim ordered his hussars to mount their horses.

"I don't believe what that lieutenant colonel said about only large-caliber artillery being able to destroy these things, and I won't give up this opportunity to occupy Paris. Let's go! We're going to Paris!"

Just as Jean-Pierre reorganized the attack, and the Teutonic infantry began preparing to retreat.

Joe was grumbling and shouting at the infantrymen huddled next to the tank, huddled behind the hatch on top of the turret, about a block away from Jean-Pierre. He was directing the gunners to fire at the second floor of a building.

"Don't fucking stand there in the street! Go and occupy and inspect the buildings on both sides of the street in front of us! If the Teutons take over there, I might still live, but you're all dead!"

Last night, scouts from the Guards Grenadier Company brought back information that the Teutons had occupied some buildings and positions in La Villette Park, but some positions were still under Gaul control.

Joe felt that the Teutons had captured part of the territory, while the Gauls had held onto another part. Wasn't this the perfect scenario for the theory of flexible defense to be applied?
I'm going to show that old man Henry that even though he may have a higher rank, the truth is in my hands, Joe Harrison!
Although they were preparing to launch a counterattack, and had repeatedly emphasized to Henry that the tanks should be used in concentrated numbers.

However, the Teutons had occupied part of the buildings, which meant he was bound to encounter urban warfare. As a long-time user of Slavic low blood pressure treatment games, Joe was very familiar with the situation in urban warfare.

If a tank formation is too large and too numerous, it will not only fail to play a significant role, but will also reduce combat effectiveness.

After all, Joe had lost count of how many times he had tried to use the peek-a-boo turret, only to have his teammates block the space he could retract as soon as he extended it.

And how many times, even when it was obvious that someone on the other side was watching this street, would those teammates still act like silly deer, saying things like, "How did my teammate die? Let me see what's going on."

"Why did my teammate die again? Let me see what's going on."

"Another teammate died? Let me see what's going on."

This situation is almost like queuing up to throw people away.

So Joe split the task force into several combat groups, dividing them into four groups to encircle the Teutonic-controlled area from the surrounding area.

Since this battle did not require high speed, Joe adopted a mixed formation approach when organizing the combat teams, grouping the main tank-type Royal Fist units together with the assault gun-type Royal Fist units.

In Joe's mind, this battle should be just like the one at the Somme, a smooth and unstoppable advance. As soon as the tanks arrived, the Teutons would scatter like birds and beasts.

But Joe didn't expect that when he led his team toward La Villette Park, the Teutons who occupied the buildings not only didn't run away, but also dared to fight back.

Moreover, this time was different from before. The machine guns hidden by the Teutons in the basement of the building did not just scratch the tanks as they used to, but immediately disabled the Royal Fist MK-5 tank at the front of the formation after firing.

While the Royal Fist MK-5 tank was fiercely retaliating with its 40mm rapid-fire cannon, Joe, who was startled by the situation, immediately began to organize a counterattack.

After driving the infantry into the buildings on both sides of the street to cover their flanks.

Joe turned back to the Royal Fist MK-3 tank, or rather, the assault gun, which was huddled behind him, and frantically gestured while shouting, "Keep firing! Destroy that building!"

As the assault gun roared incessantly, the building, despite being repeatedly bombarded by high-explosive shells and constantly spewing fireballs, remained standing.

Joe wished he could go back in time and slap himself twice.

He slapped himself for knowing he would encounter urban warfare but not thinking of using tracks or something similar to reinforce the tank's armor.

I slap myself for thinking that a three-inch cannon would be enough and not choosing a large-caliber, low-powered artillery piece.

As for strengthening the tank's defense with tracks, that can be done at any time after this battle ends.

There's really no way to solve the problem of equipping the MK-3 with a three-inch cannon in the short term.

Small-caliber artillery is clearly ineffective at demolishing buildings in urban warfare...

Although the power of a three-inch cannon was somewhat weak for demolishing a building, under repeated bombardment, half of the building's structure still collapsed.

This time, without waiting for Joe to give the order, the guards grenadiers who were accompanying the tanks rushed into the building that had become a dangerous structure.

Soon after, several gunshots rang out, and the grenadiers who came out of the building said that they had cleared the building and it was now safe.

"Drive forward a short distance and then stop. Be cautious."

After saying that, Joe crawled out of the turret, ran quickly to the tank that had been disabled by the Teutons, knocked on the hatch, and signaled the crew to open it so he could get in.

Soon the tank hatch was opened, and Joe entered the tank.

Then Joe discovered both good news and bad news.

The good news is that the tank did not suffer any structural or functional damage after the attack.

Since anti-scraping linings were still just a laboratory concept at the time, engineers from the Garage and Rolls-Royce were still figuring out what could be both fireproof and flame-retardant, able to catch metal fragments flying out after the armor broke apart, and not too thick to affect the interior space.

During the recent Teutonic machine gun attack, the inner surface of the tank's frontal armor collapsed due to repeated impacts from bullets.

Apart from the flying metal fragments and bullets that pierced the armor killing the driver, the tank was almost completely unharmed and could be driven again after a replacement driver took over.

Looking at the dense scratches and bullet holes on the front of the vehicle, as well as the several steel-core bullets stuck in the armor, Joe now understood how they had lost all 132 of their tanks in the Nivel offensive.

The Teutons were wicked! How did they manage to develop steel-core armor-piercing projectiles so quickly?!

However, the fact that machine gun bullets can penetrate tank armor is quite frightening.

However, Joe knew that the threat was not as terrible as it seemed. He didn't need to panic at all. He just needed to add some other things to the front of the original armor. If possible, he could add a layer of armor plates or tracks.

If you don't have the necessary materials, you can make do with things like doors and tables.

The principle behind this battlefield modification is that after a bullet hits an outer layer of material, the bullet deflects or breaks, reducing its subsequent penetrating power.

As the trajectory of the warhead changes after penetrating the first layer of armor, it no longer strikes the subsequent main armor plate with its pointed tip, reducing the direct impact on the main armor and thus achieving a breakthrough.

Basically, this is a low-end, unfinished version of the gap armor.

After spending a few minutes borrowing some door panels, tables, and even a few blankets from a nearby building and hanging them on the front armor of the tank, Joe then directed his troops to continue advancing.

Theoretically, in this situation, the infantry should advance ahead of the tanks, and the tank units should only continue advancing after the infantry confirms that the buildings ahead are not ambushed as they were before.

This way, even if the Teutons had an ambush, it would be easier for the infantry to hide, while the tank crews, maintaining their distance, could easily pick off the Teutonic firing positions from afar.

This tactic was used repeatedly by different armies in different locations during the bloody 20th century on Earth, and apart from putting a little more pressure on the infantry, it was practically perfect.

However, Joe, who had a minor disagreement with General Henry, could not use this tactic, since the losses of the infantry were difficult to recover. Therefore, Joe chose to use the armor of the tanks to withstand the attack.

After all, the Guards grenadiers only had two companies. If they suffered heavy losses, and no one was left to protect the tanks' vulnerable flanks and rear, the Teutons might just rush in from their blind spots and bomb the tanks.

Therefore, it's better to let the tanks go first and absorb the Teutonic fire.

After all, the Teutonic machine guns were very heavy. Compared to the Bunitania machine guns that a person could carry and run with, these things called "black pigs" were no different from artillery in terms of mobility.

If you actually encounter one, just treat it like you've encountered a Teutonic field gun. In any case, they're gambling on getting the first shot, and you're gambling on missing.

However, the machine gun in that building was probably the only heavy firepower the Teutons, who occupied this area, possessed.

During the subsequent advance, although some Teutons hid in the corners of the buildings, sniping and throwing grenades.

However, compared to machine guns, rifles firing armor-piercing rounds are obviously much weaker, and hand grenades that can be thrown by hand are obviously not powerful enough to destroy tank armor, or even the tracks.

The 40mm rapid-fire cannon that Joe chose shone brightly in this environment. With magazines containing both armor-piercing and high-explosive rounds, it could basically launch counterattacks wherever possible in this environment.

After a round of firing, the guards grenadiers who went to confirm the results said that the power was extremely brutal, the scene was extremely tragic, and there was no risk of recovery whatsoever.

Soon after the Teutonic resistance was crushed, Joe's squadron arrived at La Villette Park.

When Joe arrived at La Villette Park, he found himself to be the third formation to arrive there.

The first two squadrons have already driven the Teutons out of the area and are now cleaning up the battlefield with the Gauls.

After ordering the formation to stop and begin alert, Joe summoned the commanders of the other two formations and began to inquire about the situation.

Although the two squadrons successfully drove out the Teutons, they also paid a price.

One tank's track was broken by a Teutonic machine gun, and the crew is currently repairing it. Another Hound tank was hit by a bomb of unknown yield when it crossed a trench controlled by the Teutons.

The vehicle was burning like a campfire in front of a trench, but fortunately, the crew woke up in time before the vehicle was engulfed in flames after the bomb exploded. Apart from the gunner who was killed, the rest of the crew were able to continue fighting after receiving a new vehicle.

Since Joe's orders before the expedition were to retake La Villette Park, the first squadron to arrive only pursued the Teutons for a short distance before returning to their position at La Villette Park.

Joe felt that this level of loss was acceptable, after all, the destroyed Hound tank was lost because it rushed too fast in the battle and became separated from the accompanying infantry.

After that, as long as we reiterate that each vehicle crew should not leave the infantry's cover, we will not encounter this problem again.

Just as Joe learned from the commanders of the two squadrons that the Teutons occupying the area had retreated with unusual decisiveness after their arrival, and that the intensity of their resistance was completely different from that of the machine gun squads that were sniping them in the city, Joe was surprised to learn that the Teutons who had occupied the area had retreated with unusual decisiveness after their arrival, and that the Teutons' fighting spirit was completely different from that of the machine gun squads that were sniping them in the city.

Suddenly, Joe heard a very excited voice in Gaul near him, and then he saw a familiar-looking Gaulish officer wearing an eye patch stride toward him with an excited expression.

(End of this chapter)