Chapter 464: Crossing the Maas River (1)

Historically, Rommel waited for a day and waited until the arrival of the large troops before starting to cross the river, but now, with the upgrading of their equipment, they don't need to wait any longer, they are the only armored divisions, and You can hit the other side of the river and cross the river with ease!

Rommel looked behind him. Behind the Panther tank was the infantry fighting vehicle of the 7th Motorized Infantry Battalion.

In the Spanish Civil War, the Sd Kfz 232 heavy armored vehicle was tested for its strong combat effectiveness and battlefield adaptability. At the same time, the improvement of this heavy armored vehicle is also continuing.

Now the latest model is called Sd Kfz 234 heavy armored vehicle, and in the army, it is more directly and habitually called infantry fighting vehicle.

It is still eight-wheel drive and four-axle, but the entire body is wider. After redesigning the interior space, this heavy armored vehicle opens the door from the rear, just like the infantry fighting vehicles of later generations.

At the same time, the turret at the top is equipped with an automatic tank gun improved from the 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun. The firepower is fierce, and there is no need to be afraid of ordinary tanks.

From the outside, this heavy armored vehicle has a larger body than before and a shuttle-shaped front end. This cross-section is entirely for sailing on water.

This infantry fighting vehicle is capable of sailing on water!

At its tail, there are also two propellers, which are used to propel the armored vehicle forward on the water. The entire armored vehicle is still ten tons, but the increased volume gives it enough buoyancy!

This new type of armored vehicle has begun to be equipped to the troops in batches. Needless to say, some intermediate commanders can guess that the ability to navigate on water is of course for crossing the English Channel at some point in the future.

In Europe, where the water network is everywhere, this armored vehicle is also useful.

Although Rommel's 7th Armored Division was to fight in North Africa in the future, the large body of this vehicle made it easy to install huge exhaust fans.

Yes, when fighting in North Africa, heat is the first natural enemy, and many soldiers will not be able to bear it. At this time, this kind of armored vehicle with a large body shows its superiority.

In this era, air conditioning is not to be thought of. The large body of the car can at least make the internal air convection more smooth and reduce the physical consumption of the members inside. At the same time, the ability to sail on water has also been preserved.

Due to the limited production of weapons in Germany, the 7th Motorized Battalion is equipped with this kind of infantry fighting vehicle. However, the 6th Motorized Infantry Regiment at the back has not been equipped with armored vehicles for the time being. They ride in six-wheeled vehicles. come.

They don't have armored vehicles to cross the river, but they have rubber boats!

This hour is for them to prepare.

On the opposite side of them was the French 9th Army, which also entered Belgium in a hurry and drove to the Meuse River. It didn't take long before they saw the German troops on the opposite side.

The commander of the army, Lieutenant General Cora, listened to the report of the front-line scouts and felt that the situation was not good.

If compared in terms of numbers, his group army is far more numerous than the other party, but in terms of combat effectiveness, his side is definitely not dominant.

"Please ask for help immediately, we need more troops." Lieutenant General Cora said, he was in the headquarters here, and he could see the tall and mighty tanks on the opposite side with binoculars, let Lieutenant General Cora There is little anxiety.

Fortunately, there is no bridge here. Obviously, the other party is waiting for the bridge-building troops to come over and forcefully cross the river. This also makes it easier for us. At least, we don't have to worry about facing those terrible tanks directly.

Until now, the French army doesn't seem to have a good way to deal with those fearsome tanks.

Now, he needs more troops, which will give him peace of mind.

"Report, the Germans on the opposite side lined up their tanks on the river bank!" At this moment, an even more surprising news came.

The opponent's tanks are lined up on the river bank. If you have heavy artillery on your side, you can bomb the opponent! It's a pity that I arrived in a hurry, and those heavy artillery are still behind!

Raising the binoculars and looking at everything on the river bank over there, Lieutenant General Cora's unease gradually became stronger. Could it be that the other party is going to attack?

The opponent's actions are really fast! Lieutenant General Cora held a high-powered telescope and saw some rubber boats behind the other side, which were inflating, and he was even more shocked: "Immediately fortify along the river bank and enter the position, the Germans are going to cross the river!"

At this time, the tactics of the Germans are already obvious. They use tanks to provide fire support and use those rubber boats to cross the river. It's abominable. They don't even rest. As soon as they arrive, they immediately start to cross the river!

Although we don't have heavy weapons, we have all kinds of machine guns. As long as we deploy them along the river bank, the opponent's rubber boat can shoot at the river surface when crossing the river. It must be an easy task.

If you want to forcefully cross the Maas River, there is no way!

The French soldiers here hurriedly entered the position on the river bank. There were many machine gunners. They were waiting quietly, waiting.

When the sun began to set in the west, at four o'clock in the afternoon, the battle to cross the Maas River finally started.

"Three minutes of artillery fire, hit me!" Standing on the riverbank, looking at the opposite bank, Rommel shouted loudly.

Fire!

"Boom!" An 88mm tank gun fired violently, and high-explosive grenades flew towards the opposite position.

After the development of the 88mm tank gun was mature, the newly built tanks began to be equipped with the 88mm tank gun. The reason is very simple, it is cost and man-hours.

The power is similar to that of the 75mm long-barreled gun. However, building one 75mm gun is enough to build two 88mm guns. After Cyric's clapper, the newly built tanks have been fully converted to 88mm guns.

High-power high-pressure tank guns are generally not used as howitzers. After all, the life of the barrel itself is limited, but in battle, no one has taken it seriously.

Winning the battle is more important than anything else!

The increase in caliber, for high-explosive grenades, means an increase in power!

"Boom!" The 88mm grenade accurately hit a machine gun position on the opposite side.

The German light machine gun is very similar to the one made in the Czech Republic. The magazine is on it. This 7.5mm Chaterira light machine gun is very reliable and is the standard equipment of the French army.

They didn't expect that at the beginning of the battle, as machine gunners, they were already the most dangerous. How did the Germans on the opposite side accurately discover their machine gun position?

For tankers, relying on high-precision sights, if they have enough time, they can look at every inch of the ground on the opposite side, and only the muzzle of a machine gun can expose the target. During this hour, they are searching for the target, Now, they are firing!

"Wait, I'll go up with me!" Rommel shouted to a wheeled armored vehicle amid the loud gunfire.