Chapter 200 Breakout

I was delayed today by something, so the third chapter will be released later, I'm very sorry!

...

Before the war, Major General Christian kept the mindset of infantry combat and habitually ignored the quarry.

The quarry was not much of a threat to the infantry, they could easily cross it, and even get more cover here.

However, the special terrain of the quarry was fatal to the CA-1 and "Saint-Chamond" tanks. As long as there was a stone on the ground, it was possible to get their protruding heads stuck, and then the tracks would be unable to cross because they were suspended in the air.

(Note: It is not easy for tanks to pass stone slabs, please refer to the stick tank passing cement slabs for details)

The vicinity of the quarry was full of waste materials discarded by workers, and some of them were piled up on the roadside.

The area looked empty on the surface, but there was only one road for tanks to pass. As long as the Germans blocked the road with artillery fire, the French army could not penetrate.

"Boom boom!"

The sound of artillery sounded near the road.

Christian loudly ordered the troops to organize defense amid the sound of artillery fire. He knew that this was an enemy trap, and the best way to deal with it should be to preserve strength.

However, due to Xiafei's previous order and everyone thought that victory was in sight, the signalman who was riding a horse and galloping away had not had time to pass the order of "organizing defense" to the front, and the first regiment at the forefront could not wait to launch an attack with the tanks.

Rows of infantrymen wearing red military pants rushed towards the enemy, but bullets and shells whistled in the rain, and before they saw the enemy, they were swept to the ground in rows.

"Tanks, we need tanks!" someone shouted.

Soon the tanks were transferred, but the infantry found that they did not work at all. The tanks had to go around between the gravel and the craters, carefully avoiding every obstacle, and they would be stuck and unable to move if they were not careful.

Finally, a few tanks took advantage of the gaps and drove up, but the soldiers were surprised to find that the German bullets could easily make bullet holes in the front armor of the tanks.

What's more serious is that the Germans have learned from previous battles that the fuel tank of the CA-1 tank is on the roof.

(Note: CA-1 has no fuel pump, and its fuel tank relies entirely on the weight of gasoline, so the fuel tank is installed on the roof.)

So, their K bullets and anti-tank rifles aimed at the roof of the CA-1 and punched holes in its fuel tank.

Gasoline was sprayed along the way, but the French soldiers knew nothing about it.

No one would pay attention to whether it was rain or gasoline sprayed on the top of the tank on the tense battlefield. They still charged towards the enemy's defense line while shooting and shouting.

The commander waved his sword and shouted:

"Victory is in sight, boys!"

"Break through this line of defense, our people are waiting for us over there! Go forward!"

...

"Boom" a few gunshots, the shells finally ignited the gasoline.

A flame suddenly appeared in the rain and surrounded the soldiers. The soldiers let out waves of terrifying and shrill screams. They were slapping their hands in panic at first, but soon they couldn't bear the pain and ran wildly with their arms waving. Some of them ran and jumped, as if trying to escape from it all, but the flames always wrapped around their bodies and entangled them like a devil.

In the end, they fell to the ground one after another in different postures and stopped moving. The flames were still burning on them, and the air was filled with a suffocating smell of burning.

But this was just the beginning...

Soon, the fire spread along the oil road to the source. With a "boom", the CA-1 tank exploded. It was a bright red and huge flame. The nearby soldiers were instantly wrapped in it. The tank that originally protected them became the source of death.

The CA-1 tank that was already on fire was even moving slowly forward, like a moving fire coffin, continuing to bring death and danger to other areas.

One CA-1 tank after another was set on fire. They perfectly burned a wall of fire on the open ground to block the sight and attack of the follow-up troops. The Germans used the fire as a target and continuously poured bullets and shells on the French soldiers who were blocked in the rear.

Several "Saint-Chamond" tanks were also trapped in the sea of ​​fire. The tank soldiers could not escape and could only climb to the top of the tanks to make desperate calls for help, but they were finally engulfed by the ruthless flames.

Major General Christine, who was trying to collect the troops, was shocked by this scene. He could hardly believe his eyes. This was simply purgatory, a purgatory tailored for the French interspersed troops.

He knew that this mission had completely failed. To be precise, it was not a failure, but it had been surrounded by the enemy. It was difficult to get out alive!

At this moment, the signalman guarding the radio station reported loudly: "General, the commander-in-chief ordered you to keep moving forward. He said that as long as you break through the enemy's defense line, you will win!"

...

The French General Command, the sudden change in the situation made the staff instantly nervous and panic.

One after another, distress telegrams flew onto Joffre's desk like snowflakes:

"Tram was attacked by the enemy!"

"Rhodes has been lost."

"The 1st Special Artillery Division was ambushed and trapped in the Bol Quarry with heavy casualties."

"The 2nd Special Artillery Division was trapped near Carlos Town and could not move. They encountered enemy tanks!"

...

The 2nd Special Artillery Division walked along the highway into a narrow section with highlands on both sides. The German army built fortifications on the highlands and attacked France from both sides. The way out was blocked by artillery, and a German tank regiment suddenly appeared on the retreat.

Joffre's cold sweat instantly flowed down his forehead. He finally realized that what Gallieni said was right. This was a trap set for the interspersed troops.

"General!" Kanais swallowed nervously: "Give the order, our army is an interspersed force, and we didn't bring much ammunition in order to move quickly..."

Joffre nodded helplessly: "Break through!"

This means that all the victories have become a bubble, leaving only a joke.

"But where to break through?" Kanais asked nervously: "Tram and Rhodes have been reoccupied by the Germans."

"Then take them back!" Joffre replied angrily: "We still have tanks, send them up!"

Joffre still has a reserve force in the Cape Town area

To be precise, it was not a reserve force. It was used to attract the attention of the German army and make the enemy believe that the French army would attack from here, but the Germans were obviously not fooled.

Kanais replied: "General, the intelligence from the front line shows that the German rifles can penetrate the 17MM frontal armor of our tanks, although we don't know how the Germans did it."

Xiafei was stunned.

This shows that the tanks have no effect, and it is impossible to use tanks to open up the retreat route and rescue the interspersed troops.

After thinking for a while, Xiafei could only grit his teeth and order: "Break out from Cape Town, attack from the front and back, and we will definitely be able to rescue them!"

"Yes, General!" Kanais responded and went to convey the order.

But he thought to himself that now, perhaps only Charles could save them!

(The picture above shows that the stick tank was stuck on the concrete pier during the exercise, and finally chose to bypass it)