Chapter 541 The battle seems to be over

The pressure on the second anti-tank trench would be greater, because the German infantry could shoot accurately, and mortar shells were constantly hitting the attacking French army.

However, these were just drizzles for the First Armored Division, which was armed to the teeth. The "Saint-Chamond" and mortar gunners following behind immediately suppressed the German army.

The 75 gun had a fast firing rate and high accuracy, and soon silenced the German machine gun fire one by one. The German trenches were blown up like a hurricane, and the soldiers screamed and were thrown into the trenches by the shock wave, and were buried in the raised soil.

The mortar gunners were well-trained. They were all fed by Charles with a large amount of shells. There was almost no need to measure during the war. Just looking at the target, they could adjust the mortar angle by feeling. After a few shells, the shells hit the German bunkers accurately and destroyed the German firepower hiding behind them one by one.

(Note: Mortars can often be fired based on feeling. In World War II, the Japanese grenade launchers could shoot accurately based on feeling. They often used grenade launchers to suppress the Kuomintang machine guns. The mortars of this period had a short range and were not much different from grenade launchers.)

The French army took this opportunity to continue advancing.

The second batch of bridge-laying vehicles crossed the first anti-tank trench under the cover of tank and infantry fire.

They were not fast, perhaps only a dozen kilometers, but they moved forward steadily and slowly, and a distance of several hundred meters was reached in just a few minutes.

Then, they extended the steel bridge again and built the bridge on the anti-tank trench step by step...

The German soldiers almost collapsed. They could only watch the tanks approaching them but could not do anything. Many people wanted to retreat, but they were suppressed by the front-line commander Colonel Fein:

"Stop them! Our trenches are widened, and their tanks can't pass through easily!"

"They are armored troops, not good at close combat, bayonets!"

"Victory belongs to us!"

...

The German soldiers forced themselves to calm down.

They comforted themselves that what Colonel Fein said made sense. "Charles A1" really couldn't pass through the widened infantry trenches unless the French had more bridge-laying vehicles.

Moreover, the French army was not as good as the German army in close combat quality, and it had always been like this.

So the German army still had hope of victory, and it was even possible to launch a counterattack!

However, before they could react, the French army had launched a charge under the cover of tank firepower.

First, a row of grenades blew the Germans into a mess, and then a long and sharp whistle sounded, and the French soldiers shouted and rushed towards the German trenches.

The battle was unexpectedly one-sided, and the Germans had no power to fight back.

This was not even a close-range hand-to-hand fight, because there was no collision of bayonets, no entanglement, and no hand-to-hand fight of grabbing stones and poking eyes, but a unilateral massacre of the Germans by the French.

The submachine gunner stood at the edge of the trench, holding the submachine gun while waving the fan shape and outputing crazily. After a burst of gunshots, the Germans who had not yet reacted to the grenade explosion fell in a pool of blood.

The PPD submachine gun with a drum-fed ammunition capacity of 71 rounds can kill more than a dozen Germans several times in an instant.

Shotgunners often jumped directly into the trenches, and they took advantage of the short gun body to shoot darts at the enemies around them.

Its advantage is that it has strong stopping power, which can instantly knock away the enemies rushing towards them. With a gun in hand, there is almost no need to worry about being approached by the enemy.

(Note: Submachine guns are pistol bullets, and their stopping power is much worse. If an enemy charges head-on with a bayonet at close range, the submachine gun may not be able to kill the enemy before the bayonet pierces the chest.)

Submachine gunners and shotgunners cooperated with each other, and with the help of grenades and rifles, the French army killed people in the trenches, and the German army was in a state of screaming and howling. After a short period of persistence, they abandoned their positions and fled.

Erwin had to retreat with the troops, and at this time, the terrifying whistling sound of rockets sounded in the air again.

Erwin was shocked and scared.

Charles' troops were not only equipped with more advanced artillery, tanks, and bridge-laying vehicles, but also new firearms that were good at close combat and hand-to-hand combat, and they fought very bravely.

How could the German army challenge such an army?

Even if they could escape today, how could they defeat this army in future battles?

At this moment, Erwin even had the idea of ​​giving up.

…

When the news of victory reached Charles's headquarters, Charles just nodded calmly.

He was not surprised by this. The German army placed too much hope on artillery blockades and anti-tank trenches.

As the saying goes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. When their hopes are shattered one by one, the blow to morale is fatal, and retreat is just a matter of time.

Tijani was stunned for a while and then laughed: "Incredible, you only took two days to conquer the fortress that others think is unconquerable."

"It's too early to talk about victory now, General." Charles replied: "This is only the first line of defense of the German army. They still have the second line of defense and the last Namur Fortress."

This is the depth of the German defense, and the German tank troops have not appeared yet.

The most important thing is that the German army may also use Namur City as a position to fight street battles with the French army.

This is what Charles is really worried about, not only because of the complexity of street fighting, but also because there are a large number of Belgian people in the city. Fighting will inevitably injure civilians, and the French army will be tied up.

However, before Charles had time to think of a countermeasure, the signalmen reported one after another:

"General, the Germans have withdrawn from the second line of defense."

"General, the Germans have abandoned the Namur Fortress!"

"The Germans are in full retreat, including the city of Namur!"

…

Ciel looked confused, retreating so quickly? It’s too late to catch up.

Tijani laughed: "Major General, you only considered the difficulties of our street fighting in Namur City, but you did not consider the difficulties of the German army's street fighting."

Ciel thought it was right.

There are Belgians everywhere, and there are many guerrillas mixed in. The German army choosing to fight in the streets of Namur will be far more difficult than the French army.

"General, general!" Albert I's excited cry came from outside the headquarters.

Soon, Albert I and Brigadier General Eden were seen walking into the tunnel in a hurry. As soon as he saw Charles, he stepped forward and hugged Charles tightly, his voice trembling with excitement:

"That's great, General, you're really fighting to reclaim Namur."

"I thought this was fake news like last time, but I didn't expect it to be true."

Charles replied: "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I didn't tell you beforehand."

"No, no." Albert I replied cheerfully: "I understand, for the sake of confidentiality."

Brigadier General Eden stepped forward and saluted: "General, the Belgian First Special Forces Army is ready. They are stationed in Mons and are ready for reinforcements at any time. Please give the order!"

Charles scratched his head in embarrassment: "Sorry, Brigadier. The battle seems to be over!"

"What?" Albert I and Brigadier General Eden looked at each other, thinking they had just begun.