Chapter 688 - Forest Trap

The Ardennes Forest is located on the border between Belgium and Luxembourg and is also known as the Ardennes.

Its average altitude is not high, with the highest Mount Botrange being only 694 meters. However, due to the dense forests, complex terrain and swamps here, it is regarded by the locals as a wild and undevelopable land.

Major General Fred led his troops to Intersection 3 and stopped at the edge of the forest. The road had come to an end, and ahead was a small path that was only wide enough for two or three people to walk side by side.

It was used for mining, and the road surface was covered with ruts left by human-powered mining carts, as well as "holes" randomly filled with stones and soil.

The Ardennes are rich in coal and iron ore, and once a mine was discovered, a trail was built, but they were often abandoned because they lost their value.

For example, these three roads were abandoned because of the easier to mine, more valuable and better quality Cazier Forest coal mine.

Major General Fred raised his telescope and looked toward the forest, but saw nothing but wilderness.

After a while, several German scouts ran out of the forest, crouching.

They went straight to Major General Fred without saluting. The leading lieutenant reported: "General, Major Fiend ordered us to meet you here!"

Major General Fred said "hmm" and asked expressionlessly, "What's the situation now?"

"Everything is normal." The second lieutenant reported: "The major is leading the troops to search forward. He wants to make sure this road is safe."

Suddenly, a few gunshots were heard from the forest, startling the German troops who were on alert. The guards immediately raised their rifles to block Major General Fred.

Major General Fred didn't care.

With years of combat experience, he knew that the gunshots were at least several kilometers away from him, but because they were at a high altitude, they sounded like they were right in front of him.

The lieutenant glanced toward the forest, then turned back to explain to Major General Fred: "The major is still searching for the remaining enemies. They may have encountered a few more French soldiers!"

Major General Fred said nothing.

He wondered: If the reconnaissance team could penetrate several kilometers into the forest, did that mean the road was safe?

After thinking about it for a while, he decided that it was true.

So he raised his hand and waved forward, and the troops marched into the forest along the mountain road.

Behind them, the car soldiers used torches to light the car's fuel tank. Soon, fireballs with black smoke appeared on the road, and there were occasional explosions.

…

There was a chilly wind blowing deep in the forest.

As the ice and snow had just melted, the mountain roads were covered with mud.

The German soldiers had to use their hands and feet to climb up the slope, and sometimes they would slip down halfway.

You have to be careful when going downhill. Unless you grab a vine or are blocked by a tree trunk, you will slide all the way to the bottom and get bruised and battered, or fall into a deep ravine.

The sky above our heads is always covered with branches and leaves, which block the sunlight from the sky and only cast a little faint light and shadow on the ground.

What’s amazing is that these light and shadows move gently as the trees sway, like a rotating kaleidoscope that is dazzling.

After more than an hour's march, the troops finally entered an open area.

It is relatively flat and sunny here, with a stream flowing nearby.

The German soldiers, already covered in mud, cheered and quickly ran out of the forest, as if they were abandoning the darkness and running towards the light.

"General." The staff officer reminded Major General Fred: "The soldiers need to rest. They are not used to marching in the mountains. Besides, we should be safe now!"

Major General Fred nodded, and the weight of the burden on his heart was lifted when he gave the order to rest.

After entering the forest, it would not be so easy for the French army to catch up with them. This was not a place where tanks and cars could enter and exit. The French army could only track them along the mountain road from behind.

However, Major General Fred did not notice that there were black holes of gun muzzles sticking out of the jungle surrounding the open area.

That was the 192nd Infantry Regiment led by Tassigny, who spared the German scouts.

To be precise, it was not "letting go", but deliberately leading the German scouts through this open area:

When the German scouts appeared here, suddenly several "remnant soldiers" appeared and shot at them, and the German scouts swarmed and chased them with guns.

Otherwise, the scouts are likely to discover the ambushes in the surrounding areas.

…

The German soldiers were unaware of this. Some of them leaned against tree trunks to rest, some took their kettles to fetch water from the stream, and some sat on rocks, took off their shoes, and tried to scrape off the mud stuck to the soles of their shoes with the rocks, which made their feet feel heavy.

Major General Fred found a flat stone to sit on, which was warm from the sunlight.

The orderly handed over the kettle, and the major general took it, tilted his head back and took two sips.

"Bang"!

Major General Fred fell backwards to the ground without even having time to make a groan. His face was beaten to pieces. The kettle in his hand fell to the ground and water kept leaking out from the bullet holes.

The bullet passed through the kettle and hit Major General Fred.

Similar secondary injuries are often more deadly. After the bullet penetrates the kettle, it will roll continuously, horizontally and vertically, resulting in a horrific picture engraved on Major General Fred's face.

The bullet might have continued to roll around in Major General Fred's brain, messing up his brain matter, because some white, tofu-like substance burst out of the wound.

The orderly was so shocked that he forgot to make a sound. He just stared at the scene in a daze, with the bread in his hand that he wanted to hand over.

The German soldiers habitually looked in the direction where the gunshots came from, then suddenly turned back and found that Major General Fred had become a corpse.

The soldiers who reacted quickly immediately lay on the ground and raised their guns to resist, but at this time there was a burst of gunfire, and rows of bullets poured in from all directions.

German soldiers fell one after another in a pool of blood in different postures. Some covered their chests, some held their heads, and others fell into the stream and floated downstream. The entire stream was dyed red.

Only then did the German army realize that they had been tricked. There was no place to hide in this open area, and the enemy was hiding in the woods.

The surviving German soldiers hurriedly pulled the trigger in the direction of the gunfire, but the bullets only hit trees.

Lieutenant Colonel Enzo took over the command of Major General Fred in a panic. He lay behind a rock, waved his pistol and shouted to the soldiers: "Listen to my orders, we must rush into the forest!"

The forest was their only way to survive, with trees providing cover and leaves blocking out the light.

However, when Lieutenant Colonel Enzo organized a charge, the sound of light machine guns suddenly rang out in the forest, and the crossfire formed by the bullets caused the German troops to fall down in large numbers.

Then more grenades were thrown out from the forest, creating a barrage of explosions.

Lieutenant Colonel Enzo lay on the ground and looked carefully into the forest, and found that there was barbed wire in it.

At that moment, Lieutenant Colonel Enzo knew that there was no escape this time.

This is a trap carefully prepared by the French army for them!