Chapter 1721 The Line of Defense Collapses

"Shhhhhh!"

Two rocket launchers hoisted by an armed helicopter are firing violently, and rockets are launched crazily, turning a section of the U.S. defense line into a sea of ​​flames.

When the gunpowder smoke cleared, the entire position was beaten to pieces. The U.S. troops on the ground suffered heavy casualties.

"Great opportunity, attack immediately and break through the American positions." A German captain and company commander immediately issued an order after discovering this opportunity.

Hundreds of German soldiers jumped up from the river beach and rushed towards the American positions.

Although at this time, a heavy machine gun on the flank of the US position began to fire, knocking down a dozen German soldiers in an instant.

But the armed helicopters in the sky immediately suppressed this firepower point. This allowed the German army to take advantage of this opportunity to break through to the US defense line in one fell swoop.

The German troops who invaded the U.S. positions had no time to rest and immediately threw themselves into more intense battles. Starting from this position, they attacked both sides in an attempt to further expand the results of the battle.

"Da da da!"

The submachine guns fired wildly, and several American soldiers were beaten into honeycombs.

Fighting in a narrow place like a trench, a shorter weapon like a submachine gun undoubtedly has a great advantage.

Under the continuous attack of the German army, the US defense line was penetrated in many places. Many positions have been caught in repeated competition.

Even with the arrival of U.S. reinforcements, the situation was temporarily stabilized. However, as more and more German troops landed, the situation of the battle once again became unfavorable for the US military.

"How is the situation on the front line? Can you break through the American line of defense this morning?" Marshal Guderian, commander of the German Army Group B, asked.

"Your Excellency Marshal, the American resistance is tenacious, exceeding our expectations. However, we have already gained an advantage. Now, the troops on the front line are constantly expanding their advantages. There is no problem breaking through the American defense line this morning. However, if you want to make a further attack, you may have to wait until the armored forces have crossed the river." Lieutenant General Karl Hilpert, chief of staff of the Eighth Army, said.

Marshal Guderian nodded. The U.S. military is also equipped with a large number of tanks and armored vehicles. If an attack is launched with pure infantry, it will be no different from courting death. Only by launching an attack with armored forces can it be possible to defeat the US military in one fell swoop. After all, the armored soldiers of the German army have also experienced the cruel test of war. The armored soldiers of the U.S. military are also very well equipped. But they are just a group of rookies who have just stepped onto the battlefield. It is almost impossible to fight against the elite German armored soldiers.

"Let the engineers get ready. Once our troops have gained a firm foothold on the other side of the river, they will immediately start building the pontoon bridge." Marshal Guderian ordered.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Marshal." Lieutenant General Karl Hilpert replied.

The engineers of the German army were already ready. Even the various materials needed to build the pontoon bridge have already been prepared. As long as the German army has a firm foothold on the other side of the river and can safely start building the pontoon bridge, the engineers can be dispatched.

The 50-meter-wide river is nothing to the German engineers. In less than half an hour, they were able to build a floating bridge. Of course, a solid pontoon bridge that can pass heavy tanks is another matter. It needs to use steel or fast-setting special cement to build bridge piers, and then build the bridge deck, which is relatively troublesome.

"General, the situation on the front line is very pessimistic. Our defense line is already on the verge of collapse. If this continues, the defense line will collapse soon."

Lieutenant General Lucien Truscott's face was livid. Although the 5th Army has as many as 200,000 people. However, the defense zone is nearly thirty kilometers long. Deducting 1 armored division and 2 mechanized infantry divisions as offensive units, there are only 7 infantry divisions used for defense. On the front line of defense, three infantry divisions have already been lost. If they continue to invest, their troops will be consumed little by little.

However, Lieutenant General Lucien Truscott was even more unwilling to let their defense collapse like this. Therefore, he had to send additional troops to the front line again.

"Order the 48th Infantry Division to reinforce the front line. In addition, the 701st Tank Battalion and the 702nd Tank Battalion also joined the battle. No matter what, we must resist the German attack!" Lieutenant General Lucien Truscott ordered.

In order to stabilize the front line, Lieutenant General Lucian Truscott not only sent an additional infantry division, but also sent two independent tank battalions assigned to the 5th Army to fight on the battlefield. These two tank battalions are both heavy tank battalions, each equipped with 53 M26 heavy tanks, with strong combat effectiveness. Lieutenant General Lucian Truscott hoped that this batch of tanks could be used to contain the German attack in one fell swoop.

An hour later, U.S. reinforcements appeared on the battlefield. The addition of an infantry division made the U.S. defense line once again stable. Even, a counterattack was launched in some areas. Once regained the positions occupied by the Germans.

The 701st Tank Battalion and the 702nd Tank Battalion of the U.S. Army even took the lead in launching a counterattack.

Although the number of more than one hundred M26 heavy tanks is not very large, it is also very troublesome for the German army whose armored forces cannot cross the river.

Fortunately, the German air support is very powerful.

The Stuka dive bombers of two squadrons took the lead in attacking the two tank battalions of the US military.

"boom!"

A heavy aerial bomb exploded next to an M26 heavy tank, and the huge power directly blew up the M26 heavy tank.

When the German Stuka dive bombers roared and dropped bombs, the American armored soldiers panicked. Tank after tank was destroyed by German dive bombers.

At this time, the German armed helicopter group also received the report and entered the battlefield.

Dozens of armed helicopters began to attack these US military M26 heavy tanks with rockets. The frontal armor of these heavy tanks can withstand rockets. But the armor on the rear and flanks couldn't resist it. Especially the armor on the top of the turret is very thin. This caused the M26 heavy tanks of the US military to be headshot one after another, causing great losses.

After three hours of hard fighting, the US defense line has been completely broken by the German army. When a large number of German troops captured the U.S. defense line, the U.S. troops on the front line suffered heavy losses and collapsed.