Chapter 1718: attack

  Maine and New Brunswick are next to each other, and the plains suitable for attacking south of the Appalachian Mountains alone are more than 300 kilometers long. This made the US military have to assemble a huge force in Maine for this reason. Otherwise, the troops would be too scarce, and it would be impossible to establish a solid line of defense on such a long border. Let alone withstood the German attack.

  In order to resist the German attack in Maine, the US Army deployed ten armies in Maine. In addition, in order to strengthen the ability of the U.S. military deployed in Maine to operate as a banker, the U.S. Army also deployed 20 of the 61 independent tank battalions in Maine. The power of the US military in this area has been further strengthened.

   You must know that the ten group armies deployed by the US military in Maine have 10 armored divisions under their jurisdiction, with more than 3,900 tanks of various types. The independent tank battalions of the US military are equipped with 53 tanks per battalion. 20 battalions is exactly 1,060 tanks. If you add them all up, you already have nearly 5,000 tanks. This is undoubtedly a very powerful armored force.

   You must know that the German Army Group B confronting the U.S. Army has only a total of more than 3,000 tanks. The two army groups of England and the Kingdom of Wales are only equipped with a small number of tanks. Moreover, almost all the tanks were retired by the German army.

  This makes the German army less than the US military in the number of tanks.

   In terms of quality, the U.S. military is naturally aware of the strength of the German Tiger and Leopard tanks. Therefore, the U.S. military deployed heavy armored divisions and heavy independent tank battalions in Maine as much as possible. The M26 tank is probably the only tank that can stand up to the German Tiger and Leopard tanks. Of course, in front of the German "Tiger King" tanks and "Tiger" tanks, the M26 tanks still had to be killed. On the other hand, the performance of the "Black Panther" tank is only slightly more advanced than that of the M26 tank, and the gap is not that big.

  The US military's 10 group armies and 20 heavy independent tank battalions are deployed on a defense line as long as 300 kilometers. The five armies of the German Army Group B and the 10 armies of the two army groups of the Army of England and the Kingdom of Wales were also deployed on the defense line. However, the German Army Group B is undoubtedly the main force of the attack. The two army groups of the Army of England and the Kingdom of Wales can also be used for defense. But if it is used to attack, I am afraid it will be powerless. Therefore, their task is to fight with the German army and expand the results of the war after the German army tore through the US defense line. Compared with the elite troops of the US military, the Army of the Kingdom of England and Wales is naturally inferior. But if it is a downwind battle, they are equally capable.

  On the morning of April 12, although the German Army Group A and Army Group C were still marching, they had not yet been deployed. However, the German Army Group B will not wait any longer. According to the predetermined plan, they will give priority to attacking. This can hold back the main force of the US military and create favorable conditions for the breakthrough of the other two army groups.

   "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

  Heavy shelling rang out on this stretch of the St. Croix River south of McAdam. The main force of the German Army Group B is deployed on this line of defense. Despite the obstruction of the St. Croix River, the German army never took this small river with a width of less than 50 meters in many sections into its eyes. The German Army Group B has already made preparations and can launch a river crossing operation at any time.

  On the artillery positions of the German army, large-caliber heavy artillery was firing fiercely. 210mm heavy howitzer, 150mm heavy howitzer, 105mm light howitzer, 75mm field gun. Even the 120mm heavy mortars and 80mm medium mortars of the frontline infantry are firing crazily. All the artillerymen are trying to hit the most shells on the heads of the Americans on the other side of the river in the shortest time, destroy the fortifications that these Americans have worked so hard to build, and blow up all the Americans hiding inside. debris.

  Although, since last winter, the U.S. military has been building fortifications on the defense line in an attempt to rely on natural rivers and fortifications to resist the German attack. It even caused the German army to bruise and bleed in front of these fortifications, causing heavy losses. However, under the heavy shelling of the German army, their fortifications were rapidly collapsing like sand.

   "Boom!"

  A 210mm artillery shell hit a section of the U.S. defense line. The fifty-meter-long trench collapsed. The firepower of the two machine guns was also blown into the sky during the explosion.

  The defense lines guarded by the two armies of the US 5th Army and the 7th Army became the key targets of the German B Army Group's offensive. Although these two armies were not weak, they were still unable to resist the fierce attacks of the 8th Army, the 3rd Army and the 13th Army under the jurisdiction of the German B Army Group.

   "Damn, what about our artillery? Why don't they fight back? Don't they want to wait until we are all killed by the Germans before opening fire?" An American soldier complained very dissatisfied.

   "Our artillery is hidden, and we dare not fire at all. Otherwise, the German planes will not let them go." A second lieutenant officer said.

   This is undoubtedly a very helpless thing for the US military. Although the artillery strength of the US Army is also very strong, it is not much weaker than the German army. But unfortunately, the Luftwaffe now has air supremacy. When the German artillery fired violently, the Luftwaffe also dispatched a fleet to launch bombings, further destroying the US military fortifications.

  Under such circumstances, if the US artillery dared to fire, it would definitely become the target of the Luftwaffe. At that time, their artillery and artillery will suffer heavy losses under the fierce German shelling. Instead of wasting it in vain, it is better to continue to hide. When the Germans attack, fire on them again. In this case, it can also play a greater role.

   It's just that when the German infantry launches an attack, the Luftwaffe fleet will definitely appear in the sky, providing air cover for the ground troops. It is almost impossible for the American artillery to cause heavy damage to the active forces of the German army at that time.

  The heavy shelling by the German army lasted for a full hour. Under the heavy shelling of the German army, the US military's fortifications were severely damaged. It can be said that more than 80% of the fortifications have been destroyed. The casualties of personnel are also very large.

  At 8 o'clock in the morning, Marshal Guderian gave the order to attack. The German 3rd Army, 8th Army and 13th Army immediately launched an attack at three crossing points.