My own war game

Chapter 279 Everyone is waiting
August 1944, 8, Normandy region, Free French 15nd Armored Division headquarters.

The division commander, Major General Leclerc, had mixed feelings. For four years, he had run from Paris to London, and then flew from London to North Africa. Now he was finally back.

The Allied forces were advancing at an unstoppable pace on the Western Front. Only a hundred kilometers away from Paris, his armored division only needed a forced march and it would take half a day to rush into the city of Paris.

But a few days ago when he expressed this wish to General Patton, commander of the US Third Army, he received an unexpected reply.

"No, we will not attack Paris for the time being. We will attack northwards and then form a huge encirclement, which will cut off the German army's retreat to the country more quickly."

"But, sir, what about Paris? Who will liberate Paris?" Leclerc couldn't help asking.

"When Paris becomes an isolated city, perhaps persuading it to surrender would be a good option," General Patton replied.

To be fair, Leclerc knew that the opponent's plan was the best strategic solution and could effectively kill the German army's manpower.

But Paris means something different to these French troops who have been wandering overseas.

In the words of an old soldier, the moment his feet set foot on the land of Paris, his life had no regrets, even if he was killed by a bullet in the next second, it would be worth it.

So Leclerc used a compromise excuse: "There are a large number of Free French guerrillas in the Paris area. They are planning a major uprising. If we don't help them, there will be many casualties."

"Mr. de Gaulle and General Eisenhower have already communicated about this situation. Once something happens there, we will adjust the plan as soon as possible," Patton said.

To be honest, the last sentence was more of a psychological comfort to all French soldiers than a promise. After all, the Free French intelligence network had just been destroyed, and his troops and local guerrillas were now out of contact, and no one knew what would happen.

He couldn't disobey the Allied Command, so now he could only wait and see what happened in Paris.
-
Paris, near the dirty canal along the Seine River.

With a "swoosh", the shovel was inserted into the mud beside the sewer. Two workers working near the sewer were whispering.

"Did you take action last night? I heard gunshots." One person said in a low voice.

"No, not us," another person responded quietly.

"But we received intelligence that a German warehouse was attacked and a squad of guards was killed." The visitor confirmed again.

"Maybe it was done by another branch. During this period, no one can contact each other, so everyone can only do their own thing."

"The uprising is about to begin. Should the riot proceed as normal?" someone nearby confirmed again.

"I don't know. The contact point has been destroyed. Now we can only wait."

"This is too passive! We have 500 people in our unit, and half of them have guns. Are we just going to wait like this?"

"There's no other way. 500 people is still too few. We suggest seeing if anyone can take the lead."

The words of the two workers inadvertently exposed the true situation of the Paris underground organization. Because the intelligence lines were destroyed a while ago, these guerrillas became isolated islands. The Paris uprising originally scheduled to be launched a week later became shaky due to lack of coordination.

Maybe it was a coincidence, maybe it was fate, but faced with uncertain risks, all the guerrilla leaders made the same choice - wait and see, and if someone started to act, they would follow.

Boom!Boom!Boom!
The manhole cover nearby suddenly made a noise, startling the two workers.

The manhole cover was opened, and two people wearing city government uniforms carrying large backpacks emerged from under the canal. The two sides looked at each other. Bang! A group of tubular weapons fell out of the backpack of the guy behind, and there was also a bundle of explosives.

A gust of wind blew by, and the atmosphere on the scene became extremely tense.

The man opposite reached into his arms, and one of the workers subconsciously looked for the place where the weapon was hidden.

At the critical moment, an Asian-looking man spoke first, "Good morning, gentlemen. We are from the Municipal Department. The river nearby is blocked. We are here to investigate the situation. Excuse me, is this 6th Street, Zone C?"

"Yes, sir, this is Area C, and the exit is in front." The leading worker stopped his companion and calmly pointed in the direction in front.

"Thank you so much!" Then the Oriental man calmly picked up the things on the ground and stuffed them into his companion's backpack, complaining, "The engineering tools must be carefully placed away. Didn't I tell you?"

"Goodbye, both of you." The Oriental man raised his hand to signal, and dragged his companions away without any hesitation.

After the two men left, the worker asked his companion, "Do you believe what they said?"

"I'm not a fool..." Before he finished speaking, hurried footsteps were heard in the distance, and a small group of German soldiers ran here aggressively.

"Have you seen any suspicious individuals?" the leading SS lieutenant said viciously.

"Yes! Mr. Officer!" The leading worker casually pointed in the opposite direction. "Two sneaky guys ran over there!"

"Hurry up and chase them with me! We must not let these saboteurs get away!" The SS ran in the opposite direction.

"You see, my choice was right," the worker said to his companions in a boastful manner.
-
"He, I have to remind you that the amount of explosives we have is not as abundant as we thought. They can only be effective if they are buried in key locations." Cabrera, who had already changed out of his camouflage clothes, reminded.

"Of course, I'm sure every explosive is in a very appropriate position." He Chi replied as he stored the stolen weapons.

"How is that possible? The terrain of the sewer is so complicated. I even doubt whether you can remember the way back."

"Want to make a bet?" He Chi asked with a smile.

"Excuse me, I heard Jima talk about your bet results." Cabrera raised his hands high.

"A wise choice." He Chi smiled, took out a sketch pen, and began to draw on the paper. Ten minutes later, a large-scale groundwater network map began to unfold before the eyes of the Soviets.

"Sewer map of the Paris area?" Cabrera's eyes were full of disbelief.

"It's just a part, but it's enough for sneak sabotage."

"I understand! Let's go in through the sewer." Jima said, clasping his hands together.

"It's not us, it's you." He Chi said as he put on a new coat.

"how about you?"

"Benjamin and I sneaked in from the ground floor." He Chi put on a chef's hat. "The latest information is that there is an old acquaintance of his there."

(End of this chapter)