Conquer Europe from the West

Chapter 146 Supervising the Battle? Putting Sacks on Them!

As soon as Z331 landed, Rein took François directly away from the bridge and back to the rear camp.

Schmidt knew he must have something to do for his airship, so he followed the two men to the gangway.

Sure enough, right after Rennes saw François off, he turned around and looked at Schmidt.

"Colonel Schmidt, have the airship return to an altitude of 6,000 feet (about 1,800 meters) to carry out air defense missions. The Empire has a lot of reconnaissance planes on the front line, and we must not let them fly across the front line."

“No problem,” Schmidt nodded. “You will absolutely not see Imperial planes flying over our heads during the day.”

"sorry to bother you."

Ryan nodded to him, then turned and went down the gangway.

Brinkman and McQuay were already waiting downstairs. As soon as Ryan appeared, they surrounded him. McQuay's head and arms were still bandaged.

"What happened?" Ryan quickly put a cigarette in McVay's mouth: "Did the Empire attack?"

"That idiot tripped and fell flat on his face."

Brinkman looked disgusted: "But two machine gunners were seriously wounded, and about a dozen soldiers from the Second Battalion were slightly wounded."

Raine asked gravely, "How many were killed?"

"Two in a row, none in the second, and five in the third."

Brinkman said, "It's already a miracle..."

Ryan himself lit a cigarette but didn't ask, "Where are the First Army men?"

"It's unclear. The 35th and 44th Regiments are currently taking their headcount. It's said that no one from the 45th Regiment was killed, but quite a few were wounded."

"They were all injured by shrapnel from the artillery fire."

Although McQuay was wincing in pain, he still forced himself to say, "When we rushed up, we were too close to the artillery fire. The people of the Empire couldn't raise their heads, and neither could we."

Ryan thought for a moment and didn't ask any more questions about the topic: "Let's talk about this later. Let's talk about the situation on the front lines first."

Then he noticed that McVeigh seemed to be in no pain at all when the situation on the front was mentioned: "We punched more than a hundred holes in the Imperial front trenches in just one minute. The new machine guns are much better than the P-08s. It would be even better if the bullets were full-power rifle rounds."

"But the smoke made it impossible for us to see anything, so we could only move forward by feeling our way along the ground using the beam of light from Honor Communications."

As he spoke, McQuay glanced at Brinkman: "Our communications officer tried on those sunglasses and could see through the smoke to the terrain and targets."

"Is there such a good thing?"

Renn was slightly taken aback: "But this thing can only be obtained through capture..."

“There’s nothing we can do about that.” McQuay shook his head, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Imperial front: “Then there’s the second support trench. The Empire has deployed small-caliber field guns in there, but we knocked those things out immediately, so they didn’t pose a threat.”

"The problem is that the Empire's troops don't seem to be prepared to stay on the front lines for long. Their trenches are dug very hastily, only half the depth of our Empire's, and they're not even reinforced with planks."

Renn shook his head: "That's because they advanced too quickly. Did they see any Farrans during the battle?"

"I've looked, but I didn't see it."

McQuay shook his head: "Those guys don't seem to have gone to the front lines at all. Even in the command post, there was no trace of the Farrans. They might be dead, but I feel like they were simply not on the front lines."

"Then it must be in the rear."

Renn began to ponder.

According to information he heard from Shadrin, the Farrans' overseers would often appear in the lowest-spirited units, attempting to force the troops to continue their advance through methods such as executions.

In cavalry units, Farrans often had two tasks: 1. Shooting soldiers who refused to fight; 2. Shooting horses that were no longer of use.

Shadrin didn't know much about the infantry units, but he figured they were probably doing those two jobs.

Of course, it's also possible that they were transferred to the flanks of the troops to monitor the transport units.

"McQuay, you should go and rest."

After thinking for a moment, Ryan waved to McQuay, signaling him to go and rest first, before looking at Brinkman: "When will the Second Battalion be able to withdraw?"

Brinkman: "They're back. The second battalion commander and his men are confirming the results with the self-propelled truck artillery convoy."

"Does that thing even need confirmation?"

Ryan found it somewhat amusing: "This thing only needs to collect feedback from the artillery crew. There are only three vehicles, and they're fighting in trenches. At most, they can set up a few machine gun positions."

"but……"

Brinkman still felt that the results of the battle should be confirmed.

Then she heard Ryan's voice.

"Have them write up the test evaluation first, then send someone to send it back to the capital by plane. Get the test medals first, and then slowly tally up the results."

"Yes!" Brinkman immediately left for the Second Battalion's command post.

Raine, on the other hand, looked toward the direction of the Empire's position.

The sky, which was originally a bluish-gray, has now been completely turned white by the sun. The shelling continues at a moderate density, so the horizon looks completely blackish-gray.

But Ryan didn't have the mind to think about these things.

The previous battle lasted for about twenty minutes.

According to the map records, the assault company broke through two trenches in the first five minutes, while the 2nd Battalion was blocked in front of the support trench when it tried to continue its advance.

The soldiers of the First Army acted in accordance with the pre-battle instructions and did not advance further, but even so, they were still unable to block the third front trench of the Imperial Twenty-Seventh Army.

Similarly, this large-scale offensive was essentially just an attempt to test whether such a combat method was effective, allowing troops to conduct a sudden, clustered charge.

Occupation and annihilation were not the main objectives, so Raine did not stop the Second Battalion Commander from issuing the retreat order at that time.

In terms of results, the combination of the 2nd Battalion and the assault company can indeed break through the front-line positions composed of two or three regiments with a small number of people.

For an empire with a large population, this is a very good tactic.

However, the Second Battalion suffered combat casualties, which greatly displeased Rein.

A moment later, the second battalion commander appeared before Ryan, jogging along: "Colonel."

How are the troops doing?

"The young men are all fine, it's just that a few in the third and eighth rows had some bad luck."

The second battalion commander looked perfectly normal, as if he had no feelings about the deaths of his men.

However, Ryan still noticed a trace of ink on his face.

He put his hands in his pockets, looked at the ground beneath his feet, then at the battle line in the distance, but didn't look at the second battalion commander. He said, "You take a count of the names and other information. I'll write the death notices."

"You go and gather the troops together, because the First Army will be withdrawing from here in stages after tonight. We will then be operating together with the First Cavalry Division."

"Then what about this front?"

The second battalion commander clearly didn't understand the situation, because he had been sent to the front lines less than a night after coming up from the rear.

If the First Army leaves later, then this place will face the combined forces of five or six armies of the Empire, which seems impossible to defend.

Then he heard what Ryan said.

"We will launch another such operation tomorrow, with the goal of giving the Eighth Army three to four days to facilitate their encirclement and annihilation of the Imperial Second Army that has rushed in from Lake Masuri."

"So, this kind of operation has to be carried out every day?"

The second battalion commander's face immediately darkened; he hadn't expected the combat pressure to be so great: "Should we notify the lower ranks?"

"Don't look so gloomy."

Raine raised his hand and patted the second battalion commander's cheeks, shaking out a bunch of tobacco from the cigarette in his mouth: "It's all a feint, fire a shot and then move on to another place."

"Moreover, the main attacking force will be the cavalry division, so we just need to provide cover for them from the rear."

Hearing Ryan's words, the Second Battalion Commander's expression softened a bit. "As for the front line," Ryan said, "we still have the Third Reserve Division, which will be responsible for stationing here to block the 27th Army's attack. It shouldn't be a big problem."

After saying that, Ryan didn't waste any more words. Instead, he gently patted the Second Battalion Commander on the shoulder, turned around, and got into the car that had been prepared to the side, heading towards the First Reserve Army's garrison not far away.

He needed to borrow an infantry regiment because the troops he had on hand were completely insufficient to provide fire support for the subsequent operations.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the First Army Group of the Imperial Army.

The early morning attack caught the entire Imperial Army completely off guard.

Lieutenant General Vladimir Orlov rode for two hours straight after the battle ended, managing to get back to the army group headquarters.

His arrival stunned the commanders of the troops who were waiting for the Fourth Army to advance smoothly.

The idiot supervising officer who had insisted on prioritizing the First and Fourth Armies for supplies and advancing hadn't even had a chance to speak before Orlov punched him in the nose, breaking his nose. The military police of the 27th Army, who arrived later, quickly pulled him away, then used a sack to hoist the Farlander onto the reconnaissance balloon that was about to take off.

"The 27th Army lost two regiments."

Orlov plopped down in front of Leningkamp, ​​his face and hands covered in blood, his voice booming, "I still have over 40,000 men at my disposal. If supplies don't arrive soon, the 27th Army will have no choice but to retreat!"

Leningcamp was clearly unaware of what had happened.

From the rear, he could only see a bunch of honor communication beams suddenly bursting out in front of him, but after decoding them, he found that there was nothing inside, just lights.

What's happening at the front?

He calmly looked at the army commander under his command.

Orlov: "The Empire started shelling us last night and has continued until this morning."

"They launched a sudden attack before sunrise; heaven knows how they got to us."

Orlov gritted his teeth: "Our lines were covered in smoke grenades. The first line of defense didn't even last two minutes before it was torn to shreds. The second and third lines of defense combined only lasted fifteen minutes..."

As he spoke, he turned to look at the reconnaissance balloon slowly rising into the air: "If only that idiot hadn't taken my supplies! If only my machine gun position had ammunition!"

Orlov was so angry he could barely speak: "The Empire will be ruined by those idiots from Farland sooner or later!"

But before he could finish cursing, the phone rang.

"it's me."

Leningkamp picked up the phone immediately, and the surrounding officers, including Orlov, immediately surrounded him. Everyone held their breath, simply because the call was coming from home.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before a man's voice came through.

He was the commander of an army group.

The moment the sound rang out, everyone tensed up.

"The Second Army Group has entered Imperial territory."

Zhilinsky's voice then came from within.

"Samsolov's troops will join the Fourth Corps of the First Army from the direction of Lake Masur. You need to be ready to provide support."

After saying that, the call was cut off.

"Anonymous phone call..."

"Is this how the Army Group Command gives us orders?" a staff officer said weakly.

Leningkamp didn't speak. He sat there with the telephone receiver casually tossed on the table. At first, there was some background noise coming from it, but as the power went out, even that noise disappeared quickly.

The other staff officers also looked disappointed.

Although the troops are not in a bad situation, the sudden outbreak and halt of combat at the front has indeed disrupted their offensive rhythm.

After an unknown amount of time, Orlov still couldn't calm down. He looked at Leningkamp and said, "Commander, we can't send all the supplies to the flanks. The center is the main force. The Empire just launched an attack today, and they will definitely launch another attack as early as this afternoon or as late as tonight."

"The 27th Army's supplies can last until the next attack, but if there are no more resupply, the Imperial Army will definitely find that our counterattack has weakened..."

He couldn't continue speaking after he was only halfway through his sentence.

But everyone knew what he meant.

Supplies must not be rushed to the First and Fourth Armies at this time, because the Empire will not attack troops that are at least ten kilometers away from its own front line.

Such a long march is not a suitable option for any unit, even if the attacked unit is in a state of shortage of supplies.

The feint attack launched by the Empire today has plunged the front lines into complete chaos. If they hadn't retreated, the Empire would likely have already broken through the 27th Army's positions.

This is not a good thing.

It should be noted that since the First Army entered Imperial territory, the narrow-gauge railways that were previously used to prevent Imperial invasion have now become a direct obstacle to the Imperial Army's advance.

The lack of supplies and slow resupply have rendered the two corps of the First Army Group unable to continue advancing.

The remaining three armies are now forced to wait for the First and Fourth Armies to recover their combat effectiveness, as they also have to consider the progress of the other two armies and the demands of the Farrans.

This is clearly a foolish idea and move.

Everyone understands this.

But Leningamp also had his own ideas.

Within the headquarters.

He sat at his desk, his gaze passing through the tent flap to the burlap sack hanging from the balloon: "What is the current situation of the First and Fourth Armies?"

"The First Army has now recovered its combat capability, and the Fourth Army is resupplying itself with ammunition and fuel," a staff officer said.

When can they move forward again?

As Leningkamp considered the days for supplying the two armies, he continued, "Four days have passed since the last time, and enough supplies to last three army groups for a week have been sent to the First and Fourth Armies."

"If so many supplies can't restore their fighting strength, then providing more supplies later will just be a waste."

His words also provoked the leaders of the First and Fourth Armies at the army group headquarters.

But the two majors were clearly speechless, because they knew very well that, firstly, the Fourth Army was too far from the supply line, and the loss of supplies in transportation alone reached 30%, not to mention that they were still stuck in place and had not made any progress...

If we continue down this path, the losses will only increase.

Leningkamp didn't press them; instead, he changed the subject: "How's the situation with the Second Army?"

An aide said: "General Samsolov's troops have now entered the Reich border. They fought a small number of Imperial troops yesterday, but the Imperial troops were completely unable to resist and are in a rout."

"But the Second Army Headquarters has not yet entered the Empire. Based on previous communications, they are expected to enter Imperial territory within two days."

"The intelligence obtained by the reconnaissance aircraft indicates that the main force of the Empire is still in front of us, and they have not noticed the offensive in the south."

Leningkamp pondered for a moment: "So, they haven't yet met the conditions for joining us?"

"Yes, the nearest troops are 80 kilometers away from us, and it will take them at least four days to reach the designated rendezvous point."

The staff officer immediately ran to the map and marked the location of the Second Army: "At the current pace, even if our supplies are not interrupted, it will take the Fourth Army at least a week to reach the rendezvous point..."

After saying that, he added, "The environment of Lake Masuria is too complex; this is already the limit."

"I see."

Leningkamp slightly raised his hand, indicating that he didn't need to continue.

Then, the commander of the First Army began to issue formal orders.

"Let Samsolov advance his troops on his own; we're not playing along with him."

"If Lake Masuria is really that difficult to cross, let him carry out his mission with all his might. The First Army should start to consolidate its forces now, and let the First and Fourth Armies rest and reorganize on the spot to provide flank support for the troops."

"Notify all supply units that, from now on, priority should be given to supplying the 12th, 17th, and 27th Armies in case the Empire launches another surprise attack!"

"From now on, the First Army's mission is changed to contain the main force of the Eighth Army of the Empire until the Second Army successfully captures the Vistula River."

(End of this chapter)