Father of France

Chapter 77 Breaking Through the Rhine

In Basel, a Swiss border town on the German-Swiss border, the French 5th Mountain Division is advancing eastward by boat along the mountains. The 5th Mountain Division is traveling lightly and is marching towards the Swiss side of the Rhine River, which also serves as the border between Germany and Switzerland. Due to Switzerland's neutral status, the German garrison here is not large.

The 5th Mountain Division's primary mission was to launch a feint attack, but the ultimate objective rested with the division itself. General Raphael could make the decision independently.

The main French forces were deployed in front of Gersheim, Germany. Because of the Franco-German border, even though they were delayed for three days in Saar, the French army was not slow. Moreover, there were many border residents who were fluent in German and could gather information to help the attacking forces.

The French First and Second Armies concentrated more than 3,000 artillery pieces on the offensive positions directly facing Gersheim. In addition to this main point of attack, the French army also operated downstream of Gersheim.

It's not hard to guess the purpose of Admirals Dragon and Tassini: since there were more than three million Allied troops attacking along the Rhine, it would be better to take advantage of their numerical superiority rather than attack key defensive areas.

With a front of 1,000 kilometers, the German Wehrmacht simply couldn't defend it all; there were always areas where the defenses were inadequate, even though Germany had mobilized millions of People's Stormtroopers to assist in the fighting.

However, those People's Assault Teams only had light weapons. Their biggest strategic weapon was the Iron Fist, which was standard guerrilla warfare equipment. It was good for harassment, but not very helpful for fighting offensive battles.

The distinctive roar of airplanes could be faintly heard over Gersheim, which made the city's defenders tense. They grabbed all sorts of anti-aircraft weapons and prepared to retaliate against the large-scale bombing.

However, the few transport planes that appeared only dropped leaflets in the safe area before returning to base; only the pieces of paper falling from the sky proved that they had been there.

Leaflets fell like snowflakes. Some German residents picked up the fallen pieces of paper. Unlike the batch dropped in the Saar, which was full of revenge, this batch of leaflets bluntly stated how many attacking troops were gathered along the 1,000-kilometer-long Rhine River. It was really an attempt to persuade them to surrender.

The text describes France's commitments after the surrender, including not punishing families who joined the German army during the war, which stirred up some people in Gersheim.

In another world, although the four countries divided the occupation zones, it seemed that the United States, Britain, and France were all in cahoots with the Soviet-occupied territories. However, in reality, even Britain and the United States were not in cahoots, otherwise the contradiction of the United States wanting to exchange occupied territories with Britain would not have arisen.

The policies of the French-occupied zone differed from those of other occupied zones. The biggest difference was that the French-occupied zone was less enthusiastic about clearing up the remnants of Germany's war in World War II compared to the occupied zones of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union.

Compared to the massive war reckonings of the other three countries, France only seriously carried out reckonings in the Saarland, with the aim of suppressing German nationalism to facilitate annexation.

As for other parts of the French-occupied territories, France had no possibility of annexing them; its main role was to provide raw materials to help France rebuild after the war.

The choice to set up the main offensive point in Gersheim may have surprised Britain and the United States, but it was not an impossible option for France.

France is very familiar with the banks of the Rhine River, not only because it is a neighboring country, but also because France once occupied both banks of the Rhine.

In 1923, due to Germany's refusal to pay reparations, Franco-Belgian forces occupied the Ruhr region, and the French occupation forces once swelled to 200,000. French troops were stationed in major cities along the Rhine River at that time.

Therefore, although the French army is indeed not as good as the British and American armies in terms of weaponry and equipment, it still has many soldiers who understand the hydrological conditions of the Rhine River, the population distribution, and whether it is suitable for combat.

These soldiers may be too old to fight on the front lines, but they can still use their information and experience to assist.

France has a better understanding of the situation along the Rhine than Britain and the United States, and is able to find suitable locations for infiltration.

At this time, four French army groups were gathered along the Rhine River, with a size comparable to that of the British 21st Army Group and the US 12th Army Group, enough to cover an offensive front of more than 300 kilometers.

“Any general who can withstand a full-scale attack by 3.5 million enemy troops with the current German forces should be respected as if he were God. But I think even Model could not do it, and the Rhine could not become the Somme.”

General Dracon's words won unanimous approval within the French Joint Operations Command: the German army's total collapse would occur after the Battle of the Rhine; this was the last hurdle that had to be overcome.

Unlike the British army, the French army did not need to employ the so-called art of battlefield command, nor did it need to learn from the American army's principle of speed and prepare artillery for a strong attack. In the words of the great Eastern power, they built strongholds and fought a protracted war.

The German army would certainly not be able to defend against it. The current air superiority also means that once the German army reinforces, it will not be able to escape the eyes of the Allies.

If France cannot even bear this much sacrifice, it has no right to claim any revenge.

Some have already verified the French army's successful crossing of the Rhine. In the middle section, the US forces, which started from Belgium, have already engaged in fierce fighting with the Germans. The US 4th Armored Division and the German 2nd Armored Division on the front are engaged in a contest of steel and tactical skills.

The pursuing U.S. 4th Armored Division was caught off guard by a surprise counterattack. The battle started small but quickly escalated, deviating from the original intentions of both commanders. "Contact! Three o'clock!" The tank commander's scream suddenly blared in his headset. Crawford turned sharply and saw six blinding flashes appear behind the hedge three hundred yards away.

"Evade!" He only managed to shout this word before three 88mm shells tore through the air.

The Sherman on the far left instantly turned into a fireball, its turret being ripped twenty feet into the air. A second shell grazed Crawford's command vehicle, the scorching blast reddening his exposed cheeks.

"Panther tanks! At least six!" the loader shouted from below as he shoved an armor-piercing shell into the breech.

Crawford slammed the hatch shut, pulling back the turret. Through the periscope, he saw the German Panther tank's long gun barrel puffing smoke from behind the hedges where the camouflage netting had been lifted.

"All tanks reverse! Smoke cover! Fire a volley at the barn at ten o'clock!" Crawford's voice boomed over the radio. The Sherman tanks, spewing black diesel smoke, began to retreat, while the smoke grenades they fired simultaneously created a milky white wall on the battlefield.

Sergeant Jackson's scope locked onto the nearest Panther: "Lock on!"

"Fire!" Crawford roared. The Sherman's 88mm gun recoiled violently, the shell piercing through the smoke and striking the Panther's turret ring. The German tank exploded like a barrel struck by a hammer.

"Hit!" the crew cheered, but Crawford had already turned to the next crisis. His headset was filled with reports from the various tank commanders.

A 75mm shell struck the Tiger tank's drive sprocket, and the steel behemoth spun around like a bull with a broken leg. But before the crew could even cheer, the muzzle of another Tiger's gun flashed—

Boom! A deafening explosion erupted from behind the Tiger tank. Crawford's eyes widened as he saw the Tiger's turret blown off. Immediately afterward, the familiar roar of engines filled the sky—four Thunderbolt fighters swooped down, dropping bombs from their wings onto the German tank formation.

"It's air support!" Cheers erupted over the radio. Seeing the plane was like seeing their own father.

The German soldiers were never fighting against the U.S. Army, but they also had to face a large number of U.S. aircraft that could appear at any time. This was a fact that German soldiers initially realized, and later became increasingly aware of.

Later, news of the successful establishment of a crossing position on the right bank of the Rhine was reported to Patton through various levels of government.

"Quickly expand the gains and tell the warriors to tear through Germany's defenses in one fell swoop, at all costs."

Patton shouted with ecstasy; his voice was so powerful that it would be perfectly adequate even for a speech in Germany.

U.S. military commanders rarely use phrases like "at all costs," but Patton was an exception.

Once the defense system collapsed, the overwhelming manpower and resources of the US military could turn a small breach into a major disaster. The crossing positions on the right bank of the Rhine continued to expand, and the continuous bombing by American aircraft made the German counter-crossing operation extremely difficult.

Patton's Third Army became the first Allied force to break through the Rhine River, and the Allied High Command erupted in cheers upon receiving Patton's report.

"Although the most suitable route of attack was occupied by the French, we were still the first to break through the Rhine." Chief of Staff Walter was very excited. He had also participated in World War I as a member of the American Expeditionary Force, and his experience in that war was hardly pleasant.

French soldiers looked down on American soldiers. Although both Britain and France were eager for the United States to enter the war and change the stalemate with Germany, the American expeditionary force was treated no better than the colonial troops on the battlefield. Both the British and French armies despised the American expeditionary force.

More than two decades later, with the same allies and the same enemies, the circumstances between the two countries are no longer the same.

General Walter also saw how the US military, which was once looked down upon by Britain and France, had transformed into the absolute dominant force on the battlefield that it is today.

Only performance on the battlefield can prove a nation's strength.

"I believe other countries will be happy for us...for the American military when they find out," Eisenhower said, patting his chief of staff on the shoulder.

　It's published now. Initially, I'll update three times a day, writing 9,000 words each time. I'll try to see if I can do that. The main reason is that my energy isn't what it used to be, so I don't dare to make any absolute statements.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)