Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 149 Please leave the highway; we don't have time to capture you ourselves.

Lelouch was so startled by the tap that he dropped half a piece of bread. With his mouth full and unable to speak, he could only chew a few more times with great effort.

The Duke grabbed him and ran towards the nearest forward command post, then picked up the binoculars from the observation post and started looking. Lelouch only managed to swallow the dry, buttered bread halfway there.

"The enemy troops at the front have indeed all withdrawn! You should think about how to capture as many prisoners as possible." The Duke was very anxious, fearing that more enemy troops would escape the encirclement, and he was indeed being greedy.

Lelouch took a sip of coffee from his portable stainless steel pitcher to clear his head before saying, "There's nothing we can do about running away. At least for now, we can advance rapidly in a marching state and join forces with the landing troops as soon as possible, aiming to attack Odessa within three days."

Duke: "Is that all the benefits? Of course, I know that attacking Odessa as quickly as possible is the most important thing. But in terms of annihilating the enemy, is there really no way to capture more prisoners and expand the victory? Stop drinking! As long as you think of ways to capture more prisoners, I'll grant you special permission to eat steak, foie gras, and sturgeon every day in the army!"

Lelouch was also a bit bewildered by the Duke's "wanting more and more" attitude. After thinking for a while, he casually said, "If the enemy wants to escape, they will definitely try to avoid the main road to the north and take a detour along the upper reaches of the Dniester River to break through. Most of the Bessarabia region has very little infrastructure development, and the road conditions are already poor..."

Or, how about we try using the half-tracks we originally planned to use to tow heavy artillery? If we gather all the half-tracks together and use them to transport troops, one track can carry a whole squad. In that kind of terrain, we can definitely catch up with the enemy's troops except for the cavalry.

However, I can't guarantee whether the enemy will fight to the death. It's best to pursue them but not block them, lest they become desperate and act rashly. There's an old Eastern saying, "Do not block a returning army," but we have too few half-tracks. How many troops can a few hundred transport? If we had a thousand or more, I would definitely advise you to encircle and wipe out these three armies today.

The duke was taken aback, then both delighted and sighed.

The good news is that Lelouch really does have a solution, but the bad news is that our side has only mastered the technology of manufacturing half-track vehicles for a little over four months, and the current inventory is still too small.

"Go back and get BMW to make me half-tracks too! Let's build them like crazy! We have oil fields in Romania, what are we going to do if we don't build cars and wait for those diesel fuel to produce offspring! But you kid, you really do come up with new ideas when you're pushed a bit!"

After making his decision, the Duke immediately knew what to do. Since the current priority was to concentrate half-tracks to transport a small number of troops in pursuit and maximize the gains, it was impossible to send in ragtag troops. The limited transport capacity should be used to transport elite soldiers.

Lelouch's division carried out a landing behind enemy lines, and now Rommel is leading it. Therefore, the Duke can only select relatively elite assault battalions from his forces and concentrate their use there.

这时候不应该局限于巴里亚第2军或者第3军的门户之见了，应该把2个军下属的6个师的6个突击营，尽量多的集中起来使用。

An assault battalion consists of 4 companies and 16 platoons, requiring more than 60 half-track vehicles to transport it.

He currently has three or four hundred half-track vehicles, so he can send out all six assault battalions to pursue them quickly; he has the transport capacity to do so.

The Duke immediately thought of a candidate, someone who was also used to using the assault battalion and had connections with the General Staff.

"Go and bring Colonel Federer von Bock here immediately! I have a mission to deliver to him personally!"

At the Duke's command, someone quickly brought von Bock before him—von Bock was currently a regimental commander in a division of the 2nd Army of Baria, but also in charge of the division's assault battalion.

Since his outstanding contribution in the breakthrough at Gorlitze three months ago, Colonel von Bock's career has been unremarkable, failing to accumulate enough experience and merit for promotion. After all, the advancement from colonel to major general is extremely difficult; it's not something that can be achieved simply by winning a few battles, and there are many factors to consider.

(Note: A reader pointed out earlier that there were no "brigadier generals" in the Second Reich, which I was aware of. However, considering that many relatively young officers, including the protagonist, would have a very long and arduous journey to become a major general, requiring a significant amount of military achievements and time, I've decided to assume that "brigadier generals" exist in this fictional world. This way, the "progress bar" is more visually clear.)
Upon seeing von Burke brought before him, the Duke immediately and very concisely described the mission:
"I've already heard from my uncle about your performance during the Gorlice breakthrough. Now, all 350 half-tracks of the entire army group are in your hands; they were temporarily drawn from the towed heavy artillery regiments of various armies."

Your mission is to lead six assault battalions, infiltrate and cut off enemy forces as much as possible, and pursue the lightly armed enemy attempting to flee north! But don't be greedy and overestimate your strength. Force as many prisoners as you can to surrender; safety first.

"Yes, Commander!" Colonel von Burke accepted the order with high spirits, and casually glanced at Lelouch standing next to the Duke, seemingly wondering if the Duke would ask Lelouch to go with him and gain some merit along the way.

Lelouch wasn't greedy for the credit, knowing that leading a small, highly mobile force to capture prisoners was quite dangerous.

He could never do something as dangerous as Guderian, personally riding in a forward tank and charging into battle with the army.

Lelouch then took the opportunity to magnanimously express his opinion: "Federer, I think you can have the fire support team of each squad stay on the vehicle, and when there is a battle, let the assault team get off the vehicle to fight."

Leave the gunner, assistant gunner, and one grenade launcher operator behind to provide fire support from the vehicle. The MG15 light machine gun can be mounted on the side of the vehicle. If there's no suitable position, just use ammunition boxes underneath.

With just two simple sentences, Lelouch pointed out two key tactical points to Federer von Bock.

According to the organization of the assault battalion, each squad originally consisted of 15 people, with one sergeant major serving as the squad leader, and the remaining 8 people forming an assault team and 6 people forming a fire support team.

However, in foot combat, because the carrying of machine guns and grenade launchers needs to be shared, both of these weapons require at least three people.

In a vehicle-to-vehicle combat environment, a machine gun team only needs two people: a gunner and a deputy gunner, because the machine gun doesn't need to move. The grenade launcher team can also be reduced to two people or even one person, or the squad leader can stay in the vehicle as a backup grenade launcher.

Based on this calculation, a squad consists of 15 people plus 1 driver, totaling 16 people. When it comes to combat, 5 people, including the squad leader and driver, will remain in the vehicle. The remaining 11 people can disembark and engage in combat flexibly.

Lelouch explained the tactical points in such detail that he clearly didn't intend to go himself.

von Bock considered his old comrade's idea and found it quite plausible, giving him a grateful look.
"Oh God. This plan is really good. You are so good at tactical innovation. It feels like you were born knowing how infantry should follow half-track vehicles in combat."

Lelouch: "Also, the open-top compartment of our vehicle is not armored; it's just a ring of sheet metal around the perimeter. When the machine gunner and grenadier stay on the vehicle to fight, don't forget to have the other soldiers pile up their rations and clothing next to it to build a temporary shelter."

The first batch of half-track vehicles were not originally intended for frontline combat; they were used to tow heavy artillery, which was at least several kilometers away from the front lines, so they had no armor at all.

It wasn't that Lelouch didn't want to install it, but the performance of the first-generation half-track was too limited, and its power was also insufficient. In order to haul heavier cargo, it was necessary to minimize its own weight.

In the future, any vehicle with 8mm armor steel will no longer need to be so cramped.

……

Colonel Burke, having received Lelouch's instructions, quickly mobilized six assault battalions to engage and pursue the large number of fleeing enemy troops.

The main forces of the 2nd and 3rd Armies of Baria were not idle either. Most of their troops also chose to march on foot to catch up quickly in order to receive prisoners.

Bock was still very uneasy, knowing that there were at least three army remnants ahead of him.

A full-strength army of the Lushars has over 60,000 men, so three full-strength armies would have 190,000. Even with the repeated losses, considering the enemy's orderly retreat and defense, they probably still number over 150,000.

Leading 6 men to chase after 15 fleeing soldiers who had abandoned their heavy artillery, it would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid.

However, he also knew his own advantages. The enemy's 15 troops were like stray dogs, and when they fled, they would definitely be in no order or formation. If he could defeat them one by one, he could even maintain a numerical advantage in each local battlefield.

For the enemy to escape the Dniester River and break free of the encirclement, they would have to travel 70 kilometers along a route perpendicular to the river, and even further if they took a detour. Soldiers carrying guns couldn't cover 70 kilometers on foot in a day, so this pursuit would last at least two days, possibly three.

The only downside was that in such a pursuit environment, the assault battalion's radio advantage was somewhat limited. Because of the rapid movement, the artillery couldn't keep up, and even with radio communication, they couldn't call for artillery support.

On the morning of August 3, Bock, having made all the necessary preparations, set off with more than 300 half-track vehicles.

The infrastructure in the Bessarabia region (now Moldova) was very underdeveloped, with potholed roads and muddy soil.

In early August, large swathes of soybean seedlings grew in the fields. These soybeans were planted in June and will be harvested in late autumn, after which winter wheat can be rotated.

Bock's convoy surged along the country lanes and soon caught up with a large number of Lusa infantrymen who carried only guns, or even no guns at all.

"Oh God! The Demacians are catching up! Spread out and organize a defense on the spot!"

Groups of soldiers armed with sticks and Mosin-Nagant rifles immediately tried to disperse into the fields to organize a resistance.

On the lead half-track, the sergeant major, who was serving as the squad leader, was observing the enemy's movements through binoculars. Seeing that the enemy was not only refusing to lay down their weapons and surrender but also daring to resist, he immediately ordered them to prepare to dismount and fight.

Meanwhile, the MG15 light machine gun mounted in front of the half-track immediately began spitting out long tongues of fire, spraying a barrage of bullets onto the enemy's head.

"Rat-a-tat-tat~" The machine gunner gripped the machine gun tightly and fired left and right, quickly discovering that the feeling of crouching on the vehicle and firing the machine gun was just too good.

In peacetime ground combat, the connection of machine gun ammunition belts is a problem. The secondary machine gunner has limited load-bearing capacity and cannot carry many bullets. Each ammunition belt has to be connected on the spot, which greatly limits the continuity of firepower.

When fighting in a half-track vehicle, the ammunition is carried by the vehicle, and all the ammunition belts can be connected before the battle begins. The only bottleneck is the issue of barrel heat dissipation.

If only we hadn't brought the assault battalion's own light machine guns, we could have asked our allies for some MG08 water-cooled heavy machine guns instead. Unfortunately, we arrived too hastily and in such a rush that there was no time to exchange them, and no one organized it.

Amidst the frantic "rat-a-tat-tat" of gunfire, the barrels of several half-track vehicles glowed red-hot, but looking at the soldiers covering the fields, the machine gunners of the assault battalion still dared not release the trigger.

His comrades, disregarding the potential damage to the barrel's lifespan, could only pour cold water from their water bottles onto the barrel.

Fortunately, the Lusa people on the other side were caught off guard. Seeing these vehicles moving off-road as if on flat ground, chasing so fast, and spraying machine gun bullets as they charged, they finally surrendered after a brief resistance, lying down on the ground.

"What should we do? Capture prisoners? There are several times more prisoners than we are, and we still need to continue the pursuit. It would be a waste of manpower to spare people to guard the prisoners." The company and platoon officers at the front were at a loss and could only carefully disarm the surrendered enemy.

Less than 20 minutes later, the main force of several battalions caught up. Colonel von Bock saw that the road was blocked and that they seemed to have won a small victory. He slammed the car door shut and got out to check the situation himself.

"What's going on? Why have we stopped? We've only captured a few prisoners, what's the point of stopping! And you're blocking the road!"

Colonel Bock gave him a stern reprimand. Only then did a captain rush over to complain, bypassing his superior:
"Sir, the number of prisoners is several times greater than our advance troops. We are worried that something might happen and we won't be able to keep an eye on them. We are already disarming them as quickly as possible."

Colonel Bock quickly scanned the battlefield and noticed that the fields were still slightly muddy, with several irrigation ditches and a pond for storing water.

He then pointed with his whip with swift and decisive action: "Have all the prisoners who are willing to surrender line up and run to the edge of the pond, throw all their Mosin-Nagant rifles and 762mm bullets into the pond, and then line up and walk south. The rear guard will capture them."

"We're a half-track motorized battalion, we don't have time for this kind of thing!"

Having received clear instructions, the junior officers' doubts vanished, and they immediately saluted: "Yes, sir! Carry out the order immediately!"

Groups of assault battalion soldiers climbed back onto the half-tracks and shouted at the surrendering enemy:
"Line up and throw your guns into the irrigation pond! Pour in your bullets too! Then, led by the original officers, head south. Our main force will capture you! Rest assured, gentlemen, the war is over for you!"

The surrendered soldiers of Lusa obediently carried out the order, lining up one by one to throw their Mosin-Nagant rifles, clubs, and bayonets into the water, making a continuous splashing sound.

The reliability of bullets would also decrease significantly after getting damp, and silt and sand might also get into the barrels. Even if these guns were salvaged again, they would not be able to be used normally immediately and would require careful cleaning and maintenance, thus eliminating any fear of surrendered soldiers causing trouble.

Having discarded their weapons, the Lusha soldiers continued their southward march, their eyes vacant and heads bowed in dejection.

Colonel Bock glanced at the battlefield and added a couple more words of reprimand to maintain order: "Those surrendering troops, please leave the road and head south through the fields. Do not obstruct traffic!"

The order was quickly relayed up the chain of command and also notified other friendly forces nearby via vehicle-mounted radio. Groups of surrendering Lusa soldiers obediently made way for the road and headed south through the soybean fields.

Colonel Bock then returned to the half-track, waved to the driver to start the car, and sped off again.

……

"Damn it! How could those Demacians catch up so quickly? We abandoned our cannons and supplies, and ran away with only our guns. How could they still catch up?"

"With such terrible terrain, even trucks can't outrun cavalry. How did the Demacians build their vehicles? How can they chase us on such a bumpy surface? God, did you see that?!"

The same scenario was quickly repeated among the fleeing soldiers of Lusha.

All the officers at the Lusharp ranks, including Commander Denikin at the top, had not expected the enemy to catch up so quickly, and their previously designed escape and breakout plans suddenly became inappropriate.

"Da da da~"

"Swish swish~"

Each time they caught up with a fleeing unit, the German assault battalion would, in their classic move, first launch grenade launchers at a 45-degree angle, randomly firing them to create some explosions and scare the enemy into thinking that the pursuers had heavy artillery.

Grenade launchers don't actually kill many people, but the effect of having a grenade launcher versus not having one is completely different.

When two armies are in pursuit, if one side has artillery, it will let the enemy know that it has artillery, which has a huge impact on morale.

The subsequent light machine gun fire wiped out a large number of enemy soldiers who were on the march and fleeing, which was enough to break the Lusa people.

After repeating this operation several times, the officers and soldiers of the assault battalion became more and more proficient.

"All those who surrender, please leave the road, line up and head south to meet our main force for handover. We don't have time to capture you!"

This line was repeated every two or three hours, and gradually the officers leading the troops also became more and more fluent in it.

It was as fluent as when Chen Guilin went to turn himself in, and he heard the words, "Everyone, come in, don't block the door. If you want to turn yourself in, please prepare your ID card and line up over there."

By evening that day, the three defeated soldiers of the Lusha people were cut into pieces and forced to surrender by such a bold and daring maneuver.

In the end, when Commander Denikin and a few other senior generals realized the situation was dire, they could only lament their helplessness. They finally gathered all the warhorses and cavalry in the army, abandoned their troops, and fled north at high speed.

On farmlands or rugged wilderness, warhorses could still outrun half-tracks. After all, warhorses were very agile and could always walk in a straight line, never needing to walk.

This was ultimately a flanking maneuver, not an encirclement. The fact that they managed to surround most of the infantry was already an incredible achievement; the cavalry would certainly be able to escape.

The pursuit lasted from the early morning of August 3rd to the evening of August 5th.

The 2nd and 3rd Balia Corps, under the German 6th Army, advanced more than 70 kilometers in a three-day and two-night forced march and pursuit, finally reaching the banks of the Dniester River, where they successfully joined forces with the landing troops led by Rommel, List, and others.

Subsequently, with the support of the landing forces, they successfully crossed the Dniester River and entered the small towns of Ovidiopoli and Belyaevka on the north bank of the river. These two towns were just captured by List and Rommel in the past few days and were also satellite towns on the outskirts of Odessa.

Taking these two locations would solidify a strong forward bridgehead on the north bank of the Dniester River and provide a base for launching an attack on Odessa.

Ultimately, of the three border troops led by Denikin, fewer than 40,000 men escaped the encirclement, about half of whom were mounted.

The remnants of the three armies totaled 160,000 men. During the retreat, 112,000 were captured alive, and about 10,000 were killed or wounded.

Including the 2 to 3 casualties suffered in the previous border defense battles, the Lussa people lost a total of 19 troops in this battle, with only 4 escaping and a further 15 killed.

When the initial results of the battle were tallied, Duke Rupprecht was still very excited.

This time, the "want, want, and want" approach worked again. As expected, Lelouch needs to be pushed a bit to unleash his potential.

In this way, the army was able to advance rapidly and begin the siege of Odessa within three days, while also annihilating as many enemies as possible and preventing them from escaping back to strengthen the defenses of the subsequent defense zones along the Black Sea coast.

When Duke Rupprecht received the statistics, he was so eager to show them off to Lelouch that he went to him personally.

"Hey, did you guess how many people we captured after using your half-track vehicle flanking maneuver?"

Lelouch was organizing battle documents at the time and casually guessed, "One hundred thousand?"

The Duke immediately lost interest in showing off, because the guess was too accurate. He could only mutter, "About right, actually it's 11.2."

Lelouch is undoubtedly a capable worker, and he's always coming up with ingenious ideas and schemes.

They simply don't provide emotional value to their superiors, nor do they know how to express surprise or offer a compliment.

This kind of person has absolutely no potential to be a treacherous minister; he's too honest.

“So there were 11.2…” Lelouch pondered for a moment, then casually jotted down the number on an account book.

Duke: "You don't seem surprised at all, nor are you encouraged by your meritorious service?"

Lelouch looked up blankly: "But didn't we just annihilate a million enemies a few months ago?"

Duke: "..."

Lelouch: "Uh... did you think I was being too brief and omitted the odd numbers? Okay, the exact number of enemy casualties at the time should be 170 million."

The Duke sighed deeply: "...I see now. You've gotten too cocky after winning so many battles. You're not even interested in capturing 100,000 enemies. It's infuriating."

The Duke felt a sense of helplessness, as if his attempt to show off hadn't gone well. He was depressed for a while before he recovered.

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Let's talk about the siege of Odessa. Those 4 men who escaped might not have had time to detour back to Odessa. They escaped by going north around the upper reaches of the Dönester River. If they want to go south to Odessa again, they'll have to travel a long way. They might have already fled directly north towards Kiev."

Currently, the area from Odessa to Nikolaev is mainly garrisoned by the remaining half of the Romanian Front's 6th Army, one of which has been decimated, leaving only two and a half armies—tell me, how are they going to fight the subsequent offensive battles?

(End of this chapter)