Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 180 Taking Melitopol Within Two Days (A 6,000-word chapter, 12,000 words today)

The distant bombing operation sent back a barely perceptible rumble and faint plumes of smoke.

However, because the two places were at least seven or eight kilometers apart, Lelouch, who was in the rear, could not see the bombing results in the distance directly. Even through the artillery scope, he could only see some vague smoke and dust.

He could only judge that the attack on the enemy artillery positions had been completed by observing the actions of his own fighter jets as they dropped their small bombs and returned to base.

Perhaps some of the enemy's cannons have survived, but at this point, Lelouch has no choice but to take this gamble and launch a full-scale attack while the enemy is most shocked.

"Let the 1st Motorized Infantry Regiment dismount and launch a full-scale assault. There's no need to use armored vehicles; just rely on the tactical attacks of a traditional assault battalion. Pay attention to suppressing the enemy with light machine guns and using grenade launchers at high elevation to eliminate machine gun positions in the trenches. The 2nd Motorized Infantry Regiment, as a reserve force, should be ready to attack at any time."

The main force of the armored vehicle units should not be used; the enemy has already dug trenches throughout this area, and their obstacle-crossing capabilities are insufficient. However, a few armored vehicles equipped with 57mm short-barreled guns can be concentrated and followed behind the infantry, advancing as close as possible to the enemy's second trench to provide support fire with their vehicle-mounted guns. But absolutely do not penetrate further into enemy territory.

Given the armored vehicle's obstacle-crossing capabilities, it shouldn't have been able to get past even the first trench net.

But during the hour or so that they were resting for lunch and waiting for air support, the German soldiers in the first trench had already used entrenching tools to fill in several gaps in the trench area under their control.

The temporarily filled-in areas are now just enough for wheeled vehicles to drive through, which would reduce the approach distance to the enemy by at least one kilometer.

All units immediately began to carry out Commander Lelouch's orders. One motorized infantry regiment immediately switched to an attack formation, using grenade launchers and light machine guns for suppression and submachine guns for alternating cover charges.

Just like the assault battalion tactic invented more than half a year ago—Lelouch's subordinates had long since mastered this tactic.

The reason for sending the motorized infantry regiments to attack was not because they were stronger than the regular infantry regiments, but because the two reinforced regular infantry regiments of the "Grand Demania Division" were still far from arriving at the battlefield.

The battlefield here is 32 kilometers away from the attack position that started early this morning. How could infantrymen who came on foot possibly cover 32 kilometers in such a short time? Even if they did, they would be almost exhausted.

The Lussars' M1910 heavy machine guns roared to life again, frantically trying to suppress the charging German soldiers, but they were quickly destroyed by armored vehicles that had come close and aimed their 57mm short-barreled guns.

Although these cannons had small calibers and were not as powerful as regular field guns, their advantage was that they could fire at close range. Even when blocked by the second trench and unable to cross the obstacle, these small cannons could still reach the bunkers and firing positions of the subsequent third and fourth trench networks of the open field army.

At such close range, the hit rate is very high, and even if you miss, you can quickly make minor adjustments by visual inspection.

After the Lussa were wiped out by Demacian aircraft at their artillery positions, no weapon could penetrate the frontal steel plates of the armored vehicles.

In particular, Lelouch temporarily changed the use of the armored vehicles, so they were no longer on the front line, but only provided fire support from the second trench.

The Lusa people didn't even have a chance to hastily bundle together the cluster grenades and then have the suicide squad rush up and stuff the grenades under the vehicle.

The only additional cost the Demacian army would have to pay for this tactical shift is slightly higher casualties among the motorized infantry regiments' assault infantry, but this is a tolerable price to pay. Compared to the enormous gains after breaking through this point, it's all worthwhile.

Under Lelouch's powerful offensive, the Lusa people quickly broke through their second trench defense line, and the third line was also in imminent danger.

……

With the Demacian army's rapid offensive, Brigadier General Vladimir on the opposite side knew that his survival hung by a thread.

He dared not hold back any longer, and frantically urged his reserve artillerymen and even unprofessional infantrymen to rush to the artillery positions, trying to use the cannons whose structures had not yet been damaged by the bomb.

"Regardless of whether they can fire the cannons or not! Anyone who's strong enough to carry shells and has good eyesight, go and support the artillery positions nearby! Fire up all the cannons that are still usable! The defensive line is only 400 meters wide! Concentrated artillery fire will definitely stop the enemy! And those armored vehicles will definitely be destroyed!"
"Our lives hang in the balance! Without these cannons, we have no other way to stop the armored vehicles! And what about the air support we called for? Why aren't our fighter jets and reconnaissance planes here to drive away the enemy fighters and airships?"

Brigadier General Vladimir disregarded his esteemed status as a division commander and personally urged his guards to go to the artillery positions to learn how to fire the cannons, knowing that these cannons were the hope of the entire division.

However, air superiority remained in the hands of the Demanians. Although their bomb-laden planes returned after dropping their bombs, some planes equipped only with machine guns continued to circle overhead.

They seemed to have few bullets, so they didn't dare to lower their altitude and strafe the ground all the time; they just hovered and controlled the area.

The airships, with their much larger bomb load, were completely unrestrained, constantly strafing the artillery positions. Any Lusa soldiers who tried to rush over and fire were instantly killed by the airships from their superior height.

One after another, soldiers who tried to temporarily step in as artillerymen to save the day fell in pools of blood.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe 20 minutes, but the Lusa fighters finally appeared. There were several dozen of them, but their numbers were no match for the German aircraft, and the gap in aircraft performance and pilot skills was even greater.

However, the Lusa pilots had a clear objective: as soon as they saw the Demacians using "gunships" to continuously suppress the ground artillery positions, the Lusa squadrons swarmed forward one after another.

"Stop them! Don't let them get close to the gunship!" Major Manfred Richthofen shouted, flapping his wings a few times before leading his comrades in a vicious dive toward the Lusa plane.

With a few clean and crisp short bursts of fire, Richthofen shot down two Lusa planes, and his other comrades followed suit.

However, the reckless pilot, Lusa, charged headlong into the airship, spraying white phosphorus bullets as she did so.

"Boom!" A hundred-meter-long airship was continuously hit by white phosphorus bombs and soon burst into flames of hydrogen gas, crashing down toward the ground position.

Fortunately, the crew members had received several months of parachute training. After making simple adjustments to the direction in which the airship would eventually crash, they parachuted towards the friendly positions behind them, where they would at least land in an area controlled by Demacian infantry.

"Boom!" Soon after, another loud explosion rang out, and another airship was directly hit by the Lusha Army's 76mm dual-purpose field gun, which was firing upwards with its muzzle raised.

It turns out that long before the Sevastopol air raid, after the Lusa fleet and coastal fortress were badly bombed by airships, the Lusa people were also learning from their mistakes and developing new anti-aircraft guns.

The Lussa have now converted a significant number of their 76mm guns to be capable of high-angle anti-aircraft fire. However, when faced with the first wave of Demacian air raids, the targets were too small, and these dual-purpose guns fired a few shots hastily without hitting their targets.

Later, the airships kept suppressing the artillery positions, preventing personnel from getting through and operating them, which is why they have been suppressed until now. At this moment, thanks to the disruption caused by the Lusha aircraft unit, the pressure on the ground troops has been relieved, and some gunners have actually managed to get to the artillery positions and hastily raised the muzzles and fired a few shots haphazardly.

The airship was too big and slow. With a hull a full 100 meters long, it could not fly too high when carrying out "gunship" strafing missions in order to ensure the lethality of the heavy machine guns. It had to fly below 2000 meters.

The combined effect of these factors naturally led to the 76mm anti-aircraft gun hitting its target almost every time it fired a few shots.

However, the resistance of the Lusa people ended there.

The aerial battle ended shortly afterward. The valiant Major Richthofen shot down another 5 Lusa aircraft today, bringing their total to 35 enemy planes destroyed, with only 4 of their own lost. Two airships were also destroyed.

The cost of two airships was roughly equivalent to that of a light cruiser. The total cost of two airships plus four German-made fighter planes should have been significantly higher than the cost of the Lussa's 35 aircraft.

But war is about strategic significance, not just economic gains.

The Demacians' sustained air pressure rendered the Lusa defenders' artillery ineffective throughout the entire Demacian ground offensive, preventing them from shelling the assault troops or using artillery to counter armored vehicles. Achieving this tactical objective made it all worthwhile.

When the aerial battle ended, the Lussa's defenses on the ground were finally breached by the Demacian army, and the Lussa 21st Division's blockade defense operation completely collapsed.

At least one infantry regiment was annihilated, one artillery regiment was annihilated, and two other crippled infantry regiments also retreated, completely abandoning this strategic choke point.

"Quickly, get the troops to repair the railway and fill in some gaps in these makeshift trenches so that the armored units can pass through!"

Seeing that the frontal attack had finally achieved a great victory, Lelouch excitedly looked away from the artillery scope and gave a series of orders.

After giving the order, Lelouch glanced at his watch. It was only 3 p.m. After three hours of fierce fighting, the enemy's last four kilometers of fortified territory had been completely breached.

At this moment, we have advanced a total of 35 kilometers north from the starting position this morning, including 22 kilometers of fortified territory.

The Demacian infantry, who had just captured the enemy's position, immediately began to wield their entrenching tools and systematically fill the gaps in the enemy's trenches.

After more than an hour of emergency construction, all five sand trenches were filled, allowing armored vehicles to finally move freely.

At 5 p.m. sharp, the two armored vehicle regiments broke out of the lagoon peninsula terrain and entered the famous Nogai Grassland. Beyond them lay a vast, flat plain of black soil.

"Keep moving forward! Keep pushing! All armored vehicles, our objective is to reach Troički before nightfall! Only 7 kilometers left, and it's all grassland terrain. Victory will surely belong to the Empire!"

Lelouch leaned out of the armored vehicle, waving his arms and loudly commanding and encouraging his soldiers.

"We must win! We must win!"

All two armored regiments, two mechanized infantry regiments, and two motorized infantry regiments were rushing forward at full speed.

The infantry remained behind, some marching slowly on foot, while those carrying entrenching tools and capable of earthmoving helped repair the railway, ensuring that the supply trains from the rear would reach Troičk by the following morning at the latest. In late September on the Kievan Rus' plains, darkness didn't fall late, but only about half an hour later, Lelouch's armored vehicle group, still fighting intermittently, reached the city of Troičk.

Theoretically, there is still one infantry regiment stationed inside the city, and some previously defeated and routed soldiers have escaped back.

In reality, the routed soldiers couldn't possibly keep up with the armored vehicles. Brigadier General Vladimir's fleeing troops hadn't even returned to Troychik yet; Lelouch arrived first.

"Two armored regiments will bypass the town from the left and right. Do not enter the city to attack; just surround it. Then, send the motorized infantry regiment into the city to search and advance. If possible, force them to land. Shout that they know that the main force of the 21st Division has been annihilated by us!"

As soon as Lelouch saw the town appear on the horizon, he gave the order, which was quickly carried out.

At 6:20, just as darkness was about to fall, the remaining defenders in the city collapsed and surrendered en masse, led by their officers.

The city was supposed to have a regiment, but in reality, this second-line force consisted of only a little over a thousand guns. Brigadier General Vladimir had already moved all the capable troops to the base of the peninsula to block the breaches. The people left in the town were completely incompetent; they were almost all green recruits.

These new recruits had absolutely no fighting spirit and couldn't understand why "when the battle started this morning, the enemy was still 42 kilometers away on the Crimean Peninsula. How could the enemy have advanced a full 42 kilometers in just one day?"

This shock caused the second-line troops, who were not mentally prepared for the battlefield, to completely break down.

"Sir, should we continue the pursuit through the night?" Rommel's spirits were lifted again. Seeing that his division commander had personally set an example for him, successfully breaking through the enemy's last strong defense in just one afternoon, he now only wanted to continue to expand the victory.

After asking for instructions, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Commander, you are truly amazing! When it comes to understanding armored warfare, you are far superior to me!"

I never thought of adapting to the situation and turning the armored vehicles from assault force into second-line support firepower! When I saw that the off-road capability was insufficient and the terrain had been destroyed by the enemy, I was at a loss.

I never imagined that when artillery couldn't keep up, we could call in air support and coordinate air-ground efforts to quickly break through the blockade! Only a genius like you could come up with such innovative and adaptable tactics in such a short time!

Lelouch was a little embarrassed by Rommel's flattery.

Throughout the day's battle, Rommel's tactical arrangements were very sophisticated and solid; he simply lacked imagination and rigorous theoretical deduction of the unknown.

Lelouch didn't actually do much today, but every move he made, whether it was innovative air-ground coordination or the flexible switching between the roles of armored assault forces and self-propelled artillery support firepower, was a copy of the answer from the previous version.

Therefore, every move he made was a stroke of genius.

For minor tasks, Rommel handles them; for major innovations that Rommel can't handle and require the foresight of a time traveler to directly point out, Lelouch is brought in. This collaborative model makes Lelouch seem almost divinely aided.

In fact, if Lelouch were to personally handle all the details and micro-management, without Rommel taking care of everything, Lelouch's true skill level would be quickly revealed.

However, there's not much to say about this; being willing to delegate is a virtue. If you know you're bad at micro-management, then don't try.

When Rommel can't handle things and comes to him for advice, he can then focus on the big picture and let go of the small details. That's the way to govern a country and an army.

At this moment, Lelouch had no time to listen to Rommel's honest words. He composed himself and immediately ordered, "The troops have been exhausted all day and have fought a tough battle. It's impossible to continue the pursuit immediately. Let them rest in the town for half the night and wait for the railway to be repaired in the rear."

The first batch of supplies and repair parts should arrive by train before tomorrow morning. After refueling and replenishing ammunition, we will divide the troops into two groups. The 2nd Armored Regiment, with one mechanized infantry regiment and one motorized infantry regiment, will immediately launch an attack. The 1st Armored Regiment can rest a little longer and set off tomorrow morning.

Starting tomorrow, the troops will operate for 16 hours a day, with 8 hours of rest. 12 hours will be used for offensive operations, and 4 hours for travel. In this way, the 2nd Armored Regiment will launch its main attack and break through for 12 hours, and after about 8 hours of fighting, the 1st Armored Regiment will be able to catch up.

Mechanized and motorized units, in this vast grassland environment, should be able to cover in 4 hours the distance that would take 12 hours to advance in combat. Thus, the troops could be divided into two groups, each group first traveling 4 hours to catch up with newly achieved victories by friendly forces, and then spending the remaining 12 hours as the main attack force.

After an eight-hour rest, our allied forces can catch up in marching mode, which should be sufficient. This will ensure a continuous offensive, preventing the enemy from reinforcing or blocking our lines from keeping up with our pace!

The situation described by Lelouch occurred repeatedly on Earth more than twenty years later. During the Battle of Frankish Wars, the French army repeatedly attempted to reorganize their defenses after being breached, only to find the enemy already behind them when they finally did.

In Lelouch's view, in this kind of grassland warfare environment, the sustainability of an attack is far more important than the explosive power of an attack.

Even if the enemy has a strong force to block you later, the enemy's speed cannot keep up with yours, so just avoid strong enemies.

The only force that could catch up with him was perhaps the Cossack cavalry. But let them chase him if they want; it doesn't matter.

Would Lelouch be afraid of cavalry chasing armored vehicles?
Rommel's eyes lit up after hearing this: "Great idea! This should be the most sustainable tactic for offense! I'll implement it immediately. You and I will each lead half the troops, taking turns resting and attacking."

……

That night, the troops slept soundly in the city of Trojciech and amassed a great deal of wine, meat, and food to reward the soldiers and boost morale.

In the middle of the night, sure enough, the railway behind them was open to traffic, and a train loaded with ammunition, spare parts, and fuel arrived.

Lelouch immediately ordered the troops who were supposed to rest for a while to get to work unloading cargo and maintaining and refueling the vehicles. He then allowed the troops who were about to launch an attack to sleep for another two hours to fully recover their energy.

Around 4 a.m., all preparations for the attack were completed, and the troops responsible for the attack began to get up, wash, and have breakfast. They set off promptly at 4:30 a.m., continuing along the railway line towards the railway hub of Melitopol further north.

Because the Demacian army advanced so quickly, the surrounding Lusa garrison hadn't had time to react, and there were simply no troops available to come and reinforce the defenses in time.

Lelouch's advance went smoothly. At most, each time he passed through a town along the railway, he would encounter a battalion or a few companies of security forces. These people were completely incapable of fighting and collapsed at the first touch when faced with the armored regiment's attack, surrendering and being captured.

Melitopol is located about 90 kilometers northeast of Troychik, and is an important railway hub in eastern Kievan Rus'.

The railway heading east from Kherson forks at Melitopol. One route continues eastward along the coast to Rostov at the mouth of the Don River. The other route heads north for about 120-130 kilometers to Zaporizhzhia.

There is also a reserve division defending Melitopol, but because it is located in the rear, the attached troops are very weak and have not received complete military training. The personnel are also not at full strength, with less than 10,000 men.

Lelouch's troops started advancing at around 4 a.m. and continued until 4 p.m., having advanced more than 70 kilometers, twice as fast as yesterday. But upon closer inspection, this was actually normal, since they had fought several siege battles yesterday, while today's advance was almost entirely a smooth push.

By 4 p.m., Rommel finally caught up from behind. Rommel had left himself some extra time. He was supposed to set off at noon, but he finished lunch at 11 a.m. and then spent four or five hours traversing the land that his superior had taken 12 hours to conquer.

Meanwhile, the two reinforced infantry regiments of the "Grand Demania Division," each with a strength of 8000 men, had already established defensive lines and patrols along the railway line, which stretched for dozens of kilometers north of Trojczyk, to ensure the railway's stability.

As for the defense zone further south of Trojic, it has been handed over to friendly forces who just arrived by train today.

I heard that three divisions of Demanian troops have already taken the train north to reinforce the breaches dug by the "Greater Demania" armored training division, but they just can't keep up with Lelouch's pace.

Lelouch, however, still had no intention of slowing down. After handing over the reins to Rommel, he encouraged Rommel to take care of Melitopol that night, and Rommel agreed without hesitation.

At 5 p.m., Lelouch, who had been busy all day, went to sleep. According to the plan, he could rest for 8 hours and get up again at 1 a.m.

However, because Rommel's march was slightly slower and he still had to attack a railway hub city, Lelouch slept soundly until 3 a.m. before being woken up by his subordinates.

"How could this be such a blunder? Didn't you say you'd wake me up at 1 a.m.?" Lelouch woke up, quickly washed up, and while drinking coffee, glanced at his watch, feeling somewhat angry.

“Commander, it was Deputy Commander Rommel who said that his progress was slow last night. He could catch up with you in just two hours of marching time, so there was no need to reserve four hours. That’s why we let you sleep for two more hours…” the orderly explained cautiously.

Lelouch then stopped pressuring them, and simply took another sip of coffee: "How far did Rommel go in 10 hours? What time did he capture Melitopol last night?"

The orderly couldn't help but feel a sense of awe: "Commander, you know all about this? The city of Melitopol has really fallen. Deputy Commander Rommel arrived outside the city at 8 p.m. last night with only half a division's combat force and ended the battle at 1 a.m. In the end, 7000 enemy soldiers surrendered."

"You don't know, the enemy was completely stunned by our attack. The defenders of Melitopol never expected us to come here. After 1 p.m., Deputy Commander Rommel advanced another 20 kilometers north. The distance to Zaporizhzhia should now be less than 100 kilometers."

In 24 hours, they advanced another 100 kilometers and spent four or five hours fighting a siege, annihilating an understaffed, ragtag reserve division inside the city of Melitopol.

In two days, they penetrated 140 kilometers into enemy territory.

Speeding across the grasslands is so exhilarating!

-

P.S.: Two 6,000-word chapters today, totaling 12,000 words...

(End of this chapter)