Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 248 The Immediate Results of Grenadier Tactics
May 12, morning, on the front-line high ground west of the Metz fortress, across the Moselle River.

Captain Guderian, who had just arrived in Metz last night with Lieutenant Colonel Oswald Lutz, led a hastily assembled "armored grenadier regiment" to the front lines this morning.

The "Panzergrenadier Regiment" of 1916 did not have any armored weapons, but it did have a lot of grenade-type anti-armor weapons, and its mission was to fight tanks.

Just two days ago, the two of them were at the Hotel Charlottenburg in Berlin, drinking and reminiscing with Major General Lelouch and discussing anti-tank tactics.

Before they knew it, due to the urgency of the military situation, they were assigned to the front lines to do hard and tiring work.

The western front now occupies four full-strength Demand army groups—the entire 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Armies—as well as part of the 4th Army, and is responsible for its defense.

The western front has been in a stalemate for over a year, and its layout from north to south is roughly as follows:

The northernmost section, near Calais and the Bilikin region, is mainly garrisoned by the 4th Army of the Archduke of Württemberg.

Further south to the Arras-Somme region, it was garrisoned by General Fritz von Bellow's 2nd Army.

Further south to the Champagne-Marne region, the 1st Army was stationed, also under the unified command of von Bélot.

Further down, all the way to the north and northeast of Verdun, was the 3rd Army, commanded by General Karl Enem.

Finally, from Metz directly east of Verdun all the way south to Alsace and Lorraine, the 5th Army was stationed, commanded by Crown Prince William.

Previously, the Demanian army was most densely stationed in the defense zone between Arras and Champagne because the Franks launched the Champagne and Artois counterattacks in 1915.

Although both counterattacks failed, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and no gains, the French army at least tied down the Demagnesian 1st and 2nd Armies, keeping these elite forces bogged down in the Champagne and Somme regions.

Now, the Franks also realize that attacking Champagne is just "reclaiming lost territory." Even if they take it, it won't be enough to cripple Demania, and they won't be able to force the Demanians back from the eastern front, thus failing to save Lusa.

Therefore, the French army had no choice but to choose the simplest, most brutal, and direct tactic: to attack Metz from Verdun. Since Metz was Demania's home territory, once it was breached, the French army could enter the Saar industrial region to burn, kill, and destroy, which the Demanians would have no choice but to defend, thus falling under the principle of "attacking where the enemy must defend."

After the start of the Battle of Verdun-Metz, the Demanians also transferred several corps from the 1st and 2nd Armies to temporarily reinforce the 5th Army, which was under pressure.

As for officers and reserves like Oswald Lutz and Guderian who were transferred from the rear, they were immediately added to the 5th Army.

Therefore, theoretically, Lutz and Guderian's immediate superior is Crown Prince Wilhelm, commander of the Fifth Army.

It can be said that whether the Demacians attacked Verdun from Metz or the Franks attacked Metz from Verdun, they were both attacking what the enemy had to defend, and both chose a target with extremely high difficulty.

……

Lieutenant Colonel Oswald Lutz's armored grenadier regiment was temporarily converted from an elite infantry regiment of the 1st Army.

Because the Empire did not have time to train new recruits in anti-tank warfare from scratch, it could only have its elite veterans immediately undergo intensive training in the use of new weapons and tactics.

Oswald Lutz was parachuted in, but he couldn't directly take on the role of regimental commander. So he could only serve as the deputy regimental commander, assisting the original regimental commander in guiding anti-tank tactics.

The original regimental commander was an old-school soldier in his fifties. He had solid basic skills and was good at maintaining discipline and morale, inspiring his soldiers to fight to the death. However, he didn't know how to fight tanks; after all, he was old and learned new things too slowly.

Lutz became the deputy regimental commander, and Guderian became the deputy battalion commander of one of the battalions. The two of them quickly taught the officers and soldiers how to use anti-tank weapons and the key points of tactics.

When Guderian arrived, he had prepared quite a few pamphlets, all of which he had temporarily mimeographed at the Potsdam Military Academy before his departure.
The above contains illustrations of key points for throwing sticky bombs.
There are also rough compartment structure diagrams of enemy Renault 16 and Mark 1 tanks, with simple markings of the positions of the tank driver and crew inside the vehicle, so that anti-tank riflemen can aim at the people behind the steel plates when firing at the tank.

"Everyone must hurry up and learn these throwing techniques, and when firing the anti-tank rifle, try to aim at these spots. It's especially best to aim at these positions, as these are observation windows, and there are usually people behind them."

The booklets were printed in limited quantities; they arrived in a rush. Everyone should take a copy and pass it around.

The soldiers initially didn't take the words of this mere captain and deputy battalion commander seriously, thinking that he had just been in the military academy in the rear for too long and was out of touch with reality.

However, after reading the booklet he wrote, many officers and soldiers' impressions changed.

While the soldiers were hastily learning anti-tank tactics and techniques, Lieutenant Colonel Lutz and Guderian did not forget to offer some suggestions to the regimental commander regarding troop deployment, so as to better facilitate the troops in carrying out anti-tank missions.

Their regiment was stationed about 30 kilometers west of the Metz fortress, which was beyond the range of the fortress's heavy artillery. The Metz fortress was on the east bank of the Moselle River, and the river was only five or six kilometers west of the city.

There are also some highlands on both sides of the Moselle River, which together form a valley. They are now guarding the highlands on the west bank of the Moselle River.

If these high grounds are breached, the enemy can reach the riverbank, cross the river, and then reach the fortress.

Because these high grounds had been developed for two full years, the De Mania army had extensively dug reverse-slope tunnels there. When encountering enemy artillery fire, troops could take cover in these tunnels and crawl onto the reverse slope of the hillside for refuge. Once the French artillery fire ceased, they would return to the front of the high ground from the tunnels.

When carrying out anti-tank missions, these tunnels should naturally be fully utilized. Guderian suggested temporarily camouflaging some of the tunnel entrances to lower enemy guard when their tanks were charging up the slope.

Once the enemy tanks are close, the grenadiers will crawl out of the tunnel entrance and enter the front trench to drop sticky bombs at close range on the enemy tanks.

After hearing this suggestion, the old regimental commander also felt it was a bit risky: "While this would certainly allow grenadiers to get close to the enemy tanks in the shortest time, it would inevitably require bringing the enemy very close before engaging them. The enemy infantry following the tanks could also relatively easily approach to within 50 meters of us! At that point, it would turn into a melee and chaotic battle."

Guderian: "We have more submachine guns than the enemy! So what if we fight in close combat? As long as we can take out the tanks, it doesn't matter if the enemy infantry gets close. Moreover, we can also use the grenade launchers and mortars on the back of the high ground to kill the infantry and tanks along the way. We just need to leave a few observation posts on the front or on the hilltop to provide feedback on the impact of the grenade launchers and mortars."

Guderian concluded by mentioning that artillery observation sentries should be provided with helmets and uniforms covered with branches and leaves to provide as much concealment as possible.

There were no professional ghillie suits in this era because there was no such need on the battlefield. No matter how well you camouflaged yourself, you would immediately reveal your position as soon as you fired a shot. There were also no silencers or flash hiders in this era, so there was nothing to hide from on the battlefield.

Lelouch had only thought of covering the soldiers who needed camouflage with fishing nets filled with leaves and soft twigs to provide a similar disguise as ghillie suits. Guderian had only heard about this trick during a casual conversation with Lelouch at the military academy and was now putting it to use.

Guderian's idea was also reasonable: while ordinary infantrymen did not need to go to the trouble of camouflage, artillery observation sentries who provided real-time calibration were well-suited to wearing net-like clothing.

Because most of the time they only need to watch and talk, they don't need to fire guns, and if they are well disguised, they can hide for a long time without being exposed.

The old commander thought it made sense and adopted the suggestion.

...After a series of intensive and meticulous preparations, the Franks launched a new offensive that morning.

Several French divisions, forming multiple waves of attacks, surged from west to east towards the Moselle River's western bank heights where Oswald Lutz and Guderian were located. The enemy also amassed dozens of Renault 16 tanks, creating a formidable sight.

On the defensive side, there were two cannon fodder line-filling divisions composed of Lusa people, and two armored grenadier regiments composed of Demacian elites. It wasn't that the Demacian army didn't have enough elite troops, but rather that the elite troops had to be deployed on the Moselle River defense line and the Metz fortress defense line, and they wouldn't let these outer defense lines be completely handed over to their own elites for line-filling for the time being.

On the outermost edge, try to use cheap characters to wear them down.

After more than half a month of practice, the Demanians gave up on the idea of ​​forcing Lusa prisoners of war to carry sticky bombs or cluster grenades to rush up and blow up enemy tanks. They simply let the Lusa soldiers stay in the trenches to fire guns and keep watch.

If these cooperative Russo prisoners of war had the courage to carry the explosives and charge forward, they wouldn't have become prisoners of war, nor would they have cooperated with Demania out of fear of death. If they were truly that brave, they would have long ago fought for the Tsar against the explosives and wouldn't be alive today. Forcing them will only lead to a mutiny.

At this moment, as the battle began, it was still the Lusha POW line-filling division that was responsible for sentry duty and observation. Only two or three people were left on each platoon's position to observe whether the enemy's preparatory artillery fire had really stopped and whether the enemy's infantry and tanks had rushed up.

If the enemy's ceasefire is feigned and they don't advance afterward, the sentry doesn't need to signal; the rest of the men should remain in the back ranks or in the trenches. They should only emerge when they are certain that an advance has taken place.

If the enemy stopped shelling for a few minutes and then suddenly resumed shelling and bombarded for a period of time, the sentries left in the trenches to observe would almost certainly die, with very few surviving. Therefore, the task of observing and distinguishing between genuine and feigned enemy attacks was entirely entrusted to the prisoners of war, Lusa.

This job requires no skill; elite soldiers on sentry duty have a high mortality rate, and cannon fodder on sentry duty also have a high mortality rate. When shells fall, all are equal.

This situation has been ongoing on the Western Front for over a year, with at least several thousand, nearly ten thousand, soldiers on both sides being killed while playing the role of "observing whether the other side's ceasefire was genuine or feigned."

However, the French soldiers who died were all Frankish, while the Demanian soldiers who died were all Lussa people.

This morning, after paying the price of dozens of "artillery-testing sentries" with their lives, the Demacian army finally confirmed that the Franks had indeed charged.

The prisoners of war at Lusa on the position began to fire wildly with M1910 heavy machine guns, and the gunfire of the Mosin-Nagant also rang out like a string of popping beans, reaping the few French soldiers who were fighting together with infantry and tanks.

The remaining French soldiers, in an attempt to avoid the barrage of bullets, took cover directly behind the tanks. However, this only provided cover from direct fire; once they got closer, the tanks could not protect the infantry from the crossfire from both sides.

The Renault tanks fired their 37mm guns frequently, and whenever the M1910 heavy machine guns were firing, the tank guns would return fire until they hit the heavy machine gun positions and destroyed them, at which point the French troops would continue their advance.

The Franks thus gradually dismantled the enemy's defenses. The Lusa prisoners of war finally began to break down, fleeing towards the communication trenches on both flanks and rear.

This time, however, the Demacians who were overseeing the battle did not immediately open fire to force them not to retreat. Instead, they said that as long as they retreated in an orderly manner, circled around from both sides, and did not disrupt the Demacians' own positions, they would not be subject to military law for the time being.

This was also discussed with the officers of the POW unit, so those officers of the Lusha POW unit knew how to discipline their troops, and even if they had to retreat, they had to find a way to retreat safely.

Seeing the enemy showing signs of retreat, the Franks' morale soared even higher, with large groups of infantrymen following the tanks and charging forward recklessly.

They quickly entered the range of mortars and grenade launchers on the back slope of the highland. Less than half a minute later, swarms of mortar shells rose from the east slope at a great angle, crossed the highland ridge, and crashed down on the west slope.

Some shells landed among the charging French troops, kicking up clouds of blood and gore. Most of the French soldiers found cover well and crawled forward, thus avoiding being hit.

But the Demanians' shells seemed to have longer eyes than before. Near the top of the mountain, many tunnel entrances had one or two observation posts covered with leaf nets, providing error information to the mortar crews on the reverse slope and teaching them how to adjust one-on-one.

More and more French infantry were being worn down by this indirect, crisscrossing fire, which also made the infantry accompanying the tanks increasingly sparse.

Just as the tanks were about to reach the high ground, several well-camouflaged tunnel entrances were suddenly activated, and the rocks and tree branches that had been used to block the tunnels were pushed away.

Hundreds of Demacian armored grenadiers rushed out of the tunnel entrance at top speed and occupied a small section of the trench in front of them.

The Franks had not expected the enemy to dare to bring them so close before engaging in close combat, and they were caught off guard.

"Da da da~ da da da~" The MP15 submachine gun was incredibly powerful in close-quarters combat at 50 to 100 meters, and even French soldiers armed with Chauchat light machine guns were no match for the MP15.

Soldiers on both sides fell like wheat being harvested; in this close-quarters combat, both sides' accuracy increased significantly, and huge casualties could be caused very quickly.

Meanwhile, soldiers armed with sticky bombs and Molotov cocktails took advantage of the chaos to hurl these anti-tank weapons at the tanks that had already rushed close.

Bombs rained down in an instant, and the Frankish armored soldiers, who had been enjoying their moment of comfort, were immediately stunned.

After a fierce and bloody battle, a total of 20 tanks were crippled by the resolute defense of this armored grenadier regiment, accounting for nearly one-tenth of the total French armored force.

The Franks panicked and had no choice but to retreat. As they fled, the defending armored grenadier regiments pulled out their 13.2mm Mauser anti-tank rifles and opened fire on the retreating enemy tanks from behind. At least five or six more tanks were destroyed along the way.

"Can't you use your brains? The pamphlet told you to aim at the driver's position on the lower left. Now that the enemy has escaped and is facing away from us, of course we have to change it to the lower right! Don't you even know that you need to mirror your position left and right after turning around? Do you have any spatial reasoning at all!"

"And why bother targeting the driver's seat when you're shooting from behind? The rear-mounted engine can even shield the driver from bullets! At this point, you should aim at the commander's seat, which is the highest position! All anti-tank riflemen, when aiming at the enemy tank from behind, remember to aim at the person sitting the highest!"

While directing and encouraging his soldiers to fight to the death, Guderian also criticized their many tactical mistakes, allowing them to grow rapidly in the midst of blood and fire.

Oswald Lutz and Guderian performed reasonably well in their first anti-tank battles.

In the battle of May 12th, their regiment destroyed or damaged a total of 26 French tanks. The anti-tank tactics that Major General Lelouch had instructed proved effective. Combined with Guderian's own adaptability and skillful use of terrain and tunnels, they ultimately achieved such a stunning result.

"It's finally over, Guderian. You've got some talent, kid. Once you completely defeat the French and hold Metz Fortress, you'll probably be promoted to major." Lieutenant Colonel Lutz comforted Guderian kindly as the battle ended.

-

P.S.: After revising it several times, I thought it would be better to finish what I started, so I wrote a little bit more about the western route.

The protagonist pointed out the butterfly effect of how Guderian should deal with the Franks' proactive armored attack, and the effects should be seen immediately. Showing off can't be left overnight; it has to be done on the spot.

I guarantee that tomorrow we'll get back to the protagonist's new plan.

So be it.

(End of this chapter)