Imperial Elite

Chapter 146 Dad! Help!

As dusk fell, the Gauls' all-day breakout attempt finally came to a temporary end.

During the day-long breakout operation, the Gauls and Buntanians lost more than two hundred tanks and at least three hundred aircraft.

Unlike the last major war, these losses are mostly irreparable.

In contrast to these losses, their gains were pitifully small.

Of the two defensive lines hastily constructed by the Teutons, they only managed to breach one. When they attacked the second line, the Teutonic air force launched a decisive air campaign, turning the breakout operation into a near disaster.

Of the four armored divisions that were to be sent as reinforcements, two suffered heavy losses under the horrific bombing by the Teutonic Air Force before they even reached the battlefield.

The Teutons mobilized almost all of their medium bombers, using large formations and low-altitude bombing to carpet-bomb the Gallic armored forces heading to the battlefield.

This bombing tactic caused considerable losses to the Teutonic bomber force, as many bombers were shot down due to the escort aircraft's preoccupation with dogfights.

After the day's battle ended, the Red Knight, having seen the bomber unit's report, even drove directly to the airfield where the escorting fighters were located and gave the pilots a good scolding.

Although the pilots were verbally abused by the Red Knights, they were still the victors in the air battle that day.

Compared to them, the situation of the Teutonic and Buntanian air forces was much worse.

The Gallic air force, which had been nearly crippled by the Teutonic bombing at the beginning of the war, had staked almost all of its resources on this breakout operation.

Even outstanding cadets from flight schools are allowed to join the battle if they voluntarily graduate.

Those veteran pilots who had had minor skirmishes and conflicts with the Teutons in the past two weeks adopted a completely desperate stance in this battle.

The dire situation made them realize that if they couldn't win this battle, Gaul might be doomed.

As Gallic aerial knights, they would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.

So if in the first two weeks, "a good pilot always has one more bullet than others" was just a slogan circulating among pilots, now it has almost become a battlefield rule for Gallic pilots.

When Gallic pilots found their planes severely damaged and unable to return, or were simply being pursued by Teutonic fighters and unable to shake them off, these Gallic pilots would shout slogans like "Long live Gaul!" or "Forward! Gaul!" over the channel and try to ram the nearest Teutonic aircraft.

And usually, the unfortunate ones that get hit are those slow and cumbersome bombers.

This "even if I die, I'll still knock out a few of your teeth" tactic left a deep psychological scar on the Teutonic bomber pilots.

Because radio stations at this time occasionally experienced crosstalk and frequency hopping, the two sides fighting in the air could occasionally hear what the other was saying.

Having heard "Long live Gaul!" or "Forward, Gaul!" so many times, the Teutonic bomber pilots even developed a bit of a psychological aversion to these two phrases.

Even the pilots of Bonitania considered these Gallic pilots to be a group of warriors.

However, this valiant effort failed to change the situation on the battlefield.

During the battle that day, the Gauls painfully discovered something.

That is, their super-heavy tanks were indeed very well protected and had excellent firepower. Any Teutonic tank that wanted to engage in a firefight with their super-heavy tanks was simply courting death.

Once a tank-to-tank battle begins, it takes three Teutonic tanks to take down one of their heavy tanks.

Two tanks should be used to draw the attention of the heavy tanks, while the third tank can take the opportunity to flank or flank to destroy the Teutonic heavy tanks.

However, this powerful armor and firepower are entirely achieved in exchange for mobility.

The slow speed of movement meant that most of these heavy tanks were destroyed by the Teutonic Air Force before they even reached the battlefield.

Even after arriving on the battlefield, due to the overwhelming advantage that the Teutonic tanks had in certain areas, these super-heavy tanks could not hold out for long. They basically died after destroying a few Teutonic tanks.

The Gauls' infantry also faced the same predicament as the Bunitalian infantry.

A standard Gaul infantry squad consisted of two groups: a seven-man machine gun squad centered around a machine gun, and a rifle squad consisting of the squad leader and three other riflemen.

Although the machine gun team appears to have a large number of people, in reality, like the Bunitas, each squad of eleven men has only one machine gun, with the rest of the combat personnel equipped with bolt-action rifles.

This puts them at a significant disadvantage when facing the Teutons, especially when breaking through trenches, which requires suppressive fire.

The Teutons relied on light machine guns, submachine guns, and semi-automatic rifles, and a squad could be divided into several combat groups to fight.

Once the Gauls were freed from that machine gun, they couldn't even suppress the Teutonic infantry in the trenches.

The Gauls knew that this would be their last chance if they didn't want to walk hand in hand into the Teutonic prisoner-of-war camp.

Thus, the Gauls, under the overwhelming firepower of the Teutons, broke through the Teutonic defenses by almost sheer numbers.

However, sacrificing your own life won't win you a war; only by taking the enemy's lives can you achieve victory.

The troops deployed for the breakout operation, including the 7th Armored Division as the vanguard, the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions that arrived later, and several infantry divisions responsible for providing cover, had almost lost their combat effectiveness.

Meanwhile, the 8th Panzer Division, which was hastily formed to launch an attack from the south of the Teutonic Line to support the main force's breakout, also suffered heavy losses.

This hastily assembled armored division originally only had one heavy tank company that was capable of fighting. The rest of the tanks were basically whatever was available in the warehouse, and even the Hound tanks from the end of the last war were put into the order of battle.

Even with such obviously inferior equipment, Charles still managed to break through the Teutonic defenses with his armored division. The cost was that after a day of fighting, the 8th Armored Division lost more than half of its strength, leaving the armored forces with only one-fifth of their original combat strength.

Logically, having suffered such heavy losses, these troops should now be withdrawing for rest and reorganization.

But both Charles and Jean-Pierre knew this was their last chance.

So after nightfall, instead of resting, they began to patrol the troops and boost their morale.

Although separated by the Teutonic defenses, both generals were telling the soldiers, who had just walked through the brink of death, that it was normal for them to be tired and fearful.

Because he too felt fear, having walked the edge of death, anyone should feel fear.

But he feared failure more than death, because if they failed here, no one would be able to defend Gaul, and Gaul would suffer an even more devastating defeat than after the Battle of Sedan.

The Teutons would impose a treaty on Gaul that was ten thousand times harsher than the Treaty of Versailles, restricting Gaul to the point that even Gaul's continued existence would be in question.

So for Gaul, for all that we cherish, we must continue our attack tomorrow, and this time I will advance with you.

Encouraged by Jean-Pierre and Charles, the morale of the Gallic breakout forces did not collapse.

Faced with such severe losses, the Parisians themselves fell into despair before the frontline troops could even despair.

Looking at the troops in his hands, and the loss report of the first day of the breakout operation.

The gentlemen of Paris painfully concluded that although the breakout operation was not yet over, the surrounded troops were no longer able to break through the encirclement.

Meanwhile, the optimists in Paris hoped the troops would successfully break out, the realists began preparing to build a second line of defense—in other words, they wanted to prepare for a third battle for Paris—while the pessimists… felt it was time to start learning Teutonic.

Ultimately, the realists gained support in Paris, and since they were preparing to defend Paris, who was the most experienced in this regard?

Marshal Henry, of course, was the one who successfully defended Paris twice in the last major battle.

Although Marshal Henry had already retired by this time, Paris still sent people to Marshal Henry's estate.

Marshal! Gaul is in grave danger. Now, no one but you can change the situation! Commander! Let's charge one more time with the brothers!

At the same time that Paris sent people to Marshal Henry's estate.

Andrei was feasting with his troops in a barn.

Logically speaking, it would be almost impossible for Andrei, who was trapped in the Teutonic second line of defense, to escape with his small force.

However, Andrei, who had heard many battlefield anecdotes from Wagner's veteran soldiers since childhood, had many battlefield tricks up his sleeve.

For example, after determining that the Gauls' offensive had reached its limit and they could no longer receive support, Andrei stripped off the uniform of a Teutonic lieutenant in the trench, put it on, and then memorized the unit's affiliation and number.

Then, the other two soldiers, who could barely understand a word or two of Teutonic, were also dressed in Teutonic uniforms and carried the equipment of the rest of the soldiers.

He then led these soldiers and began to swagger back.

As someone who had received a rigorous education, Andrei's Teutonic language skills came in handy here.

Disguised as a prisoner escort, Andrei not only easily passed through the Teutonic defenses, but even managed to trick the Teutonics into giving him a truck to transport the prisoners.

Andrei, of course, could not lead his troops into the prisoner-of-war camp. After leaving the defensive line, Andrei began to think.

Going north would be a return journey, going south would mean crossing the Teutonic defenses again, which he certainly couldn't do, and going west meant the sea, which the Bunitania navy wouldn't send a ship to pick up just for a few people.

Even if the Bonitania Navy were to send a ship, they would be unable to contact the Bonitania Navy at this time.

So after thinking it over, Andrei decided to head east, towards the rear of the Teutons.

The more troops they have at the front, the more vulnerable their rear becomes. We can stir up trouble behind the Teutons' lines and launch a surprise attack.

Then, the hungry Andrei and his men discovered a Teutonic command post and a field kitchen next to a farm.

Since we've already encountered this situation, what else is there to say?

Andrei launched a surprise attack.

They quickly subdued the unsuspecting Teutons.

Unlike Old Joe, whose first prisoner in his military career was a general.

However, Andrei also captured a colonel.

However, compared to the colonel, Andrei, who had been starving all day, was more concerned about what delicious food the Teutonic field kitchen had prepared. Perhaps because the battle was going well, the Teutonic kitchen had freshly baked bread, sizzling sausages fried in butter, and freshly stewed sauerkraut and pork knuckle.

There's not much to say about that. Andrei and his friends, after grabbing the food, began to eat as if seeking revenge.

Colonel Teutonic, who was tied up like a dumpling, initially harbored resentment towards Andrei for deceiving and ambushing him.

After all, just when you're about to receive a medal and even get a promotion, you're suddenly captured. This 180-degree turn in fate is something no one could accept.

However, after seeing how Andrei and the others ate, the colonel felt it was normal for him to be captured. Judging from their eating habits, the colonel was genuinely worried that there wouldn't be enough food for Andrei, so he asked the burly man to give him a few bites.

Finally, after Andrei had finished eating, he came to the colonel, hoping to get some information from him.

The colonel readily confessed everything, but while confessing, he also inquired about Andrei's name, wanting to know who had captured him.

Looking at the very cooperative colonel, Andrei scratched his head.

Although he could continue using a false name at this point, Andrei felt that since he had already achieved his goal, there was no point in hiding his name anymore. On the contrary, revealing his identity would boost the morale of the troops.

After all, even if you don't respect the monk, you should at least respect the Buddha. If you don't give me, Andre, face, then you should at least give Old Joe some face, right?

So Andrei calmly told the colonel, "My name is Andrei, Andrei Harrison."

“Oh, Andrei, wait… Harrison…”

As the colonel called out the surname Harrison, the remaining Bonitanes and Gallic soldiers whom Andrei had gathered all looked at Andrei in shock.

"Could it be... that Harrison?"

Andre nodded.

“If the Harrison you’re referring to is Joe Harris, then that’s right, he’s my father.”

After speaking in Teutonic, Andrei repeated it in Bunitania and Gaul.

After Andrei introduced himself, the colonel's face relaxed, as if to say, "Hey, I wondered who it was. It's Harrison, the kid who lost to Joe. No shame!"

Meanwhile, the faces of the surrounding Bunitas and Gallic remnants wore expressions of ecstatic joy.

His expression was as if he had casually bought a lottery ticket and won five million.

I tripped and fell on the street, and then I saw a gold ring in front of me.

"Boss...you really are..."

"Yes."

Andrei nodded to the Gallic soldier.

“Joe Harrison is my father, if that’s what you’re asking about.”

Upon hearing this, a cheer immediately erupted in the barn.

After the cheers subsided, the soldier immediately asked Andrei, "We knew you weren't an ordinary man, sir. An ordinary man couldn't pull off something like this. What's next? Go to Germania to arrest that mustachioed guy?"

Faced with the young man who immediately asked to go to Germania, Andrei was momentarily at a loss for words.

While I'm still figuring out how to survive, this kid is already thinking about going to Germania. How can he be so reckless?
Of course, Andrei can't do nothing now. After understanding what a battlefield is and what war is, Andrei, like Joe when he first went to the battlefield, has come to a realization.

Actually, I want to leave; I don't want to stay.

However, compared to Old Joe back then, Andrei has a huge advantage: he has a father who is the most dangerous man in the Old World.

So, in order to stabilize morale, Andrei said that going to Germania was a bit of an exaggeration, but there were other things we could do here, such as going to cause trouble for Erich, who was said to be the Teutonic commander in this campaign.

However, he used the captured Teutonic radio to send a telegram to Joe in Wagner's encrypted code, requesting assistance.

"Father! It's me, Andrei! I'm trapped in Teutonic territory! Come quickly! Help!"

Later that day, Joe, who was sleeping in the tank turret, was woken up by the gunner.

Having abandoned traditional tactics, they intend to simply cause some disruption in Teutonic territory.

Therefore, in order to cause as much damage as possible and to avoid bombing by the Teutonic Air Force, Joe led his troops on a night march.

However, after a whole day of fighting, even someone as energetic as Joe was a little tired. As the tank swayed along, Joe unconsciously fell asleep.

"Have we arrived? Have we encountered the Teutons? How long have I been asleep?"

After being shaken awake by the gunner, Joe immediately bombarded the gunner with three soul-searching questions.

In response to Joe's question, the gunner said, "We haven't arrived yet, we haven't encountered any Teutons. You just slept for about forty minutes. We just intercepted a telegram, and the adjutant said you must read it."

Completely bewildered, Joe pushed open the hatch and poked his head out of the turret, looking at the adjutant crouching outside the turret.

"What's wrong? London has sent a third telegram so quickly?"

The adjutant shook his head and then handed the telegram to Joe.

"A second telegram has just arrived from London; they've made a few more concessions, but that's not why I'm here to see you."

"What was that for?"

Qiao took the telegram from his adjutant with some confusion, opened it, and glanced at it before his face turned ashen.

How many people still know this?

The adjutant sighed. The telegram was sent towards Gaul and was repeated three times. It used an old code from ten years ago, which anyone with that code could know.

"..."

Joe punched the tank turret!
"That little brat! I should have buried him in the snow back then!"

"What do we do now? Should we call back?"

Joe gritted his teeth. "Don't send a telegram back to Gaul, send a telegram back to the rear... Tell them to keep an eye on Elena and prevent her from doing anything irrational."

"Ok."

The adjutant nodded, jumped off the tank, and ran towards the command vehicle to the side.

Joe was left rubbing his temples in pain.

Damn it, none of these little brats are any easy to deal with...

Thinking of this, Joe leaned out and shouted to his adjutant, "Send another telegram to my brother in Citibank, let him see if all my other brats are in Citibank!"

While Joe was having a headache, three other people were also having headaches.

Meanwhile, in Buckingham Palace, Winston and George VI, the current King of Bonitania who had only met Joe a few times in the past, were having a headache because of the countless telegrams that Joe was not replying to.

The last time Old Joe didn't reply was at the end of the war when he led his troops in a surprise attack on Germania.

Although Joe is still advancing towards Germania this time, the situation is completely different from the last major battle.

Even if Joe were to actually reach Germania, he wouldn't be able to improve the current situation on the battlefield.

The head of state is not the Teutonic Emperor; he is not even in Germania!

James, however, was facing another problem: after Joe's falling out with London, the committee members who already harbored resentment towards him purged Joe's remaining influence from within the army.

They've produced a bunch of completely unusable stuff. If this continues, even if Old Joe comes back, without suitable equipment, he won't be able to restore the troops' combat effectiveness.

Therefore, James hoped to form a special wartime committee to re-plan the army's equipment, starting with reviving the MCS Modern Army plan that Joe had proposed.

However, to push this plan forward, some people will definitely have to shut up, step down, or even be imprisoned.

For something like this, James, as the Minister of War, certainly doesn't have enough authority; it requires the approval of the Prime Minister and His Majesty.

So when the three troubled people got together, they had to face a very basic problem.

The question now is how to get Old Joe to respond. They are as anxious as ants on a hot pan because Old Joe is silent.

If the Gauls' breakout attempt fails, it means that almost all of Bunitania's mobile forces could be annihilated by the Teutons.

Just as the three of them were scratching their heads, Winston's secretary suddenly walked in with a telegram.

"This is terrible! Joe's eldest son, Andrei, is also besieged in Gaul!"

"Huh?! What's he doing there?!"

Meanwhile, on the Armenian train, the head of state also pondered deeply while holding the telegram in his hand.

Joe's son is also in Gaul, which is good news.

If we can capture this guy, we can win a huge propaganda victory and even shatter Old Joe's gains in the East.

But where exactly is this kid?
Moreover, the frontline troops are currently facing heavy combat missions. Could this be a tactical deception?
Looking at the map before him and the telegram in his hand, the Führer hesitated.

(End of this chapter)