Imperial Elite

Chapter 160 We need support!
Many years later, when Michel sat in a rocking chair facing the cameras of reporters, he would always think back to that afternoon when they drove the Panzer V tank out of Warsaw.

The Panzer V, equipped with an 88mm cannon, was the best tank in the Teutonic armored forces at the time, although it was still slightly inferior to the Gauls' super-heavy tanks in terms of armor protection and absolute firepower.

However, the Panzer V was able to rely on its excellent mobility to flank those heavy tanks in battle and easily destroy targets with its accurate 88mm gun.

According to Michel, the Panzer V was the best tank in the world.

Michelle wasn't the only one who thought so; the officers and soldiers of the 101st Heavy Tank Battalion of the Armed Guard believed that the Panzer V was the best tank in the world, and that they could use it to destroy any target in their way.

So when they received orders to go to Poland to rescue their weak ally.

The young men in their early twenties of the 101st Heavy Tank Battalion boasted to each other during the march about how many scum of the Revolutionary Alliance they could wipe out, and one of them even played the theme song "Martyrdom" from "Governor of the Planet" on his harmonica.

But as the song played, “Maintain marching speed, hold your ground, the road ahead is long…” Michelle noticed that the battalion commander’s expression didn’t seem too good.

The road to Poland was not smooth. They suffered several attacks by the People's Revolutionary Party's air force along the way, and had to wait anxiously on the train for the railway to be repaired because NATO paratroopers had damaged it.

However, when they finally arrived in Warsaw, they received a warm welcome in the city, even though they were theoretically on standby and not allowed to go out.

But at breakfast the next day, some people, looking tired but with an excited and lewd expression, still sneaked into the restaurant and showed their "spoils" to their friends.

However, this joyful life did not last long. With the arrival of other troops, the 101st Heavy Battalion soon received orders to prepare and leave the city.

Everyone was very excited about this, because in the past few days they had discovered that almost all the major elite armored divisions had arrived in Warsaw.

They are about to launch an attack on the People's Revolutionary Alliance.

As they had anticipated, once they left the city, the battalion commander announced their mission to them.

According to the reconnaissance team, the armored forces of the Revolutionary Alliance will arrive at an area about ten kilometers away from them tomorrow. Tonight, mechanized infantry units have already gone forward to conduct reconnaissance and sabotage operations.

The air force will also launch an air raid at dawn tomorrow. According to General Erich, the air force will provide them with air support and cover throughout the day, so there is no need to worry about attacks from the People's Revolutionary Alliance air force.

Their mission was quite simple: they faced the Western Front of the People's Revolutionary Alliance, one of the Alliance's three most elite fronts. If they could defeat this front, they would not only be able to relieve the siege of Warsaw, but could even continue to advance eastward, securing living space for the Empire in the East.

If they wish, everyone can obtain a large estate in the East, and if they are lucky, they might even get a Lucia maid.

In short, the Empire is anticipating their victory, and the Führer is waiting for their victory.

Although Michel wasn't particularly interested in the grand estates of the East, it didn't stop him from discussing with his comrades whether there really would be a Lucia maid.

After all, as an armed guard unit, they had participated in rotational warfare in the Caucasus region in the past and had seen the Lucia women in the areas controlled by the Lucia military government.

In general, if possible, the guys in the 101st Heavy Armored Battalion felt that since they, as a heavy armored battalion, had to undertake the most arduous combat missions, they should also bear greater pressure in matters like maids, and there should be at least two of them, right?

With a mix of excitement and nervousness, Michelle drifted off to sleep inside the tank.

At 4:30 a.m. the next morning, Michel was woken up by the driver, and then they conducted a final pre-war check on the vehicle, number 233, and filled it with fuel.

At five o'clock in the morning, as dawn was breaking, all the tank crews had started their vehicles. With a deep roar of engines overhead, the battalion commander waved his arm and ordered, "Armored advance!" The entire battalion's tanks began to advance with a roar.

Based on Michel's experience, they should not begin to engage the enemy for another twenty minutes, so Michel was still quite relaxed as he popped out of the turret, looking at the formation of aircraft flying overhead and the Polish-German land in front of him that did not seem much different from the Teutonic lands.

However, an explosion suddenly rang out in the sky the next day. Michelle looked up sharply and saw that the battle in the air had already broken out, and the fighter jets of both sides were locked in combat.

Then, on the horizon ahead, a swarm of fighter jets, flying almost skimming the treetops, rushed toward them.

"Air strike!"

With that shout, Michel immediately crawled back into the turret.

The next few minutes felt like centuries to Michel. The explosions around him and the sound of something hitting the tank armor like raindrops made his heart leap into his throat.

Finally, the violent air raid came to an end.

However, before Michelle could put her mind at ease again, she saw those shadowy steel behemoths appearing on the distant horizon.

Clearly, just as they were preparing to launch a surprise attack on the People's Revolutionary Alliance, the People's Revolutionary Alliance was also preparing to launch an attack on Huasho on this day.

Facing the People's Revolutionary Alliance tank that appeared ahead, Michel shouted, "Stop! Two o'clock! People's Revolutionary Alliance tank, armor-piercing rounds! Fire!"

Meanwhile, south of Warsaw, Joe, who was preparing to go north to cut off the railway line, also suffered the most intense air raids since the start of the war.

Unlike the Western Front of the People's Revolutionary Union, which was tasked with the main offensive, the Bohemian air force had already suffered heavy losses, and the country also needed to maintain a long front.

Therefore, Joe didn't have many air force units to provide him with cover.

Fortunately, Old Joe and his troops were already used to the terrifying bombing raids by the Teutonic Air Force.

Unlike the Teutonic and People's Revolutionary Union, which was engaged in a large-scale armored battle at the time.

With limited resources, especially armored forces, Joe could only resort to battle group tactics to advance.

The downside of this tactic is that it doesn't allow for high-speed breakthroughs like the armored tactics of the People's Revolutionary League or the Teutonic Knights. However, the advantage is that it makes it easier for them to conceal themselves and reduce losses when facing bombing from the Teutonic Air Force. Originally, Old Joe's plan was to have his troops take cover first in the face of this bombing, since no good person would use their skull to catch someone else's bomb.

Even the Teutonic Air Force's air raids have their limits. After the Teutonic Air Force's bombing ends, I will lead my troops north to cut off the connection between Warsaw and Roots.

However, as time went on, not only did the Teutonic Air Force's air raids show no signs of abating, but Constantine also sent a telegram to Joe requesting assistance.

Constantine had hoped that Joe could launch an offensive from south or west of Warsaw to support their offensive in the west, but the situation was now slightly different from their original plan.

That was the Teutonic armored force, which, with the support of the air force, was slightly too strong.

From the moment the two sides made contact in the morning, the battle between their ground forces immediately intensified, with their armored units dissipating rapidly like morning dew.

Meanwhile, the airspace where the battle took place was like a black hole, swallowing up large numbers of air force formations from both sides.

After the attack aircraft squadrons of the People's Revolutionary Alliance entered this airspace, by the time they completed their attack and left, only 2 to 3 of the eleven aircraft in a squadron might still be able to return to the airport.

The fighter squadrons responsible for covering the attack aircraft suffered even greater losses, often with only one or two aircraft able to return to the airport, and sometimes the entire squadron had no aircraft able to return.

While aerial combat has turned into a black hole, ground armored warfare has also begun to evolve into a meat grinder.

Once on the battlefield, both sides' tanks must advance as quickly as possible to shorten the distance to enemy tanks and increase the difficulty of enemy air force attacks.

Meanwhile, the thick smoke emitted by the burning tanks that had been destroyed on the battlefield severely impaired the visibility of tanks that entered the battlefield later.

Not to mention, there are some bad guys who hide behind destroyed tanks, disguising themselves as destroyed, and then launch surprise attacks without hesitation once the enemy tanks are off guard.

Normally, if troops suffer losses of this magnitude, the logical approach would be to retreat, weaken the enemy, and then launch an offensive, rather than charging headlong into enemy fire.

However, Constantine could not do that this time. Although the troops had suffered heavy losses in the armored clashes at the front, the Western Front, as one of the three most elite fronts of the People's Revolutionary Union, was not lacking in well-trained elite crews and troops with the title of Guards.

After the attack began, these troops advanced under the Teutonic air and artillery fire and are now embedded in the Teutonic defenses.

Just as many Teutonic train crews have now penetrated deep into the rear of the People's Revolutionary Army's front lines.

Given the current situation, if the decision to withdraw is made, it is highly likely that the vehicle crews and troops used as the spearhead of armor will not be able to withdraw.

Moreover, on the current battlefield, there are still a large number of tanks that, although damaged, can still be used after repairs, as well as small units trapped on the battlefield and unfortunate pilots who have parachuted out.

In short, the sunk costs are too high now, and the Western Front still has reserves. If the fighting continues like this, they may not necessarily lose. Therefore, Constantine decided to escalate the conflict.

Although almost all the cards in hand have been played, and the front-line troops can no longer be strengthened, in addition to strengthening themselves, they can also weaken the enemy.

Faced with the chaotic front lines, Constantine didn't hesitate to call for Old Joe's support. As long as Old Joe launched an attack, everything would be alright! Looks like he'll lend a hand to the students for the sake of the alliance!
After receiving Constantine's request for help, Old Joe was also at a loss.

After all, in order to cut off the connection between Roots and Warsaw, Old Joe led his troops on a long detour, and now it is a little difficult to rush to Warsaw and launch an attack from the side.

Especially given the intensity of the Teutonic air raids, it's clear they don't want to be able to reach Warsaw so easily to support Constantine.

But that's the situation now. Things have come to this point, and no matter how difficult it is, we have to do it.

After taking stock of his forces, Joe decided to combine the two battle groups closest to Warsaw and launch an attack on the Teutonic flank.

Although these two combat groups were originally intended to serve as flank reconnaissance, together they amounted to only one armored regiment and two mechanized infantry regiments.

But these are the few troops that can get to the battlefield in time, so let's just make do with them!

Even if it only puts a little more pressure on the Teutons, it's still a good thing.

Meanwhile, Erich, who was directing the battle in Warsaw, was looking at the map in front of him and praising Abwerl highly.

"Damn it! Sukabul! The other side only has 600,000 men? Only 600,000 men can produce so many tanks and air force?! Dereliction of duty! I'm going to report this to the Supreme Command! I'm going to report this to the Supreme Command!"

After receiving the report from the front-line troops in the morning, Erich realized that something was wrong. After all, judging from the different paint schemes of the People's Revolutionary Union troops that the front-line troops saw, as well as the intercepted radio signals, the armored forces that the People's Revolutionary Union had piled up here far exceeded the scale that Abbotwell had previously reported.

If Erich had known that the People's Revolutionary Alliance had so many troops here, especially so many armored units, he would never have launched an attack. Instead, he would have adopted a more conservative defensive counter-offensive strategy.

Once the People's Revolutionary Alliance's troops have exhausted their offensive momentum in the street fighting, the armored forces will launch a counterattack, thereby crushing the exhausted People's Revolutionary Alliance forces in one fell swoop.

Just like the Gauls did in the Second Battle of Paris during the last great war.

However, due to intelligence discrepancies, Erich can no longer employ this strategy, especially now that the battle has progressed to this stage, with many heavy tank battalions serving as the spearhead of armored forces having already penetrated behind the People's Revolutionary Alliance's lines and mixed in with the Alliance's troops.

If they were to retreat, these troops would find it difficult to withdraw from the line of contact.

So even if he didn't want to do it, Erich had no choice but to continue sending his reserve forces to the battlefield.

While deploying his reserves to the battlefield, Erich was also frantically sending telegrams to the Red Knights.

"The situation has changed; we need more air support!"

(End of this chapter)