"Our pressure will be even greater after dawn... Tang's planes have begun to increase in number!" Haralek, the commander of the 1st Army, said angrily, leaning against an armored vehicle.
He thought that he had invested the most elite 1st Armored Division, and the enemy's front line would soon be torn open. But it turned out that he was too optimistic about his ability to attack difficulties.
The pressure from the sky is increasing, and the ground attack is not smooth. The Tang army's defense line is very strong, and there is no way for him to get close to Benn.
"What does that Harv guy do? Isn't it a double attack? Isn't there any effectiveness at all on their side?" Hearing the number of casualties reported by his subordinates with distress, Haralek looked at the communications officer on the side.
The officer avoided the superior's gaze in embarrassment. Their communication has not been restored until now. The electromagnetic interference from the Datang Empire was simply unreasonable, and their communication with the 2nd Army was not smooth.
The best record was receiving a message from the 2nd Army, saying that they had attacked the outskirts of Benn.
Since they had reached the outskirts almost two hours ago, they should have already entered the city by now, right? Could it be that the Tang Army didn't even want Ben En, so how could they place their most elite troops on the east side of Ben En?
You know, from zero to now, the 1st Army has lost about 100 tanks, more than 120 armored vehicles, more than 200 trucks and more than 50 artillery pieces!
Most of these weapons and equipment were not lost on the offensive front line, but were destroyed by Tang Army bombings during the march. Such huge losses were no longer something the 1st Group Army could bear. The reason why they can still attack now is entirely because they
A will of steel.
"More than 1,500 people were killed and missing... We were not even able to break through the enemy's first line of defense! This is a shame! A shame!" After complaining about the incompetence of the friendly forces, Haralek angrily criticized his own troops: "We
It’s the 1st Group Army! We have our own glory! Organize another attack! This time, at all costs, capture the Tang Army’s first position for me!”
He had to give General Moss an explanation. After taking the first position, he could at least report the results and explain how many kilometers he was closer to Ben...
In addition, he was worried that if his troops were deployed in the wild like this, they would be attacked by Tang Army aircraft on a larger scale during the day.
It is necessary to attack Benn, and at least some of the troops must be intertwined with the Tang army, so as to avoid greater losses.
In addition, there was another thing that worried him: the Tang army in the south was attacking northward. Although the scale was small, it was very deadly.
Once the Tang Army troops in the south threaten his flank, it will be difficult for the 1st Army to escape. With the support of the remnants of the 4th Armored Division, part of the 1st Army is deploying defense lines to defend against the Tang Army heading north, but after all this
It is still a threat worthy of attention.
The convergence of various unfavorable factors made Haralek very worried about his troops. So he sent a telegram to Moss and briefly introduced the situation on the battlefield.
From his perspective: the results of the Second Army were unclear, his troops suffered heavy losses, and the strategic intention of flanking Benn seemed impossible to complete.
Moss had received this telegram, but he didn't have any good solution: he didn't know what happened to Harf's damn 2nd Army now, or whether it had invaded Benn.
If he ordered the 1st Army to retreat, it would be equivalent to selling the 2nd Army. It would be okay if the 2nd Army did not achieve any results. If the 2nd Army had already invaded Benn at this time, the result would be that the 1st Army retreated.
If you lose your advantage when you are alone, it will be great fun.
But on the other hand, if the 2nd Army has not gained an advantage, then it does not seem to be a good choice to keep the 1st Army in place at this time.
It was night now, and the Tang Army's air attack was not large-scale. The 1st Army still had a few hours to retreat. If they returned to their base and had strong bunkers and fortifications, they would not continue to suffer huge losses.
Moss was a little unwilling to let the 1st Army retreat like this, because this was a counterattack that he started with great determination. In other words, this was his only chance to counterattack.
If the 1st Army is allowed to return, it will be equivalent to giving up the 2nd Army. The mobile forces deployed by the dwarves near the steel barrier will be almost exhausted. From now on, the only thing left is to hold on until the follow-up troops arrive.
Moreover, the military vacuum period caused by the division of the Tang Navy will soon disappear. A large-scale Tang Imperial Navy fleet will appear near Yongdong City, and Yongdong City will also become the front line.
"General, why don't you let General Haralek try again? If it doesn't work, retreat around 3 o'clock..." The chief of staff proposed a compromise, which seemed reasonable.
Moss does not agree with this choice: offense is offense, defense is defense. Sometimes the offense is not thorough, it is better to concentrate on defense from the beginning. Since there is no determination, what else to make a decision?
If we reach 3 o'clock, if the situation is still not clear, and the enemy almost collapses, but our side retreats first, wouldn't it become a joke? On the other hand, if we can't fight until 3 o'clock, then we might as well do it at 2 o'clock.
What's the use of wasting troops and time in a vain effort to withdraw?
But Moss himself struggled with similar things: he wanted to retreat but was reluctant, and wanted to fight but had no courage. In a sense, the chief of staff's strategy also reflected Moss's own dilemma.
After thinking about it, Moss finally decided to hold on for another two hours and fight until about 3 o'clock to see the situation - he did not decide to only fight until 3 o'clock, but ordered Haralek to continue the attack.
3 o'clock was the bottom line he had set for himself, which was not reflected in the order. Therefore, the order received by the 1st Army was to continue the attack and must break into Benn before dawn.
After receiving the order, the 1st Army continued to attack Benn. They attacked Xiang Ziyu's defensive position again and again, using the remaining artillery to blast it like the surface of the moon. Corpses were covered on the ground, so much so that the tank's
The tracks were covered in blood.
At around 2:30, the dwarf troops finally captured the Tang Army's first position, but they also paid a heavy price for this.
They didn't know that they had triggered a switch. An armored regiment of the Tang Army had been hiding behind the position for more than two hours, waiting for this moment.
While the dwarves were not yet firmly established, Liu Guozhu's armored regiment began a counterattack.
