In just forty years, Southern Africa has grown from scratch to become one of the most powerful countries in the world.
As standard southern Africans, Chen Cang and Black's attitude towards the Bulgarian army was similar to that of other southern African servant armies. They did not treat the Bulgarian army specially because Bulgaria was a European country.
The expeditionary force, which was composed purely of southern Africans, was fighting the German army on the front line. The servant army must also be brave, otherwise there would be no need to exist.
Chen Cang knew that the Russians were anxious and hoped to capture Budapest as soon as possible. The reason why the Russians requested the cooperation of the Southern African Expeditionary Force was also because they hoped that the Southern African Expeditionary Force could share the pressure.
Therefore, Chen Cang was worried that Giorgi would be unable to withstand Russian pressure and rashly attack Buda.
On October 30, the heavy snow continued, and some sections of the river began to freeze, making crossing the river more difficult.
"Lord Cyprus has transferred a flat-bottomed tugboat from the Cyprus Squadron, and it is not expected to arrive until tomorrow. Now I just hope that the snow will be heavier, and it is best to fill the entire river, so that we can drive the tank directly over." Blake was whimsical, but
This is not impossible.
The Danube River has distinct wet and dry periods every year. During the dry period, some river channels can even be forded.
This is of course only for light infantry.
For the armored forces, even in the dry season, tanks cannot drive directly over unless the river water dries up completely and the silt is dried out.
The worst is yet to come.
In more than a month, ice will silt up the river, and flooding may occur, which will be a real disaster for the armored forces.
Chen Cang didn't care about the tugboats. Just last night, the German army suddenly launched an attack on the defense line of the Russian 2nd Army. The 2nd Army was caught off guard, its position was breached, and two divisions were routed. The losses were uncountable.
According to Chen Cang's understanding, it was not that statistics were impossible, but that the Russians were embarrassed to announce the losses. Marshal Malinovsky was careless. He did not expect that the German army had the ability to fight back.
As mentioned earlier, the Second Group Army has been fighting continuously for several months without getting any rest. The officers and soldiers are extremely exhausted and are at the end of their strength.
In the past few months, the German army had been retreating steadily, from the Volga River to the Danube River. The troops had lost millions. The number of Budapest defenders was far less than that of the Allies. No one expected that the German army would dare to risk an attack.
The key is to still win——
Even more incredible.
It was precisely because of the German counterattack that this morning, Chen Cang received a telegram from Marshal Malinovsky. The Marshal hoped that the 6th Armored Corps would cross the river as quickly as possible and that the Bulgarian First Division would launch an active attack on Buda.
to relieve pressure on the east coast.
"This morning, our air force bombed the German position in Pest. Four flying fortresses were shot down. The Germans still have some remaining strength." Operations Staff Officer Watson sent the latest battle report. As the Allied forces get closer and closer to the German mainland,
, the German counterattack became stronger and stronger.
The reasons for the German army's defeat in Russia are complicated, and part of them is related to Mustache's overstepping of command.
Mustache is an extremely conceited person who will never accept defeat. Even if the German troops on the front line are in an unfavorable situation, Mustache will never allow the German troops to retreat. He will bypass the commander in chief of the theater and directly give orders to the frontline troop commanders, ordering the troops to stay where they are.
Stick to it.
To put it bluntly, it means fighting to the death.
Because of this, Xiaohui has repeatedly had conflicts with the theater commander. Xiaohui believes that the retreat and adjustment of the frontline troops is to avoid the enemy and fear the war. The theater commander thinks that Xiaohui is an amateur and an expert in commanding. You are just a corporal of the empire, so don't treat the frontline troops.
The marshals and generals were gesticulating.
It is said that Germany has almost the best military officer corps in the world.
Looking at Rommel's resume, he first served as an officer cadet, then entered the military academy, and then returned to the army as a grassroots unit commander. Then he successively served as a military academy tactics instructor, military academy principal and other positions. Even after World War I, he never left.
army.
Mustache never went to military school, and once evaded military service. His ideal was to be a painter, but he accidentally became Chancellor of Germany, so he couldn't wait to start showing off his so-called "military talent."
Without Mustache's intervention, the German army would not have been defeated so quickly.
When fighting in Russia, the German army faced many difficulties, such as long supply lines, cold weather, increasingly tense logistics, and ubiquitous guerrillas, etc.
Now that the battle lines are getting closer and closer to Germany, some of the disadvantages of the German army are gradually being eliminated. At least in the eyes of locals in Budapest, there is no difference between the German army and the Allied forces.
There is nothing we can do about it. Budapest is the capital of Hungary and is neither Germany nor Russia, so the two sides have no scruples about fighting. If they give it a go, the locals will be completely unlucky.
For example, in the case of bombing, Southern Africa was somewhat concerned about civilian casualties and did not bomb Buda.
During Russia's last attack, it carried out indiscriminate bombing of Pest.
When the Germans were defending, they made full use of the terrain. Many artillery positions were located directly in residential areas, obviously using the cover of civilians. They hoped that the Allies would have some scruples.
When the Southern African Air Force bombs, it will indeed treat them differently, focusing on bombing German positions, military camps, train stations, warehouses and other strategic locations.
The way the Russian Air Force bombs is similar to the Allied bombing of Japan.
This can also explain why the Pest German Army took the initiative to launch a counterattack against the Russian army.
Budapest is the capital of Hungary, and the German army has been preparing for defense for several months. It has stockpiled a large amount of weapons and ammunition. The troops have also been fully rested and well-prepared.
The Russian army has come from afar, and its supply lines are getting longer and longer. The communication lines have been completely destroyed in previous battles and have not yet been repaired. The disadvantages of the German army are now on the Russian side.
"Call back to the marshal, we are crossing the river." Chen Cang was unmoved. If Russia wants to counterattack, it must wait for the 3rd Army to arrive smoothly. Now it seems that the 3rd Army, like the 6th Tank Army, will definitely not be able to fight back on November 5.
Arrive at the scheduled location before.
If the Russian 3rd Army arrives before November 5, but the 6th Tank Army is still unable to arrive, then the Russians still have something to say.
Now both supporting armies are moving slowly, and the Russians have no choice but to take the blame even if they want to.
When the 6th Tank Corps crossed the river, Giorgi and Khalaf were warming themselves in the temporary headquarters.
The winter in Europe is really too cold, and the weather changes very quickly. Half a month ago, the troops were wearing summer clothes. In the blink of an eye, they were wearing cotton-padded jackets and cotton-padded trousers. They wanted to wrap themselves up in quilts.
The official name of the locomotive is Winter Hat. Because it looks like the front of a steam locomotive, it is nicknamed "the locomotive".
The locomotive was developed on the basis of the Russian Budyonny military cap, which can provide better warmth for soldiers in winter. Many officers and soldiers simply abandon their helmets in winter.
Compared with protection, keeping warm in winter is obviously more important.
Now Georgi and Kalaf each have a locomotive. Karaf wears his hat quite decently. Georgi simply puts down the two ear protection, buckles them tightly, and wears them with a brown bearskin coat, standard Russian style.
"The artillery fired all night yesterday, and the Russians must have suffered heavy losses." Georgi held a steaming cup of coffee, almost lying on the stove, and there was a faint smell of burnt hair in the air.
"Fortunately, the Russians did not attack us. They probably disliked the fact that there were too few of us -" Karaf was baking apples on the fire, with potatoes and sausages on the plate next to him.
None of these are authentic enough. We should get some mutton and chicken wings.
But in that case, Giorgi's coffee would have to be replaced by white wine.
At this time, the cotton curtain of the temporary headquarters was suddenly lifted open, cold wind mixed with snowflakes rushed in, and the temperature in the temporary headquarters suddenly dropped several degrees.
"Hurry up and put down the curtain, are you going to freeze me to death?" Giogi shouted.
The person who came in was Mark Joe, Arthur's liaison officer assigned to the 1st Division.
They say they are liaison officers, but they are actually supervisors.
Mark had just gone to inspect the outpost. The worse the weather, the less we should take it lightly. The German army has become smarter now and is very good at using bad weather to launch surprise attacks.
The other side is a good example.
"Would you like one?" Karaf took the initiative and handed the baked apple to Mark.
"Thank you -" Mark was polite and took it to warm his hands before speaking.
"How's the situation?" Giorgi helped Mark pour coffee, and both of them served him very attentively.
"It's freezing cold, there are only snowflakes." The ice flakes on Mark's beard turned into water when heated, and Khalaf helped to get a towel.
It is a rare sight for two generals to serve a lieutenant colonel.
Who makes the backer behind it different?
"I really hope that the Germans can attack us, so that we can harvest the Germans like shooting at a shooting range -" Giogi wanted to show that he couldn't figure out why the Russians were defeated and took the initiative to attack in winter. This credit is as good as Bai's
Same as what was sent.
The key is that the situation is different.
The Russians have won consecutive battles in recent months, and their thoughts are inevitably arrogant. As the saying goes, an arrogant army will be defeated, sooner or later.
The Bulgarian First Division has been established for nearly a year. The soldiers have received rigorous training from Umbrella Company instructors in the Dardanelles Strait for half a year. The officers have all received short-term training at the Cyprus Officer Training Academy, plus a complete "Leopard"
"Type tank, Georgi could not find a reason for failure.
"Don't think the battle is too easy. The Germans are not easy to deal with -" Mark was not optimistic. The biggest shortcoming of the 1st Division was its lack of experience.
Performing well on the training field is completely different from performing well on the battlefield.
Russia is another extreme in this regard. They don't have time to train new recruits, so they simply use combat as training. The casualties of the troops are indeed a bit high, but as long as the new recruits survive a few battles, they will become experienced veterans.
The terrible thing about the German army is that it has both.
Soldiers who have received complete training and the baptism of combat should not underestimate the Germans.
"But we are not Germans across from us either -" Calaf pierced the potatoes on his fork, and Giorgi asked Calaf to slice the potatoes first and then bake them. The two began to quarrel over whether they should slice the potatoes.
Potatoes are different from apples. Apples can be eaten raw. If potatoes are half-cooked, they may cause gastrointestinal disorders and indigestion.
Mark ate his apple quietly and watched the two people quarreling.
Not only were the soldiers of the First Division inexperienced, but so were the commanders.
After finishing an apple, the two of them were still arguing. Mark put on his military coat and left the headquarters to continue inspecting the positions.
The First Division camp occupies a huge area. According to the requirements, when field troops are stationed outside, they should arrange a circular position around the camp. This way, the advantages of tanks and automatic weapons can be fully utilized. Even if they are besieged by the enemy, they will not be easily defeated.
Eat.
The camp of the First Division is next to the Danube River, so a semi-circular position was set up with its back to the Danube River. Minefields and barbed wire fences were arranged around the perimeter of the position. Due to weather conditions, the trenches were not deep enough. Fortunately, tanks were used as defensive fulcrums to assist in the defense.
, the defensive pressure is not great.
Facing the direction of Buda is the position of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Regiment. Battalion Commander Bradley is directing the soldiers to use excavators to reinforce the trenches.
The excavator is a good thing. With this thing, trenches can be dug very quickly. Otherwise, it would be too cold and freezing for the soldiers to dig trenches with shovels.
"Winter has its advantages. While you are digging and watering the soil, it will freeze in a few hours. It is harder than steel and bullets cannot penetrate it. The only regret is that there is not enough wood to cover the trench." Brad
Lee accompanied Mark to inspect the position.
A soldier saw Bradley and Mark and subconsciously stood at attention and saluted.
Bradley raised his hand in return.
At this moment, Bradley's head suddenly exploded like a kicked watermelon.
Then Mark heard gunfire.
"Be careful of enemy snipers!" Mark immediately jumped into the trench. This was the consequence of his lack of experience.
When veterans train new recruits, they will emphasize countless times that you must not salute officers on the front line, otherwise it will be equivalent to indicating the target for enemy snipers.
Bradley had a bright future as a battalion commander, but it was a pity that he died due to such a low-level mistake on his first battlefield.
"Precision shooter, find me that damn bitch!" Mark ordered the precision shooter to fight back, and then he realized a more important problem.
Since German snipers can sneak into the camp, can the large German army be far behind?
Today's snipers usually have an attack distance of no more than 500 meters.
Considering that it is snowing now, the sniper's sight is affected, so the distance will be closer.
Wanting to understand this, Mark ordered the troops to strengthen their alert and prepare for battle.
The most advantageous thing about fighting in the snow for the defenders is that there is no night cover. Even at night, the snow will reflect light, which is not much different from the daytime.
Of course, if you stay in the snow environment for a long time, snow blindness will occur. This can be effectively solved by wearing sunglasses and rotating them in time.
In order to defend against enemy attacks more effectively, Mark simply ordered the tanks to drive up so that the tank crew could observe through the periscope and not give the German snipers the slightest chance.
