In the early morning, Ronsenberg's leading regiment finally completely occupied the Lucca area. After losing a brigade of troops, the British 3rd Division was ordered to retreat by its cautious commander Montgomery, facing this enemy who did not know the details.
, Montgomery chose to move closer to Brooke's large force rather than launch a counterattack against the Germans.
It is a pity that if Montgomery led the 3rd Division to pressurize Ronsenberg and counterattack in the early morning, they would have had a chance to defend Lucca. After all, Ronsenberg's troops only had 30 tanks and less than one tank.
The remnant of a thousand people.
Unfortunately, Montgomery pursued safety too much. In order to avoid defeat, he chose to swallow the small pain of losing a brigade and avoided the big pain of possible annihilation of the entire army.
Therefore, when the fearful Ronsenberg finally received news of the retreat of the 3rd Division, he breathed a sigh of relief and sent the victory document to the division headquarters.
In this battle, they had less than one regiment of troops, but they defeated a second-rate Belgian infantry division, plus an entire division of the British Expeditionary Force, and occupied the entire Lucca area.
Such a victory is enough for them to be proud of!
Using a simple calculation, if every German regiment can defeat the two divisions of the British, French and Belgian Allied Forces without being full of men, then the German army can win this battle with only one army group.
.
Three army groups are sure to win!
What Ronsenberg didn't know was that the British team they defeated was still the most elite division led by Montgomery, the best general in the British Expeditionary Force!
With a regiment that was not full, after defeating a Belgian division, it went on to defeat the best part of the British Expeditionary Force, whose strength was several times that of our own. This was almost a successful battle that could be included in the military textbooks of later generations.
In this battle, they dealt another major blow to the already precarious Belgian Army, and also defeated the 3rd Division, the main force of the British Expeditionary Force, which had always been conceited, and fled. The most shocking thing is that
, this dream version of victory was due to an accident!
Because there was a typo in the report, Ronsenberg and the others received the air support letter personally signed by General Bock, the commander of Army Group B. Then, Ronsenberg simply made up for the mistake and used this unexpected air force night attack to coordinate with infantry and tanks.
In this way, they launched a coordinated land and air attack on the Lucca defense line, and successfully defeated the British army, which responded in a timely manner and made no mistakes in their on-the-battle command, resulting in a great victory at this moment.
"It's worth it! It's so worth it!" Ronsenberg, sitting in the occupied British Army headquarters in Lucca, laughed and said, "This accidental reporting error actually brought us a great victory."
This kind of lucky mistake is worth it even if it happens a few more times!"
Indeed, although the typo in the telegram created an unlucky incident, in terms of the outcome, it was indeed beneficial and harmless.
At best, this mistake can be said to have allowed the German Air Force to accumulate night combat experience that has been relatively lacking, causing the already injured Belgian Army to once again lose an important force, causing the French battlefield to suffer long-distance battles.
The coming British Expeditionary Force tasted defeat for the first time, which dampened its morale for future operations.
Of course, it can be considered that Bock's Army Group B cleared a threatening area where two divisions of enemy troops were stationed, and only paid a negligible price.
"Now, the division headquarters probably won't blame us." Ronsenberg's adjutant also walked into the British occupied headquarters and said with a smile: "Such a great military exploit, even if it is considered a division-level unit.
It should be regarded as a great victory and a great achievement. Not to mention that we achieved such good results with only one armored regiment that was not full of men, so it should be commended even more."
"That's right, it's time for a commendation. At least we won't be blamed for our mistakes." Ronsenberg also laughed happily: "In our Admiral Bock, there has never been a precedent of punishing generals who have done meritorious service."
A mistake that should have been punished turned out to be a gratifying result in the end. Anyone who encounters this will be happy. Of course, Ronsenberg did not forget to thank the hero of this battle, his old comrade-in-arms Hyde
Cape.
"Where is Lieutenant Colonel Hyde Cape? He is a great hero who led the troops to win this battle. I want to thank him. Call him here. I have to write a letter of commendation request to the division headquarters for him in front of him.
.He should get an Iron Cross!" Ronsenberg became more and more excited as he spoke.
However, the answer to him was indeed a kind of cautious silence. Even his adjutant, who had always been more talkative, did not agree with him at this moment.
At that moment, Ronsenberg immediately realized that something terrible might have happened.
"What happened?" Ronsenberg asked the adjutant.
"Captain..." The adjutant swallowed his saliva and said slowly, "He was killed in action."
After hearing the adjutant's answer, Ronsenberg asked stupidly without reacting for a moment: "What do you mean? Who was killed in action?"
"Highland No. 12 outside Lucca." The adjutant added: "Lieutenant Colonel Hyde Cape, who led the charge, was shot by the British with a cold shot there. Although our people immediately killed the British guy who fired the cold shot, but
Lieutenant Colonel Hyde Cape was hit in the heart but could not be saved."
Ronsenberg and Heidekamp had known each other five years ago. They participated in the Polish campaign in the east together, and then came to the French battlefield on the western front together. During the war, these two commanders, who were also orphans,
Some people who share the same problem have become a pair of good brothers who talk about everything.
They have always faced each other together, always!
But now, they are separated.
Ronsenberg silently lit a seized French high-quality cigarette and took a deep drag.
"Even though we are the victorious side, we still paid a high price for the war." Ronsenberg smoked a cigarette and walked to the window to look at the sun that had just risen.
After a moment of silence, Ronsenberg turned from the window and looked at the adjutant and said: "But without war, Germany will not be able to regain its rightful status in Europe, because those damn French will never
promise."
"But we can't fight a war without casualties..." Ronsenberg took another deep breath and burned the cigarette in his hand to the end.
Throwing away the cigarette, Ronsenberg's eyes were fiery, as if he was explaining to his adjutant, but also as if he was trying to persuade himself: "Lieutenant Colonel Hyde Cape's life is the price we must pay in order to restore Germany's due status in Europe."
one!"
"For Germany, I lost my best friend. I have always treated him as my only family member..." Ronsenberg's voice was choked: "However, in this war, we can always
Everyone may lose their friends. Perhaps the best solution is not to make friends, but that is unrealistic! As German soldiers, we must be able to endure this kind of thing! Just for our descendants,
To be able to have an identity that is not discriminated against in Europe in the future and not be oppressed by an unequal defeat treaty like we were at the beginning!"
"You are right, we have to bear this pain for the next generation. Germany cannot be in pain forever. The pain... it is enough for our generation to bear it." The adjutant said from the bottom of his heart.