Three hundred and thirtieth ninth chapter with ghosts
"The forward garrison has been wiped out?!" Major General Lukaku frowned after receiving the news, and asked in a low tone to the combat staff who reported the news.
Although the forward troops under Lukaku's command that were annihilated by the Germans were only one battalion in total. This level of losses was completely bearable for the Belgian 13th Infantry Division, which had previously fought against the Germans. However, the real
What worries Lukaku is not the number of troops lost, but the news that the Germans have appeared near the Belgian 13th Division.
Since the German troops appeared in the Ardennes Forest and the city of Sedan was breached by a surprise attack, the Allied Forces High Command began to withdraw its troops on a large scale in order to preserve its strength.
Everyone can see that the German army is bound to win this battle. From the moment the Allied Forces broke through the Ardennes region where the Allied Forces did not deploy the main garrison, the Three Kingdoms Allied Forces have already declared failure. They were hit hard by the German Army in an unprepared direction.
In any case, it was a major military mistake made by the coalition command.
In the process of this defeat, the only good thing Major General Lukaku and his Belgian 13th Division had was that they were located relatively far back, far away from the frontline theater. This is why Lukaku was able to preserve his troops to this day.
The biggest reason.
However, in order to cope with the order from the coalition command to respond to the main force, Lukaku had to advance the forefront of the troops 13 kilometers in the direction of the German attack and set up a forward position by a river.
This position was just used by Lukaku for show from the beginning. The deployment of troops was not strong and it was a purely isolated position. The reason why Lukaku did this was because he needed to advance the 13th Division's position to
We should be closer to the retreating British and French troops so that we can report to the Allied Forces Headquarters.
However, what he did not expect was that the forward position would encounter the German army so quickly and fall quickly. Although intelligence showed that it was only the German paratroopers who conquered his forward position, not the feared German armored divisions.
However, since the German paratroopers have taken the lead in conquering the forward position of the Three Bridges on the river bank, it means that the German army will appear soon. From this point of view, the 13th Division's current seemingly backward position is also
It's not that safe. There is a possibility that the Germans will come to your door at any time.
"Division Commander, this news is absolutely true. And I heard that the two French infantry divisions we were supposed to respond to have been wiped out by the pursuing German troops. It is estimated that it won't be long before the main force of our army will fight with this force and wipe out the two French infantry divisions.
The German troops of the French division encountered!" the combat staff officer said extremely nervously.
Not to mention being such a combat consultant, even their division commander, Major General Lukaku, was on the battlefield for the first time. Since even the French army, known as the strongest army in the world, couldn't stop the Germans with two divisions. Just their second-rate
The Belgian infantry division wanted to stop the German army, which was simply a fantasy!
"We are about to encounter the German army?!" Hearing the news, most of the officers present were frightened, and many of them turned pale. Everyone got excited and started talking at once.
"Even the French can't defeat them, what should we do if we encounter them?!"
"The forward troops have been wiped out, which shows that the German army is not far from us. It's time to prepare!"
"No one can support us. We can't cope with it alone, right?"
When speaking, everyone's voice was trembling due to excessive fear.
A month ago, they naively thought that the most powerful army in the world belonged to the Belgian allies and France. But now, this idea has been shattered. The former number one was surpassed by a new enemy and was fighting against them.
Engaging German troops overran.
They don't know whether the German Army will definitely replace the French Army and become the new strongest army in the world today. But they know that at least the French allies they rely on are no longer the opponents of the Third Reich.
They also know that the Belgian army is not even half as strong as the French army, let alone compete with the German army, which cannot even defeat the French army!
"We must retreat." Lukaku lowered his head and said with some loneliness: "Although we are very reluctant, we are completely unable to withstand the German offensive. If we insist on resisting, we will not be able to achieve a result that is beneficial to the war situation. We will only
It will only increase casualties."
After Lukaku finished speaking, he clearly heard sighs of relief from within the headquarters. Every officer breathed a sigh of relief when they learned that they did not have to die. Although no one said this shameful and cowardly thought.
The words came out, but the sound of everyone exhaling in unison betrayed their inner thoughts.
"But..." Lukaku's adjutant warned tremblingly: "What should the coalition command say? They will never allow our division to retreat."
The adjutant did not want to face the wolf-like German army, nor did he want to lead the troops in a battle that was destined to fail. However, he also knew that the Allied Command would not let this Belgian cannon fodder escape. Even if it was for those
If the fleeing British and French troops had fought for just one more minute, the Allied Command would have sacrificed their second-rate Belgian infantry division without hesitation.
Just to allow the British and French troops to exist for one more second, Gamelin, the French commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, would definitely abandon the Belgian 13th Division, even if it would have no effect on the overall situation.
The Belgian soldiers had already discovered this.
"For the benefit of the coalition forces, our Belgian army has paid too much price." Lukaku raised his head again and said word by word: "The coalition command has wasted our sacrifices, and I also have the responsibility to let the Belgian Army finally
No longer will a force continue to be wasted in vain."
Lukaku looked around, scanning everyone's face.
"This is a world war-level war. Our division is too important to the Kingdom of Belgium. As the last organized army in Belgium, we should have more important missions to complete in the future, instead of
Life is lost here and used as cannon fodder."
When Lukaku said these words, his hands were sweating.
He was not prepared to disobey orders and retreat because of the lofty reason of preserving the strength of the Kingdom of Belgium. The real reason why he did not obey the command of the coalition forces was actually very simple. He was afraid of death! He was also afraid of the hard days of entering a prisoner of war camp!
Lukaku was accustomed to his small life as a division commander in a second-rate division. On weekdays, he also used his authority to engage in illegal smuggling transactions to make some money and live happily. To be honest, he was not interested in war or honor.
However, it was a man like him who actually became the last remaining general in the Belgian Army, leading Belgium's last force. He didn't want to fight, let alone take any nonsense responsibilities. However, the war still found him.
Of course, thanks to his passive avoidance of the battle, the Belgian 13th Division has not been wiped out so far and has been wandering at the rear of the battle line.
"As the last division commander in Belgium, I can't just watch the kingdom's army be annihilated. I can't let our division become cannon fodder abandoned by the coalition forces!" The smart Lukaku finally found a high-sounding one for himself.
Excuse: "In front of the Germans, General Gamelin of France made a wrong judgment, and I, Lukaku, will lead you out of this trap!"