"What!" In the headquarters of the Belgian 13th Division, Major General Lukaku looked at the combat staff who was reporting the battle situation in surprise: "You say it again? Saltz has also been lost?!"
It is useless to repeat it several times. Once it is lost, it is lost, the combat staff thought helplessly in his heart.
"Yes, Division Commander Saltz has confirmed the loss. Major Ball and his troops should have been wiped out." The staff officer paused and had to tell the facts again as Lukaku asked.
The fall of Salz allowed Lukaku to once again feel the rapid pace of the German offensive. He had abandoned the British 3rd Division commanded by Major General Montgomery who was supposed to be waiting for him to respond, and tried his best to speed up the retreat.
But Lukaku now seems that his speed is far from enough.
The distance between Salz and the main part of the 13th Division is less than 15 kilometers. A reinforced battalion stationed there serves as both Lukaku's rear-cutting force and his early warning force.
Now that Salz has been lost, it means that the distance between the German vanguard and the Belgian 13th Division is less than 15 kilometers. This is a dangerous signal, a signal that heralds destruction.
"Damn it!" Lukaku felt as if someone had hit his head with a sap, and he was feeling dizzy.
They had completely offended the alliance by abandoning the British 3rd Division and retreating without authorization. Now, the German army was about to encounter them. Without reinforcements, Lukaku believed that his 13th Division would never be able to win.
This is a kind of absolute confidence, but unfortunately it is confidence in failure.
Belgium's own friendly forces cannot be counted on. The Belgian army currently in the encirclement, except for their 13th Division, which still retains its organization and strength, the other troops are all remnants and defeated generals. Their combat effectiveness cannot even match that of the 13th Division, let alone
Let’s talk about rescuing the 13th Division.
As for the British army, Lukaku did not dare to count on it. Not long ago, they refused to accept the 3rd Division that went to meet the British commander Montgomery. Now why should they ask others to rescue their own Belgian army.
As for the French boss' troops...forget it, I heard that they don't have much will to resist now. Should they be called over to surrender together?
After thinking about it, Lukaku felt that resistance was a sure way to death and he could no longer persist in such a stupid thing.
Lukaku walked to the window of the building that was requisitioned as a temporary headquarters. Through the window, he could see his soldiers, one by one, listless and lifeless squatting around the building to guard against the enemy.
They were said to be on guard, but they didn't look like soldiers on guard duty at all. They looked more like a group of walking zombies who had lost their souls.
The reinforced battalion in the village of Salz was already the only unit under Lukaku whose morale could barely be considered low. Their demise completely deprived the entire Belgian 13th Division of its last usable unit.
strength.
"Commander, we must leave here immediately." Lukaku's adjutant said anxiously: "The German army may come at any time. If we don't move, we may run into the German army! With all due respect, you don't know the current state of the army.
I saw it, and it doesn’t look like we can fight at all. If a fight breaks out, I’m afraid one regiment of German troops will be able to completely defeat us!”
Lukaku was rapidly thinking of various countermeasures in his mind. However, he quickly rejected his unrealistic plans.
No matter how you imagine it, even from the most optimistic perspective, they may be doomed this time. The best result is just to leave a large group of people behind and let him lead the remaining group of people to continue the rear.
withdraw.
However, where can they retreat to? The German encirclement is constantly shrinking, leaving less and less space for them to dodge. Even if they can escape to the end and abandon batch after batch of rear-cutting troops,
What else can they do?
"What should we do?!" Cold sweat broke out on Lukaku's forehead. The general who had led the Belgian 13th Division to dodge all the way until today has finally reached the end of his rope.
"Division Commander! Move quickly. If you don't leave, it will be too late!" the adjutant urged desperately: "Maybe the German army is already on the way to attack us. Now we will evacuate immediately with the command center and large troops. If we stay,
The next regiment can use the advantageous terrain in this area to defend and block the attack, and it can also buy time to evacuate..."
"No, there is no need to retreat anymore." Lukaku shook his head and rejected the adjutant's opinion: "I am tired of this kind of hiding in Tibet."
"Since it is doomed to fail, we should face all this calmly." Lukaku raised his head and said seriously: "Send a report to the Army Headquarters, saying that the 13th Division has run out of ammunition and food and is unable to resist.
It is not easy to persist to this day. Now, as the military commander of the 13th period, Major General Lukaku has made a helpless decision to lead the troops to hand over their weapons to the German army to protect the lives of his men and avoid unnecessary sacrifices."
In fact, after announcing the decision to surrender, Lukaku himself was relieved. He has been on tenterhooks for too long. These days, he seems to feel like he is about to lose his life at any time. Especially after he abandoned the British Expeditionary Force for the first time.
After the 3rd Division withdrew its troops without authorization, or even escaped without authorization, he became even more worried.
Even if the alliance wins in the end, military commanders like him who leave their posts without permission and abandon friendly forces will probably not end well.
Since winning won't end well, it might as well...
A shameless idea suddenly appeared in Lukaku's mind, and he was out of control. Anyway, he had betrayed the Allies by leaving his post without permission, so it would be better to further contribute to the Allies' defeat. Wait until all the Allies were defeated.
, as one of the hundreds of surrendered officers, Lukaku will not be too miserable.
"Yes, sir." In fact, his adjutant had already lost his fighting spirit and had thoughts of surrender: "I will send the report right away."
"Wait!" When the adjutant turned to leave, Lukaku's voice suddenly sounded again: "Remember to prepare the white flag immediately and find a higher position to hang it..."
With the surrender of the 13th led by Lukaku, the Belgian army lost its last backbone, and the defense line suddenly became precarious and faced collapse at any time.
Immediately afterwards, King Leopold III of Belgium held a showdown meeting including the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to discuss the future of the Kingdom of Belgium.
At the end of the meeting, Leopold III concluded that the Triple Alliance had no hope of victory. In order not to surrender helplessly after complete defeat, he decided to surrender before the allies, just to win some favor from the Germans.