In the British attack position headquarters, Johnson and his Australian colleagues were receiving bad news one after another.
"The connection between our army and the garrison on Highland 4 was cut off by the sudden appearance of German troops. The two Australian battalions deployed at the junction were quickly wiped out by the German troops!"
"An enemy situation appears in the southeast of Highland No. 4, and the French army on the southern flank will further expand the attack area!"
"The French troops on Highland 3 launched another large-scale attack on the right wing of our position!"
"Division Commander, Highland No. 4 is undergoing a large-scale multi-point attack from more than ten combat points in two general directions by the French army. They are completely entangled! They are sending a telegram for help!"
"..."
For a time, reports of the German and French allied forces attacking from all sides came one after another.
"Bang!" The major general commander from Australia angrily took the telescopic rod leaning against the sand table model table and threw it hard against the sand model of Highland 3 on the sand table.
As the telescopic rod was smashed, this improvised simple sandbox model made of sand and war games turned into flying sand and scattered in all directions.
The Australian major general, who looked like a trapped animal, stared hard at Johnson with his red eyes and a ferocious expression.
He lost two battalions at the junction of the sortie position and Highland 4, and one battalion was severely damaged on the right wing of the sortie position. Among the troops garrisoned on Highland 4, the majority were Australian troops under his command, and only
Supplemented by a small number of British troops.
In just over an hour, he had completely lost 2 battalions and severely damaged 4 battalions. In other words, nearly two-thirds of his troops had suffered huge casualties!
Now, between the British attack position and Hill 4, an elite German army that had just achieved a great victory was missing.
This German army could appear in any direction at any time and cause two wounds to the British army.
Highland No. 4, which was finally captured before, was also attacked everywhere and besieged on all sides. Although the French army only launched an offensive to their south and southeast, the attacks on these two places together cut off the garrison on Highland No. 4.
The route of the British troops' main attack position was withdrawn to about 30 degrees south-east.
In other words, even if the troops on Highland 4 gave up their position, retreated and turned in, they would not be able to compete with the British troops on the attack position and could only flee in the opposite direction.
The most annoying thing is that the two battalions that could have been transferred to the rescue were quickly eliminated by the German troops who launched a surprise attack. As a result, Highland 4 could not receive reinforcements in a short time. The British army attacked south of the main position.
The French army's recent offensive has disrupted their efforts to send troops from here to assist Highland 4.
The Australian major general grabbed the edge of the table where the sand table model was placed with both hands. The veins on his hands were obvious, as if he wanted to overturn the table.
It seems that after the German officers took over the command, the French tactics became more cunning. His opponents were like a fox in the desert, using various cunning methods to confuse the battlefield.
The rapid changes also made the British military command dizzy.
He never dreamed that since this small group of German troops arrived on the battlefield, the originally one-sided battle situation would undergo such earth-shaking changes. In just over an hour, the German and French forces, which launched a full-scale attack, changed the roles of the offensive and defensive sides.
There was an exchange. From passive defense, he quickly and powerfully transformed into an attacker who took the initiative!
Originally, Johnson and his Australian colleagues could still accept the fact that less than one regiment of German troops joined the French defense line. Although they knew that the German army was very powerful, no matter how powerful they were, they could not use less than one regiment.
The strength of the army turned the world upside down.
As for the increase in the strength of the French defense line, it is not a big problem. After all, the French 5th Division has suffered quite a lot of casualties these days, and they are probably almost at the end of their war effort.
If the Germans hadn't arrived, Highland No. 3 would have changed hands within 48 hours. And if the Germans had helped the French in trench warfare, in the face of the British Commonwealth army, which had superior strength and artillery, it would have only been the time limit for the Highlands to change hands at most, and then add additional
Just 48 hours.
Under this thinking mode, when they saw the French army adding troops to the first line of defense from the rear, Johnson and others subconsciously thought that the German army had added troops to the second line of defense for the French army, giving the French army more strength to strengthen the first line of defense.
.
As the French army, which was still on the defensive, dispatched a regiment to launch an offensive on Highland 4, the situation that was originally relatively clear suddenly became chaotic.
What first stunned Johnson and the others was the French army's meaningless attack on Hill 4, as well as the French army's unreasonable and unfocused attack pattern.
According to this unconventional style of play, it is almost impossible for the French army with a small number of troops to capture the No. 4 Highland where the British troops of equal strength are stationed. And even if the incident is extremely bizarre, their unconventional unfocused offensive is really
Although we had captured Highland 4, the losses we had to pay for it were not worth it.
In other words, even if the French army captured Highland 4, they would not be able to defend it as they would suffer heavy losses. On the contrary, such a large amount of troops wasted in vain, which would actually accelerate their demise.
At that time, Johnson and his colleagues were in a state of confusion and could not imagine the significance of what the French army did.
However, it seems that from that moment on, there are more and more unexplainable things, and they become more and more bizarre.
It was speculated that the German troops who were supposed to stay on the second line of defense on Hill 3 suddenly appeared at the British junction and eliminated the Australian troops placed there to connect the two positions.
At the same time, the French army, which had made little progress in its offensive due to the dispersion of its forces, actually further divided its forces and launched a wider offensive in the southeast of Highland No. 4, making their offensive spearheads more thin and scattered.
Then, as if the French troops were under pressure, they all appeared on the southern flank of Johnson's main attack position, launching an attack without regard to the outcome in a lively manner.
What is the connection between the three latest changes? This makes Johnson and others guess a lot.
Although there is still a high degree of confidence that Highland 4 can withstand the French army's unfocused attack, and the main position of Johnson's attack is definitely not something that the French army on the southern flank can capture, but there is a dangerous premonition.
But it quietly grew in Johnson's heart.
"What do they want to do?" the Australian major general asked Johnson blankly.
Yes, what exactly does the other party want to do? What kind of conspiracy is hidden under this chaotic style of play?
Johnson had previously speculated that the person commanding the German and French armies might have been replaced by a German general under Rommel. But now, at least it can be confirmed.
That is, this person is by no means an ordinary person. He is even a famous German general!
Who could it be?
Who could hide his tactical intentions so skillfully, this person must be Rommel himself?!
Although just looking at the French army's style of play, it may seem a bit messy.
But once we look at the timing of the German surprise attack, there is an extremely terrifying tactical implementation and tactical connection between the two armies. Thinking about the clever cooperation and attack time between the German and French armies, the opponent's commander arranged
The timetable can be said to be watertight, bold yet meticulous and thorough.
Besides Rommel, who else could have such commanding skills?
