The German machine gun battalion on the southern front of Tobruk is now in danger.
It stands to reason that the soil in Tobruk, a port city on the Mediterranean coast, should be very soft due to the influence of sea water. This is indeed the case. The soil in the north, west and east of Tobruk is indeed very soft, but
The soil in the south is harder, and the attack on Tobruk from the south is originally from low to high. This makes it impossible for the German boys in these machine gun battalions to find bunkers and is always exposed to the firepower of the British army.
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"Major Stauffenberg, we tried several times, but we still can't shovel the soil below." A private soldier reported to Deputy Battalion Commander Stauffenberg with a shovel and sweating profusely.
Stauffenberg shook the Mauser pistol in his hand and said to the private: "If you can't shovel it, just give me another place and continue shoveling. In such a big place, the soil will not be so hard everywhere."
"Major, I have tried many places, but there is really no place where I can shovel. In addition, our place is very close to the British defensive position. Every attempt will attract the attention of the British, and many officers and soldiers will be lost.
When we stand on the ground and wield shovels, we are almost perfect targets for the British!" the private explained helplessly.
"I know all this. Is it because of this that we don't build bunkers? That will only make our situation worse!"
Just when Stauffenberg was about to get angry, the battalion commander stopped him and said: "Forget it, Major Stauffenberg, don't mess up the situation. Our top priority now is to get out of the current predicament immediately."
Stauffenberg quickly calmed down after hearing what Bonas said, and nodded: "Yes, if we couldn't build a machine gun position, we would have to find a way to retreat in time. But as soon as we retreat now, the British army will definitely counterattack.
, then our situation will be even more dangerous. We cannot put bayonets on our machine guns and then fight the British desperately."
"You're right, we can't withdraw now, or we can't withdraw." Bonas touched his hair and said sadly: "And as far as I know, our division's progress on other fronts is not smooth either.
It is basically impossible to rely on them to save us. Now, we can only rely on ourselves."
It can be seen that he is very worried about the current situation of his machine gun battalion.
"We have to find a way. If this continues, we will definitely be overwhelmed by the British." Stauffenberg worried.
"Brush, brush, brush!"
As soon as Stauffenberg finished speaking, three bullets from the British army hit him. Fortunately, these three bullets only hit the ground, splashing dust all over the sky, and did not cause any casualties to the German army.
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"Lie down!" Bonas shouted, and then all the German soldiers fell down on the ground. However, there were still a few German soldiers who were slow to react and were unfortunately shot by the British army.
The bullet hit him and he fell to the ground rolling in pain.
After a few minutes, the British troops finally stopped shooting.
These suppressed German soldiers had the opportunity to make symbolic counterattacks with various light and heavy machine guns. However, the British army had fortress defense positions after all. Their counterattacks basically had no effect, and the bullets were almost all empty.
Hit their sandbags and mud walls.
"This is not the way to go! Bonas, how many of us are left?" Stauffenberg, who still had dirt on his hat, asked worriedly.
"We were not at full strength before entering Tobruk. Because we were marching too fast, two platoons fell behind halfway. Our previous losses in Algeria were not replenished, plus our losses here.
..... Our current strength is about 420 people." Bonas stated heartbrokenly.
"I remember there were 580 people before we attacked. In less than 12 hours, we lost 160 people?" Stauffenberg said in surprise.
"That's right, our position is too passive. Coupled with the long-distance running of the troops and the fierce firepower of the British, the losses of each company and platoon are really terrible." Bonas shook his head helplessly.
Shake his head.
This number was enough to shock Stauffenberg. You must know that their machine battalion has always been regarded as the treasure of their division. They have never suffered such a big loss since following General Rommel into Africa.
This simply made Stauffenberg heartbroken. These soldiers were all his treasures that he personally brought out one after another after graduating from the Infantry Academy in Dresden.
Seeing such huge losses, Stauffenberg finally made up his mind to retreat. He said to Bonas: "We should immediately telegraph General Rommel and tell him that we have to stop the attack and start to retreat. The machine gun battalion can no longer afford it."
Such a big loss.”
"Hey...well, our machine gun battalion really can't keep fighting like this!" Bonas said in agreement: "But we can't just slip away from the British army's noses like this.
If the British army pursues us, they will not be able to withdraw."
"I've thought about it!" Stauffenberg smiled confidently: "Although our shovels can't shovel the ground under our feet, they can still raise sand and dust, allowing the soldiers to shovel the dust all over the ground. I
Lead the people to stay and use the grenades and booby traps. You can lead the large army to retreat quickly. After that, I will lead the rear and catch up with you. I estimate that with the current wind speed, it will take at least 10 minutes for the dust in the sky to completely dissipate.
By the time the British army reacts, the people you lead will probably have slipped far away. If the British want my rear troops to pursue them after they react, the booby traps under your command will give them a big gift!"
"What a good idea!" Bonas smiled and praised, and then reminded Stauffenberg: "After you set up a trap, bring your men to join me as soon as possible, and pay attention to safety."
...The farewell between the two almost became an eternal farewell.
When Bonas saw Stauffenberg again, he was lying on a stretcher, covered in blood, and was carried back with his last breath by the soldiers from behind.
Bonas, who had always been strong, almost stopped shouting when he saw the bloody Stauffenberg.
Stauffenberg, who was on the stretcher, had lost two fingers on his left hand and his entire right arm. His left eye was obviously seriously injured with blood stains on it, and a piece of blood-stained red fragment was stuck in his right eye.
This combat hero who saved the entire machine gun battalion had to question whether he could even survive.
"Save him! Find me the best doctor to save him!" Bonas yelled like crazy: "Major Stauffenberg is a combat hero who saved the entire machine gun battalion, so the military doctors must find a way to keep him alive.
