69novels Chapter 1038
Chapter 1038
Just when Eisenhower led his troops to attack the city of Washington, the former capital of the United States, bad news came from the west.
The 177th Regiment of the Confederate Army stationed in Morganton, southeast of Pittsburgh, at the pass of the Appalachian Mountains, was attacked by the U.S. Army.
The U.S. Army’s attack came very suddenly. They quietly climbed to the top of the mountain in the middle of the night, eliminated the Confederate sentries and a small number of garrison troops, set up machine guns and mortars on the top of the mountain, and began to attack the German camp on the hillside from a high position.
At the foot of the mountain, the U.S. Army dispatched an entire division of troops, and launched a strong attack on the German front line of defense under the cover of tanks and heavy artillery.
The battle had been going on all night, and the 177th Regiment suffered heavy casualties, and the retreat route had been cut off by the enemy. If they could not get support immediately, they would most likely be wiped out!
The loss of a regiment is of course nothing for the German army with millions of troops. Although Morganton is important, its importance is mainly reflected in the defense. It is not very helpful for the German attack. After all, the terrain of the Appalachian Mountains restricts the operations of the German armored forces. It is difficult for the German troops on the east and west sides to directly cross the mountains to support the operations on the other side at any time.
Therefore, in this battle plan, among the three German armies, the Southern Army in the east and the German armies in the west and the center do not need to cooperate closely. According to the command of the headquarters, they only need to go north within the specified time and take down Washington, Gotham City and other important cities!
Although from a strategic point of view, the loss of Morganton would not have a big impact on the German battle plan, but the Germans had almost no chance of survival before. Even though Paulus led the 17th Division and was almost completely destroyed by Degaulle’s army in the Battle of Sedan, he finally completed the task, defended the position, and did not allow the enemy to pass through here to support the enemy forces in the Liege Fortress.
Although Paulus’s division suffered heavy casualties, most of the casualties were ordinary soldiers and some grassroots officers, and the middle and high-level officers died less, which meant that as long as they retreated to the rear, after a certain period of rest, and after enough new recruits were added, they would be able to recover as before!
At this time, the situation faced by the Southern Army was completely different!
The 177th Regiment was already in a dead end. If they did not make great efforts to save them, they would be annihilated. Once the 177th Regiment was completely wiped out, the myth of the German army’s invincibility was broken in the hands of their Southern Army.
What’s worse is that this rescue is not going well, which will affect the mentality of the entire army and make everyone in the army feel insecure, which is very unfavorable for the next combat operations!
So Eisenhower immediately stopped going north. He handed the task of marching north to his chief of staff, and took part of the army to Morganton to rescue the trapped army.
However, Morganton is located at the pass of the Appalachian Mountains. If it moves from land, it will take at least one or two days. At this time, the US military’s attack is very fierce. If it is delayed for one or two more days, the defenders here may not be able to hold on and be wiped out!
Therefore, while dispatching ground troops, the air force must also be dispatched!
And commanding and mobilizing the air force is not a problem he can solve. Eisenhower gritted his teeth and went directly to Manstein to ask him for help!
“The U.S. military suddenly launched an offensive southward and surrounded one of your regiments?”
Upon hearing this news, Manstein’s first reaction was a little unbelievable.
At this time, the U.S. military actually still had the energy to launch a counterattack. Aren’t they afraid that we will directly destroy their lair?
“According to the current intelligence, this is indeed the case!”
Eisenhower’s face looked very bad. The U.S. military chose them by chance to attack. This was definitely not a coincidence. Maybe in the eyes of the enemy, they were the weakest of the three German armies, so they deliberately picked the weakest persimmon and came to attack them!
If it was Model’s troops stationed here, I’m afraid the U.S. military would not have much appetite!
“How many troops did the U.S. Army dispatch?”
After confirming that this matter was true, Manstein suddenly became very interested.
On the battlefield, any major move made by any party will have a chain reaction. The U.S. Army’s troops are not as many as the German Army. At this time, as the defending party, they should focus on defense. What does it mean to gather troops and take the initiative to attack? Is it like an old man hanging himself because he thinks his life is too long?
“At present, we can roughly judge that about a division of troops was dispatched, but this division is not an ordinary division. The US military is equipped with a large number of tanks and armored vehicles, and these tanks are a brand-new tank that we have never seen before. Moreover, according to the reports of the front-line soldiers, this tank, in terms of performance, should not be inferior to our Type 4 tank!”
The reason why Eisenhower was worried was because the opponent was aggressive and well prepared.
Not only did the opponent launch a surprise attack, but also used a large number of new weapons. These weapons brought great pressure to the German army. It can be said that the reason why the German position was shaky and the German army suffered so many casualties when defending was directly related to these factors!
“I see. The U.S. military should dispatch the so-called composite armored division trained by Pershing!”
The other party’s intention is not difficult to guess. Manstein roughly determined the other party’s intention after a little thought.
In the view of Admiral Pershing, the German army assembled three armies this time, and they were coming aggressively. If they just defended blindly, it would be difficult to hold the position, especially facing the direction of Guderian. Guderian and his First Army are good at attacking. This is no longer news, but something that has been proven by countless actual battles!
Since it can’t be defended, another method must be used, so Pershing thought of taking the initiative to attack and try to disrupt the German army’s combat deployment, so that the German army can’t act according to the predetermined plan. In that case, the possibility of them overcoming this difficulty will be greatly increased!
After thinking about these clearly, Manstein would never let the other party get what they want!
“Morganton, right? This place is indeed not suitable for large-scale armored combat, but since the enemy wants to fight, we will accompany them to the end!”