The decisive battle against the Third Reich - Chapter 951

c948 command authority

At five o’clock in the morning the next day, before dawn, the Battle of Metz officially started.

The reason why Metz Fortress built a fortress, and it is also called Metz Pass, is because the north and south sides of Metz are covered with rivers, swamps, and highlands more than ten kilometers deep, which cannot be passed by mechanized troops. Only Metz Pass can. Passing…it’s kind of like a mountain pass in the Caucasus Mountains.

In other words, only through here can the US 3rd Army enter Germany and threaten Germany’s industrial base.

Pieces of artillery shells fell on the fortifications of the Big and Little Solsey Islands with whistling sounds, and then exploded into clouds of smoke… The so-called lack of fuel and ammunition by the US military is the usual random bombing or bombing at will. Use artillery fire to level enemy positions. In fact, what they call lack can be called sufficient for virtue.

Amidst the fierce gunfire, Colonel Slain shouted to the headquarters over and over again through the walkie-talkie:

“We need ammunition, equipment, especially anti-tank equipment… Everything is lacking here!”

“No, we don’t know which group the enemy is, but we can tell that they are Americans, and the artillery fire is very fierce. At present, we judge that there should be an army!”

Colonel Slaine could make such an accurate judgment because he had more dealings with the Allied forces and knew what kind of artillery preparations they would have for any size of force. From this point of view, the Americans at this time did not know how to prepare for the artillery fire. Like the British, they are good at hiding themselves.

The call ended shortly after.

Colonel Slain shook his head helplessly in the direction of Qinchuan and said: “The sky is blocked by the Allied forces, and so are the transportation lines. They cannot transport supplies during the day, and they can only transport part of them at night!”

“Where are the reinforcements?” Qin Chuan asked.

“There are almost no troops nearby who can reinforce us!” Colonel Slain replied: “There are two armies in the north attacking along Route 69, and most of the troops have been transferred to the north for defense. The only ones who can reinforce us are those stationed in Belgium. The 17th Panzergrenadier Division, they won’t arrive until three days later!”

The so-called Panzergrenadier Division is actually a mechanized infantry division. According to its establishment in 1943, it was composed of two regiments. Each regiment had three battalions, with a total strength of about 10,000 people. In addition, there was an armored battalion with 48 tanks and a The anti-tank gun battalion has 44 self-propelled anti-tank guns, 12 self-propelled infantry guns and 12 self-propelled howitzers.

However, the 17th Grenadier Division was the unit that blocked the British pursuit in France, that is, the unit that covered the retreat of other units. They were bombed by the Allies during the battle and had already suffered heavy losses. Only a dozen tanks and more were left. The self-propelled artillery is currently resting in Belgium and will not arrive for another three days.

“At least these days, we have to rely on ourselves!” With that said, Qin Chuan walked out of the headquarters with his sniper rifle.

Two commanders are usually required in a battle. One commander sits in the rear to conduct strategic planning and contact superiors. Colonel Sline is responsible for this aspect.

The other one is commanding operations on the front line, and of course Qin Chuan is the most appropriate person to be in charge of this.

In fact, because the Metz Fortress is composed of three “islands”, there should be three commanders responsible for the three “islands” under Qinchuan: Eberhard is responsible for the Little Solsey Island, and Kuhn is responsible for the Big Solsey. On the west island, the baker took a few people to take charge of Chambier Island.

There was also a little trouble in this process… Located on the island of Gran Solsey is the SS Military Academy, where there is an instructor named Weiss with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

The military rank is not important, because Colonel Slaine has a higher military rank than Weiss, and he can appoint Kuhn as Weiss’s staff officer. In this way, as long as Colonel Weiss is willing to cooperate, Kuhn can command the big rope through Weiss. All the troops on Erxi Island.

The problem is that they are SS. An SS lieutenant colonel will never take the Wehrmacht seriously, not to mention that Slain is only a colonel.

So Lieutenant Colonel Weiss responded immediately: “Dear Colonel, please believe in the capabilities of the SS. Although we lack combat experience, we have extraordinary courage and high morale. We don’t need anyone.” Command, no one can pass through the Great Solsi Island, you just need to guard your place!”

This was quite polite, because he knew that the 1st Infantry Regiment was not someone to be trifled with, not to mention that obeying the command of the 1st Infantry Regiment was also an order from a superior.

But of course, a rejection is a rejection.

This will undoubtedly cause a lot of trouble for Metz’s defense.

This is not to say that Qinchuan doubted the courage of the SS. In fact, they did not risk their lives when fighting.

But sometimes fighting is not only about “risking one’s life”, but also about methods and cooperation, especially when facing the US military with modern equipment.

When receiving this telegram, Colonel Slain couldn’t help but cursed: “Damn it, the enemy’s bomb has been dropped on our heads, and we are still having a headache for command!”

“That’s not a problem, Colonel!” Qin Chuan said.

“What can you do?” Colonel Sline asked.

Qin Chuan said nothing, but called Kuhn and said, “Arrest Lieutenant Colonel Weiss and seize command!”

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel!” Kuhn answered simply.

Needless to say what happened next, Kuhn took a few soldiers to see Lieutenant Colonel Weiss.

Of course, the guards only allowed Kuhn to see Lieutenant Colonel Weiss alone, and he was not allowed to carry weapons.

But Lieutenant Colonel Weiss obviously underestimated Kuhn… There is a certain reason why Kuhn is called a poisonous tongue, not only because he has a sharpshooting skill like a poisonous tongue, but also because he will launch an unexpected attack with a hidden knife.

A bayonet was placed on Lieutenant Colonel Weiss’s neck.

“You have two choices, Lieutenant Colonel!” Kuhn said: “One is to stain my bayonet with your blood, and the other is to hand over the command. And I can guarantee that if you choose the former, you will not be buried like a hero, but executed for disobeying orders!”

Lieutenant Colonel Weiss may not be a person who is afraid of death. As he said to his subordinates, he is ready to sacrifice.

But there is an essential difference between dying at the hands of one’s own people and dying at the hands of the enemy, and Kuhn is still right. After death, there will be a crime… This makes no sense.

“Okay, Captain!” Lieutenant Colonel Weiss said, “You win, you can be my staff officer!”

“No, Lieutenant Colonel!” Kuhn replied, “You have lost this opportunity, I have received the order to arrest you. Anyone else who disobeys orders will suffer the same fate!”

So, in less than twenty minutes, Kuhn took control of the command of Great Solsey Island.