71

The French army's plan to attack the German army's bridgehead and drive it across the Maas River failed due to the resistance of the German army armed with the new weapon Panzerfaust.

The Panzerfaust was not the only new weapon of the German army.

A squadron of French Air Force Potez 630 fighter-bombers went out to destroy the German bridge over the Maas River.

In order to stop the German army's advance even a little and help our troops' defense, it was necessary to blow up at least one more bridge.

But the Germans were not fools.

Anticipating that the enemy would target the bridge first, the area around the bridge was bombarded with anti-aircraft guns.

When an enemy plane appeared, the German anti-aircraft guns opened fire and formed a huge fire net.

"Red flag at 2 o'clock!"

"Start shooting!"

Among these, the one that performed the most was the 4th anti-aircraft tank Kugelblitz, which made its first combat debut.

Unlike ordinary anti-aircraft guns, the Kugelblitz not only had the advantage of being able to safely protect soldiers from enemy attacks by installing a fully enclosed turret, but also had excellent firepower.

As the turret's twin MK103 machine guns burst into flames, a Potez 630 plummeted into the river, emitting smoke.

Only two machine cannon shells hit the aircraft.

The downside of the MK103 was that it was large and heavy, so it had strong recoil and a slow rate of fire.

However, all of these shortcomings were covered by its power, which was so strong that most fighter planes could not withstand even a single hit.

The French pilots were naturally frightened by the anti-aircraft fire, which was much more intense than expected.

Most pilots dropped bombs or raised their noses earlier than scheduled due to fear and anxiety that they might be shot down.

Four Potez 630s dropped 16 bombs, but none of them even reached the bridge, let alone hit it.

Everyone was shocked when the bomb that fell into the river exploded and a huge column of water rose up, showering water droplets towards the German soldiers, but that was all. There was no damage to the target bridge.

The last Potez 630, piloted by the flight commander, approached the bridge much closer than the other fighter-bombers.

Even at this moment, the bridge was full of German trucks crossing the river.

"Major! It's too dangerous! "You have to raise the nose quickly-"

"Shut up! There's a target in front of you, but you're just going? "That's nonsense!"

The flight commander became impatient as he thought that every time a truck crossed the river, three or four more of our soldiers would die.

Only by destroying at least one bridge can we save one more soldier who would die at the hands of the German army. Those thoughts pushed him to the limit.

The bridge that used to be the size of a toothpick has now become as big as your forearm.

The moment the flight commander decided that now was the right time to drop the bomb, three or four 30mm cannon rounds hit the aircraft.

The Potez 630 driven by the brave squadron leader broke into pieces in the air and fell into the river.

The surviving fighter-bombers turned their noses lonely, leaving the death of their squadron leader behind.

The bridge was intact and the German advance was continuing.

To make matters worse, another scandalous incident occurred for the French military.

-This is a swallow. Sparrow wants to respond.

"This is Sparrow. Swallow, what's going on?"

-It was just confirmed that an enemy shell landed on a hill located north of the front line. It is presumed to be a tank shell.

"Well, is that true?"

-not sure. However, we need to keep in mind the possibility that it was a tank gun attack.

Holy shit.

The signal soldier who received the report immediately reported this to his superiors.

The fact that the shell that landed was a tank shell meant that the German armored unit was right in front of Boelsson.

The 295th Regiment of the 55th Infantry Division, which guarded the area of ​​Bölsong, located just a stone's throw from Sedan, was not in a condition to fight against German armored units.

Being attacked by enemy cavalry without even a few anti-tank weapons, let alone tanks, meant annihilation.

An artillery officer's report that the shell that landed on the high ground might have been a tank shell was soon transformed into news of the large-scale appearance of German armored units.

The rumor quickly spread throughout the regiment, sending all regiment members from soldiers to officers into panic.

"German tanks are coming towards Boelsson?"

"We don't have any tanks, do we?"

"If this continues, won't we be wiped out?"

The chances of soldiers with poor training and low morale fighting enemy cavalry and winning were close to zero.

In particular, wasn't the opponent the German armored unit that had conquered Poland in four weeks?

To fight against such monsters was to say to enter a tiger's den with bare fists.

"Shouldn't you run away?"

"But there are no orders?"

"The order is freezing. So, are you all going to hold hands and hang out here? I'm going. Even if I die, it's much better to die at home!"

As one soldier threw away his weapon and ran away, other soldiers who were watching also threw down their weapons and fled the camp.

Those who tried to stop their fellow deserters later gave up their weapons and joined the ranks of deserters.

Among the deserters were many officers and non-commissioned officers.

Although their ranks were different, they were ultimately human beings like soldiers.

A human being who feels fear and wants to live just like everyone else.

In the face of the primal desire to live, loyalty to one's country and one's duty as a soldier could not be considered.

Rumors created by a minor misunderstanding led to the disintegration of an entire division in just a few hours.

As the soldiers guarding the defense line disappeared, the positions and trenches that had been built became useless.

When the German army actually appeared in Bölsong, it was 12 hours after the 55th Division was disbanded.

It was an outrageous act by the French army, which prided itself on being the world's strongest army.

***

"The Germans are coming! Everyone, brace yourselves!"

After delivering the news of the German army's appearance, the messenger quickly fled on a motorcycle.

Lieutenant Georges Lebel, looking in the direction from which the messenger had disappeared, leaving behind only dust, kissed the cross around his neck.

It was a gift from his parents when he entered the military academy.

Lebel has never taken off his necklace since he was a rookie cadet.

Even when rolling around on the parade ground, eating, or taking a bath, he always wore a necklace.

It was because he firmly believed that it would protect him from bad luck.

I hope this will protect you from bad luck this time too.

Somua S40 Platoon, commanded by Lebel, had received orders from superiors to defend the current position.

There was also an infantry company, but the morale was not high as it was made up of colonists who had enlisted from places such as Senegal, Togo, and Mali, rather than from mainland France.

As I came, I looked and it seemed like several people were already planning to run away.

"I'm going crazy. "You have to leave it to the niggers."

"Even though I got sick of scabies, it looks like I got it right, Lieutenant."

The driver, Sergeant Marcel Debuere, nodded to Lebel's complaint.

Even though they wore the same military uniform and fought under the same flag, the colonial soldiers were not comrades in arms to them, but merely niggers.

From a 21st century perspective, this may be a very wrong perception, but it was not because Lebel and Marcel were racists; it was a common perception in France in 1940.

"I heard that Hitler invited niggers over during the Olympics and ate with them separately. "He is the most incomprehensible guy."

For those who grew up in an era where black-white discrimination was taken for granted, Hitler's actions were an eccentricity that could not be understood.

Oh my god, it's nothing else and I get to eat with niggers. Hitler doesn't have any pride?

Lebel and like-minded Frenchmen often said that the reason Hitler dined with Jesse Owens was because they felt a sense of camaraderie as fellow barbarians.

I can't believe I have to go through all this trouble because of one crazy crazy guy. Even thinking about it again, it was absurd.

"I will say one last thing before the battle. If we break through, Ong will fall into the hands of the Huns. Everyone, let's do our best to fight so as not to disgrace the name of the French Grand Army, that's it!"

Platoon leader Level's tank was equipped with a radio, but the tanks under his command were not equipped with radios, so the only way to give orders was to give orders directly or through manual writing.

It was fortunate that there was no need to give separate orders since it was a defensive battle.

All you have to do is hold on to your current position until a new command is given. It was a very simple instruction.

Although the instructions are simple, whether they can be executed is another matter.

Lebel loaded one 75mm grenade into the chamber in advance in preparation for a combat situation.

The turret was larger than that of the S35, but the interior was narrower, making it difficult to even load shells.

"I don't know what idiot designed it, but he's definitely a guy who's never driven a tank. "How can he fight when he is so narrow and bursting open?"

"If it's really uncomfortable, can I change it for you?"

"Is it okay? "Look ahead."

Soon, the sound of an engine was heard from ahead.

The sound of the tram engine along with the rolling sound of the track gave the listener goosebumps all over his body.

The German army is coming. Right now, right here.

Lebel had already given instructions to his platoon members not to shoot until he did.

However, Lebel's instructions were only spread to Lebel's platoon members and were not conveyed to the infantrymen who accompanied him.

A No. 2 tank came running at breakneck speed past the large oak tree.

As Lebel took a deep breath and prepared to fire, gunshots rang out from left and right. The soldier, unable to overcome the tension, ended up firing.

A single gunshot led to an unrestrained volley of fire.

Soldiers startled by gunfire reflexively pulled the trigger, which led to a waste of ammunition.

In a situation where there was no certainty as to when supplies would be received, the waste of ammunition was a serious problem.

"Damn those niggers! "What on earth are you doing?"

Lebel burst into anger.

Not only did the enemy discover that our troops were in an ambush, but we also ended up wasting precious ammunition.

When the shooting began, Tank No. 2 retreated for a moment, but soon moved forward again.

They mistakenly thought it was an ambush of only infantry, without tanks or anti-tank guns.

Tank No. 2, which was running while deflecting all the raining bullets, was soon caught in Lebel's crosshairs.

As soon as the enemy tank was caught by the cross mark on the sight, Lebel fired the main gun.

"Hit!"

The shell hit exactly on the front armor of Tank No. 2. Lebel was confident that the enemy had been defeated.

"uh?!"

But what is this? The tank, which was thought to have been destroyed, was alive and moving.

The main gun was damaged in the previous attack, and the turret ring was broken, making the turret unable to rotate, but the tracks on both sides of the hull were still rotating.

Only then did Lebel remember that the shell he had loaded earlier was a grenade, not an armor-piercing shell.

You idiot. Even though he was a lieutenant, he made the same mistake as a private. Even in real life!

Lebel's face turned red with embarrassment.

The operator removed an armor-piercing round from the mount and handed it to Lebel.

Due to a design problem, the Somua S40 only had space for one person in the turret, so the tank commander had to take charge of loading.

The same was true for the Somua S35, which had a wider turret interior than the Somua S40.

When Lebel finished loading, the other tanks in the platoon had already opened fire and disposed of the enemy.

Tank No. 2, which had a large hole in the front of its hull, stopped spewing out smoke.

Panzer 2 and three or four 38(t) tanks appeared and attacked, but the Somua S40s easily repelled them.

Even though it was criticized for having many difficulties in operation due to its outdated design, there was no disagreement about the defensive power of the 47mm thick sloped armor.

Lebel's tank was still intact despite being hit by dozens of 20mm cannon shells and six 37mm shells.

Against light tanks such as the 2 and 38(t), the Somua S40 was virtually invincible.

"This is the French tank, Bosche (German nickname)!"

Lebel, completely forgetting his mistake from earlier, shouted with confidence. When his attack did not work, he fired a 75mm shell at the retreating 38(t).

The 38(t), which was hit from the front by an armor-piercing bullet, burned fiercely like firewood thrown into a bonfire.

It seems that all the tank crews were killed, and no one escaped.

Lebel, excited by his first victory in his life, turned the turret to find the next target.

"You're running away. "Cowards."

Realizing that they were no match for themselves, the German tanks retreated all at once, leaving behind the remains of their comrades. Lebel, who thought the battle was over, smiled broadly.

But contrary to his expectations, the battle is not over yet. The Germans, who thought they had retreated, attacked again a few minutes later with new weapons. It was a weapon the French military had never seen before.

"What is that?"

Sergeant Marcel asked. It was a tank without a turret, and the gun was fixed in the fighting compartment.

Lebel did not know whether a tank without a turret could be called a tank, but he instinctively knew that it was a new weapon for the German army.

No matter what the identity is, if the opponent is the Germans, there is only one conclusion. First, you have to defeat it and see.

"I don't know either. "Let's think about it later, let's just shoot now."

Lebel aimed at the enemy in front and fired his main gun.

Since it is a 75mm main gun that is mounted without sacrificing crew habitability and body balance, its power is certain.

"Huh!?"

"What is that guy!"

However, Lebel's prediction was spectacularly wrong this time.

When the armor-piercing bullet fired by Lebel touched the front armor, it sparked and slid upward.

"That guy, it looks like his armor is thicker than it looks."

"I guess so. Bosch bastards, what on earth have you made?"

Another Somua S40 fired and hit the German army's new tank, but the result was a ricochet.

The 38(t) Tank Destroyer Hatcher moved forward silently, deflecting all incoming shells.

The 60mm sloped armor, equivalent to 120mm of vertical armor, was doing its job well, deflecting all shells flying at the tank.

Eventually, a flash of light came out of the hatcher's gun, and a Somua S40 was destroyed with a loud explosion.

The 47mm sloped armor that seemed invincible was useless against the Hatcher's 75mm 48 caliber main gun.

The armor is thick and the main gun is powerful. What exactly is that monster?

Lebel's body became stiff from tension. He had a feeling that even if he fired a cannonball, it would be useless against that monster.

To make matters worse, another hatcher appeared.

A cannonball was fired at the newly appeared creature, but it only left scratches on the surface of the armor.

Hetcher turned the vehicle towards the direction from which the shell came.

Unlike tanks with rotating turrets, due to the nature of tank destroyers with the main gun fixed to the hull, there was the inconvenience of having to turn the hull one by one to aim at the enemy.

However, for an experienced tank driver, turning the hull and aiming at the enemy was a piece of cake.

The Somua S40, whose front was pierced by a 75mm armor-piercing round, poured out a stream of flames from its main gun.

In the other, the ammunition exploded and the turret separated from the hull.

When the turret soared into the air fell to the ground, there was a heavy, dull sound.

As the last remaining tank was destroyed in vain, Lebel fell into complete panic.

"Back, back! Back up, quick! hurry!"

"Oh, I understand!"

Whatever the mission, all I could think about was that I had to live first.

As Marcel backed up the tank, the infantry remaining in the trenches looked on with puzzled faces.

The officer commanding the soldiers shouted something, but Lebel, who was half out of his mind with fear, could not hear it.

-thud!

"Ugh!"

The tank, which was traveling backwards, collided squarely with a huge oak tree.

Unlike a car, the driver of a tank cannot see behind him at all, so the tank commander had to look behind him and give instructions directly, but Lebel forgot even that basic common sense.

Lebel, who hit his head on the inner wall of the turret in the collision, felt like his head would break.

The moment I was about to shout, "How am I supposed to drive," the tram struck again.

It was a huge shock that couldn't even be compared to what it was a moment ago.

As high-temperature flames swept through the inside of the tank, the flesh and internal organs that once made up the human body turned into porridge and flowed out.

The smell of salta's furrows and gunpowder combined to create a terrible stench.

The hatchers, who had taken out all the French tanks, poured a barrage of grenades and machine guns at the French troops in the trenches.

An Sd.Kfz 251 armored car carrying German infantry also arrived at the scene and joined the attack.

The colonial soldiers resisted stubbornly, but their rifles and machine guns were completely useless against tanks and armored vehicles.

Shooting a bullet at a hatcher that could deflect tank shells was like trying to break a rock with a water balloon.

As the MG40 machine gun mounted on the armored vehicle rained bullets, the two Senegalese soldiers who were firing the rifles were turned into pieces of minced meat.

The French army could not raise its head in front of the power of the MG40, which fired 1,200 bullets per minute.

Even if I wanted to run, I couldn't because bullets started flying even if I came out of the trench even a little bit.

While the MG40 pinned down the French troops, the 38(t) flamethrower tank Salamander approached the French trenches.

The Salamander, which was created by mounting a turret that was a modified version of a 38(t) turret on the hull of a Hatcher, had to have an additional fuel tank mounted on the rear of the tank due to the narrow interior of the hull, but was able to fire flames up to a distance of 90m.

Flames shot out of the tank's launch tubes, suffocating the French soldiers trapped in the trenches.

The unlucky soldiers tried to escape out of the trenches and were covered in flames, their entire bodies burned as black as coal.

"surrender! surrender!"

The exhausted and frightened French soldiers cried out for surrender, but their shouts of surrender at the scene of the battle did not reach the ears of the enemy.

Salamander continued to spit out flames until there was no living French soldier left.

Like the fire-breathing lizard Salamander that appears in mythology, Salamander continuously fired flames and turned the surrounding area into a sea of ​​fire.

The places where the Salamander passed were littered with corpses that had suffocated to death or were burned to the point that their bodies were barely visible.

The sight of once-human beings having their flesh melted by high heat, leaving only bones behind, or turning into burnt firewood, was indescribably horrendous. The sight of hell seemed less terrible than this.

However, the horrors of the battle did not enter Rommel's eyes. In his eyes, the corpses of French soldiers scattered everywhere seemed like a milestone on the way to victory.

"Tell this to headquarters. "I think we will be able to occupy Onge within today."