Chapter 17: That's What Strength Looks Like

At dusk, Monk appeared on Logan's horizon as marked on the map. Despite being a town accessible via spacious roads swept by sea breezes, Monk retained a traditional layout and architectural style.

Apart from being a bit distant from the beach, living in such a serene town was quite pleasant. Logan once dreamt of spending his days with his beloved in such an idyllic setting. However, reality ruthlessly shattered his dreams: the true princes were those with wealth and power!

Standing atop the semi-armored command vehicle still emitting the smell of fresh paint, "Fanatic Leader" Dietrich held his binoculars high as he spoke to the Air Force lieutenant beside him, "Hans, my friend, your guess was spot on. The Allies have indeed constructed a defensive line in this area, buying themselves as much time as possible for a sea retreat!"

Did they really need to guess such obvious facts? Logan felt somewhat helpless. The German Continental Army's mindset was excessively rigid, believing they could calmly surround the Allies on three sides like catching fish in a barrel—forgetting that the British Royal Navy, with centuries of excellence, was not to be trifled with!

The ferocity of the British Royal Navy was well-known, whereas their army left much to be desired. Charging from their assembly point, a minimum of 15 kilometers away, Dietrich and his fanatics had taken less than three hours to crush the Glouka Infantry Brigade and two other British units attempting to reclaim territory. If they hadn't shifted their focus to assaulting Monk, they could have easily engaged in two successful battles leveraging the speed advantage of their motorized infantry!

Dietrich was quite satisfied with the speed of their advance. In the past 24 hours, the Führer's Guard had been among the fastest in besieging various German army units at Dunkirk—yet they had only advanced 4 kilometers into the depth of the Allies' defenses. Some German infantry divisions had even made advancements measurable by a ruler!

"Do you want us to scout the situation over there?"

Although no longer in British uniform, Logan didn't mind donning it again and elevating his acting skills to a higher level. When he made this suggestion, he had already planned how to deceive the Allied soldiers later.

However, Dietrich didn't give him the opportunity. The "Fanatic Leader" spoke with conviction, "No need! In warfare, a sudden and resolute attack is more effective than anything else!"

As soon as the motorized infantry company caught up, the attack commenced immediately!

Dietrich set up his command post on a small hill, looking forward to the battlefield with enthusiasm: amidst the rumbling, dark-painted tanks and armored vehicles advanced towards the once peaceful town, as if black stones scattered on the grass were drawn by some strange force, all rolling in the same direction.

Counting, Logan noted 4 IV tanks in the lead, followed by 16 II and III tanks, with a large number of infantry supported by wheeled or tracked armored vehicles. Dietrich had committed the majority of his forces to the assault on Monk! What made him think he could swiftly capture the town defended by an unknown number of Allied troops? Just because their defenses weren't fully established? But who could guarantee there weren't anti-tank guns or tanks hidden behind those houses?

Doubts filled the mind of the inexperienced paratrooper officer, and those war documentaries certainly couldn't explain every detail on the battlefield!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The leading tank was still over two kilometers from the edge of the town when several white smoke plumes suddenly rose from the Allied positions. After a brief whistle, the German attack column was engulfed in flashes and dust. Although no tanks or armored vehicles were directly hit by the enemy's shells, the flying shrapnel posed a significant threat to the thinly armored German infantry. Tank commanders who had exposed even a fraction of their bodies or heads quickly retracted!

Through his binoculars, Logan clearly saw at least four large cannons deployed behind the enemy's positions, possibly with some small-caliber anti-tank guns waiting for the right moment. Ten minutes later, he might witness a grim scene of wrecked vehicles littering the ground!

At this critical moment, another buzzing sound reached their ears. Turning, Logan saw six black planes flying in from the east. Their large, hawk-like silhouettes indicated they were Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers—a symbol of devastating aerial assault!

The gloomy weather, with the clouds much lower than usual, made these Stukas appear as if flying close to a gray ceiling, occasionally disappearing into the clouds like elusive dragons.

If Logan's binoculars could see far enough, he would surely notice the deep terror on most Allied soldiers' faces. But even the most vicious curses couldn't stop the assault of these black reapers!

Woooo...

With a piercing, almost chilling howl, the black aircraft descended. It was Logan's first time witnessing Stukas bombing. Compared to what he had seen on television, this scene was truly breathtaking: dropping from several thousand meters, just when people thought they would crash, these seemingly clumsy bombers drew a wide arc in the sky, leaving only a few dark bombs to continue their descent!

Out of the corner of his eye, Logan suddenly noticed Dietrich's smug smile!

So, this guy had already coordinated with the air force for the bombing. No wonder he was so confident in capturing the town in one go.

In Monk, intense explosions followed one after another. The tremendous energy effortlessly crushed nearby peaked roofs and flung countless soil debris hundreds of meters away. It was said that the terrifying shockwave of heavy bombs could instantly kill personnel within tens of meters and stun or injure those further away.

The explosions lasted only a few seconds, but in that short time, nearly half of the town's houses were affected. As the smoke and fumes gradually dispersed, through the binoculars, only ruins and debris could be seen—no trace of a person.

In a blink of an eye, three more black planes began to dive. Amidst the increasingly sharp whistling, three planes in a perfect triangle formation descended from high altitude, their sleek maneuvers reminding Logan of kingfishers diving for fish.

Boom boom...

A series of intense explosions kept stimulating Logan's eardrums: despite being 5 or 6 kilometers away, how could the exposed Allied soldiers on the battlefield survive!

The six Stukas disappeared into the distance, leaving a terrifying silence on the battlefield. Soon, Logan heard the rumble of tanks again. Raising his binoculars, he saw that the leading IV tank had crossed the Allied trenches without encountering any resistance, followed closely by II tanks madly strafing with their 20mm machine guns on the turrets. Though their targets were invisible, Logan could imagine a group of fleeing Allied soldiers facing unilateral slaughter!

Seeing their tanks had broken through the main enemy positions, German infantry quickly jumped out of their armored vehicles and advanced in a scattered formation. Through the binoculars, it seemed that everyone with a weapon could find a target to fire at: soldiers on the armored vehicles sprayed with machine guns, while the ground "fanatics" fired rifles and submachine guns. Judging from the feeble resistance of the enemy, the six Stukas had far exceeded their actual destructive power!

In the face of the lightning-fast Blitzkrieg tactics that the Germans took pride in, the British and French armies were simply like a flock of sheep!