73

May 16, 1940

French Stone

"Whoa."

Ahead of the upcoming battle, Captain Pierre Gaston Billott smoked cigars with his men.

Light gray smoke flew away in the breeze, and a squirrel with an acorn in its mouth darted up the oak tree.

Everyone smoked cigarettes eagerly, feeling that this was the last cigarette they would smoke in their lives.

There was not a word of jokes or jokes that one would normally make while smoking a cigarette.

Everyone was absorbed in the act of smoking itself.

"Why is everyone's expression so dark? "If anyone saw me, they would think I was going to die."

In an attempt to lighten the atmosphere that was so heavy, Biyot opened his mouth.

"Do you know what I'm more afraid of than dying? The war ended without killing even 100 Bosch. Let's say you are a captain and only kill 99 people. "How embarrassing."

"Ha ha ha ha ha······."

The tense atmosphere seemed to loosen up a little with Biyotte's joke.

There were less than three minutes left until the operation time. Bjort took his last puff and threw the cigar away.

"We should leave soon. To kill Bosch."

The 3rd Cuirassier Division, to which Billott belonged, received orders from superiors to attack the right flank of the German army.

Billott's company was scheduled to attack the Germans at the head of the division.

Viott could not forget the sight of the company members' expressions distorting when they heard that they were the leader of the division.

Who would be happy to be the first to be sent to the most dangerous mission in the first place?

However, Biyot's company was chosen because it was armed with the Shar B1 bis heavy tank, which was considered the most powerful tank in the division's possession.

This meant that the division had high expectations for them, but the soldiers were not very pleased with the division's expectations.

The true intention of the company members was that it was okay to not have any expectations, so please leave the mission to another company.

"This is cuckoo. "Each platoon wants to see it."

-This is a crow, ready for battle.

-This is Nighthawk, ready for battle.

-This is an owl, ready for battle.

All tanks in the company were ready to depart. Maintenance crews were attached to each tank right beforehand to check the engine, so the tank would not spread out while moving.

The problem was the fuel, and even though it was fully filled with fuel, the Shar B1's combat time was only about 2 hours at most due to its fuel efficiency.

Even if you don't step on a mine and destroy your orbit or get hit by an enemy bomb, you will run out of fuel after two hours and become stranded.

For this reason, Billott's company decided to stop its advance as soon as the battle was over and wait for the arrival of the friendly supply unit.

Having to receive supplies every two hours was extremely cumbersome, but it also meant that we could withdraw to the rear in time.

Billott reminded his men of this and tried to encourage them.

"2 hours at most, 2 hours. You just have to last 2 hours. "The other companies will take care of the rest."

I intentionally omitted the statement that it was scheduled to be deployed in road battles as soon as supply was completed. There was no need to break their morale by saying things that didn't need to be said.

Prior to the attack, French artillery began shelling. While the bombardment was going on, Billott prayed to God.

I hope you can survive safely this time too.

May we win the battle and see France win the war.

After a short bombardment, the radio came in. It was a radio call from battalion headquarters.

-This is the nest. The cuckoo wants a response.

"Cuckoo reception."

-Attack immediately. Repeat. As of the current time, the cuckoo wants to attack immediately. more.

"Received."

It's finally starting.

"Company, move forward!"

As soon as the command to advance came from Viott's mouth, a huge piece of metal weighing 31 tons began to roll in orbit.

Billott led his tanks and entered the village immediately.

The village was destroyed by French artillery fire, and smoke was billowing from everywhere. Billott frowned as the smoke blurred his vision.

"Be careful. "Because you never know when and where Bosch will pop out."

"I am keeping this in mind, Captain."

Billott ordered to load shells in advance so that he could fire immediately if the enemy jumped out.

Currently, one armor-piercing round was loaded in the chamber of the 47mm main gun and the chamber of the 75mm main gun mounted on the hull.

While running down a straight road, an unfamiliar object came into Viott's field of vision.

Bjort opened his eyes wide and examined the objects in his field of vision.

"It's Boshu!"

The moment he saw the Iron Cross on the side of the turret, he knew it was a German tank.

"launch!"

The driver immediately stopped the tank and fired the 75mm main gun.

The 38(t) tank, which was turning its turret towards Biott's tank, was hit directly by a 75mm armor-piercing round and the turret and hull were separated.

"This is a cuckoo! Encountered the enemy! "Beware of enemy tank attacks!"

After relaying the news of the encounter with the Germans to his tanks via radio, Biott moved his gaze back to the observation window.

A new tank appeared next to the wreckage, which was spewing flames from the hull, and opened fire on its main gun.

However, the poor 37mm gun could not even make a scratch on the surface of the Char B1 bis.

When the attack failed, 38(t) immediately tried to escape, but Bjort did not let it go.

The 47mm gun opened fire and another 38(t) was destroyed. With this, Biott's total was reduced to two tanks.

The 38(t) tanks, with their thin armor and poor firepower, were no match for French heavy tanks.

The tanks under his command each fired their main guns and destroyed the tanks in the village.

"There is an enemy tank at 11 o'clock. stop!"

Billott, who spotted a German tank approaching the village, ordered the driver to stop.

Like the 38(t) we encountered earlier, it was a tank with an angular body and a dark gray color.

However, its size was much larger than 38(t). Bjort thought it might be his Panzer IV.

When it spotted Biott, it stopped and turned its turret. While the enemy was turning the turret, the driver fired the 75mm main gun first.

-Kang!

"It bounced, it bounced!"

The driver was taken aback when he saw that the ambitiously fired 75mm shell did not pierce the front armor of the enemy tank and simply ricocheted.

Billott immediately fired its 47mm main gun.

However, the 47mm shells he fired were also powerless against the enemy tank's armor plate.

As the two cannonballs bounced over time, an embarrassed cry came out of Villot's mouth.

"What...!?"

Flames spewed out from the muzzle of the 4th tank, which defended itself against the attack of the Char B1 bis with its 80mm frontal armor.

If it had been the previously mounted 75mm 24-caliber main gun, it would have been easily deflected, but unfortunately, the No. 4 tank in front was armed with a 75mm 48-caliber main gun.

The maximum penetration of 24-caliber guns was 54 mm at 100 m, but the 48-caliber guns could penetrate 82 mm at 1 km.

Biyot's Char B1 bis, which was hit directly in the front by an armor-piercing round, exploded with a loud flash.

Because the ammunition inside the car exploded all at once, the turret soared into the air, the track was broken, and it flowed down with a fluttering sound.

-This is Wolf 3. You just destroyed an enemy tank. We will continue the attack.

-Wolf 1, receive.

When the No. 4 tanks armed with long-barreled main guns rushed into the village, the situation completely turned around.

The Shar B1 bis tanks, which had been happily hunting down German tanks just a moment ago, found themselves in a situation where they were being hunted by the Germans.

The Germans took advantage of the long gun barrels and sniped at French tanks from a safe distance, as if hunting deer.

Before nightfall Stonene was completely occupied by German forces.

***

May 17, 1940

Montcorne, France

"Tank, advance!"

When the division commander, Colonel Charles de Gaulle, gave an order, dozens of tanks rolled on the tracks and advanced at the same time.

Two days earlier, French Army Commander-in-Chief Maurice Gamelin declared France's defeat.

The French army was deceived by the German army and deployed its only reserve unit, the 7th Army, to the Deal defense line, making it impossible for the French army to stop Army Group A.

Bringing back the 7th Army would only have resulted in the collapse of the Diel defense line and accelerating the defeat of the war.

"There is no more hope for us. "This war is lost…"

Even the commander-in-chief gave up all hope of victory, but de Gaulle did not give up.

Although the war situation was the worst, he did not think that there was no hope.

He planned to use his division to strike the German rear and stop the German advance toward the Atlantic.

If the operation is successful, the German army will try to reorganize its battle lines to prepare for a counterattack by the French army, and its advance will naturally stop.

If the French army took advantage of the enemy's halted advance to reorganize its lines and join forces with the British army to strengthen its defense line, it might have a chance of victory.

Although this scenario was only possible when things went very well, De Gaulle risked his life on a glimmer of hope.

The 50-year-old colonel boarded a tank and headed to the front line to prevent his country's defeat in war.

The tanks of the 4th Cuirassier Division, which charged with the sole intention of saving the country from crisis, soon ran into difficulties.

The LSSAH division, which Guderian had deployed to the rear in preparation for the French army's counterattack, intercepted them.

***

"Look at those tanks. "It should be in the 100s."

SS Captain Josef Dietrich, commander of the LSSAH division, whistled when he saw the French tanks approaching like a wave through binoculars.

An ordinary person would have been shocked at the sight, but Dietrich remained relaxed throughout.

Dietrich, who participated in World War I as an assault artilleryman and tank operator and crossed numerous firing lines, observed the assaults of French tanks with fascinating eyes.

The reason he was able to be so relaxed was not only because he was confident that he had survived a much more serious situation, but also because he had a separate belief.

"Let's start slowly."

"I understand, Your Excellency. "Start shooting!"

As the French tanks entered range, the ambushed German tanks and anti-tank guns fired their main guns in unison.

In the blink of an eye, more than 10 French tanks were hit and set on fire.

Tank soldiers who escaped from the hit tank rolled on the ground and screamed to extinguish the fire on their bodies.

"Hit! "Reload!"

After seeing the Renault R35 tank he was aiming for explode, Wittmann designated the gunner's next target. It was the FCM 36, a triangular tank resembling a pyramid.

Thanks to the active use of sloped armor, the FCM 36 had decent defense, but had the worst mobility, making it a very easy prey.

"Loaded!"

"Shoot!"

When Wittmann's hatcher opened fire again, FCM 36's turret was blown off.

Even with the turret blown off, it moved forward slowly and came to a complete stop only after it exploded again.

"It's a hit!"

"Okay, I'm doing great. If you add the ones we caught in Poland, this is exactly the 10th generation."

Wittmann, who was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd class, for his actions during the Battle of Poland, was selected as a cadet on the recommendation of the battalion commander.

According to plan, he should have been training at the SS Military Academy in Bad Tötz with cadets seven or eight years younger than him, but as more soldiers with extensive combat experience were needed ahead of the invasion of France, he was given the temporary status of second lieutenant in the SS. was sent to the front line.

"Enemy tank at 11 o'clock! Hasel, turn the vehicle to the right!"

"All right!"

Hassell, who was promoted to SS sergeant, rotated the hull with skill.

The Somua S35, hiding behind the burning wreckage and only sticking out its turret, was turning its turret.

"stop!"

Almost immediately after Hasel stopped the tank, the enemy opened fire. The 47mm armor-piercing round ricocheted off only the paint applied to the surface of the Hatcher's armor.

"He's the one with the turret sticking out from behind the wreckage. "Can you guess it?"

"Let me give it a try!"

The 19-year-old young gunner took a deep breath and carefully fired the main gun. The shell hit the turret of the Somua S35 by a narrow margin, dismembering the tank commander's upper body.

As the driver and operator came out, they were hit by machine guns and collapsed into a hive.

When tanks and anti-tank guns hit enemy tanks, the infantry killed the escaping French tankers with machine guns.

The corpses of tank crews who had been shot while escaping were lined up around the destroyed tank.

"next!"

Wittmann did not give a single glance to the already destroyed tank.

There were still many enemies, and there was no end to his work.

***

"oh my god······."

De Gaulle could not believe the sight before his eyes even after seeing it with his own eyes.

Before him stretched out a hell even more terrible than the sight he had seen in the mud at Verdun.

"It's a trap, Colonel! It's a trap! "We must retreat now!"

The second lieutenant in charge of piloting the Somua S35 on which de Gaulle was riding shouted as if screaming.

The sight of tanks charging with great vigor turning into fireballs after being hit by ambushed enemy shells was a horror itself.

In front of the 4th Panzer, Hatcher, and anti-tank guns, the tanks of the 4th Cuirassier Division melted like ice exposed to sunlight.

Even if they managed to avoid attacks from tanks and anti-tank guns, there were many cases where infantrymen hiding in trenches jumped out and were destroyed by Panzerfausts fired.

"Aaaah!!!!"

A tank soldier who escaped from a Hotchkiss H35 hit by an enemy bullet struggled, covered in flames, and ended up being crushed by the tracks of a friendly tank.

The tank wandering through the smoke advanced without realizing that it had just killed an ally and was destroyed by an anti-tank gun.

-junior! Back up, you bastard!

-The company has been annihilated! Retreat immediately...

-From Napoleon to Buché, request for support! If we continue like this, we will all die!

The division's radio network was overflowing with screams, urgent cries for help, and screams.

Considering that only one radio was supplied per platoon due to the leadership's complacency and mistakes, there must have been more screams echoing than the voices heard over the radio.

To make matters worse, the German Air Force has now joined the fight.

As the Stuka dived with an eerie siren sound, the French tanks scattered all at once.

The one-ton bomb dropped by the Stuka exploded in the exact center of the tanks.

The Shar B1 bis, which was hit directly by the bomb, was literally blown to pieces, and the two Hotchkiss, swept away by the tyranny of the explosion, were overturned.

The Stuka, which swoops down and drops bombs while sounding a siren, was like a messenger from the underworld to the tank crews.

Every time the Stuka dropped a bomb, an average of two tanks were destroyed or disabled.

Tanks that were unable to maneuver became easy prey for tanks and anti-tank guns on the ground.

De Gaulle's ambitious plan to outmaneuver the German army and turn the tide of the war could not even take its first steps.

By all accounts, the counterattack was a failure.

That too was a complete failure.

"Colonel!"

"······Fuck it."

In order to reduce any further damage, a retreat order had to be issued now. That way, even one more subordinate could be saved.

"He is the division commander. Retreat immediately. Repeat. "All troops must retreat immediately."

De Gaulle, coughing up blood, gave the order to retreat.

Even when he first ordered his men to advance, he had pledged to advance until the end no matter what damage he suffered.

However, when he saw his subordinates dying in vain in real time, his will collapsed like a sand castle.

When de Gaulle's command to retreat came out, the driver put the tank in reverse.

I wanted to get even just 1cm further away from this hell. As the driver of the tank the division commander was riding, his piloting skills were not average, but he could not avoid the eyes of the hunters flying in the sky.

As a Stuka with bombs attached to its wings flew at low altitude, de Gaulle fired its main gun in a fit of urgency. The shell missed the Stuka by a long distance.

When the shell missed, he fired his coaxial machine gun. Just when it seemed like a few bullets had hit the Stuka's wings, the bomb was dropped.

The moment the bomb hit the ground and exploded, de Gaulle reflexively closed his eyes.

Then, I felt as if my whole body was being turned upside down, and a huge shock wave hit my entire body.