bookrandom Chapter 241 The Taste of Death
Chapter 241 The Taste of Death
Von Arnim's second wave of attack began with even more intense artillery fire. By this time, Li Mo'an had already withdrawn most of his frontline troops. The arrival of a US armored division gave Kuang Zhengqi hope. He assigned the tank crews of the 1st 6th Army, who had initially learned to operate British tanks, to operate British tanks and form a blocking group with the US 7th Armored Division. They ambushed southwest of Gabes and decisively took over the defense of Gabes, absorbing the British garrison there. This garrison had limited equipment, but their fortifications along the port and their 240mm heavy artillery could be fully utilized. Six 6mm guns, plus twelve 240mm anti-aircraft guns, provided considerable anti-tank firepower.
However, Kuang Zhengqi could not abandon the positions in the military camp area and retreat completely to the city of Gabes, as he felt that the city was too small and tens of thousands of troops could not be deployed there. In addition, he could not allow the German army to cross the city of Gabes from the side of the military camp, break through the relatively flat desert area along this line, advance towards the northern coastline of Tunisia, and occupy this rare and fertile land in North Africa.
Kuang Zhengqi asked Li Mo'an to gradually abandon the temporary front-line positions and retreat westward, concentrate the limited tanks of the 11th Tank Division, block the direction of the military camp, and let the German army go to the city of Gabes. The purpose was to minimize the damage of the German army's superior force to the unarmed infantry of the 6th Army. After experiencing this battle, these soldiers will definitely become excellent fighters.
As expected, after the artillery bombardment, the Germans launched a massed charge with nearly a hundred tanks, followed by a large number of German mechanized grenadiers, which quickly broke through the first line of defense. The Germans briefly engaged the 6th Army in the second line of defense. Seeing that the Chinese had abandoned their coastal approach to Gabès, they decided not to engage them. The bulk of their forces advanced toward Gabès, while a portion fanned out to press the remnants of the 6th Army (they believed) into the area surrounding their barracks. The Germans' plan was clever: a quick breakthrough through Gabès, into northern Tunisia, and the seizure of this line would drive the US Second Army into the sea. They could then turn around and take on the Chinese forces trapped on the edge of the Sahara Desert. Annihilation would be a piece of cake.
Li Mo'an breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Germans pinning him down in the barracks and surrounding areas, with their main force advancing westward. The 13th and 17th Divisions had lost over 5000 men, and with the 11th Tank Division and its subordinate units, Li Mo'an still had around 3 men. Without his orders, aside from the frontline troops confronting the Germans, the rest, officers and soldiers alike, began frantically digging sand to build a shelter for themselves.
The German army looked at these primitive defensive measures of the Chinese with indifference, sending only a small number of tanks and armored vehicles to harass, while most of them began to build offensive positions in armored formations.
Li Mo'an asked the commanders of the 13th and 17th Armies, "How are the artillery pieces prepared? Are the soldiers' anti-tank weapons ready?"
The commander of the 17th Army responded first: "We've used all available weapons. Right now, the most effective weapons against German tanks are anti-tank mines and hand grenades. Support firepower has also been deployed. Furthermore, anti-tank guns and bazookas have been divided into several teams and deployed into concealed attack areas."
The commander of the 13th Army added: "I have already assigned the other artillery to the rear. As long as the German infantry come up, we will never give them a chance to escape alive."
"What's the situation with the Engineer Corps?" Li Mo'an turned around and asked the Chief of Staff. The Chief's face was grim, and his answer was weak. "They've suffered heavy losses on the front lines of defense and are currently using their limited supplies to plant explosives. Our biggest concern right now is the injured soldiers. We're not fully prepared, and we don't have enough medicine."
At this time, a voice sounded from behind, "Why don't you contact the US Air Force and ask them to airdrop ammunition and anti-tank weapons as soon as possible? Also, why are the injured soldiers still here? Organize people to take them away as soon as possible, to the rear."
Everyone looked and they recognized Pu, the commander of the 114th Division. Didn't Chief of Staff Kuang ask him to go back to Egypt to organize soldiers to use British tanks? Why was he here?
Pu Zhengsong didn't bother explaining to Zhong Ren, so he immediately instructed the communications officer behind him to contact the US Air Force and tell them they needed ammunition, anti-tank mines, grenades, bazookas, and medicine. The more the better. After arranging these, he saluted Commander Li and said, "Commander Li, Chief of Staff Kuang asked me to come and assist you. Chief of Staff, the two division commanders, please quickly gather the soldiers who can use American anti-tank weapons. I believe the US military will have a large airdrop within the hour. They must get the weapons as soon as possible. Defending the barracks is not important. The important thing is to never let the German army rush through the barracks and attack northward along the plains behind us."
Pu Zhengsong and several others unfolded the map and began to plan a new defense plan. Pu Zhengsong asked Commander Li to hand over a regiment from the 11th Tank Division and the engineer battalion, which was now less than half full, so that he could urgently organize defenses and counterattacks in areas where the Germans might break through.
Less than 40 minutes later, the first batch of US airdrops landed. The German troops responsible for the siege immediately realized the problem and began to bombard and press forward. At this time, Li Mo'an and others, who had a clear target, immediately organized a strong blocking attack. The large number of airdropped weapons were opened and quickly distributed. Bazookas, anti-tank mines, and anti-tank grenades were distributed. The soldiers who took up their weapons were no longer in the mess they had been in a few hours ago. They began to form new anti-tank groups and took up the blocking positions.
The German forces used to besiege the 6th Army were primarily grenadier divisions. With limited tank and armor support, they gradually advanced on the Chinese defenses. Artillery fire from both sides immediately erupted. In this semi-desert landscape, each artillery shell exploded, sending clouds of yellow sand billowing through the air. For a moment, the battle area was filled with smoke and thick dust.
"Hold steady, don't be anxious, wait until you get closer, closer."
After the bloody baptism a few hours ago, these surviving Chinese soldiers have matured a lot. They warned each other to stay calm, wait for the German army to get as close as possible, and then launch a surprise attack.
Li Mo'an and other senior generals had already noticed that the German army had deployed a large number of grenadiers and light armored units, and decisively invested more artillery and machine gun fire. As long as the German troops entered the attack area, they would never give them a chance to escape. They wanted to avenge the thousands of casualties and let the German army taste death!