The Third Reich in Desperation

Third Reich Episode 358

Since the German army suddenly launched an attack on Britain, the progress was very smooth. The German army concentrated the French and Allied forces that had landed before and launched a fierce attack on Dover. Reinforcements were made to the French at Dover in an attempt to disrupt the British counterattack.

Under the command of the famous French general Weygand, the French landing force dispatched a small group of elite troops to occupy the strategically important Heights 47 southwest of Dover at the risk of casualties.

Although the British army also knew the important value of the 47th highland and organized many counterattacks, they failed to succeed against Wei Gang, the master of defense.

Subsequently, the British army, which had already deployed heavy troops in Dover, quickly concentrated all the artillery fire in its hands and bombarded Highland 47 with all its strength.

Under heavy shelling, it was difficult for the French army to hold on, so they had to abandon Highland 47 and retreat to the southwest of the highland.

However, although the British army regained the 47th Heights, they have been under the fierce attack of the Luftwaffe, unable to concentrate on using the armored forces they left around Dover, and cannot exert the huge assault power of the armored forces.

Due to the high-density bombing by German bombers, the British army can generally only use 200 infantry and 15 to 20 tanks to form a small battle group for a short attack, and it is difficult to win. In addition, their tank losses have reached about There are 100 vehicles, and they cannot be replenished.

Then, the British army, who was late to drive the French army back to the sea, discovered that a large number of German transport ships had sent a second wave of reinforcements-a large number of soldiers in gray Norwegian uniforms!

Due to the large amount of artillery support provided by the German Navy, the British Army did not gain an advantage in artillery battles along the beach for almost a moment.And if they continue, their losses will be even greater!

In order to ensure that London is safe, Churchill had to order to abandon some coastal positions in Dover, and withdraw 900 of Dover's 700 tanks to the suburbs south of London. Let's start a confrontation.

What played a key role in breaking the confrontation was the German airborne troops.They played a very important role in this landing combat mission, which is why the French and Italians were willing to be the first wave of cannon fodder.

The task of the German paratroopers was to land on both sides of the landing beach at a shallow depth of 10 to 15 kilometers from the coast, go deep into the enemy's rear, prevent the reinforcements of the enemy's reserve force, and attack the British coastal defense positions from the side and rear to cooperate with the sea landing.

However, because in the first 1-2 days, the Allies only landed 3 semi-infantry divisions provided by France and Norway, and the armored divisions were put into combat only after a large landing field for the armored divisions was established.

Both sides are very clear that if the British army can break through the defense line of the landing force before the armored force lands, it will bring disaster to the landing.Therefore, the actions of the German airborne troops are very important in the early stage of landing!

The German 1st Airborne Division was the first to enter combat operations.As early as 00:16 midnight, they were dropped on the left flank of the landing area. Their goal was to seize the bridge near the left flank of Garver to prevent the British armored forces from going to the coast to support them.

German paratroopers quickly captured the bridges and managed to hold them until the landing commandos arrived later that day.The objective of this operation also included the capture of the bunker on the right wing of Jay Falls.Although the bunker was not destroyed, after the battle, all but 6 British troops in the bunker suffered casualties.

In contrast, the 2nd and 3rd Airborne Divisions of the German Army were not so lucky.Due to the inexperienced navigator and the complicated ground situation, coupled with the interception of British artillery fire, the troops were scattered everywhere.Some paratroopers unfortunately landed in the sea or in low-lying areas inland that were deliberately flooded by the Germans. Many were drowned in knee-deep water due to heavy equipment.

After 24 hours, the 3000nd Airborne Division had only assembled about [-] people.

However, from an overall strategic point of view, the German army can be said to have been a blessing in disguise.Paratroopers were dropped across the Dover area, throwing the British army into chaos.The paratroopers fought on their own, dispersed the forces of the British army, and achieved considerable results.

And they caused the British commander to greatly overestimate the number of paratroopers, mobilize more unnecessary troops, and largely disperse the pressure on the beach landing field.Many paratroopers fought alone behind enemy lines for many days after D-Day.

The 3rd Airborne Division, Wren's new airborne division (Wren's infantry squad was not on this mission), captured the offshore town of Dover on the morning of the 24th, and the town became the entire The British Empire, the first town to be occupied by the Third Reich.

Despite the many problems of the German airborne, it still achieved great success, which shows that Reinhardt's point of view is correct.The airborne German army seized crucial transportation hubs, bridges, and beach accesses during the initial period of landing, destroyed the British artillery positions, undermined the stability of the British army's defense, and restrained the British army's reserve forces. The British army is in a passive situation.Conditions were created for the victory of the landing.

As soon as the German army landed on the south coast of Dover, it was in full swing, conquering many British defensive positions one after another, and Churchill was also very annoyed by this.

"Prime Minister, the Dover war zone is tight. Do we need to send an armored regiment from the outskirts of London to support it?" Churchill's colonel and staff officer suggested in a low voice.

"Oh? Do you think our frontline defense force is not enough? Or do you think our army is not enough to resist the German attack?" Churchill asked lightly, with an unquestionable look.

A drop of cold sweat ran down the staff officer's cheek.

"Hey, the Prime Minister's mood has been getting worse and worse these two days." The staff officer thought silently in his heart.

As a staff officer for Fatty Qiu these days, you have to be cautious, for fear that if you are not careful, you will be told by the angry Fatty Qiu that you are a German spy, and you will lose your life.

"Ah, no," the staff officer hurriedly replied: "Prime Minister, that's not what I mean, and I don't think our army is no match for the German army. I just want to ask you if you need to send more people to ensure nothing goes wrong."

"Colonel, I know what you mean, but do you think that the Germans will be able to successfully launch a general offensive from Dover?" Churchill squinted his eyes, looking unpredictable.

"This, isn't it like this, the German army has such an obvious strategic tendency..." Churchill immediately interrupted the staff before he could finish speaking.

"Colonel, tell me what month it is?" Churchill said casually.

"Hey, why did the Prime Minister ask this question so suddenly, but since it was Churchill who asked, I will answer it directly." The staff officer was puzzled in his heart, but he still replied immediately: "It's March."

Seeing that the staff was still looking the same, Churchill continued with a bewildered expression, "What will happen to the English Channel at that time?"

"March... Oh! I know! Prime Minister!" The staff suddenly realized.

The British all know that around March every year, the English Channel is always full of strong winds and rough waves, making it difficult for ships to sail.

Body 5 Chapter [-] Landing

(Please refresh and watch after an hour, sorry, sorry, sorry)

On March 1941, 3, the time to land in the UK had arrived, and the German High Seas Fleet was dispatched in full force. After converging six battleships sent by Italy and France, they marched towards the south coast of the British Island together.

In addition, the German Air Force sent 600 FW190s to depart from the land airport, and the rest of the fighters also took off from the aircraft carrier, flying from south to north to their destinations.

They were followed by 500 Stuka bombers and 180 transport planes full of paratroopers.

In the first batch alone, the German army invested 12 troops in combat.

Since the German army suddenly launched an attack on Britain, the progress was very smooth. The German army concentrated the French and Allied forces that had landed before and launched a fierce attack on Dover. Reinforcements were made to the French at Dover in an attempt to disrupt the British counterattack.

Under the command of the famous French general Weygand, the French landing force dispatched a small group of elite troops to occupy the strategically important Heights 47 southwest of Dover at the risk of casualties.

Although the British army also knew the important value of the 47th highland and organized many counterattacks, they failed to succeed against Wei Gang, the master of defense.

Subsequently, the British army, which had already deployed heavy troops in Dover, quickly concentrated all the artillery fire in its hands and bombarded Highland 47 with all its strength.

Under heavy shelling, it was difficult for the French army to hold on, so they had to abandon Highland 47 and retreat to the southwest of the highland.

However, although the British army regained the 47th Heights, they have been under the fierce attack of the Luftwaffe, unable to concentrate on using the armored forces they left around Dover, and cannot exert the huge assault power of the armored forces.

Due to the high-density bombing by German bombers, the British army can generally only use 200 infantry and 15 to 20 tanks to form a small battle group for a short attack, and it is difficult to win. In addition, their tank losses have reached about There are 100 vehicles, and they cannot be replenished.

Then, the British army, who was late to drive the French army back to the sea, discovered that a large number of German transport ships had sent a second wave of reinforcements-a large number of soldiers in gray Norwegian uniforms!

Due to the large amount of artillery support provided by the German Navy, the British Army did not gain an advantage in artillery battles along the beach for almost a moment.And if they continue, their losses will be even greater!

In order to ensure that London is safe, Churchill had to order to abandon some coastal positions in Dover, and withdraw 900 of Dover's 700 tanks to the suburbs south of London. Let's start a confrontation.

What played a key role in breaking the confrontation was the German airborne troops.They played a very important role in this landing combat mission, which is why the French and Italians were willing to be the first wave of cannon fodder.

The task of the German paratroopers was to land on both sides of the landing beach at a shallow depth of 10 to 15 kilometers from the coast, go deep into the enemy's rear, prevent the reinforcements of the enemy's reserve force, and attack the British coastal defense positions from the side and rear to cooperate with the sea landing.

However, because in the first 1-2 days, the Allies only landed 3 semi-infantry divisions provided by France and Norway, and the armored divisions were put into combat only after a large landing field for the armored divisions was established.

Both sides are very clear that if the British army can break through the defense line of the landing force before the armored force lands, it will bring disaster to the landing.Therefore, the actions of the German airborne troops are very important in the early stage of landing!

The German 1st Airborne Division was the first to enter combat operations.As early as 00:16 midnight, they were dropped on the left flank of the landing area. Their goal was to seize the bridge near the left flank of Garver to prevent the British armored forces from going to the coast to support them.

German paratroopers quickly captured the bridges and managed to hold them until the landing commandos arrived later that day.The objective of this operation also included the capture of the bunker on the right wing of Jay Falls.Although the bunker was not destroyed, after the battle, all but 6 British troops in the bunker suffered casualties.

In contrast, the 2nd and 3rd Airborne Divisions of the German Army were not so lucky.Due to the inexperienced navigator and the complicated ground situation, coupled with the interception of British artillery fire, the troops were scattered everywhere.Some paratroopers unfortunately landed in the sea or in low-lying areas inland that were deliberately flooded by the Germans. Many were drowned in knee-deep water due to heavy equipment.

After 24 hours, the 3000nd Airborne Division had only assembled about [-] people.