nycdaug Chapter 317: Battle for the Town
Chapter 317: Battle for the Town
"Boom——" another grenade exploded nearby. The small church collapsed under the impact, splashing a layer of ash that covered everything around it.
"Damn it, such an accurate shot!", the Special Operations Regiment's battalion commander, Luo Gewu, cursed. A sergeant nearby came over, took in the battalion commander's pale face, and laughed out loud.
Captain Luo angrily scolded, "What are you laughing at? Get out of this damn place!"
The battalion headquarters quickly moved, stopping in front of a dirt slope in the woods. A second lieutenant, who looked like a communications officer, set up his gun scope and observed the trajectory of the incoming German grenades. He shouted to a sergeant who was recording them, "Northwest, 012, 018, altitude 2000, enemy howitzer position, expected three 152mm howitzers."
The sergeant took notes while another staff sergeant opened a map, located the trackpoint, picked up his walkie-talkie, and began calling nearby aircraft and helicopters. Less than a minute later, two US P-18 fighter-bombers roared in, dropping bombs in rapid succession. Deafening explosions echoed from the suspected location, filling the air with smoke. Shortly thereafter, two attack helicopters flew low. One H-1B fired two rockets in quick succession, while the other H-1A, after its rockets exploded, charged forward, unleashing a barrage of machine gun fire.
"The enemy's howitzer array has been destroyed, the enemy's artillery array has been destroyed!" The helicopter kept replying and flew towards another attack area.
Battalion Commander Luo waved to a lieutenant in the distance, and under his command, a dozen soldiers began advancing in twos and threes in battle formation. Suddenly, from the attic of a traditional French building, a German MG42 machine gun unleashed a wood-ripping roar. A gust of dirt and debris swirled around the advancing group of soldiers. Two soldiers were shot and fell to the ground, one of them screaming heartbreakingly.
The surrounding soldiers immediately took cover and continued to fight back. The lieutenant shouted, "Rocket launchers, hurry, kill the enemy!" A sergeant, who seemed to be the squad leader, also shouted to the back, "Medic! Medical! Someone's injured. Hurry! Hurry!"
"Boom-boom--", two rockets immediately blew up the building. In a cloud of gray fog, the medical soldier rushed forward regardless of everything to treat the injured soldiers. However, after a brief examination, he shook his head at the sergeant and lieutenant who followed behind him. Obviously, the soldiers had died due to serious injuries.
The sergeant went crazy. The two soldiers who died were his own men. He waved to the other soldiers in the squad, and they bravely rushed forward...
The helicopters, due to insufficient motor output, could not carry more people or tow heavy artillery. After exhausting all their ammunition, the two helicopters had to return. Captain Luo and his men had already occupied most of the town, but the Germans still resisted stubbornly. Not far away, the sound of German tank engines could be heard.
"Damn it!" Hidden in a hillside spot, Special Operations Regiment Commander Wang Qiang punched a nearby pine tree. The throbbing pain brought him back to his senses. He called to the signalman beside him, "Order the 1st Battalion to suspend the attack and establish defenses. The enemy tanks are already approaching. Don't make any unnecessary sacrifices!"
"Calling headquarters, we need more support. A German armored regiment has arrived in Contaverosi. Tanks, we need to continue the tank support!"
At the Utah landing point, another division of the 113th Army had already landed. Over a dozen helicopters were providing cover as they cleared out the remaining enemy forces. The landing area was expanding at a visible rate. Even the arrival of German reinforcements wouldn't have dislodged the Allied landing forces. Receiving an urgent order from headquarters, the commander of the 205th Division immediately ordered his tank regiment and an infantry battalion to form a formation and march towards the town of Contaverosi, more than ten kilometers away. Prior to him, a tank company from the 204th Division had already departed and was expected to have arrived nearby.
The reality was harsh. The 204th Division's tank company, about three kilometers from the town, was pinned down by an unknown German force. Having lost three of their fourteen tanks, they were still unable to break through the enemy's blocking position. The captain, listening to increasingly forceful orders from his superiors and watching his burning comrades, his eyes reddened. He leaped from the command vehicle, grabbed an M3 submachine gun, and, along with several other soldiers, resolutely charged the German blocking position.
"Boom!" A tank blew away a machine gun in front of Captain Luo with one shot. The two soldiers were obviously killed in the battle. The German Panther King tank revealed its huge body and pounced fiercely on Captain Luo and others.
"Retreat!" Captain Luo immediately ordered the surrounding soldiers to evacuate. What a joke! Without heavy weapons, the airborne regiment would be willing to die if they took on the German tanks. The regimental commander on the hillside watched the town being lost bit by bit, his eyes blazing with anger.
"Where are the tanks? Tanks, tanks!"
Two more fighter planes roared in, and under the guidance of Captain Luo and his men on the ground, they bombarded the German positions again, leaving behind a burst of fire and smoke, and then they flew away again. Captain Luo and his men took advantage of this rare opportunity to consolidate their positions and plant some anti-tank explosives.
Sure enough, after the planes flew away, two German tanks led the charge again towards Captain Luo and his men. This time, the lead tank unfortunately ran over an anti-tank mine. Although the huge explosion didn't destroy the tank directly, it did rip the tracks off the Panther King. Seeing the opportunity, Captain Luo and his men immediately concentrated their firepower to block the tanks' path, denying the enemy a chance to repair them. A small group of demolition soldiers used simple Molotov cocktails to throw at the immobilized German tanks. In an instant, the German tanks burst into flames. The German tankers tried to open the lids and escape, but were riddled with bullets.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the German tanks behind quickly retreated. With the explosion of the ignited tank, Captain Luo's battalion got a brief opportunity.
"Second Battalion, go!" The regimental commander saw the opportunity and immediately called the Second Battalion to follow and form a corner with the First Battalion. The special operations regiment finally stabilized its position and formed a confrontation with the German army in the town of Contaverosi!
Mountbatten received word of a successful landing at the Utah landing zone, and the 4th Canadian Army on Gold Beach had also gained ground. With progress already made in four of the five landing zones, and a serious vulnerability in the German defenses, General Wallace signaled to him that it was time to organize a second Omaha landing. At Mountbatten's nod, more than a dozen battleships lined up and, heading for the Omaha coast, launched another thunderous attack.