klisemfg Chapter 261 1 leak
Chapter 261 1 leak
After defeating the current German 114th Division, Zhang Lingpu's 17th Army planned to advance northwest to find and destroy the German transportation lines. However, on the way, he received an alert from the British Air Force that 50 kilometers ahead of him, a German heavy tank unit was slowly approaching. This German tank unit had at least one division. Once the armored forces of the 114th Army encountered them, they would face a devastating disaster.
Kuang Zhengqi and others also received the early warning, which meant that the second main force of the German army had crossed the desert area northwest of Jordan and Iraq in advance, making the situation even more unfavorable for the 2nd Army. At that time, the 2nd Army had only about 12 troops, and without heavy tanks, it had only about 700 tanks of various types.
Of course, the opponent, the German 1st Tank Army, was also a streamlined organization. It had no heavy tanks and only had three armies under its command. The number of tanks was about 3, and many of them were German-made improved versions of the Type 1200 tank and captured American and British tanks. The 4nd Army was still confident that it could fight them.
Kuang Zhengqi originally thought that it would take at least three to five days for the German heavy tanks to cross the desert area. He had time to engage with the German army here, find an opportunity to eat up some of the enemy, and then cross the Euphrates River to the east and retreat to the swamp area of the Hanje and Diwaniya river network. By delaying the German army for a period of time, he could achieve the war zone plan.
The sudden appearance of the German heavy tank unit meant that the original plan could no longer be realized. The 2nd Army had to immediately withdraw from this line and quickly deploy to Hanj and Diwaniyah. In addition, a part of the main force had to move quickly south to garrison Samawah, which was the only way for the German army to attack Basra from the south!
Without hesitation, Kuang Zhengqi ordered Zhang Lingpu's 114th Army to abandon operations in the direction of Hisessa, avoid any entanglement with the Germans, and march southward, aiming to reach Samawa within a day and establish a defense line there. Kuang Zhengqi's order to Zhang Lingpu was: No matter what, defend Samawa until reinforcements arrived!
At the same time, he ordered Pu Zhengsong in Najaf to try to hold Najaf for two days to prevent the German army from crossing the Euphrates River in large numbers. Pu Zhengsong only had the 13th and 17th Mechanized Brigades, but Kuang Zhengqi believed that these two brigades, which had grown up in the bloody battle of Gabes, should be able to hold out for two days.
Kuang Zhengqi immediately issued orders to the 47th Army and the 11th and 37th Divisions, ordering them to use the pontoon bridge secretly built on the banks of the Khanmahad River in batches to cross the Euphrates River and advance towards Hanjie and Diwaniya.
The 47th Army pretended to be defeated and retreated. As planned, the German 3rd Tank Army did not pursue it. Instead, it withdrew troops to support von Bormann's 17th Division. On the way, it encountered Zhang Lingpu's 114th Army, which was rushing south. After a brief exchange of fire, the two sides went to their respective goals.
At this time, the commander of the 3rd Tank Army, Weidmann, received an urgent order from Commander Hoepner: The vanguard of the 3rd Army had already crossed the desert, and the 3rd Army must contain the Chinese troops in Khan Mahad! He was leading the 5th Panzer Army back, and they would attack from two fronts, encircling and annihilating the Chinese troops here!
The German 3rd Tank Army suddenly turned back and launched a powerful attack on Kuang Zhengqi's troops in Khan Mahad. The 5th Panzer Army, which had originally rushed towards Najaf, also turned back and headed straight for the valley. This sudden and fierce attack caught the 2nd Army off guard.
Kuang Zhengqi was terrified. He didn't dare engage the Germans here. The Second Army had to leap across the river, quickly reaching Hanjie and Diwaniyah, where they could exploit the river network to delay the Germans. Knowing time was running out, he left no room for hesitation. He immediately gave the order: "2th Division, 11th Division, and all tank destroyer units, cross the river immediately!"
Kuang Zhengqi and his direct team stayed behind, as well as the 84th Mechanized Brigade. They had to defend the valley to buy time for the troops to cross the river.
Meanwhile, the 47th Army was desperately trying to break free from the Germans and move towards the pontoon bridge, hoping to quickly retreat to the other side of the river. However, the Germans' two-pronged assault was extremely fast, and the 47th Army's British tanks were now tightly entangled by the Germans, making it difficult to escape.
The situation grew increasingly dire. Several hills in the valley were now covered in German artillery fire, filling the air with smoke and flames. Kuang Zhengqi had never faced such a difficult situation since he led his troops into the African battlefield. Always composed, he couldn't help but shout at his chief of staff, "Have they contacted the US and British air forces? Where are they?"
The US and British air forces were now rushing in at full speed, fully aware that the Chinese army was in dire straits and needed to go all out to rescue it. Wedemeyer even issued a direct order to the US Air Force in Iraq: even if it meant losing all its aircraft, they must ensure the safe withdrawal of the Chinese army to the other side of the Euphrates River.
The tide of battle shifted rapidly. In less than 30 minutes, the Germans had already captured some of the hills in the valley. The Second Army's direct troops and the 2th Regiment were understrength, while the enemy's firepower was exceptionally fierce. The Germans had discovered the Chinese pontoon bridge on the riverbank and were determined not to miss this opportunity. Hoepner even intended to seize the bridge in order to directly cross the Euphrates and launch a deep assault.
The sound of gunfire and shouts of killing intertwined, deafening. Kuang Zhengqi and the members of the headquarters also distributed guns, their faces filled with determination and resoluteness, ready to engage in a final, life-or-death struggle with the enemy.
Suddenly, countless black shadows appeared in the sky, followed by a huge roar. Then, bombs fell on the German army. Some fighter planes even lowered their planes to an altitude of less than 200 meters from the ground. The machine guns fired without mercy, hitting any target of the German army.
Kuang Zhengqi finally breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, the 47th Army, under the desperate fighting of the tank division, finally broke through the German encirclement. Seeing this, the US Air Force immediately rushed up and created a buffer zone between the two armies, giving the 47th Army a favorable opportunity to escape from the German army.
After the last armored unit crossed the Euphrates River, Kuang Zhengqi and the blocking troops evacuated the valley in an orderly manner. They were too late to blow up the pontoon bridge. The second batch of British bombers that arrived dropped countless bombs here.
Frustrated by his failure to capture the main force of the 2nd Army, Hoepner ordered the 1st Tank Army to launch an all-out attack on Najaf and Kufe. Faced with the relentless German offensive, the 13th and 17th Brigades ultimately failed to fulfill Kuang Zhengqi's order to hold out for two days. Almost simultaneously, the Germans had already begun constructing pontoon bridges across the river at various locations. American and British aircraft were also blocked by German aircraft, preventing them from launching air strikes against the Germans. Pu Zhengsong was forced to evacuate Najaf with the remnants of the 13th and 17th Brigades with regret.