klisemfg Chapter 242 Street Fighting
Chapter 242 Street Fighting
The German vanguard reached Gabes, a town originally home to just over 1000 households. Except for the soldiers, it was completely deserted. This suited Kuang Zhengqi's purpose perfectly, and he ordered the 34th Division's motorized infantry regiment into the city. At this point, the so-called motorized infantry regiment was even less powerful than a pure infantry regiment. They lacked artillery support, relying only on assigned light weapons, small-caliber mortars, and a small number of rocket launchers. However, these weapons proved highly effective in urban street fighting. Their orders were to utilize everything available within the city to establish street fighting positions. They were issued a large number of mines, hand grenades, Molotov cocktails, and even flamethrowers. With this equipment, they were confident enough to engage the Germans at close range.
Von Arnim was no fool, having suffered many losses in Egypt. He did not order his troops to attack Gabes immediately, but instead ordered an immediate breakthrough along the outskirts of the city, trying to break through the Chinese army's defense line from this direction.
"Boom-boom-boom!" the 240mm cannon immediately opened fire on the attacking Germans. Whether it was the Leopard G or the new Tiger, no tank could withstand the heavy artillery fire. More than ten rounds, with a low density and rate of fire, still inflicted fatal damage on the relatively dense German attack. In just over ten minutes, the Germans were forced to retreat, leaving behind several ruined German tanks.
"Damn it! I forgot there's heavy coastal artillery here!" Von Arnim felt a pang of pain as he had to take the small city of Gabes seriously. It seemed that to break through here, they had to capture Gabes and eliminate the hidden danger of the enemy's heavy coastal artillery.
A grenadier regiment immediately moved rapidly into the city, forcing them to traverse the narrow streets and attack the heavy coastal artillery positions in the port area. However, they were unaware that these heavy coastal artillery pieces were not fixed positions, but rather artillery from the British garrison regiment. Under Kuang Zhengqi's instructions, the artillery had been deployed and positioned behind a small hill outside Gabès. Meanwhile, in the port area were the rest of the British regiment's forces, including twelve 12mm anti-aircraft guns. These guns had been adjusted to direct fire, making them the most lethal weapon against the German grenadiers' three-wheeled vehicles and armored vehicles.
The commander of the 34th Division immediately split his troops into two groups when he saw the Germans enter Gabes. One group went straight to the port area, while the other group advanced towards him. He laughed to himself, thinking that this was even better. With my own regiment, I could wipe out your entire battalion. If I couldn't defeat them, that would be a joke.
"Order the troops in front not to expose themselves, and let the enemy into the city before taking action!" The regiment commander gave the order decisively.
The British anti-aircraft artillery battalion in charge of the port saw the German grenadier column rushing towards them, and after they entered the effective area, they ordered all guns to fire without hesitation.
"Boom boom boom--", the anti-aircraft guns fired rapidly at the German grenade formations in progress. These 37mm shells, which were originally used to attack aircraft, with the support of the 56x scope, easily penetrated the armor of the German armored vehicles like meteors. Violent explosions occurred instantly. Several armored vehicles had exploded, were thrown into the air, and then turned into a ball of fire and fell to the ground.
Seeing the bad situation, several Type 4 anti-tank vehicles quickly turned around to seek shelter. However, no matter how fast they were, they could not be faster than the artillery shells, especially the anti-aircraft guns that were specially equipped with armor-piercing shells to target them. In a burst of dazzling fire, the entire 12-vehicle assault team of the German Grenadier Regiment that was at the forefront was completely wiped out.
The German commander was shocked and quickly ordered the troops behind him to stop and seek cover on the spot. He ordered the infantry to dismount and began to fire MG43 general-purpose machine guns fiercely in an attempt to suppress the firepower of the British anti-aircraft artillery. At the same time, he reported to his superiors that he had been hit by local anti-aircraft artillery and requested tank reinforcements.
A support column of seven Tiger tanks immediately drove over, and at the same time, the already set up German support artillery also began to bombard the port area.
The German battalion entering Gabès was also ordered to quickly penetrate the city and attack the enemy's rear in the port area. However, they did not realize that they had entered a Chinese ambush. Seeing that the German troops had been completely surrounded, the regimental commander immediately ordered the battalions and companies to open fire.
"Boom boom boom——", "Da da da——", "Tu tu tu——"
The Chinese army's various firepower rushed towards the German camp in the city of Gabes. Under the firepower attack that was several times greater than their own, the German half-track armored vehicles and three-wheeled motorcycles caught fire one after another. The soldiers had to flee from these deadly mechanical equipment, hiding in corners and ditches, and some even climbed over the wall to enter the nearby houses. However, they still didn't know that the cold muzzles of guns were already pointed at them in the house. After a short burst of secondary gunfire, all the German soldiers who climbed over the wall were wiped out.
The German grenadiers were not to be trifled with. They quickly calmed down and began to fight back. The sound of MG43 machine guns sawing wood was heard. Some experienced German soldiers used long-handled grenades to clear the way and quickly attacked the nearest houses. They seized several houses and fought for them one by one along the house, trying to break through the encirclement.
This was the first time the Chinese army encountered such well-trained German troops. Their decisive actions and effective coordination made it difficult for the Chinese army to resist. They even expanded their territory and formed a confrontation with the 34th Division.
The regimental commander's heart sank. This was completely different from the Japanese. Their tactics for dealing with them were simply not enough. An entire regiment, in ambush, was pinned down by a battalion of German troops. He truly didn't know where to put his face. Furious, the regimental commander grabbed the Thompson submachine gun from the guard beside him, turned around, and charged forward.
The commander of the second battalion was furious at a company commander, yelling, "What the hell is that in your hand? A few German soldiers actually broke through your entire platoon. What the hell are you commanding?"
The regimental commander rushed over and shouted, "Enough! Stop yelling! Come with me! I don't believe these Germans are made of iron and can't be killed!"
Under the personal leadership of the regimental commander, the 2nd Battalion quickly secured its position. After killing several German soldiers in the forefront, the entire battalion began an orderly counterattack. The regimental commander shouted to the soldiers: "Lead the way with grenades, charge forward with machine guns and submachine guns, and alternate between providing cover. Move quickly!"
The Chinese, with their superior numbers and firepower, gradually pushed the Germans into a dead end. Only 20 or 30 Germans remained, using broken walls and rubble to resist. Several machine guns blocked the Chinese assault route. Several mortar artillerymen quickly arrived, set up their mortars, and "boom—boom—" two shells flew past.