Chapter 268: Seizing the Time
The 23rd Infantry Division responded quickly.
Together with the withdrawn Portuguese 6th Cavalry Division and 5th Infantry Division, it moved toward the Salamanca direction and began organizing a warning defense line.
However, the 12th Elite Infantry Division was clearly unwilling to obey orders.
Major General Airel Scheno, commander of the 12th Elite Infantry Division, crushed the urgent telegram from headquarters into a ball.
"Why are we being sent to defend?"
His face was full of anger.
"Just because the armored forces have arrived, we have to hand the credit to them?"
"You want to throw the warriors who achieved victory into a defensive line?"
"Even if the Royal Guard came here personally, I would not give him that face."
Scheno's adjutant was also hot-tempered.
"Major General, I strongly suggest organizing a second round of fierce attacks and capturing Trujillo as quickly as possible."
"That way, more than half of the tungsten mining area will fall into our hands."
"Afterward, we can follow the highway and apply pressure on La Garul, the Spanish Army's supply city."
Scheno nodded in agreement.
"Reply to headquarters."
His tone was hard.
"We do not defend. We only attack."
Although Scheno had disobeyed orders, the combat effectiveness of the 12th Elite Infantry Division was indeed far higher than that of the Spanish Advance Army organizing the defense.
Blessed by continuous victories, the 12th Elite Infantry Division advanced triumphantly.
Cooperating with a small portion of armored forces and a rare advantage in the air, they broke into Trujillo in the early hours of the next day.
Had the German Air Force on the western front not arrived in time, Trujillo might truly have been lost.
Seeing the 12th Elite Infantry Division perform such great deeds, Montgomery could not say much more.
He selectively ignored Scheno's disobedience and did not reply to Hobart.
Only after arriving at the Aranjuez frontline command center did Hobart learn that the 12th Elite Infantry Division had not returned to defend.
When Hobart received this news, he was both helpless and worried.
He was helpless because the 12th Elite Infantry Division, for the sake of tactical advantage, had affected the entire strategic layout.
He was worried because this incident allowed him to understand that the entire expeditionary force was too immersed in its short-term victory.
This was both good and bad.
The good thing was that the soldiers possessed fighting spirit. Their offensive will and resistance were both strong.
The bad thing was that they would overlook certain crucial matters.
Such as defense.
But since matters had already reached this point, Hobart could only capture the Madura District as quickly as possible and ensure that they stayed one step ahead of the Germans.
"Order the 1st and 3rd Armored Divisions to attack Trujillo."
His voice was decisive.
"It would be best to capture Trujillo before nightfall, then bypass the city through the roads on the left and right and complete the encirclement of the entire Madura region."
The adjutant nodded.
"Yes, sir."
On the other side of Trujillo, the attack of the 12th Elite Infantry Division continued.
Bren machine gun carriers poured bullets into the trenches, providing short-term suppressive fire.
One British infantryman after another opened the vehicle doors and rushed toward their designated targets under the incoming rain of bullets.
The platoon leader shouted, "Faster, damn it, faster."
"Fuck, you are a bunch of slow pigs."
"Get behind cover."
Tat-tat-tat.
Czech-made ZB-37 heavy machine guns pierced the fragile walls and tore into the sandbags like deadly snakes burrowing through the desert.
After researching the ZB-37 heavy machine gun, the German Army had not widely equipped it because its barrel replacement was too complicated.
There were many weapons like this, developed but not adopted on a large scale.
Many of them were eyed by Cardolan's foreign trade company.
Machine guns such as the ZB-37, which had good performance and were extremely difficult to imitate, were among them. They were mass-produced in Czech military factories and sold overseas at very high prices.
Spain had been the largest importer over the years.
At present, the Czech military factories had also received a large order from the East.
The British platoon leader lay prone behind the sandbags.
The moment he raised his head, a bullet pierced his steel helmet.
The next second, there was a sharp whistle.
Whoosh.
A rocket accurately struck the Bren machine gun carrier that had been acting as a temporary suppressive fire point.
Its fragile iron plating could not resist the tungsten-alloy-infused iron fist capable of destroying small and medium tanks.
Bang!
The carrier was blown apart.
Its tires flew high into the air, then crashed heavily back to the ground and bounced across the battlefield, like the recurring wars on this scorching land.
Four rockets were fired simultaneously.
Four fire points disappeared at the same time.
Catching sight of this, the British platoon leader cursed, "Damn it."
"The equipment development department is full of shit."
"I still have not received their imitation of the German rocket launchers."
Taking advantage of this gap, the Spanish Advance Army launched a synchronized counterattack.
Tat-tat-tat.
But the moment they raised their heads, two Mk VII light tanks rolled forward. Their BESA machine guns spat fire directly into the trenches.
The mounted howitzers calibrated on the tower, destroying the Advance Army's high-ground fire points with two shots.
Inside the city.
Spanish Advance Army Frontline Command Post.
Herenia, commander of the Spanish 15th Infantry Division responsible for the defense, faced the increasingly fierce British offensive and questioned sharply, "Where is the 2nd Artillery Battalion deployed outside the city?"
"Give the western district two rounds of artillery strikes. British tanks have infiltrated."
"Sir, the 2nd Artillery Battalion was broken through."
The staff officer's voice was tense.
"Two unknown tank units outflanked us from the side."
"The 13th Tank Brigade on the right flank barely managed to fight them to a draw, but the left flank was completely breached."
"The tanks that infiltrated the city first destroyed our artillery positions before entering the urban area."
"When will support arrive?"
Herenia took two deep drags from his cigarette to maintain his composure.
"Where are the 7th Infantry Division and 2nd Panzer Division?"
"The 7th Infantry Division's support is already on the way."
"The 2nd Panzer Division cannot make it."
"Their command post sent a reply ten minutes ago, saying they encountered two armored units, one Portuguese and one British."
This string of bad news made Herenia frown deeply.
"When will the Germans arrive?"
"Where is our main attacking force?"
"There is no main attacking force, Mr. Herenia."
The adjutant's answer was bitter.
"The reply from Madrid states that the German Army is organizing a larger counterattack."
"Commander in Chief José wants us to hold out for at least two weeks."
"Two weeks?"
Herenia almost laughed in anger.
"Under these circumstances, I can only defend for nine more days, and that is assuming our supplies are not cut off."
As soon as he finished speaking, a shell exploded on the ground.
Boom!
Sand and gravel showered over Herenia's head.
"Relay this to the German command post."
His voice rose in the roar of artillery fire.
"We do not need Army units. We need air superiority."
"The same air superiority they used against the French."
"Not this current stalemate. Not this air parity that merely deters the British."
Herenia's voice gradually faded amid the continuous thunder of artillery fire.
The German Air Force had not sent much support to the mining area.
As Herenia said, they used a very limited number of aircraft to maintain air parity for the Spanish defense forces.
Although this prevented aerial bombing, it failed to provide the air superiority needed for a counterattack.
It was not that the German Air Force lacked this capability.
On the contrary, they had it.
But this capability was not being used for the Spanish.
Instead, it had been committed to the attack on Porto alongside Manstein's 3rd Armored Division.
.....
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