Chapter 271: Imitation
However, the commander of Germany's 16th Infantry Division was no fool.
Division Commander Halka Riel, who had been promoted from the Street Fighting Blood Wolves, saw through the British objective almost immediately.
He knew that Salamanca was about to face a battle for the city.
That meant every available force had to be preserved.
After receiving authorization from Manstein, Halka quickly ordered the entire Spanish Advance Army to retreat back into the city, avoiding unnecessary casualties in the open.
Using their rifle muzzles as silent persuasion, the German troops semi-forced the Spanish populace to help construct defensive strongholds.
Because they lacked sufficient mines, they spent the entire night setting up booby traps and concealed firing points in every small alley.
Many private homes were forcibly emptied.
The populace could only sigh in dismay.
But this was the price they had to pay.
Sailors on the same boat could not expect to remain untouched while enjoying benefits under the banner of Germany's ally.
Early the next morning, just as Manstein launched his second round of heavy assault on Santarém, the British 12th Elite Infantry Division began its battle for Salamanca.
Unlike the ease they had experienced in Trujillo, this time they faced a truly hard opponent.
Bang!
Mortar fire struck the makeshift defensive position, kicking up dust and smoke everywhere.
Elmon chewed on his wad of tobacco, gripped his Lee Enfield rifle, and slowly poked his head out from behind the sandbags.
Almost instantly, a crossfire net formed by MG 42 general purpose machine guns on both sides rained bullets over his head.
A ricocheting bullet grazed the corner of his eye, staining his vision crimson.
"This is fucking deadly."
Pressing his back tightly against the sandbags, afraid to expose even the smallest gap, Elmon took two deep breaths.
He pulled out emergency gauze, wrapped it several times around the corner of his eye, then ordered the radioman beside him, "First, notify the infantry tank to come over for fire suppression."
No sooner had he spoken than an infantry tank drove forward along the rutted road.
Its turret mounted 40 mm cannon struck the firing point dead center.
When the black smoke cleared, the window of the small building had disappeared.
In its place was a man sized hole, and half a human torso could be seen inside.
"Quick, quick, quick."
Elmon shouted, "Take that building immediately."
Watching the infantry tank slowly turn and use its machine gun to suppress the last German firing point on the right, Elmon held his rifle and led the squad to the entrance of the small building.
A young soldier, blood rushing to his head and his mind swallowed by adrenaline, was about to lift his leg and charge in.
Elmon yanked him back at once.
"Fuck. Are you trying to die?"
He pointed toward the ground and cursed, "How many times do I have to repeat myself?"
A thin wire glowed faintly beneath the sunlight.
Elmon continued, "Get over here."
His calloused hand abruptly dragged the young soldier to his side.
A few seconds later, bullets hammered into the floor.
Rat-a-tat-tat.
"Grenades ready."
Elmon raised his hand.
"Throw."
Several grenades exploded simultaneously inside the house.
Using this gap, Elmon drew his pistol and fired suppressive shots while signaling an experienced infantryman to quickly disarm the booby trap.
Half a minute later, the smoke cleared.
The squad hugged the cover and looked up along the winding wooden staircase.
A pitch black grenade tumbled onto the floor.
"Scatter."
In the brief instant before the grenade exploded, Elmon mustered his courage and kicked it away.
Boom!
Shrapnel tore into his calf.
Bright red blood streamed out uncontrollably.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, he crawled toward cover.
But in the next second, fire poured down from above and riddled his entire leg with holes.
His blood dragged across the dusty floor, smearing it evenly.
"Shit. Fuck."
A scorching pain burned through Elmon's nerves.
Seeing their squad leader struck down, the young soldier went mad.
He hoisted a Lewis machine gun and sprayed the stairwell.
Spent casings struck the ground with a loud ticking sound.
Following the pendulum like rhythm of the battlefield, Elmon's vision gradually blurred.
When he opened his eyes again, it was already night.
The first wave of assault had ended.
There was no one beside him except the medic.
A tearing pain came from the side of his thigh.
Before he could lift the blanket to check, the medic stopped him.
"I would not advise lifting the blanket, Squad Leader Elmon."
"You will not be able to bear it."
"Where are my men?"
Realizing something, Elmon asked in a hoarse voice.
"They all died."
The medic's voice was low.
"Their sacrifice was worth it. We successfully captured Objective Three."
"But…"
"At dusk, German tanks counterattacked."
"They took Objective Three back."
Telegrams reporting the crisis in Santarém were stacked on Hobart's desk.
Only then did Hobart realize that the German Army, which possessed extensive experience in siege warfare, had also accumulated ample experience in defensive battles.
Taking Salamanca in a short period of time was essentially impossible.
Should they retreat?
This thought circled in Hobart's mind for only a moment before he rejected it.
Retreat was impossible.
Once an attack began, there was no stopping it.
However, perhaps they could approach the situation from another angle.
"Notify all infantry divisions to continue the siege."
Hobart's voice was steady.
"The 1st and 3rd Armored Divisions are to withdraw completely from Salamanca immediately."
The adjutant was puzzled.
"Sir, this will further slow our attack on Salamanca."
"And right now, the German Army is attacking in the Santarém direction."
"I am not retreating."
Hobart looked up.
"I intend to use the high mobility of the 1st and 3rd Armored Divisions to attack a second objective."
"Right now, the defensive attention of Germany and Spain is completely focused on Salamanca."
"They absolutely will not expect us to launch an attack in another direction toward Madrid just as the Battle of Salamanca has begun."
Hobart had evaluated intelligence from all sides before making this decision.
There were almost no enemy Army units in the areas surrounding Salamanca.
This provided the 1st and 3rd Armored Divisions an opportunity to conduct rapid warfare.
The German Army could remain calm about the attack on Salamanca.
But Hobart refused to believe that if Madrid itself was in danger, they could still focus solely on attacking Lisbon.
"Send a telegram to the Air Force."
His tone grew firm.
"Demand that they cease bombing the city of Salamanca and instead cooperate with the armored forces in a coordinated attack."
"The Germans were certainly startled by our attack on Salamanca."
"But they will not realize that my courage is no less than Manstein's."
"Yes, sir."
After thinking for a moment, the adjutant nodded.
This order reminded him of a tactic often used by Germany.
But now, they were no longer the ones forced to choose whether to protect the head or the tail.
.....
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