CHAPTER 687: CHAPTER 687: FOOLED BY SHIRE AGAIN

The battle of Mezieres was almost one-sided.

Admiral Nicholas’ attempt to block the French Army tank units in the forest failed completely.

This was partly due to weapons, as the First Armored Army was equipped with many "Saint Etienne 2" light machine guns and submachine guns, which were well-suited for jungle close combat.

But the real reason for the German Army’s defeat was not this, but rather the thousands of engineers busy opening warehouses and unloading goods in the Arden Mountains, who were scared by the tanks at the first moment, fleeing like headless flies. Many of them didn’t have weapons, so there was no chance of fighting back.

This caused the regular army arriving for reinforcement to be overwhelmed by the sight of fleeing people, unable to distinguish friend from foe.

The fleeing cars were everywhere, some crashing into tree trunks, hurling the drivers along with shattered glass, others igniting their fuel tanks and catching fire while still speeding away, and some of them crushing their comrades under their wheels, ultimately disrupting the German defense lines.

The forest was chaotic, with panic-stricken cries and screams even drowning out the sounds of tank engines and gunfire.

Admiral Nicholas, bringing reinforcements, hadn’t yet reached the destination when he saw a black mass of fleeing soldiers escaping from the forest edge from a distance, with gunfire and explosions continuously emerging from the dense woods behind them, sometimes even with flashes of fire.

If it weren’t winter just past making the land damp, it could have sparked a forest fire.

Shortly, tanks were seen slowly emerging from the forest, followed by a squad of French Army behind each tank. They were continuously shooting their weapons, like target practice, knocking down fleeing German soldiers one after another into pools of blood.

The tanks, like tigers freed from cages, accelerated in pursuit of the fleeing soldiers.

Admiral Nicholas realized his plan had failed; the forest couldn’t block the enemy. He decisively ordered sharply, "Retreat, retreat into the city to organize defenses!"

Stay calm, Admiral Nicholas told himself, tanks are also not suited for urban combat.

He had already thought of it on his way back to the city:

He should disperse the troops in residential buildings and prepare grenades and explosive packages to blow up the tanks.

The French Army would be concerned about harming civilians and hesitate, easily leading to a stalemate and a war of attrition.

And this was advantageous for the German Army.

But Admiral Nicholas overlooked one point: Mezieres is a French city, with many guerrilla fighters lurking within, and civilians would seize the opportunity to rebel when hearing gunfire.

As a result, Admiral Nicholas hadn’t returned to the city before hearing gunfire and seeing smoke billowing from the city.

"What’s the situation?" Admiral Nicholas asked, feeling a sense of unease.

"General." The communication soldier reported, "It’s the guerrillas and civilian uprising. They are burning their houses to spread the fire to our camps and warehouses."

Admiral Nicholas was dumbfounded. This was indeed a good method to bewilder the German Army and could be done easily.

After a moment of pause, Nicholas hurriedly ordered, "Train station, secure the train station."

The train station stored a large amount of supplies, including munitions and gasoline bound for the front line. If they fell into enemy hands, they would become enemy resources.

But everything was too late, the communication soldier reported with terror in his eyes, "General, the guerrillas have already taken the train station!"

Admiral Nicholas felt a wave of darkness, it was over, everything was over, the French Army had everything they needed!

"Your orders, General?" The staff officer looked anxiously towards the forest, where French Army tanks were pressing closer step by step.

Admiral Nicholas glanced back at the pursuers with a helpless expression, "Abandon the city, across the river, and organize defenses along the river!"

"Yes, General."

Under Admiral Nicholas’ leadership, the German Army crossed the Meuse River and blew up the bridge.

Only then did they finally gain a little breathing space.

Across the river, the citizens of Mezieres welcomed the French Army into the city with cheers.

When they heard this unit was Shire’s First Armored Army, they were even more ecstatic:

"God, it’s Shire’s unit, the First Armored Army, they actually crossed the Arden Mountains? How did they do it!"

"Because it’s Shire’s unit, Shire can accomplish everything others can’t imagine."

"So we are safe, unbelievable, this is not just a transition but liberation, complete liberation!"

...

Many civilians worried that the French Army’s attack was just a small-scale offensive, which would quickly retreat after capturing the area, given that this was deep within the German control zone.

But knowing it was Shire’s First Armored Army, they firmly believed the Germans would completely lose control over Mezieres.

Because Shire’s unit had never lost a battle, nor had they ever given up any reclaimed land!

This was Shire’s influence, wherever he went, he brought morale and confidence to troops and civilians alike.

...

Berlin Wilhelm Street, German Army General Staff Headquarters.

When the intel reached Fajin Han’s desk, he was nearly scared stupid, staying frozen in his chair for two whole minutes without a reaction.

Awakened by Colonel Moritz’s calls, he suddenly came to his senses, asking with an incredulous expression, "Why is Shire’s Armored Army present in Mezieres? Was it not always in Namur?"

"General, we might have been deceived by Shire." Colonel Moritz showed a hint of embarrassment in his eyes, "Again."

"What do you mean?" Fajin Han still didn’t understand.

Because fearing Shire’s attack on Liege Fortress, his spies and informants had been constantly watching Shire’s units.

Colonel Moritz pointed to the map and explained, "Shire’s intention to attack Liege Fortress was just a ruse, aimed at making us focus on Liege Fortress. Shire’s First Armored Army is not in Namur, it’s likely the First Specialized Artillery Division of the Sixth Army Group in Namur."

Fajin Han felt a wave of dizziness.

Shire, that scoundrel, had deceived him once again, and so thoroughly.

Gathering his thoughts, Fajin Han issued two orders hysterically:

"Withdraw the troops, all troops, withdraw from the encirclement with the fastest speed."

"Send reinforcements, block Shire’s units in Mezieres at all costs!"

The Allies could no longer bear another large-scale "encirclement and annihilation", especially since this time the troops in the encirclement at least numbered four hundred thousand.

If they were surrounded and taken by Shire, the battle would end in the collapse of the Allies.

At this moment, a communication soldier reported, "General, Shire’s bombers took off from Charleroi, crossed the Arden Mountains to bomb the railways and roads near Mezieres, making it difficult for our forces to reinforce."

Fajin Han frowned tightly and closed his eyes powerlessly, seemingly unwilling and afraid to face this situation.

He realized one thing: even if the main force could successfully break through, they would still be severely damaged by Shire.