185 Krakow

Compared with the deep-rooted inferiority complex of the navy, most of the German generals at this moment have a heart of revenge that is shameful. (First appearance) They were convinced that they were not defeated in the First World War, but were betrayed by a few traitorous politicians.

So this time the Polish war gave them a chance for revenge—a different chance than the armed entry into the Rhineland; a different chance to annex Czechoslovakia and Austria; a different chance to accept Hungary's surrender.

"Boom!" A 150mm caliber field howitzer roared. Several German artillerymen covered their ears and watched the dazzling flames spew out of the muzzle. They began to clear the gun chamber and use a simple lever mechanism to load the shells. Well, then the gunner closed the breech block and fired the gun again. With a "Boom", another shell roared and flew towards the target.

Not far away, another 150mm cannon also spewed out a plume of smoke, and the airflow blew a small tree of unknown kind not far away to sway from side to side. Next to this artillery position is a small town in Poland. There are several children in the town lying on the wall watching the German soldiers busy loading ammunition and adjusting the angle of the artillery, so that they can kill their own soldiers faster and more accurately. .

The streets of the town are lined with Mercedes-Benz trucks and off-road vehicles. There are even several armored command vehicles belonging to different armies parked. But to say that the most popular among the children in the town are those two beautiful gray-green "color" Panther tanks. From time to time there are children cheering around the tank, as if the subjugation and fall of the country have nothing to do with them.

Here is the general headquarters of the German Army Group D, the front-line command center of Admiral Model. Major General Guderian, the commander of the German First Panzer Corps, is standing in front of Model at this moment, introducing his army's plan of action in northern Krakow.

"General." Guderian pointed to the huge theater map report hanging behind him: "My 1st Armored Division is continuing to attack north of Krakow, the purpose is to cut off the already chaotic Polish Qianshan Army. Supply line on the rear."

He pointed in the other direction and said: "In addition, the 3rd SS Panzer Division is detouring east of Krakow, completely encircling the city and cutting off the southern line of communication in Poland."

"How's the execution going?" Model looked at the map and asked softly. He was an amiable boss who always spoke in a gentle manner. He gave Guderian near-independent power, restraining the head of state only when necessary. confidant lover.

"The 3rd Panzer Division of the SS is here, and it has encountered stubborn resistance here! However, due to the lack of ammunition, the Polish defenders are gradually giving up their defense lines." Guderian pointed to the map and replied: "Excuse my decision, the precious armor should not be used for street fighting in the city. This is the experience of the Spanish Civil War, where sniper teams and grenadiers are more suitable."

"You are right,

General Guderian. Model nodded and handed the report in his hand to Guderian: "Here is the order of the Army Headquarters, they let you continue to attack north, but the order above is to attack where your troops are now. . "

"Sir! If my troops stop now, the Poles may reorganize their defenses! Then when we attack again, we will pay a heavier price than now!"

"So I plan to let you continue to attack!" Model pointed to the vast area behind Krakow and said, "If you can maintain the current attack speed, you can enter the Polish hinterland before the Polish troops arrive."

"Do not attack the Qianshan Legion in the east? Instead, go straight to the north? What do you mean... cooperate with our army in the middle to destroy the Polish Lodz Legion?" Guderian's eyes lit up, if he lost the original target of the battle, he turned to go Fighting the more elite Rhodes Corps will undoubtedly bring him greater military merit.

"Yes, I have slightly modified the attack mission of Army Group D. Your army will take over the attack direction of the original 5th Infantry Army, and the original task of advancing east will be handed over to the 5th Infantry Army to complete." Model nodded. nodded and said.

...

Next to a collapsed building in Krakow, in the middle of a pile of rubble, a German machine gun position was slaughtering the Polish army on the opposite side. The mg42 machine gun made a unique sound similar to that of cloth being torn and shredded. A long, pale red tongue of flame was ejected.

"Bullets! Quickly reload!" the machine gunner shouted loudly. Following his shouts, the two infantrymen stuck their heads out, holding g43 rifles and firing desperately in the direction of the enemy. Two Polish infantrymen who took the opportunity to rush up collapsed in the corner. Krakow is the headquarters of the Polish Krakow Legion, and it is also the only stronghold of the entire legion that is still organized to resist the German army.

The bullets of the machine guns were replaced, the Polish army on the opposite side also retreated, and the battlefield returned to a slight calm. A German medic wearing a white vest with a red cross painted on it hunched over. In the center of the battlefield, the bodies of several Polish soldiers were checked, and they ran back to their own positions.

In line with the few remaining chivalry spirits and respect for international law, both sides are currently trying to avoid attacking the medics. Therefore, the medics could also treat the wounded on both sides in a relatively relaxed environment, and many Polish prisoners survived. But what awaited them was not much better: they were sent to work in concentration camps until they died.

Sometimes the German soldiers on the front line were embarrassed to bully the Polish soldiers on the opposite side. These brave soldiers lost their young lives because of the huge gap in weapons. When hundreds of German snipers and machine gunners slaughtered the Polish defenders, all the Poles could do was slowly return fire with their old-fashioned rifles.

If you count new weapons and equipment such as bazookas and mortars, the Germans surpassed the Poles in every aspect of firepower, so the stubbornly resisting Polish defenders can be described by another word "dying struggle".

The German -217 is now the largest active bomber the Air Force can handle. This terrifying bomber can carry 4,000 kilograms of bombs to its target at an airport 1,000 kilometers away, and these planes fly over cities in swarms When in the sky, it can often directly paralyze the operation of the city.

There are now 40 -217 bombers circling over Krakow, and they dropped their bombs calmly, destroying the targets they could see. The Polish defenders lost the airfield and surrounding roads, leaving only a large number of infantry huddled in the city to stubbornly resist the German attack.

A building collapsed suddenly, and the bomber's bomb destroyed the load-bearing part of the building. With the rubble and gravel splashing around, this long-standing building that lasted for hundreds of years became a pile of ruins. Before the smoke cleared, a few poor Poles rushed over crying and trying to get back their finances or their relatives.

Two German infantrymen, armed with old-fashioned Mauser 98k rifles, searched slowly through the ruins. They were responsible for cleaning up the buildings, so there were a lot of grenades hanging on their tactical vests. They moved forward cautiously, for fear of making any noise to attract the attention of the surrounding enemies.

Suddenly a Polish officer with a submachine gun rushed out from the corner of the wall. He tripped over the rubble and stumbled under his feet. The two German soldiers who were searching were clearly not going to miss such an opportunity, and one of them pulled the trigger on his rifle.

"Bah!" A shot rang out. The Polish officer's chest was pierced by bullets, and the force caused him to fall backwards. He subconsciously pulled the trigger of the submachine gun with his fingers, shot a few bullets into the corner, and splashed a piece of dust.

Pulling the bolt, the two German soldiers stopped advancing and shouted loudly towards the corner: "Come out! I know someone! If you don't come out, I'll throw a grenade!"

"Don't shoot! Let's surrender!" After a few seconds, a Polish soldier raised his weapon in both hands and said to the two German infantrymen who came out with their rifles coldly watching: "Please don't shoot! The gun is on the ground."

Following his words, the Polish soldiers stood up behind him one by one. They were dejected and ragged, but the number was staggering. In a rough count, there were more than thirty.

"We have no more ammunition! Please don't worry!" The Polish soldier who came out first said, "Don't kill us." As soon as he finished speaking, several Polish prisoners around also nodded: "Please, don't. Kill us!" "God! Help us!"

The resistance in this neighborhood was soon over, and for lack of ammunition and treatment, about 4,150 Polish defenders surrendered to the Wehrmacht, the Polish soldiers were very depressed, weeping for their inability to repel the invaders of their homeland, However, they still can't use rifles without bullets against German aircraft and tanks - this is a contest between technology and national strength, and has nothing to do with personal bravery and tenacity.

That afternoon, the Krakow Corps Command issued an order for the entire army to cease fire and surrender, and then sent a telegram to Warsaw Mingma. The telegram was very brief: "Our army resisted to the last moment, and I will surrender in a few minutes."

This may be the only task that the Polish defenders have been able to complete in the past two days. About an hour later, the commander of the Krakow Corps handed over his flag and saber to the commander of the German 17th Infantry Division. A brief surrender ceremony was completed, which completely opened the prelude to the collapse of the entire southern region of Poland.

And on that night, Guderian's troops, which bypassed the offensive and defensive battle in Krakow, advanced a full 55 kilometers to the north. Facing the collapsed defense of Poland, they played the fastest advance in history: peacetime. The speed of the scale march is about the same.

...