In the days following April 10, the strength of the French Army's 2nd Army was greatly strengthened. The army received the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th reserve armored divisions and the 3rd motorized infantry division from the general reserve, and also obtained the 3rd light cavalry division of the 3rd Army, plus the 2nd and 5th light cavalry divisions that were originally attached to the 2nd Army, and the 2nd Army became the main force of the coalition forces on the central front.

Moreover, most of the troops under the jurisdiction of the 2nd Army are mechanized and motorized units, including 3 reserve armored divisions, 1 motorized infantry division, and 3 semi-motorized cavalry divisions. These seven divisions, together with the 1st Reserve Panzer Division (currently in Belgium and being transferred to France) and the 1st and 4th Hussar Divisions of the 9th Army, were the entire mobile force of the coalition forces in France (not counting the mechanized/motorized units created after April 10).

If all 10 divisions were reimbursed in the first phase of the operation, there would be no force to stop the German 12th Army (reinforcing the 41st Panzer Corps and 1 Panzer Division) and the 1st Panzer Army.

This meant that at the end of the first phase of the operation, the German Army Group A could complete two roundabout outflanks at the same time, cooperating with Army Group B and Army Group C to encircle the two strategic main forces of the Allied forces on the Belgian and Maginot lines.

"Marshal, I think this is a rare opportunity!" Manstein tapped a baton on the map on the Monte-Diu plateau, "It's only 15 kilometers from Sedan, and they deliver almost to their door." Moreover, the main forces of the 16th Army (belonging to Army Group A) have reached Verton in Belgium (the southernmost part of Belgium, near France and southern Luxembourg), and in 2-3 days they will be able to advance to the vicinity of Tennay on the Maas (belonging to France, 30 km southeast of Sedan), at which point the flank of the French 2nd Army will be threatened by the 16th Army, which will fall into the encirclement of our 12th and 16th armies, or collapse under the pursuit of the 3 panzer divisions of the 12th Army. ”

Since dozens of divisions were trapped in the Maginot Line and could not get out for a while, the French could make up a maximum of 10 divisions in this counterattack, while the 12th Army and the 16th Army had nearly 40 divisions, so there was no suspense at all.

Field Marshal Hamannstein nodded, "Let's do it, immediately make a battle plan, the plan doesn't have to be too detailed, just have a rough idea, but it must be completed this afternoon." ”

The encirclement and annihilation of the French 2nd Army was a sudden opportunity, and naturally there was no time to devise a very elaborate plan. In fact, there are many "unplanned" battles to be fought in a big battle. Sometimes the warring sides don't have any plans, and they just get into a mess.

This was the case in the Monte-Diu Heights on the evening of April 15. At this time, Manstein was still informing the commander of Army Group A of his plans by telephone, General Rundstead. Guderian, who was on the front line, was busy organizing his troops to march north towards the English Channel. General Kleist, who commanded the 12th Army to fight south, and his headquarters had just crossed the Maas River, and the handover to Guderian had not yet been completed.

And a battalion (tank battalion) of the 10th Panzer Division, which was deployed on the Monte-Diu heights, did not know at this time that there would be a long and arduous battle to be fought. They had been ordered to hold out until the 17th, and in one and a half days they could leave here and go north.

And their opponents, the commander of the 3rd French Reserve Panzer Division and the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division, Betty Brown. Again, General Bussu did not have a workable battle plan in his hands. He was busy concentrating his troops for most of the day on April 15.

The 3rd Reserve Panzer Division and the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division of the French Army had been dispersed and deployed for defense yesterday afternoon and evening, and now the trenches had not yet been dug and were gathered to prepare for the attack, and in the process there were constantly Henschel Hs-123s and Junkers Ju87s to drop bombs.

And on the Germans' side, supermen also have time to snooze! The tank battalion of the 10th Panzer Division, which was supposed to defend with the "Greater Germany" banner, was transferred north by Guderian at half past four in the afternoon, and a battalion of the 5th Panzer Division had not yet arrived.

As a result, only six assault guns of the "Großdeutsch" banner (deployed on the "sugar bread" heights) and one tank No. 4 of the 10th Panzer Division were left on the Monte-Diu Heights, the No. 711 tank that had been damaged in the early morning of the 15th.

It was at this moment that the shelling before the French offensive began!

……

"Tanks! Tank! The tanks of the French are up! ”

The roar of the cannons has not yet dissipated, Rudolph. Ribbentrop heard his company commander, Captain Kruger, shouting loudly.

He must have been calling the flag team command to report on the situation at the front. Rudolph. Ribbentrop raised his head from the foxhole and glanced forward, and saw more than a dozen "Hotchkiss" H39 light tanks lined up, guiding many French infantry to advance slowly.

It's good that the 711 tank is still there! Rudolph. Ribbentrop thought to himself, otherwise these H39s would not be easy to deal with.

As he thought about this, he heard the roar of the motor and the sound of the tracks crushing the ground, and when he looked back, it was the No. 4 tank that had come up.

"Rudolph, go get a hand!" Schwarzenegger's big voice suddenly remembered, "Go and help them push the cannon, behind Tank 4!" ”

Rudolph. Ribbentrop hurriedly got up, ran behind Tank No. 4, and saw that the tank was still towing a 47mm anti-tank gun. It was the cannon that blew up No. 700 and damaged No. 711 in the early hours of this morning. It was captured by Schwarzenegger's infantry platoon and immediately incorporated into the 14th Anti-Tank Gun Company - the Frenchman's 47mm anti-tank gun was better than the 50mm gun of Tank No. 3, and could penetrate 89mm at 500 meters and 72mm of homogeneous vertical armor at 1,000 meters.

Rudolph. Ribbentrop helped an understaffed makeshift artillery crew (led by a platoon leader of an anti-tank gun company, Second Lieutenant Hinds), to push the 47mm cannon behind a row of wooden fences. At this time, the 75mm gun of the No. 4 tank was fired.

First synchronous machine gun fire, then two cannon shots, "boom", and an H39 tank that rushed to the front was turned into a fireball. At the same time, 2 37mm guns in ambush in advance also opened fire, and 2 H39s were set on fire. Then tank No. 711 opened fire again, blowing up another H39. A 47mm gun under the command of Second Lieutenant Heinz then joined the bombardment, which soon also destroyed an H39 tank.

"It won't work at all!" Betty watching the game from the rear. Major General Buxu saw that four H39s had been blown up in a very short period of time, and immediately shouted. "Let the CharB1 heavy tank go up! Get the heavy tanks on board! ”

"Major General, now only 54 CharB1 heavy tanks can be driven." Colonel Brocard hurriedly reminded. "If all these tanks are consumed in the attack on the infantry, what will happen if the enemy's armored division comes?"

"Send all the heavy tanks!" Betty. Major General Busu shouted, "We must take the Monte-Diu Heights...... Now all of France is counting on us, go and mobilize the tanks. ”

……

"Aywald, now the heights of Monte-Diu are under onslaught from the French." Guderian held the "Plan for the Battle of Stoney" he had just received, and while flipping through it, he and the commander of the 12th Army, who had just arrived, was in his hands. Feng. Kleist discusses the battle situation.

"The Greater German Infantry Regiment is there," said Guderian, "and I will leave you this reinforced regiment (equivalent to a brigade), and the 5th Panzer Division, the 6th Panzer Division and the 8th Panzer Division of the 41st Panzer Corps have all crossed the Maas River, and these three Panzer Divisions are now yours." I leave 20% of the gasoline for your 12th Army, so that it will be enough to fight until the 16th Army occupies Sterney. ”

Tenai on the Maas River is located about 70 km from Luxembourg City and has excellent road facilities as it is an important industrial and mining area (iron ore). And Luxembourg City itself is a railway hub. It was very convenient for the German logistics department to transport gasoline by rail to Luxembourg and then by truck to Sternai, 70 kilometers away. So Guderian unceremoniously used 80% of the gasoline to supply his 1st Panzer Army.

General Kleist thought for a moment, "The French troops are rushing south of the Monte-Diu heights?" ”

Guderian smiled wittily: "Yes, they are all rushed to die, which can save us fuel." ”

"Well, I'll give 80% of the oil to the 1st Panzer Army, and I'll give it to the south!" Admiral Kleist was reasonable, and after a little thought, he accepted Guderian's suggestion.

General Kleist, who came from a well-known family, was a high-ranking officer who was very concerned about the big picture, and he knew that in the coming days, Guderian would need more gasoline than he did. Because his 12th Army did not need to travel two or three hundred kilometers to Dunkirk and Calais.

The 12th Army only needed to wait for the French counterattack forces to arrive near Sedan and then work with the 16th Army to repel them, and finally send 3 more armored divisions to pursue them all the way to complete the task. And when the 16th and 12th armies meet, a large amount of gasoline will be brought from Luxembourg. At that time, the 12th Panzer Division of the 3rd Army will be able to move south to Verdun. (To be continued.) )