"Your Excellency, the total losses, including Ms. 406, D. 520, H-75, Hurricane, Breguet, Blenheim, Amio-350, LeO-451, total 712 aircraft, and the loss of more than 1,200 crew members......"

"God, what have I done?" After listening to the staff officer's report, Admiral Gan Molin's face was already a little blue. In just one day of fierce air fighting, the Anglo-French forces lost 712 aircraft and a successful crew of 1,200 people. This is a fatal loss! The plane may still be purchased at a democratic arsenal, but the loss of the crew is difficult to make up. Those people were the elites who were trained and selected with high standards and strict requirements before the outbreak of the war, and it was not easy to replenish them, and after losing so much at one time, the vitality of the Air Force was about to be greatly damaged.

"The bombing had the desired effect, didn't it?" Admiral Gammelin looked at the staff officer.

"It has achieved certain results......," the staff officer replied, "but the specific situation still needs to be confirmed by the reconnaissance plane." ”

The scene of the air battle on the Sedan-Maas River was very chaotic, and the Germans' ground-to-air firepower network was extremely dense, and the British and French planes were scurrying. Even if the bombs were dropped, they were indiscriminately dropped, and it was not clear whether they had hit the target or not, but many surviving crew members reported that the bombs hit the pontoon.

"So where are our counterattack forces?" Admiral Gammelin didn't think about the results of the bombing, the loss of 712 planes and 1,200 crew members was already a loss, and even if the pontoon bridge was blown up, the gain would not outweigh the loss.

"Charles of the 2nd Army. General Henzig reported that the 55th Infantry Division's 213th Regiment and the 4th and 7th Tank Battalions had reached 15 kilometres south of Sedan near the Monte-Diu Heights. There they fought a battle with the Germans and lost several dozen FCM-36 tanks.

In addition, the 3rd Panzer Division and the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division of the 21st Army (part of the 6th Army) from Reims (the division was called motorized, but it was not equipped with trucks to transport infantry) had also approached the Monte-Diu heights. ”

The Monte-Diu Plateau was a dangerous point south of Sedan that could be taken by the French to threaten Sedan if they could take it. If the Germans had occupied the Monte-Diu Heights, the Sedan's breakthrough would have been consolidated.

Gammelin, of course, knew the importance of the Monte-Diu Heights, and he thought for a moment and asked: "Did the 3rd Reserve Panzer Division get attacked by air during the march?" ”

"There were no air raids, but we encountered people who were difficult to flee and blocked the roads, so we walked very slowly."

The 3rd Panzer Division and the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division set out last night, and these two divisions were supposed to eat a lot of bombs during the day today. But the air battle over the Maas River attracted most of the fighters in this direction, and there was not enough fighter cover, and the attack aircraft of the German dive bombers did not dare to penetrate too deep into French airspace.

Gan Molin breathed a sigh of relief: "To Joseph. Admiral George sent a telegram asking him to assign the 21st Army to the 2nd Army (the army that was deployed in the Metz fortified area), and then ordered General Henziger to launch a counterattack, take control of the Monte-Diu Heights at all costs, and counterattack the German crossing of the Maas River to block the German breakthrough. ”

"Commander-in-chief, I'm afraid I can't accomplish such a task with 3 divisions." Admiral Verrick, commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force, reminded that "the German army, in particular, still has air supremacy. ”

Before today, the Germans had only air superiority. But after the big air battle on the Maas, absolute air supremacy already belonged to the German army! Even if Britain and France now have a fighter that can threaten the BF-109 and Fokker Zero, they can no longer compete for the sky.

So today the 3rd Reserve Armored Division and the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division can march without aircraft bombing, I am afraid it will be difficult to reproduce the situation.

"No problem," Ganmarin gritted his teeth, "I will order the Air Force to cover at any cost, and more charB1 heavy tanks will definitely arrive." When the time comes, we will do everything we can, and the fate of France will be in the battle here! ”

Hearing this, Admiral Verrick's brows tightened, and he knew that this counterattack was Gammelin's last stand. If the French army could not win on the Monte-Diu Heights, then not only the French troops stationed in the "Maginot Line" could be surrounded, but even the Anglo-French troops who penetrated deep into Belgium would be in serious trouble.

……

"General Sauer, Colonel Veschulin, your task now is to occupy the heights of Monte-Diu and the town of Stoney (on the high grounds) and hold them there."

Guderian also realized the importance of the Monte-Diu Heights at this time, but his main force was to advance north against the French 9th Army, so he entrusted the task of occupying and holding the heights to the 10th Panzer Division and the "Greater Germany" banner.

"Colonel," Guderian said to Colonel Veschulin of the "Greater Germany" banner, "your banner is now assigned to the 10th Panzer Division. Then he said to the commander of the 10th Panzer Division, Ferdinand. Major General Sauer said, "Major General, you take men to occupy the town of Stoney and defend there until the 17th, when the troops of the 12th Army will come to take over." ”

According to the order of the headquarters of the Western Front, the 12th Army will receive the three armored divisions that originally belonged to the 1st Panzer Army, and then use them as the lead to move south to seize the Verdun area and cut off the rear route of the 'Maginot Line'. The time for the delivery of the troops of the two armies was only 16 days, before which Guderian wanted to make full use of the three armored divisions, so he handed over the seemingly "easy" task of defending the Monte-Diu Heights to the 10th Panzer Division and the "Greater Germany" banner.

Guderian finally confessed: "Early this morning, 1 French infantry regiment and 2 tank battalions have arrived on the Monte-Diu Heights first, and they have been routed by the troops of the 1st Panzer Division. ”

The 1st Panzer Division was routed by the 213th Regiment and the 4th and 7th Tank Battalions of the 55th Infantry Division of the French Army.

The 4th and 7th tank battalions are equipped with a very advanced "design concept" but very poor performance tank FCM-36 tank. The tank had a diesel engine, welded bodywork, inclined armor and a 37mm gun, and the frontal armor was 40mm thickest at its thickest. As a light tank (12.35 tons in battle), its firepower and defense are definitely top-notch. No, it's a bit slow, the fastest is only 24 km/h, and its diesel engine doesn't pass the test very much, so it breaks down easily.

In the early morning battle, these slow and sturdy little tanks encountered Tank No. 3 and Assault Gun No. 3 (which were used as tanks), and were beaten to the point that they lost their armor, and the two tank battalions lost 61 FCM-36 tanks, and the infantry of the 213th Regiment also suffered heavy losses, and they fled all the way until they encountered the French 3rd Reserve Panzer Division and the 3rd Motorized Division from Reims.

"How can FCM-36 be vulnerable?" General Flavigny is a recognized expert in tank warfare in the French Army and is well versed in the performance of the French FCM-36 tank. When he heard that these defenses, which were very strong among light tanks, were easily penetrated by German tanks through the frontal armor, he was immediately surprised.

"General, I'm afraid the 37mm cannon won't be able to achieve that kind of results." Commander of the 3rd French Reserve Panzer Division, Anthony. Brigadier General Brokad was also an expert in tank warfare, and after listening to the descriptions of several officers of the 213 Infantry Regiment, he knew that the German tanks must have more firepower than the 37mm guns.

"This should be a 47mm or 50mm gun," he said. In addition, those tanks without turrets used short-barreled guns should be 75mm caliber...... It seems that the Germans had more tank firepower than we thought. ”

The four tank battalions of the German Panzer Division are also equipped with "two heavy" and "two light" configurations, the two "heavy" tank battalions are armed with No. 4 tanks, No. 3 tanks and No. 3 assault guns, while the two light tank battalions are equipped with 38t tanks.

The 4th Tank Battalion and the 7th Tank Battalion of the French Army were very unfortunate to encounter a German heavy tank battalion, equipped with No. 3 tank and No. 3 assault gun.

"They can be dealt with only with charB1 heavy tanks," Anthony Murphy. Brigadier General Brokad advised, "We must wait until all the intact charB1 heavy tanks are in order and ready, and we must wait for the arrival of the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division...... I think we can attack on the night of the 15th. ”

"Another 24 hours?" General Flavigny asked with a frown.

"Yes, it will take another 24 hours." Anthony. Brigadier General Brocard replied, "It would be more certain if we could wait for the 2nd Reserve Panzer Division to arrive." ”

General Flavigny shook his head, "I'm afraid we won't be able to wait for the 2nd Reserve Panzer Division," he thought for a moment, "and we can't wait until the night of the 15th, once the Germans preemptively occupy the Monte-Diu Heights, we will be in big trouble." Let the vanguard of the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division go and occupy the town of Stoney first, and we will defend there and deal a head-on blow to the Germans! ”

"Defense?" Anthony. Brigadier General Brokad was stunned, "But the order from above is to attack." ”

"No, we don't have the strength to attack," General Flavigny was right in his judgment of the strength of both sides, "and now all we can do is hold the Monte-Diu heights, I think, there will be an unforgettable bloody battle there!" (To be continued.) )