The rumbling of the car, which is the sound of tens of thousands of internal combustion engines roaring at the same time, feels so earth-shattering and unstoppable! Behind this sound is the world's largest mechanized combat force - the US Army! The German Army and the Chinese Army, which are also famous for mechanized warfare in this time and space, are actually just a group of horse-drawn artillery armies, with a little mechanized troops as a blade to cut through the opponent's defense! Although the Chinese and German armored forces, which are the blades, have far more attack power than the American armored forces, when it comes to the mechanization and motorization of the entire army, the US military is second to none.

At this time, the United States had the world's largest industrial production capacity! They produce three times as much steel as Germany and five times as much as China, and they produce ten times as many cars as Germany and 30 times as much as China! The United States and Russia are the world's first and second largest oil producers respectively, but the United States' world's first and second largest oil production is several times that of Russia.

After nearly seven months of full production, although the US Navy still does not have enough equipment, the US Army weapons and equipment, the planes needed by the Army Air Corps and the Navy Air Force have long been piled up! Even in terms of numbers, more than the United States had at the beginning of World War II! After all, they don't need to send millions of tons of supplies to Britain, the Soviet Union, and China right now. Since the fall of Panama, almost all weapons produced in the United States have been used to equip its own military to defend the continental United States. Regardless of the performance of those weapons and equipment, at least in terms of quantity, they can only be described as "sea"! That's a sea of planes, a sea of tanks, a sea of cars, a sea of artillery, and, of course, a sea of people! There may be an atomic bomb in the future......

Moreover, the vast industrial production capacity of the United States has now completed the transition to wartime. More and more weapons and equipment will be produced in the future!

When George. General Patton sat on top of a jeep with a three-star Lieutenant General Peugeot, looking at the endless torrent of steel. There is only a feeling in my heart that Lao Tzu is the best in the world. No matter how powerful the tanks of the Japanese are. His U.S. 1st Panzer Corps could also completely overwhelm them with ten times as many tanks! It is backed by the strong industrial base of the United States. How could it be defeated if it was fighting on American soil again?

Yes, it's local! Just look at the Mexicans waving flowers and the Stars and Stripes on both sides of the highway to see how popular the U.S. (U.S. green cards and U.S. dollars) are in the Americas!

On this continent. Ninety percent of the so-called "anti-American fighters" in the upper echelons of Latin American countries live or receive education in the United States. And those "anti-Americans" among the lower strata of the population. As long as there is a chance to get a U.S. green card, they will definitely not refuse. The fact that the Japanese devils and Germans want to use the "anti-American sentiment" in Latin America to deal with the United States is simply a brain in water. With so many tanks, planes, artillery. And the help of thousands of local Mexicans who love the United States. Coupled with the fact that the enemy is still a fool with a water in his brain, it is impossible to win this war, right?

At this moment a military jeep came speeding from the front of the march and stopped next to the jeep in which Patton was riding, and a lieutenant officer jumped out of the car and stuffed a document to Major Perry, General Patton's aide-de-camp.

"Lieutenant General!" Perry only glanced at the document and exclaimed excitedly, "Report from the 1st Panzer Division, they have entered the city of Monterrey." Major General Carlos, commander of Mexico's Northeast Military Region, led his 50,000 troops to surrender to us! ”

Barton snorted, "What a spineless guy!" Actually surrendered...... These Mexicans don't deserve to be called soldiers at all. In contrast, I still admire Japanese devils after all, although a little stupid. But it's still brave enough to at least not surrender without firing a shot. ”

"Lieutenant General, Brigadier General Clark asks if the 1st Panzer Division is going to move on, or is it going to rest in Monterrey and wait for the follow-up troops to ......"

Patton interrupted Major Perry with a wave of his hand and shouted, "Attack!" Tell Brigadier General Clark to keep him moving forward! Until the tank ran out of oil. ”

"However, Lieutenant General Bradley wants us to be cautious and not to rush forward." Perry knew that this was true, but he still had to remind General Patton not to forget the instructions of General Bradley, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Route.

General Patton patted Major Perry on the shoulder, smiled indifferently, and said, "Ignore that always suspicious Omar (Bradley), he is not a general who commands tanks, and he doesn't understand how tanks are used." Tanks are meant to attack! Offensive! Attack again! I've been driving little Japan down to the Pacific Ocean to feed the fish! Okay, let's draft the order, and sign it for me when it's done. ”

Perry shrugged his shoulders slightly, took out his notebook and drafted the order in the jeep, and after asking General Patton to sign it, he handed the order to the second lieutenant in the military communications office who had sent the paper. When Barton saw the second lieutenant jump into the jeep and drive away, he patted his driver on the back and said, "Let's go too." ”

In the afternoon of the same day, General Patton's 1st Panzer Corps Headquarters marched south with the 2nd Panzer Division through Monterey to Victoria, more than 200 kilometers away. In Monterrey, Barton's motorcade was once again greeted by a warm Mexican crowd...... It took a long line of more than four hundred tanks of the Second Panzer Division (the Second Panzer Division was a heavy Panzer Division) to pass through the center of Monterrey, which was packed with welcoming crowds. This is probably the slowest time since the U.S. invasion of Mexico!

And the next morning, the good news came that thanks to the efforts of American engineers, the railroad from the United States to Monterrey, which had been damaged by the Mexicans, had been completely repaired, that is, a large number of troops and supplies could be transported directly from Texas to Monterrey by rail. In addition, there was also good news from the front line, due to the rapid breakthrough of the US troops on the east road and the surrender of the Northeast Military Region of Mexico, the flank of the Northwest Military Region of Mexico suddenly lost cover, and Major General Gonzalez hurriedly ordered the troops to retreat along the entire line, giving up all the mountains of Sierra Madre Occidental, which were easy to defend and difficult to attack, to the US Third Army!

The U.S. 1st Armored Division, which was the vanguard of the Eastern Road, was still advancing rapidly, advancing a full 210 kilometers on May 20 alone. Drive from the U.S.-Mexico border all the way to outside Monterrey. On May 21, a forced landing in Carlos was made in the Northeast Military District of Mexico. At the same time, it advanced more than 130 kilometers to the southeast. May 22nd. Having received fuel supplies from Monterrey, the division again marched forward more than 120 kilometers and captured Victoria, which was defended by a small Mexican army, that same night.

At this time, only 3 days have passed since the US invasion of Mexico! The U.S. military was actually in these short 3 days. More than 500 kilometers from the U.S.-Mexico border! There are only 230 kilometers left to go until the Bayes-San Luis Potosi Line, built by the Japanese, Central American and Mexican forces!

……

"Nani!? The Americans have already captured the city of Victoria! ”

As soon as he got off the train, Yamashita Fumi, who rushed to the Japanese headquarters in Basje, got such an unbelievable message. More than 500 kilometers in 3 days! And it is also on the territory of the enemy. This rush speed itself. I'm afraid it already shows the strength of the opponent, right?

"Ishihara-kun, what do you think of the speed of the U.S. military?" Yamashita turned his head and looked at Ishihara, who also had a stern face, and asked.

"What a rival!" Ishihara smiled bitterly: "Outsiders only see our great victory in Central America and the Pacific. I think the United States is vulnerable...... In fact, the empire is just a time lag! Take advantage of the effects of the surprise attack and the months before the United States becomes fully armed. But now the United States has armed itself at least 50 percent. This is already a formidable enemy for the Empire! ”

"Why, Ishihara-kun no longer has the confidence to defeat the United States?" Yamashita Fengwen's face sank and asked again.

"Of course there is faith!" Ishihara said: "After all, the Japanese Empire is not alone, and although the United States is strong, it is not an opponent of the whole world. Victory in this war will be in hand only if the Reich can hold out in Central America until the moment the German troops land on the east coast of the United States. ”

"Those are long-term strategies. Ishihara-kun, let's talk about how we should face the strong enemy in front of us! Yamashita Fengfumi's face softened slightly. In his opinion, Ishihara is certainly good at strategy. However, he often appears to be more conservative in terms of specific enemies, which may have something to do with the setbacks he has suffered in China.

"Of course, there is only one way to fight now!"

Yamashita Fengwen looked at Ishihara quietly and nodded slightly: "How to deal with the battle?" Ishihara said lightly: "The U.S. armored unit has advanced more than 500 kilometers in three days, and behind such a speed, I am afraid that the equipment integrity rate has been greatly reduced, right?" And according to reconnaissance, the American troops who broke into Victoria City were nothing more than an armored division. With the strength of our Central American Front, it is completely possible to cut off one finger! Annihilate this American armored division! ”

"Roar!" Yamashita Fengwen smiled with satisfaction: "Ishihara-kun's opinion is exactly the same as mine, although the combat effectiveness of the US army is not weak, but with the combat power of an armored division, it will definitely not be able to stop the siege of 5 divisions plus a tank brigade!" I reckon that tomorrow this American armored division will definitely advance south.

There are two routes to choose from in the south from Victoria, one is to go west into Monte Madre Oriental, and to Riobelte via Tula and Ciudad Mais. The second is to take the edge of the eastern Sierra Madre and go south through the city of Mante. Considering that it was an American armored division that went south, they would not choose the mountainous terrain that was too complicated, but would take the relatively flat line of Mante City, cross the Panuco River after Mante City, and go south along the plains on the east side of the East Madre Mountain. ”

Speaking of this, Yamashita Fengwen paused slightly, took a breath, stretched out his finger and pointed to a long and narrow valley north of Bayes City on a military map in front of him, and said: "This is the Panuco River Valley, located on the eastern edge of the Eastern Madre Mountains, and my idea is to deploy the 16th Division, the 102nd Division, and the 104th Division in the plain east of Mount Madre East to attract the attention of the American armored division. With the 6th Division, the 56th Division, and the 1st Tank Brigade interspersed from the Panuco River valley to the rear of the American army, captured the city of Mante, and cut off its way back! Then flank back and forth and annihilate this American armored division! ”

As he was talking, a terrible air raid siren suddenly sounded outside, and then a deafening loud explosion was heard! The door to the war room opened, and Lieutenant General Hyotaro Kimura, chief of staff of the Central American Front, walked in quickly, his expression a little panicked.

"Your Excellency, Ishihara-kun. Bombing! American planes were bombing the city of Bayes, and the 105th Division in the city of San Luis Potosí was also reported to have been bombed. ”

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble......

Another roar. Several people in the war room seemed to feel the ground tremble beneath their feet. Look out the window again. The city of Bayes under the cover of the night sky was full of fires, only a few beams of searchlights on the ground searched in the air, and occasionally a four-shot heavy bomber could be seen, but a dozen anti-aircraft guns in Bayes City could not help these American bombers at all!

……

Gunshots crackled like fried beans. Japan's Type 92 heavy machine gun fired like a pant. and the clatter roar of the M2 Browning light machine gun. There was also the sound of mortar and U.S. M39 106mm recoilless gun exploding. On the south bank of the Panuco River, after the arrival of the night of May 24. The reconnaissance patrol unit of the 16th Division of the Japanese Army suddenly had an unexpected encounter with the vanguard of the American army! The Japanese seemed intent on pushing the vanguard of the American army, which had crossed the Panuco River, back to the north bank. Therefore, more than 1,000 infantry and cavalry units were quickly mobilized, divided into battle groups the size of a squadron, and the three companies of the mechanized cavalry reconnaissance battalion of the 1st Armored Division of the United States were formed into a group.

As soon as they fought, the captains of several squadrons of the Japanese army who were commanding the operation on the front line were immediately stunned by the powerful firepower and mobility of the American army. The American GIs on the other side were not horses, nor were they legged or footed. Rather, it is a wheeled armored vehicle with light armor. Moreover, this light armored vehicle is also equipped with a large-caliber M2 anti-aircraft machine gun, or a recoilless gun with a caliber of more than 100mm, in addition to a lot of 80mm-class mortars and 7.62mm caliber light and heavy machine guns.

Although the Japanese army had a cavalry wing (a tank brigade with a total strength of about 500) and an infantry brigade, the artillery they had, if not mortars, was in possession. With only four 75mm cavalry guns and two 70mm infantry guns, it is not at all an opponent with at least eight 106mm recoilless guns! However, the Japanese army was not willing to easily relinquish control of the battlefield...... After all, the heavy forces of the three divisions have just been deployed on the plains on the south bank of Panuco. The defensive line of positions has not yet been completed. If the US military is allowed to see through the truth so quickly, it may catch the Americans off guard! Therefore, he could only bite the bullet and attack again and again with the advantage of numbers, and the south bank of the Panuco River was suddenly a pot of porridge.

Command of the 1st U.S. Armored Corps in Mante City. Lieutenant General Patton arrived at headquarters at dawn on 25 May after an overnight march. Immediately, a large amount of battlefield intelligence was sent by the 1st Panzer Division. According to these intelligence analysis, it seems that the Japanese army is preparing for a decisive battle with the US 1st Armored Division in the plains on the south bank of the Panuco River! The 16th Division has been identified so far, but it is expected that more Japanese troops will participate in the campaign. After daybreak, the US Army Air Corps sent a large number of reconnaissance planes, and sure enough, traces of troop movement were found on the south bank of the Panuco River. In broad daylight, there were still large groups of Japanese infantry moving forward in an endless stream! The roads are almost all long and earthy yellow.

The Chief of Staff, Major General Ward, hurriedly stepped into the headquarters. Patton was getting together with Major Army Hammon, commander of the 2nd Armored Division, to look at the map. The phones around are ringing non-stop, and all kinds of information are constantly being gathered here. Seeing Ward walk in with a worried face, Barton frowned slightly and looked at him and asked, "Ward, how is the front?" How many forces has the Japanese army concentrated waiting for us to destroy? Major General Ward took out a telegram, handed it to Patton, took the coffee cup handed by the adjutant, took a big sip, and refreshed himself before replying with a heavy face: "I just received a telegram from Admiral MacArthur, who ordered us to try to attract the main Japanese force to the south bank of Panuco, so as to create conditions for the smooth implementation of his 'Operation Soldering Iron'.

In addition, the air force reconnaissance found that at least 40,000 or more Japanese infantry were advancing towards the south bank of Panuchon! It is estimated that their artillery and baggage were transported at night. Judging from the number of infantry, it should be two divisions of the Japanese army, plus the 16th division, which has been identified, the Japanese have concentrated three divisions in front of us, and the total strength should be between 75,000 and 80,000! Lieutenant General, I'm afraid that the 1st Panzer Division of Major General Clark can't deal with them, right? As long as Admiral MacArthur's 'soldering iron plan' succeeds, the Japanese army will inevitably retreat in the direction of Mexico City, and then we will use our armored forces to follow the pursuit under the cover of the air force, and we will definitely be able to achieve a complete victory. ”

Major General Ward's suggestion was a foolproof solution. As long as MacArthur's landing on the Utanka Peninsula (Project Soldering Iron) was successful, the Japanese forces assembled south of the Panuco River had no choice but to retreat in the direction of Mexico City.

But General Patton shook his head slightly......