newbobooks Chapter 324: The Sound of Artillery in the Balkans
Chapter 324: The Sound of Artillery in the Balkans
Luo Bing lived the most carefree life. He had four wives, and the autonomous region also began large-scale construction. With the support of Chinese immigrants and a large amount of Chinese capital, the autonomous region developed rapidly. The proportion of Chinese population in the entire autonomous region continued to grow. At this rate of development, the establishment of an independent country in four years would be unstoppable.
In October, Turkey was liberated when the US Third Army Group captured Istanbul, the last occupied Turkish city. To express gratitude to the Allies, the president announced his joining the Allies and declaring war on German fascism. The Allies advanced through Turkey into the Balkans, launching further attacks on German-occupied areas.
In the same month, Huang Wei's 2nd Army Group, namely the 6th Army of the Southwestern Front, invaded Romania from southwestern Ukraine, marking that the Soviet army on the Eastern Front also broke through the Soviet territory and launched a counterattack against Germany and its vassal states. The Balkans officially became a war zone.
On October 10, a corps of the Sixth Army marched through the entire Moldova region and captured Iasi. A truly bizarre phenomenon occurred: the Romanian puppet regime of Ion Antonescu called on the people to rise up against the invading Chinese and Soviet forces. However, the people, including the Romanian Armed Forces, welcomed the troops from the East. For years, under the oppressive rule of the puppet regime, people's lives deteriorated day by day. The Germans, like gods, robbed Romania of everything it had, leaving the people in dire straits. The Romanian Armed Forces were forced into the war against the Soviet Union, becoming cannon fodder for the Germans. Many young people were forced into the army and died on Soviet soil.
Some mid- and low-ranking Romanian officers, and even some high-ranking ones, harbored early hopes for rebellion. However, the Germans and their lackeys, the secret police, the Gestapo, and the SA, controlled everything in Romania, deterring them from any rash action. The Antonescu regime's policy of collective responsibility for the Roman army deterred them from resisting. Despite low morale and limited combat effectiveness, the Romanian Wehrmacht rarely suffered large-scale collapses. The Romanian troops were afraid to abandon their positions, let alone surrender or defect. The tight control over their families weakened the morale of the Roman Wehrmacht soldiers, who often abandoned large positions and retreated in panic to save themselves. The German high command dealt with many officers from the vassal states, but this proved unsuccessful. Ultimately, the Germans relegated these vassal troops to the backlines, serving as security forces in occupied territories.
As the Chinese and Soviet armies advanced westward, part of the German army had already sensed the decline of the empire. They no longer cared about these vassal armies, but concentrated themselves to control key strongholds and important material areas. This freed up part of the Romanian Defense Forces, and they quickly established contact with the Chinese and Soviet armies. Especially after entering the Romanian mainland, these defense forces coordinated with the local people and decisively launched a counterattack, seizing the local power of the puppet government, which led to the above situation.
With the support of the Romanian army and people, the Southwestern Front made great progress. By the end of October, they had liberated a large number of areas in eastern Romania, captured the important city of Buzau, cut off Romania's most important railway transportation artery, and occupied some important fascist mineral and oil areas, which was very fatal to the fascists.
The Third Reich immediately adjusted its deployment, withdrawing the 4th, 17th, and 23rd SS Armies from the Northeastern Front to join the Southern Front. The 7th and 11th Armies in Northern Europe also received orders to cross the Baltic Sea, enter the mainland, and assemble in the eastern region. At this time, the German army reorganized the various army groups on the Eastern Front, forming the Northern Army Group, the Central Army Group, and the Southern Army Group. The total strength remained at 400 million. However, the Soviet Union and the Chinese Army they faced had a strength of 1500 million, more than three times their own. The German army had to abandon some unimportant areas and intensify the establishment of a defensive circle.
Following orders from Allied Headquarters, Kuang Zhengqi deployed the 3rd, 7th, and 47th Armies, crossing the sea from eastern Italy to attack Albania. He then joined forces with various US Marine Corps units to launch an offensive against Greece. Meanwhile, the US 5th Army and the British 3rd Army, having crossed the sea from Turkey, had already entered Bulgaria, forming a two-pronged attack on the German 1st and 26th Armies in the southern Balkans.
In early November, the sky over Athens was shrouded in the dark clouds of war. Like a surging torrent, the U.S. Marines entered the European battlefield. However, they had no idea that the Germans had already set a tight, tight trap.
The Germans secretly assembled two heavy armies, like tigers hiding in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity. In the valleys west of Athens, they meticulously set up an ambush, targeting the recklessly advancing US 2nd and 14th Divisions.
The 2nd and 14th Marine Divisions, elite units of the US Marine Corps, each with nearly 3 troops, possessed formidable combat capabilities. They were supported by naval helicopter gunships and equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry. However, facing a German trap, they found themselves in unprecedented difficulty.
The German Tiger helicopter attack unit appeared like a ghost. These new fighters have powerful firepower, excellent maneuverability and solid protection. They shuttled between the valleys at lightning speed, bringing tremendous pressure to the US military.
The American troops were thrown into disarray by the sudden attack and struggled to cope with the German siege in the hilly areas of Greece. The Germans cleverly occupied important roads, cutting off the American retreat and putting the American troops in a desperate situation of being surrounded.
Less than three hours into the battle, the last remaining American resistance collapsed. Troop formations were disrupted, soldiers fled in all directions, and many units were scattered into dozens of small groups, trapped in the valley. The largest group was barely a regiment, and they struggled under the enemy's heavy encirclement.
At the same time, a US Navy helicopter fleet, having received the rescue order, swarmed out. They engaged in a fierce battle with the Germans at low altitude in the Greek mountains. Although outnumbered by the US forces, the premeditated German helicopter attack force, with its superior Tiger tanks, inflicted heavy damage on the US Navy helicopters. In the fierce exchange of fire, the US lost over 200 helicopters and was forced to withdraw from the battlefield.
Nimitz was furious when he learned from General Douglas that the Marines were surrounded and the helicopter unit was severely damaged. He immediately ordered the nearby US Navy aircraft carrier to dispatch fighter jets to carpet bomb the surrounding German strongholds, suspicious air bases, etc., vowing revenge!