Chapter 69: Chapter 147 The Battle of Poland (10)
"This is not a tough nut to crack!"
Colonel Fred, commander of the 1st Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division of the Fourth Army, held a telescope in his hand and looked at the seemingly indestructible Westerplatte Fortress in the distance, muttering in confusion. I don't understand why the high command specifically ordered them to besiege and not attack.
What he didn't know was that the German army from the original time and space had suffered a big loss on this seemingly harmless "fortress".
During World War II, among all the battles in which Germany attacked Poland, there was such a battle that must be mentioned.
That is, the attack and defense of the Westerplatte Peninsula.
The Westerbrand Peninsula, derived from Dutch, means "sandbar on the west". It is located at the mouth of the tributary of the Vistula River, the largest river in Poland. It is 1,700 meters long and 600 meters wide at its widest point. Although it is said to be a fortress, there are actually no real air raid shelters or underground tunnels. In 1924, in accordance with the League of Nations resolution, Poland established a military transfer warehouse on the peninsula. There are only five small concrete outposts (guardhouses) on the island hidden in the peninsula's forests and military camps, as well as a defense system of trenches and roadblocks.
At that time, the Polish garrison stationed on the Westerplatte Peninsula was part of the 209th Infantry Regiment, with only 176 soldiers and 6 officers, 1 75mm gun, 2 37mm guns, 4 81mm mortars and 22 Quite a heavy machine gun.
After the war broke out, the German assault force composed of three platoons of elite naval infantry landed on the "Holstein", hoping to catch the Polish army off guard and gain an easy victory. However, they never expected that their wish was wrong this time.
After landing on the island, the German troops fell into an ambush point carefully arranged by the Polish army. Not only were they violently attacked by concealed firepower, but the barbed wire fence on the ground also effectively restricted the movement of the German troops, making it difficult for them to move. In this way, the German army's first attack failed.
The German army tried to attack again, but encountered obstacles such as mines, fallen trees and barbed wire, as well as the still fierce artillery fire, and failed again.
The next morning, the German army launched another attack, but the third attack still failed.
The Germans then used 60 dive bombers to bomb, directly hitting Guardhouse No. 5. In this attack, the Germans destroyed the Polish army's only radio station and all food supplies. German observers believed that they had won the battle and that no one could survive such an air attack.
But the fact is that the German army continued to attack for the next three days, and the result was always failure. The German army prepared to attack the land bridge with a burning train, but due to the driver's nervousness, he made an operational error. Instead, he set the train on fire, providing the Polish army with a good shooting area. The German army suffered heavy casualties. In the afternoon, the German army implemented this strategy again, but it also ended in failure.
After such a stalemate for a week, the German army was really annoyed and launched the most violent attack, destroying the Polish army's guard rooms 1, 2, and 4. The besieged defenders lacked adequate medicine and water, and the medical officers at the transfer station were unable to care for the wounded. Finally, the Polish defenders raised white flags and surrendered.
The result of this battle was that the Polish army, with only a hundred men, successfully contained more than 3,400 German soldiers and a battleship. Originally, the Polish commander-in-chief gave the instructions to the defenders of the Westerplatte Peninsula to conduct a 12-hour symbolic resistance, but the heroic Polish defenders held on for seven days. Surrender was announced only when continued resistance had become pointless. In terms of casualties, nearly one-third of the Polish soldiers were injured and 16 were killed. On the German side, more than 300 people were killed.
In this way, the Westerplatte peninsula became a national holy place in Poland and was respected by everyone. This battle was also made into a movie, "1939 Battle of Westerplatte".
It can be said that the attack and defense of the Westerplatte Peninsula was the largest and most hilarious battle between the two sides in the entire World War II.
But this can be regarded as "excusable". Germany had no confidence at all when it attacked Poland. The infantry, artillery, and air force were established in a short period of time; the armored force has the longest training time in the entire army, but it has never conducted large-scale actual combat. Poland's armored forces ranked fifth or sixth in the world at that time, and their military strength was very impressive in Europe.
The final result is pretty good. It can only be said that the British have always liked to yell and scream, exclaiming "the German army is invincible" during the First World War. Germany's "bravery" in World War II was largely exaggerated by this Germanic cousin. Due to the differences between Eastern and Western cultures, white people have always liked to elevate their opponents to highlight their own greatness. The East seems to be just the opposite.
"The big guys at the headquarters are too careful." The more Colonel Fred looked at it, the more he felt that this "fortress" was no big deal. Maybe he could easily take it down by sending a battalion of soldiers.
Just then, a cold voice came from behind. "It is not good practice to question the decisions of the headquarters."
Colonel Fred turned his head suddenly, and a few drops of cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Because he didn't know when several strong men in Guards uniforms stood behind him.
The 0th Division of the Guards also serves as the military police. (The so-called military police are special units established by the military of some countries. Their main function is to deal with various criminal incidents in the army, especially incidents of military discipline violations by soldiers. It is equivalent to the police in the army.)
Although you don't have to worry about ghosts knocking on your door if you haven't done anything wrong, everyone will be a little scared if you really encounter a ghost. In particular, many of the orders from the headquarters were issued directly by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. If these people accused him of being disrespectful, even if he was not shot, removing him from his post would be enough to make him regret it for the rest of his life.
Just as he was racking his brains to make up for his mistakes, the leader of the Imperial Guard in front of him seemed to notice his uneasiness and spoke. "Colonel Fred, we are the X Troop of the Guards. Our main task is to conduct various secret weapon experiments. We will leave after we get the experimental results."
Colonel Fred almost sat down on the ground when he noticed that the armbands of these people were not the scary No. 0 Division, but a pattern he had never seen before.
Almost scared to death, Colonel Fred wiped the cold sweat from his face and nodded quickly. "I will cooperate fully."
"Let's go back and talk." The group returned to the headquarters. Colonel Fred was immediately attracted by a "tank" parked in the open space in front of the headquarters and couldn't help but gasp. "God, then, is that a mortar?" Cannons of various calibers with exaggerated calibers are common on land, but this is the first time he has seen such a large, self-propelled gun. "200? No, 300? 350, this guy's caliber is at least 350 mm."
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