She changed Europe

Page 161

Continuing to fire under these circumstances could result in friendly fire, so Michelle said into the microphone, "The next target is the enemy strongpoint in the town. After that, the whole team will charge with me."

After saying that, he put down the microphone, turned around and said to Hawke, who was standing on the engine radiator cover at the rear of his tank and observing the battlefield through binoculars, "We're going to charge. Get your men on board!"

Hawke immediately turned around and shouted, "Get in the car, you bunch of idiots! Hurry up!"

Before the words were even finished, the tank convoy began firing in unison, the smoke and dust rising up forming a gaseous wall in front of the convoy.

Michelle lowered his binoculars, glanced back to check on the infantrymen's condition, and then shouted to the driver, "Forward!"

The next moment, inertia caused Michel's body to lean backward, but he quickly steadied himself and kept his upper body upright on the turret—he felt that his men and infantrymen wanted to see their commander's brave and fearless figure.

Following closely behind Michel's tank, the armored group began to accelerate, the gray cavalry cutting through the gunpowder-scented smoke and charging towards the town where Russian troops were stationed.

"Wow, that really feels like a medieval knight charging forward!" Hawke exclaimed. "That's awesome!"

Michelle didn't have time to pay him any attention and shouted into the inner line: "Left front, under the collapsed building, enemy firing point!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the tank's turret began to rotate.

"Aiming complete!" the gunner shouted.

"Brief stop! Cease fire!"

Michel's vehicle braked suddenly, and the inertia from its enormous mass caused the vehicle to dip slightly forward and tilt upward at the rear, but this was immediately restored to its original state by the suspension mechanism.

After being restored, the gunner made only minor adjustments to the cannon and immediately opened fire.

The shell landed next to the firing point that Michel had seen, the explosion knocking several people over and destroying a corner of the sandbag bunker, exposing the Russian weapons behind it.

"Damn it! That's an infantry gun! Second round loaded!"

At that moment, other tanks were passing by Michel, and vehicle number two seemed to be planning to stop and fire at the firing point, but Michel shouted into the microphone: "Don't worry about it, I'll handle this, vehicle number two, keep moving!"

As soon as the order was given, the loader reported: "Loading complete!"

"Fire!"

Before the gunner could report that he had finished aiming, Michel hurriedly gave instructions because he saw the surviving Russian gunners turning their guns in his direction.

The shot hit the sandbag bunker directly, and the explosion destroyed the entire bunker. Michel estimated that it could no longer pose a threat to the attacking armored group. So he patted the armor on top of the turret, praised it, and ordered the driver to start the tank again, and continue the assault with the battalion that had already reached the front.

By this time, the armored formation was very close to the town, and some tanks began to use their attached machine guns to sweep the outer edge of the town.

Michelle saw that the battle between the magicians at the western end of the town was over. The Russian armor lay on the ground, looking like a pile of scrap metal, and the Turkish armor also knelt on the ground.

Michelle thought to herself that even at such a disadvantage, they could still trade one for one; the Russian magic warriors' combat power was truly formidable.

At that moment, a bullet hit the hatch on top of the turret that was erected in front of Michel.

An infantryman sitting on the edge of the tank was hit and rolled off the tank. Hawke quickly took cover behind the turret.

"Enemy firing positions, suppressive fire!"

The turret quickly turned, and the main gun and coaxial machine gun fixed to the side opened fire together, immediately engulfing the Russian firing positions in the smoke and dust kicked up by the bullets.

A broken German voice came through the radio: "The Russian magic warriors have completed their clearing and are now engaged in combat with the Russian infantry."

"Understood, we're coming right now."

By this time, the armored group had already broken through the defensive perimeter of the town. As the tanks crossed the defensive perimeter, they used the machine guns on the vehicle and the coaxial machine guns to drive the Russian infantry into a frenzy. Then, the international volunteer infantry on the vehicles began to dismount and fight.

Michel's vehicle stopped next to the Russian infantry gun emplacement he had just destroyed. Hawke waved and led his men to jump out of the vehicle.

"Get to work, brothers!" he shouted to the nearby soldiers.

Although the Austrian Army has made great strides in recent years under the guidance and attention of the Empress, these captured enemy weapons still have their uses. After all, the logistical pressure of this operation in Turkey is far greater than that of fighting on home soil, so the principle of saving resources wherever possible is still in place.

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 589 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: Capter 86 The Prussian Affirmation

Marmara Herrelis, International Volunteer Force Front Command —

When the communications officer entered, Jeanne was studying a map.

"The advance force, together with the Turkish magicians, has captured Chollu. The Russian army has defeated about an unorganized division and captured more than 1,500 Russian soldiers."

“A regimental unit defeated a division.” The Prussian general, also in headquarters, shook his head, his face full of disbelief. “Such a thing actually happened. When I saw the decision in the attack plan to use only the first troops to arrive, I thought you had all gone mad.”

“I initially thought it was very risky,” Jeanne glanced at the general, “but…”

“But I know that your Queen believes this will succeed.” The Prussian general interrupted Jeanne, seemingly without a hint of rudeness in interrupting a mage, which was unusual for a high-ranking officer.

Jeanne, accustomed to the Austrians' overly respectful attitude, was slightly displeased, but she merely raised an eyebrow and made no further comment. After all, Prussia was still an independent country, even though the relationship between the two nations had become increasingly close due to the two rulers.

"In short, the tactic was a success."

"We easily broke through the Russian defenses at Cholllu. Next, according to the plan, the Turkish magic warriors will stay behind to keep watch, while our main force will continue to advance towards the predetermined objective."

“I still have doubts about this deep penetration,” the Prussian general said as he approached the map table. “If successful, it would certainly bring enormous benefits, completely dismantling the Russian army’s strength on the main battlefield, or at least, we could force the Russians to deploy their magic users, thus breaking the stalemate between the magic users on both sides of Istanbul. And since you have already made your public appearance here, even if the Russian magic users are deployed, they will certainly act cautiously.”

Like everyone else, Jeanne also came to stop the "humanitarian disaster" in the Ottoman Empire under the guise of volunteering. Theoretically, she did not come to participate in the war against Russia, but it was obvious to everyone that the war was between Britain and Austria, or Britain and Germany, in disguise, fighting the Russians for resources. The Russian command would definitely include Jeanne in their forces, and they would be constrained when allocating magical power.

Even including the British Royal Navy's mage users who are just playing a minor role on the battlefield, the Allied forces have a slight advantage in the proportion of mage users on the entire battlefield. That's why the Russians have been holding back their mage users and have not yet deployed them, attempting to win the war with mage warriors and conventional forces.

We should at least wait for the Turks' magic users to be deployed to the battlefield and wear them down.

If this raid succeeds, the situation will change, and the Russian army may have to first deploy magic users.

Of course, Jeanne did not intend to participate in the war, as that might cause the Russians to abandon their attempt to seize Istanbul and be content with the Turkish territory they currently occupied.

The British probably didn't want to get too involved; they could have retreated to the Bulgarian peninsula and blocked the Dardanelles Strait.

Therefore, the British were unlikely to deploy magic users. Their deployment of magic users at sea was probably intended to contain Russia, preventing the Russians from easily engaging in magic user combat. This would allow them to further deplete Russia's conventional forces, rendering them unable to advance towards the Dardanelles.

Jeanne quickly analyzed the situation in her mind.

In short, if this offensive campaign succeeds, it will completely shatter the possibility of Russia occupying Istanbul this year, and the war will continue.

However, neither she nor the British magicians would engage in combat, so the war would not immediately end in Russian defeat, thus creating a quagmire, and Her Majesty's goal would be achieved.

Therefore, this rapid offensive operation against Sarai must succeed.

A swift breakthrough of the Russian defenses at Chorlu was the first step to success. The next key focus was on the speed of the troop advance and the extent to which they disrupted the enemy's battlefield reconnaissance and communications.

"Tell the Air Force that they must shoot down all the Russian reconnaissance balloons in the sky!" Jeanne told the communications officer. "In addition, they must keep track of the movements of the Russian Magician reserve forces and guide our attacking troops to evade them."

"Yes!"

At this point, the Prussian general said, "I wonder how your soldiers, codenamed 141, who were given high hopes before the war, are doing."

“You don’t need to worry about their combat capabilities.” After saying this, Jeanne turned to face the map.

Task Force 141's infiltration operation began two weeks ago.

The infiltration force parachuted into Turkish-controlled territory aboard large aircraft, and, accompanied by Turkish guides, advanced towards the rear of Russian lines. Their mission was to attack Russian communication facilities, cut telephone lines, snipe communications soldiers, and so on, once the offensive began.

Her Majesty the Queen, who formulated the battle plan, attached extraordinary importance to the army's battlefield communications. Correspondingly, she also attached great importance to attacking and destroying enemy communications. The entire battle plan of the task force originated from Her Majesty the Queen's secret mission.

Although she is now lying unconscious in a hospital bed, the ghosts she has sent out are still faithfully carrying out their missions.

So at noon on the day the attack was launched, the Russian divisional command suddenly found that their telephone lines were all down—the telephone lines from their headquarters to their subordinate units stationed nearby were working, but all telephone communication with other divisions and higher command headquarters was cut off, and some divisions even lost contact with their regimental headquarters which were stationed far away.

The Russian army did not value radio equipment, thinking that magical communication was sufficient. However, magical communication was also significantly limited, requiring devices to receive magical energy and having a limited number of personnel to use it. As a result, the reliability of the few radios available to each unit was very poor. If telephone service was unavailable, they could only rely on telegrams to communicate.

Of course, the communication capabilities of conventional armies in this era were quite poor, and only Her Majesty the Empress would be so ruthless as to equip a large number of grassroots combat units with basic walkie-talkies.

The Russians immediately sent out repairmen, but they all disappeared without a trace, and none of them returned by evening. Of course, the telephone line showed no signs of being restored.

Correspondingly, Russian commanders received reports from some patrol units that they had discovered signs of fighting, but the bodies had been hidden and the attackers could not be found. When they asked the local people, they could not give any answers. Most of the local people in the area did not speak Russian, and most of the Russian officers did not speak Turkish.

So, in the evening, the headquarters of the Russian Third Army, responsible for rear defense, dispatched an armed patrol team on horseback to search along the main telephone lines of the headquarters and check the situation...

PS1: I forgot to update yesterday.

Chapter 590 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: The Battle of Task Force Capter87141 (Supplement to Yesterday's Update)

An entire cavalry company was deployed to carry out this mission, and the military communications unit also selected nearly thirty strong and capable communications soldiers.

The Russian army force of nearly 300 men set off from the headquarters of the Third Army in Sarai and quickly disappeared into the sunset over the peninsula.

Scholes put down the latest walkie-talkie and said to the squad leaders beside him, "The Russian army has dispatched a patrol force, probably three hundred men, all on horseback, and they are moving very fast."

“It’s easy to defeat a force like this,” the Jackal Squad leader immediately stated, “but it’s much harder to wipe them all out and prevent them from spreading the word.”

The other squad leaders also nodded in agreement.

“Yes.” Scholes agreed with his subordinates. The squad leaders of 141 were all veterans who had experienced the Italian campaign and the Austro-Prussian War. They wouldn’t exaggerate their own combat capabilities, nor would they overestimate the enemy. “So we can only start from another angle. How many grenades and smoke grenades do you have left?”

“Almost never used,” said the captain of the Hound Fox Squad. The other squad leaders nodded in agreement. It seemed that the day’s battles had been relatively easy. The members of Squad 141 felt they didn’t need to use their trump cards like the Moon-Ripple Mark/Reminder. These were all new, lightweight gadgets secretly developed by Her Majesty the Empress. They were incredibly effective against ordinary personnel, but the quantity was limited.

“Excellent. We’ll hide in the shadows, bomb them until they’re disoriented, and then retreat without a trace after the initial barrage.” Scholes seemed pleased. “That way, when they go back to report, they’ll definitely spout a bunch of nonsense and completely confuse the Russian commander.”

“We also brought some anti-personnel mines,” the Jackal Squad leader said. “I bet the Russians will like them.”

"Then bury them. We can also add some tripwires to surprise the Russians. Now set your watches and complete the ambush preparations within thirty minutes."

"Shall we ambush them here?"

"The Russians will patrol along the telephone line, right here by the roadside. They'll definitely come. Let's move out."

And so the group disappeared into the gradually descending night.

The Russians arrived later than Scholes had anticipated, probably because they couldn't ride fast at night in unfamiliar territory. As the Jackal squad, positioned at the forefront of the ambush zone, reported sighting the cavalry column via walkie-talkie, Scholes glanced down at his finely crafted Swiss watch in the starlight. 10:15 PM—a perfect time to strike—though in Scholes's mind, every moment was suitable for an attack; the only difference lay in the method.

The cavalry entered the ambush zone unknowingly, and then the cavalryman at the front of the column tripped over the tripwire of a landmine.

As the explosion rang out, Scholes leaped from his hiding place and threw a grenade at the cavalry in front of him.

Loud explosions and bangs echoed one after another, and even from a distance, Scholz's ears were ringing from the grenade explosions. Many cavalrymen were killed, and the horses in the rear ranks were instantly startled, rearing up and throwing their unsuspecting riders off their horses. The frightened horses ran wildly through the ranks, causing great chaos.

Scholes shouted in Turkish and opened fire on the cavalry with his few but expensive submachine guns.

Due to their advanced technology, the high cost of these submachine guns meant that they could not be used to equip the Austrian army on a large scale at this stage. Only the elite of Unit 141 could enjoy the benefits of these cutting-edge weapons.

It was night, and Scholes couldn't see how many enemies there were. He fired at every writhing, tall shadow, unleashing a torrent of bullets.

After emptying one magazine, he switched to another, firing as he retreated, and his teammates followed suit.

The entire battle lasted less than thirty seconds. The task force, having completed the attack, dropped smoke grenades and then quickly retreated.

Meanwhile, the Russians were completely terrified. They had no idea how many people had been killed or wounded. Many of them ran around like headless flies. Some soldiers had just regrouped when they saw the frightened horses break away from the formation and gallop back the way they came. Without saying a word, they followed them. The 300-man cavalry unit was thus scattered and disappeared in a flash.

After confirming the Russians' withdrawal, Task Force 141 returned to the scene and began processing the Russian soldiers who were still alive on the battlefield, while searching the officers' bodies for any valuable documents or orders.

Fifteen minutes later, the entire battlefield was cleared, and the task force quickly withdrew. Half an hour later, when the nearby Russian troops arrived, only dead bodies remained on the battlefield. Occasionally, a few horses that were not quite dead let out mournful cries, adding an eerie and desolate atmosphere to the entire battlefield.

The Russian troops who fled back to headquarters had no idea what had attacked them and insisted that they had been bombarded by artillery.

The problem is that neither the surrounding Russian supply units nor the local civilians heard the large-scale artillery barrage.

Subsequently, the commander of the Third Army made a tough decision and ordered a regiment of the Amur Division of the Third Army, which was guarded by Sarai, to march in a grand procession to the place where the patrol team was attacked, and to join up with the 1st Don River Infantry Regiment, which had already arrived there.

The whole incident dragged on until the early hours of the next day when the Third Army Headquarters received a report that there were no traces of artillery shells exploding at the scene.

In a fit of rage, the commander of the Third Army had Pietro, the cavalry company commander who had led his men back in a disheveled retreat, shot dead.

Similar to the situation faced by the Third Army Command, the Russian First Front Command also spent the entire day trying to figure out what had happened.

The intelligence sent back from below indicated that they knew a battle had taken place near Silivri, but they subsequently lost contact with the division's radio. They had no idea whether the division had been annihilated or if it was simply a radio malfunction (in reality, the division's headquarters was destroyed in a bombing raid).

At the same time, they also lost contact with the 25th Infantry Division deployed at Cholllu. This infantry division disappeared even more completely, without sending a single word. The army headquarters did not realize that the division might be in trouble until half an hour after the scheduled contact time each day.

Clearly, the international volunteer forces that had been assembling their forces launched an offensive, but the Russian generals had no idea which direction the enemy was attacking.

Their previous assessment was that the international volunteer forces planned to flank and besiege the Russian forces in Istanbul, meaning the coalition forces should be advancing towards Qatar. However, no one could guarantee that the 25th Division's defensive direction was sound.

The Russians have a reserve of magic warriors who can be immediately deployed to contain any attack, but where to deploy this force is a big question.

Left with no other choice, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, commander of the Russian Danube Front, did not adopt General Dmitry Alekseyevich Milyutin's suggestion to attack. Instead, he chose to hold back for the time being and send reconnaissance balloons and ground reconnaissance troops to investigate the situation first thing the next morning.

This order cost the Russian army its most precious 24 hours in the face of an attack.

PS1: Sorry, I forgot to post it QAQ

Chapter 591 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: Capter88 The New Ruler of the Sky (Seeking Votes)

Meanwhile, in the command vehicle of the international volunteer armored group, a young officer was yelling at his subordinates: "Don't stop! To avoid the Russian magic warriors, we must advance faster than their command anticipates! Engaging with organized magic warrior units would result in heavy losses! It's very likely that we won't be able to achieve the objectives Her Majesty the Empress gave us before the war! So keep going, even if the vehicles break down, keep moving!"

“But that would cause our troops to become separated from their units,” the officer’s deputy worriedly added. “Besides, our troops have been marching all day; they need time to rest…”

"They will have some time to rest before dawn, so for now, just keep moving forward."

The adjutant, a former member of the Wehrmacht, was clearly dissatisfied with his superior, whose ancestors had only ever held the rank of infantry lieutenant. However, the combat engineer units and these field tractors were the Queen's prized possessions, and as a Wehrmacht officer, he dared not be disrespectful. He could only salute his temporary superior and say, "Yes, Mr. Heinz, we will continue to advance."

“Very good.” The young officer, known as Heinz, nodded, but then he called back his adjutant, who was about to leave to relay the order, “Have the staff discuss what time in the early morning would be best for the troops to rest. Make sure that at that time the troops are in a position that is not easily detected or attacked by the enemy.”

The Russian army has only deployed a corps in the rear, which is just a shell, with three or four divisions below it, some of which only have one regiment. Therefore, the troops are quite dispersed. The armored troops are now embedded in the largest gap among these gaps, so it is inevitable that they would be worried.