The decisive battle against the Third Reich - #950 - Chapter 947 Attack Plan

I am too tired today, so I only have one chapter. I will make up for it tomorrow.

At 2 pm, US fighters and bombers launched a bombing of the Metz Fortress.

The US 3rd Army did not hide its strategic goals at all.

Patton’s statement on this was: “Let those attacks that dodge like women go to hell! We will tell them clearly my offensive goals and then conquer them!”

This is actually just a nice statement by Patton. In fact, this offensive goal cannot be hidden at all… Patton knew that the destination of the rear transportation supply would expose this point. Unless the US 3rd Army did not need supplies, the Germans would definitely know that the US 3rd Army’s target was the Metz Fortress.

If this is the case, then the US 3rd Army can only be fast to catch the Germans off guard.

The intelligence Patton got from the French was very exciting.

“They only have 10,000 people!” The staff officer said to Patton with the intelligence: “The most important thing is that they are not regular troops. Most of them are military academy students. Only one regiment is a garrison, but it is also a security regiment, responsible for the logistics and defense of the Metz Fortress!”

“Great, their defense here is so weak?” Patton said.

“Yes!” The staff officer replied: “I think it was because the British and Field Marshal Montgomery’s ‘Market Garden’ operation dispersed the German forces, or attracted them to the northern part of the Ardennes Mountains and even the Netherlands, and they didn’t have time to transfer them back!” “I didn’t expect Montgomery to help me unintentionally!” Patton said happily: “I think Montgomery must know this, so he tried every means to stop us from attacking here… You know? We are lucky, nothing can stop us from rushing into Germany and destroying their industrial center! Saar Valley, Ruhr, here we come!” General Patton made sense to think so. The US 3rd Army had two armies with a total of more than 70,000 people, which was seven times the strength of the German army in the Metz Fortress. In addition, the 3rd Army also had a large number of tanks, artillery, etc., not to mention air power. On the other hand, the tanks of the Metz Fortress were even captured from the French and British for teaching and even as targets. Some of them were used to simulate the enemy’s attack. They were all equipped by the trainees and put into battle.

Considering the huge disparity in strength, especially the 3rd Army had won several victories since landing in France and was in full swing at this time, so Patton almost saw the German industrial area groaning and burning under the tracks of his tanks.

The 20th Army of the United States was at the forefront. This army included three divisions: the 5th Infantry Division, the 90th Infantry Division and the 7th Armored Division.

Patton looked at the map he got from the French… The Metz Fortress was originally a fortress built by France. After the Battle of France began in 1940, the German 16th Army launched a strong attack on the Metz Fortress. A week later, the French army surrendered without fighting spirit, which enabled the German army to bypass the Maginot Line smoothly and make it ineffective.

Therefore, the French had a detailed map of the Metz Fortress, but now the Metz Fortress has changed.

Looking at the three “islands” on the map, it didn’t take Patton long to formulate a battle plan:

“The 5th Infantry Division attacks Little Solsey Island, and the 90th Infantry Division attacks Big Solsey Island!” Patton pointed to the map and said, “While these two infantry divisions hold back the Germans… the 7th Armored Division passes between the two islands and goes straight to the Chambre Island behind them!”

“General!” The staff officer gasped when he heard this: “This will cause our armored forces to be attacked from several sides by the enemy!”

The staff officer was right. Patton’s plan was a bit like walking into a trap… The 7th Armored Division passes between the Big and Small Solsey Islands and attacks the Chambre Island behind them, which means that the 7th Armored Division will enter the middle of the three islands where the Germans are stationed, which will cause the 7th Armored Division to be attacked from three islands.

“Don’t worry, Thomas!” Patton smiled confidently: “Think about this, if you were a German, where would you deploy the main force?” The staff thought for a moment and replied: “I would deploy the main force on the first-line islands of Solsey and Little Solsey!” “That’s right!” Patton nodded and replied: “Even the fortifications are the same. Solsey and Little Solsey are obviously more difficult to break through. Chambre Island is another matter. We use the strongest 7th Armored Division to attack their weakest part. Once we take down Chambre Island… their entire defense will soon collapse!” The staff nodded in agreement. Although this was a risky plan, it could indeed be fatal. Patton’s plan was almost successful, because Qin Chuan and others’ deployment in the Metz Fortress was indeed as Patton said, placing the main force on the first line of two islands and Chambre Island in the rear as the logistics force. In order to avoid the ammunition being destroyed by enemy artillery or bombers as much as possible, they also placed more ammunition on the rear island of Chambre Island because Chambre Island was considered safer. At 8 o’clock that night, the vanguard of the 5th Infantry Division of the United States arrived at the Metz Fortress.

The first thing they did was to set up artillery positions near the Metz Fortress to bombard the Metz Fortress.

“The Germans are all new recruits!” Patton’s order was: “Let them know we are coming, and then stay excited all night. When we really launch an attack, they can only watch our tanks drive up!”

This is a psychological warfare.

It should be said that this was done very successfully, because even though Qin Chuan told the recruits again and again: “Americans usually do not launch attacks at night, they hate darkness, and at the same time they cannot get air power support if they launch attacks at night, so You should sleep peacefully and recuperate!”

But sleeping is not something that can only be achieved by sleeping, especially for recruits who have never fought in a war. In this state, they will naturally become nervous and unable to sleep… They can’t control themselves, and Qin Chuan certainly can’t either.

On the other hand, the US military also deployed searchlights and anti-aircraft guns around the area.

Qinchuan believed that there was also a vehicle-mounted radar, because when the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Infantry Regiment carried a helicopter to reinforce the Metz Fortress, the US military’s searchlights flew around the fortress like lights on a revolving stage, and then he saw The anti-aircraft guns fired everywhere at the slightest sign of trouble.

They would even send night fighters to implement the blockade… Night fighters at this time were relatively backward. They mostly used flares or installed searchlights to give the fighters some degree of night fighting capability.

This prevented the helicopter formation from carrying out reinforcements to Metz.