novelden Chapter 153 Nasser Decisive Battle
Chapter 153 Nasser Decisive Battle
Leonard Kate was shocked and immediately ordered the front-line attacking troops to withdraw, ordered the 27th Tank Division to support the 1st Infantry Division, and ordered the direct artillery brigade to counterattack and suppress the enemy's artillery fire.
A staff officer handed an urgent telegram to Leonard Kate's chief of staff. The content of the telegram made him even more terrified. An unknown enemy column appeared behind him and had attacked a large oil base and an ammunition base. The transportation lines were also attacked and destroyed.
"What a ruthless tactic! This is not Cheney's style. The opposing commander should be replaced."
Leonard Kate immediately realized that his opponent wasn't Cheney, commander of the US 1st Division, but rather a higher-ranking commander. He instructed his chief of staff, "Have the 27th Division dispatch a light armored regiment to eliminate the enemy attacking our logistics base. Have the attached Italian 6th Division follow as soon as possible to relieve the 1st Light Division."
Leonard Kate thought: Since the enemy has exposed his firepower on the flanks and behind, their strength in the front must be weak, and it is imperative to capture Binban!
On the east bank, the battle for Nasser City is still going on. The German mechanized infantry regiment seems to have occupied most of Nasser City, but it is getting deeper and deeper into the trap, losing a large number of armored vehicles and mobile firepower. Now it can only rely on the infantry to fight for each house one by one.
Seeing that almost an entire afternoon had passed, the mechanized infantry regiment still had not completely captured Nasser City. Enemy firepower gradually began to appear on both flanks, and artillery fire began to threaten the attacking troops both outside and inside the city. He had to make a decision and sent the 3rd Tank Regiment into action. The division's self-propelled howitzers began to bombard the enemy artillery positions on the heights behind Nasser City.
"The enemy is moving out, 1 tank regiment, 34 Panthers, 17 Panzer IVs!"
Pu Zhengsong received a report from the forward observation post and immediately stood at the divisional observation post, using his gun scope to observe the direction of the German tank group's movement. 34 Panthers and 17 Panzer IVs—this was the 3rd Tank Regiment, the main force of the 3rd Division!
"Pay close attention to the enemy tank group's movement route. Order the 7th and 8th Regiments to prepare. Once the enemy passes by our flanks, immediately launch a counterattack!"
"Hit all the rocket launchers. When 7 or 8 counterattack, cover the grenadier columns behind the enemy tanks and isolate them from the tanks!"
"Direct tank destroyer battalion, move forward and prepare to attack the enemy. Please move light tanks along the river and wait for the opportunity. If the remaining two enemy tank regiments deploy, immediately advance and launch a surprise attack on the enemy headquarters!"
"Order the 82nd Regiment to begin a counterattack and firmly pin down the German infantry in the city!"
"Send a message to the Air Force so they can concentrate their forces to bomb key areas behind enemy lines while also providing cover for our own forces."
Pu Zhengsong issued a series of orders, and all the troops moved at high speed. At this time, Zhang Lingpu, who was hiding on the left, became uneasy and called directly to ask for instructions on their actions. Pu Zhengsong said with a serious face, "Wait for orders! Without my order, you are not allowed to expose yourself and you are not allowed to attack!"
Sheksman was also mobilizing. He sent out the 3rd Tank Regiment. One purpose was to assist the Infantry Regiment in capturing the city. The other purpose was to lure out the enemy's ambushing tank troops. He concentrated all the anti-tank firepower and divided it into several clusters. He had listed several key points of the attacking 3rd Tank Regiment. Each firepower group had adjusted the parameters and could immediately attack the enemy tank cluster that appeared.
"Attack!" Following Pu Zhengsong's order, the 114th and 7th Tank Regiments of the 8th Division, which were ambushed in the sand, rushed out of the sand and rushed rapidly towards the flank of the German 3rd Tank Regiment.
Schexman saw it clearly from a distance and immediately ordered the anti-tank group to counterattack, while at the same time ordering the 3rd Tank Regiment to turn around and confront the oncoming enemy tank forces head-on.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!" the 114th Division's rocket artillery group immediately covered the grenadier column behind the German 3rd Tank Regiment. Schexman, without hesitation, ordered the division's artillery regiment to counterattack the 114th Division's rocket artillery group. For a moment, the roar of artillery was deafening, and the areas under fire from both sides were engulfed in artillery fire.
The tanks of the 7th and 8th Regiments soon intertwined with the tanks of the German 3rd Regiment. Both sides continued to fire artillery. From time to time, the hit tanks stopped, burned, and exploded. At this time, no one would retreat. Shells flew everywhere, and the rapidly moving tracks raised clouds of yellow sand.
"12th and 23rd Regiments attack!" Sheksman finally gave the order for an all-out attack. He believed that he had already taken the initiative. Even if the enemy had an ambush, it would be of no use because he had blind confidence in his tanks!
The rolling German tanks were intercepted by the ambushed 9th Tank Regiment and 82nd Armored Regiment before they joined the melee. Zhang Lingpu, in particular, rushed more than a dozen tanks into the enemy camp, with several armored vehicles mixed in with the tanks. Dozens of soldiers rushed out of the locomotives, throwing dozens of Molotov cocktails around and launching a massive attack, disrupting the German tank camp.
The 9th Tank Regiment seized the opportunity and launched a fierce artillery fire, destroying several German Panzer IV tanks and creating a large gap, allowing them to merge with Zhang Lingpu's column. Zhang's column took advantage of the situation and attacked the German grenadier column directly. The rapid-fire guns on the armored vehicles became a nightmare for the German grenadiers.
The Hunters of the 114th Division's Tank Destroyer Battalion opened fire from long range, their 105mm armor-piercing rounds acting like targeted elimination machines, one by one destroying the slow-moving German tanks and Panzer IIIs. Gradually, the battle became one-sided.
The Allied Air Force, which had planned ahead of schedule, arrived immediately and launched a frenzied bombing campaign along the German front-line defenses. The 88mm anti-tank guns of the German anti-tank battalion, on which their success depended, were heavily bombed, disrupting Schexman's deployment once again. Then, the M5A1 light tanks, rushing along the river bank at high speed, turned the German artillery positions upside down.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Schexman immediately ordered a full retreat. At this time, the German Panthers showed their superb performance. They quickly formed a formation and took turns to cover each other. Although there were some losses, they ensured the evacuation of their brigade.
The melee wasn't advantageous for the 114th Division. Without a clear majority, the M4 Shermans, acting alone, were no match for the Panthers, especially when the Panthers were united. Fortunately, the M4B6 Jagdpanzers from a distance continuously damaged and destroyed German tanks and tank destroyers, significantly reducing the threat to the M1s. Two tank formations quickly formed, and the Germans retreated, while the 4th Division pressed on. The Shermans were forced to abandon their armored infantry regiment and retreat with their tanks back to Kom Ombo.
The decisive battle of Nasser City came to an end. The German 3rd Tank Division was severely damaged, losing 67 tanks, 15 tank destroyers, and almost all of its 88mm anti-tank guns. In particular, its mechanized infantry regiment was annihilated as a whole, leaving a huge loophole in the defense line of the German 3rd Tank Army!