46

Road to Warsaw (1)

The Poles, who had cheered the news of Youngf's participation in the war, were perplexed when Youngfish showed no significant movement even a week after the war broke out.

"Why are Britain and France still standing still? "Shouldn't we have pushed into Germany by now?"

"They say the Germans are advancing on Warsaw..."

"Isn't this really going to ruin the country?"

"Don't be so foolish, asshole! "Don't you know that words become seeds?"

The Polish military leadership was equally upset.

I was taking a breather at Youngf's declaration of war, but there has been no news so far. How should I accept this?

On the first day of the war, the Polish government, which abandoned Warsaw, which had been devastated by air raids, and fled to Brest, asked its allies Britain and France to hastily attack western Germany, but each time the two countries expressed reluctance.

The military's preparations are not yet complete, we cannot rashly launch an offensive without knowing the enemy's plans, there is strong opposition from domestic public opinion, etc.

While Youngf languished, the German army continued to advance,

September 8th.

The Battle of Warsaw began when the German 4th Panzer Division and 31st Infantry Division reached the western outskirts of Warsaw.

***

September 10, 1939

Polish military defense line outside Warsaw

"Line up, you bastards! Get in line! line!"

The sergeant in charge of the feeding service shouted until his voice was hoarse, but it had no effect on the soldiers who had already lost their senses due to hunger.

All soldiers, from privates to sergeants, grabbed each other to get their food first. In the face of hunger, neither discipline nor class worked.

In the end, military police were brought in and beat the soldiers with butts and clubs to finally bring order.

"Give me a little more, just a little."

"You gave me enough. "Go quickly!"

"Give me one more potato! I could only drink one sip of water for three days. This is my first meal! Please, okay?"

The cook, who was weakened by the desperate cries of the soldiers wearing ragged military uniforms and begging for a piece of potato, scooped up the piece of potato with a ladle and placed it in a bowl.

"Get out now. next!"

After receiving his food after a long struggle, Yan headed to the oak tree that had been damaged by the bombing. And I ate the soup quickly, not knowing who would see it.

It was a soup made by boiling potatoes and turnips in plain water without adding salt, but it was nothing short of a feast for him who had been starving for a long time.

The potatoes were undercooked and the turnips tasted sour, but Yan was glad that he could eat the food.

On the first day of the war, Jan's company, which repelled a German attack near the border, received an order from superiors to retreat an hour after the battle ended.

The defense line of our forces in charge of the south had been breached and retreat was inevitable.

Yan's company, which was retreating from its well-constructed position, was attacked by an enemy air attack while on the move.

It was discovered by the German military's famous dive bomber, the Ju87 Stuka.

There were only two Stukas, but Jan's company suffered damage that was close to annihilation from those two.

The company commander and platoon leader were killed, and some soldiers abandoned their weapons and fled.

The medic was killed and there was no one to treat him, so the wounded soldiers were left alone.

It was difficult for everyone to take care of themselves, so I couldn't help anyone.

The survivors embarked on an endless journey, leaving the crying wounded soldiers alone.

The soldiers moved only through the forest to avoid being noticed by enemy aircraft.

Nevertheless, just as we were about to relax, enemy planes would inevitably appear and drop bombs or launch strafing attacks.

The next day, the number of company members who joined the main unit was less than 10, including Yan.

Just as I was finally resting, a new order came from my superiors. The enemy has broken through the front line, so quickly form a defense line to block the enemy.

So Jan was sent to build a trench without even being able to drink a sip of water.

There was no strength in my body, so the field shovel bounced off the ground repeatedly.

Yan was barely able to come to his senses when the inferior officer handed him his canteen.

When the trench was halfway dug, the Germans attacked.

Jan had to go into a half-entrench and fight while crouching.

"Start shooting!"

Following the command of the major in command, all soldiers fired simultaneously. Several German soldiers slipped and fell on the icy road.

As the battle began, German troops also fell to the ground or hid behind armored vehicles and fired at the Polish troops.

When the Sd.Kfz 222 reconnaissance armored vehicle fired its 20mm cannon, screams erupted from the Polish army camp.

"Huh!"

Jan, who was reloading, stopped breathing without realizing it when two soldiers in the next trench were hit by an autocannon and turned into rags.

Pieces of shattered flesh and internal organs were stuck to his cheeks and uniform.

"Wooweeeek!"

Jan, unable to hold it in any longer, vomited. He didn't go in, but he came out a lot.

After pouring out for a while, the vomiting stopped when my stomach became empty and there was nothing more to pour out. The smell of her sour gastric juices assaulted her nose.

Jan barely came to his senses when he saw a German armored vehicle spouting smoke. Our anti-tank rifles and anti-tank guns destroyed it.

"It's a tank! "A tank has appeared!"

However, beyond the mountains, after taking out the armored vehicles, this time a tank appeared. It was the 4th Panzer, the main force of the German armored forces.

"launch!"

Three anti-tank rifles fired in succession, but the enemy tanks deflected all the bullets. It was impossible to destroy Panzer 4 with the Wz.35, which penetrated 15 mm at 300 m.

"Damn, it's all sticking out?!"

"What kind of monsters are there?"

When anti-tank rifles did not work, anti-tank guns came forward.

The Swedish-made Bofors 37mm anti-tank gun fired an armor-piercing shell at the front armor of the 4th Tank.

But the results did not change. The frontal armor of the 80mm-thick tank No. 4 easily deflected 37mm armor-piercing bullets.

A tank that deflects anti-tank guns. I've never even heard of anything like this.

The gunner fired again, but this time the shell failed to pierce the enemy's armor and bounced into the air.

The turret of Panzer 4 rotated, and a flash of light erupted from the blocky 75mm gun.

The anti-tank artillerymen were annihilated by a single 75mm grenade.

To make matters worse, the ammunition around the anti-tank gun was caught in the explosion and exploded all at once, further increasing the damage.

"Ugh, wow!!!"

"medic!"

Soldiers whose arms or legs were blown off screamed, and soldiers who were struggling with their bodies on fire were turned into hives by coaxial machine guns.

The Polish army's defense line collapsed in an instant due to the German attack led by the 4th Panzer. Yan once again became a defeated soldier.

Still, I had a bit of luck this time. While walking aimlessly, he happened to meet a friendly transport unit retreating toward Warsaw and was able to get a truck.

The truck was full of wounded soldiers.

Soldiers whose skin was torn by shrapnel or who suffered burns were among those with minor injuries.

Many soldiers lost hands or legs and endured the pain relying on roughly wrapped bandages and tourniquets.

Until we arrived at the field hospital in the rear, moans and cries for water flowed endlessly from the wounded soldiers.

"That friend, is he alive? "Just looking at the cancer, it looks like he's dead."

Jan, who had to stand because there was no place to sit, spoke to the soldier next to him.

Some of the wounded soldiers lying on the floor of the luggage compartment seemed to be already dead. It was immediately noticeable because the skin was so red that it was hard to think of it as a living person.

"There's nothing you can do, right? "Still, these guys are lucky."

"why?"

"It's better than dying alone in the mud."

"······."

As the soldier said, those who died in the truck were lucky.

Countless soldiers were left on the battlefield and died without even receiving help.

Although this did not apply to those who had already died, it seemed as though God had not completely abandoned them, and a red flag did not appear in the sky until they arrived in Warsaw.

Wounded soldiers were sent to field hospitals, and those with intact limbs were redeployed to the defensive line established on the outskirts of Warsaw.

Yan, who poured every drop of the thin soup into his mouth, returned to the trench. I was still hungry, but I felt like I gained some strength after eating something.

As I was closing my eyes to sleep or take a nap, a gunshot rang out.

A shell fell about 80 meters away from the trench, creating a large crater.

"It's enemy artillery fire!"

Soldiers who had been gulping down their rationed soup threw down their bowls and ran to the trenches at the mere mention of artillery fire.

Jan curled up with his eyes closed and his hands covering his ears. Soon, an unimaginably massive rain of shells poured down.

The ground shook as if an earthquake had occurred, and the dust and stones that had risen into the air fell down due to gravity.

It felt as if the end of the world had come.

***

"Shoot!"

"Shoot!"

For over 30 minutes, German artillery was pouring shells into the defense line established by the Polish army.

With a smile on his face, Guderian observed through binoculars the Polish army's defense line being destroyed.

For the Polish army being bombarded, death must have been painful, but Guderian was extremely happy.

As one more Polish soldier dies, one more German son lives, so how can you not be happy?

"Everyone, take note. "It's a sight rarely seen outside of war."

Hitler, who trusted Guderian, gave special treatment to the 19th Panzer Corps, which he commanded, by supplying various new types of equipment.

In addition, he was given the important task of standing at the forefront of the attack on Warsaw along with Reichenau's 10th Army.

-I will only trust my general. Feel free to run wild.

"Please just leave it to me, Mr. President!"

To repay the Führer's trust, Warsaw must be captured as quickly as possible.

In order to enter Warsaw, the Polish army on the outskirts of the city had to be completely defeated first.

While the 10th Army attacked the western outskirts, Guderian's 19th Army Corps attacked the northern outskirts of Warsaw.

The new self-propelled guns, Vespe, Grille, and Hummel, which Guderian himself was directly involved in developing, were also used in artillery fire.

The self-propelled guns, which were made by modifying the chassis of the 2nd Tank, 38(t), and 4th Tank, respectively, showed excellent performance in actual combat.

Among these, Hummel's performance was the most outstanding, and since it was built on the basis of the Panzer 4, it was well-received for its excellent mobility and high reliability even though it was equipped with a massive 15cm howitzer.

The President was especially interested in this guy, so I'm sure he would be happy about it.

As the bombardment slowly reached its final stage, Guderian ordered his 3rd Panzer Division to advance.

***

"medic! Here, here! "Come quickly!"

"God! God!"

"Tadeusz! Tadeusz! "Where are you?"

Hell spread across the area where the German artillery fire swept through.

The soldiers who were hit directly by artillery shells and disappeared without a shape were among the few who died gracefully, and many more met an unimaginably gruesome end.

There were soldiers whose body parts were blown off by shrapnel or whose abdomen was torn and their internal organs sticking out, while there were also soldiers whose clothes were blown off by the oppression and who were left naked.

Less than a handful of medics and civilian volunteers rushed here and there to save the wounded soldiers, but the number of wounded soldiers was too many. There were so many.

This time too, Jan was lucky.

Except for the fact that dirt got into his uniform and his eardrums tingled, he was fine.

My head hurt, perhaps due to the effects of the shelling. Jan vomited because of the pain, as if her head was being squeezed with a rope.

Pieces of undigested potato and turnip rose up the esophagus and spilled onto the ground.

"Fuck."

I barely felt like I was filling my stomach, but my stomach was empty again.

The foul smell of blood, gunpowder, and gastric juice irritated my nose. I vomited a lot and felt nauseous.

"Everyone prepare for battle! "The Germans are coming!"

"Put up the anti-tank gun! hurry!"

German tanks were running with great force, creating a huge gust of wind. After all, they were all tank No. 4.

The soldiers, half-conscious from the artillery fire, either sat blankly when they saw the approaching tanks, or threw away their weapons and ran away.

Once the fear spread, it was uncontrollable. Many soldiers ran back shouting "It's a tank!"

"Don't run away! "I will kill you!"

"Come back, you cowards!"

The officers and non-commissioned officers shouted loudly for positions to be taken, but the soldiers, who had lost their senses due to fear, could not hear them.

Only the primitive instinct to live remained.

Eventually, the officers gave the order to kill the fleeing soldiers.

The soldiers who were hesitant at first about having to shoot at their comrades hesitated and pulled the trigger when the officers gave the order again.

A loud gunshot rang out and the fleeing soldiers fell like dominoes.

The soldiers who managed to avoid being hit by bullets continued to run.

"Those damn bastards. "You traitors..."

The officer, who was shooting a pistol at the deserters and swearing at them, turned his head and fell. The German army began shooting.

The anti-tank gun fired, but the steel monsters easily bounced away.

Although there were occasional hits on the thinly armored turret, the tank continued to move without stopping.

As the tanks approached, the remaining soldiers abandoned their trenches and retreated.

Even the officers who were shouting at the top of their voices to secure the position were caught up in the fleeing soldiers and fled.

Fortunately for them, the few remaining Polish artillery units opened fire to support the retreat of our troops.

Since there were only a few field guns and not many shells, the bombardment ended quickly, but it was able to delay the German army's pursuit for a few minutes. For the fleeing soldiers, time was more precious than a thousand pieces of gold.

Jan also succeeded in fleeing to downtown Warsaw among the soldiers. He was so busy running that he didn't even notice the cut on his cheek.

Yan, who had barely entered the safe zone, sat down as if collapsing and let out a rough breath. A woman who volunteered as a nurse brought a kettle of water for him, who was exhausted.

After quenching his thirst with water, a piece of black bread was placed in his hand.

Before Jan could express her gratitude, the woman had disappeared to take care of the other soldiers.