After seizing the bridge, the battle was far from over. On the other side of the bridge, many German soldiers remained. However, deprived of their strategic advantage, the German troops could no longer resist the onslaught of the 2nd Airborne Battalion.
Taking advantage of their momentum, the 2nd Airborne Battalion charged across the bridge. After enduring a grueling twelve-hour battle, they finally crushed the last 300 German soldiers south of the Rhine River by nightfall. About a hundred German soldiers were killed on the spot, and the rest were captured. Half of them were killed during the battle, leaving only about a hundred survivors under the vigilant guard of the British paratroopers.
It was poignant that over thirty German soldiers were killed by the locals. Upon seeing the British paratroopers successfully seize the bridge, they erupted in enthusiastic cheers. During the battle, these Dutch citizens were hiding in their basements, invisible. As soon as the battle ended, the streets were filled with people, some even hoisting flags to celebrate their liberation by the British.
At this point, the 2nd Airborne Battalion had been fighting fiercely for four days and nights, with very little rest, and were utterly exhausted. Yet, they could not rest just yet.
Frost, having extracted information from a captured German officer, learned that the German 2nd Armored Division, having returned for repairs, had passed through Arnhem. This meant that two entire tank divisions, rather than the assumed infantry brigade, were amassing in the Aachen area. This revelation nearly devastated Frost. He quickly dispersed the crowd, gathered weapons and ammunition, and made urgent repairs, while desperately calling for reinforcements from headquarters every half hour, urging ground forces to advance sooner.
However, the 2nd Army Group was still struggling with the dreadful road conditions on Hell's Highway. Frost's request was met with an order to hold on and wishes of good luck.
Frost, infuriated, cursed into the radio. A few adventurers with guns walked over, one of them giving Frost a contemptuous middle finger. Their "sickness" had disappeared after the bridge was seized.
Shen Yi approached the adventurers and warned, "I advise you not to treat him with such disrespect."
An adventurer attempted to argue, "If it weren't for this damn commander insisting on taking the bridge now, we could have delayed for a few more days."
Shen Yi, pointing his Spirit Fire Gun at the adventurer's forehead, said coldly, "He is a soldier, and following orders is his duty! You'd better learn to respect the military. After all, we have successfully delayed for three days, and that is a victory!"
The adventurers wisely walked away. Shen Yi, supporting Frost's shoulder, said, "I know you're upset about what happened, but nobody could have done anything about it. Remember, the Germans are completely out of position, and the closest German troops are only a four-hour march away. Theoretically, we have only four to six hours to strengthen our defenses. The worst part is, we can't just defend the bridge. We have to stop them outside the town before they reach the bridge. Frost, pull yourself together. The 2nd Airborne Battalion needs you, and we need you. We need your command in the upcoming battle!"
Frost snapped out of his daze. A brilliant soldier, he had been momentarily overwhelmed by the barrage of bad news, but Shen Yi's reminder quickly brought back his military spirit.
"Thank you for the reminder, Shen. I need your and your companions' help, but not like yesterday or the day before, like the first day."
"Of course," Shen Yi affirmed confidently. "We are here to help you, and my companions and I will follow your command."
Frost gratefully looked at Shen Yi. Even though he had once resented Shen Yi for encouraging the adventurers to slack off in seizing the bridge, now, after confirming Shen Yi's correctness, it was Shen Yi who stood out, dispelling all opposition and steadfastly supporting him.
"So, how much time do we have?" Frost asked.
"Four to six hours," Shen Yi replied.
"Then our first priority is to extend that time," Frost said, spreading out a map. "Look, for the Aachen garrison to enter this area, they can only come from the southern road. Their tanks are too heavy for any other path. So, our first step is to destroy the road to prevent the tanks from entering the town."
"That's a good idea," Shen Yi's eyes lit up.
"We need to destroy at least a kilometer of the road, and the destruction must be thorough, leaving no chance for the enemy to repair it. But we don't have enough explosives."
"Maybe my people can solve that problem. They should find a way."
"That would be perfect. Without tanks, we'll only face a large number of German soldiers. We must set up multiple
defense lines, using space to buy time. So we should start setting ambush points from the end of the road, blocking them in sections."
"I think we should also deploy more people in the buildings and woods along the road," suggested Major Ralph. "These are suitable hiding spots, ideal for guerrilla tactics."
"Right, and we need to collect as many guns as possible. We're running low on ammunition," Frost added.
Ralph responded, "We're already on it. Fortunately, we have three intact 150MM self-propelled guns, but there aren't many shells left. Also, there's a tank, only its tracks are damaged."
"Then we'll use the tank as a gun and the guns as tanks," Shen Yi replied. The three men laughed, dissolving any previous tension.
Frost patted Shen Yi's shoulder, signaling him to follow. They walked to an open area with a clear view of the distant road. Not far away stood a tall church, the famous Arnhem Cathedral.
"Shen, I need you to place an excellent sniper in the bell tower of Arnhem Cathedral. He must be able to identify and eliminate key targets immediately."
"No problem."
"Place one sniper over there and another over there, forming a triangular field of fire."
"Can do."
"Also, position your two heavy gunners here."
Shen Yi took note of each instruction, then looked up and asked, "What about the others?"
"The rest will form a strike team," Frost pointed to a small side road beside the highway. "When the Germans launch their frontal attack on the highway, I need a strong force to strike from their flank. I can assign you forty more soldiers. Besides engaging the enemy, your important task is to recapture some heavy weapons for us, ideally tanks."
Frost's expression was serious as he spoke. Paratroopers, in terms of personnel quality, far exceeded regular infantry, but their equipment was significantly inferior, especially in heavy weaponry. After all, no one can parachute with cannons and tanks.
The defeat of the 2nd Airborne Battalion in the Market Garden operation was not due to numerical inferiority, but their lack of heavy fire support. The adventurer squad's effective long-range strikes suppressed the enemy's heavy fire, giving the 2nd Airborne Battalion a chance to strike back. In this respect, both sides complemented each other.
Now, Frost needed Shen Yi to help them recapture more heavy weapons to prepare for the upcoming battle.
Shen Yi glanced at the road that seemed to lead to hell and whistled softly, "Alright, leave it to me."
Turning back to the adventurers, Shen Yi first called out the adventurer with the powerful skill:
"We need to destroy at least one kilometer of that road. Can your Thunderous Descent do it?"
The adventurer looked at the road, "One kilometer? That's too long. My skill is area-based, not impact-based. It can't cover such a length."
"So that's a no. Who has a way to destroy that section of the road? We need to block the enemy tanks."
"Why do we have to destroy the road to block the tanks?" Wen Rou suddenly asked. "There are enough wrecked tanks here. We could move them over there to form a barrier and block the road."
Shen Yi's eyes lit up, "That's an idea, but the tanks might just crush through."
"We can dig pits behind the barriers. The tanks will fall into the pits, creating new obstacles," suggested Jin Gang.
"We can also plant some mines."
Everyone contributed ideas, rapidly devising various methods to block the tank advance. Fortunately, this was a team of adventurers, capable of easily achieving what others could not.
Destroyed tanks were forcibly pushed onto the road, where adventurers with enhanced strength played a crucial role. Explosives blasted the road surface into craters. The adventurer with Thunderous Descent bombed a larger pit behind the obstacles. Hong Lang used his powerful impact to break dozens of huge logs, all piled up on the road. A few mines were placed at strategic points, hidden under the logs.
Four hours later, the one-kilometer stretch of road was either sunken into craters or blocked by towering steel barriers. When the German tanks arrived, they would be met with a torturous journey through a deadly hell.