This time, the Germans are likely to replicate their victory in the Battle of France!
"Once the Germans succeed, our elite troops attacking the Netherlands will be cut off by Germany, and even the port of Antwerp will be occupied by the Germans..."
"At that time, it will definitely be a disaster!"
Bradley said.
The port of Antwerp determines the outcome of the counterattack on the European continent. From the day the Allies crossed the Seine, the key to the war was no longer strategy and tactics, but logistics and supplies. This was especially reflected in the Allies' capture of the vital port of Antwerp in early September, but failed to control its access to the outside world. The German blockade and interception made the port of Antwerp a dead port, and it was not put into use until the end of November. This resulted in that although 95% of all supplies had arrived in France, only a small part of the fuel and ammunition needed by the Allies to attack Germany was replenished, and the others were in short supply for a long time.
Each of the 65 Allied divisions participating in the operation in northwestern Europe consumed 700 tons of fuel every day. Since it was impossible to support the two offensive forces of the "wide front" offensive strategy at the same time, Eisenhower had to reasonably allocate precious military resources.
Therefore, the Port of Antwerp was related to the success or failure of the entire Western Front. It was all about supplies and logistics. Without the port to transport supplies, the Allies would have suffered an unprecedented defeat on the Western Front. This is why Hitler formulated the Ardennes counterattack and took the Port of Antwerp as the ultimate goal.
Without fuel and ammunition, the millions of Allied troops gathered in France were simply vulnerable. As long as the Port of Antwerp was occupied, the entire situation could be reversed.
This was the fundamental reason why Hitler was desperate.
To put it bluntly, it was all in!
If you win, you win everything. If you lose, well, you lose nothing.
"Once the Germans occupy the port of Antwerp, we will have to withdraw from the European continent to Britain, just like the British in Dunkirk. May God bless us and be as lucky as them..."
Only God knows whether we are so lucky.
But as a military general, even if he imagines it a little, he knows that the Germans will never make the same mistake as four years ago.
This time the Germans will never give them a chance to retreat.
"We must send more troops to the Ardennes region as soon as possible."
Because the German army launched the attack half a month in advance, most of the troops that could be mobilized in history were resting in Paris and other places or even in southern France. At this time, Eisenhower did not have many troops that could be mobilized, at least there were not many troops that could be transferred to the Ardennes region in just a few days.
In this way, the two of them stared at the map, constantly adjusting the deployment, and adjusting the divisions one by one towards the Ardennes region. Finally, both of them set their sights on the Belgian town where seven roads and railways converge.
"Bastogne, the German army can only reunite and penetrate Belgium through there, Ike."
Eisenhower pointed to the small Belgian town on the map and said:
"So we must defend Bastogne."
"But we only have one company there, and it is impossible for such a small number of people to defend the city."
Bradley's answer made Eisenhower fall into silence. The Germans' left hook caught him off guard and even a little overwhelmed.
For the first time, he had to admit that those Germans were indeed better at fighting than them.
"How many days will it take for the 101st Airborne Division to get there?"
"About 7 days."
Bradley said.
"7 days... Will the Germans give us 7 days?"
Eisenhower asked back.
In fact, the question is not whether the Germans can give them 7 days, but whether their troops in that area can hold on for 7 days.
Only God knows.
Staring at the map, Bradley thought for a while and said.
"Ike, I have a suggestion,"
"What suggestion?"
"Task Force."
"What?"
Bradley explained.
"It's the task force that the president ordered to be established. They are in Bastogne. There seem to be six or seven thousand people. They are preparing to withdraw to Patton's side. It seems that they are preparing to follow Patton to pick up German equipment when Patton attacks."
Eisenhower was of course very clear about the task force. Even when it was established, he once said that it was the output of political transactions by Washington bureaucrats. He was not interested in the so-called task force at all.
But it did not prevent him from hearing about how the group of "vultures" were plundering the weapons left by the Germans everywhere in France. They would sweep away the supplies left on the battlefield like "vultures".
It is precisely because of this that the French are very dissatisfied with these people, because France also needs those German weapons.
"So what? Aren't those "vultures" just a group of civilian contractors?"
"Ike, they are all soldiers who have been trained by us in India for more than a year. They have had small-scale battles with the Germans before. Judging from the results, they seem to be able to fight the Germans..."
Bradley's suggestion made Eisenhower fall into silence. While he was thinking, Bradley continued.
"Bastogne is essentially a town defense operation under complex terrain. There will be a lot of room for small-scale operations. I think they should be able to hold on for a few, at least until the 101st Airborne Division is reinforced there."
Eisenhower said hesitantly.
"But this doesn't seem to be in accordance with the rules. After all, they are not American soldiers, and we just signed a contract with them."
"Ike, the most important thing now is to win. If the Germans succeed, then we are likely to repeat the same mistakes. Not only will the whole of Europe be occupied by the Germans again, but hundreds of thousands of Americans will die. Ike, they are soldiers, soldiers wearing American uniforms."
After Bradley's words fell, Eisenhower lit a cigarette, took two puffs, and paced back and forth, saying.
"May God bless them, send him a telegram, tell him to be sure to hold on to Bastogne, tell him that it is for the common cause of the Allies, and ask them to perform their duties and hold on until reinforcements arrive... By the way, what is his name?"
It was not until this time that Eisenhower realized that he didn't know the guy's name at all.
"It's not important. What's important is that we have to let them know the significance of this battle. Yes, they will definitely care about it, the honor of the country."
...
December 3, early morning.
Bastogne, although it was more than 5 o'clock in the morning, the town was noisy, but the streets were full of task force members wearing American windbreakers. Many people had jumped on trucks, and the first batch of evacuated troops were preparing to evacuate the town.
Just then, the Communications Department received a telegram from the Allied Command. The moment he received the telegram, Qian Shiliang's originally fair face instantly lost a trace of blood.
Even in the communications room, there was silence, only the sound of receiving the telegram, and the sound of music interfered by the German army.
Everyone was stunned by the telegram they had just received.
Soon, Qian Shiliang personally took the telegram and walked to the officer's room. Before he entered, he heard the officer shouting.
"Have you contacted the people who have withdrawn from the front? We can only wait for two days at most, and we must withdraw within two days..."
Hearing the commander's shout, Qian Shiliang walked in, stood at attention, saluted and reported.
"Commander, the Allied Command... No, it's an urgent telegram from General Eisenhower..."
An urgent telegram from General Eisenhower?
For some reason, George felt a thump in his heart, and a sense of foreboding surged in his heart.
The moment he received the telegram, George almost cursed - I want to say hello to your mother!
Ike!
I want to say hello to all the women in your family!