London is the capital of the United Kingdom and one of the international metropolises. Located in southeastern England, in the central part of the London Basin, across the banks of the lower Thames.
On July 16, the French army began a large-scale attack on the main city of London. Due to the obstruction of the Thames River, Davout decided to launch an attack on the southern part of London first, and gradually conquer London from south to north. The French army dispatched two marine divisions, the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions, plus the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Infantry Divisions of the 89th Army Corps and the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Infantry Divisions of the French 1st Army Corps. The 4th and 5th infantry divisions and the corps of the two corps directly under the artillery and engineering units, with a total of about 170,000 people, launched a fierce attack on the city of London from the west and south.
As for the British army, there are still 350,000 troops, most of which are deployed in the south of London. In order to resist the attack of the French army, Hammurabi worked hard, completely operating London into a large battle fortress. However, due to insufficient troops and the quality of soldiers, they could not play the greatest role. If Hammurabi had 300,000 more troops, and it was the regular British army at the beginning of the war, then the French army would have to pay a very high price if they wanted to conquer London.
"Damn it, the attack of the 3rd Marine Division failed. Damn Hammurabi, that **** actually built London into a war fortress." Monty cursed fiercely, he was in charge of commanding the attack on the west front of London At present, his troops have advanced to the west bank of Beverly Creek. Since the British army blew up all the bridges on the creek, the French army's offensive was extremely difficult. This is already the third attack of the 3rd Marine Division. Although they are good at landing operations, due to the inability to gather enough ships in a short period of time, the 3rd Marine Division's attack is very small. They are under the cover of artillery. , at most two companies can be sent to the opposite bank at a time, but on the opposite side of Beverly Creek, the British army has deployed two full divisions of troops here. Every time the 3rd Marine Division landed, they would be met with fierce counterattacks regardless of casualties, making it impossible for the 3rd Marine Division to occupy the beachhead and make an effective breakthrough.
"The 3rd Marine Division will be reinforced in May. Maybe we should take advantage of the British Army being held back by the 3rd Marine Division to break through from other directions. Where are the other divisions advancing?" Monty asked.
"The fastest is the 3rd Infantry Division of our regiment, who are now storming the Mortlake and Barnes districts. Although the British army has built a large number of barricades and fixed fire positions in these areas, we have to attack every house. Clear or blast. However, with the help of combat engineers, they can still advance quickly. It's just that each division has very few combat engineers, only one company, and there are many casualties. Now the 3rd Infantry Division According to the telegram they sent, they will clear the British army on the west bank of Beverly Creek at 2 o'clock in the afternoon at the latest." General Carl, the deputy commander of the 89th Army, replied .
"Very well, send the combat engineer battalion directly under the Legion to support them. We will launch an attack on the east bank of Beverly Creek at 2:00 pm. We must break through the British defense line before 5:00 pm, and then go south to cooperate with the 3rd The Marine Division is attacking the British Army. In addition, from now on, the 3rd Marine Division will also increase its offensive strength, and must drag the main force of the British Army here to relieve the pressure on the 3rd Infantry Division." Monty ordered .
The 3rd Infantry Division of the 89th Army, supported by a battalion of combat engineers, greatly increased its attack intensity. By 1 pm, the British troops in the Mortlake area and Barnes area were basically wiped out, and then one infantry regiment was left to continue The remnants of the British army were wiped out, and other troops began to prepare to cross Beverly Creek.
Due to the powerful attack of the 3rd Marine Division, the main force of the British army was dragged to the Kingston area, and the 3rd Infantry Division faced at most one or two regiments of British troops.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the 3rd Infantry Division, which managed to get more than 30 small boats, launched a fierce attack on the east bank of Beverly Creek. With strong artillery support, they established a beachhead at 3:00 pm, and then more and more French troops landed on the east bank of Beverly Creek and completely routed the British at 4:20 pm. After the main force of the 3rd Infantry Division reached the east bank of Beverly Creek, the 3rd Infantry Division followed Monty's order and began to attack southward, flanking the British army with the 3rd Marine Division.
At 7 o'clock in the evening, the British army had to retreat due to heavy losses. The French 3rd Marine Division also crossed Beverly Creek.
When the battle on the Western Front was in full swing, the battle in south London was equally fierce. Hammurabi deployed a full 130,000 troops south of London.
"Where have all the troops broken through so far? How is the situation?" Davout asked standing in front of the map of London.
"The situation is not optimistic. The resistance of the British army is very resolute, and they have built a lot of fortifications. Although we have destroyed a lot in the previous bombing, most of them have been repaired by them. Especially by the The fixed firepower points on the building formed by heavy machine guns have caused great casualties to our army. At present, the 1st Marine Division is advancing the fastest, and they have already attacked the Lambeth area, while the 1st, 2nd, and The 4th and 5th Infantry Divisions are almost on the verge of being blocked in the areas of Streatham, Forest Hill, Southend and Mottingham respectively. The offensive on the western front is also going well, and their main force has already Conquered West London and crossed the Beverly Creek. Among them, the 3rd Infantry Division of the 89th Army was attacking east along the Thames, and the 4th Infantry Division was attacking Putney and Rohampton areas. The 3rd Marine Division is also attacking the Wimbledon area, and if they can occupy this area and continue to advance eastward, they will join forces with the 1st Marine Division.” Admiral Morris, deputy commander of the French 1st Army, replied.
Morris smiled bitterly and said: "Your Excellency, Marshal, it is a pity that we may not be able to occupy the bridge in a short time. The British army has planted a large number of explosives on the bridge across the Thames River. If they attack, they will blow up the bridge without hesitation. This afternoon, the 3rd Infantry Division of the 89th Corps was going to capture the Putney Bridge, but because the British army blew up the bridge in advance, it failed."
"This is a rather difficult question." Davout murmured.
"Marshal, it's going to be dark soon. Can today's attack be stopped? The soldiers are already very tired," Morris suggested.
I looked at my watch, it was already 7:30 in the evening. "Okay, order the troops to stop attacking at 8:00 p.m., but the troops should strengthen their guard to prevent the British army from attacking at night." Davout ordered.
"Okay," Morris replied.
At 8 o'clock in the evening, the French army's offensive stopped, and the soldiers began to have dinner and rest. They were already very tired from the high-intensity combat for a day. The gunshots also subsided, except for the occasional snipers who were active in the dark to harvest lives, the whole city was quiet.
Hammurabi's headquarters is located in a basement near the Imperial War Museum. Fearing French air raids, he moved his headquarters here from the Ministry of War. After all, the Ministry of War is too conspicuous. Now it is the French Air Force The key bombing target.
"Damn it. Why did the French army break through our defensive line for so long? The west of London south of the River Thames has all fallen into the hands of the French army." Hammurabi roared with red eyes. In today's battle, the British army not only lost a large area of positions, but also suffered heavy casualties, which made him extremely angry.
"Your Excellency Marshal, the French army's attack is really too fierce. UU reading www.uukanshu.com and our army's combat effectiveness is generally not as good as that of the French army. In addition, the fortifications were destroyed by the French Air Force before. The current situation." Wellington explained in a low voice. After the French army broke through the defense line outside London, Bill was dismissed by Hammurabi, so Wellington had to be careful, for fear of suffering the same ending as Bill.
"Huh!" Hammurabi let out a long breath. Now, most of the military transfers are in his hands, and he can't blame others for the defeat of the war. After calming down, Hammurabi said, "Marshal Wellington, the empire is at its most critical moment. We must do our best to defeat the French army, otherwise the British Empire will be over."
"Don't worry, Marshal, I will do my best." Wellington said firmly.
Hammurabi nodded in satisfaction.
"Your Excellency Marshal, I have a suggestion." Wellington said.
"Oh? Please tell me if you have any suggestions?" Hammurabi said.
"Now our troops are seriously empty, and I think we should mobilize the troops of the whole country to fight against the French army." Wellington said.