The Rise of the Third Reich

Lieutenant Kurt Meier, commander of the 1st Armored Reconnaissance Company of the German 3rd Armored Division's Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, is not sleepy at all now. Everyone in the company is like him, waiting for 1939 with the most excitement. This sacred moment arrives at 4:45 a.m. on September 1, 2020.

The 17 Sd.Kfz.231 8-wheeled heavy armored reconnaissance vehicles and 1 Sd.Kfz.231 6-wheeled heavy armored reconnaissance vehicle equipped with a radio are already on the Polish-German border side. There was a long queue on one of the roads.

These 18 heavy armored vehicles are all huge steel behemoths. The Type 231 6-wheeled vehicle with 6 wheels is the command vehicle of Lieutenant Kurt Meier. It weighs 5.356 tons. One of the vehicles on the vehicle is quite powerful. The radio can directly communicate with the division headquarters in the rear and the Air Force bombers in the sky.

The other 17 Type 231 8-wheelers are even larger, weighing 8.3 tons, which is heavier than a No. 2 tank. Moreover, its armor and firepower are no less than that of a real tank. The thickest part of the frontal armor is 14.5mm. It also has a 20mm machine gun and an MG34 machine gun.

With such a sharp tank, Panzer Meier and his brothers couldn't help but want to cross the border and teach those hateful Poles a lesson. The other side of the border was German land 20 years ago, but those ungrateful Poles tore up the border treaty after Germany's defeat, forgot the fact that Germany supported their restoration, and seized German land with the support of Britain and France. Expelling, bullying and killing fellow Germans.

Now that Germany has become stronger, it is time to take revenge, take back everything lost, and save the enslaved compatriots.

"Lieutenant, how much time is left?" A rough voice sounded in Armored Meyer's ear. He was Gustav Schwarzenegger, the gunner of this six-wheeled armored vehicle. The gunner's position is in front of the commander, who is the Panzer Meyer. As long as the hatch on the top of the vehicle (the upper part of the turret) is pushed open, they can get out half of their body and smoke a cigarette at the same time, just like now.

Like Panzer Meier, Gustav was also a member of the Waffen-SS. However, he was a member of the Austrian National Socialist Party and joined the "Thunderbolts", the armed organization of the Austrian National Socialist Party before the Anschluss. Later, he became a member of the Waffen-SS Motorized Force through selection, and is now incorporated into the 3rd Armored Division of the Wehrmacht. Under the operation of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff, many elite units of the Waffen-SS are being disbanded. Incorporated into the National Defense Force...

"It is now 4:08 in the morning, and there are still 37 minutes until the bombardment starts!" Panzer Meier said while smoking a cigarette. "The bombardment will last for an hour. The vehicles will be launched at 5:40, and we will rush through at 5:45. Border." He emphasized, "We are the first German warriors to set foot on the enemy's soil!"

"Is it necessary to bombard for an hour?" Gustav looked very strong and rough. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his thick tanned arms. He leaned on the baffle of the turret, with 20mm sticks stretched out side by side in front of him. Cannons and machine guns, "Except for a few Polish border guards, there don't seem to be any troops there."

In fact, the Motorized Reconnaissance Company of the 3rd Armored Division had already penetrated to the east of the border and checked. The Polish defense in this section was not tight, and there were only some border guards belonging to the Coastal Civil Defense Brigade.

"Their defense line is 8 kilometers to 10 kilometers east of the border. It is not a dense defense line, but a defense line composed of a series of firepower strongholds. Those strongholds are the targets of the artillery bombardment." Armored Meyer will draw out only the remaining The cigarette in the next cigarette butt was thrown on the ground, and his face became slightly darker, "This is the result of the Air Force reconnaissance... There are several enemy strongholds blocking our way forward. We have to kill them, and then rush all the way through Tuhola forest."

…

Naval aviation supplementary pilot Rudolf von Heinsberg-Hersmann stood on the high control tower and looked down at the military airport in front of him. 65 Zero fighter jets belonging to the 3rd Group and 4th Group of the 1st Navy Combat Aviation Regiment were neatly arranged at the airport. 40 pilots preparing to go on an expedition are climbing into their respective cabins with the help of ground staff - they are all members of the Third Group and officers of the Fourth Group, including the group leader "Papa Models".

The current German Air Force and Naval Aviation teams (wings) usually have 4 groups, of which the 4th Group is a training group, which allows "rookies" like Rudolf to become familiar with tactics and aircraft. Therefore, only officers (instructors) of the Fourth Group will participate in today's attack, and all "rookies" can only stay at the base to act as airport defenders...if a Polish plane flies over.

"I really want to go with them," Walter Novotny took out a cigarette, handed one to Rudolph, and then took one himself. "Models' father's plane is about to take off. He has 14 victories in Spain. This time he can kill at least 6, so that he can get the blue Marx."

The emperor is back, and so is "Blue Marx". Fighter pilots, tank and armored commanders all already know the "price". 20 shot down or destroyed can be exchanged for a "Blue Marx" medal.

At this moment, the Zero of "Papa Models" had started, and the propellers rotated rapidly, generating huge thrust, allowing the light Zero fighter to run quickly on the cement-paved runway. In the blink of an eye, the Kung Fu machine The head had already been pulled up, and then suddenly rushed up to the sky that had just begun to light up.

"It climbed really fast!" Models couldn't help but admired again. The performance of this Zero was better than the BF-109B and BF-109C he flew in Spain. It has strong horsepower and a light body. Speed ​​and hover performance are outstanding. And the range of this plane is ridiculous. The theoretical maximum range is 3,350 kilometers (with auxiliary fuel tanks mounted), which far exceeds the 600 kilometers of the BF-109 series. It is the most ideal escort aircraft.

This time, the mission of the Hainan Airlines 1st Combat Aviation Regiment equipped with Zero fighters was to cover 102 He111 bombers taking off from Silesia to drop bombs in Warsaw. A round trip is almost 1,000 kilometers. Except for this Zero, I am afraid that no single-engine fighter jet in the world has such a terrifying range.

…

"General, why are you here?" Major General Schwepenburg, commander of the German 3rd Armored Division, saw his boss, Commander Guderian of the 19th Armored Corps, walking into his temporary headquarters.

"I have decided," Guderian showed a somewhat humorous smile, "I want to act with the 3rd Armored Division, because the 3rd Armored Division is the sharp knife of the entire army group, and the success or failure of the battle depends on the 3rd Armored Division. play. So I have to sit in the 3rd Armored Division.”

He was right, the 3rd Armored Division was a sharp blade that could kill the Poles! According to the plan, the division will serve as the vanguard of the 19th Armored Corps and be the first to break into Poland, cutting the Polish Coastal Army, which has five divisions and two brigades, into two sections. Then it will enter East Prussia and join the 3rd Army's division. The "Kampf" armored divisions merged together, then turned back and rushed south toward the Bug River east of Warsaw to join the 22nd Armored Corps belonging to Army Group South to complete the strategic encirclement of Warsaw. At the same time, it is necessary to crush the Polish Coastal Army and the Polish reserve forces deployed along the Bug River. If there is still strength left, the 19th Army will also attack Lviv and capture it before the Soviet Red Army.

If all is completed, the 19th Armored Corps will have to move almost 1,000 kilometers - and the time specified for Guderian in the "White Plan" is 20 days. They traveled thousands of miles in 20 days, from Pomerania to Lviv. The 3rd Armored Division is the vanguard of the 19th Armored Corps. To this end, the 3rd Armored Division has been strengthened and equipped with an armored training battalion composed of instructors from various armored force schools. The battalion had two companies equipped with Panzer III tanks and one company equipped with Panzer IV tanks.

The thousands-mile advance speed was something only the German Armored Corps could create in the world in 1939.

Because they not only have a large number of well-made tanks and well-trained armored soldiers, but they also have a large number of trucks, enough to protect the 19th Armored Corps (3rd Armored Division, 10th Armored Division, 2nd Motorized Infantry Division, 20th Armored Division, etc.) Motorized Infantry Division), 15th Army (2nd Light Division, 3rd Light Division), 16th Army (1st Armored Division, 4th Armored Division), 10th Army Reserve (1st Light Division, 12th Motorized Division) Chemical Infantry Division, 29th Motorized Infantry Division), 22nd Army (2nd Armored Division, 4th Light Division), 8th Army (5th Armored Division), etc., mechanized units are operating on enemy soil at high speeds. Enter.

Major General Schwepenburg knew that his command rights were about to be deprived of his command by Guderian, and just as he was thinking of arguing, a dull roar came.

4:45 has arrived, and German artillery has begun bombarding Polish soil.

"We're leaving in one hour," Guderian looked at his watch, then smiled, "Is there anything to eat? I'm a little hungry and want to eat something."

"Yes, of course," Major General Schwepenburg said with a shrug. "Except for the division artillery, the entire division will have breakfast at 5 o'clock, start launching vehicles at 5:30, and advance to Poland on time at 5:45. If all goes well, we will cross the Vistula and enter East Prussia by September 5."

"On September 3rd," Guderian said, "on September 3rd we will be able to cross the Vistula River, and on September 4th we will crush the Polish Maritime Army!"