Reich Marshal of the Belkan Reich

RM Vol 4: War – Chapter 24: Case Yellow (Day 7 – Battle of Arras)

The shock and confusion caused by the sudden elimination of Frankforce artillery spread far and wide among the Eruseans' ranks. Unexpectedly, frontline soldiers never get to see or hear any of their 25-pounders in action. For the first few minutes, the Erusean attackers can only stare ahead or look at one another unsurely. The overall planning was for their 25-pounders to constantly bombard the Belkans while the two attacking Columns marched on. Yet, their Artillery Batteries are all but silenced. Due to delays in battlefield intelligence updates, most Erusean soldiers and officers never knew what happened to their 25-pounders when they began their attacks at the appointed time.

As planned, Frankforce performs a two-pronged attack on Arras, splitting their forces into two Columns. At the heads of each column are the tanks from the Loyalist 3rd Light Mechanized Division and the Erusean 1st Army Tank Brigade. Consisting of 88 tanks with a mix of Somua S35, Matilda I, and Matilda II, the armored vanguards of Frankforce are forces to be reckoned with. Due to the slow speed of the Infantry Tanks, Frankforce's foot soldiers can keep up the pace with them. Marching right behind the mobile pillboxes, the lead soldiers of the two Columns raise their rifles in an arc. Instead of a normal barrel, the Lee-Enfield rifles are equipped with grenade launcher cups with smoke grenades slotted into them. Launching the grenades with successive popping noises, the non-explosive projectiles fly through the air, leaving behind streams of smoke that soon cover the paths forward of the two Columns.

"Smart of Franklyn to order his men to do that." Bryn comments while viewing the battlefield through the live feed from a UAV. "If they keep using rifle smoke grenades, they can completely cover up their advances. Theoretically, they can use the same tactic to leap-frog their way through the villages before ultimately encircling us. As long as they have enough smoke grenades, of course."

Yuki, who is standing next to her side and peering down at the holographic map of the areas around Arras, adds. "It's a good tactic, capable of blocking direct line of sight to their formations. Though environmentalists may hate it, this does prevent a contemporary Army from utilizing its heavy weapons properly. You can't aim an AT gun at a tank that you can't see, much less judge what the range is. Short of an intensive suppressive barrage, there's little way to effectively damage the two Columns with their tanks in the front."

"Fortunately, we are not a contemporary Army." Bryn comments, making Yuki smirk.

"Thermal imaging is such a cheat." Yuki chuckles. "We don't want them to get anywhere close to the villages, however. The denizens are already damaged as is."

Bryn nods before signaling the other staff in the Command Center to proceed as planned. "Let's welcome them in the open field then."

"General Franklyn is good, but he's unlucky to meet us." Yuki says. "The result would have been much different if we're to be on equal footing."

The Reich Marshal's words are punctuated by the beginning of combat between Frankforce and entrenched Belkan units around the villages of Marœuil and Athies. The Erusean Attack Columns, previously advancing stalwartly under the cover of the smoke screens, suddenly find themselves beset with accurate interception fire. Using thermal imaging sights, Belkan vehicles can see quite clearly through the smoke, if not having perfect vision of the Erusean tanks and soldiers. This allows them to lay down a hail of shells and bullets to greet the incoming Frankforce. Due to the intensity of the Belkans' attack, multiple Frankforce tanks are either disabled by accurate hits or outright destroyed by overwhelming firepower. Right behind them, the Erusean soldiers also receive their fair share of trouble. Large caliber bullets and airburst fragmentations bathe their squishy human bits, puncturing their torsos if not tearing their bodies apart. Screams can be heard coming from Frankforce's Attacking Columns as their advance is stopped dead in their tracks. Soldiers hit the ground, either dead or scared for their lives. They scurry behind the halted formations of tanks, burning or otherwise. The two Columns are pinned down, and their overall inexperience rears its ugly head as most of the soldiers are too stunned to react.

Witnessing and experiencing this dilemma, the remaining veterans in the Attack Columns try to stabilize the front. These brave officers and soldiers, formally under General Franklyn himself, crawl beneath the fields of fire to groups of frightened soldiers. They struggle to pass one sentence of motivation, one line of order, just so that the Conscripts can get a grip and be worth a damn. Even retreat needs an orderly mind to do so, much less staging an attack. It's a slow process and a dangerous one at that, but these veterans have their duty to maintain the dignity of the Royal Army. What's left of Frankforce's tanks, either the Somua S35s or Matildas, try to put up a semblance of resistance in the meanwhile. They're the Infantry Tanks, if they can't protect their infantry escorts, then what's the point of their existence?

It's under this mindset that the Attack Columns slowly hunker down and take stock of their situation. The Belkans' welcome committee did give Frankforce a bloody nose, but they're not out of the fight just yet. From their point of view, it's obvious that the Belkans' firepower lacks a certain neck-snapping density. They can still salvage this, hopefully. Unwilling to admit defeat just from one opening salvo alone, the officers start ordering for mortars to be brought up the line. More smoke grenades are deployed to hide their deployment, yet not too much so that the two Columns can't see where the Belkans are. Interestingly, despite both Attack Columns having a hard time communicating with one another, the two Colonels in charge coincidentally decided on the solution of mortar barrages. In lieu of their 25-pounder artillery, the Erusean 3-inch mortars are some of the weakest mortars to ever be fielded by the world's superpowers. This is due to their shorter range rather than explosive power, but in the eyes of the Eruseans, it can get the job done good enough.

Quite unfortunately, however, good enough doesn't worth a damn when it comes to the Belkan Reich. When the 3-inch, 76 mm, mortar shells start popping out of the tubes one after another, soldiers think that the Belkans' entrenched positions will be neutralized at last. Yet, as if laughing at their pitiful attempt at artillery bombardment, beams of red tracers, originating from below the horizon from Frankforce's point of view, light up the ashen sky. The Belkans, waving lights around like the hands of a maestra, perform an orchestra of red and explosions, eliminating all of the mortar shells that were launched without any of them even getting close to the ground. Clearly, the Belkan C-RAMs are earning their keep by stopping any indirect fire attempt made by Frankforce. Were the 25-pounders still around, the result could have been very different. At least that way, some fragments could have scored a lucky hit on a particularly unlucky Belkan.

Seeing the ineffectiveness of their 3-inch mortars, the field officers and soldiers can only curse. They're now stuck between a rock and a hard place as they can't advance without heavy fire support nor can they retreat without being shot in the back. The Belkans have been very clear that smoke screens bear no meaning to them as they can see through it with their witchcraft. So, what can they do? While Frankforce's officers and soldiers try to think of a way to stage a breakthrough, their tanks are being picked off at an even faster rate.

The first to be heavily diminished is the Matilda Is, which is basically a tractor with armor and machine guns. Basically, they're worthless unless you want something for riot control, and even then one can just outmaneuver it. These Matilda Is can barely make a scratch on the Belkans' positions. Their machine guns prove to be utterly ineffective other than a means of suppressing soft-skinned targets. Ironically enough, they're the ones to take the most heat from the Pumas' 30 mm autocannons. In a match-up of automatic fire, whoever has the bigger gun wins. One can just imagine how the Matilda Is fair.

The same can be said for the Matilda IIs despite it having better protection and firepower. Its 2-pounder gun offers little to no firepower against soft targets, and its armor can't handle the high-velocity darts from a 57 mm autocannon on a Class-B Puma. The Matildas are just sitting ducks at this point. Hell, the same can be said for pretty much every Infantry Tank out there.

The Ustian Somua, arguably comparable to a Matilda II, also falls short in doing its job. In fact, they present even bigger targets to be hit, and the Belkans ain't pulling any punch today. These 88 tanks Frankforce committed to face Arras? None of them will make it out alive. The Reich Marshal will make sure of that.

Yuki nods to Bryn. "It's about time we're done playing with our food. Tell our heavy guns to send it."

"As you wish, Marshal."

As the Marshal's order passes down from above, Belkan 150 mm Artillery Batteries, either stationaries or on tracks, aim their muzzle up high. Stationed inside Arras, these guns have been itching to level Frankforce's Attack Columns. Instead of a pure high-explosive barrage, these Batteries fire Dual-purpose Improved Conventional Munition, or DPICM for short. This shell, unlike normal HE shells, is designed to burst into submunitions at an optimum altitude and distance from the desired target for dense area coverage. The submunitions use both shaped charges for the anti-armor role, and fragmentation for the anti-personnel role, hence the nomenclature "Dual-purpose". This means that when the Erusean and maybe some Loyalist soldiers hear something burst above their heads, it means they will get a dice roll to determine whichever submunition will land next to them. Fragmentation, or shaped charge.

Suffice to say, the two Attack Columns are riddled with numerous explosions, constantly and over and over... By the time the full three-minute barrage is completed, little remains of what used to be a nice stretch of Ustian open terrain. What still exist are just broken carcasses of metal and men alike. Smoke wafts from the scorched ground as the fire crackles on burning S35s and Matildas. Whatever light vehicles the Attack Columns bring with them, whether it's a truck or a Bren Carrier, lay tumbled and destroyed with corpses hanging off of them.

It's a macabre sight to be sure, and one that not many can stomach. Even the stench is enough for one to be grateful if they haven't eaten. If they have eaten something, well, let's hope whoever they are has an iron stomach.

Still, this is not enough to kill off the Attack Columns, however. While most if not all of the 88 tanks are destroyed, the same can't be said for the more than 15000 men Frankforce dedicated to the counterattack. Sure, the initial gunfight and the earlier barrage took out a major part, but it doesn't mean that the Belkan had canvased all of them. However, with how disorganized Frankforce and the Allied forces as a whole these days, there are still Infantry units lagging behind the wiped-out vanguards. Ultimately, it depends on Frankforce's Commanders to decide whether to push for another attack or not. It will be costly for them without any armor covers whatsoever, but the Reich Marshal won't put it past some arrogant Eruseans being arrogantly stupid.

Yet, surprise surprise, Yuki and Bryn watch as Frankforce retreats one unit at a time. It seems that General Franklyn has decided to pull the plug early when the devastating field reports arrive. The man must have steeled his heart and order for an immediate yet orderly retreat. He even covers his bases and posts rearguard units as the majority of Frankforce pulls out of the Area of Operations. The man sure acts decisively, that's for sure. There's no telling what will happen to him when he rejoins the Northern Allied Armies, but for now, Yuki can respect a General who cares for the lives of his men. The Marshal can just see it in the reports and the tactical decisions he made thus far.

If only fate was kinder to the man, he would have done something really good for his country. Alas, good Generals alone won't be able to stop the rise of the Reich this time around.

"Should we press the advantage?" Bryn asks.

Yuki shakes her head with a small smile, feeling not as excited as she should be after another victory. "Let them go, for now. No need to harry their retreat when they put up much more of a fight than the Loyalists. They get my respect for actually thinking things through, for once."

Yuki stops before moving to sit on a chair designated for her use.

"The next time we meet Frankforce again, I may not be as merciful as this time, however. Get the Attack Corps ready, we will set out to take Calais when the Loyalists are finally defeated over at Cambrais. By the time that happens, I guess Brussels is mere hours away from falling too. That will give Army Group B the opening they need to speed toward the Channel."

Bryn nods dutifully.

"I will make sure our Corps are ready, Marshal."

Yuki smiles gratefully.

"See to it in my stead, my dear."