Chapter 743： Exeter

If you look at the map from the map, the area of ​​the United Kingdom is not large. Once the German tank troops land on the British mainland, it seems to be just a matter of kicking the accelerator.

However, this is not the case. Although the area of ​​the United Kingdom is not large, the United Kingdom is not the same as France and the Netherlands. The United Kingdom is mountainous.

France, the Netherlands, and Belgium are all lowland countries. The terrain is flat and suitable for the rapid advancement of tank troops. Except for the swamps that are not easy to navigate, the rest are almost flat.

However, Britain is full of mountains.

The terrain of Britain is high in the northwest and low in the southeast. The main terrain in the northwest is plateau; the east and southeast are mainly lowlands.

England occupies the largest part of the land south of Great Britain, where the terrain is flat, mostly plains, hills and marshes. Especially in the east coast of England, the land is fertile and suitable for cultivation.

Scotland is mostly mountainous, lakes and islands. It has three natural areas: the northern highlands, the central lowlands and the southern hills.

To sum it up, the northern part of Great Britain is mountainous, and the southern part is divided into two parts. The eastern part is the plain, and the western part is still the mountainous area.

This is also the reason why the British judged that Germany landed at Dover. After all, Dover is the closest to the capital, London, and at the same time, it is also the easiest way to bypass the mountains and gallop east of England on the Pingchuan River.

On the Cornwall Peninsula, the terrain here is still relatively steep. (Eastern China’s geography is not good. This peninsula refers to the small corner in the southwest of England, or the large area in the southwest of England? Let’s follow the big one here.)

Therefore, heading to London can only be along the Cornwall peninsula, which is the fastest.

But now Germany needs to attack fast along the highway!

The Marines were the first to land. They had two divisions, but they did not participate in the war on land. Instead, they went east and continued to attack Port Torbay in the east of Plymouth.

With Plymouth, Germany already has solid logistical supplies, but Torbay Port is equally significant. After all, the northwest side of the English Channel is controlled by the British. What if the British launch a counterattack from here?

The First Armored Division of the Waffen-SS, which came down first, is already charging fast. For them, advance, advance at all costs, and rush to London before the British line of defense is established. It is them. Task.

Now, they are still fighting a blitzkrieg, making the British unable to react!

Joseph Dietrich, a cadre in the German army, originally, after the last French battle, he had the opportunity to enter the joint command of the three services in Berlin, just like Scherner.

However, Dietrich did not like to be a staff officer in the rear, he preferred to fight on the front line.

Just in the past, he rushed to the forefront, chasing Montgomery’s troops, all the way to Calais. In Calais, the Panthers 3 tanks lined up a wall and forced the British team into the sea. It's like a bulldozer.

That scene has always been shining in Dietrich's mind, and it was the most fun and fun battle he fought!

Victory against Britain is the mission given to him by history. Before the British could react, they rushed to London. When the Panther 3 tank drove past Downing Street, it would be an even more exciting sight!

Chong, don't worry about being behind, there will naturally be newly landed troops behind you who will protect yourself! Don't worry about the two wings and the surrounding terrain. It is very difficult to deploy an ambush on the two wings. At the same time, there is no army here. There are very few second-line reserves, and there is no force that can block the advance of German tanks!

The first target in front of him was Exeter.

You can see from the map. Exeter is located on the only way from Plymouth to London. This city can only be shot down, not bypassed.

It is located in the middle east of Devon, built on the east bank of the Axe River, at the foot of a steep mountain. The city is also located on the open plain at the mouth of the river Aix and the River Creti.

This is an important traffic road, the only way to go, and at the same time, it is also a junction of railway lines.

The first railway to pass through Exeter was the British Great Western Railway Line, the Bristol and Exeter railway line. In 1844, the St Davis Railway Station in the west of the city was completed. Later, the South Devon Railway Company extended the railway line westward to Plymouth.

If it does not come down here, then the small groups of British guerrillas, which are constantly haunting here, hide in the nearby mountains, and the German logistics supply team will be busy.

Once the British came with heavy troops and occupied the city, they would be stuck in their throats, and the vanguard of the Nade team might even get lost on the road to London.

Mechanized troops have a huge demand for logistics. Once the rear path is cut off, the tanks will run out of fuel, and there will be no artillery shells. No matter how powerful the army is, it will collapse instantly.

Tanks can't go around everywhere, here has been a mining area since ancient times, and the mining history here can even be traced back to the Stone Age.

For example, there are resources such as tin, lead, zinc, silver, copper and china clay, which have become an important pillar of the mining economy. In the 1850s, the output of tin and copper here accounted for almost half of the world's mining volume, making it one of the most important tin production areas in the world.

After years of excavation and mining, a large number of abandoned old mine pits were left here. It is simply impossible for the tank troops to open a new road.

Can't get around, just hit it down!

Just when the German team quickly rushed towards Exeter, Exeter also sounded the horn of battle.

There are not many garrisons here, only a few hundred people, all of them are second-line troops, but just now there was a military train passing by here, and these soldiers happened to come from Plymouth!

Plymouth’s drafted army, the 27th Brigade, brigade commander Bernard Odudd, had originally rushed towards Dover eagerly. As a result, they waited at the train station for an hour or two before they arrived. After that, the army lined up again, and it was not a hundred kilometers away from the starting point.

At Exeter railway station, their train stopped for another half an hour.

Many people jumped onto the platform. After all, it was too uncomfortable inside the stuffy tanker. They were smoking cigarettes on the platform and waiting for the signal to drive. This time they went to the battlefield, many people were worried.

Bernard just threw away the cigarette butt, stepped on two feet on the platform, and saw the bearded station master hurriedly running over.

"Big Jim, is our train going to start?" Bernard asked.

"No, please get off your troops immediately and go into battle. The Germans are coming up soon!" the station master said anxiously. 210108