September 1, 09:15: We approached the Brda River, and the real battle would begin here. All the bridges had been blown up by Polish forces, halting our advance, but a few railway bridges remained intact.
We engaged in a firefight with the Polish soldiers at a distance of 800 meters, as did the panzers ahead of us. This time, the number of Polish troops was significant, and their defenses appeared to be well-prepared.
Fortunately, the enemy forces were concentrated against the main forces of the 3rd Panzer Division from the XIX Corps under Guderian’s command. Though I already knew the outcome, I was eager to see how Guderian would break the stalemate at the Brda River.
As a result, some panzer units on the right flank were repositioned to join the 3rd Panzer Division to break through the Polish defenses, while I received an encrypted telegram via Enigma that my troops were to continue advancing and destroy the Polish forces on the banks of the Brda.
I advanced in a prone position with my troops silently, while instructing them to hold their fire for now. I also ordered the mortar units to take position behind us, with the machine gunners following me.
Of course, the Panzer units would continue firing incessantly to distract the enemy forces. Fortunately, at the start of the battle, several light Polish tanks were destroyed when facing the Panzerkampfwagen III.
The Panzerkampfwagen III is a medium German tank widely used during the Polish campaign. Built by Daimler Benz, it weighs 23 tons and is 5.5 meters long.
The tank has a crew of five: Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver, and Radio Operator. It is armed with a 36 mm KwK 36 cannon.
It can reach speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour and is equipped with two or three MG-34 machine guns.
Luckily, the area was riddled with craters from artillery fire or aerial bombing, and I, along with part of my troops, began moving from crater to crater. Naturally, during this maneuver, some of my subordinates were shot, leading some to doubt my leadership.
However, I pressed on until we were only 300 meters from the Polish forces.
"TAKE POSITIONS!! QUICK!! QUICK!!! QUICK!!!!"
I ordered all my subordinates to take firing positions, and I noticed that several of my troops with MG-34 machine guns had already positioned themselves well.
"FIRE!!!!!!" I shouted, raising my hand.
Immediately, a fierce firefight erupted, and after a few seconds, one of my subordinates was shot in the neck.
"HELP!!! I'VE BEEN SHOT!! I'VE BEEN SHOT!!! HELP!!!"
"GUSTAV, HELP HIM!!!" I commanded.
"YES MA'AM!!"
The wounded soldier was immediately given first aid, but due to the intensity of the firefight, it was very difficult to move him to the rear. As a commander in battle, making quick decisions is absolutely essential, and if you delay, it can cost someone’s life.
Then from the sky, I saw several dive bomber and fighter planes, Junkers Ju-87s, and BF-109s, which immediately attacked the enemy positions. I took advantage of the opportunity and advanced while the enemy was preoccupied with the Luftwaffe.
I can say that I truly felt how much the Luftwaffe helped in the Blitzkrieg, and I cannot imagine how terrifying it would be if we did not have air superiority. It was truly frightening.
After the Luftwaffe bombarded the enemy, I found myself right in front of the Polish army’s defenses. My subordinates and I threw grenades into their trenches, causing many casualties and injuries among the enemy.
Not to forget, my unit immediately surrounded the enemy, pointing our rifles at them.
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"RAISE YOUR HANDS!!!!!"
"DROP YOUR WEAPONS!!!!!!"
About 38 Polish soldiers who were surrounded immediately raised their hands and dropped their weapons. Some of them were already wounded but still fought bravely and heroically. Meanwhile, my unit suffered about 19 killed and 30 wounded.
Although the Polish soldiers did not understand German, they seemed to realize they were surrounded and forced to surrender.
I can say I lost over 30% of my unit on the first day and within the first five hours. Even though history books portray the Polish army as weak, in reality, they were heroic fighters, and I admit it.
"Bastards,"
Some of my troops hit the Polish soldiers with their rifle butts, enraged by the sight of their wounded and dead comrades from the previous battle. Yes, the battle lasted about an hour and was very tense because if we were hit by just one bullet, we could have been killed.
I also did not forget to record every experience in the notebook I always carry. After the battle, my unit managed to capture 38 Polish soldiers, and we also found the bodies of about 16 to 26 Polish soldiers who had been killed, possibly by airstrikes, artillery, or tanks.
"One battle is intense enough; what if I have to fight until 1945?" I muttered.
My unit had already sent a telegram stating that we had secured this location, but one of my subordinates then approached me. Of course, we saluted each other, but I used the standard military salute, not the fascist salute.
"Frau Hauptmann, reporting, an Einsatzgruppen company will pick up our prisoners."
Suddenly, I fell silent. I looked back at the prisoners, who seemed terrified. Some of them were married and surely had families. I didn’t know whether the Einsatzgruppen would execute them or only target communists and Jews.
"Alright, order all troops to rest. We will wait for the ammunition supplies, as our ammo is running critically low."
"YES!"
I decided to let my unit rest for a while and, of course, instructed them to have breakfast. During breakfast, I also made an effort to offer moral support and encourage them, as they had just gone through a horrifying battle.
My wounded subordinates had already been evacuated to the rear lines, and it seems they will be taken to a military hospital for treatment.
"This is definitely not some fictional story where all subordinates survive without anyone being killed or wounded."
"Reality is a terrifying thing."
After breakfast, I ordered some of my troops to move the captured enemy equipment and weapons, and also to escort the prisoners further to the rear.
Shortly after, a logistics convoy arrived, and I immediately met with an officer of the same rank as mine.
"Herr Hauptmann, I am Erika von Einzerben from the 2nd Company, 2nd Battalion, and 96th Regiment."
"Frau Hauptmann, I am Erich von Klaus from the logistics company, 2nd Battalion, 96th Regiment."
"I heard you managed to capture quite a number of enemy troops."
He then looked at the Polish prisoners.
"It seems that's true."
"Thank you for the compliment, Herr Hauptmann."
After a brief conversation, my unit finally resupplied with ammunition.
Oh yes, usually enemy soldiers are interrogated when they surrender, but it is not my unit's task to interrogate them. Interrogating the enemy cruelly can place a moral burden on the troops.
(It’s unfortunate that these poor soldiers will likely be interrogated by the Einsatzgruppen.)
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September 1st, 12:30 AM, I observed another unit using binoculars, and they seemed to be struggling to break through the enemy's defenses across the river. My unit and I were still resting, while some of the panzer crew appeared to be repairing their damaged tanks.
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At 10:40 AM, I ordered my troops to immediately build makeshift rafts from some wood brought by the logistics convoy. Of course, this was an order passed down from the Major. However, while my unit was building the rafts, Polish forces began firing from across the river, and we returned fire.
The first and third companies also appeared to have suffered significant losses in the previous battle, and they were supporting my company on the left and right flanks.
It felt like a stalemate because of the Brda River; we could only exchange fire from a distance for the next few hours. Of course, one by one, my subordinates were wounded in the firefight, but the Polish casualties were far greater because we still had panzer, artillery, and mortar support, along with the Luftwaffe.
I then read the newspaper I got from the logistics convoy.
"The British Ambassador and the French Ambassador have lodged strong protests against the German Reich's attack on Poland."
"The Führer will speak in the Reichstag today."
"The German people are enthusiastically supporting this war."
"The German Reich Ambassador protests Britain's deployment of expeditionary forces to France."
"Poland rejects Germany's final 16-point ultimatum."
"The Imperial Japanese forces in China face stagnation."
"Chongqing bombarded by the Japanese Empire."
These were some of the headlines I read in today's paper.
Yes, I was really reading a newspaper in the middle of a firefight between my unit and the enemy, even though the distance was quite far. I also didn't forget to eat the chocolate from my rations while reading.
The gunfire continued for several hours until, at 4:00 PM, my unit managed to build several rafts, although it was quite difficult to do so in the middle of an ongoing firefight.
"It's time to move across the river," I smiled.