To conceal their movements, the various battalions of the instruction unit spaced themselves out slightly when stopping, hiding the hundreds of trucks fully loaded with soldiers and supplies in the shadows of the dense woods alongside the road.
Fortunately, the straight-line distance between the battalions wasn't far, and they could commute directly via automobiles.
Therefore, the commanders of the three infantry battalions and the 105mm artillery battalion essentially arrived at the command vehicle housing the regimental headquarters right on time.
The light in the woods was dappled. Morin stood in front of a map spread on the hood of a truck, looking at the approaching officers.
After rigorous evaluations based on daily management, tactical command, on-the-spot adaptability, and other comprehensive abilities conducted by Morin, Chief of Staff Kleist, and others, the officer structure of the instruction unit at all levels had undergone a new round of adjustments.
Wolf, the former commander of the 2nd Company, continued to serve as the 1st Battalion Commander, relying on his fierce and aggressive command style.
The relatively steady-styled 3rd Company Commander Jonathan and 4th Company Commander Steiner took over command of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, respectively.
As for Klaus and the group of veteran NCOs who had followed Morin from the very beginning, having been baptized by the War Academy's "crash course" and awarded officer commissions, they were now dispersed to serve as the commanding officers of various subordinate companies.
However, there was a minor hiccup during the personnel adjustments.
Originally, under Morin's arrangement, the experienced and meticulous Klaus was the undisputed choice for Deputy Commander of the 1st Battalion.
But when this veteran heard he was supposed to stay in the rear at the battalion headquarters, he threw a tantrum right in front of Morin.
"Commander, having me manage logistics or act as a deputy is like asking a butcher to embroider!"
Klaus took off his cap at that moment, stiffening his neck in front of Morin for the first time.
"Just let me lead a company and charge at the very front! No one else can keep that bunch of brats in the 1st Battalion's 1st Company in line; just let me manage them!"
Morin couldn't dissuade this old subordinate who had followed him the longest, and ultimately had to agree to let him serve as the 1st Company Commander of the 1st Battalion.
Just as Klaus himself said, it was also a good way to keep the "old-timers" in the 1st Company in check.
As for Morin's three classmates from the military academy—Kane and the others—they were dispersed to serve as company commanders in other infantry companies across the battalions, acting as the backbone.
In short, Morin concentrated the "old core" who had followed him the longest into the 1st Company of the 1st Battalion, forging an absolute spearhead unit.
Other NCOs and officers familiar with his command style were dispersed throughout the regiment like his nerve endings, ensuring his every tactical intent could be executed without compromise.
Of course, what surprised Morin the most were the "historical figures" added later.
Paulus went without saying; this man was a natural-born staff officer. He had always been at regimental headquarters assisting Kleist with complex logistics and march route planning, keeping everything orderly.
Rommel and Model had both displayed astonishing tactical intuition and command abilities in previous training and exercises, and were thus exceptionally promoted to company commanders in the 2nd Battalion.
As for Guderian, who was originally tinkering with radios in the regimental communications company, he was reassigned to serve as Rommel's company adjutant.
Morin couldn't help but sigh inwardly; the potential of these "UR card" characters was truly terrifying.
Stimulated by actual combat environments, their growth speed had already left many veteran officers in the dust...
"Alright, since everyone is here, let's start assigning tasks."
Morin reined in his thoughts, tapping his red and blue pencil heavily on the map.
"Based on the results of aerial reconnaissance and radio interception, our targets are very clear."
Morin's gaze swept over everyone, his speaking pace steady and forceful:
"1st Battalion, your target is the division headquarters of the enemy's 1st Division... 2nd Battalion, you are responsible for taking out the division headquarters of the enemy's 2nd Division... As for the 3rd Battalion, your mission is the 'fattest': go take out the corps supply distribution center of the enemy's 1st Corps."
Actually, Morin's initial target was the corps command post of the 1st Corps.
However, because the location of this corps command post might be too far back, hitting it in the first wave was somewhat risky.
So Morin temporarily lowered the priority of the enemy's corps command post...
Of course, it wasn't that they wouldn't attack it, but rather they would attack it a bit later.
Morin: "The regimental combat engineer company and the six 'RAK 15' anti-armor guns of the regimental anti-armor artillery battalion have been divided and attached to your three infantry battalions."
Although the Armored Knight technology of these small Balkan nations like Serbia was poor, no matter how you looked at it, infantry encountering these iron cans still found them troublesome to deal with.
Furthermore, Morin didn't bring Ludwig's three Armored Knights along on this penetration operation, so they could only rely on these six anti-armor guns to deal with the enemy's Armored Knights.
As for why he didn't bring Ludwig and the others, the reason was also very simple—it was truly inconvenient for Armored Knights to follow along on a penetration maneuver.
This was also why Morin described the crazy idea of "transporting Armored Knights via armored airships" to the Minister of the Air Force—at this current stage, the shortcoming of mechanized units lay in their ability to be accompanied by heavy equipment.
"As for the artillery battalion..."
Morin turned to the artillery battalion commander.
"Your position is in the center, ready to provide fire support to all three directions at any time."
"With the range of the K14 long-barrel 105mm howitzers, it's enough for you to 'stand in the middle and strike both sides'."
Subsequently, Morin directly circled several red areas on the map.
"These areas are the approximate locations of the enemy division headquarters and supply distribution centers based on my judgment..."
Although the reconnaissance planes couldn't specifically light up which house was the division headquarters, after lighting up the vast majority of enemy combat units, combining the system map with his own experience, it wasn't difficult for Morin to deduce these critical nodes.
Vital departments like division headquarters and supply distribution centers have special requirements for geographical location and transportation conditions; they cannot just pick a random ravine and plunge into it.
And the Serbian Army, as a relatively traditional military, had rather rigid defensive logic and command systems, which made Morin's judgment much easier.
"Commander, what if the enemy reacts and even mobilizes reserves to surround us?"
2nd Battalion Commander Jonathan raised a practical question.
Morin: "Then let them come... As long as we hit fast enough and completely paralyze their command systems, those reserves won't be of much use."
"Besides, can your four wheels not outrun their two legs?"
"I'll say it right here: if anyone sitting in a truck gets surrounded by enemy infantry, just dig a hole and bury yourself. We can't afford to lose that kind of face~"
Amidst everyone's laughter, the brief combat deployment concluded. Everyone quickly dispersed, returning to their respective units to conduct pre-battle mobilization.
Morin turned and went to the regimental communications company, found the communications soldier who was adjusting the radio preparing to send a message to the Fifth Army Group command at the agreed-upon time, and ordered in a deep voice:
"When you send the message to the Fifth Army Group command in a moment, add one more sentence to the content: 'The instruction unit will launch its attack at 2:30 PM, please coordinate your actions.'"
As the roar of radiant crystal truck engines once again broke the tranquility of the woods, the instruction unit "napping" in the woods also reawakened.
According to Morin's orders, the regimental headquarters would follow the artillery battalion throughout the operation.
This way, the two units with relatively weak self-defense capabilities could cover each other, and it was also convenient for Morin to coordinate from the center.
Around 1:00 PM, utilizing the flat alluvial plains bordering the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Serbia, the three infantry battalions rapidly arrived at their respective mission areas via trucks.
This was also one of the reasons why Morin initially suggested letting the Serbian army attack into Austro-Hungarian territory—considering the terrain factor.
The area bordering the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Serbia is an alluvial plain, with relatively gentle terrain perfectly suited for truck mobility.
The improved radiant crystal trucks could easily run at 40 kilometers per hour on this flat terrain, or even faster.
This was another reason Morin dared to lead the instruction unit in penetration warfare—
In case something unexpected really happened and they needed to run away, the Serbians couldn't catch up to the four-wheeled instruction unit that was also "playing with map hacks."
Soon, the three infantry battalions found their targets in their respective "mission sectors."
Because the characteristics of a division-level headquarters and a supply distribution center are actually very obvious.
The former is generally 10-15 kilometers from the front lines.
Usually located in larger villages, towns, manors, or the edge of forests, with relatively good houses serving as command posts.
In this era where radios hadn't been popularized down to the squad and platoon levels, wired telephones were the nervous system of command.
So the most obvious feature was the telephone wires haphazardly strung up to save time.
A division headquarters needing to connect to its three subordinate regiments, artillery battalion, engineer battalion, and the superior corps headquarters would have at least 6 to 10 main lines converging to a single point from all directions.
To avoid ground traffic like horse-drawn carriages and marching troops, these telephone wires were usually strung high up, tied to tree trunks, fences, or even temporarily erected wooden poles, making them extremely conspicuous.
Coupled with the constant presence of communications soldiers carrying cable spools, patrolling and maintaining the lines on bicycles or horseback along the route, it was like having an "I am a command post" label stuck to its forehead.
Over at the 2nd Battalion, Rommel and his adjutant Guderian, responsible for forward reconnaissance, were currently lying behind a dirt mound, observing a village ahead through binoculars.
"Erwin, look over there."
Guderian lowered his voice, staring at a conspicuous wooden pole erected in the middle of the village.
"One, two, three, four... At least seven lines converge on that two-story building. Plus, there are military police standing guard at the door, and the officers entering and exiting are riding horses."
Rommel, also holding binoculars, nodded, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
This village consisted of single-story houses, so the wooden poles erected in the village and the wires connected to them were extremely conspicuous.
"No doubt about it, there's an 80% chance this is the enemy 2nd Division's headquarters... Looks like our luck is good. These Serbians never expected us to sneak up behind them."
Rommel lowered his binoculars, quickly gestured on the map spread beside him, then turned to a messenger nearby: "Quickly, notify the battalion headquarters... go on horseback! We've found the target and can strike at any time!"
2:20 PM, ten minutes before the scheduled time for the general offensive.
The early spring afternoon sun in the Balkans was somewhat languid, shining warmly on the body.
For the personnel of the Serbian 2nd Division headquarters stationed in this unnamed village, it was a rather terrible afternoon.
The war situation on the front lines was not progressing smoothly. The 1st Division, responsible for the main assault, suffered heavy casualties in the morning attack, losing nearly 20% of its combat strength directly.
After their 2nd Division pushed up from the other side, the situation wasn't much better; they also smashed their heads bloody against the enemy's defense line...
Only, these personnel of the 2nd Division headquarters didn't know that sometimes bad things come knocking on your door one after another.
Just outside the village in a patch of dense tall grass, hundreds of eyes were coldly watching this village.
Rommel lay on the ground, gently stroking the MP14 submachine gun at hand, still somewhat nervous inwardly.
Beside him, Guderian was relaying final instructions to several NCOs in a low voice.
For this operation, 2nd Battalion Commander Jonathan had given Rommel, leading the main assault, immense autonomy.
Not only did he attach two MG08 heavy machine gun squads and two flamethrower squads to him, but he also allocated four light mortars.
This put considerable pressure on both Rommel and Guderian.
"Is Model in position over there?" Rommel asked without turning his head.
Guderian: "They just sent a messenger over. Model has already led his men to the southern exit of the village."
"That's good, that's good..."
Rommel glanced at the watch on his wrist. The second hand was ticking closer bit by bit to that decisive moment.
"These Serbians have terrible vigilance."
Having finished instructing the messengers, Guderian looked at the loose defensive forces on the village perimeter and couldn't help but offer a sharp critique:
"They don't even post outer sentries. Do they really think this is the deep rear?"
Rommel: "That's a good thing, otherwise our attack would only be trickier!"
Actually, you couldn't entirely blame the Serbians.
In their perception, the Saxon and Austro-Hungarian armies were still in a standoff with their main forces on the frontal defense line over ten kilometers away.
Who could have expected a fully mechanized unit to bypass layers of defenses like a ghost and press a bayonet directly to the small of their backs?
"Time's up. Commence attack!"
Following Rommel's command, the four mortars, having already completed setting their firing data, simultaneously let out a muffled "thump, thump."
Seconds later, four clouds of white smoke billowed on the outer edge of the village.
Immediately following were two more volleys, making the smoke even thicker.
The mortar squads didn't fire high-explosive shells for the first three rounds, but rather smoke shells for cover.
"Attack!"
Rommel bounded up, just like Morin, holding his submachine gun and charging out first.
Behind him, hundreds of instruction unit soldiers dashed from their hiding places like cheetahs. Using the smoke for cover, they charged towards the village.
A distance of 300 meters, for well-trained instruction unit soldiers, was merely a short sprint.
The Serbian soldiers in the village were somewhat bewildered by the sudden smoke; some even thought a fog had suddenly rolled in.
Before they could figure out where the smoke came from, dense gunfire echoed throughout the entire village.
"Da-da-da!"
The continuous gunfire from the instruction unit's automatic weapons instantly became the main melody of the battlefield.
The dense firepower formed by submachine guns and light machine guns was practically infallible in this kind of surprise attack—especially when the opponents were universally using bolt-action rifles.
It was like entering a "VIP server" in a battlefield game: in a close-quarters map, one side could only use bolt-action rifles, while the other side was entirely composed of players "rocking wheelchairs" (using overpowered/easy-to-use weapons)...
About half a platoon of Serbian soldiers on the village perimeter didn't even have time to react before they were riddled with bullets swept across their faces by the instruction unit soldiers charging out of the smoke.
"Enemies! We have enemies!"
Mournful screams rose and fell in the village, but were quickly drowned out by even more violent explosions.
After firing the smoke shells, the mortar squads quickly switched to high-explosive shells, suppressing the village.
The division commander of the Serbian 2nd Division, who was drinking tea in a civilian house temporarily requisitioned as the division headquarters, dropped his teacup with a "crash," shattering it into pieces.
He and his Chief of Staff looked at each other, both their eyes filled with disbelief.
"Where are those gunshots and cannon fire coming from? Isn't this near the division headquarters? Could those Austrians have actually organized partisans?!"
However, no one could answer the 2nd Division commander's question in the short term.
Not long after, the company commander of the headquarters guard company, his face covered in black soot, scrambled and crawled into the operations room.
"Division Commander! Retreat quickly! Saxons! It's all Saxons!"
The guard company commander looked panicked at this moment, as if he had experienced something terrifying.
"They have already charged into the village, their firepower is too fierce, we simply can't hold them off!"
"Saxons? How is that possible?!"
The division commander felt his brain couldn't process this.
"The frontline is still fighting, did they fall from the sky?"
"Division Commander, never mind where they came from! Let's evacuate first!"
The Chief of Staff grabbed the still-dazed division commander, dragging him towards the back door, while shouting at a division headquarters messenger who was still stunned: "Quick! Go notify the two standby Armored Knights, prepare to cover the division headquarters' evacuation!"
This Chief of Staff of the 2nd Division quickly deduced the general situation from the guard company commander's few words.
This group of Saxons had somehow sneaked to the rear, but under these circumstances, the opponent must be a light infantry unit, devoid of heavy firepower.
And before the offensive was launched, the 1st Corps command had attached the corps' direct-subordinate Armored Knight squadron to its three subordinate infantry divisions.
Only, the commanders of these three divisions obviously valued their lives...
Or rather, they knew very well that there was a considerable gap in combat power between their Armored Knights and the Saxon Armored Knights.
So rather than sending them to the front lines to feed kills, it was better to keep them in the rear to protect the division headquarters.
He didn't expect they would actually come in handy now.
"You can't tell me this small unit of Saxons brought Armored Knights along to attack, right?"
This thought couldn't help but flash through the Chief of Staff's mind.
He and the guard company commander dragged the division commander, rushing to the vicinity of a nearby civilian house.
Soon, the shrill scream of magitech engines starting up sounded. In the dust kicked up by a dirt wall being pushed over not far away, two massive dark silhouettes appeared.
Iris Mark II, Modified.
This was the previous generation of Armored Knights, retired by the Gauls, that the Kingdom of Greater Serbia Army had imported at great expense.