Chapter 610: Chapter 353, It’s Not the Time Yet
The forward units of Rage Bear Legion had blocked the two breaches in the defensive line, which significantly impacted the battle.
From a strategic standpoint, once the gaps were plugged, the surrounding troops were no longer subject to being attacked from multiple directions. Also, as the forces from the first line of defense withdrew, they now had a route to retreat.
Even more crucial was the aspect of troop morale.
Since the outset of the battle, the human army had been continuously losing ground. Positions held by companies were wiped out entirely, while battalion and division-level positions could often only withstand a few hours of assault. The enemy was advancing as if into an uninhabited land, not just resisting; those who retreated a little slower were entirely surrounded and then lost contact. Due to this, even Army Group sectors experienced a terrifying waver.
It was a choice between annihilation and flight. With constant defeats, how could morale not be affected?
But now, the counterattack by Rage Bear Legion, importantly, was effective; it was like lifting a torch in the darkness.
…
Although on the overall battlefield, this could at best be considered a localized victory, even the so-called victory was only temporary. Yet, it did convey to others that the enemy was not invincible.
Units that had suffered heavy losses could now retreat and regroup; the same went for the troops from the collapsed first line of defense. Following this, the 56th Army’s reserves began to move up, taking over the positions that Rage Bear Legion’s troops had recaptured.
By this stage, it was the Plague Demon Army that was a bit embarrassed.
Before this, the plague monsters that had flooded in through the breaches were pushed back by the offensive of Rage Bear Legion’s armored forces. However, many were trapped before they could retreat, and within a few hours, they were nearly exterminated.
At this point, calling it a localized victory was no exaggeration.
Of course, the armored units of Rage Bear Legion had also suffered significant losses, unexpectedly, with the greatest losses not occurring during the offensive but in holding the recaptured positions.
The main enemy forces in front had not ceased their fierce attack. To not lose the fruits of victory, they had to firmly block the breaches. At this time, one disadvantage of the Armored Composite Brigade became apparent: a shortage of front-line combat units, especially in the number of infantry. In defense, the armored units’ role could at most be a fire support platform.
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You can’t use valuable armored vehicles as cover.
There are plenty of trenches and bomb craters on the battlefield that can be used for cover.
Thankfully, the 92nd Infantry Division, which accompanied the offensive, arrived to help, mitigating the lack of combat infantry. Later on, local Defense Forces from the 56th Army also sent multiple battalion-sized units, further bolstering their numbers.
They held the line.
The battle situation thus tended towards stabilization—at least it appeared so for the moment.
Of course, stable does not mean the fighting was not intense. In fact, the battle was still extremely fierce, and the casualties were massive. The relentless attacks by the Plague Demon Army, with no regard for their own losses, turned the front lines into a veritable meat grinder.
Every second, countless soldiers cried out and died, and with them, an even greater number of monsters.
In continuous fighting, even a unit like Rage Bear Legion that met Star Realm Army’s standard training requirements and was well-equipped was hard-pressed to withstand such ferocious combat.
The 92nd Division lost over five thousand soldiers in just a few hours. A casualty rate of just over 12% might not seem like much, but in reality, it greatly affected the division’s combat effectiveness.
The division had a full strength of forty thousand, but a significant portion of that number included logistics, communications, artillery, air defense, engineers, division headquarters… and other non-frontline personnel. The troops lost in combat were almost exclusively from the front-line units.
In fact, the 92nd Division’s combat effectiveness had been reduced by more than a third.
It wasn’t until a fully staffed reserve Homeland Infantry Division arrived that the situation improved significantly.
But the reserves were ultimately limited. Without further support, the cruel grinder of battle couldn’t be sustained indefinitely.
Fortunately, the Central Command of the human legions finally made the correct decision. A large number of troops in the rear were ordered to move forward to support.
…
The victory by Rage Bear Legion was the only piece of good news the Central Command had heard since the start of the war.
No matter what, the deployment and assault by Rage Bear Legion had helped the 56th Army hold the line and even pushed it back slightly.
On the entire second line of defense, this was the only solid ground now.
The previously overwhelmed Central Command finally issued orders.
The troops from the third line of defense began to press forward, fully supporting the front; simultaneously, following the example of Rage Bear Legion, General Hans moved the main elite units under his command, which were the armored forces of Dragonhawk Legion.
In all honesty, though the Dragonhawk Legion was a bona fide part of the Star Realm Army, its combat capabilities were not nearly as proficient as those of Rage Bear.
Actually, the difference was quite substantial.
