The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

In the early morning, as the sun shone on the battlefield, Charles de Gaulle personally rushed to the front line. Colonel Dohas had already organized a commando team, mainly composed of Foreign Legionnaires and French volunteers. They would launch an assault on the enemy's positions along the highway under the cover of artillery fire.

However, the previous night had been extremely fatal for the French. Wu Yuanjia and the 102nd and 103rd Divisions had arrived before dawn. The 103rd Division had bypassed the 101st Division's positions and moved south of the French. Thus, the 101st Division to the west, the 102nd Division to the northeast, the 111th Division to the southeast, and the 103rd Division to the south had encircled the French. East of Banan lay Banchai Lake, blocking all French routes of retreat.

Wu Yuanjia deployed all the captured French heavy weapons behind the 101st Division and secretly placed the tanks and armor of the advance detachment behind the French army. Some guerrillas had already penetrated the Babu Kilometer line behind the French army, preparing to launch a sudden and fatal attack from behind the French army!

At 8:30 a.m., both sides launched their attacks simultaneously. French artillery rained down heavy fire on the 101st's defensive positions, but their actions inadvertently exposed their own position.

Wu Yuanjia's gaze was resolute, and without hesitation, he gave the order for the artillery to launch a counterattack against the French artillery positions. "Boom boom boom boom!" A series of deafening artillery fire rang out, and dense artillery fire exploded on the French artillery positions like a dragon of fire. The defenseless French artillery was caught in such a fierce barrage that they instantly lost their ability to resist.

Colonel Dohas and General de Gaulle, who were about to launch an attack, heard a series of explosions coming from the artillery positions. They initially thought it was an accident, causing the shells to explode. General de Gaulle was furious and yelled, "Damn it! What the hell is going on? You are hindering the attack! I will shoot you!"

At this moment, the staff officer in charge of liaison with the artillery received shocking news. His face turned pale instantly, his body trembled uncontrollably, and he reported to General de Gaulle tremblingly: "General, it's bad! Our artillery has been counterattacked by the enemy!"

"What? The enemy is shelling our artillery positions?! How could they possibly have artillery?" General de Gaulle's face was filled with confusion, his heart filled with bewilderment. As he pondered this, more artillery fire, large and small, descended upon the French army like a swarm of locusts. The enemy's artillery fire was coming from multiple directions. Only then did de Gaulle and his men suddenly realize that the enemy was clearly well prepared!

"Oh no! The People's Army's target isn't Ban Chai, it's us!" General de Gaulle immediately realized he had made a grave mistake. He hadn't anticipated the enemy's prioritization of attacking him. Colonel Dohas, sensing the situation, had also begun urgently ordering his units to switch from offense to defense. However, he apparently didn't realize the enemy had surrounded them. He simply assumed they had reinforcements and intended to defeat the 7th Brigade, allowing him to launch a general offensive against Ban Chai and ultimately capture it.

De Gaulle's eyes were sharp as he rapidly calculated the distance from Marro Bay to Banan. He thought to himself, "This enemy must be a fast column composed of captured equipment from the 21st Brigade. Their forces are certainly not sufficient. If they want to encircle our army, their main force will take at least a day to arrive. The enemy is trying to keep us here."

His mind raced: Should he evacuate immediately, or quickly open the Babang Road and march north to link up with Banchai's 15th Brigade? After careful consideration, he resolutely came to the conclusion: march north! Join Banchai's 15th Brigade and fight the enemy to the death at Banchai!

With the battle situation still unclear and the staff still in intense communication with the artillery regiment, de Gaulle naively believed the artillery had simply been bombarded. He acted decisively, issuing an order to Dohas, who was preparing to switch from offense to defense: "Organize an immediate, all-out assault. Break through the enemy blockade at all costs and continue advancing north!" Then, turning to his staff, he sternly declared: "Give the artillery the order to unleash all firepower and destroy the enemy artillery!"

"General, I'm afraid the artillery regiment no longer exists. Captain James is on the way." The staff officer's words were like a basin of cold water poured on de Gaulle's head.

"What? The artillery regiment is gone? The shells are gone?" de Gaulle shouted angrily.

At that moment, the People's Army's heavy artillery fire had already turned and began to extend its bombardment to the enemy's infantry and mechanized units. Deafening explosions echoed around de Gaulle and his men. A massive blast of air swept over them like a surging wave, knocking them to the ground.

"Boom, boom, boom—" the artillery bombardment continued, instantly reducing the French positions to utter devastation. From the northeast and south, the 102nd and 103rd Divisions launched a full-scale offensive like a tiger descending from a mountain. At this moment, de Gaulle, Dohas, and others finally woke up, realizing they were surrounded. The exact details of the enemy's arrival were no longer important; the priority was to successfully escape from this encircling enemy force. De Gaulle reacted swiftly, ordering Dohas and other commanders to separate, concentrate their forces, and withdraw in an orderly manner along the line from Bab (Bannan to Bredo).

Under guard, de Gaulle reached the armored regiment, which at that moment could muster about twenty tanks and armored vehicles. After boarding an armored vehicle, de Gaulle ordered his troops via walkie-talkie to concentrate their firepower and open a path. He also ordered the Air Force in Phnom Penh and the Army Air Corps in Khun Por Rejo to rush to their aid.

The French army hastily retreated towards Bredo. Leaving the ruined Banan and reaching the highway, they were immediately blocked by the 111th Division. With the enemy exposed outside their fortifications, the 111th Division concentrated its firepower to pin the French troops down. Meanwhile, the 101st, 102nd, and 103rd Divisions had already closed in on them. The French, in turn, were furious and, under the cover of their few remaining tanks, attempted to force their way across the highway.

At this moment, a column of tanks and armored vehicles suddenly emerged from the vicinity of the highway, and with a burst of artillery fire, several tanks in front of the French army were blown up. Mainly composed of fast column mechanized troops, the People's Army launched a general offensive against the French army...