Somewhere in the southern portion of the Maria Line, May 18th, 1940, near the town of Stazi, right on the line.
On the outskirts of the town, QF 2-pounder guns were hiding amongst the thick shrubbery on either side of the road with a medium-sized but well-hidden trench line accompanying them. These were soldiers of the 22nd Infantry Division who were tasked with holding this stretch of the line, and for the past few days they had been subjected to heavy artillery bombardment from the partisans turned conscripts of the Iberian Army who had been launching repeated attacks all over the line but failed to break through so far.
The defensive positions that the Portuguese had taken were good ones since they provided great visibility for a few miles, and they would soon need it as spotters in the trenches saw two large formations of tanks and trucks rumbling towards them, with small dust clouds being kicked up as they drove over the rolling fields leading towards them, they were identified as soldiers of the Commune and part of the 44th Armored Divison.
"Everyone to positions!" The commanding officer of the group, one Major Escarlos Scatanza shouted as he ran down his trench line
The soldiers in the trench went about their duties, with the mortar crew in the mortar pit loading up rounds while others were busy loading the machine guns along the line or loading up their rifles, even the anti-tank gun crews were busy preparing to bring their guns to bear, setting their sights on the max distance the gun could shoot and waiting for their foes to get close enough.
Meanwhile, Major Escarlos then exited the rear of his trench and ran over to the town where the rest of the soldiers were waiting for orders, and a pleasant surprise for the incoming enemies, a platoon of A6 Rams that were part of the 3rd Tank Company that had been sent their way to assist in the defense.
"Get these things moving!" He shouted as he rounded a corner and exited an alleyway leading into the center of town, his eyes focused on the A6 Rams and their crews.
"Yes Major!" The lead tank commander responded as he whistled at the tanks behind him and gave them a wave of his hand to start moving.
The A6 Rams roared to life as their engines turned on, black smoke sputtering from the exhaust pipes for a moment before the hum of the engines kicked in. The tanks then began moving down the street in single file and were followed by infantry jogging behind them.
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The major then snapped his head towards the outskirts of town as he heard the sounds of gunfire and artillery go off, the battle had begun and he knew it was going to be a bloody one.
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But before he could do anything else, the whistling sounds of artillery shells filled the air before loud explosions rocked the town, striking several buildings in the town square and forcing him to fall to his knees and crawl towards a corner of the fountain in the square. His teeth and bones rattled as the shells struck buildings and sent rubble to the ground, shaking the foundation and roads of the place and forcing the major to grip his personal Madsen Machine gun tighter as he began muttering prayers under his breath and began thinking of his family.
Meanwhile, on the front, the Portuguese infantry were lighting up the scattered Commune soldiers taking positions behind burning H35 tanks as the battle raged on. A few of the QF 2-pounders had been knocked out already by returning tank fire but in return, there was at least a burning H35 for every gun knocked out. The only tanks left were a platoon of 12 Brabant S35s and they were putting down immense fire on the trench lines before them, and they were only the first wave of five assigned to break this part of the line. The main objective was Fort Santiago which was 10 miles behind the tow and the linchpin of the defenses in the area, the commune forces assumed the fort was heavily defended but in reality, the fort had been blasted to hell over the past few days and had been so torn up it was abandoned, meaning a breakthrough here could jeopardize the Maria Line.
In the trenches of the defenders, they were getting desperate despite reinforcements arriving, with several Portuguese riflemen cycling short after shot, bringing down Commune soldiers out in the open or just missing the ones hiding behind the tanks and trucks. One Portuguese rifleman looked down the sights of his Lee-Enfield rifle and pulled the trigger, downing a Commune machine gunner trying to set up on one of the trucks, while another rifleman clipped the head of an officer peaking out from behind a tank. Then there were the machine gunners with their Madsen LMGs laying down suppressive fire on who they could see, with bullets ricocheting off of tank armor and trucks alike, downing some in the hail of bullets but nothing else. Meanwhile, mortars had run out of ammo after they began firing at the enemy quickly once they were in range, with the crews abandoning their weapons and taking up positions as the ranks were thinning.
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Then, the main show arrived as the platoon of A6 tanks appeared on the main road and split into a wedge formation, they methodically advanced as they fired, the 57mm 6-pounder gun barking with vengeful intent. A few Brabant S35s were knocked out in the first volley but it did not take long for them to send a reply as 47mm shells came screaming from their return fire, with 2 of the Rams immediately done in and having their ammunition cook-off. The short respite for the Portuguese was short-lived after that display, and as the A6 Rams continued to exchange fire, downing a few more S35s, things were about to look bleak as spotters saw the 2nd wave of tanks and trucks rapidly approaching.
As all of this was going down, Major Escarlos had finally made it back to the front after nearly dying from artillery strikes on the town, taking up position in one of the trenches, he laid down fire as his fellow soldiers began retreating into the town, someone had given the order after seeing the 2nd wave and he couldn't blame them. The sector was now lost after a few minutes of fighting and it was shameful really. The radio chatter he had heard from a signal station on the way here had revealed that his division was now overstretched and being battered down by a full armored corp of 5 divisions, and not even the reinforcements trickling in by truck were going to stop them.
He grittted his teeth as he fired off another burst at a Commune squad coming out of cover, downing 5 of the 8 in one burst, then switching his target to another squad trying to make their move. Each burst was filled with anger and rage at the enemy towards him, a bitter hate towards the revolutionaries who dared to seek the destruction of his home. Downing another 15 with a few bursts, he began to withdraw as the last of his men ran past him and into the town.
"All units! Make a fighting withdrawal towards the old fort, we will buy as much time as possible for friendlies to arrive!" He ordered as he reached a signals station to make the radio announcement
"You two, destroy the equipment and grab your rifles, follow me!" He ordered the two radio operators who carried out the orders without question.
Meanwhile, on the main road leading out of the town, the remaining pair of A6 Rams had successfully pulled back after putting down smoke shells to cover the retreat, from the platoon of 12 they were facing, they managed to gun down 10 of the 12 Brabant S35s while losing 4 of the 6 of their own. The infantry running past them always turned around to lay down covering fire as Commune soldiers emerged from the smoke and got gunned down in the process. The fighting retreat towards Fort Santiago was now in process and it would be a long one, with Commune soldiers advancing with tank support only to be gunned down by Portuguese soldiers hiding behind brick walls and farmhouses that dotted the region on the way to the fort.
During the advance, another two platoons of A6 Rams had finally arrived to bolster the defense and they began engaging H35 and S35 tanks with infantry support. One such engagement saw a pair of Rams get destroyed as they tried to open fire on a convoy of S35s in an ambush, only to be spotted first and shot at by said convoy, another saw three Rams successfully engage and destroy a column of H35 tanks and trucks moving along the main road, appearing from the other side of a barn, the A6 Rams laid down deadly fire, striking the first two tanks and a truck in the rear, with the distress of the Commune soldiers allowing Portuguese riflemen to spring from their hiding spots and gun down those caught in the open.
Despite their best efforts and a full 3-hours of fighting, the Commune forces had succeeded in their attacks to drive out the Portuguese from the region, although suffering heavy casualties in return.
They had breached the line, and now the Entente found themselves truly with their backs to the sea.
