"oh! It’s Hoffman School. You are really a rare guest here! " Chen Tianxiao took Hoffman’s newspaper with a smile. Although most of the officers and men of the Legion have accepted this sport, Fran? ois, pritt Maintenance and Hoffman, on behalf of a group of middle and senior officers who attach great importance to image, refused to take off their coats and come to the stadium.
"What? Verdun Victory! "
Chen Tian stare big eyes at that newspaper, but Verdun, a place that would have been synonymous with "meat grinder", was captured by the 5th regiment army and the armored forces of the Guards led by the German Emperor Tai in just one day.
Verdun is a small French town with only more than 10,000 residents. It is a military town and the largest fortress in northeastern France. It is guarded by five large-scale fortress groups. It is a hilly and forested area with an altitude of 400 meters. The terrain is high in the south and low in the north. The hills and mountains in Mas are in the northwest and northeast, and they are surrounded by the north and northeast of Verdun. The Mas River in the Alps, which originates from the border between France and Switzerland, flows through Verdun from south to north, dividing the hilly region of Verdun into two parts: the east and the west. The Mas River flows through Belgium and flows into the Rhine River in the Netherlands, and flows into the North Sea from Rotterdam. In Verdun, there is a north-south railway along the river valley, which runs through the city and reaches the French town of Sedan in the south and St. Miel in the north. There is also an east-west railway passing through here, which reaches Mesi, Germany. For Germany, Verdun is very close to the main railway in Germany. Once the French army advances through this It is of great political and strategic significance to France. It is also the northeast entrance of Paris. There is a "Paris key". It is said that if Verdun is captured, it will not only destroy the French defense body and open the door to Paris and the main French army’s living forces, but also bring a heavy blow to the morale of French soldiers and civilians.
Since mid-September, Prince’s 5th Regiment has been preparing to attack Verdun. Because Verdun Fortress is built on the mountain overlooking Mas River, the ring-like fortifications are complex and firm. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack the fortress. There are more than 4ooo guns, of which nearly 2ooo guns are large-caliber fixed artillery garrison, and about 1 00000 people. The French army has also built a simple field defense position around the fortress.
The German troops attacking Verdun included more than 20,000 soldiers of the 5th Regiment and 70,000 armored troops. Before the battle, Prince also asked for a large number of heavy siege howitzers from Xiaomuzhi, which made more than 15oo guns transported to the front line of Verdun, of which more than 6oo were heavy guns. In addition, half of the air force on the west line was also transferred to prepare for the attack.
Before the ground forces of both sides had contacted, German planes were already busy. More than 3oo planes took turns to launch psychological warfare. First, they dropped a large number of planes on the French positions, then bombed and strafed all day. Even the huge airship troops attacked the bombs, which caused limited damage to the French forts and fortresses, but the atmosphere of tension and panic was like a gust of wind sweeping through Verdun, ignoring the hearts of every French officer and soldier.
On September 23rd, Prince’s soldiers entered and attacked the position from the junction area in a concealed way, and all tanks and armored units also arrived at the scheduled location on September 24th. The general attack was silent at 5 am on September 25th, 1914. The Verdun area suddenly shook and the Germans deployed a front artillery group on a 15-kilometer-long front. Thousands of artillery pieces were fired at the French fortress group at 2ooo degrees per minute, and all kinds of artillery shells exploded like thunder. The French army built field fortifications in the fortress area and 10,000 soldiers were already swaying in the civil structure bunkers in the first wave of heavy shelling, and the smoke exploded.
Prince’s tactics are very simple, that is, before the infantry attack, the fiercest artillery fire destroys all obstacles in progress, and the French are overwhelmed by oath, so that they lose their fighting spirit. The German artillery fire is very carefully prepared. The powerful artillery group has carried out dense artillery fire on the single target, group target, trench and battery of the French army according to the division of labor, and all the important targets in the defense depth of the French army have not been spared. All roads, villages, command posts and Verdun City have been shelled in large scale in turn.
The German artillery group fired for a whole afternoon. During this period, German planes and airships also flew to Verdun several times to bomb. The French fortress area has changed beyond recognition. Many forts have been destroyed, and the defenses have been devastated. The command bases at all levels have been paralyzed, and communication has almost been interrupted
At 12 noon, an earth-shattering cry broke out at the German position, and several German soldiers jumped out of the trench to charge.
Observers ride on the balloon overlooking the battlefield, and a number of gray dots gush out from the position like ants, forming many commandos that go straight into the French fortress area. These dots jump forward and move forward. In front of these sudden infantry, German artillery fire forms a barrage that extends in depth. The infantry assault level is very divided. The assault is two regiments in the front, the third regiment reserves in the back, two regiments in the front, two battalions in the first echelon and one battalion in the second echelon. The infantry battalion forms three waves of attacks in front of 4oo5oo meters.
The first 13 squads of infantry engineers form a strike team, and their deputies are armed with small mortars and powerful bombs to break obstacles and observe the shelling effect, and the follow-up troops create favorable offensive conditions; The infantry company and the machine gun squad followed behind the assault team.
Although the French fortress was severely damaged, the solid structure still made many French soldiers born in the fierce shelling. In addition to the fortress artillery constantly firing at the German assault troops, the French machine guns were also stubbornly strafing. Not only did they organize some death squads to desperately resist the German attack, forcing the Germans to advance slowly.
At 2 o’clock in the afternoon, with the roar of Prince’s motivation, the black steel chariots with thick light smoke rushed to the French fortress area, and the second wave of German soldiers jumped out of the trenches and pushed forward closely behind those tanks and armored vehicles painted with iron crosses.
Although the remaining artillery of the French fort still controls the wide area in front of the fortress area, they are now using their own artillery methods to stop those advancing black spots. A few shells can directly hit and blow them up. If the shells explode next to them, those black spots may shake and stop, but some will move again soon.
Soon, German tanks and armored vehicles with a large number of infantry crossed the wide area covered with gray bodies and came to the place where the first wave of German attacks was blocked. Before that, the French soldiers were still shooting wildly at machine guns. They were stunned by these steel monsters who had never seen before. The monsters didn’t care about the oncoming machine guns and rifle bullets. They rumbled and roared. They passed through the muddy crater and overwhelmed the barbed wire that had blocked several infantry. They rushed to the French fort and fortress, and then followed the steel monsters. The German infantry rushed into the French fort and fortress, where they were chaotic and fought fiercely, and gradually drove the French garrison out of the fortress.
With the fall of each battery, the morale of the French army is getting lower and lower, while the German soldiers are crazy. Everyone is desperately attacking forward. In many places, the infantry charge alone when they wait for the road without armor. The steep terrain in Verdun limits the progress of German tanks and armored vehicles. Fortunately, the "Stone I" and "Stone II" light tanks put their driving ability first in their design, although many tanks lose their fighting capacity because of weak armor being punctured by French shrapnel. Shadows still appeared in all the country roads and hilly areas in Verdun. In the evening, German engineers braved gunfire to set up two pontoons on the Maas River. The first armored troops quickly passed through this final barrier, and Verdun was occupied by the Germans later that day.
The battle went on late at night, and the French commander Naidi announced that he would give up Verdun. After blowing up the remaining fortress artillery, more than 30,000 French officers and men left in the direction of Paris.
Verdun didn’t become an intermediate meat grinder, but in just one day, more than 60,000 French soldiers and 70,000 German soldiers still died here, and the armored forces of the Royal German Guards also suffered heavy losses. Among the 4oo tanks, 49 were damaged in the battle, 122 were damaged due to the vibration caused by the shell explosion and the mechanical failure of the shrapnel itself, and another 9 were mired, 5 fell into the Mas River and 3 were stuck in the Woods. Nearly half of the armored vehicles were damaged by French artillery fire during the attack on the fort.
"Hoffman school announced the news to the whole army! Huang Tai’s performance this time is really impressive! It’s a pity that he lost a third of the infantry and half of the armored forces in this campaign. I’m afraid he will have to rest in Verdun for a while! I really hope that the battle on the Eastern Front will end soon. I prefer romantic French to gentlemen and British. Now that we have the conditions to board the six British islands, we should board the six wars as soon as possible, otherwise the British will gather more and more strength in the soil. They will recall a large number of colonial legions and recruit a large number of recruits. I think if they are given half a year, they will gather more than six million troops! " Chen Tian handed the newspaper back to Hoffman and looked at the west with expectant eyes.
"Millions of troops! Indeed, we have always believed that the British are stronger than the navy. If they are given enough, they may really train a small number of six armies that cannot be underestimated! If Britain continues to implement the current volunteer system, they need to recruit about 100 thousand British men to fight in one year, but if they temporarily change to conscription system and add colonial legions from Australia, New Zealand and India, their troops will reach this number before the end of the year, and then it will take another four months to initially form combat effectiveness, which means we must go to the sixth battle before April? " Hoffman quickly calculated that the joy of his face had just been replaced by a serious expression
"That’s right! But our troops are too tight now! It’s very difficult to deploy an army on the western front, not to mention the eastern front. If our Austrian allies continue to be suppressed by the Russian army, the situation on the eastern front will be even worse! In Turkey, they want Russia and Egypt to be unbeaten in a two-line war! " Chen Tian put a towel and walked to the army headquarters. "Tanks have been put into the western battlefield. The enemy will soon be familiar with them and develop weapons to deal with them. We must also act as soon as possible! The second time in East Prussia, the power of machine guns overshadowed the tanks, and the Russians didn’t seem to pay attention to them. This time, we also caught the Russians off guard by tanks! "
Chen Tian walked silently near the township stone road and burst into cheers. The officers and men of the legion celebrated Verdun’s victory, but it won’t be long before they will once again engage in brutal fighting.
Chapter 29 Advantages of Steel
The steel structure railway bridge over Rafe River still stands there quietly.
Three weeks ago, the fierce battle left several marks on it, and the bridge was covered with shrapnel streaks and shallow pits, and blood stains on the piers and corners seemed to remind people that life had passed here.
With the heavy breathing of the locomotive, the trains stopped about ten kilometers away from the Rafe River Bridge, and soldiers in gray uniforms jumped out of the carriages. They quickly lifted the canvas of the hills in the flat cars at the back of the train to reveal ferocious steel bodies.
"Go ahead and keep this direction! Be steady! " In the infantry, those iron bumps were guided to climb slowly into the carriage one by one, and the train was shrouded in rumbling motivation and light smoke with gasoline smell.
The tank captains leaned out of the turret with half their bodies. Their black tanks could not only avoid the influence of oil pollution on the army, but also look different.
A group of seemingly high-ranking officers watched the lively scene on the nearby hillside, and after the arrival of General mackensen, there was another serious face in this group.
"We attack on time later! General mackensen Olga told your troops to rest at noon. It will be a sleepless night! " Chen Tian said that he glanced at the distant river and the bridge. There were 230,000 Russian officers and men of the 9 th Russian Regiment transferred from the battlefield in Galicia. Under the command of General Lietzky, he was ready to cooperate with the Russian army to the east of Bialystok to attack the German army that had penetrated into Russian territory.
"yes! Prince’s Hall! " Mackensen and Oleg both look confident and firm. "You should be more careful here. I think Agreni will take this opportunity to attack Bialystok!"
After receiving reinforcements, Agreni now has 200,000 elite Guards and 10,000 ordinary Russian troops. However, according to the latest information, Russian troops transferred from the Far East did not come to the Russian-Polish battlefield as expected. Most of them have gone to the Caucasus to fight with Turkish troops, and the pressure on his army is less.
"I am waiting for him to come!" In the past half a month, Chentian has worked hard on the fortifications in Biavistock. "Verdun has not become a meat grinder, so let it be a hell for strangling Russians!"
Everyone looked startled. For them, this defense designed and supervised by Chentian himself was very novel, but none of them knew how powerful it was.
"Well, I wish everyone can win! Our Austrian allies will also fight back from the sky. This may be a decisive battle on the Eastern Front! The medal is waiting for everyone, France is waiting for everyone, and the British Isles are waiting for everyone! " Chen Tian took the lead in giving a military-like salute to the people, and they also gave a military-like salute with a face of seriousness.
As autumn approaches and night falls, it’s getting earlier and earlier. It’s just 7 o’clock, and the earth has been ruled by hazy darkness. Soldiers on the roadside are holding guide tubes and watching their tanks go slowly along the railway line to the Rafe River Bridge. The captains are still leaning out of the turret, and their black troops are gradually merging into the environment. Along the tank caps, there are grim and cold faces.
At the forefront of the procession are tanks No.1, No.2, No.3 and No.4 of 2nd Company, 3rd Battalion, 1o1 Tank Regiment. These four tanks are commanded by No.1 tank company commander Lieutenant Crountilis. The other three members are the driver Kels, private herrlich who is in charge of loading artillery shells and private Lauren Tiris Company who is in charge of communication and machine gun control. The four tanks are all "Stone II" type, with a maximum hour of 25 kilometers. A light tank with a 37mm caliber gun and two water-cooled firebird machine guns is currently the most equipped tank in the German army. There is also a contact telegraph in the Crountilis No.1 car. Now each tank regiment in the Legion Armored Corps has two special armored communication vehicles, which are responsible for receiving the reports of each tank and sending the latest orders to each tank company for reporting and asking.
Dozens of planes kept circling in the sky, trying to hide the sound of tanks moving forward.
When the figure of Rafe River Bridge appeared hundreds of meters ahead, Lieutenant Long Tiris raised his right hand to signal his company to stop moving forward. The tank queue gradually became quiet. At this time, there were still 30 minutes before the attack.
At this time, the infantry troops entered the position one after another, and the artillery also prepared for shooting nervously and orderly.
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After 10 minutes, everything was calm, and there was the sound of Leif River flowing in his ear, and the breeze was blowing on Long Tiris’s soft head. The young lieutenant turned his attention to the other side of the bridge. After the battle in East Prussia, he and his company had been idle for a month, and it was good to stay away from blood and death. But when he saw the German wounded soldiers returning to the train, he longed for these infantry brothers to fight side by side. After all, his tank had such a strong steel body.
Long Tiris raised his telescope. The Rafe River Bridge, which is also made of steel, along with the banks on both sides, is illuminated by high-power searchlights. Every detail is doubtful. He can see clearly the Russian sentry posts, bunkers and trenches on the other side of the bank.
It seems that I have slowed down here for 20 minutes, which is so long. Tankers have been checking the artillery, machine guns and ammunition over and over again. Tiris has a feeling that no matter what danger there is on the other side of the bridge, he and his No.1 car will be the first tasters. Maybe the plane can cover up some tanks’ marching sounds, but the Russians may still be alert. Maybe the muzzle is waiting for them.
When the pointer pointed to the point, it was silent and boiling. In a burst of rolling thunder, the German heavy artillery fired at the west bank of the Rafe River. Several shells screamed as they shuttled through the Rafe River. Russian soldiers were stunned by the sudden artillery fire. Their commander, General Leitzky, judged that the German army would attack in the early morning according to the abnormal noise in the afternoon and German habits. At this time, many Russian soldiers were still exposed to the fields and roads, and many people were blown to pieces and limbs, together with large pieces. Large pieces of earth and stone were thrown into the air, and they piled up with each other due to the rapid expansion of explosion, pushing like rolling liquid to wash away and clean up all the movable objects on the ground. Those Russian soldiers who had not lost their lives were frightened by the huge roar, and they were afraid to look up.