Unlike Nieweiler who was full of confidence, Ludendorff ordered the German troops to hide in the strong and safe Hindenburg Line, waiting for the British and French forces to take the initiative to attack.
Rock did not want to see the tragedy of the Somme repeated in Reims, but under pressure from Paris and London, the British Expeditionary Force was forced to attack the German army.
Winston ignored a question. The Russian Empire did need confidence, but what if the British and French forces were greeted by a disastrous defeat?
I am afraid that the consequences will be more serious, and it may cause the Russian Empire to withdraw from the war directly.
By that time, millions of German-Austrian troops released from the Eastern Front will flood into the Western Front. The scene is so beautiful that Rock cannot even imagine it.
The attack time agreed upon by Roque and Nivelle was March 25. The reason for delaying the attack was to wait for the snow on the front line to melt and the roads to become dry, making it easier for the British and French tanks to attack.
Although there are hidden dangers in the Russian Empire, there is also a lot of good news at the same time. The British Expeditionary Force continues to increase its troops. By mid-March, the British Expeditionary Force already had 1.8 million men on the Western Front, and it is still increasing.
Nivele could not wait for the tanks and aircraft produced by France itself, so the French government had to order them from southern Africa. The arsenal in Nyasaland operated 24 hours a day to fully meet the needs of the European battlefield.
On March 15, the first batch of US troops landed in Calais. They were not empty-handed and equipped with a large number of machine guns and artillery. The first batch of US troops arriving in Calais totaled 30,000 people. Although the number was a bit small, it would increase rapidly.
.
In 12 military camps on the west coast of the United States, more than one million American troops are undergoing training, and they will gradually arrive in France to participate in the war in the next six months.
Unlike the United States in another time and space, which watched the war and made a fortune from the war, the United States in this time and space truly achieved "isolationism" and failed to obtain arms orders from the Allied Powers. Seeing that if it continued, the United States would gain nothing, so the United States hurriedly entered the war.
I'm afraid the Americans still haven't figured out what they want. The United States does not lack land, capital, or industrial strength. What the United States wants is the market, but the global market is controlled by the United Kingdom and France.
, Americans cannot get involved, and the United States also wants to expand its influence, but it is located in the Americas and is excluded from the "center of the world", so its position in this time and space is very embarrassing.
The commander who led this American force was General John Joseph Pershing, who was also nicknamed "Terror Jack". The reason for this nickname was because Pershing had very strict requirements on military appearance and discipline, which was so severe that it made people feel uncomfortable.
Unbearable.
Pershing visited Roque as soon as he arrived in Calais and made it clear to Roque that he hoped that the US military forces would have independent command authority on the Western Front like the previous Southern African Expeditionary Force.
Rock was unable to meet this requirement. In name, the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front should also be dominated by French troops. Although the British Expeditionary Force had a better record, the number of French troops was larger, and the Western Front was France's home field.
The criteria for determining battlefield dominance are so nonsense.
Roark and Pershing went to London together for a meeting at the outrageous and luxurious castle in Nivelles.
This time, as soon as Pershing opened his mouth, he was directly rejected by Nivele.
"With only 30,000 troops, what kind of autonomy do you want? Even if you are given a defensive line, can your troops withstand the crazy German attack? I'm afraid your troops will collapse in less than three hours.
." Nivele was very polite to Roque, which was the respect Roque earned through his outstanding record. To Pershing, Nivele was a domineering Frenchman. The United States was synonymous with "nouveau riche" during this period.
Don't expect Nievelle to give Pershing much respect.
"We still have one million troops in the training camp. Starting next month, 120,000 troops will arrive in France every month, so my demand for independent command authority is not excessive." Pershing argued hard. After the outbreak of the world war,
The performance of the Allied generals proved that if the US troops were handed over to the French generals, the US troops would become cannon fodder on the Western Front.
Before the United States entered the war, there was also huge controversy in the United States. Some Americans insisted that the "isolationism" and "free trade" that the United States has always pursued should be the most beneficial to the interests of the United States.
Those who believe that the United States should participate in the war believe that a world war may be the last opportunity for the world to divide its sphere of influence. If the United States misses this opportunity, it will be permanently blocked in the Americas and lose the opportunity to expand its influence around the world.
In the end, those who insisted on participating in the war gained the upper hand, but the United States was not prepared. Training camps in the United States were still training troops in the same way as during the American Civil War. They had no idea how brutal the fighting on the Western Front had become, and even more
There is no understanding of new tactics such as infantry-artillery coordination and infantry-tank coordination. The US military has not even been baptized by poison gas bombs.
"Your troops are not yet able to adapt to the environment on the Western Front and cannot stand alone. I suggest you wait for a while. If you still think that the US military can fight independently by then, then I will give you a chance." Nivele also knew that the US military was capable of fighting independently.
At this point, Nivelle did not deliberately create difficulties for Pershing. Think about it, even the participation of something like the Kingdom of Italy in the war made the Allies happy. Therefore, the United Kingdom and France welcomed the United States' participation in the war.
Among other things, the United States now has a population of 100 million, which is an unparalleled advantage. The United Kingdom has already started to recruit troops through compulsory military service. The United States quickly recruited one million troops after mobilization, all of which were volunteers.
Pershing agreed to Nivelle's suggestion, and after returning to Calais, he proposed to Roque that he hoped to observe the training of the British Expeditionary Force.
Rock wanted to give Pershing a showdown, so he gave this task to the 2nd Cavalry Division.
Although Pershing is the only Army special general in the history of the United States, the current Pershing is not important enough. Rock has no time to accompany Pershing. In the end, the person accompanying Pershing became Don Juan, the commander of the 2nd Cavalry Division.
Don Juan opened the training ground to Pershing, and the troops were engaged in infantry-tank coordination.
The tank, which was entirely made of steel, immediately caught Pershing's attention. After getting Don Juan's permission, Pershing and other U.S. military generals personally sat in the tank to experience what it was like to be a tank driver.
"How does it feel?" Don Juan has already experienced it, and it must be said that it is not a good feeling.
"Great weapon, tank - why is it called that?" Pershing was very interested in tanks.
"In order to confuse the Germans, you have not seen another tank. Compared with this light tank, the other tank is a real behemoth." Don Juan was talking about the "Little Nomad" developed by the British Admiralty.
After the "Hussar" tanks arrived in France, the "Little Nomad" tanks were completely abandoned.
"Light tanks, does that mean there are heavy tanks - another kind?" Pershing drew inferences from one example. He was an excellent soldier who never refused new things and was in sharp contrast to some people.
Of course, Pershing also has shortcomings. His requirements for military conduct and discipline are almost harsh. Perhaps because he rubbed some engine oil on his clothes in the tank cabin just now, Pershing frowned; when he jumped off the tank,
There was a little mud on Pershing's leather shoes, which was also unbearable for Pershing. He immediately bent down and wiped the mud spots clean.
"Yes, but it is not necessary now. Unless the German army also has tanks, we will need to develop more powerful tanks." Don Juan did not tell the truth. The "heavy cavalry" has actually been successfully developed, but it has not been deployed on a large scale.
"What is the role of tanks? To provide cover for soldiers during an attack? Or as a tactical fulcrum during defense?" Pershing had many questions. These details are not difficult to find. Behind every tank on the training ground, there is coordination
Tank combat infantry.
However, the task of the tank during the attack is not to provide cover for the infantry, but the infantry must provide protection for the tank, and German soldiers holding explosive packs or anti-tank grenades must not be allowed to approach the tank.
"It's all OK. We are also making more attempts. For example, what we are doing now is the cooperation between infantry and tanks during the attack." Don Juan introduced it in detail. No matter what the future holds, at least for now, the U.S. military is the British
Allies of the expeditionary force.
"Then let's get started and see the real power of the tank -" Pershing was very excited, but as soon as the tank started, Pershing had another problem.
"Why do the infantry line up in two lines behind the tanks?"
"The tracks of the tank can provide effective protection for the soldiers accompanying the attack——"
"The caliber of the tank gun seems a bit small -"
"This is determined by the power of the tank engine."
"Aren't the artillery units involved in the attack?"
"Of course you have to participate, but there is no need to actually pull out the cannon during training."
——
In the evening, Pershing followed Don Juan to experience the food of the British Expeditionary Force, which opened Pershing's eyes again.
Relatively speaking, the food for the expeditionary force was very rich. Traditional pickled eggs and luncheon meat were indispensable. The richness of various canned foods was beyond Pershing's imagination. Like other British troops, the officers and soldiers of the 2nd Cavalry Division
There was also unlimited coffee and wine. As the division commander, Don Juan was equipped with a professional chef. Per Xing also tasted the delicious traditional Chinese food. However, this did not make Per Xing very happy. Regarding the level of luxury of the expeditionary force, Per Xing was very disappointed.
for shock.
It is indeed a luxury. The British mainland can hardly even eat potatoes, but the expeditionary force has unlimited coffee and wine. Only the United Kingdom can support this level of logistics.
Forget it if there are only 12,000 troops. Don't forget that there are millions of officers and soldiers on the Western Front. No wonder the British government spends 15 million pounds every week purchasing supplies from southern Africa.
