"The German army has actually been observing the movements of the coalition forces. When the last round of artillery fire prepared by the coalition forces for the infantry attack extended back, the German troops immediately poured out from the underground fortifications.
They moved the Maxim machine gun to the position, occupied the favorable terrain, and prepared to shoot at the coalition troops from a high position.
The first was the British soldiers. When we approached the German position in a neat square formation, the Germans opened fire. The dense bullets swept us down in groups like sickles harvesting wheat, and the attack turned into a massacre. p>
In the first day of the attack alone, we suffered more than 60,000 casualties. It was a dark day.
Our attack suffered setbacks on every turn on the first day, and we only occupied part of the German positions north of the Somme.
In contrast, the French army is luckier.
Since the French army has experienced many battles with the German army, the French army's attack is not as slow and cautious as ours.
They rushed to the front of the German army's position immediately, before the German army had time to break out of the underground fortifications.
In just two hours, the French army occupied the first German position and some supporting points north of the Somme River.
On July 2, General Haig adjusted the battle plan and concentrated his forces to attack the German center. After two days of bloody fighting, we occupied the village of Fricourt and continued to attack in depth.
Things went more smoothly on the French side. The direction of the attack of the French Sixth Army happened to be the area with the weakest defense of the German army. The German army did not expect that the French army would attack from here.
On the 3rd, the French army broke through the defensive position of the German 17th Corps. The German army suffered heavy casualties and had to temporarily retreat.
After that, the German army regrouped its forces and organized several counterattacks in an effort to regain the lost positions. However, in the face of the powerful firepower of the French army, the German army not only failed to regain the positions, but suffered greater casualties.
As a last resort, in order to avoid the annihilation of the 17th Corps, the German army withdrew the 17th Corps to the third position for rest and replenishment, and the reserve force of the Second Army took over the defense of the 17th Corps.
However, the German 17th Corps was too hasty in its retreat, so that the reserves of the Second Army that replaced them had no time to occupy all defensive positions.
This resulted in some positions and strongholds being left undefended, causing many gaps in the front of the German defense, which gave the French an opportunity.
On the 4th, the advance detachment of the French army discovered this situation and took immediate action, occupying the undefended Barre without a fight.
After receiving the news, other French troops also began to advance towards the empty German positions in an attempt to expand the results.
If the French army can effectively seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, then the Battle of the Somme will end with a great victory for the coalition forces.
However, Fayol, commander of the French Sixth Army, stubbornly implemented the gradual action theory of Adinand Foch, commander-in-chief of the French Army Group North.
To seize a new position, you must first consolidate the occupied area, the second echelon has taken over the battle, and artillery preparations have been completed before you can continue to advance.
In accordance with this rigid dogma, the French army withdrew all the offensive forces that had already set out to make new preparations.
This preparation lasted two days and two nights. The opportunity on the battlefield was fleeting. When the German Second Army discovered this fatal flaw.
They urgently mobilized 5 elite divisions to fill all the gaps and reorganized the defense system, which also caused the French army to lose this valuable fighter plane.
On the 5th, after two days of careful preparation, the French army began to attack, but the German army had all defenses in place. The French army also believed that the German troops were stationed in all the unmanned positions before. The French army's attack encountered the German army's attack.
Fierce resistance resulted in heavy casualties and no ground gained.
Our Fourth Group Army has been the main offensive force since the beginning of the battle and has continuously attacked the German army. However, like the French army, it did not make much progress and suffered heavy casualties.
In just 10 days, the British army had already lost 100,000 men. As a last resort, General Haig ordered a temporary halt to the attack and rest in place.
At this time, the German army finally realized that the coalition's attack on the Somme was not a simple fight, but a carefully prepared large-scale battle.
If the German army takes it lightly, not only will the German army's combat intentions in Verdun be affected, but the entire front may even collapse.
Therefore, the German army urgently deployed 13 infantry divisions, 27 heavy artillery batteries, 15 light artillery batteries and 30 aircraft to strengthen the Second Army's defense forces on the Somme River.
On the 9th, after a few days of rest, the coalition launched another offensive. As the German defenses had been strengthened, although the British and French soldiers braved a hail of bullets and fought desperately to attack, they had little effect.
Coupled with the lack of coordination in command, it was not until the 17th that the coalition forces only advanced a total of 5 to 6 kilometers at a huge cost of casualties.
In order to strengthen their offensive, the coalition forces desperately increased their troops and weapons.
From this time on, the Allied forces invested 51 divisions, and the number of aircraft increased from 300 to 500. The German army also reached 31 divisions, and the number of aircraft increased from 104 to 299.
The coalition forces also began to change their tactics, disperse their forces, and slowly eat away at the German army, hoping to consume the German army to the maximum extent and achieve the final victory in the battle.
However, the German army responded tit-for-tat, adopting cluster tactics, relying on bomb craters and bunkers, and using Maxim as its main weapon to deal with the British and French troops.
The coalition forces advanced 7 to 8 kilometers at the cost of nearly 300,000 casualties, while the German casualties were 200,000, and 600 trainloads of ammunition were consumed. At the same time, the attack at Verdun was also ordered to stop, and some
Troops were transferred to the Somme battlefield.
In order to boost morale, the coalition forces concentrated more than 1,900 artillery pieces and launched a new round of attacks on the German positions.
The German position was once again covered by artillery fire. There were numerous craters on the ground, dead bodies were everywhere, and the stench was soaring into the sky.
The coalition assembled 60 divisions and launched the largest offensive since the beginning of World War I.
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Although the German army once again put up tenacious resistance, the British and French troops gradually broke through the German defense at a speed of 200 meters per day and advanced 2 to 4 kilometers, slowly approaching the last line of defense of the German army.
At this critical moment, the weather was unfavorable, and it began to rain heavily for several days. Coupled with heavy fog, the coalition artillery was unable to obtain aerial reconnaissance information.
In addition, the muddy roads made it impossible for heavy artillery to move forward, so the coalition planned to use a new weapon to speed up the process of the battle."
After Gao Bin finished speaking, everyone fell silent, praying for this cruel war.
Although the following content has not happened yet, Gao Bin knows it very well.
The new weapon Robert is talking about is the king of land warfare - the tank.
This is also the first time that tanks have set foot on the human war stage.
Without the advent of tanks, most British men would have died under the muzzle of the Maxim machine gun. They would have been unable to resist this lethal weapon!
However, the ladies of the Crowley family finally realized the cruelty of this war. They only hope that their husbands and fathers can come back safely!
However, the greatest cruelty of war is uncertainty. No one can guarantee that he will avoid the muzzle of the gun and artillery fire.
Take Matthew for example. Edith thought about it day and night, and finally got the news that Matthew was missing.
She doesn't think about food or tea, so she numbs herself by working in the kitchen every day.
Mary was also very sad, but she was more grateful. If Matthew was her husband, what would she do?
She became a widow just after getting married. If word spread, how could she still be alive?
Fortunately, it's not me.
The conversion of Downton Abbey into a nursing home has been highly praised by the royal family. Because most of the injured are concentrated here, the royal family is preparing to send members to visit.
On the one hand, it shows the importance that the royal family attaches to the wounded, on the other hand, with the help of Mrs. Bagshaw, Princess Mary has developed a slight interest in Gao Bin.
Who in the entire British aristocracy does not know the wealth of the Crawley family?
Not to mention that after the war, the status of both Robert and Gao Bin will change.
There are rumors in the royal family that they are planning to raise Robert's title.
Because of Gao Bin's outstanding contribution in logistics support work, he is expected to hold an important position in the military.
Of course, these are not enough for him to marry Princess Mary.
Theoretically speaking, Gao Bin is still a commoner. Marrying a commoner and a noble, and wanting to marry a princess are basically no different from daydreaming.
It would be different if Robert announced that Gao Bin would inherit his title.
Regardless of whether you are a future marquis or a future earl, there is no shame in marrying a princess.
At least it's better than marrying a commoner and giving up the title of princess.
Of course, Britain does not have a tradition of worrying about getting married. It is not shameful for a princess to be a leftover girl. She would rather not marry than force her to.
But there are so many princesses in British history, very few of them are particularly happy, and not many of them are particularly unfortunate. Most of them are in ordinary situations, getting married and living together, and there is no relationship at all.
The British royal family is different from the Austrian royal family (Princess Sissi and her family). The former prospered in the 18th century, while the latter encountered great trouble.
The result is that British princesses basically marry with in-laws with whom they have a better relationship, while Austrian princesses often have to marry some messy people just to make things work.
Therefore, the Austrian princess is closer to the "victim of political marriage", while the marriage of the British princess is more like the several marriages in "Dream of Red Mansions" when the Jia family had not lost power, and the main emphasis was on being well-matched.
On the conditions of a princess, there is no happiness at all in marrying an ordinary person instead of marrying another royal family.
In the 18th century, mass education had not yet become popular, and the gap between the educational level of princesses and the poor boys of the ordinary class was still quite large. It was very likely that they would not even have a common topic, let alone a heart-to-heart love.
A girl who grew up in the palace, was born with fine clothes and fine food, and was carefree. Even if she really yearned for love, the man she picked with the extremely monotonous experience of her 20s might not be that reliable.
.
When looking for a partner among aristocrats, at least the elders are there to check it.
Therefore, in fact, royal marriage is nothing more than a repetition of the normal worries of ordinary people in an environment with a higher material level.
Prince Charming marries Cinderella, and a toad jumps from a branch and rides on a phoenix. This kind of thing can only be seen in movies.
Of course, Gao Bin is not entirely a commoner. He is the eldest son of an earl after all. Even if he does not have clear inheritance rights, with the wealth he has created personally, he will not let the princess eat moxa leaves.
But some things are not just as simple as more money and less money, but must be measured in many aspects.
No matter what, Princess Mary is willing to take over the important task of visiting the wounded in Downton Abbey, which shows that she is still willing to have contact with Gao Bin. This is a good start.
When the princess arrived under such circumstances, Carson felt that his blood pressure could not be controlled.
Welcoming visits from royal family members is an outright challenge for the butlers of all British aristocrats.
From accommodation to dinners to activity arrangements, everything is paid attention to.
It would have been fine if it was normal, but at such a chaotic time, Carson was going crazy.
"Master, you need to come up with an idea. If the princess is coming, you can't let her eat in the same restaurant as the wounded, right?"
"The sanatorium has just sent away a batch of recovered wounded. We can transfer a batch over there. This way, an area can be freed up in the manor."
"Thank God, this is really good news!"
"As for the food, it should not be too extravagant. After all, the princess is here to visit the wounded. If it is too extravagant, it will easily have a bad impact on the princess. Keep everything simple."
Carson nodded:
"Even so, we cannot slack off."
"Actually, you don't need to be too nervous. After confirming the itinerary, the royal family will definitely send someone over in advance. We just need to cooperate well."
Carson said forcefully:
"Since they come to Downton, they must work with my cooperation."
Gao Bin laughed:
"Okay, it's up to you."
Just when everyone at Downton Abbey was excited and nervous about the princess's upcoming visit, heavy fog filled the battlefield at Feller-Courgelet on the banks of the Somme.
The battle has lasted for more than two months, and the numb German soldiers were hiding in the trenches as usual, waiting for the British and French troops to attack.
Then, when the local artillery fire extended back, he climbed out of the trench, entered the position, set up various machine guns, and met the charge of the British and French infantry.
But what first confused the German soldiers was that they did not see a single enemy soldier, only a dozen moving black spots slowly moving toward them, accompanied by roaring sounds.
Soon, the German soldiers finally saw these "black spots" clearly, which were huge "steel monsters".
Because there had never been such a scene in the history of war before, the German soldiers were petrified by these "steel monsters".
In panic, they took up their weapons and shot violently at these "monsters", but all kinds of bullets hit the "monsters" and could not cause any damage.
The "monster"'s speed was not affected in any way and continued to advance towards the German position.
The German soldiers were finally afraid. The strong will to resist that they were once proud of finally collapsed in front of these "monsters". They dropped their weapons one after another, turned around and ran away.
However, the machine guns and artillery equipped on the "Iron Monster" turned the retreat of the German soldiers into a massacre. Many soldiers were shot and killed on the position before they could even enter the shelter.
The soldiers who were lucky enough to enter the shelter were also captured by the British and French infantry following the "Iron Monster". This was the easiest battle that the British and French won since the war began, with the smallest casualty ratio.
Since then, tanks have begun a history of dominating wars...
The advent of tanks was to overcome the need for battlefield trenches and barbed wire fences, and was also an inevitable result of the technological development of the times.
Since the Battle of Verdun, the two sides on the Western Front have reached a stalemate, and the defensive side on the battlefield has achieved the ultimate in battlefield defense.
In particular, the German army deployed a large number of barbed wire fences and trenches on the battlefield, and equipped them with high-destruction weapons such as "Maxin" machine guns and rapid-fire cannons, making it increasingly difficult for British and French infantry to break through German positions.
In order to avoid heavy casualties of soldiers, it was necessary to invent an offensive weapon that could break through trenches and barbed wire, block dense bullets, and be equipped with powerful firepower. Tanks came into being under this circumstance.<
/p>
The first batch of actual combat tanks that appeared on the Somme battlefield at this time were named "Marker" tanks. They had a rhombus-shaped body with a rotating turret on the body. They used outer-ring tracks, and each track frame was mounted on the outside.
There is a protruding gun mount equipped with artillery and machine guns.
When the tank first came out, its performance was still very poor. The total combat weight was 27.4~28.4 tons. The body was 8.1 meters long, 4.1 meters wide, and 2.5 meters high. The speed was only 6 kilometers per hour.
There are 8 people in the car, half of whom are drivers. The conditions inside the car are extremely poor. There is no shock absorption device or cooling equipment, and the noise is extremely high.
During the journey, the passengers not only have to endure huge bumps and noise, but also endure high temperatures of up to 70 degrees Celsius. It has to be said that this kind of torture is unimaginable. The connection between the car and the outside world is achieved by homing pigeons. p>
You must know that this batch of tanks went directly to the battlefield without undergoing inspection and driver training. It was completely rushed to the shelves.
Of the 49 tanks participating in the battle, only 32 were left when they set off from the assembly area to the impact position, and 17 broke down and broke down on the road.
After the impact began, 5 more tanks were stuck in the quagmire and could not move, and 9 tanks were unable to participate in the battle due to damaged parts. Therefore, only 18 tanks actually impacted the German positions in the end, but these 18 tanks created an astonishing feat.
Power.
On this day, 21 British infantry divisions, under the cover of tanks, advanced 4 to 5 kilometers on a 10-kilometer-wide front in just 5 hours, and suffered almost no casualties.
Normally, this result would have required thousands of tons of artillery shells and tens of thousands of casualties. This made the British overjoyed, thinking that the balance of victory was beginning to tip in their favor.
But the ruthless reality plunged the British into dire straits immediately after experiencing a brief period of joy, because after a day of fighting, 10 of the 18 tanks were permanently damaged and unable to participate in the battle.
In addition, the number of tanks is too small. Just a dozen tanks on such a wide front are simply not enough, and their impact on the overall situation is minimal.
The Germans are not fools. They will stand there motionless and let you beat them.
Now that we have seen the power of tanks, we must find a way to deal with it.
Their method was to destroy the tanks at all costs, using small-caliber guns and grenades to attack the tanks.
As a result, 9 of the 13 tanks were destroyed, and only 4 broke through to the German front-line positions. However, these 4 tanks were also destroyed by the Germans soon, and the British had to withdraw their positions.
This day's attack failed, but left several destroyed tanks on the German position.
It was these tanks that gave the German army the most original information on tanks, began to develop Germany's armored power, and created the Iron Lion that swept across the European continent!