On April 16, at six o'clock in the morning, Nivel finally launched the attack.
This battle is between tradition and innovation.
Surprisingly, Germany, a traditional imperial country, used new tactics, while France, the first country in Europe to overthrow the imperial system, still used the old tactics.
The so-called old tactic is to prepare firepower for a week before the battle begins, and then the soldiers, as dense as an ant colony, begin to advance to kill the enemy, or be killed by the enemy.
The Germans have adopted new tactics. Their defense line is on the hills behind the Aisne River, occupying a condescending and favorable terrain. If the French want to attack, they must first cross the Aisne River and then along the steep and steep route.
Attack upwards on a hillside with dense forest.
The Germans dug a large number of ravines on the hillside, installed a large number of barbed wire fences, and also had a large number of bunkers made of reinforced concrete. Although the thick forests blocked the Germans' firing range, they also provided space for the bunkers.
It provides the best cover. The bunker hidden under the big tree cannot be discovered unless you get close. The French cannot destroy it even with the Schneider 320mm 187093 railway artillery.
The Schneider 320mm 187093 railway artillery is the largest caliber artillery in France.
Although Sherman-de-Dam is French territory, the Germans are more familiar with it than the French. The Germans have occupied it for nearly three years and are familiar with every plant and tree here, while the French come from all over the country and even all over the world.
They are very unfamiliar with the Sherman Dedham area.
Under such circumstances, one can imagine the difficulties faced by the French.
But first, this difficulty belongs to the second brigade.
In just one morning, the Second Brigade sent three batches of nearly 9,000 people to attack. The result of the battle made Qin Yunpeng cry without tears. 4,400 people died in the battle, and almost everyone was injured.
It cannot be said that the soldiers of the second brigade did not have fighting spirit. They fought bravely and fought without fear of death, showing their tenacious combat effectiveness and amazing will.
During the battle, a battalion of the second brigade was bombarded by German artillery positioned on the reverse slope, and the MG08's rain-like shooting madly attacked the top of the mountain. However, in the end, due to
Reinforcements came too slowly, and the Germans eventually recaptured the position.
The German reserves were just behind the defense line, out of the range of the French artillery, but not too far away to be deployed on the battlefield in time.
When the battalion returned to the starting position, there were only 13 wounded soldiers left in the 504-man battalion. There were no officers, and all the officers were killed in the battle.
Nivelle used tanks in the battle, and 120 ft17s appeared on the battlefield for the first time. Nivelle did not do any research on the use of tanks. He certainly did not read the notice issued by the Ministry of War a few days ago about the First Brigade of the Foreign Legion.
According to the exercise report, although tanks were used in the attack, they were very scattered. On average, there were less than 10 tanks per kilometer along the entire front.
The Germans already had a way to deal with tanks. Crown Prince Wilhelm stipulated that each gun position must have a gun to attack tanks that entered the field of view. This tactic was very effective for dispersed tanks. 52 of 120 tanks were blown to pieces.
, 28 were blown up, and the rest were in the German anti-tank trenches or in the Aisne River.
The weather was also favorable to the Germans. Starting from the 16th, the drizzle turned into sleet. This kind of weather was rare in the Sherman-de-Dam area. The side effects of the bad weather were obviously more severe for the French than for those hiding in the bunkers. Germans are bigger.
Tortured by bad weather and German artillery and machine guns, many French troops did not rush to the German positions at all. But in some places, French soldiers advanced between two and three miles with heroic spirit.
It is more likely that the Germans took the initiative to retreat in the face of the superior French army, just like they did in the later stages of Verdun.
Throughout the morning, despite heavy sacrifices, the French finally made some progress, but this progress was gone by the afternoon.
The advancing distance of the French army was determined by the German's large-scale defense posture. In the afternoon, the German reserves entered the battlefield and launched an attack on the French army, which had just suffered heavy losses and was tired. The French army had no choice but to attack. Do not return to the starting position.
Throughout the day, when the battle was over, Nivelle counted the progress and found that all French troops had advanced an average of 600 yards, which was about 550 meters.
In Nivelle's estimation, the French army's progress on the first day should be 6 miles, approximately 9,700 meters.
The difference between these two numbers is about 17.6 times.
Then, Niweiler's psychological gap is about 17.6 times.
Qin Zhiyuan learned all this through the battle report at night.
Still in the back room of Big Weaver's.
It seems that your troops are about to leave Paris. Lyautey waited for Qin Zhiyuan to read the battle report and looked at Qin Zhiyuan with a hint of apology.
Qin Zhiyuan just got engaged to Julie yesterday, so it is a bit cruel to tell Qin Zhiyuan the news today.
Fortunately, Qin Zhiyuan doesn't have to leave now.
It's okay, we are ready. Qin Zhiyuan is forcing himself to suppress the anger in his heart.
If Qin Yunpeng stood in front of Qin Zhiyuan now, Qin Zhiyuan might kill him with one shot. Although Qin Zhiyuan had expected that the Second Brigade would suffer heavy losses, Qin Zhiyuan still couldn't accept it when he saw the numbers on the battle report.
As soldiers, the Chinese should have the consciousness to die in battle, and should have written suicide notes and be prepared to die in battle, but they should not die so lightly, so cheaply, and so worthlessly.
Perhaps Qin Yunpeng was forced by the orders of the Beiyang government and chose to obey Nivel's orders unconditionally. But Qin Yunpeng should not be so devoted. Even the French army suffered more than three casualties and was moved to the back to rest. It is true that Qin Yunpeng worked so hard. This made Qin Zhiyuan angry.
There will be a batch of new tanks to replenish your troops tomorrow. Get familiar with the equipment as soon as possible. I have a very bad feeling. Liotei has never been optimistic about Nivelle.
Thank you, I will let them play their best role. Qin Zhiyuan is grateful.
If you want a horse to run, you must first feed it. Lyotai still understands this principle. Qin Zhiyuan also understands it, so even if it can run very fast, Qin Zhiyuan is ready to rein in the horse at any time.
Qin Zhiyuan will not be as stubborn as Qin Yunpeng. Even if he wants to attack the German positions, Qin Zhiyuan will fill them in in his own way instead of taking the lives of soldiers.
This is France, and Chinese are a rare race here.
Be mentally prepared. The weather conditions are not good recently and your tank may not be able to run fast. Foch gave some advice.
This lack of running speed refers to the distance from Paris to the starting position of the French army after entering the battlefield. The tanks will be transported by train. If you want to drive directly there, let alone the speed, the losses on the road will make Qin Zhiyuan feel distressed.
