In Ferenta de Noir, the German army had begun an orderly retreat. An integrated infantry division was left in the German camp to build a defensive position to cover the retreat of the main force.
After receiving information that the Germans were about to escape, Qin Zhiyuan immediately ordered his troops to pursue them.
This was firmly opposed by the 32nd Division staff headed by Chief of Staff Armstrong.
No, we cannot leave the defensive position. We can defeat the Germans in the bunker, but that does not mean that we can also defeat the Germans on the plains. If the main force of the Germans turns back, then we will inevitably suffer heavy losses.
Loss. Armstrong was determined, and the reason actually sounded quite sufficient.
We can do it. The Germans have lost their morale. If we pursue them now, the Germans will be completely defeated and will have no ability to resist. Not only can we defeat the Germans, but we can also capture tens of thousands of German prisoners of war, which is very important to France now.
.As Qin Zhiyuan's personal knight, Pierre argued with reason.
Now France needs news of victory more than ever. The confused soldiers need news of victory to boost military morale. Civilians in panic need news of victory to stabilize their emotions. Politicians need news of victory to increase the cohesion of the government. The military department
The top brass needed news of victory to enhance France's status in the Allied Powers.
But at the same time, you can't deny that this plan is incomplete and there is a certain possibility of failure. Now we cannot afford failure. If we are defeated, Paris will be an undefended city. We cannot bear the consequences. Armstrong will not bear the consequences.
Think about defeat before thinking about winning.
This can be regarded as a mature strategy. In fact, for the current 1st Division and 32nd Division, as long as they make no mistakes, this is already a great achievement in itself, and there is no need to take risks.
I have deduced this plan many times with my colleagues in the staff department before, and the possibility of success is very high. Moreover, now that the armored forces have returned to their positions, they may have started to attack according to the planned plan. If we hesitate, what will the armored forces do?
They would be attacked from both sides. Pierre understood the significance of the armored force to Qin Zhiyuan, so he refused to give in.
The armored force's attack itself was reckless, and we should not be responsible for this mistake. Armstrong blurted out.
These words were very offending. Not only did they successfully attract the attention of the generals of the First Division who were present at the meeting, but even Bastian felt that they were too ruthless.
Very good, this is your attitude, right? We have no intention of letting you bear the consequences. If you don't agree to attack, then our first division will be responsible independently. As for whether this is a mistake, let time verify it. Pierre is angry
Rush.
Armstrong still wanted to speak, but Bastian stopped him in time: Enough, if your first division attacks, our 32nd Division will never stand by and watch. If you can win, let us share the glory. If you can't win, just
We can't hold the position even by ourselves.
In fact, regardless of whether Armstrong agrees to fight or not, Bastian will follow Qin Zhiyuan's lead. After all, Armstrong is only the chief of staff, and Bastian is the commander of the 32nd Division. France is not like a big country, and the chief of staff does not have much power.
The government only has the right to make suggestions, while the decision-making power rests with the military commander.
The big country here refers to Germany.
Okay, then, we will attack according to the predetermined plan, and all the troops will take action immediately. We must stop all the Germans before they open the passage back to Reims. In addition, we will generate electricity for the pagoda to speed up and jam Tadenua.
, if a German slips away from his tank, then let him come back and bring his infantry. Qin Zhiyuan is decisive.
Letting Chen Kangjian, who has fallen in love with the armored forces, continue to be an infantryman, it would really cost Chen Kangjian his life. If this order comes into Chen Kangjian's hands, Chen Kangjian will probably go crazy, and everything that stands in front of Chen Kangjian will be destroyed.
Chen Kangjian was torn into pieces, whether it was the Germans, the mud, or the damn weather.
So following Qin Zhiyuan's order, the Fearless Regiment and Xu Sheng Regiment, as the first echelon of the pursuit, left their positions and began to chase the main force of the German army that had begun to retreat. Before that, there was still one troublesome matter to deal with, that is, those who stayed behind to snipe.
That German troop.
Before 1917, the German Army was the undisputed number one Army in the world. An ordinary German infantry division consisted of two brigades and four regiments. Heavy machine guns and mortars were equipped at the battalion level. Each battalion had about 6 MG08 heavyweights.
machine guns and two to three three-inch 76.2mm mortars.
The German infantry division has four artillery battalions, three of which are equipped with 18 77mm field guns, and the other is equipped with 18 105mm howitzers, which is far stronger than its opponent France's 36 75mm field guns, and slightly inferior to the British 18
114mm howitzers and 54 83.8mm field guns. As for the Americans who later participated in the war, they received too much assistance. One division had 24 155mm howitzers and 48 75mm howitzers.
Although the United States became the world's largest creditor nation due to World War I, when the United States sent troops to participate in the European War, the weapons of the Americans were all supported by the French. Don't think that rich Americans are generous. In fact,
The richer the Japanese become, the stingier they become. The Americans are very smart in their calculations. One of their divisions is equipped with more than 1,000 machine guns alone.
The above was only before 1917. After the Battle of Verdun in 1916, life became increasingly difficult for the Germans and they could no longer maintain the same size of troops, so they laid off a 77mm field artillery battalion and the size of the infantry was also reduced.
.
The division that is now left in charge of sniping is a reduced version of the German division. The entire division has about 15,000 troops to attack. All the artillery has been destroyed, and the size of the heavy machine guns has not changed much.
The heavy machine gun is a powerful weapon against infantry, but it becomes a complete tragedy in front of the first division with tanks as the leader.
When the 1st Division troops jumped out of the trenches to prepare for the pursuit, the Germans were very excited. They finally waited until the troops with a solid defense like mountains left the fortifications. To be honest, for a moment, the German commander was very
He wanted to order the soldiers to leave the trenches and have a hearty battle with the 1st Division, so as to test the strength of the German Division and the 1st Division. However, thinking of the tasks assigned by Crown Prince Wilhelm before leaving, the German commander held back
Tempted by the devil.
It was this misunderstanding that led to the tragedy of the German troops responsible for staying behind.
After the soldiers of the First Division left the trenches, they did not launch a direct charge, but lined up in front of the position, as if waiting for something.
Soon, the scene that the German commander least wanted to see happened.
More than 40 tanks and armored vehicles lined up and prepared in front of the infantry square. It seemed that the tanks were the leading troops of the first division. After the tanks, self-propelled artillery came out.
The German commander had never seen a self-propelled artillery before, but it did not prevent him from understanding the function of this thing. As long as he saw the big, thick black barrel of the 194 powerful artillery, and then looked at the tracks under the gun truck, the German commander felt like
Someone poured a bucket of cold water on my head and face, making me feel cold from head to toe.
Because of the heavy losses in previous artillery exchanges, the Germans no longer had artillery. In other words, the Germans lacked effective countermeasures against the tanks of the First Division.
