While the Allies were arguing about the offensive in February and March, Ludendorff had quietly withdrawn his troops to the Hindenburg Line, handing over the 1,000 square miles of land captured after the outbreak of the World War at the cost of nearly a million German lives.
Give way.
During the retreat, Ludendorff adopted the scorched-earth policy used by the Russian Empire when it abandoned Poland on the Eastern Front. The German army destroyed all the houses on the ceded land, and all the trees were cut down to build the Hindenburg Line. Roads and bridges were also destroyed.
It was completely destroyed, and the German army even blew up the embankment of the Aisne River to create as much difficulty as possible for the British and French forces.
The weather was also helping the Germans. Just the day before the British Expeditionary Force attacked, heavy snow fell in Lansp. Rock and Nivelle contacted urgently and tried to postpone the attack, but Nivelle refused.
The French army's attack began earlier than the British Expeditionary Force, and it was too late to change the plan at this time.
Nivelle did not dare to stop the attack. After the New Year, the French army received 120 tanks. These tanks were purchased from southern Africa. Nivelle wanted to replicate the victory of the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium. On the first day of the attack
, send all these tanks to the battlefield.
However, the French troops did not have enough time to adapt to their new weapons. The German troops already had ways to deal with tank troops. The weather was also unfavorable to the attacking troops. Many tanks got stuck in the mud and could not move soon after setting off, becoming a fixture for German gunners.
target.
Of the 120 tanks, 52 were completely blown to pieces in the first day of the attack, and another 28 tanks were seriously damaged. The tank force did not have the desired effect at all.
On the first day of the offensive, Nivele mobilized three armies, 53 divisions, and approximately 1.2 million men.
The troops attacked the Hindenburg Line on a 90-mile-wide front. Nievelle expected the Germans to have only nine divisions at Sherman-Dedham. In fact, the Germans had 21, and the number soon increased after the spring offensive began.
To 48, in terms of strength, the German army's disadvantage is not obvious. If the bonus of the Hindenburg Line of Defense is added, the German army is fully capable of defending Sherman Dedham.
Roque didn't know how serious the French army's casualties were on the first day. The British Expeditionary Force mobilized fewer troops than the French army. There were only two armies and 34 divisions. Without the proper support, the total force would be almost 800,000.
The better thing is that the British Expeditionary Force's front is only 40 miles wide, and the frontal German defense force is the German Sixth Army. The commander of this army is Ludwig von Falkenhausen.
Ludwig von Falkenhausen was a stubborn and traditional soldier. Like Joffre Heig, he refused to accept new things. His thinking was still at the time when the world war just broke out. He seemed to have no idea what modern war had evolved into.
appearance.
Although before the attack, Rock had mobilized the air force and artillery units as much as possible to carry out continuous fire attacks on the German positions, the Hindenburg line of defense was still extremely strong, and the first wave of troops that went into the attack only lasted less than two hours.
Being maimed.
Rock's heart was as strong as iron, and he ordered the follow-up troops to continue fighting. Rock would not stop the attack until he observed the loopholes in the German defense line.
The weather did not have much impact on the British Expeditionary Force's attack. Before the attack, the British Expeditionary Force transported 206 trains of stone to repair the roads destroyed by the Germans. The French government recruited 250,000 workers to cooperate with the British Expeditionary Force.
As a result, the British Expeditionary Force lost 75,000 people in the day's fighting, more heavy casualties than on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, of which about 25,000 were killed.
While Roque was having dinner, Paul Coker brought the French army's report on the first day of battle.
The French army suffered even worse than the British Expeditionary Force. On the first day of the attack, the French army suffered 115,000 casualties.
"Nivelle is crazy. He wants to seclude himself from the French people now." Roque really couldn't figure it out. He felt that Nivelle was a traitor sent to France by the German army.
Although the British Expeditionary Force suffered heavy casualties, almost all of the casualties on the first day came from the Indian Army. Winston was very satisfied with this result.
Although there are colonial servants in the French army, they are not large in scale and are still dominated by local troops.
Roque estimated that Nivelle had not considered this issue. In the first day of the attack, a considerable number of casualties must have come from French troops.
The problem arises. Even if Nivelle wins the battle, Nivelle will be abandoned by the French government.
It is said that the French army's attack time was one day earlier than that of the British Expeditionary Force, so in other words, when Roque got the French battle report, the French army had actually ended the second day's attack. Think of Nivi before the attack started.
Nivelle was in trouble for the promise he made to the Allied leaders.
Before the attack began, in order to persuade the British Expeditionary Force to cooperate with the French army's attack, Nivele once said that if the frontline troops could not achieve a breakthrough within 48 hours, the French army would stop the attack.
Now that the 48 hours are almost here, I wonder if Nivele will order a halt to the attack.
"Even if France wins the war, it will lose a generation -" Paul Coker shook his head and sighed. France was digging its own grave.
Rock remained silent. Now Rock could only try his best to preserve the strength of Britain to deal with more complex situations in the future.
Just after the British Expeditionary Force ended its first day of fighting, the French army's attack at Sherman Dedham was still in progress.
In just 40 hours, the French army's casualties had reached 270,000, of which 100,000 were killed. If this result reaches Paris, Nivelle will be ruined.
So Nivele had no choice and ordered the troops to continue the attack at night and must break through the Hindenburg Line of Defense.
"The frontline troops fought so hard, they need more time to rest -" Even Charles Mangin, the butcher, found it unacceptable to accept the French casualties.
Charles Mangin is currently the commander of the French Sixth Army.
"The attack must not stop. We have wasted too much time. Before dawn, even if it costs human lives, we must break through the Hindenburg Line and capture Sherman-Dedham!" Nievelle went crazy in his luxurious castle.
Roaring, there is not much time left for Nivelle to prove himself: "We can defeat the Germans at Verdun, why not at Sherman-Dedham? It must be the front-line troops who are acting erratically. You go to the front line in person,
Use whips to drive the soldiers to attack. I want to see the news of victory before dawn."
Nivelle still hasn't figured out how he defeated the Germans at Verdun. If it hadn't been for the Germans to abandon their positions voluntarily due to some strange combination of circumstances, Nivelle would have never had the chance to serve as commander-in-chief of the French army.
"Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, we cannot do that. Attacking overnight will increase unnecessary casualties. Even if we continue to attack, we will not start again until tomorrow to give the officers and soldiers a night's rest." Mobile Force Commander Alfred Mi
Scherer also did not agree to continue the offensive. The mobile force he led consisted of 27 divisions and was the strategic reserve of the French army. If the French army broke through the German defense line or discovered a loophole in the German defense line, then Nivelle would
Mobile units will be put into the battlefield.
It's a pity that Niweiler has not yet found the opportunity to deploy mobile troops until the spring offensive.
"Shut up, it's because your troops didn't enter the battle in time that we couldn't make a breakthrough." Nivelle frantically blamed the situation, just like Joffre and Haig who were at the end of their rope.
"Is it my fault? It's ridiculous. I've been reminding you not to attack easily. It was you who insisted on going your own way and couldn't listen to anyone's words, which led to the current situation." Michele is not polite, in Nivi
When Le was planning the spring offensive, it was not only Roque who opposed launching the offensive, but also the opinions within France were not unified.
The most resolute opponent of the Spring Offensive was France's new Minister of War, Paul Panleve, who persuaded Nivelle to abandon the Spring Offensive from the second day he took office.
Nivelle was determined not to give up. In order to realize his campaign plan, Nivelle went to French President Paingarai and claimed that if he could not organize the attack according to his will, he would resign as commander-in-chief of the French army.
At this time, it had been less than three months since Nivelle became the commander-in-chief of the French army. If Nivelle resigned, it would mean the collapse of the new government again. Poengale did not dare to take this risk and was forced to agree to Nivelle's request.
.
Even so, Alfred Micheler did not stop persuading, so now when Niweiler is frantically blaming him, Alfred Micheler can't stand it: "——I never stopped reminding you,
Now you are actually blaming me for the failure of the attack, but my troops did not receive the order to attack at all. What do you want me to do? Do you know what your behavior is called? This is called cowardice!"
Alfred Michele You're welcome, the battle was really terrible. France lost 540,000 people in the Battle of Verdun, including 156,000 dead, but the Battle of Verdun lasted a full year.
Now that the Spring Offensive has only started for two days, the losses of the French troops have already reached 270,000. Simply speaking from the intensity of the fighting, the Spring Offensive is unprecedented.
"You dare to call me cowardly?! You bastard, you are fired, leave here and leave my headquarters immediately!" Nivele was going crazy. Before the spring offensive was over, internal strife broke out in the French leadership.
If word spread, Nivel would have no choice but to resign and leave the French military command in a dishonorable way.
"Just leave, I'm waiting to see your fate, you bastard, executioner, butcher, devil, you deserve to go to hell -" Michele was furious, jumping on his feet and yelling, and did not shut up until he was dragged away by the guards.
"Sir, the frontline troops mutinied. They refused to attack the German positions and killed the officers." The staff officer came to report in a hurry. This was not the first time.
(The second update is here. There should be a third update today, but there may also be a fourth update. It depends on how good the brothers are——)