Otto von Bülow was one of Germany's most outstanding commanders during the World War. He and another German army general, Fritz von Bülow, were cousins.
In the Battle of the Zo (also known as the Battle of Caporetto), the German-Austrian forces commanded by Otto von Bülow completely defeated the Italian troops commanded by Luigi Cadorna.
Ludendorff hoped that Otto von Bülow could replicate Caporetto's glorious victory on the Western Front, transferred Otto von Bülow back to the Western Front, and appointed Otto von Bülow as the First Army
Commander in Chief.
The attack planned by Ludendorff in the New Year was named the Michael Plan. As time went by, more and more information about the Michael Plan became available. Ludendorff mobilized 66 divisions. This was what Ludendorff planned.
Of all the mobile forces that can be mobilized, the only thing that needs to be determined now is where Ludendorff will launch the attack. It may be Arras, it may be Verdun, or it may be the Liege Fortress. In short, the German army will not be able to launch another attack.
It was a full-scale attack similar to last year, and we could only find a section of the front that was hundreds of miles long to make a concentrated breakthrough.
As the number of US troops in Belgium increases, the British Expeditionary Force's defense line is also adjusted. The Southern African Expeditionary Force, which was originally arranged close to Belgium, was transferred to focus on defense between Arras and Cambrai. The left wing of Arras is Henry
·The First Army led by Horne, then the Third Army led by Julian Byng and the Fifth Army led by Hubert Gough. The Anzac and Canadian Corps were deployed because of their heavy losses in the battle last year.
Serves as the strategic reserve force of the entire army on the second line.
The three armies led by Henry Horn and Julian Ben-Hubert Gough have a total of 55 divisions and a total strength of approximately 850,000. These three armies all have strong armored forces, each with approximately 500 vehicles.
Tanks, Roque also assigned three artillery divisions equipped with heavy artillery to each of the three armies.
Taking advantage of the favorable conditions in winter, the British Expeditionary Force was seizing every moment to build fortifications. Nearly 600,000 troops and laborers from India were working hard.
Rock has basically given up on the Indian Army and uses it as labor. They are not even qualified cannon fodder, and equipping them with rifles is a waste.
Arras, Vimy Ridge, the 101st Division of the Southern African Expeditionary Force is currently responsible for defending this section of the defense line.
The 101st Division is also a meritorious unit on the Western Front. Since coming to France, the 101st Division has participated in almost all battles of the Southern African Expeditionary Force. Although the 101st Division does not have as outstanding performance as the 2nd Cavalry Division, the 101st Division has never been merged or abolished.
Establishment, Division Commander Yang Su was one of the first professional soldiers in southern Africa to study at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and Chief of Staff Haydn Alexander was once an instructor at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
"The performance of those Indians is terrible. They are unqualified in combat, unqualified in transporting military supplies, and unqualified in building fortifications. I really don't know what they can do." Haydn Alexander goes to the front line every day to inspect, and the 101st Division is responsible for defense.
The first line of defense, behind them are the 11th Division and the 13th Division.
Like the French army's defense line, the British Expeditionary Force deployed colonial servants on the first line of defense, the so-called "cannon fodder."
But Haydn Alexander obviously didn't think so. The combat effectiveness of the 101st Division was still very strong. More than half of the soldiers in the unit had more than three years of combat experience, which was very rare on the Western Front.
For an army, experienced veterans are an inestimable asset. Veterans with more than three years of combat experience are qualified to serve as sergeants in the newly formed army, but they are still ordinary soldiers in the 101st Division.
.
I can’t say the reason, but if I say it, it will be 404.
"They can eat——" Yang Su didn't say much, and the official complaints were the most fatal.
The Indian Legion is indeed edible. Among all the units of the British Expeditionary Force, the Indian Legion consumes the most supplies. Other troops usually exchange "souvenirs" by barter, or directly sell the "souvenirs" to military service societies.
Indian soldiers are not like this. They prefer to exchange various "souvenirs" into food and then send them to their families in India.
India is now in the midst of a severe famine. Although the British media has never reported it, rumors claim that millions of people have starved to death in India.
In order to prevent the spread of gossip, the British government would censor letters sent and received by Indian officers and soldiers and strictly prohibited any discussion of news about the famine in any form.
This was a serious violation of human rights. Indian officers and soldiers protested, but they were ignored by the British government and the expeditionary force headquarters, so the Indians accepted the result with peace of mind.
You see, our Indian officers and soldiers protested. Although it was useless, our Indian officers and soldiers have also proved with actions that we Indians are not easy to bully——
Haydn Alexander shook his head and stopped discussing the Indian problem. It was useless to discuss it. Neither Haydn Alexander nor Yang Su could solve it.
In fact, it is easy to solve the problem. Just replace the Indian workers who are lazy, lie and indolent with Chinese workers who are hardworking, smart, capable and hardworking. However, because India has enough labor force to call on, the British government is not enthusiastic about Chinese workers.
, except for some Chinese workers in Cyprus, the Chinese workers in France are all employed by the French government, and most of them perform very well.
While Haydn Alexander and Yang Su were complaining about the Indians, Second Lieutenant Marshall at the front line of Vimy Ridge was reprimanding several Indian laborers who were sneaking around.
The task of these Indian workers was to build a section of drainage canal. As a result, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, the six Indian workers only dug a small section of the drainage canal that was less than three meters long and less than half a meter deep. This made Marshall
The second lieutenant was extremely angry.
"What the hell did you do all morning? Oh, you were smoking and eating snacks. Look at these cigarette butts and these toffee wrappers. Where did you get the cigarettes and toffee? Huh? Answer me!"
Second Lieutenant Marshall tightened his grip on the riding crop in his hand. The British Expeditionary Force had a lot of cigarettes and toffee, but it was not enough to distribute quotas to the workers. Only the military had cigarettes and toffee every day. It would be good if the laborers had enough.
This is really not the stinginess of the expeditionary force headquarters. The food supply in some areas of the UK has begun to be tight. The British government has tightened its belt and made every effort to ensure front-line supplies. Children in southern Africa have donated their piggy banks to support the front-line. As a result,
The workers on the front line were so perfunctory——
Second Lieutenant Marshall wanted to be like the First Army Group next to him, tie these Indian workers on wheels and push them out of the position.
The purpose of tying people to wheels and pushing them out of positions was to serve as a target for German precision shooters. In Flanders, Haig, the commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force at the time, punished cowards who fled the war in this way.
Several Indian workers squatted on the ground and said nothing. This was a common practice in the colonies. When the white colonists asked questions, the colonial natives had to squat on the ground or kneel on the ground - lying down was fine, but they couldn't stand anyway.
The status of Indians in the Commonwealth is quite high. After all, they are the most dazzling jewel in the Queen's crown, so they have the right to squat.
By the way, Second Lieutenant Marshall is Chinese.
"Tell me, where did you get the cigarettes and toffee? If you don't tell me, then you are all thieves, and you know the consequences." Second Lieutenant Marshall said in a stern voice. No matter what the illegal behavior was, the punishment in the expeditionary force was extremely severe. During the war, no one
Time passes slowly according to the legal provisions. Military courts will not be convened for workers. Although workers who make mistakes will not be shot directly, it is really not easy to kill someone during the war.
"I, we picked it up——" an Indian worker muttered.
"Picked it up? Very good. You have added another crime. You not only stole but also lied. Do you know what the crime of stealing military supplies is?" Second Lieutenant Marshall didn't believe this nonsense. In-demand supplies such as cigarettes and toffee were readily available.
If you can just pick it up, then those French women who are willing to agree to any conditions for just a few packs of cigarettes or a pack of toffee are too cheap.
In the context of the world war, human nature has been extremely distorted. At this time, any behavior measured by morality is immoral, and survival is above all else.
In France, many women have to work outside the home in order to make a living. The French government has strict regulations in this regard. After the outbreak of the World War, the French government provided living allowances of 25 centimes a day to the wives of soldiers, but not to mothers and sisters.
25 centimes is a quarter of a franc. Before the outbreak of the world war, 25 centimes could buy about 800 grams of bread, or 800 grams of milk, or 2.7 eggs. However, after the outbreak of the world war, the price of food rose rapidly.
It's almost 25 centimes and I can't even buy an egg.
When the World War broke out, 85-year-old French women workers worked in textile factories.
The world war caused a large number of factories to close down, and 60 female workers lost their jobs. They could no longer maintain their own lives, and under normal circumstances, they still had the elderly and children to support.
Therefore, do not use morality to measure any problems during the world war. Human nature really cannot stand the test.
"It wasn't picked up by Hood, it was Hood who stole it while moving things. We didn't know before -" Finally, an Indian worker came forward to testify.
"You didn't refuse when you ate it just now!" Hood, who had been mumbling just now, became furious.
Compared to Hood who stole things, Second Lieutenant Marshall seemed to hate the workers who jumped out to testify against Hood.
So Lieutenant Marshall immediately whipped the whip in his hand without thinking, and while he was whipping, he cursed: "Let you steal - let you eat - let you whip - steal you to death - eat you to death - whip you to death
——”
"forgive me--"
"We don't dare anymore-"
"Please sir-"
Several Indian workers were rolling around on the ground, pleading non-stop.
Compared to being tied to a wheel and pushed out of the trench to be exposed to the muzzles of German precision shooters, this punishment was acceptable.
No, it's simply a surprise.
: There was a guest at home yesterday, and Yutou made himself drunk, so I didn’t update tonight——
Now that Yutou has realized his mistake deeply, he will make up for it with four updates today——
Well, I'm not sober yet. The above are just drunken words. Brothers, please don't take them seriously——