Between Laon and Reims is a vast plain with forests and hills, but the altitude is not high. There are rivers, but they are neither wide nor deep, which is very conducive to the deployment of mechanized troops.
The German defensive positions were also built temporarily and did not form a complete deep position. After breaking through the first line of defense, the First Armored Division was in front of a vast plain. Only sporadic German troops used the terrain and features to resist the defense. The main force of the German army was still heading toward Paris.
Attacking, Ludendorff did not realize that the frontline troops were in great danger.
After breaking through the German defense line, the 1st Armored Division encountered tenacious German resistance in a small town.
The 1st Armored Division made full use of the mobility advantages of tanks. After bypassing the town, only a small number of troops were left to surround the town. The large troops continued to advance towards Reims.
"We cannot tangle with the Germans on the road. It is our task to merge with the French troops as quickly as possible. The Germans in the town are left to the follow-up troops to deal with. As long as they dare to leave the town, they will be attacked.
Disaster." Hank resolutely carried out the order. The tactics used by the British Expeditionary Force were the same as those of the German army. Speed determines everything.
"Sir, our speed is too fast, the troops need to rest -" The commander of the armored forces was looking at the map. If the map is correct, since the attack began, the armored forces have advanced 25 kilometers towards Reims. At this time, the distance
Only two and a half hours had passed since the attack began.
Although the "Light Cavalry" tank can theoretically reach a speed of 20 kilometers per hour in the wild, it will certainly not reach that fast in actual combat. After all, the field environment is more complex than the training ground, and accidents may occur at any time, and German snipers must be faced.
Running 25 kilometers in two and a half hours is already a great speed.
In fact, in the plan of the headquarters staff, the expeditionary force's mission on the first day was only 25 kilometers. Even the headquarters staff did not expect that the armored force would be so fast.
This is the first time that the British Expeditionary Force has used tank troops to attack on a large scale on the battlefield. Both the infantry units and the staff need time to adapt to the speed of the tank troops.
"Let's take a rest. Do you need to replenish fuel?" Hank handed his kettle to the commander of the armored force. The kettle was filled with wine instead of water. Just like in previous attacks, when the troops set off, the kettles of the officers and soldiers
They were all filled with wine, they needed alcohol to face the brutal battle.
"Thank you, no need -" the commander of the armored force politely refused, pointing to the external fuel tank installed on the back of the "Light Cavalry" without saying anything.
In order to increase the attack distance, the expeditionary force is accustomed to using auxiliary fuel tanks for both tanks and aircraft. Unlike the German army, which is short of fuel, the fuel for the expeditionary force is supplied by Port Elizabeth. The price is low and the quality is good, so there is no need to worry about insufficient fuel.
The problem is that infantry troops often use oil to support combustion when making fires in the wild, which is unimaginable among German troops.
When the troops stopped for a rest, tank crews and maintenance personnel were busy overhauling the tanks. The diesel engines produced in southern Africa were quite reliable. After the attack began, only a few dozen tanks malfunctioned, and most of the tanks persisted.
Until now.
"My name is Chen Xie, nice to meet you -" The captain jumped out of the tank and introduced himself. Most of the officers and soldiers of the 1st Armored Division are Chinese. This is really not Roque's deliberate bias. The 1st Armored Division is from
Composed of elite officers and soldiers drawn from various units, the Chinese officers and soldiers of the Southern African Expeditionary Force performed best, which is recognized by everyone.
"My name is Hank, a Yankee, but I have now become a Southern African citizen." Hank is very enthusiastic about Chen Xie, and there is no bloody racial discrimination. According to the proportion of Chinese and white people in the British Expeditionary Force, if he wants to discriminate, he is also Chinese.
Discriminate against white people.
A very interesting phenomenon is that in countries where whites make up the majority, discriminatory behavior often occurs, including in southern Africa.
But after the Chinese took over the majority in southern Africa, discriminatory behavior disappeared in southern Africa. Most white people can restrain themselves, and those who cannot restrain themselves are in prison.
"Welcome, Yankee!" Chen Xie laughed and joked. The joke depends on the target. Since Hank didn't care about his "Yankee" status, Chen Xie didn't have to avoid it.
Hank shook his head and smiled bitterly, and found a random rock to sit down and rest. Unlike the tank crew sitting in the tank, the infantry had already run 25 kilometers so far. Even if the tank did not need to rest, the infantry also needed to rest.
Now, looking at the infantry officers and soldiers who were lively and vigorous just now, they were all swaying around. Only the cooking soldiers were working hard to light the fire, and the big iron buckets had been set up, ready to make coffee for everyone to drink.
When there is enough oil, it is not too easy to make a fire. Collect some branches from the woods, pour gasoline on it and the flames will immediately light up. Several tank crews rubbed their hands and smiled around the stove to keep warm. The infantry did not need it.
At this moment, people were sweating profusely and there was smoke in their hair. Some people opened their coats to get some air, but were immediately stopped by the officers. It is no joke to catch a cold in this weather.
No, it’s not the weather, but the command’s request. Ever since the Spanish Flu—no, the American Flu—everyone in the expeditionary force has paid enough attention to colds. No one wants to be quarantined because of a cold.
It is precisely because the headquarters attaches great importance to colds that among all the troops on the Western Front, the British Expeditionary Force is the least affected by colds. As far as Rock knows, nearly 10,000 US troops have lost their combat effectiveness due to colds.
Thousands of people died due to colds, and these were all non-combat deaths. The dead officers and soldiers did not even receive full pensions.
French troops are also seriously affected by colds. In the Paris garrison, an entire company of officers and soldiers has lost their combat effectiveness due to colds and had to be hospitalized. Statistics from the French Ministry of War show that since the outbreak of the influenza, nearly 3,000 people have been hospitalized.
Three officers and soldiers died of influenza, a situation that the French could not accept.
For soldiers, dying on the battlefield is normal, but dying in a hospital bed because of a small cold is really devastating.
Although it has now been confirmed that the pandemic originated in the United States, more French military troops died from the pandemic than U.S. troops. In order to prevent the impact of the pandemic, the French government has urgently ordered medical supplies from southern Africa. Masks are an important
The most important thing.
"Want to smoke?" Hank took out a cigarette.
"No, thank you -" Different from the cigarettes that Hank smoked, Chen Xie smoked an antique pipe. From the mottled appearance of the pipe, it could be seen that there must be a story behind it.
"Nice pipe!" Hank complimented casually.
"Do you like it? I'll sell it to you for five rands." Chen Xie was generous. There was a large gem inlaid on his pipe, which should be worth far more than five rands.
"You might as well grab five rands -" Hank was not fooled. As the war went on, there were more and more items such as pipes, pocket watches, rings, and necklaces. Things made purely from gold could still be worth something. The price of gemstones was increasing.
Continuous decline.
"Haha——" Before Chen Xie had time to speak, fierce gunshots suddenly came from not far away.
"Get ready to fight -" Hank threw away the cigarette in his mouth and picked up the rifle. Chen Xie jumped into the tank as quickly as possible. The maintenance staff were busy packing things. The coffee in the iron bucket was just steaming. Several soldiers
There was some hesitation. Reason told them that they should eliminate the enemy first, but the temptation of coffee was not small.
"Don't be stunned, kill the enemy first and then come back for coffee -" Hank probably didn't know the allusion of "warm wine and kill Hua Xiong", otherwise he would probably have said "Pour down the wine, I'll go somewhere"
Come soon".
The battle broke out suddenly and ended equally suddenly. It was not an attack by a large German army, but an encounter triggered by dozens of German soldiers.
For the officers and soldiers of the 2nd Cavalry Division, encounters of this scale are commonplace.
Even without Hank's command, the officers and soldiers of the 2nd Cavalry Division had a clear division of labor. After the machine gunner set up the machine gun, he began to suppress fire. The rifleman knew how to outflank without organization. The precision shooters played the most important role. The machine gun had not been set up yet.
Half the German soldiers were knocked down by precision shooters one by one. Chen Xie jumped into the tank and started to warm up the tank. The battle was over before the tank even started moving.
The coffee is not yet cooked at this time.
A total of 35 German soldiers, 21 were killed on the spot, four were seriously injured, and the rest obediently raised their hands and surrendered.
Soldiers who could speak German went over to interrogate him on the spot, and soon the information came back.
"These soldiers are from the German 113th Division. They are the rearguard of Michael's plan. The 113th Division is organizing a defense line two kilometers away. They don't seem to expect that we are so fast-" Hank informed Chen Xie of the situation
.
Chen Xie sat on the stone just now, holding the hot coffee in his hand and thinking deeply.
"Don't think about it. Let's go faster. We can charge as far as we can today." Hank knew the importance of speed. After the German 113th Division dug the trenches, the 1st Armored Division and the 2nd Cavalry Division would have to go further.
It would take a lot of effort to break through the defense line of the German 113th Division.
"Can you still run?" Chen Xie was worried about the physical strength of the infantry. Machines are good for this. As long as there is oil and no malfunctions, the mechanical troops can keep moving forward.
"No problem, my 50-kilometer field training results are excellent." Hank is confident. Unlike the European troops who lack training, the Southern African army has always attached great importance to the training of the troops. The 50-kilometer field training is unheard of for European troops.
, it is a common occurrence for the southern African army.
"That's ok, get in the car - let's keep going -" Chen Xie drank all the coffee in the cup in one gulp, jumped on the tank and shouted to other tank crews to take action.
Although the mission on the first day was only 25 kilometers, no one said that the mission could not be exceeded.