When Kitchener found Forenzi, Joffre was at the headquarters of the Fifth Army Commander-in-Chief Lanrezac.
The Fifth Army has been retreating since Mons. It has now withdrawn across the Marne River and is continuing to retreat.
Xiafei asked the Fifth Army to stop retreating and immediately launch a counterattack against the German First Army.
"Our troops do not have the ability to launch an immediate counterattack. The troops have traveled a long distance and need to rest and recuperate. Many soldiers lost their rifles during the retreat. The artillery has no shells and the draft horses are exhausted. To launch an attack on the German army, at least 100,000 recruits are needed.
"Additionally, the strength gap between us and the German army is too big." Langlezac couldn't do it. He and Jia Fei were old friends, so he dared to question Jia Fei's decision.
"Reinforcements are constantly arriving. Yesterday, 32 trains arrived in Paris. In addition to supplementing the strength of the Sixth Army, a newly formed Eighth Army was formed. However, it will take time to form combat effectiveness. Your troops are to fight for more strength for the newly formed troops.
More time." Xiafei also racked his brains to organize the defense line. France was still very strong during this period.
"It is a wrong decision to waste well-trained soldiers on the battlefield to buy time for the fledgling novices!" Longlezak insisted. Everyone knows which recruits cannot adapt to the battlefield environment in just a few months.
First, we have to survive for a few months.
"Don't complain to me. The Germans are also tired. If you refuse to carry out my order, I will shoot you!" Joffre blurted out. He was also facing a huge crisis now. If Paris fell, Joffre would almost certainly be dismissed from his post.
Langlezac stopped talking and looked at Xiafei with an unbelievable look.
Reminiscent of the previous dismissal of General Gallieni, Lanrezac could only carry out Joffre's orders.
Since the outbreak of the world war, Joffre has replaced two of the five army commanders and appointed seven new army commanders, twenty new division commanders, two new cavalry division commanders, and Ferdinand, who performed well in Nancy,
Foch was appointed commander of the newly formed Ninth Army, and Henri-Philippe Pétain, under Lanczac, was promoted to division commander. Both men were late bloomers. When the world war broke out, Foch was already 62 years old.
, Pétain is also 57 years old.
Regardless, Lanrezac's troops began to counterattack, but first they had to withstand the German attack.
When there were many internal conflicts in the French army, there were also problems in the German army's command system.
After the outbreak of the World War, the German army's headquarters moved from Berlin to Coblenz, and then to Luxembourg. Although it was closer to France, Moltke was still too far from the front line, and he did not know what was happening on the front line.
Kaiser Wilhelm II was also in Luxembourg, and Moltke did not dare to leave the Kaiser, for fear that the Kaiser would issue some bad orders that would affect the war situation.
In order to put maximum pressure on the French army, Moltke ordered Crook's First Army and the Second Army led by Bulow to advance together, protect each other's flanks, and attack Paris in a roundabout way.
Crook did not carry out Moltke's order. He stubbornly believed that he should first concentrate his forces to annihilate Lanrezac's Fifth Army, and then turn around to defend Paris.
In fact, on September 4th, this opportunity had already appeared. After receiving Joffre's order, Langlezac had to stop retreating and organize a defense line on the spot. At this time, if Bulow's second army attacked Crook's first
If the army group moves closer, it can surround the French Fifth Army.
Considering the communication and transportation conditions at this time, once the troops are surrounded, even if a group army is surrounded, the death sentence of the troops can almost be declared.
Unfortunately, Maoqi was as stubborn as Xiafei and did not accept Crook's suggestion.
Bülow did not cooperate with the First Army's attack as Crook had imagined. Instead, he followed Moltke's orders and continued to detour toward Paris.
As a result, the First Army Group became farther and farther away from the Second Army Group, and the gap between the two Army Groups became wider and wider.
On September 5th, Crook's troops launched an attack on Lanlezac's troops.
The Fifth Group Army had almost no time to build fortifications, and it was about to face the overwhelming attack of the German troops. The battle quickly evolved into a criss-crossing melee. On the 20-kilometer-long front, every forest, every town, and every piece of grassland were attacked.
The army is fighting.
Both armies were extremely exhausted, but they still showed extraordinary courage and will. On the whole, the French army was still on the defensive at this time, but in Guise, the commander of the First Army, Louis Desprey, showed
Outstanding, he led his troops to launch a counterattack at night, broke through the German defense line, and successfully led the Fifth Army's counterattack.
The German army also had its own heroes. The Prussian 1st Infantry Guard Regiment, which was defeated in the battle, organized a counterattack under the leadership of Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia. Eitel was the second son of William II.
At this time, he showed great courage and led the Prussian 1st Infantry Guard Regiment to stabilize the defense line and launch a counterattack against the French army, ensuring that the First Army's front line was not penetrated.
When the Battle of the Marne began, the British Expeditionary Force had not yet entered the war.
On the 6th, the 105th Division received orders to return to the front line and establish defensive positions in the open area north of Paris, which was the gap between the German First Army and the Second Army.
"I have a very bad feeling. If the Second Army moves closer to the First Army, what will happen?" Ford Lu had a delicious meal before setting off, and he didn't know when the next meal would be.
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"What else could happen? We will be squeezed into pieces by two armies." Hausmann's kettle was filled with wine. Many officers and soldiers were like this. They needed alcohol to numb their thinking, otherwise they would not have the courage to turn around and face the enemy.
The enemy charges.
"Fortunately, we finally have artillery -" Ford Lu was riding a horse. He missed his Tiger off-road vehicle very much now.
In order to return the 105th Division to the battlefield, Xiafei equipped the 105th Division with an artillery unit equipped with Miss 75s. Although there were only 24 Miss 75s, it was better than nothing.
"It's a pity that we don't have enough artillery shells -" Hausmann regretted that France can now produce 10,000 artillery shells every day, but the number needed for the front line is 50,000.
In order to solve the problem of artillery shells, France worked hard to organize production and increased its purchase from southern Africa. Colonel House finally got some of the orders he had longed for. Although it was only artillery shells, it was better than nothing.
"Kit, tell Linde to control the advancing speed of the troops and don't rush into the German encirclement." Ford Lu asked his adjutant to remind the forward troops to pay attention to the speed. The 105th Division set out overnight, and almost no troops were present during this period.
His ability to fight in the dark earned him the nickname "Frankie the Desperate" for his night attacks.
Soon, the nickname would spread throughout the Allied countries.
"Don't worry, Linde is not that stupid." Hausman still trusts Linde. The Chinese have always achieved excellent results.
However, during the World War, there were too many unexpected events. After all, the 105th Division was a guest army and was not familiar with the terrain of France. Ford Lew's concern was still necessary. Kit sent the order.
At that time, Lin De was looking at a map with a flashlight with several officers.
"We should keep walking along the main road and set up a defense line at the fifth bridge to stop the German army from advancing." Linde's chief of staff, Rich, is also Chinese. He graduated from the Nyasaland Army Academy the year before last and is an outstanding soldier.
Staff officers.
"How many bridges have we crossed? Two or three?" Linde's head is as big as a bucket. There are many rivers in France, and the water network around Paris is densely covered with many bridges. No one can mistake the bridges on the big rivers, but some
As for the trestle bridge on the river, Linde really didn't know whether it was considered a bridge or not.
"Three!" Franklin, the commander of the first battalion, said firmly. Even though his name looked like a foreigner, he was also Chinese.
"Two is correct. The creek we passed just now is not a river at all." Quartermaster Charles corrected, he was a white British man.
"I think it's also two seats, but now that you put it this way, I'm not sure yet." Captain Frank, who was wearing a French army uniform, was the guide assigned by the French army headquarters. He was a standard Frenchman, so he didn't expect it and couldn't figure it out.
"Aren't you French? How can you be so sure?" Linde went crazy. This was a big mistake.
"I am indeed French, but I have been serving in Morocco and was transferred back to join the war after the war broke out." Frank's reason is very good. It is impossible for a native Parisian to know every place around Paris, let alone a colonial officer like him.
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"Three--" Richie chose to support Franklin. It doesn't matter if one bridge is missing, but it may be serious if there is one more bridge.
On a front that advances hand in hand, the salient is the most dangerous and will be besieged by the enemy's superior force. The British Expeditionary Force has a unified mind. It must attack the enemy as much as possible on the premise of preserving itself. The focus is on preserving itself.
"Then keep moving forward, keep the formation, keep the speed, and arrive at the scheduled position before dawn, not too early or too late -" Linde made a decision and waved his hand to order the troops to continue moving forward.
Countless soldiers hidden in the darkness got up and continued to move forward. Most of these soldiers were Africans. They were indeed very suitable for operating in the dark. If the iron-gray uniforms on their bodies were not more conspicuous, they would have been in front of the German army's nose.
, it is estimated that the Germans will not discover them.
Before dawn, Linde's troops had not found the next bridge, but instead caught up with a baggage unit. What left Linde speechless was that this baggage unit was the baggage unit of the 105th Division.
According to common sense, when the army is marching, the baggage troops should be located at the rear of the army.
So this shows that the 105th Division, which set out overnight, ran all night and actually walked in circles——