When the German army began to prepare for fire, Roque was having breakfast. In Ypres now, Roque has the highest military rank. Frenzi has returned to Paris. Like Joffre, he often leaves the unit to inspect, but rarely visits the front-line units.
Although Locke has a high military rank, he does not have the right to command the British and French coalition forces. Smith Dolin and Haig will not obey Locke's command, and Foch will not obey Locke's order. The coalition army is now just a noun, and
There is no real unity.
It has been nearly a month, and the battle in Ypres is happening every day. Whether it is the British, French or German forces, they will make long-term fire preparations before launching an attack. Every morning in Ypres starts with the rumble of artillery. Roque
I'm already used to this.
At half past eight, Rock received a telegram from Wei Zheng, the commander of the 11th Division. The German army dispatched at least two divisions to launch a full-line attack on the 11th Division's positions.
The 11th Division is good at tunnel operations and has well-constructed trenches. Xiafei has equipped the 11th Division with an artillery brigade to coordinate operations. Although they are all 75mm field guns, they can be used for defense, so Roque is not worried about the 11th Division.
Can the teacher withstand it?
Rock was more worried about the Canadian and Indian regiments that had just been sent to the battlefield.
The Canadian Legion is better. The commander is Rock's old friend Marcos Lloyd. Marcos Lloyd's current military rank is general. This is already very fast in Canada, but not as fast as Rock.
.
The Canadian Army that had just arrived in France had only two divisions, while the Indian Army had eight divisions. However, the troops were only equipped with Lee Enfields, with a small proportion of automatic weapons. Like the Southern African Expeditionary Force, there were no artillery at all. It was difficult to hold back the German army.
s attack.
Unlike southern Africa, which has strict requirements, the Indian army is an "almost" army. Rock can hardly imagine that the eight divisions of the Indian army are not exactly the same in organization. The smallest one has only 12,000 people.
The largest number was eighteen thousand people.
Although the military establishment in Southern Africa is also different, that is because the military sources in Southern Africa are complex. Some come from Southern Africa, some come from Tanganyika, and some come from the Kingdom of Mozambique. Therefore, it is understandable that the establishment is different. The Indian army can
They were all established by the Indian colonial government, so the different establishments make it difficult for people to understand.
The different establishment is not the main problem. In addition to the establishment, the equipment of the Indian army is also similar. Although it seems that each man has one gun, the training of the soldiers is problematic, and it is only about passable. The quality of the officer team is also problematic.
The logistics supply of the army is also at the same level. When all the "almosts" are accumulated together, the army's combat effectiveness will have a serious problem.
Cooperating with the 11th Division is the Indian Second Division. If the principles of forming troops in southern Africa are followed, the higher the number, the stronger the combat effectiveness of the troops. Therefore, Wei Zheng is still looking forward to the Indian Second Division.
"Sorry, the Second Division has just arrived in Europe after an expedition. They still need more time to adapt." The commander of the Indian Second Division is Major General Elvis Jeffrey. He is a white British man and has a close relationship with Chinese officers.
Different from southern Africa, all officers of the Indian army are white British, from top to bottom.
"The Second Division arrived in Calais on the 11th, rested in Calais for a week, and then took three days to arrive in Ypres. Do you still need more time to adapt?" Wei Zheng really couldn't accept it, it sounded like Calais
The distance to Ypres seems to be hundreds of kilometers so it takes three days to get there, but in fact the distance between Calais and Ypres is only 70 kilometers.
70 kilometers, if it is an army in southern Africa, the emergency march can be completed in one day.
"Three days are already very fast. Wei, don't put too much hope in the Indian army. To be honest, they can dig trenches and move things. I don't recommend sending them to the battlefield. They can't fight the German army at all."
Elvis knew his troops very well. Don't think that the southern African army performed well on the battlefield. All colonial servant armies should perform well. The Indian army is the level that colonial servant armies should be.
"Then why are we moving troops from India? They will only consume our supplies and increase our logistical pressure." Wei Zheng was shocked. The jewel in his crown was at this level——
It’s simply indescribable!
"At least it can increase our advantage on paper." Elvis' British humor said, no matter how much effect the eight divisions can have, at least on paper, the number of the British Expeditionary Force has increased by 100,000 people.
Wei Zheng really couldn't understand this kind of thinking. Since the Indian army was unreliable, he still had to rely on himself.
The key is that in this way, the Indian army can also share the glory of victory after the battle. This is disgusting and will encourage the dangerous idea of getting something for nothing. Wei Zheng now finally understands why Roque hates Indians. It is indeed strange.
When Wei Zheng and Elvis complained about the Indian army, Robin and Clara hiding in the trenches also complained about the Indian army.
The 11th Division's tunnel operations are excellent. The two-meter-wide trench is also two meters deep. The trench is also covered with a layer of logs. Sandbags are also laid on top of the logs to enhance protection. Every two meters in the trench, one can be provided.
There are foxholes where soldiers fight, a machine gun position fifty meters away, and a more tightly protected bunker one hundred meters away. The facilities in the bunker are complete. There is an operating room in the health center for simple surgeries, and there is even a flush toilet in the bathroom.
When the enemy launched a fire attack, in addition to the necessary observers, the entire company had to hide in the trenches and wait for the German troops to charge before entering combat positions.
The trench was a bit crowded now, and there seemed to be something wrong with the ventilation system. There was an indescribable smell in the air, and Robin felt like he was in a cesspool.
"What the hell does this smell like? Did someone go to the toilet and didn't flush it?" After Robin finished speaking, he realized something was wrong. There wouldn't be such a strong smell even if he went to the toilet and didn't flush it.
“Those Indians—” Clara gestured to the Indians next to her, then silently took out a gas mask.
The German army has not yet used poison gas on the battlefield, but the troops in southern Africa have been equipped with gas masks, but the British and French troops have not.
When Haig was purchasing gas masks in southern Africa, Rock had recommended gas masks to Haig, but Haig did not purchase them because he believed that the troops did not need them at all.
It seems that by next year, the British Expeditionary Force will pay the price for the mistakes Haig made.
"Fuck--" Robin moved closer to the Indian soldiers on the opposite side of the trench, and the smell was indeed stronger.
"Captain Black, can you drive your people out? This smell is too bad -" Robin protested to Captain Black of the Second Indian Division. Black did not have a gas mask and covered his nose with a handkerchief.
"Where can we let them go?" Blake was also helpless. In this situation, driving them out of the trenches would be equivalent to letting them die.
Let the Indian soldiers work. Although the Indian soldiers are hardworking, they can still do it. If they are allowed to die——
I'm afraid the Indian soldiers are going to rebel.
"Let them lie down behind the trenches, otherwise we will all be smoked to death without waiting for the Germans to attack. Can't you let them take a bath?" Robin couldn't bear it. The Germans hadn't even used poison gas yet.
, the smell on Indians is comparable to poisonous gas.
White people actually have a strong smell, but Africans have a bigger smell. This has nothing to do with whether they like to take baths or not. They are born with a more developed sweat gland system. If they don't pay attention to hygiene -
In the southern African army, whether they are whites or Chinese Africans, they must take a shower every day, and some even have to take a shower several times a day.
This is in southern Africa. The conditions in Ypres are insufficient and there is no condition to bathe every day. However, the good hygiene habits developed over a long time still play an role. Even if they do not bathe for a day or two, the smell of the white soldiers in the 11th Division is still there.
It's considered acceptable.
The second division is hard to describe. They smell as if they haven't had a bath since they were born, and they have to never wipe their buttocks when going to the toilet to reach this level.
"Ever since I became the fucking company commander, I have forced them to take a shower every day, but it's useless. You can't imagine that these people used cow dung to bathe in their hometown -" Black complained crazily. In fact, it was more than that.
They bathe in cow dung, and these people also drink cow urine.
Of course, according to Indian standards, it is normal to bathe in cow dung and drink cow urine. This is their way of preventing and treating diseases. After all, cows are sacred cows in India. Since they are "gods", even if they are the excrement of gods,
It is also sacred.
"Damn it, how can you bear it-" Robin simply collapsed. He would rather face a thousand German soldiers than a hundred Indians.
"I can't stand it, but what can I do?" Black is not stupid, but he is also helpless against the Indians.
"No, let me see if the German army launches an attack -" Clara put on the mask to no avail. She felt that the cow dung had seeped into her body through her pores, so she would rather brave the German artillery fire to observe the German army's movements than hide.
Smell in the trenches -
What a blast!
Many soldiers have already taken risks and entered combat positions. In fact, as long as they don't raise their heads in combat positions, there is not much danger. Of course, this is because the German army did not use large-caliber artillery such as the "Big Bell Tower" and "Slim Emma".
Under the premise, if a large-caliber artillery shell falls near a foxhole, it will be useless even if you lie down, you will still be shocked to death.
Up to now, most of the casualties of the 2nd Cavalry Division and the 11th Cavalry Division were caused by German large-caliber artillery.
When they were on the Marne River, the German army had difficulty in moving large-caliber artillery, so they did not have large-caliber artillery to assist in the battle. However, Ypres was in Belgium. The German army had already entered the war after blowing up the large-caliber artillery of the Liege Fortress. The British and French allied forces were in a very difficult situation.