In order to ensure the suddenness of the start of the battle, the tank troops have been kept secret after entering France. When they landed in Dieppe, the British troops blocked the entire port. Unrelated people were not allowed to approach. The tanks were covered with canvas when they drove onto the train.
, disguised as trucks, on August 2nd, half of the tanks were located in Dunkirk, their attack direction was Bruges, and the other half were in Lens, their attack target was Brussels.
On August 1, the Expeditionary Force Air Force began bombing targets in Belgium, with military barracks, warehouses and railways being the focus. Roque had 250 bombers in his hands, and on one day at most, he dispatched 600 sorties to bomb Ghent.
Ghent is the transportation center of the German army in Belgium. The materials needed by the German army garrison in Belgium and the German troops in France must be transferred from Ghent.
Before launching the ground attack, Rock still had one problem to deal with. The reason why he opened a breakthrough from Belgium was not only to occupy the port city and destroy the base of the German submarine, but also because the Kingdom of Congo and the Republic of Congo. Belgium has not yet recognized the Kingdom of Congo.
and the independent status of the Republic of Congo, which is what Roque will strive for.
The relationship between the current King of Belgium, Albert I, and Roque is not good. Before the First Battle of Ypres, Foch's warning to Albert I is still valid. If all of Belgium falls, then Albert I will not be able to keep his throne.
, so the Belgian army is still persisting in fighting, although the total strength is only a pitiful 70,000 people.
When French and Haig served as commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, they were equally dismissive of Albert I. The status of the Belgian army in the Allied Powers was not even as good as that of the Indian Army.
Now that Roque was the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, all he needed to see Albert I was a telegram, and Albert I would come to Amin immediately.
"Lord Nyasaland, in order to thank you for your help to Belgium, I sincerely invite you to serve as Marshal of Belgium and lead the Belgian army to fight side by side with the British Expeditionary Force." Albert I was dressed in military uniform, and he did not call Roque "Commander-in-Chief."
Or "Marshal", but talking about the title, obviously reminding Roark.
As for the honor of marshal, it is really dispensable. Foch will be the marshal of the Three Kingdoms in the future, and Wellington will be awarded the marshal of the Seven Kingdoms. If Albert I thought that a marshal title could bribe Roque, then Albert I was wrong.
"Thank you for the invitation, your majesty. Our most important task now is to defeat the Germans." Roque said. More than 70,000 people have the nerve to set up the position of marshal. In the expeditionary force, any lieutenant general has more than 70,000 people.
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"Of course, the Germans are our common enemy, and we will unite as one and fight hard -" Albert I made an impassioned speech. With the few troops Belgium had, of course it had to unite around the British and French forces, or else it would wait to abdicate.
"Your Majesty -" Roque interrupted Albert I rudely. A king is different from a king. If this were George V, Roque would have to listen honestly. Forget it about Albert I. Roque
No time to talk nonsense with Albert I: "——What do you think of the Kingdom of Congo and the Republic of Congo?"
Roque got straight to the point. Everyone was very busy and had no time to waste on boring maneuvers. In order to force Albert I to persist in fighting, Foch could threaten Albert I with "abdication", and Roque was not much different.
This is the tragedy of a small country with few people. Those who think that a small country with few people can also live with dignity are either naive or bad.
Mostly bad!
Albert I probably didn't expect Roque to be so British. He was stunned for a while, and then said bitterly: "My lord, we are still discussing the Kingdom of Congo and the Republic of Congo——"
Roque said nothing and glanced at Albert I. Albert I immediately fell silent.
"Both the Kingdom of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo have sent troops to Europe to assist the coalition in fighting. Their independent status should be recognized. What else is there to discuss?" Roque's voice was not loud, and the content of his words put Albert I in a dilemma.
Obviously, Roque will definitely not give up if he does not recognize the independent status of the Kingdom of Congo and the Republic of Congo. Next, the expeditionary force will invade Belgium. Whether this is good or bad for Belgium depends entirely on Roque's thoughts.
It is no joke that thieves pass through like combs and soldiers pass through like grates. Look at the Asia Minor Peninsula after the expeditionary force withdrew. Not to mention the ruins everywhere, at least there are ten rooms and nine empty spaces. The sky is three feet high. This is a true portrayal.
Recognizing the independent status of the Kingdom of Congo and the Republic of Congo would be no less than a disaster for Belgium. If the Congo Free State is retained, Belgium can barely survive after the war. If it loses the Congo Free State, Belgium will instantly become a
A third-rate country in Europe, not even as good as the Vatican, a country within a country.
Oh, no, there was no Vatican at this time. The Vatican was not recognized until 1929.
Albert I wanted to cry loudly, but his status prevented him from doing such a thing.
Albert I wanted to curse again, but he did not dare.
Roque didn't say anything either. The world or hell is just a thought away. Don't even think about heaven. For Belgium, heaven is too far away and Britain, France and Germany are too close.
"Okay, Lord Nyasaland, when the war is over, the Kingdom of Belgium will recognize the independent status of the Republic of the Congo and the Kingdom of the Congo." Albert I cried bitterly. What should not belong to Belgium will not belong to Belgium after all.
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Rock was finally satisfied that while serving the British Empire, he could not ignore the interests of southern Africa.
Roque is basically satisfied with the current surrounding environment in southern Africa. After the independent status of the Kingdom of Congo and the Republic of Congo is confirmed, southern Africa can proceed to the next step, whether it is direct annexation or manipulation of vassals, it is the same as Belgium.
The overlord country has nothing to do with it.
From August 1st to August 5th, the Expeditionary Force Air Force's bombing of strategic targets in Belgium was in progress. On August 3rd, Kaiser Wilhelm II sent a telegram to King George V of England, claiming that the Expeditionary Force was carrying out bombing raids on strategic targets in Belgium.
A special bombing accidentally bombed a local orphanage in Ghent, killing 258 children.
George V sent a telegram to Roque to inquire about the authenticity of the incident.
Rock denied it flatly, believing that the expeditionary force air force would not bomb civilian targets. 258 children may have died in Ghent, but it was definitely not caused by the expeditionary force. This was William II deliberately pouring sewage on the expeditionary force.
King George V immediately made a statement in The Times, asking the German army to ensure the safety of civilians and not to build military facilities in residential areas. He condemned Germany's shameless behavior of dragging innocent civilians into the war.
William II also wrote an article in a newspaper, criticizing the expeditionary force for killing innocent people indiscriminately, claiming that the expeditionary force's bombing in Belgium turned Belgium into a hell on earth. In William II's description, the British expeditionary force became Roque.
The devil hired in hell, Rock is the legendary devil.
Rock didn't care about these childish behaviors. While George V and William II were quarreling, the expeditionary artillery unit began shelling the German positions.
In preparation for this attack, Roque mobilized nearly 2,100 artillery pieces, including 750 heavy artillery pieces with a caliber above 120 mm. The scale was unprecedented in the history of human warfare.
Before the ground forces launched their attack, the artillery conducted six hours of bombardment. Together with the bomber force and the Royal Navy fleet, they poured nearly 30,000 tons of artillery shells on the German positions. On the 60-kilometer front of the expeditionary force, an average of
Rice was repeatedly ravaged by 500 kilogram bombs.
Unlike the previous bombardment, the expeditionary force's bombardment was mainly concentrated on the barbed wire fences and mine arrays in front of the German positions. There was no concentrated bombardment on the German fortifications that had been reinforced.
After more than two years of fighting, the German army has accumulated a lot of experience in defense fortifications. For key defense fortifications, the German army carried out special reinforcements before the war. Unless they are directly hit by large-caliber artillery shells, the German troops inside the fortifications will hardly be harmed.
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Before the Germans, who were lucky enough to escape, had time to rejoice, the expeditionary force's ground attack began.
Unlike the previous expeditionary force troops who lined up in neat formations to die, the first thing that appeared in front of the Germans this time were armored steel monsters. These steel monsters were about two meters high, 2.5 meters wide, and 5.5 meters long.
meters, they marched forward puffing out black smoke. The infantrymen involved in the attack hid behind the tracks of the tanks with their heads uncovered. The German heavy machine guns hit the steel plates of the tanks and reflected sparks without even making a dent.
If there were only one or two tanks, it would still be impossible to change the shape of the battlefield, but this time the expeditionary force came out in full force, and all the tanks went into battle. Looking around, the entire battlefield was filled with steel monsters with teeth and claws.
These tanks can't just be passively beaten. If a German machine gun position is discovered, the tank will stop and bombard the machine gun position. The Germans have no direct-fire guns, no anti-tank rifles, and no anti-tank grenades or anti-tank mines. They can only watch blankly.
Watching the tanks of the Expeditionary Force rumble over and then rumble over the trenches, I was completely helpless.
This day's attack yielded great results. Unlike the tanks in another time and space that did not play much role, this time the tanks appeared on the battlefield in a stunning way. In just six hours, with the help of the tanks, the expeditionary force continued to
Overcoming the first and second lines of defense of the German army, and breaking through the third line of defense of the German army at one time in some areas, this was a miracle for the Western Front, which had been trapped in a tug-of-war for a long time.
At the end of the first day's battle, the 2nd Cavalry Division, which had made the fastest progress, advanced the front line thirty kilometers, from Saint-Omer to Abele, and pushed the front line into Belgium. If it advances at this speed,
The 2nd Cavalry Division has three more days to achieve its campaign objectives.
(It’s so hot, 36 degrees, the fish heads turn into dried fish——)