Chapter 599 These are all done by the British

Antwerp, one kilometer west of the Bueno fortress, a battalion of German troops was attacking the British warehouse.

They fired their guns and shouted to each other in German:

"There is a British warehouse ahead, please be careful about the safety of the supplies."

"We need those supplies, they contain a lot of gasoline that we are desperately short of!"

"No firing, no grenades, aim at the target before shooting!"

…

Supplies are a great asset to any army, and Germany, which is under the blockade of the Allies, is no exception.

Therefore, the German army also adopted a conservative attack and would not shoot unless it was absolutely necessary. Even in close combat, they would use the butt of their guns to knock British soldiers unconscious.

The British army was stunned at the first moment.

The German army came so fast, as if they had suddenly appeared in front of them as if they had crawled out of the ground.

And there are so many troops, with an infantry battalion of five or six hundred people.

In contrast, the British army only had one infantry company and one engineering company. The infantry company was a guard company, while the engineering company was responsible for clearing snow on the road, maintaining the road, and transporting goods.

Moreover, these two companies had been beaten to pieces by German fighter planes and had long lost their combat effectiveness. How could they withstand the attack of the German army that was several times their number?

Most importantly, Major Colton, who was in charge of the warehouse's defense, was very confused by Lieutenant General Ives's order:

"Protect the safety of the supplies? Even if we surrender, we cannot blow up the supplies?"

"Does this mean using your body to block the supplies?"

"Perhaps we can't do it even if we block the supplies. There is a lot of ammunition and gasoline in the warehouse. A few random grenades can cause a chain explosion or an unextinguishable fire!"

Looking overhead at the fighter planes swooping down and strafing them, Major Colton felt he had only one choice.

"Retreat!" Major Colton shouted, "Everyone evacuate the warehouse!"

The British soldiers retreated in a hurry under the pursuit of fighter planes, leaving the warehouse full of supplies intact to the German army. Only a few "porters" in the warehouse did not have time to escape and became prisoners of the German army.

What these "porters" did not understand was that the German army seemed reluctant to take them in. They confiscated their guns and then shouted and drove them away.

What the British and Major Colton didn't know was that the German pilots flying in the sky were also surprised to see the German troops below:

"Our troops have penetrated behind the enemy lines so quickly?"

"And they occupied the warehouse. These guys are awesome, well done!"

"Protect them, brothers, and don't let anyone else get close!"

…

Lieutenant General Avis received a call from Major General Eden: "The warehouse has been occupied by the Germans. The Germans are obviously prepared. Their fighter planes are strafing everywhere around the warehouse. No one can get close."

Lieutenant General Ives looked ashen: "No matter how much it costs, Major General, we must take back the warehouse. You know how important those supplies are to us!"

Major General Eden replied: "I know, General, I will do my best!"

…

Dunkirk, British Expeditionary Force Headquarters.

Kitchener, who had just woken up, was enjoying breakfast in his lounge. He planned to go to the Somme River today.

That was the most important battlefield for the expeditionary force. The expeditionary force had to make a breakthrough. Only in this way could it establish its prestige and deter the colonial army.

However, Haig's conservatism and stubbornness became the biggest obstacle. He always refused to use tank cluster attacks and insisted on the charge mode of infantry and cavalry.

"I need to take charge there myself." Kitchener shook his head slightly, cut a piece of steak and put it into his mouth.

At this time, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside the door, and then the door was pushed open. The staff officer reported: "Your Excellency Marshal, the Germans have launched an attack."

"Attack?" Kitchener's eyes lit up. "The Somme?"

This was a good thing. Kitchener was worried about not being able to break through the German defenses of machine guns and trenches, but he didn't expect them to counterattack.

"No, Marshal," the staff officer replied, in a panicked tone: "It's Antwerp!"

"Antwerp?" Kitchener frowned. This was beyond his expectations.

But he didn't care. The German troops had been tied up in Verdun and the Somme River, and they did not have many troops to attack Antwerp.

However, the British army had deployed heavy troops on the Antwerp defense line.

However, the next second the staff officer added: "Our army was caught off guard and has been completely defeated!"

Kitchener's knife and fork fell onto the porcelain plate with a clang. He looked up at the staff officer and asked, "You, what did you say?"

"Our army has been completely defeated," the staff officer repeated. "The German vanguard has reached the fortress defense line and even penetrated into Antwerp and captured the supply warehouse."

"What? They captured the supply warehouse?"

"In addition," the staff officer added another piece of intelligence: "Our sea transport lines were attacked by German submarines, and we lost 37 transport ships and destroyers. More than ten were captured by the Germans. The situation is unclear."

Kitchener stood up with a bang, hesitated for a moment, turned around and walked to the map hanging on the wall and found the Antwerp defense line.

It's over. Kitchener understood the Germans' intention. They planned to open a breakthrough by blocking supplies.

And it was at this breakthrough point that the British army faced the elite German troops!

…

At the Paris City Hall, Briand was stopped by Clemenceau as soon as he walked into the door.

"It's an emergency, Prime Minister." Clemenceau looked panicked. "The Germans are attacking Antwerp. The situation is very bad. The British are retreating."

"What?" Briand was surprised. "The Germans shouldn't have many troops to attack Antwerp."

“Not many,” Clemenceau replied. “Only two armies, a few hundred thousand men, but the British…”

Clemenceau shrugged his shoulders and raised his sickle-like beard, as if to say that we could not have any hope in them in terms of war.

"We are holding an urgent meeting to discuss this matter." Clemenceau made a gesture of invitation in the direction of the House of Representatives.

On the way, Briand couldn't help asking, "How bad is it?"

"It's terrible." Clemenceau sighed: "The Germans blocked the shipping routes with submarines and occupied the supply warehouses in Antwerp."

Briand suddenly stopped and looked at Clemenceau in shock: "You mean, all the supplies are in the hands of the Germans?"

Clemenceau turned around and nodded: "I'm afraid so, Prime Minister."

The color instantly drained from Briand's face.

Not long ago, he joined forces with the British to blockade the Shire's supplies, rendering it incapable of fighting.

Now, the Germans occupied the Antwerp warehouses and controlled all supplies.

Is this too much?

The original intention was to control and weaken Charles, but it turned into the collapse of the entire defense line!

Clemenceau returned to Briand, glanced at both sides, and said in a low voice: "We know nothing, Prime Minister, these are all done by the British!"

(End of this chapter)