Chapter 603 This is War

The headquarters of the British First Army in the center of Antwerp.

Lieutenant General Avis paced back and forth anxiously in the command center. In the distance, the sound of artillery fire became more and more intense, and from time to time, German fighter planes whizzed past overhead.

They have complete control over the skies over Antwerp, flying low and looking for targets they deem valuable.

The one who was most unwilling to accept defeat in this battle and least willing to ask Charles for help was Lieutenant General Avis.

Since being transferred to the Antwerp defense line, Lieutenant General Avis and his troops have always lived in the shadow of Charles.

Although Lieutenant General Avis was nominally the commander of Antwerp, he never had full control of its defense.

Not to mention the French army, even the Belgian army and militia only listened to Charles.

When Charles dispatched troops to attack Namur, Lieutenant General Avis knew nothing about it until Charles occupied Namur. He only obtained the intelligence after Charles occupied Namur.

"We are the best." Lieutenant General Ives boasted to his subordinates more than once: "Charles' troops are nothing compared to us. We need a battle. When that day comes, people will know our strength!"

Lieutenant General Ives was convinced of this.

The reason is simple. Britain is the world's number one power, and the First Expeditionary Army under his command is Britain's most elite force. They are experienced, well-equipped and well-trained. No one can compare to them, not even Charles' troops.

On this day, the battle broke out suddenly.

Although the first battle was unfavorable, it was only because we were caught off guard without preparation.

It must be like this!

After a long while, Lieutenant General Avis finally stopped and asked his staff officer, "What's the situation in the underground warehouse?"

"Report to the General." The staff officer replied, "German fighter planes provided cover for the Storm Commando in batches. Major General Eden led the troops to charge several times but they were all repelled by them."

Lieutenant General Ives frowned and said, "Tell Major General Eden that we need the supplies in the warehouse to launch a counterattack. Tell him to hurry up!"

"Yes, General."

After a while, the staff officer came running back and reported excitedly: "General, Major General Eden successfully recaptured the underground warehouse, and the German fighter planes also gave up the blockade of the warehouse. We can get supplies from the underground warehouse."

"Very good!" Lieutenant General Elvis breathed a sigh of relief. This was a good start.

"Send someone to retrieve supplies immediately." Lieutenant General Ives ordered.

"Yes, General!"

What Lieutenant General Avis didn't know was that the reason Major General Eden achieved this "success" was because he said "launched a counterattack."

Why stop the British troops when they are eager to die?

What's more, the British army's ammunition is not compatible with the Belgian and French armies, so there is no point in keeping it.

…

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the British First Army entered the fortress defense line and prepared for battle.

After some reorganization, the British army looked much more energetic. They wore helmets and held rifles in their hands, standing in neat formations in the trenches waiting for orders.

Lieutenant General Avis communicated with Major General Eden and formulated a counterattack plan.

"I need your artillery to provide us with cover." Lieutenant General Ives pointed to the map and said, "Including the 'Saint Shamon' tank."

"But Saint-Samond can't hit anything," Major-General Eden replied.

Although the "Saint-Samond" tank is equipped with a 75mm gun with a range of 8 kilometers, it is hidden inside the vehicle body with limited vision. After a few shots, the vehicle body will be filled with toxic smoke, so its actual combat accuracy is not high.

It is more suitable for defense, or following the attack of troops to suppress the enemy's deep artillery.

"I don't need them to hit anything," Vice Admiral Ives replied. "I just need them to create some smoke on the battlefield."

"Okay, General." Major General Eden nodded helplessly: "As you wish."

Major General Eden looked at the attack diagram drawn by Lieutenant General Ives on the map and shook his head secretly.

This was a traditional offensive tactic, with infantry breaking through from the front and cavalry moving in from both wings. Lieutenant General Ives hoped to break through the German defense line and cut it off while the German army was still unstable.

This is simply seeking death.

How could the Germans not be on guard against cavalry?

However, Major General Eden knew that nothing he said would help, and he didn't want to say anything.

Let the battlefield teach these arrogant British people a lesson!

…

With a shrill whistle, British soldiers climbed out of the trenches, holding their bayonets and shouting as they charged towards the German defense line.

Shells flew back and forth, exploding continuously among the crowd.

Groups of British soldiers were thrown into the air, tumbled several times and fell down. Some fell to the ground dead, some were covered in blood and twitching, and some had their limbs broken and were shouting at the top of their lungs.

But no one came to their aid. Soldiers passed by them in rows, rifles tightly in their hands and their eyes fixed on the German line opposite.

They knew that only by rushing into the enemy's trenches as quickly as possible would they avoid waiting helplessly for death like their comrades lying on the ground.

The cavalry on both wings launched a charge at the same time. They advanced faster and faster, and soon they were running at full speed, leaving deep hoof prints on the ground and stirring up clumps of mud and snow.

The knight on horseback crouched low, holding the reins tightly in one hand and wielding his saber in the other, with the tip of the sword flashing with a cold light pointing straight ahead, as if he couldn't wait to break through the oncoming strong wind and pierce the enemy's chest.

However……

The German machine guns fired and bullets poured towards the British army like a tide.

The infantry fell in large numbers like cut wheat, leaving patches of blood all around them.

The cavalry were knocked to the ground. The horse, which was charging at high speed, was hit by a bullet and suddenly plunged headfirst into the snow. The knight on the horse was thrown out and fell to the ground. He rolled several times before stopping when he landed. Blood gushed out of his ears, mouth, nose and eyes, and he was gasping for breath.

Suddenly, the whistling sound of an airplane was heard in the sky. Fighter jets dived at high speed in the shadow of the sun. Two rows of bullets mercilessly hit the charging cavalry, raising a streak of bright red.

War horses neighed in the cold wind, and a crazy massacre was taking place in the no-man's land.

But this is just the beginning.

With a rumbling sound of engines, the German army launched a counterattack against the British army under the cover of dozens of tanks.

The tanks were also divided into two wings, and they rushed towards the oncoming cavalry at the fastest speed.

Like a tiger among a flock of sheep, it swept away everything in its path like a whirlwind. The cavalrymen who were unable to dodge were knocked down and crushed under the tracks one after another, and both the men and their horses were turned into a pile of meat paste.

The British cavalry in the front stopped their charge but the ones behind kept pressing forward, and for a moment, men and horses were thrown to the ground, a horrific sight.

Even Major General Eden couldn't stand this scene. He grabbed the phone and shouted to Lieutenant General Ives: "You should stop, immediately, this doesn't make any sense!"

But Lieutenant General Ives refused without hesitation. His tone was cold, with confidence and pride: "No, Major General, this is war!"

(End of this chapter)