Chapter 374 I Want Attack
In the afternoon, Cambrai train station was in turmoil. The sound of artillery fire in the distance was getting louder and louder. The wounded and troops evacuated from the battlefield were waiting anxiously on both sides of the tracks.
Several trains slowly entered in steam one after another.
Some of them carried fully armed soldiers, some carried equipment and ammunition, and there were two columns towing equipment covered with canvas. Anyone with a discerning eye could recognize that they were "Saint-Samond" tanks.
Before the train came to a complete stop, Major General Christian jumped off the train impatiently. He looked around and turned to the guards following behind him and ordered: "Find a few people who have seen German tanks and bring them to me, now."
"Yes, General." The guards responded and searched separately under the command of the second lieutenant.
Christine lit a cigarette casually, frowning.
His mission was to stop the German tank troops in the Cambrai area. However, he knew nothing about the enemy's new tanks and new fighter planes.
Christine looked up at the sky, but there was nothing there.
It is said that the air forces of both sides are cautious enough. They know that the other side has new fighter jets and are wary of each other. Neither side is willing to expose the new fighter jets to the enemy first.
Only under Charles' command would such a situation occur, Christine thought. The sky was a battle between masters, a psychological contest to see who would lose patience in the end.
However, how should he play when he is responsible for the ground?
Christine turned her eyes to the "Saint-Chamond" and "Saint-Chamond M21" tanks being unloaded from the train behind her.
Rely on them?
Kristen shook his head slightly. He had no confidence at all.
The heavy "Saint-Chamond" has been proven to be unsuitable for use on the battlefield, and the "Saint-Chamond M21" is a light tank that has not been tested in actual combat.
Most importantly, it does not have a rotating turret.
Christian had seen the "Char A1" and thought all tanks should be like it.
Now, Christine can only hope that the Germans' new tanks don't have rotating turrets either!
However, the facts disappointed Christine.
Soon, several wounded soldiers with bandages and blood on different parts of their bodies were brought to Christine.
The guard reported: "General, they have all seen the enemy tanks."
Christine said "hmm" expressionlessly, staring at the bearded wounded man with his left arm hanging in front of him, and asked concisely: "What does it look like? Describe it!"
"What does it look like?" The bearded wounded man was a little confused: "Tracks, cannons, and machine guns..."
He had no idea what the point of a tank was and could only describe it this way.
Christine interrupted the bearded wounded man: "Turret, does it have a turret?"
"Of course there is." The bearded wounded man nodded affirmatively: "Not only a turret, but also three turrets."
"Three?" Christine was shocked.
The other wounded nodded:
"Yes, there are three of them."
"It should be one turret and two machine gun turrets."
"The machine gun turrets are one in front and one behind, and are slightly shorter than the gun turrets."
…
(The above picture shows the three-view of the "Upper Silesian" tank. You can clearly see the position of the turret and two machine gun turrets. It is worth mentioning that its drive wheel is not in the front or the back, but in the middle)
"Can it rotate?" Christine asked nervously, "Can their turrets rotate?"
All turrets can rotate, but Christian wanted to confirm it. He was eager to get a negative answer.
However.
The bearded wounded man nodded affirmatively, and the other wounded men added one after another:
"I saw it spun around, with a cannon."
"They attacked from behind our trenches. We were caught in a pincer attack."
"Yes, their infantry is in front of us, but their tanks are behind us, and we don't know what to do!"
…
Christine's face became increasingly heavy, and the only bit of hope in her eyes disappeared.
After a moment of silence, Christine asked weakly, "Their speed, armor thickness, or anything else you know?"
The wounded soldiers shook their heads in confusion:
"I'm sorry, General, we didn't capture any enemy tanks, so we don't know this."
"The speed should be up to 10 kilometers per hour. I saw them charging."
"Perhaps you should capture a few prisoners from the Germans, so you can learn more."
…
Christine waved her hand dejectedly, indicating that they could leave.
But before the wounded soldiers had taken a few steps, Christine suddenly had an idea and quickly caught up with them and asked, "You just said that they were attacking you from behind the trenches?"
"Yes."
"Follow the trenches and machine-gun them."
Christine quickly took out a notebook and a pen from her pocket and handed it over: "Can you draw their attack trajectory?"
The wounded soldiers looked at each other, but no one responded:
"It's very clear, General. No need to draw it."
"Yes, they move in the direction of the trenches."
"Their goal is to kill us hiding in the trenches, so they must move along the edge of the trenches."
…
Christine thought about it and felt that it was right, so she nodded and let them go.
After thinking for a while, hope rekindled in Christine's eyes. He turned around and ordered the signalman: "Set up the radio station, now!"
Christine contacted the headquarters via radio.
"I have an idea, General," Christine reported to Joffre, "I understand that after the enemy tanks break through our defense line, they will attack along the side of the trench, and at this time they will expose their side armor to us. If we hide our tanks behind the defense line, the enemy tanks will stand in front of us like targets!"
This can avoid the defect of the Saint-Chamond tank that it has no turret. When shooting at the target in front, it is not so important whether it has a turret or not.
However, he soon received a call back from Joffre.
"No, Kristen, I want offense."
"The enemy doesn't know we have new tanks, they will be caught off guard, which can enable us to achieve victory in a short period of time."
"If we shoot at them from our cover, we'll just push the enemy back, and they'll figure out what's going on pretty quickly!"
…
Joffre was a staunch supporter of the "offensive theory" and wanted a "remarkable" victory, which of course would not be limited to defense.
"But our tanks have major flaws, General." Christine was still unwilling to give in: "Defense is more advantageous to us..."
This time, Xiafei didn't want to explain anything to him. He simply replied: "Follow the order!"
Christine was speechless holding the telegram in her hand, then she gave up her idea with a long sigh.
Christian didn't dare disobey the order, otherwise he would be brought to a military court.
He also had to command his subordinates to charge forward bravely, no matter how many casualties or how much the cost.
Otherwise, what awaits them may be a "kill order"!
(End of this chapter)
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