Chapter 381 This is just the beginning
General Winter called Charles and asked in confusion, "What's going on? How do you teach them how to fight?"
Charles realized that the British Intelligence Agency had infiltrated the French army, otherwise, the news that Charles helped the 1st Special Artillery Division win would not have reached General Winter so quickly.
"Yes." Charles gave a good reason: "They are French troops, General."
General Winter smiled and reminded, "This has nothing to do with me, Brigadier General, but you should know that this is not in your interest."
This really had nothing to do with Britain. What he wanted from the beginning to the end was a "remarkable" victory, whether it was won by Joffre or Charles.
General Winter just thinks that Charles is not mature enough. He still doesn't realize that this is a world that only cares about interests. Sympathy, kindness, ethics... these are all used to deceive the lower-level military and civilians.
"No," replied Charles, "it is in my interest as well."
This was Charles's test.
"What?" The voice in the microphone was full of confusion.
Ciel was sure that this was not an act, which meant that General Winter did not know that Christine was loyal to Ciel.
This couldn't get out, at least not now.
Then Charles changed the subject and explained with another reason: "Do you think this battle is over? No, General, this is just the beginning!"
…
This was indeed just the beginning, and Christine, who was organizing the defense on the Cambrai Line, knew it.
Last night's victory was achieved by "night battle" and "sneak attack" when the enemy was caught off guard. The situation of the 1st Special Artillery Division is still grim:
German artillery always had the upper hand.
The German army had more than fifty tanks escaped, and even without reinforcements, they could still deal a crushing blow to the 118 "Saint-Samond M21" tanks in the hands of the 1st Special Artillery Division.
Although 83 German tanks were captured last night, the French army was unable to utilize them to form combat effectiveness.
This tank requires a crew of five to operate, and they need time to familiarize themselves with the equipment and receive training to achieve a certain level of coordination.
What's more serious is that the new German tanks were equipped with 57MM rapid-fire guns. The French army could not find shells for them, and the captured shells were not many.
There were Maxim machine gun bullets, but no K bullets.
…
After analyzing all the problems, Christian felt that the only thing he could rely on was the Cambrai Line.
So, he lied to stabilize the Joffre hypothesis and prepare for the attack, but in fact he actively organized defense on the defense line: pulling barbed wire, reinforcing trenches, building tank bunkers, and deploying the "Saint-Samond M21" on the second line...
Everything was going on in full swing in the darkness. Christine knew that the Germans were also preparing for a counterattack, and the attack would most likely be timed at dawn.
Gaston seemed to sense the danger. He asked Christine nervously, "Can we stop the Germans?"
Christine looked at her watch and replied, "One day, Gaston, we only have to hold out for one day."
"What?" Gasdong was puzzled. What would happen if it could be blocked for one day?
Christine walked up and whispered something in Gaston's ear. Gaston turned his head and looked at Christine in shock as if he was pricked by a needle.
Christine smiled and nodded slightly.
Gaston was delighted after confirming it: "I'm glad to hear that, General. We should have done this a long time ago!"
One day is Ciel's time to defend Christine.
The 1st Tank Brigade was on its way to Cambrai, and it would take them a day to arrive, thanks to Gallieni's coordination.
It would have taken Charles's troops two days to assemble and go into battle, but now that Christine is Charles' subordinate, it is of course necessary for Charles to hurry up and rescue her from danger.
…
As the sky gradually brightened, the Cambrai Line was shrouded in thick fog. The hustle and bustle of the world and the cruelty of war seemed to be isolated from it, and all that could be seen was a soft white.
But all this is just an illusion.
Suddenly, the whistling sound of artillery shells crossed the sky, and several shells exploded on the Cambrai defense line.
One of the shells hit the trench directly, lifting the French soldiers hiding in it and debris high into the air.
The whistling sounds became more and more frequent, and soon became one and the same. The shells hit the defense line one after another, raising pieces of mud and dust.
The landing points went back and forth on the Cambrai Line, over and over again, like a mud rake used for farming, carefully combing every inch of the land.
Continuous shock waves caused the tunnels to collapse, and piles of French soldiers were buried in the soil and lost their lives.
The trenches were blown beyond recognition, with dirt and body parts mixed together and stained a shocking red by blood.
Even the tanks hidden in the bunkers were not spared. They were either blown to pieces by direct hits from the shells, or buried beneath the ground by the raised "earth waves" and disappeared without a trace.
The bombing lasted for more than an hour. When the artillery fire finally stopped, the Cambrai defense line was covered with layers of craters, and the world seemed to have become a different place.
Charles's principle of "no long artillery preparation before a tank attack" obviously does not apply to the German army.
Because the German army had an absolute advantage in long-range artillery, they could easily suppress the French army's 105MM howitzers.
Christine almost crawled out of the pile of earth. The trench near the headquarters was hit hard by a shell. The fallen sand blocked the entrance of the tunnel. The guards had to use engineering shovels to dig from the inside to the outside to escape.
Spitting out the mud in his mouth, Christine climbed to the edge of the trench and looked out through the telescope. German soldiers were pouring towards him like a dark cloud.
There were about sixty of its new tanks at the forefront.
Damn it, Christine cursed, this meant that the Germans had been replenished and they might have more than just these tanks.
The German infantry followed closely behind, with bayonets already fixed on their rifles, apparently ready for hand-to-hand combat.
There were also teams of artillerymen pushing 77MM artillery following the troops.
This was a tactic often used by the German army during the offensive. They used 105mm howitzers to suppress the French 75mm guns, and then used 77mm guns to fire at the French fortifications and machine gun positions at close range on the battlefield.
If it weren't for Charles' mortars, the French army would have suffered heavy casualties in this type of attack.
"Get ready!" Christine ordered loudly.
The signalman conveyed the order using flag signals, and the French soldiers crawled out from the piles of earth one by one and set up their rifles and machine guns in front of the trenches. They unscrewed the safety covers of grenades and placed them within reach. The mortar gunners found a piece of flat ground to use as a gun platform.
In the rear, the surviving "Saint-Samond M21" drove out of the bunker with the sound of the engine, pointing the muzzle of the gun and the cannon at the approaching enemy.
A great war has begun!
(End of this chapter)
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