Chapter 382 Storm Assault Battalion
The battle became intense as soon as it started.
Under the cover of fire from tanks and field artillery, German soldiers launched a frantic charge on the French defense line, and machine gunners also advanced forward in layers trying to get close and shoot.
But the French army was determined to fight to the death and fought very tenaciously.
Before the battle, Christian called a short meeting with his men, during which he asked, "Did you see the enemy tanks we captured? Which tank do you think is better than ours?"
The subordinates laughed and answered one after another:
"Of course it's the German tanks, General."
"Compared to their tanks, ours are just toys."
"I don't think ours can be called a tank. Schneider is more suitable for producing artillery."
…
"I totally agree," Christine replied, then asked, "But that's not what I'm talking about. Have you ever thought about what this means for us?"
The subordinates looked at each other, not understanding what Christine meant.
"Imagine this." Christine waved her hand towards the defense line. "What would happen if our defense line was breached by the enemy and they had this kind of tank?"
The subordinates were silent for a while, and soon understood:
"We can't retreat, General. The German tanks will follow us all the way."
"Yes, just like the troops defeated by the Germans before, they couldn't outrun the German tanks and were either captured or killed. Less than one in ten managed to escape back."
"Although we have tanks, they are vulnerable. We are not much better than those infantrymen!"
…
Christine nodded. "So there is no escape for us, gentlemen. Either hold the line or die, understand?"
"Yes, General."
"clear!"
…
Christine cleverly transformed her own weakness into courage for the soldiers.
Knowing that they had no way to retreat, the French soldiers fought more bravely.
When a rifleman fell in front of the trench, someone immediately dragged the body down and replaced it with his own.
The machine gunner fell in his position, and soon someone rushed forward, picked up his gun and continued to shoot at the enemy.
Even Christian joined in the battle, using his hoarse voice to encourage the soldiers to continue fighting while pulling the trigger of his rifle and firing bullet after bullet at the enemy.
The German tactics remained the same as before, with tanks breaking through trenches and defense lines and then turning back to assist the infantry in capturing trench fortifications.
However, Christine's defense is precisely against this tactic.
He deployed the "Saint-Samond M21" on the second line of defense and cleverly designed the tank bunker into two layers:
The first layer is deeper, and it allows the tank to be completely below the horizon to avoid heavy losses under the coverage of enemy artillery fire.
The second layer is shallower, and when the tank drives along the slope to this layer, only the machine guns or 37 guns are exposed.
In this way, the German army could only see a small part of the French tanks above the firepower, and the larger chassis was all hidden in the bunkers.
Therefore, even though the German army had an absolute advantage in firepower and several "Upper Silesia" tanks successfully broke through the French defense line, they were still destroyed one after another by the French army.
The battle lasted for more than an hour, with both sides suffering casualties and the situation being in a stalemate.
However, the reinforced German troops still had the advantage in manpower and firepower, and the balance of victory gradually tilted towards the German side.
Finally, the German army rushed into the French trenches and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with them. The situation was extremely critical.
At this time, a rumbling sound of engines was heard in the air. Those were French planes, Caproni bombers, a black mass of at least fifty of them.
The enemy and our own infantry engaged in a fierce battle on the ground ignored the situation in the air and continued to fight the enemy in the trenches with bayonets, shovels and stones.
They were accustomed to thinking that bombers would not target infantry, but rather high-value artillery, convoys, or warehouses.
However, they soon discovered that they were wrong.
The bomber quickly lowered its altitude, its nose diving toward the ground, and its broad wings almost passed over the soldiers' heads as it passed the Cambrai Line.
Then, rows of bombs were thrown out from under the wings and fuselage.
“Boom boom!”
“Boom boom boom!”
…
Hundreds of bombs blew the German side into a sea of fire like a carpet spread on the ground. In an instant, all the follow-up German troops, including tanks, were engulfed in smoke.
Everyone was stunned.
The German soldiers did not expect that the bombers would have such deadly power, engulfing a large number of soldiers in the blink of an eye and completely changing the outcome of a battle.
The French soldiers were a little confused. Aren't those Charles' bombers? Why would he spare no effort to help the 1st Special Artillery Division, which was on the opposite side? Even if he had to bomb due to orders, he could just pretend!
However, they didn't have time to think about it and cheered and launched a counterattack against the German army.
Christian knew what was going on. With blood on his body, he looked at the bomber flying away in the sky with gratitude, and sighed in his heart that Charles had saved him again!
It’s different following Charles, he knows when you need help the most, and he also knows how to win the battle!
…
On the other hand, Major General Nicholas, commander of the German 1st Tank Division, could no longer remain calm and composed.
He shouted angrily at his staff: "Where are our fighter planes? Why do we allow enemy bombers to bomb us recklessly? If so, how can we capture the enemy's position?"
The staff officer replied: "General, our fighter planes are on standby at Humeson Field."
Major General Nicholas then remembered that this was his intention, to keep the air force "low-key" in order not to expose the new fighter jets prematurely.
Major General Nicolas realized that this was another problem that Charles had given himself:
If the German army continues to keep a low profile and does not send new fighter planes to the battlefield, the French bombers will continue bombing and the German army will undoubtedly be defeated.
But if new fighter jets are sent up, it may be caught off guard by Charles' new fighter jets.
To go or not to go?
What's worse is that Charles' reinforcements are said to be on the way. We must defeat the First Special Artillery Division before the reinforcements arrive!
After thinking for a while, Major General Nicholas gritted his teeth and ordered: "Move up the First Storm Assault Battalion."
"But General," the staff officer replied, "they have just been formed..."
Major General Nicholas glanced coldly at the staff officer, who quickly swallowed the rest of his words and just responded with "yes".
(The picture above shows the German Stormtroopers formed in 1915. They were usually numbered as Stormtrooper Battalions. Each army had one assault battalion. They were initially equipped with armor for bulletproof and close combat. Soon they realized that mobility was more important and cancelled the armor.)
(End of this chapter)
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