Chapter 467 The Fortress is Outdated
La Geddon, French General Headquarters.
This was the busiest period of time for Joffre. After formulating the battle plan, the first issue to be addressed was supply.
"General, the frontline troops are short of supplies, and there are not enough shells and bullets to support a large-scale counterattack."
"Especially artillery. We don't have enough large-caliber artillery to fight the enemy, and our soldiers will suffer heavy casualties during the attack."
"Not only ammunition, the soldiers were also seriously short of supplies. Many troops reported that they had no combat boots, and their own canvas shoes could not penetrate the enemy's barbed wire."
…
Exactly one year has passed since the war began.
At this time, France had to face another serious problem: supplies and equipment were scarce, to the point where civilians were required to bring their own boots when they were conscripted.
(Note: The reason why there is a shortage of boots instead of uniforms is that soldiers on the front line have died. Uniforms can be patched up and reused, but boots are consumed quickly and have strict length requirements, so the reuse rate is low.)
Xiafei replied coldly:
"Then let them bring a pair of boots from home. Don't they need to wear boots before joining the army and becoming a soldier?"
"In addition, it is important to prioritize the transportation of ammunition."
"After victory, everything will be different. The war will be over!"
…
Xiafei was a conceited person. Once he made up his mind, no matter what others said, it was useless.
Gallieni's earnest explanation did not stir up any ripples in Joffre's heart. He always believed that he could achieve final victory.
However, just as he was confidently planning the "Great Counterattack", a signalman came forward and reported: "General, intelligence shows that the German army is gathering in the Verdun area."
"Verdun?" Joffre frowned, and then found the location of Verdun on the map.
Joffre looked up at Carnass: "I remember there were many strong fortresses there, right?"
"Yes, General." Kanais flipped through the documents quickly, but this was something he was not prepared for.
Fortunately, a staff officer found it in time and handed over the information. Kanais took the information and read it with a sense of relief: "There are a total of 19 large forts and 7 small forts. Each fort has more than 30 artillery pieces, which are 155MM, 120MM and 75MM respectively."
"My God." Joffre exclaimed, "Our frontline troops have no artillery, but Verdun has nearly a thousand artillery pieces? And some of them have 155MM and 120MM calibers?"
The French army was in great shortage of these two calibers of artillery, with only a few dozen in the entire army.
"But that is..." Kanais replied hastily: "They are fortress guns, General. Without artillery, those fortresses are useless. And Verdun is the gateway to Paris, it is very important!"
Joffre stroked his chin and thought for a while, then said slowly: "I know it is important, Kanais, but Verdun has such strong fortifications and so many artillery. Why did the Germans attack here? Don't you think it's a bit strange?"
When asked by Xiafei, Kanais also felt that it made sense.
Normally, an attack should target the weak points in the enemy's defense line rather than strong fortifications, but the German army did the opposite.
"Perhaps it's because it's close to Paris," said Kanais. "The Germans may want to concentrate their forces to defeat our army, and attacking Paris can achieve this goal to some extent."
"Even so." Joffre's eyes wandered over the defense line, and he tapped on the map with his finger: "They can still bypass Verdun."
Kanais nodded in agreement, Verdun was just the closest point to Paris.
After thinking for a while, Xia Fei raised her head and said, "Let Christine come over."
Christian was the only major general in Joffre's army who had commanded an armored force in battle and won a victory, although that victory was under the guidance of Charles.
But his combat experience is unmatched.
Joffre believed that if he wanted to keep tactics up to date, he could only rely on generals like Christian who had fought on the battlefield, rather than staff officers like Kanais who stayed in the office all the time.
Soon Christine stood before Joffre.
Joffre pointed to the location of Verdun on the map and asked, "The enemy is gathering in front of Verdun. What do you think?"
Christine frowned and thought for a while, then said, "I'm not sure, General. But if it were me, I would definitely not choose to attack here. This is surprising."
Xia Fei said "hmm" with satisfaction, which coincided with his idea.
However, Christine analyzed: "But if the Germans attack here, I think they have their reasons."
Xia Fei asked in confusion: "What do you mean?"
Isn't this contradictory?
"Because they have big guns, General," Christine explained. "Big Bertha, like the one they used to take the fortresses of Liège and Antwerp in Belgium."
Xiafei's heart sank; this seemed to make sense.
"No, no." Kanais retorted: "General Christian, you forgot that we have bombers. The bombers can easily blow 'Big Bertha' into the sky."
"I haven't forgotten." Christine pointed at the map and explained, "But Charles's air forces are mostly deployed on both wings, especially in the northern Belgium area. Charles' next step is obviously to push the defense line forward. The Belgian direction is the focus of his attack."
Joffre said "Oh" and understood what Christine meant: "The Germans hope that the dispersed Charles Air Force will reduce the pressure in the Belgian direction!"
"Yes." Christine continued to analyze: "Also, even if Charles sent part of the air force to Verdun, it might not be effective."
Then Christine looked up at Joffre and said word by word: "The Germans can set off smoke. The smoke will cover the position of Big Bertha, and the air force will not know where to drop the bombs."
Joffre agreed: "Our fortresses will not move. They will just stay where they are and be blown up by the Germans' Big Berthas one after another."
In his heart, Joffre refused to rely on Charles's air force. He believed that victory could only be achieved with Charles' help, and he hoped to "be self-reliant."
"That's it." Christine concluded:
"So, I think fortresses are outdated. As long as the enemy has a cannon with a longer range, fortresses will be targets."
"And the artillery that our army has deployed in the fortress is a huge waste."
"They may be destroyed by the enemy without even firing a shot, and their effectiveness will be almost zero!"
Xiafei nodded heavily: "We should use them instead of leaving them in the fortress to die. Only mobile artillery is meaningful."
Kanais looked at Xiafei in astonishment.
Does this mean that the Germans were gathering forces in Verdun, but the commander-in-chief not only did not send reinforcements, but also transferred artillery and troops away?
(End of this chapter)
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