Chapter 533 They have at least ten artillery regiments
Namur, Belgium.
This is a city with a population of hundreds of thousands. Its architectural style is slightly different from other cities in Belgium and is more like Florence, Italy.
However, this city, with its many charming bridges, canals and castles, has suffered greatly from war due to its strategic location.
(The picture above shows Namur architecture)
On this day, Namur woke up as usual to the morning mist and the sound of church bells.
More and more pedestrians appeared on the stone-paved street. A team of fully armed German patrol soldiers walked by with tired bodies and untidy steps. Pedestrians avoided them one after another, and bicycles stopped, casting wary and fearful looks at the German soldiers.
Only after the patrol team walked away did people breathe a sigh of relief and continue their journey.
They greeted each other with smiles on their faces.
But careful people will easily find that there is always some disappointment revealed in their eyes and actions.
They were disappointed that the war had not reached Namur.
When the news came that the army of Charles was going to attack Namur, people seemed to remain calm, but secretly spread the news:
"You know what? Ciel's troops are about to reach here."
"Are you sure? Are they really Ciel's troops?"
"Yes, absolutely. Everybody in Paris is talking about it. Charles's troops!"
"Great, we're about to be liberated!"
…
For the people of Belgium, or more precisely for the people of the world, wherever Charles pointed his finger, there would be freedom.
However, they were too happy too soon.
A few days later, new news came:
"They say Namur is not fit for the Shire's troops to attack."
"Yes, I heard that too. It was a trap set for Ciel."
"They tried to use Namur to kill Ciel and his troops."
…
This plunged the people living in Namur into deep despair.
Namur could actually be used as a trap to "kill Charles", so you can imagine how difficult it is to recapture it!
This also means that the liberation of Namur is a long way off, and that even the Charles can do nothing about it.
…
Not only the Belgians thought so, but also the German soldiers stationed in the "river bend area" outside the city.
The German army deployed two infantry divisions and one tank division here, and reinforced it with six artillery regiments, which can be said to be a heavy investment.
The commander was Nicholas, who had just been promoted to lieutenant general, commander of the 21st Army and commander of the 1st Tank Division.
After Nicholas took office, he immediately promoted Erwin to lieutenant colonel (his original rank was captain).
Because of Erwin's previous outstanding performance, he has become Lieutenant General Nicolas' most trusted staff officer.
…
Lieutenant General Nicolas set up his headquarters in the forest of the "River Bend Area", a standard semi-buried bunker. From here, he could clearly see through the observation windows the artillery deployed in the "River Bend Area" and the conditions of the road across the river.
This is the safest place, and it is almost impossible for the enemy to break through the natural "moat".
"We can't let them transfer troops away again!" Erwin looked at the fewer and fewer flags representing military forces on the map in distress.
Since the Battle of the Somme began, almost half of Namur's troops had been withdrawn, leaving only one infantry division and another infantry regiment, as well as two tank regiments and three artillery regiments.
"Relax, Lieutenant Colonel!" Lieutenant General Nicolas looked over the observation window, gazing at the Meuse River flowing slowly in the morning mist, as if thinking about something.
He thought of his hometown, where there was a river like this not far from his home. He wondered if the river water here would flow there.
"This is very dangerous for us, General," Erwin complained, "especially since we only have three artillery regiments. We need to use these artillery to block two roads and coordinate with the defense line. In addition, they have also taken away a lot of our artillery shells."
Vice Admiral Nicolas turned around leisurely and replied:
"As a senior officer, we should consider the overall battle situation, Lieutenant Colonel."
"You know what I'm talking about. It's basically impossible for the French to attack Namur, and the Somme is being attacked by nearly a million enemy troops."
"It's clear they need artillery and troops more than we do."
Erwin protested, "I know, General. But I think the Shire will attack Namur!"
"Reason?" Lieutenant General Nicolas raised his eyebrows.
Erwin was stunned and shook his head: "There is no reason, General, it's just a hunch."
Then he added: "If I have to give a reason, it should be that Charles always takes people by surprise. When everyone thinks they will not attack, he will choose this place."
Lieutenant General Nicolas laughed and handed Erwin a cigarette. "I can't convince Falkenhayn with such words."
Erwin was silent. He took the cigarette and took out a match to light it for both of them, as if he accepted what Lieutenant General Nicolas said, but the worry on his face did not diminish at all.
Halfway through his cigarette, he turned his gaze back to the map.
If Charles were to attack Namur, he would surely consider destroying the artillery in the "River Reach" first.
Can Ciel do it?
Under normal circumstances, this would be impossible. The French army did not have any artillery with a range exceeding that of the 105MM howitzer. In addition, the German army was prepared to release smoke and was not afraid of the French bombers.
However, Charles had to do it, otherwise there would be no way to attack the Namur fortress.
Therefore, Erwin thought that he should consider more about how to hold the defense line when the artillery was destroyed or suppressed!
At this moment, bursts of "whoosh whoosh" sounds suddenly came from the other side of the Meuse River.
Lieutenant Generals Erwin and Nicolas rushed to the observation window as if they were pricked by needles, and raised their telescopes at the same time to look in the direction where the sound came from.
I saw rows of artillery shells flying towards the river bay area, leaving long trails.
It's not a cannonball, it's a rocket. Only a rocket would have such an obvious trail.
"Bombardment!" shouted Lieutenant General Nicholas.
Erwin grabbed the phone from his desk and shouted, "Fight back! Fight back now!"
“Boom boom boom!”
“Boom boom!”
…
The earth shook and rows of rockets exploded in the "River Bay Area". The scene in front of me was instantly filled with smoke and fire. The whole land seemed to be on fire. Trees were blown down, soil was blown into the sky, and of course there were artillery pieces hidden in the fortifications.
The "whooshing" sound in the air continued and the explosions continued one after another.
"God, they have at least ten artillery regiments!" Lieutenant General Nicholas exclaimed. As a person from the artillery, he knew how powerful the bombing was.
His mind was still a mess and he didn't understand what was going on.
How did such a large artillery regiment escape the eyes of the front-line soldiers?
And the distance is so close, the straight-line distance may be less than 8 kilometers!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
