Chapter 539: Is there any way for Charles to cross the anti-tank ditch?
In theory, Erwin's judgment was correct.
The Namur Fortress is different from the chalk hard land of the Somme River. It is full of rivers, forests and soft land.
When the rainy season arrives, the rain "crackles" and soaks the land into a soft and sticky state. Not to mention tanks, even people stepping on it will bring up mud on the soles of their shoes, making it difficult to walk.
This was extremely unfavorable for the attacking side. In addition, there were barbed wire and anti-tank trenches ahead. A rash attack would likely result in a tragedy similar to the Battle of the Somme, where tens of thousands of people were wiped out in a day and victory turned into a tragic defeat in an instant.
This is one of the reasons why it is generally believed that the Namur Fortress is not suitable for the attack of the Charles' armored forces.
However, since Charles had decided to attack the Namur Fortress, he certainly had a way to deal with it.
…
The sky was gradually brightening; the heavy rain that had been pouring down all night had finally subsided a little, and there was even a little sunshine in the sky.
The whole world was full of vitality as if it had been cleansed. Raindrops hung on the leaves, and migratory birds came and went in a hurry to find food in the rain. Water accumulated in puddles here and there, slowly gathering together and pouring into the anti-tank trenches built by the German army.
In the anti-tank trench, the muddy water had already overflowed more than halfway to a height of nearly two meters. Coupled with the mud at the bottom of the trench, even a fully armed soldier who entered would likely be drowned.
(Note: Anti-tank trenches are generally 5 to 7 meters wide and 2 to 2.5 meters deep)
German soldiers wearing raincoats hid in the infantry trenches at the rear, carefully shielding themselves from the rain and eating bread for breakfast.
Further away, there is a 77MM infantry gun with its muzzle aimed at the first anti-tank ditch.
Erwin's idea was perfect:
The first anti-tank ditch was about 500 meters in front of the defense line.
When the French army stopped in front of this anti-tank ditch and was busy filling the ditch, the German 77 guns could easily destroy the tanks one by one.
The rifles and machine guns in the hands of the infantry can also fire a hail of bullets to kill enemy infantry and engineers. The enemy will suffer heavy casualties before it can pass through the first anti-tank ditch.
Then, the second anti-tank ditch was 100 meters in front of the defense line, and the infantry could accurately shoot the enemy. The infantry on both wings could also use K bullets at an oblique angle to attack the tank's weak flank armor.
"Lieutenant Colonel."
"Lieutenant Colonel!"
…
When Erwin crossed the communication trench and rushed to the front line, the soldiers saluted him one by one.
The anti-tank ditch invented by Erwin has proven to be the most practical tactic to block tanks on the battlefield, making him the only officer in the German army who could potentially stop Charles.
Erwin nodded in response, but his eyes were always fixed in the direction of the enemy.
He rushed here from the River Bay District in the rain, hoping to make a final check on the defense line.
The remaining artillery in the River Bend area is no longer able to block the passage, which means that the enemy attack is imminent.
Erwin came to the front line of defense, carefully leaned his head out and raised the telescope. His movements were very slow, like a movie played in slow motion.
Finally, the anti-tank ditch appeared in the aperture of the telescope.
After observing for a while, Erwin was deeply relieved that the two anti-tank trenches had become an insurmountable artificial barrier for enemy tanks, just as he had expected.
After retracting his head, Erwin leaned against the trench and stared blankly for a while, then he breathed a sigh of relief.
The German soldiers didn't care about this. They looked at Erwin with horror:
"Lieutenant Colonel, is that Ciel's new invention? I mean, the artillery shells that the French army used to bombard the River Bend yesterday?"
"I heard that the artillerymen in the Riverbend suffered heavy casualties. Does this mean that they have broken through our artillery blockade?"
"Char's troops are about to attack, aren't they?"
…
Erwin didn't deny it, because it was obvious.
"Yes." He nodded. "But we will defeat them, I'm sure of it!"
Then, Erwin explained to the soldiers in detail the firepower configuration of the two anti-tank trenches and the benefits that rain bonus would bring to the German army.
He believed that doing so would help build up the soldiers' confidence in victory and overcome their fear of the "Charter Army".
Sure enough, after listening to Erwin's explanation, the soldiers' morale was boosted. They spread the words and discussed excitedly:
"This is a difficulty caused by the objective environment. I don't think even Ciel can solve it!"
"Charles certainly didn't expect this rain. I guess he must be worried about it now."
"It was God who saved us by sending this heavy rain in time."
…
However, at this moment, a familiar and terrifying whistling sound was heard in the air.
The rockets flew straight towards the German positions with a whistling sound and hot air. With bursts of explosions, the German infantry guns hidden outside the positions were instantly blown to pieces, and the mutilated limbs of several artillerymen were thrown into the trenches.
The French army did not need to find the hidden 77MM infantry guns. They only needed to use artillery shells to indiscriminately "comb" the open space behind the German defense line once, twice, or three times.
Amid the smoke and sounds of bombing, Erwin was quite surprised. He thought that the French rocket launcher was used to fight artillery battles against artillery, but he didn't expect that it could also be used against infantry.
These bastards, Erwin cursed inwardly, they must be relying on the economic strength of Charles, otherwise how could they launch hundreds or even thousands of shells at a time, bombarding like raindrops, as if they were free!
A few minutes later the sound of bombing suddenly disappeared, but the smoke had not yet dissipated, rolling into the trenches under the influence of rain.
Soon, the rumbling sound of a tank engine was heard faintly from the opposite side, and the accumulated water in the trench began to ripple slightly due to the vibration.
Erwin was stunned. They started to attack? And they were using tanks?
This is impossible!
Erwin quickly stepped on the pedal and popped his head out again. The tank's silhouette immediately entered the aperture of his telescope. It was definitely the "Char A1".
Erwin was stunned for a moment.
Charles would not send his troops to die, and his attacks were usually successful.
This means that he has a way to cross the anti-tank ditch.
However, what can he do?
The German frontline commander shouted in a long voice: "Ready!"
The soldiers climbed up one by one and set up their rifles at the edge of the trench.
It was eerily quiet all around. The rain hit their helmets with a slight sound, then flowed down the sides along the edges of the helmets and dripped onto the rifles that were ready to fire.
The soldiers had serious expressions, standard movements, and their eyes were fixed on the target ahead through the crosshairs.
But they had the same questions as Erwin:
How could Charles get past the tank ditch?
Erwin held up a telescope and searched among the enemy group, hoping to find something different.
Suddenly, a strange tank caught his eye. It had a tank chassis but no turret. Instead, it had two iron frames.
Shire's new invention?
Erwin swallowed hard, he knew that might be the answer he wanted!
(End of this chapter)
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