Chapter 344 Jedi Counterattack
About half an hour later, the poison gas had not yet completely dissipated, but the German army could not wait to launch an attack.
This was an order from Major General Jonas. He was worried that the 105th Infantry Regiment would hold its ground in the rear and organize another line of defense, and then really implement "mobile defense" as Charles said and recapture the line of defense.
With a sharp whistle, German soldiers crawled out of the trenches one by one.
They wore goggles used by pilots, their mouths and noses were covered with a layer of cotton cloth soaked in sodium percarbonate solution, and they carefully groped their way forward in the mud on the battlefield, holding their rifles.
That was the solution proposed by the German chemist Haber. He developed the poison gas, so of course he would find ways to take measures to prevent the gas from accidentally hurting his own people.
(The picture above shows the German chemist Fritz Haber, who developed poison gas, synthesized ammonia, and won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry)
However, this cotton cloth suffers from the same problem as activated carbon gas masks in that its protective effect only lasts for a certain period of time.
…
It wasn't long before the Germans advanced to the French line.
In the smoke-filled trenches, a hint of yellow-green could be vaguely seen; it was obvious that poisonous gas had accumulated in there and had not been able to dissipate.
Colonel Fabian walked to the edge of the trench, held his pistol, stuck his head out slightly to take a look inside the trench, then immediately retracted his head.
In just that one glance, he was sure that it was safe ahead.
The trench was in a mess except for a few corpses with horrific deaths. There were spilled food, discarded luggage and full ammunition boxes everywhere. They didn't even have time to carry away the machine guns.
Several German soldiers tried to jump down and lift up the machine gun. After all, it was a very valuable "property" for the front-line troops, but they were stopped by Colonel Fabian.
"Keep going!" Colonel Fabian ordered loudly, his voice muffled by the cotton cloth: "See those corpses? If you don't want to be like them, ignore these machine guns!"
The German soldiers responded sparsely, carrying the prepared wooden boards and placing them on the trenches, and stepped on them one by one to cross the trenches.
Occasionally someone accidentally fell into the trench. They would climb out in a hurry, holding their breath and taking out the spare disinfected cotton cloth to replace it.
The German soldiers did not know that at this moment, in the trenches beneath their feet, there was a whole regiment of French soldiers lurking, and this regiment was their target - the 105th French Infantry Regiment.
…
Major General Jonas watched the soldiers disappear in the smoke through a telescope, then waved his hand and soldiers from another regiment climbed out of the trenches and followed.
These were his two most elite infantry regiments.
"It's different when dealing with the 105th Infantry Regiment." Major General Jonas put away the telescope and muttered to himself, "Charles' troops deserve our careful treatment."
Then he turned his gaze to the staff officer: "Order the troops to advance at least two kilometers!"
"Yes, General." The staff officer responded and ordered the signalman to pass the order to the attacking troops layer by layer through flag signals.
Watching the troops disappear from sight, Major General Jonas felt a little emotional. With the poison gas, the battle seemed to have become easier.
We should produce more poison gas so that we can gradually win and end this war, which will save many lives.
From this perspective, poison gas should not be regarded as an evil, it is just a weapon that can save lives!
At this moment, Major General Jonas saw something moving in the French trench out of the corner of his eye.
At first, Major General Jonas didn't pay much attention to it, he thought it was a German soldier who had fallen behind.
But they soon realized that something was wrong. The noise in the French trenches was getting louder and louder, more and more heads were popping out, and the yellow-green poison gas was overflowing from the trenches due to frequent air fluctuations and slowly drifting into the air.
Major General Jonas's face changed. That was the enemy.
The enemy was in large numbers, they were hiding there undetected, and it was obvious that they could survive the poison gas.
God, I was right, Major General Jonas' heart trembled, Charles invented equipment to protect against poison gas!
Major General Jonas then confirmed this. He saw through the aperture of the telescope that the French soldiers were wearing a special device on their faces. It was completely enclosed, with a pig's snout-like device sticking out from in front of their mouths and noses.
"Enemy situation!" Major General Jonas turned around and shouted to both sides without hesitation: "Prepare for battle, the enemy is coming."
The soldiers were stunned for a moment. How could there be an enemy at this time? Here!
They looked in the direction Major General Jonas was looking and were horrified to find that in the trench filled with poison gas and where there should be only dead people, French soldiers wearing masks emerged one by one. The lenses and respirators on their masks looked quite scary.
The soldiers panicked.
There was only an infantry battalion's reserve and guard company left in the trenches, with a total strength of only more than 500 people, while the enemy in front of them had at least one infantry regiment.
Major General Jonas looked ashen. He knew what he was facing and issued another order in a hurry: "Order the 297th Regiment to return for support!"
That was the second regiment he sent out. If he had not gone too far, he could launch a two-pronged attack on the enemy as soon as he returned to provide support.
But things on the battlefield are not as simple as imagined.
Before Major General Jonas could issue an order, the signalman waving the signal flag was knocked to the ground after a few gunshots.
"Sniper!" Major General Jonas's face changed again and again. The French army in front of him was the 105th Infantry Regiment he was looking for.
This is an irony. Major General Jonas has always wanted to catch up with it and annihilate it, but he didn't expect that it was right in front of him and now wants to annihilate Major General Jonas.
Before the German soldiers had time to react, the French army launched a charge.
Teams of soldiers in red military trousers swept in like a storm.
There was no shouting or screaming because they were wearing masks. Even so, the German army could still clearly feel the enemy's murderous intent.
The firm steps, the cold flash of the needle-shaped bayonets, and the black muzzles of the guns all seemed to suggest that they wanted to avenge their comrades who died in the poison gas!
"Machine guns!" Major General Jonas shouted, "Organize firepower to stop them!"
But it was of no use. The 105th Infantry Regiment had already set up sniper positions in the positions, and the German machine guns were suppressed and unable to move amid the sound of gunfire.
Soon, mortars also fired shells at the German trenches. The German positions were instantly filled with screams, and the machine gunners and their machine guns were all blown into the sky.
Major General Jonas glanced at the gas canister behind him. That might be the final choice, to die together with the enemy.
But he soon realized that this would not work. The enemy was wearing a gas mask, and opening the gas tank would only poison themselves.
"General, retreat!" the staff officer shouted beside him.
Major General Jonas was stunned. Any retreat would mean a complete defeat of the battle, and the two infantry regiments left in the enemy's defense line might never return.
But if you don't retreat...
Although it was only a moment's hesitation, it was already too late.
The French army had already rushed to the 50-meter line, and rows of smoking grenades fell from the sky and were thrown into the German trenches.
(End of this chapter)
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