Chapter 422: Attacking the Unprepared
Charles raised his hand and held it in the air for a moment, then waved it forward. The French soldiers lurking in the darkness advanced towards the enemy line in groups, rifles in hand and crouching low.
This was a perfect opportunity. The enemy's defense lines and fortresses were clearly revealed under the torches. The sound of them building fortifications with shovels covered up the sound of the French infantry advancing. The firelight made it impossible for the German sentries to see the flashing figures in the dark.
The intelligence was true. The soldiers stationed in Antwerp were indeed a group of new recruits with no combat experience. They didn't know what war was like, nor did they realize how cruel it was. There was no chance to make mistakes next time!
The French army took advantage of this opportunity and made full preparations:
The barbed wire was cut one by one and hooked with steel ropes, and the other end was connected to an armored vehicle ready to be towed away.
The infantry first passed through the barbed wire and sneaked into the defense line about 50 meters away. The sniper found his position and the machine gun occupied the commanding heights.
The artillery observer measured the coordinates and checked them many times, giving an extremely accurate set of elements.
Three kilometers away, the truck-mounted artillery guns set up artillery positions at the required level and pointed the muzzles towards the enemy according to the various parameters.
…
After more than half an hour, Tijani felt that there was nothing left to prepare, and all that was left was to assign numbers to the German soldiers one by one.
Only then did Charles order the armored division, which was lurking two kilometers away, to move forward.
The tanks entered the attack position one after another. The tank commander stuck his head out of the vehicle to command the tanks to move forward. The armored vehicles followed behind, and finally the "Saint-Samond" tank.
This was when Saint Salmon was most embarrassed.
Although the "Char A1" tank also has the defect of poor external perception ability, it is operated by two people. The commander and gunner can reach the driver by stretching his legs. Kicking the left shoulder turns left, kicking the right shoulder turns right, and kicking the back moves forward. It moves steadily and without any pressure.
(The above picture shows the internal structure of the Renault tank. The simple structure and small number of crew members make it easy to coordinate. If there are more crew members, long-term training is required to form combat effectiveness.)
Of course there will be no problem with armored vehicles. They have the strongest external perception capabilities, and as long as the speed is slow, there will basically be no problem.
Even though the "Saint-Samond" tank had been improved and its machine gun removed, it still had five crew members, who were somewhat flustered in the dark.
Fortunately, they were artillery pieces, and their mission was to stay in the rear, find suitable artillery positions and prepare for battle, so there was no major chaos.
…
At that time, Major General Marcus was discussing with his staff how to strengthen the fortress's defense under torches, holding a defense map.
"We don't need to worry about the positions under fire." Major General Marcus said, "With the double fire defense of trenches and fortresses, I believe no troops can break through. The problem is the fortress itself."
Major General Marcus pointed at the locations of several forts and said, "These forts were blown into ruins by us. We just replaced them with blockhouses. Their firepower and defense are far inferior to the original forts. The French will definitely use these weaknesses as a breakthrough point!"
"I agree, General." The staff officer replied, "But I don't think we should build trenches. Trenches can't stop enemy shells. We need artillery that can suppress enemy artillery. Only they can ensure the safety of these fortresses!"
The staff always had confidence in the German 105MM artillery.
But Major General Marcus didn't think so: "Charles has bombers, Rolf, and the bombers will make our 105MM artillery ineffective. We can't pin our hopes on it, so we can only dig trenches around the fortress!"
Only trenches can protect against enemy artillery fire and air strikes. Although they look crude, they are effective.
However, what Major General Marcus and his staff did not expect was that the war did not progress to the extent they had imagined.
The most important thing about "blitzkrieg" is not its tactical penetration, but its strategic significance.
Simply put, it means "attack when the enemy is unprepared."
However, these four seemingly clichéd words are not easy to achieve on the battlefield.
Charles launched this night raid in the face of many objections:
"General, our troops have been marching and fighting all day. They are almost exhausted and can no longer fight."
"General, tanks are not suitable for night combat. Please reconsider!"
"General, we are running low on fuel. If the attack fails, we may not even be able to retreat. We will have no choice but to blow up our tanks or leave them to the enemy!"
…
Colonel Estiny was the most staunch opponent. He believed that Charles was rushing to attack and was blinded by victory.
He excitedly rushed into Charles' temporary office in Mechelen:
"General, after daybreak our tanks will have enough fuel and air support, so we can fight this battle comfortably!"
“Why should we use our own weaknesses to attack the enemy’s strengths?”
"We are only one step away from victory, General! We cannot lose our composure!"
…
Even Tijani was skeptical about Charles' idea of fighting a night battle, because it seemed to overturn all the conclusions he had drawn before. He thought he had learned the "Charles theory" and was confused again.
Only one of the senior officers stood on Charles' side: Browne, commander of the 1st Armored Division.
But he has a mindless belief. As long as it is a decision made by Charles, he believes it must be correct.
Facing all the doubts, Charles only replied: "We have made sufficient preparations. Does that mean that the enemy has also made sufficient preparations?"
Everyone fell silent instantly.
Although night fighting would make the armored forces feel uncomfortable and restricted, at least they were prepared both operationally and psychologically, while the enemy was completely unprepared.
The enemy was still planning how to defend tomorrow, how to deploy firepower with how many reinforcements they had, and how to face the bombers, when suddenly the enemy appeared in front of them...
Everything was overturned, and it seemed that all they could do was raise their hands and surrender!
…
This is the situation that Major General Marcus faced.
Just as he and his staff were disagreeing on the direction of defense, the sound of a rumbling engine was faintly heard in the darkness.
At first, Major General Marcus thought they were his cars, and they were transporting wood for reinforcing the fortifications.
But the sound grew louder and louder, and more and more...
Major General Marcus suddenly woke up. He looked up at his staff officer in shock. The staff officer also realized something and looked at the darkness at a loss.
If the enemy launched an attack at this time, it would be his fault because he judged that the enemy would not fight a night battle!
Major General Marcus didn't think too much. He jumped up and shouted to the trench: "Put out the torches, immediately..."
"Bang!" A gunshot rang out and the shouting stopped abruptly.
A bullet hit Major General Marcus' head accurately. His head tilted and he collapsed to the ground like a bag with the air sucked out of it.
(End of this chapter)
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