Chapter 827 Hutier Tactics
When the news of victory reached the General Staff Headquarters in Berlin, the office was filled with cheers, and some people even hugged each other and cried with joy.
It had been too long since the Germans had achieved air superiority, having fought since the beginning of the war in the shadow of the French air wing.
Hiding, death, traffic disruption, logistics bombing, etc., all kinds of problems arise one after another.
Now, they finally avenged their previous defeat and won a big victory.
Although it was the British rather than the Shire who were defeated, the opponent was still the "Camel", which gave everyone hope.
Ludendorff looked at Hindenburg inquiringly, as if asking: What should we do next?
Hindenburg exhaled lightly, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders: "Leave the rest to your cousin!"
"Yes, Marshal," Ludendorff replied, "I am honored!"
…
At the Metz headquarters, General Hutier, commander of the 18th Army, received the order to "approval of action."
Hutier said "hmm" and gave an emotionless order: "Action!"
(The picture above shows German Infantry General Hutier and the Blue Max Medal he received. He was Ludendorff's cousin and was best known for creating the "Hutier Tactics" during World War I, also known as the "Assault Group Tactics", which is usually called the "Infiltration Tactics" in modern times)
…
Suddenly, thousands of artillery pieces roared on the defense line. Shells of various calibers, dragging the trajectory formed by water vapor, headed straight for the British defense line, followed by explosions of fire and smoke.
The British artillery immediately launched a counterattack.
But they just regarded it as a bombardment, or a routine artillery preparation before an attack.
This has happened so many times on the defense that everyone has become accustomed to it.
But what the British army did not know was that the German bombardment was purposeful and planned.
Ten minutes later, part of the artillery fire stopped, and the no-man's land was filled with smoke and water vapor evaporated by the shells.
The German front-line commander raised his hand and waved it forward. The storm troopers, who had been well prepared, rushed into the smoke in teams, holding submachine guns.
Stormtroopers have existed for a long time, it's nothing new.
Before this, neither the enemy nor us took it seriously, thinking it was only at the tactical level.
But Hutier trained them systematically and used them in batches to form a tactic that could influence the outcome of the battle.
When the battle started, thousands of artillery pieces were fired at once, and even smoke bombs were released in no-man's land, in order to provide cover for the Storm Commandos.
Then, the Storm Commandos, which had been expanded to a division-level force (with a strength of about 15,000), launched an attack under the cover of smoke in battalion, company, platoon, and even squad units.
Artillery continued to bombard the enemy, making them unaware of the danger.
When it was estimated that the Storm Troopers had advanced to the enemy's trenches and were lying in ambush, the artillery advanced deep into the enemy's territory and the Storm Troopers launched an attack.
The attack was no longer aimed at capturing trenches as before, but once a gap was opened, they would follow the artillery fire like a tide and penetrate deep into the enemy's territory.
At this time, the enemies hiding in the trenches did not even know what was happening.
If the enemy in the trench is in a state of "mutiny", it would be perfect. The Storm Commandos may be able to sneak into the hinterland more than ten kilometers behind the defense line without being noticed.
(Note: This "infiltration tactic" was still used during World War II, but with more changes, such as the famous "Brandenburg Troops". The German army learned the enemy's language and habits before the war, and disguised themselves as the enemy to infiltrate during the war)
…
At Thule, Haig's headquarters was 6 kilometers from the defense line.
Although it was not far, he felt relieved.
He heard the roar of artillery. It was the new 6-inch 26-cwt howitzer. The British army deployed a total of 8 artillery regiments with more than 500 artillery pieces nearby.
With the addition of 30-cwt howitzers and other caliber artillery, Haig believed that no matter how many more troops and tanks the Germans brought, it would be useless.
As long as the Germans were stopped in front of the barbed wire and trenches in front of the defense line and paused for a moment, they would immediately be bombarded by countless artillery shells.
However……
There were sounds of gunfire and grenade explosions outside the command center, mixed with the screams and cries of soldiers.
Haig thought he had heard it wrong.
"What's going on?" Hegge frowned and turned his head to ask.
"I don't know, General." The staff officer looked confused.
The staff officer thought of the guerrillas.
But this is France, and of course there is no way guerrillas would attack the British army.
German?
It's even more impossible. This place is 6 kilometers away from the defense line, there is no warning ahead, and the defense line has not been occupied. How could the Germans appear here?
Suddenly, a guard covered in blood rushed into the headquarters. He reported in panic: "General, retreat quickly. It's the Germans, they've reached here!"
"What?" Haig stood up with a groan: "How did they get here? Where are my troops?"
"I don't know, General..."
Before he could finish his words, several bullets whizzed towards him, blood spurted out on the guard's chest. He fell to the ground without a sound, and the rifle in his hand fell to the side.
The gunshots became more frequent, with bullets popping in front of and behind the windows of the headquarters, sending broken glass and scraps of paper flying everywhere.
Several standing signalmen were hit by stray bullets and killed on the spot.
The staff officer immediately responded: "General, they have found this place, let's retreat!"
The Germans probably intended to let the guards go, and when they ran to report to the headquarters, the Germans followed the clues and found the location of the headquarters as quickly as possible.
Haig pulled out the pistol from his waist and prepared to resist.
He estimated that this group of Germans might be just a small force and could be repelled once reinforcements arrived.
But when the staff officer reminded him, he instantly realized that he was their target.
Haig hesitated for a while, and finally gritted his teeth and ordered: "Retreat!"
The moment Haig withdrew from the rear gate under the protection of the guards, he realized that the British Expeditionary Force's defense line would collapse completely:
The headquarters was raided and there was no time to burn or take away the documents.
The Germans would then have a clear idea of all deployments, including the locations of eight long-range artillery regiments.
The Germans will clear these artillery positions one by one with lightning speed.
Only then will the main German forces launch an attack.
Haig sighed softly, they would be able to occupy all the British defense lines without any effort. Without unified command, the British army, even the local expeditionary force, would be in chaos under such an offensive.
What to do? Haig asked, everything is screwed.
After this battle, he had even less reason to tie the colonial army to the British army.
They may even say:
"Following the British army is just suicide. Why don't you let us follow Charles and play a role?"
“It would be good for Britain too.”
"Our goal is the same, to defeat the enemy!"
…
(End of this chapter)
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