Chapter 947: Reinforcement of Saarbrücken
At the Berlin General Staff, Hindenburg and Ludendorff discussed the defense of the east bank of the Rhine on a sand table.
This was a weakness in the German command system.
The German army gave each unit greater freedom, and local commanders often had to deal with emergencies on their own, so the intelligence reported to their superiors was often delayed.
Hindenburg was still worried about the east bank of the Rhine. He pointed to the waters around Offenburg and said:
"We should strengthen the artillery in this area."
"Charter has 'belt bridges'. In principle, as long as there are enough bridges, Charr's troops can be transported to the east coast continuously."
"The only thing that can stop them is artillery."
There is no army on this earth that can be a match for Charles. If they want to win, they can only blow up the pontoon bridge to prevent Charles's army from crossing the river.
"But we don't have any more artillery units, Marshal." Ludendorff looked embarrassed: "Unless we transfer the artillery from Saarbrücken."
Hindenburg hesitated.
Saarbrücken's artillery was an important part of the defense line. Hindenburg's defense idea was to use mines and artillery in coordination to form a three-dimensional, unbreakable defense line.
If the artillery was moved there, it would undoubtedly weaken Saarbrücken's defenses.
While he was hesitating, a signalman suddenly reported loudly: "Marshal, Saarbrücken is under attack!"
Hindenburg frowned. What a reckless guy! It was well known that Charles was feinting an attack on Saarbrücken. Was there any need to make such a fuss?
Unexpectedly, the signalman ran up to him, holding a telegram in his hand, his face pale with anxiety:
"Your Excellency Marshal, Lieutenant General Brandt is in urgent need of help."
Lieutenant General Brandt was commander of the 17th Army, supreme commander of Saarbrücken, responsible for its defense.
"Charle used airplanes to parachute troops to attack. The 29th, 82nd, and 57th artillery regiments were attacked and suffered heavy losses. The battle is still going on."
"The Saarbrücken defense line is on the verge of collapse, requesting reinforcements from the Marshal!"
Hindenburg turned to look at the signalman, confused: "Parachute troops? Artillery under attack?"
Is the artillery so weak that it can be defeated by paratroopers?
However, the signalman handed the telegram to Hindenburg: "Marshal, Charles parachuted about 2,500 soldiers at a time!"
Hindenburg's pupils dilated instantly, Ludendorff suddenly looked up at Hindenburg, and then leaned forward to read the telegram.
Just as the two were expressing doubts about this number, another telegram was delivered to them: "Another group of troops parachuted into Saarbrücken, with a strength of about 2,500 people."
Hindenburg and Ludendorff looked at each other and saw horror in each other's eyes.
This shows that the figure of 2,500 parachutes is correct and does not need to be verified.
"We were fooled." Ludendorff swallowed his saliva: "Charles' target is not Offenburg but Saarbrücken. His attack in this direction was never a feint."
Hindenburg said nothing and slowly turned his gaze to Saarbrücken on the map.
As the Chief of General Staff, the first thing he had to consider was not whether he had been fooled, but how to deal with it.
After a while, he gave the order in a cold voice: "Order the air force to reinforce Saarbrücken immediately."
Hindenburg realized that air superiority was the key to Saarbrücken, and only by regaining air superiority could Charles' paratroopers be prevented from continuing to be deployed behind the defense line.
Just like artillery has to blow up the pontoon bridge to prevent the enemy from crossing the river.
"Which one?" asked the staff officer.
Hindenburg gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words: "All of them!"
The French had the advantage in fighter planes, and they needed enough of them to win.
"Yes." The staff officer responded.
Hindenburg pointed to the map and continued to give orders: "Order the 13th Army and the 9th Army to send reinforcements to Saarbrücken immediately."
These two armies were on the left and right wings of the Saarbrücken line.
"Order the 17th Army Artillery to retreat immediately!"
Artillery troops were usually maneuvered using cars or horses, which kept them on the move and made it less likely for enemy paratroopers to catch up.
This is a kind of protection for the artillery. Hindenburg believed that "as long as the green mountains remain, there will be no fear of running out of firewood." Only by preserving more artillery can it be possible to exert combat effectiveness in the near future.
But the order backfired.
Hindenburg had no experience facing the enemy's parachute attack for the first time. He did not realize that the paratroopers could not control their landing points in the air. They were scattered everywhere and fought independently like scattered beans.
It would be fine if the German artillery stayed stationed in place, but it would be difficult for the paratroopers with only light weapons to break through the artillery defense line, and there might be a shortage of ammunition.
But if the artillery was ambushed by paratroopers while maneuvering along the road, it could only be described as "delivered to the doorstep".
Finally, Hindenburg gave the order: "Order the 17th Army to hold the line and not let Charles' troops advance even a step!"
He looked up at Ludendorff who was approaching him and said, "As long as the 17th Army can hold back Charles' troops until reinforcements arrive, we still have hope."
Ludendorff nodded:
"Don't worry, Your Excellency Marshal, that's a minefield, a minefield two kilometers deep."
"We have hundreds of thousands of mines there."
"Even without artillery cover, it will be difficult for the Shire to pass before dark."
Once it got dark, Charles' tanks and planes would be unable to fight, and the Germans would be able to clear out the 5,000 paratroopers who had parachuted to the rear, and the Saarbrücken defense line could be redeployed and stabilized.
Hindenburg said "hmm" faintly, which was exactly what he intended.
But he was not as confident as Ludendorff.
Charles thought ahead of him at every step, and could even think of such horrific tactics as "mass parachute drop".
Does that mean that he also has a way to break through the minefield?
…
At the Saarbrücken front, German planes arrived late.
The triplanes flew densely in the front-line airspace like red dragonflies, and Richthofen's 11th Hunting Squadron was among them.
Their mission was to prevent the French army from continuing to carry out parachute drops.
The German rear was in chaos, with flames and black smoke everywhere, artillery firing like crazy, and explosions were heard everywhere, but they all occurred within the German camp.
Some planes lowered their altitude and tried to attack the French paratroopers who were causing chaos.
Richthofen shook his head slightly and gave a disdainful smile.
These fools, the French paratroopers mixed in with the German positions, they can't even tell the difference between friend and foe, what role can they play?
After flying for a while, Richthofen noticed something was wrong.
They said French planes were blocking the Saarbrücken road, so why didn't they see a single enemy plane?
Then Richthofen realized the problem: the French had long expected their arrival, and they were preparing for an air battle here!
He gritted his teeth, raised his hand and ordered his subordinates to climb.
It is a wise choice to gain a high advantage before the war!
(End of this chapter)
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