Chapter 972 They Plan to Airborne
It's late today, there's only one chapter, sorry!
…
The German "Fokker D.VII" Squadron was defeated. Only 7 of the 50 fighter planes managed to escape from the battlefield under the pursuit of the French "Jenny A" fighter planes.
The point is that after returning to the battlefield, all pilots refused to take off again, without exception:
"It's a pointless battle, fighting them is suicide."
"The gap between our aircraft performance and that of the enemy is so huge that it cannot be reversed by human efforts."
"If there is even a slight hope of winning, we will execute orders without hesitation. But that would just mean going to die, meaningless death!"
…
As a result, Hindenburg's imagination of gaining air superiority and blocking the French army did not happen.
Instead, the French Air Force and artillery worked together to suppress the German artillery, and then the armored forces quickly approached and attacked the German defense line.
The German army was defeated. The infantry, who had just arrived and had no time to build fortifications, were once again massacred by the 1st Armored Army. The artillery was destroyed by French tanks before they had time to retreat.
…
When the news reached the General Staff in Berlin, everyone was stunned by the contents of the telegram.
They had thought about the heavy losses of the Fokker D.VII, after all, they had little advantage over the French fighters.
I also thought that this battle might not be as smooth as I imagined, after all, the opponent is Charles' First Armored Army.
However, no one expected such a devastating defeat, an unprecedented defeat!
"The French army is equipped with new fighter planes." Ludendorff's face was pale. He held a sketch in his hand, which was what the front-line infantry described after seeing the plane.
He handed the sketch to Hindenburg and said: "This fighter has a fully enclosed metal fuselage and is much faster than our fighters. It is estimated to reach a speed of 250 kilometers per hour."
Hindenburg said nothing and handed the sketch to Wilhelm II.
It was William II who launched this attack hastily, and he should bear the consequences.
William II took the sketch and was silent for a while. He didn't understand it and there was no need to understand it.
He looked to Hindenburg for help: "Marshal, do we still have troops that can stop the enemy?"
Hindenburg sighed as he looked at the French army advancing towards the Ruhr industrial area on the map.
Now is not the time to assign blame; losing the war will benefit no one.
"There is another unit," Hindenburg replied, "our 1st and 2nd Tank Divisions. I have transferred them to the Ruhr area."
This was the preparation made by Hindenburg, who always felt that William II's offensive plan was not appropriate.
"But the role they can play is very limited." Hindenburg's voice was filled with worry:
"The tanks used by these two tank divisions are 'LK2', which are no match for the enemy's tanks."
"Our only hope is that the anti-tank guns will frighten the enemy."
"As long as we can hold off the enemy for a while, an hour or two, our infantry will be able to arrive and organize a defense."
The infantry is also equipped with anti-tank guns. If the problem doesn't work, the infantry can hold grenades and die together with the enemy tanks.
If technology and equipment are not enough, we can only use human lives to stop it!
"Let's do it!" said William II.
Hindenburg hesitated for a moment:
"But these two divisions are the last defense of the Ruhr industrial zone, Your Majesty."
"If we ask them to make up for it, there will be problems in the direction of Liege Fortress."
"We have nothing left to stop the enemy..."
Wilhelm II interrupted Hindenburg and said, "There will be no problem with the Liege Fortress, Marshal, send the troops there!"
Hindenburg nodded: "As you wish, Your Majesty."
He obeyed William II's order because he thought it was too late to do anything.
Charles has seized the opportunity to attack, and he will not let it go until he achieves final victory!
…
Fortress of Liege.
The headquarters of the commander, Major General Friedrich, was located in "Lonsingburg".
This was not only because Fort Roncing was located at the heart of Liège's 12 fortresses and was easier to command, but also because it was a symbol of Belgian resistance.
When the German army attacked Liege, the Belgian officers and soldiers stationed at "Fort Roncing" knew they would die but refused to surrender, waiting for "Big Bertha" to bombard them with shells after shells.
Finally, a shell hit the ammunition depot of "Longsing Castle", causing a huge explosion and collapse.
After the war, Major General Friedrich spent several months rebuilding "Lonsingburg" and equipped the fortress with 252 large and small artillery pieces, as well as dense machine gun fire points that could cover a 360-degree range around it.
In addition, it can form a cross-fire network with the surrounding Fort Ponthi, Fort Bahon and others.
Therefore, when Major General Friedrich received Hindenburg's warning, he did not take it too seriously.
He threw the telegram aside, looked over the firing hole and looked down at the plain below, full of confidence: "If Charles intends to attack here, let him come, I will give him a good beating!"
There are fortresses everywhere with their firepower intersecting with each other, which will crush any attacking force like stepping on a bug.
Warnings from the General Staff were delivered to Major General Friedrich one after another:
"The French army is equipped with a new type of tank, which may be a modified version of the 'Charter B2' and equipped with a 75mm caliber gun on the turret."
Major General Friedrich smiled softly: "75mm gun? They better think this kind of gun can pose a threat to us!"
"The French army is equipped with new fighter planes with excellent performance. We have lost air superiority!"
Major General Friedrich shook his head disdainfully: "The plane has nothing to do with us."
Major General Friedrich was only worried about one thing: whether the French would build a large-caliber heavy artillery like the Germans and then bomb the fortress from out of range.
But after thinking about it for a while, Major General Friedrich decided that this was unlikely.
Even with this tactical attack, it would take several weeks for the French army to pass through the Liege fortress.
However, the French army wanted to pass through here to cooperate with its First Armored Army's attack.
What's more, the Liege Fortress was equipped with 105mm howitzers, which had a range of more than ten kilometers and could easily keep the French artillery out of range and render it useless.
"I have no reason to worry." Major General Friedrich comforted himself.
But he still felt uneasy.
The calmness and confidence were all pretended for others to see. After all, the person he was dealing with was Charles, the one who had never lost a battle.
If he decided to storm Liège, he would have a way.
But Major General Friedrich still didn't know what Charles could do.
Suddenly, a shrill air raid sirens sounded.
The signalman reported: "General, the French army has launched an attack, it's an airplane."
Major General Friedrich walked quickly outside the fortress and looked up into the sky. He saw that the sky was densely packed with planes, at least more than a hundred of them.
Then Major General Friedrich's face changed: "It's a transport plane, they plan to land by air!"
(End of this chapter)
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