Chapter 1055 You Think Too Much 2
Chapter 1055 You think too much 2
Before the offensive, a total of 213 fully loaded trains passed through these railways to transport ammunition to the troops ahead. (Note, it is the number of trains, not wagons!) This resulted in 3,000 rounds of artillery shells for each field cannon company, 2,100 rounds of artillery shells for each field howitzer company, and 1,200 rounds of artillery shells for each heavy howitzer company. Moreover, what is even more outrageous is that these artillery shells were only rationed for 6 days before the start of the battle! After the war began, 33.75 trains of artillery shells were delivered to the front line every day!
Then, the Germans started fighting with confidence... After nine hours of artillery preparation, the Germans launched their attack. Then in the first two days, the best troops only advanced 1.5 to 2 kilometers... Soon, the French also reflected. First, the French gathered nearly 9,000 officers and soldiers, and 3,900 vehicles to form 175 vehicle transport platoons to transport supplies. From February 27 to March 6, It transported 23,000 tons of ammunition, 2,500 tons of various supplies, and 190,000 soldiers!
And this was just the beginning. During the intermission from March 22 to 30, the French transferred the Tenth Army from the Anas area to Verdun. After receiving the support of four armies, this critical battle finally ended. Transformed into a war of attrition, the average French division replacement time was ten to fifteen days. The replacement time of each German division is one to one and a half months. This is not because the Germans' combat effectiveness is too high, but because Germany simply does not have enough reserve power to bear this kind of consumption! France once concentrated 80 artillery batteries in a certain area to counterattack in one day, and the Germans also made an effort, concentrating 6 divisions and 79 heavy artillery batteries for an assault. However, all these efforts ultimately had no effect other than sending more lives and resources to the altar of war!
Finally, when the Battle of the Somme began, the German army, which was stretched thin in both strength and equipment, was forced to evacuate its troops from the Verdun fortress area. From July 2 to 12, the Germans were forced to remove 2 divisions, 52 heavy artillery batteries and 9 light artillery batteries from the Verdun Fortress. The strength of two divisions is nothing, but the 61 artillery batteries behind them are really draining the firepower! By this time, the German attack had actually failed.
In the end, from December 13th to 16th, with the support of 400 artillery batteries and the newly arrived 400MM train guns, the French army of 4 divisions launched a counterattack and finally recaptured most of the area. So far, it took 10 The month-long Battle of Verdun finally came to an end. In this battle, the French consumed 69 divisions, while the Germans consumed 50 divisions. The losses of each participating division were more than 70%! As a result, Falkenhayn was forced to resign as Chief of the German General Staff.
In fact, at the beginning of the Battle of Verdun, Falkenhayn only regarded it as a limited attack and a battle that consumed the strength of the French. Isn't there a saying that when attacking the enemy, you must save it and encircle the point to provide reinforcements? ? Falkenhayn's intention was to use Germany's artillery superiority to continuously consume the French. However, in this battle, the two sides became more and more superior, so that the scale became unmanageable. Generally speaking, Germany has an advantage in the exchange ratio, but strategically, Germany, which has less wealth, obviously suffers.
Even now,
When Germany's armaments were much stronger than in history, the prince's attitude on the Western Front was to never engage in fortress offensive and defensive battles. On the Eastern Front, he would avoid it if possible. One of the important reasons for the implementation of the Polish Pocket Battle in the future is In order to avoid the Russian fortresses on the border between the two sides.
The Battle of Verdun Fortress is a very classic one. From the offensive side, the Germans' preparations were perfect, including the deployment of artillery. From the reconnaissance and assistance of the air force, the commando-style combination of the infantry to the logistics supply, all the issues that can be considered are considered. Falkenhayn's sand table operation can definitely get full marks! But then the facts tell the world, so what if you prepare in time to get a perfect score? In an environment like the Western Front, it is still impossible to successfully attack the enemy! Tactically speaking, the French's continuous reinforcements, equally powerful artillery groups, and continuous fortifications offset the opponent's advantages, and the potential attack launched by the British on the Somme also stretched the German army.
From both strategic and tactical points of view, the Germans could not succeed. Tactically, although you have some advantages, the advantage is not enough to completely overwhelm the opponent. Strategically speaking, if you concentrate your strength, there must be areas where you are weakened, which is also the opponent's weakness. Facing opponents of the same level, this kind of battle will Eventually it turned into a war of attrition! Even if there are tanks, the opponent also has tanks after all... Even if the Germans begin to concentrate several times their troops, due to battlefield restrictions, you can only invest a little bit, just like a refueling tactic, so your advantage cannot be directly reflected on the front line. As long as the French are not stupid, they will definitely reinforce.
The prince came to find Falkenhayn in the hope that if this buddy still had the opportunity to become the chief of general staff in the future, even if he had to fight a similar battle like Verdun, it would be enough... There was some benefit at first and then the business stopped. do not think too much.
"To be honest, I am very puzzled by your performance today." Falkenhayn said. He originally wanted to say he was disappointed, but looking at the opponent's identity and record, and then looking at himself, it seemed that he was really not qualified. Not long ago, the two sides on the Western Front had just completed a war of attrition. In short, everyone was spending a lot of money. , but the front line has basically remained unchanged. Compared with the prince's record when he went up and penetrated the French's line, that was too poor.
"This is just your opinion, but if the Western Front is to launch an attack on the fortified area, I will express my opinions directly to the Kaiser. No matter who is the commander of this battle, I will remind him to stop in moderation. , because in this battle you lose not only yourself but also the entire empire!"
What really pushed France to the edge of the cliff in history was the German Kaiser's Offensive in the late World War I. Using elite commandos and fresh troops transferred from the Eastern Front, Germany used its last remaining strength to achieve a major victory before the Americans arrived in large numbers. A breakthrough is like tearing open the opponent's armor with a dagger, but barely stabbing it in with one breath. Then help came and knocked the exhausted German to the ground.
"I originally came here to learn how to attack and defend the fortress, but Your Excellency caught me off guard." Facing the powerful prince, Falkenhan could only smile bitterly.
"You just need to know that it is almost impossible to capture a strongly fortified fortress. You can launch feint attacks and launch limited attacks, but you must not exhaust all your energy! Do you see, the current Russian Legion On the way to death, they could have done better, but worshiping in front of the fortress consumes their own strength, and will drag the entire empire with them!" the prince said in a stern voice.
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