Chapter 2036: Into the Night One
"The attack speed of the Germans exceeded our imagination, and this was when the other party deliberately limited the attack speed. The Germans almost stopped advancing at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and their artillery was still blocking our traffic. The troops began to prepare for the night, and even if the speed slowed down slightly afterwards, the Germans could completely penetrate our position within 3 to 4 days." Petain said after synthesizing various intelligences.
"It seems that Crown Prince Ruprecht has not been dazzled by the huge advantage. The steady advance of the Germans has made our chances of success very low." Foch said helplessly.
"Then shall we continue to fight?" Pétain asked.
"Of course we have to fight. The number of troops on the front line is not large. Our main force still has no reason to surrender. And don't forget that if we finally decide to surrender, if the British reserve force in our hands is still there, Then we might have to fight the British, so, as scheduled, we might as well consume the troops given to us by the British, and then consider the rest." Foch said rather black-bellied.
You must know that there are more than 200,000 Commonwealth troops behind the French positions. Although they have been assigned to the French army, the command and supplies of this army are still relatively independent. If the French are surrendering at this time, then this What will the British army do? Is it just a joke to disarm more than 200,000 British troops armed to the teeth? Totally impossible! So conflict is inevitable! Under such circumstances, Foch decisively believes that the only way to talk about it is to consume the British reinforcements first! If the German offensive is blocked, everyone will be happy. If it cannot be stopped, then at least the trouble of the French will be saved!
"So what about our counterattack tonight?" Pétain asked.
"Of course we must continue. With the Germans occupying overwhelming firepower and air superiority, night battles are our only chance to achieve results. At night, our mobilization is safer, and the Germans' firepower superiority will be destroyed. Weakened, the only pity is that the Germans did not reveal too much weakness this time!" Foch said regretfully.
When night fell over the land again, the German army spent the first night on the newly occupied position. At this time, all the commandos had been deeply wedged into the French position. The legion advanced from 9 to 12 kilometers, which was almost unimaginable in the past. After all, in previous battles, there were often tens of thousands of casualties. After fighting for a long time, the position could only move a few hundred meters.
The offensive on the front line has come to a halt, but that doesn't mean that the Germans are sleeping at night. Far from the front line, the engineering troops are racing against time. They need to open up roads for trucks to maneuver in the complex area of gullies. the way. Hundreds of bulldozers and excavators went into battle together. They filled up the trenches, dropped a large number of bundles of firewood in the trenches and covered them with soil and planks to allow large load-bearing vehicles to pass. At the scene, a series of simple roads are rapidly extending to the distance. In some key areas, the Germans will also transport ash and slag, lay it on the road, and then use a road roller to roll it over and over again.
Subsequently, on both sides of the paved simple road, the Germans began to set up military depots and supply depots. A large amount of materials were piled up in suitable places, and they were camouflaged with camouflage nets and materials obtained from local materials. Formed cars also began to transport a large number of troops, equipment and supplies to the front, and on several relatively high-standard roads, they were used to transport tanks and heavy towed artillery. The idea of the Germans is very simple, at least before the French engage in a decisive field battle, the 210MM heavy howitzers and 150MM heavy cannons must keep up with the advancing troops! Even if the front line stops fighting,
But the strength of the German army on the front line has been growing!
The busy day and night of the Germans naturally aroused the anxiety of the French. Not long after nightfall, the remaining artillery of the French began to suppress the attack. However, the number of artillery that can still be used has been torn apart from the front. It was too little to say, and soon, the German anti-battery units, which relied on sound positioning, immediately called for more powerful firepower to implement counter-suppression. Special missions, so they did not devote all their artillery to the attack on the rear construction units.
A night battle is also brewing in the area where the two sides are confronting each other. Using the cover of night, the French sent a large number of people to the front line through trenches and roads. In order to ensure safety, the French convoy also processed the lights. In addition to a large number of infantry and remaining artillery, the French also drove a small number of armored units out of hiding places to join the counterattack.
The French also adopted commando tactics similar to the Germans. A large number of commandos carrying Shaosha machine guns, explosive equipment and light artillery concentrated along the remaining trenches towards the offensive zone. The 75MM artillery was too heavy to be carried by infantry. So they mainly carry small-caliber infantry guns and mortars. A 37MM light infantry gun produced by Schneider has become the favorite of the French assault squad. This weapon is perfect for dealing with machine gun bunkers. As for the tanks and assault guns that may exist? Then it was handed over to the San Mengsha heavy armored destroyer in the rear. This weapon known as the armored nemesis in the Eastern Mediterranean is not much in the French battle order now, because it weighs nearly 20 tons and is equipped with The weapon production cost of the 105MM cannon is a bit high!
"Remember, when our cannons start firing half an hour later we are attacking. The armored units will help us fight those steel monsters. We can deal with the infantry." A French officer looked at the German positions 500 meters away. said one of his subordinates. And when the time reached 11 o'clock in the evening, the counterattack brewed by the French finally kicked off!
Although they suffered heavy losses during the daytime battle, this time, the French night attack still concentrated about 800 artillery pieces of various calibers. These remaining artillery pieces protruded from the reinforced bunkers with long barrels. The planned French soldiers were busy in front of these big guys. The French still valued this raid very much. The two 520MM super-heavy train guns that had been hidden in the jungle in the previous battles also revealed a terrifying fangs, and then finally completed the final debugging after three and a half hours of busy work, and now, the reason why the French set the time at 11 o'clock in the evening is largely to wait for this big guy turn up!
Three more today~~~! Ask for a subscription and a reward~~~! ! !