Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 1003 The Americans Are Finally Here

Unlike Nivelle, who was full of confidence, Ludendorff ordered the German army to hide in the strong and safe Hindenburg defense line, waiting for the British and French allied forces to take the initiative to attack.

Rock did not want to see the tragedy of the Somme repeated in Reims, but under pressure from Paris and London, the British Expeditionary Force was forced to attack the German army.

Winston ignored a problem. The Russian Empire really needs confidence, but what if the British and French allied forces are greeted with a disastrous defeat?

I am afraid that the consequences will be more serious, and it may cause the Russian Empire to withdraw directly from the war.

At that time, millions of German-Austrian allied troops released from the Eastern Front will pour into the Western Front. The scene is too beautiful for Rock to imagine.

Rock and Nivelle agreed to attack on March 3th. The reason why they delayed until this time was to wait for the snow on the front line to melt and the roads to become dry, making it easier for the tank troops of the Anglo-French coalition to attack.

Although there are hidden dangers in the Russian Empire, there is also a lot of good news at the same time. The British Expeditionary Force continues to increase its troops. By mid-March, the British Expeditionary Force had 180 million people on the Western Front, and it continued to increase.

Nivelle couldn't wait for the tanks and aircraft produced by France itself. The French government had to order them from southern Africa. The arsenal in Nyasaland operated 24 hours a day to fully meet the needs of the European battlefield.

On March 3th, the first batch of U.S. troops landed in Calais. They were not empty-handed. They were equipped with a large number of machine guns and artillery. The first batch of U.S. troops to arrive in Calais totaled [-] people. Although the number is a bit small, it will increase rapidly. .

In the 12 boot camps on the east coast of the United States, more than 100 million US troops are being trained, and they will arrive in France to participate in the war in the next six months.

Unlike the United States in another time and space, which watched the fire from the other side and made a fortune in war, the United States in this time and space has truly achieved "isolationism" and failed to obtain arms orders from the Allied Powers.

I'm afraid the Americans haven't figured out what they want. The United States has no shortage of land, capital, or industrial strength. What the United States wants is a market, but the global market is controlled by Britain and France. , the Americans can't get their hands on it, and the United States wants to expand its influence, but it is located in the Americas and is excluded from the "world center", so the position of the United States in this time and space is very embarrassing.

The commander who led this American army was General John Joseph Pershing. He also had the nickname "Jack the Terrible". unbearable.

Pershing visited Rock as soon as he arrived in Calais, and expressed to Rock clearly that he hoped that the US military would have independent command on the Western Front, just like the previous Southern African Expeditionary Force.

Rock could not meet this requirement. Nominally, the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front should also be dominated by French troops. Although the record of the British Expeditionary Force was better, the number of French troops was larger, and the Western Front was the home field of France. The criteria for determining the dominance of the battlefield are such nonsense.

Roark and Pershing went to Paris together, to a meeting in that lavish, outrageous chateau in Nivelles.

This time, as soon as Pershing opened his mouth, Nivelle directly vetoed it.

"There are only 3 troops, what kind of autonomy do you want? Even if you are given a defensive line, can your troops withstand the crazy German attack? I am afraid that within three hours, your troops will collapse "Nivelle is very polite to Roque, which is the respect that Roque earned with his outstanding record. To Pershing, Nivelle is another domineering Frenchman. The United States is synonymous with "upstarts" during this period. Don't expect Neville to show Pershing much respect.

"We still have 100 million troops in the training camp. Starting next month, 12 troops will arrive in France every month, so it is not too much for me to ask for an independent command." Pershing argued that after the outbreak of the World War, the Allies The performance of the general proves that if the American troops are handed over to the command of the French generals, then the American troops will become cannon fodder on the Western Front.

Before the United States entered the war, there was also huge controversy in the United States. Some Americans insisted that the "isolationism" and "free trade" that the United States has always pursued should be adhered to, which is in the best interest of the United States.

Those who think that the United States should participate in the war believe that a world war may be the last opportunity for the world to divide its sphere of influence. If the United States misses this opportunity, it will be permanently blocked in the Americas and lose the opportunity to expand its influence around the world.

In the end, those who insisted on participating in the war had the upper hand, but the United States was not ready. The training camps in the United States were still training troops in the same way as during the American Civil War. They had no idea how cruel the battle on the Western Front had reached. There is no understanding of the new tactics of infantry-gun coordination and infantry-tank coordination, and the US troops have not even been baptized by gas bombs.

"Your troops are not yet able to adapt to the environment on the Western Front, and they cannot stand on their own at all. I suggest you wait for a while. If you still think that the U.S. military can fight independently, then I will give you a chance." Nivelle also knows that the U.S. military At this point, Nivelle did not deliberately create difficulties for Pershing. Thinking about the participation of the Kingdom of Italy in the war, the Allied Powers were very happy, so the United States joined the war, Britain and France were very welcome.

Among other things, the United States now has a population of 100 million. This is an unparalleled advantage. The United Kingdom has already started the compulsory military service system to recruit troops. After mobilization, the United States quickly recruited [-] million troops, all of whom are volunteers.

Pershing agreed with Nivelle's suggestion, and after returning to Calais, he proposed to Rock that he hoped to observe the training of the British Expeditionary Force.

Rock wanted to give Pershing a warning, so he gave this task to the Second Cavalry Division.

Although Pershing is the only Army special general in the history of the United States, the current Pershing is not enough, Rock has no time to accompany Pershing, and finally accompanied Pershing to become the commander of the Second Cavalry Division Don Juan.

Don Juan opened the training ground to Pershing, and the troops are working together with Butan.

The tank made entirely of steel immediately attracted Pershing's attention. After getting Don Juan's permission, Pershing and other US military generals sat in the tank to experience the feeling of being a tanker.

"How does it feel?" Don Juan has already experienced it, and it must be said that the feeling is not good.

"Great weapon, tank—why the name?" Pershing was intrigued by tanks.

"To confuse the Germans, you haven't seen another tank. Compared with this light tank, another tank is a real monster." After the "Hussar" tank arrived in France, the "Little Tramp" tank was completely abandoned.

"Light tanks, so that means there are heavy tanks—another kind?" Pershing made an analogy. He is an excellent soldier who never rejects new things, which is in stark contrast to some people.

Of course, Pershing also has shortcomings. He has almost strict requirements on military appearance, perhaps because he just rubbed some engine oil on the clothes in the tank cabin, Pershing frowned; when he jumped off the tank, Perxing's leather shoes were stained with mud, which also made Perxing unbearable, and he bent down to wipe off the mud immediately.

"Yes, but it is not necessary now. Unless the German army also has tanks, we need to develop more powerful tanks." Don Juan did not tell the truth. The "heavy cavalry" has actually been successfully developed, but it has not yet been deployed on a large scale.

"What is the role of the tank? To provide cover for the soldiers during the attack? Or as a tactical fulcrum during the defense?" Pershing asked many questions, and these details are not difficult to find. Behind every tank on the training ground, there is a coordination Infantry fighting tanks.

However, the task of the tank during the attack is not to provide cover for the infantry, but the infantry must provide protection for the tank, and German soldiers holding explosive packs or anti-tank grenades cannot be allowed to approach the tank.

"It's all right. We are also making more attempts. For example, what is going on now is the cooperation between infantry and tanks in the offensive." Don Juan introduced it in detail. No matter what the future holds, at least for now, the U.S. military is the British Allies of the Expeditionary Force.

"Then let's get started, let's see the real power of the tank—" Pershing was in high spirits, but as soon as the tank started, Pershing immediately had problems.

"Why are the infantry lined up in two ranks behind the tanks?"

"The tracks of the tank can provide effective protection for the soldiers accompanying the attack—"

"The caliber of the tank gun seems a little small—"

"This is determined by the power of the tank engine."

"Won't the artillery take part in the attack?"

"Of course you have to participate, but there is no need to actually pull out the cannon during training."

-

In the evening, Pershing experienced the meals of the British Expeditionary Force with Don Juan, which opened Pershing's eyes again.

Relatively speaking, the meals of the expeditionary army were still very rich. Traditional pickled eggs and luncheon meat were indispensable, and the richness of various canned food was beyond Pershing's imagination. Like other British troops, the officers and soldiers of the Second Cavalry Division There is also unlimited coffee and wine. Don Juan, as the teacher, is equipped with a professional chef. Perxing also tastes the delicious traditional Chinese food, but this does not make Pershing very happy. Regarding the luxury of the expeditionary force, Perxing greatly for shock.

It is indeed a luxury. The British mainland is almost out of potatoes, but the expeditionary force has unlimited coffee and wine here. Only the UK can support this level of logistics.

If this is 1 to 1500 troops, it will be fine. Don’t forget that there are millions of officers and soldiers on the Western Front. No wonder the British government spends [-] million pounds every week to purchase supplies from southern Africa.

(End of this chapter)