Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 1008 Mutiny

When the Allied Powers were arguing about the offensive in February and March, Ludendorff quietly withdrew his troops to the Hindenburg Line, taking over [-] square miles of land captured at the cost of the lives of nearly a million German troops after the outbreak of the World War. give up.

During the retreat, Ludendorff adopted the scorched-earth policy used by the Russian Empire when it abandoned Poland on the Eastern Front. The German army destroyed all the houses on the renounced land, all the trees were cut down to build the Hindenburg Line, and the roads and bridges were destroyed. Completely destroyed, the Germans even blew up the embankments of the Aisne River, creating as much difficulty as possible for the Anglo-French allied forces.

The weather was also helping the Germans. Just the day before the British Expeditionary Force's attack, there was heavy snowfall in Lanspor. Rock and Nivelle made urgent contact to try to delay the attack time, but Nivelle refused.

The attack of the French troops started earlier than that of the British Expeditionary Force, and it was too late to change the plan at this time.

Nivelle did not dare to stop the offensive. After the New Year, the French army got 120 tanks. These tanks were purchased from southern Africa. Nivelle wanted to replicate the victory of the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium. On the first day of the offensive , Send all these tanks to the battlefield.

But the French army did not have enough time to adapt to their new weapons. The German army already had a way to deal with the tank army, and the weather was not good for the attacking troops. target.

Of the 120 tanks, 52 were completely blown to pieces in the first day of the attack, and another 28 tanks were seriously damaged. The tank force did not have the desired effect at all.

On the first day of the offensive, Nivelle mobilized three armies, 53 divisions, and about 120 million men.

The troops were attacking the Hindenburg Line on a front 90 miles wide. Niveller expected the Germans to have only nine divisions at Chemin-Dedham. There were actually 21 German divisions, and this was quickly increased after the Spring Offensive began. To 48, in terms of strength, the German army's disadvantage is not obvious. If the addition of the Hindenburg defense line is added, the German army is fully capable of defending Sherman-Dedham.

Rock didn't know how serious the French army's casualties were on the first day. The British Expeditionary Force mobilized fewer troops than the French army. There were only 34 divisions in two armies, and with the auxiliary troops, the total strength was almost 80.

The better point is that the front of the British Expeditionary Force is only 40 miles wide, and the frontal German defense force is the German Sixth Army, the commander of this army is Ludwig von Falkenhausen.

Ludwig von Falkenhausen was a stubborn traditional soldier. Like Joffre and Haig, he refused to accept new things. His thinking was still at the beginning of the World War. He seemed to have no idea that modern warfare had evolved into What does it look like.

Although before the attack, Rock had mobilized the air force and artillery units to carry out continuous firepower attacks on the German positions, but the Hindenburg defense line was still extremely strong, and the first wave of offensive troops lasted less than two hours. was maimed.

With a firm heart, Roque ordered the follow-up troops to continue to fight. Rock will not stop attacking until he observes the loopholes in the German defense line.

The weather did not have much impact on the attack of the British Expeditionary Force. Before the attack, the British Expeditionary Force brought 206 trains of stones to repair the roads damaged by the German army. The French government recruited 25 workers to cooperate with the British Expeditionary Force. Work, the British Expeditionary Force lost 7.5 men in daylight fighting, more casualties than the first day of the Battle of the Somme, in which some 5000 were killed.

While Roque was eating dinner, Paul Cocker brought the reports of the first day of the French army.

The French troops suffered more than the British Expeditionary Force, with 11.5 casualties on the first day of the offensive.

"Nivelle is crazy. He wants to cut himself off from the French people at this time." Rock really couldn't figure it out, feeling that Nivelle was the traitor sent by the German army to France.

Although the British Expeditionary Force suffered heavy casualties, almost all the casualties on the first day came from the Indian Army. Winston was very satisfied with the result.

Although there were also colonial servants in the French army, they were not large in scale and were still dominated by local troops.

Roque estimated that Nivelle had not considered this issue either. During the first day of the offensive, a considerable part of the casualties must have come from the French troops.

In this way, the problem arises, even if Nivelle wins the battle, Nivelle will be abandoned by the French government.

It is said that the attack time of the French army was one day earlier than that of the British Expeditionary Force, so that is to say, when Roque got the French army report, the French army had actually ended the second day's offensive. Nivelle's promise to the high level of the Allied Powers is going to be in bad luck.

Before the offensive began, in order to persuade the British Expeditionary Force to cooperate with the French army's attack, Nivelle once said that if the frontline troops could not make a breakthrough within 48 hours, the French army would stop the offensive.

Now that 48 hours are up, I don't know if Nivelle will give the order to stop the attack.

"Even if France wins the war, it will lose a generation—" Paul Cocker shook his head and sighed, France is also digging its own grave.

Rock was silent, and now Rock can only do his best to preserve the vitality of Britain in order to deal with more complicated situations in the future.

Just after the British Expeditionary Force had concluded its first day of fighting, at Chemin d'Edam, the French advance was still underway.

In just 40 hours, the casualties of the French army had reached 27, of which 10 were killed in battle. If this result spread to Paris, then Nivelle would be ruined.

So Nivelle had no choice, and ordered the troops to continue to attack at night, and must break through the Hindenburg defense line.

"The front-line troops fought too badly, they need more time to rest-" Even the butcher Charles Manking felt unacceptable to the casualties of the French army.

Charles Mangin is now the commander of the French Sixth Army.

"The attack must not be stopped. We have wasted too much time. Before dawn, even if it costs people's lives, we must break through the Hindenburg defense line and capture Sherman Dedham!" Nivelle went crazy in his luxurious castle. Roaring, there is not much time left for Nivelle to prove himself: "We can defeat the Germans in Verdun, why not in Chemin-d'Edam? It must be the front-line troops who are doing their best. You go to the front line yourself and drive them away with a whip." With the soldiers attacking, I want to see the news of victory before dawn."

Nivelle still hasn't figured out how he defeated the Germans in Verdun. If it weren't for the German army's voluntary abandonment of the position by accident, then Nivelle would never have the opportunity to serve as the commander-in-chief of the French army.

"Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, we can't do that. Attacking overnight will increase unnecessary casualties. Even if we continue to attack, we will not start until tomorrow to give the officers and soldiers a night's rest." Mobile Force Commander Alfred Mi Scherer also did not agree to continue the offensive. The mobile unit he led was composed of 27 divisions, which were the strategic reserve of the French army. If the French army broke through the German defense line, or found a loophole in the German defense line, then Nivelle would Will put mobile units into battle.

It's a pity that Nivelle hasn't found a chance to join the mobile force until the spring offensive has progressed.

"Shut up, it's because your troops didn't go into battle in time that we failed to make a breakthrough." Nivelle frantically blamed it, just like Joffre and Haig who were at the end of the road.

"Is it my fault? It's ridiculous. I've been reminding you not to attack easily. It's because you insist on going your own way that you can't listen to anyone's words. That's why the current situation happened." Michele was not polite. When Le was planning the spring offensive, it was not just Roque who opposed launching the offensive, but also the opinions within France were not unified.

The most resolute opponent of the spring offensive was the new French Minister of War Paul Painlevet, who persuaded Nivelle to abandon the spring offensive from the second day he took office.

Nivelle resolutely refused to give up. In order to realize his campaign plan, Nivelle went to French President Poengale, claiming that if he could not organize the attack according to his own will, he would resign as commander-in-chief of the French army.

At this time, it was less than three months before Nivelle became the commander-in-chief of the French army. If Nivelle resigned, it would mean that the new government fell again. Poengale did not dare to take this risk and was forced to agree to Nivelle’s request .

Even so, Alfred Michele did not stop persuading, so now when Nivelle is crazy about throwing the blame, Alfred Michele can't bear it: "—I never stopped reminding you, Now you are actually blaming me for the failure of the attack, but my troops have not received an order to launch an attack at all, what do you want me to do? Do you know what your behavior is called? This is cowardice!"

Alfred Michelle is welcome, the battle was really bad. France lost 54 in the Battle of Verdun, of which 15.6 died, but the Battle of Verdun lasted for a full year.

Now that the spring offensive has only started for two days, the loss of the French army has reached 27 people. In terms of the intensity of the battle, the spring offensive is unprecedented.

"How dare you say I'm cowardly?! You bastard, you've been dismissed. Get out of here and my headquarters immediately!" Nivelle was going crazy. Before the spring offensive was over, internal strife broke out in the leadership of the French army. If it gets out, Nivelle can only resign voluntarily and leave the French Army Command in a dishonorable way.

"Let's go, I'll wait to see what happens to you, you bastard, executioner, butcher, devil, you should go to hell—" Michele was furious, jumping and yelling, and didn't shut up until he was dragged away by the guards.

"Sir, the front-line troops mutinied. They refused to attack the German positions and killed the officers—" It was not the first time that the staff rushed to report.

(The second update is delivered, it should be the third update today, but there may be a fourth update, it depends on how good the brothers are——)

(End of this chapter)