Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 1059 The beginning of the collapse

Just like the "heavy cavalry" and "longbowmen" who have disappeared in the long river of history because they can't keep up with the times, the grenadiers also belong to the arms that have been eliminated by history.

However, although the arms have been eliminated, the names have been retained, just like the cavalry divisions in southern Africa. Although the names are still "cavalry divisions", in fact, the horses of the cavalry have been quietly replaced by tanks and armored vehicles. Helicopters may also be equipped, and there is no need to fight on horseback anymore.

As the guard force of Crown Prince William, the 7st Grenadier Regiment is undoubtedly composed of elite soldiers, and the equipment must be the best in the German army. The A15V tanks produced in Germany have been used again since their short-lived battle in Château Thierry. It did not appear on the battlefield, but the 7st Grenadier Regiment was equipped with [-] A[-]V tanks, which is enough to prove the status of the [-]st Grenadier Regiment in the German army.

In addition to the A7V tanks, the [-]st Grenadier Regiment was also equipped with a large number of direct-firing guns and anti-tank rifles. After arriving in Douai, the Elizabeth [-]nd Infantry Regiment launched a tentative attack on Douai, losing four tanks. Immediately afterwards, Zhou Li stopped investing in ground troops and instead called for help from the Air Force.

According to the European chivalry tradition, at this time, it is necessary to make it clear that the chariots and horses will defeat the enemy head-on, in order to conform to those illusory chivalry spirits.

Zhou Li is not white, so he doesn't care about those knight traditions. The [-]st Grenadier Regiment has already built a strong fortification in Douai. Want to drive the soldiers under his command to attack the strong fortress?

It doesn't make sense at all.

The bomber unit of the Expeditionary Force was really strong. Less than half an hour after the telegram of the weekly calendar was sent, the bombers of the Expeditionary Force swarmed under the protection of fighter jets.

After the second Battle of the Marne, the combat effectiveness of the German army on the western front was really not worth mentioning. Although it was not said that it would collapse at the first touch, it was completely unable to resist the crazy attack of the expeditionary force.

Since the counterattack began, the bomber unit has become idle. They were all required to stop on the runway and be ready to provide support to the troops in need. As a result, from the counterattack to the present, the bomber unit has not found an opportunity to attack. Now it finally has The troops asked for help, and one can imagine how ecstatic the commanders and pilots of the bomber force were.

There were more than 60 bombers who came to support in the first wave. I heard that there are still four flying brigades queuing up behind.

Still the same as the previous bombings, the bombers of the Expeditionary Force use high-explosive bombs, incendiary bombs, and gas bombs in turn. This is the best way to inflict the greatest damage on the enemy.

The current Douai is only two to three square kilometers in size. More than 60 bombers took turns to wreak havoc, and Douai was immediately engulfed in flames.

As for the A7Vs equipped by the 7st Grenadier Regiment, they were taken care of by close-to-ground support aircraft. On average, three close-to-ground support aircraft dealt with one A7V, and almost all A[-]Vs were completely destroyed without firing a shot.

The result of asymmetric war is so cruel.

In previous wars, even if the enemy could not be defeated, at least after showing enough courage, they could win a chance to surrender decently.

In today's war, if you can't win, you don't even have a chance to surrender. According to statistics after the war, no more than 100 German soldiers survived in Douai. The German army invested a lot of money to form the First Grenadier Regiment. The ashes were wiped out, and on the western front where the war broke out in full swing, it did not cause any waves.

That night, the Second Elizabeth Infantry Regiment temporarily stationed outside the city of Douai without even entering the city.

There is no way to enter, Douai has been bombed and burned and has become a ruin. The whole city is now filled with a disgusting smell of barbecue, and there is still poisonous gas in the air that has not been completely dissipated.

On this day, the German army lost more than 50 people on the Western Front. The news spread to Berlin. William II lamented that this day was a "disaster day" for the German army.

However, the disaster was not over yet. On the second day after the British and French allied forces launched a counterattack, the German sailors rioted in the port of Kiel. The soldiers expressed strong dissatisfaction with the disastrous logistics supply. The responsible person waited for more than a dozen requirements.

It should be noted here that in Germany, the salary of the navy has always been higher than that of the army.

Before the outbreak of the World War, the Kaiser took the initiative to provoke an arms race in order to compete with the United Kingdom. Nearly half of Germany’s national power was invested in the construction of warships, so that the army lacked funds. In the critical years before the outbreak of the World War, even the most basic Weapon updates are not guaranteed, which certainly affected the performance of German troops on the battlefield before the outbreak of the world war.

As a result, after the outbreak of World War II, the German navy did not have the courage to fight against the British Royal Navy at all. They hid in the naval port and did not even dare to go out, watching the British fleet calmly block the German coastline.

At this time, the logistics standard enjoyed by the German Navy was still much higher than that of the Army. In the second year after the outbreak of World War II, the German frontline troops had already begun to eat chaff. The Navy was still full of fish and meat every day, hiding in the port to live happily. .

Even Kaiser Wilhelm II couldn't stand the performance of the German navy. At this time, the German navy was forced to leave the naval port and fought the Battle of Jutland with the Royal Navy.

Strictly speaking, the German Navy did not fail in the Battle of Jutland, and even the British Royal Navy suffered greater losses than the German Navy.

However, after the Battle of Jutland, the German Navy completely lost the courage to fight against the British Royal Navy, and has since shrunk in the naval port to become the most powerful existing fleet on paper in the world.

At this time, the German Navy still enjoyed the highest standard of logistics supply.

However, it was this naval force that had always enjoyed the highest standard of logistical supply and had high hopes from all over Germany, but a rebellion broke out at the most difficult time for Germany. At this time, the German Army, which had been struggling due to insufficient funds, was still fighting on the western front.

This is really unacceptable.

The sailor riot in the port of Kiel was just the beginning. In the next few days, Germany slipped into the abyss at an unprecedented speed. The workers went on strike. They worked hard in the factory, but they couldn't even fill their stomachs. Such a life It has been going on for several years, and it is only now that they can endure it. The workers in Germany are already tough enough.

Merchants went on strike, and there was actually nothing to sell in the shops. Since the British Navy blocked the German coastline, Germany had begun to distribute supplies. There were fewer and fewer goods on the shelves later, because no matter how hard the merchants tried, the speed at which they put the goods on the shelves could not keep up with the depreciation of the mark.

Citizens also began to march on the streets. The food that the civilians in Berlin received every week was less than the food that the prisoners in the British concentration camps received every week. After working all day, they have to spend several hours queuing to receive the daily distribution of food, even though they are exhausted physically and mentally at this time, and some of them fall asleep while queuing.

Unlike Germany, which was collapsing, the counteroffensive of the expeditionary force was huge.

When the World War broke out in France, there were less than 400 heavy artillery in the country.

Now the number of French heavy artillery has soared to 6000, in addition to a large number of light artillery, which is the "Miss Seventy-Five" that the French had high hopes for before.

After the counter-offensive began, the French artillery fired 40 shells on the first day. Even with such an intense shelling, it still pales in comparison to the British Expeditionary Force. During the two days of June 6 and 1, only Canada The Legion destroyed 2 shells, an average of 94 tons per day.

In Belgium, which was closer to the English Channel, Pershing mobilized 100 million U.S. troops, 3000 artillery pieces, and 700 aircraft to launch a general attack on Fortress Liege.

In order to withstand the attack of the US troops, the German army has lost nearly 30 people in the Liege Fortress.

Now the German army finally couldn't stand it anymore. With the cooperation of overwhelming artillery fire, the swarming American troops flooded the last two German forts in the Liege Fortress. At this time, the American troops can step forward and set foot on German territory.

Even under such circumstances, Ludendorff was still unwilling to admit defeat. He demanded in a letter from the German commander: All troops must stick to the line of defense, and no one is allowed to retreat under any circumstances.

In order to stop the advance of the Allied forces, Ludendorff tried his best to form troops to support the front line. Many of these newly formed troops were drawn from the arsenal and mines in the rear. These troops had not undergone strict training, and many Men were conscripted with only a rifle, and some soldiers did not even have a rifle.

Ludendorff's behavior completely ruined the German army's will to fight. The newly formed troops refused to carry out the order. The troops still fighting on the front line called these recruits "traitors" because these recruits were not willing to go to the battlefield. Behavior seriously affected the morale and logistical supply of the frontline troops.

By June [-]th, the vanguard of the British Expeditionary Force had advanced to Lorraine, which had been German territory since the Prussian War.

Not all offensives were smooth sailing. The French troops encountered greater difficulties than the British Expeditionary Force when they advanced.

The German troops had no way to deal with the British Expeditionary Force, but when facing the French troops, the German troops performed much better. Although the French troops also had planes and tanks to assist in the battle, the German troops who fought and retreated It did not completely collapse. In some areas, the German army even had enough energy to organize a counterattack. According to post-war statistics, the losses of the French army were no less than those of the German army.

(End of this chapter)