Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 878 It Wasn't On Purpose

Joffre was at the headquarters of the Fifth Army Commander-in-Chief Lang Lezac when Kitchener found Frenzi.

The Fifth Army had been retreating since Mons, had now crossed the Marne, and was still retreating.

Joffre demanded that the Fifth Army stop its retreat and immediately launch a counterattack against the German First Army.

"Our troops do not have the ability to immediately launch a counter-offensive. The troops need to rest after a long journey. Many soldiers lost their rifles during the retreat. The artillery has no shells, and the horses are exhausted. To launch an attack on the German army, at least [-] recruits are needed In addition, the strength gap between us and the German army is too great." Lang Lezak couldn't do it, he and Xiafei were old friends, so he dared to question Xiafei's decision.

"Reinforcements are constantly arriving. Yesterday, 32 trains arrived in Paris. In addition to replenishing troops for the Sixth Army, the Eighth Army has been newly formed. However, it will take time to form combat effectiveness. Your troops are fighting for more strength for the newly formed troops. More time." Joffre also racked his brains to organize the defense line, and France was still very strong during this period.

"It's a wrong decision to spend well-trained soldiers on the battlefield and buy time for those fledgling novices!" Lang Lezac insisted. Everyone knows which recruits can't adapt to the battlefield environment within a few months.

First of all, we have to live for a few months.

"Don't complain to me, the Germans are equally tired, if you refuse to carry out my order, I will shoot you!" Joffre blurted out, he is also facing a huge crisis now, if Paris falls, then Joffre will almost certainly be dismissed.

Lang Lezac stopped talking, and looked at Xiafei in disbelief.

Reminiscent of the dismissal of General Gallieni, Lang Lezac could only carry out Joffre's orders.

Since the outbreak of the World War, Joffre has replaced two of the five army commanders, appointed seven new army commanders, twenty new division commanders, and two new cavalry division commanders. Foch was appointed commander of the newly established Ninth Army, and Henri Philippe Pétain under Lanczac was promoted to division commander. Both of them were late bloomers. When the World War broke out, Foch was already 62 years old. , Petain is also 57 years old.

In any case, Langlezac's troops began to counterattack, but first they had to withstand the German attack.

When there were many internal contradictions in the French army, problems also appeared in the command system of the German army.

After the outbreak of the World War, the headquarters of the German army was transferred from Berlin to Koblenz, and then to Luxembourg. Although it was closer to France, Moltke was still too far from the front line. He didn't know what happened on the front line.

Kaiser Wilhelm II was also in Luxembourg, and Mao Qi dared not leave the Kaiser, fearing that if he was not with the Kaiser, the Kaiser would issue some bad orders that would affect the situation of the war.

In order to put the greatest pressure on the French army, Moltke ordered Crook's First Army and Bilow's Second Army to advance side by side, protect each other's flanks, and attack Paris in a roundabout way.

Crook did not carry out Moltke's order. He stubbornly believed that he should first concentrate his forces to annihilate Langlezac's Fifth Army, and then turn around and surround Paris.

In fact, on September [-]th, this opportunity had already appeared. Lang Lezac had to stop retreating and organize a defensive line on the spot after receiving Joffre's order. If the group army moves closer, it can encircle the French Fifth Army.

Considering the communication and traffic conditions at this time, once the troops are surrounded, even if an army group is surrounded, the death penalty for the troops can almost be declared.

It's a pity that Xiao Maoqi was as stubborn as Xiafei and did not accept Crook's suggestion.

Bi Luo also did not cooperate with the attack of the First Army as Crook imagined, but continued to detour to Paris in accordance with the order of little Moltke.

As a result, the first army was getting farther and farther away from the second army, and the gap between the two armies was getting bigger and bigger.

On September [-], Crook's troops attacked Langrezac's.

The Fifth Army hardly had time to build fortifications, and it was about to meet the overwhelming attack of the German troops. The battle quickly turned into a dog-tooth-like melee. On the [-]-kilometer-long front, every forest, every town, and every grassland The army is fighting.

Both armies were exhausted to the extreme, but they still showed extraordinary courage and will. On the whole, the French army was still on the defensive at this time, but in Guise, the commander of the First Army, Louis Despere, showed Excellent, he led the troops to launch a counterattack at night, broke the German defense line, and successfully led the Fifth Army's counterattack.

The German army also had its own heroes. The [-]st Prussian Guards Regiment, which was defeated in the battle, organized a counterattack under the leadership of Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia. Eitel was the second son of William II. At this time, he showed great courage and led the Prussian First Infantry Guard Regiment to stabilize the line of defense, and launched a counterattack against the French army, trying to ensure that the front of the First Army was not penetrated.

When the Battle of the Marne began, the British Expeditionary Force had not entered the battle.

On the 105th, the [-]th Division received an order to return to the front line and establish a defensive position in the open area north of Paris, which is the gap between the German First Army and the Second Army.

"I have a very bad feeling. What will happen if the Second Army moves closer to the First Army?" Ford Lu had a delicious meal before he set off, and he didn't know when the next meal would be. .

"What else could happen? We will be crushed to pieces by two armies." Housman's jug was filled with wine, as many officers and soldiers did. They needed alcohol to anesthetize their thinking, or they would not have the courage to turn around The enemy charges.

"It's a good thing we finally have artillery—" Ford Lou rode on the horse, and now he missed his Tiger off-road vehicle very much.

In order for the 105th Division to return to the battlefield, Xia Fei equipped the 105th Division with an artillery unit equipped with 75 misses. Although there were only 24 75 misses, it was better than nothing.

"It's a pity that we don't have enough shells—" Housman regretted that France can now produce [-] shells a day, but the front line needs [-] shells.

In order to solve the problem of shells, France worked hard to organize production on the one hand, and increased purchases from southern Africa on the other hand. Colonel House finally got some orders that he had been longing for. Although it was only shells, it was better than nothing.

"Kit, tell Linde to control the speed of the troops and not plunge into the encirclement of the German army." Ford Lu asked his adjutant to remind the forward troops to pay attention to their speed. The 105th Division set off overnight. The ability to fight in the dark, that's why Louis Despere won the nickname "Desperately Frankie" when he attacked at night.

Soon, the nickname would spread throughout the Allies.

"Don't worry, Linde is not that stupid." Housman still trusts Linde, and the Chinese have always had excellent grades.

However, during the World War, there were too many accidents. After all, the 105th Division was a guest army and was not familiar with the terrain of France. It was necessary for Ford Lew to worry. Kit delivered the order. At that time, Linde was reading a map with a flashlight with several officers.

"We should go straight along the main road and set up a defensive line on the fifth bridge to stop the advance of the German army." Linde's chief of staff, Rich, is also Chinese. He graduated from Nyasaland Army Academy the year before last and is an excellent staff.

"How many bridges have we crossed? Two or three?" Linde's head was as big as a bucket. There are many rivers in France, and there are many bridges around Paris. No one will recognize the bridges on the big rivers, but some Linde really didn't know if the trestle bridge on the small river was considered a bridge.

"Three!" Franklin, the commander of the first battalion, said with certainty. Although his name looks like a foreigner, he is also Chinese.

"Two are right. The creek we passed just now is not a river at all." Quartermaster Charles corrected him, he was a white British man.

"I think there are also two seats, but I'm not sure now if you say so." Captain Frank, who was wearing a French uniform, was a guide assigned by the French Army Command.

"Aren't you French? How can you be unsure?" Linde was mad, this oolong is a bit big.

"I am indeed French, but I have been serving in Morocco, and I was transferred back to the war when the war broke out." Frank's reason is very good, and it is impossible for a local Parisian to know every place around Paris, let alone him as a colonial officer. .

"Three——" Rich chose to support Franklin. It doesn't matter if one bridge is missing, but one more bridge may be serious.

On a front that goes hand in hand, the salient is the most dangerous, and will be besieged by the enemy's superior forces. The British Expeditionary Force has a unified mind. It must strike the enemy as much as possible while preserving itself, and the focus is to preserve itself.

"Then keep going, keep the formation, keep the speed, and arrive at the predetermined position before dawn, neither early nor late—" Linde made a decision, and waved his hands to order the troops to move on.

Countless soldiers hidden in the darkness got up and continued to move forward. Most of these soldiers were Africans, and they were indeed very suitable for operating in the dark. If the iron-gray uniforms on their bodies were not more conspicuous, they would even run in front of the nose of the German army. , It is estimated that the Germans will not find them.

Before dawn, Linde's troops had not found the next bridge, but instead caught up with a supply unit. What made Linde speechless was that this supply unit was the supply unit of the 105th Division.

According to common sense, when the troops are marching, the supply troops should be at the rear of the troops.

So this shows that the 105th Division, which set out overnight, ran for a whole night, and actually went around in circles——

This result is really unacceptable to everyone.

(End of this chapter)