Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 969

Haig probably forgot why Lloyd George resigned after a short-lived flash in the pan. He was dazzled by Rock's record and ignored the internal contradictions of the British Expeditionary Force. , and by five o'clock in the afternoon, the Anzac generals also refused to attack, and Haig finally knew he was in big trouble.

The reason for refusing to attack is simple. Haig believes that the German army has reached the brink of collapse. As long as another attack is launched, the troops may break through the German defense line.

The crux of the problem is that the troops on the front line have been fighting for a whole day, with heavy casualties and no hope in sight. In the morning, Coker was dismissed, and the morale of the three artillery divisions of the Southern African Expeditionary Force dropped rapidly, and the intensity of fire cover dropped by more than one Level, from [-]:[-] noon to [-]:[-] pm, the attacking troops were starving and thirsty without taking in a drop of water. At this time, Haig was still ordering the troops to attack. The generals of the Anzac Army were worried that unspeakable incidents would occur, so the generals collectively Refuse to take orders.

"The troops on the front line suffered heavy casualties. Two of the three brigades of the new First Division were beaten to the brink of withdrawal. The worst battalion had only 30 people left. This is not an attack at all, but our soldiers are queuing up to die. "Brad Nancy, the commander of the new First Division, has endured to the limit. Australia is different from the United Kingdom. The country has a total of 550 million people. Now 30 troops have been sent to Europe to participate in the war. Australia has begun to recruit female soldiers. From the Battle of the Dardanelles to the present, the Anzacs have suffered more than 10 casualties. Brad Nancy is very worried that if this continues, the Anzacs will be wiped out before the World War ends.

After the World War, Australian generals had to return to Australia. Thinking about the enthusiasm of the Australian people when the Anzacs set off, Brad Nancy was afraid that he would have no face to return to Australia to face the soldiers' families.

Frenzi is the best example. After being made Viscount of Ypres, Frenzi returned to his hometown. A lady stopped Frenzi's car and politely asked Frenzi, her three Where are the sons buried.

This lady only had three sons, and she sent them all to the battlefield. Unexpectedly, within a year, this lady received three obituaries in a row. It is hard to describe how desperate this lady is.

Frenzi was speechless, and almost drew his gun in shame. If the lady insulted Frenzi or beat Frenzi, Frenzi might feel better, but the lady is very polite. , showing good self-cultivation, her son must have been well educated too.

The same is true for Haig. Don't look at him killing all directions now. When he returns to the UK, the British will drown Haig in his saliva.

Of course, the more likely situation is that Haig doesn't care about these verbal criticisms at all. After all, everything will be ruined after all. There are too many tragedies hidden behind these words. A grain of sand of the times falls on everyone's head It is a big mountain.

"The Germans also suffered heavy casualties. Now it depends on who of us can persevere to the end. The party who perseveres to the end will win a complete victory. Otherwise, all our previous sacrifices will be meaningless." Haig was furious. He had already dismissed a senior If one more general is dismissed from his position, I am afraid that it is not the mutiny of the soldiers, but the rebellion of the generals.

"Enough is enough. Even if we defeat the frontal German army, we will not be able to win the final victory. After capturing Mons, the German army is still waiting for us in Ypres. After capturing Ypres, there are more German troops in Brussels. With our strength, it is not enough at all." Possibly as far as Berlin." General Kyle Gray was an old friend of Brad Nancy's, and of course he was in high agreement with his old friend at this time.

"Pay attention to your words, you are cowardly words, and this kind of voice is absolutely not allowed in my army to shake the morale of the soldiers." Haig tried to use high pressure to make Kyle Gray and Brad Nancy succumb.

"God is so cowardly. I was wounded in Ladysmith. In the Dardanelles, the headquarters is only two kilometers away from the front line. I have won the Victoria Cross, and His Majesty has affirmed my bravery. How did I get here? It became a damn shameless coward!" Kyle Gray was also irritable, and a series of particle words showed how angry Kyle Gray was.

"Medals can only represent your past, not your present!" Kyle Gray didn't mention the Boer War, but when he mentioned the Boer War, Haig suddenly fell into madness.

Southern Africa was a stain on Haig's military career. During the Boer War, the 17th Lancer Cavalry under Haig's command was the only unit of the British Expeditionary Force that was cancelled.

During this period of time, the domestic media in the UK have often emphasized this matter in newspapers, and the editors and reporters who have used everything to do everything have hinted in cryptic language between the lines that since Haig’s performance in previous wars was so bad, then Now that Haig leads the British Expeditionary Force, will the British Expeditionary Force repeat the mistakes of the 17th Lance Cavalry?

There is no guarantee that this will not happen again.

Haig himself couldn't, and didn't dare, since the world war has progressed, quite a few troops have been cancelled.

What is abominable is that while attacking Haig, the media did not forget to remind readers that under Roque's command, no unit has ever been cancelled.

In newspapers, Haig’s name and Rock’s name often appear one after another. If Haig’s name appears in the previous paragraph, then Rock’s name must appear in the latter paragraph. Haig’s mistakes are infinitely magnified by editors and reporters with magnifying glasses. However, Rock's black history is covered by various spring and autumn brushwork.

"Fuck!" Kyle Gray was also crazy, slamming the door and leaving.

A room full of generals were left looking at each other.

That night, the Council of War appointed Henry Wilson Chief of Staff of the British Expeditionary Force.

Before this appointment, Henry Wilson was the liaison officer between the British Expeditionary Force and the French Army, mainly responsible for the coordination between the British Expeditionary Force and the French Army.

Like the appointment of Haig as the commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force, this appointment was also not wise enough. Henry Wilson was irritable and arrogant. After the outbreak of the World War, the coordination between the British Expeditionary Force and the French army had great problems. · Wilson did not play its due role during this period.

In any case, the War Council has expressed dissatisfaction with Haig's work, and Haig should be vigilant. If Haig does not change his "butcher" style, then the War Council will make new decisions next.

While the British Expeditionary Force was in trouble, so were the French troops at Verdun.

Petain fell ill as soon as he arrived at the front line. He said that he slept in a chair in his room for several hours, and then he developed a fever.

The doctor diagnosed Pétain with pneumonia and injected him with antibiotics. However, Pétain is 60 years old and not as energetic as a young man. It will take some time to recover.

At this time, Pétain finally showed his great potential. He had every reason to return to Paris to rest, but Pétain did not do so. He locked himself in the ward and strictly ordered his subordinates not to spread the news of his illness. Orders were given to organize the delivery of supplies to Duvermont and Vaux.

The bad news came again, and before the reinforcements arrived in Duvemont, Duvemont fell.

The process of the fall of Duvemont was full of drama. Originally, Duvemont was located in the core area of ​​a large fortress with perfect defenses, and it was difficult for the German army to capture it head-on.

The French generals who commanded the front-line operations also thought so, so Duvemont's troops were drawn out to support other fortresses, and there were only 60 defenders left in the entire Duvemont.

The German army attacking Duvalmont used the super cannons that conquered the fortress of Liege, but it did not achieve the desired effect. The French army learned from the experience of the southern African expeditionary force in building fortifications, and added several layers of sandbags and soil above the fortress. , As a result, these sandbags and soil absorbed the kinetic energy of the shells very well, and the fortress was safe and sound from the bombardment of the super cannons.

Unfortunately, Joffre removed the cannons inside the fort before the Battle of Verdun broke out, causing the defenders to lose their ability to fight back against the Germans.

On January 1, three German detachments approached Fort Duvemont from three different directions without encountering any resistance.

All three German teams successfully entered Fort Duvemont. The corridors were empty and there were no French soldiers in the room. A German soldier found some fresh fruits and eggs in the internal dining room. Several German soldiers swept the fruits and eggs away. And empty, and then wiped out the 60 French troops who were responsible for guarding the fortress of Duvemont in the officer's lounge.

Seeing the German soldiers who suddenly appeared in front of them, the French soldiers were at a loss. They didn't have any weapons with them, so they could only raise their hands and surrender. The German army occupied Fort Duvemont without firing a single shot.

What's funny is that another batch of supplies was sent to Fort Duvemont that night, so the German soldiers received the supplies unceremoniously, and locked up the soldiers who delivered the supplies with the 60 defenders in the fort.

There are still many ridiculous things. While capturing Fort Duvemont, the German ammunition depot in Spancourt suddenly exploded.

Spancourt was a small village where the Germans stored 45 rounds of shells for the attack on Douvermont and Vaux.

As a result, 45 rounds of shells were lost in the violent explosion. Paris felt the shock caused by the shell explosion. The attacking German army lost the supply of shells.

At the same time, the large-caliber artillery of the French army was finally sent to the front. Petain had just joined the army as an infantryman, but after a long military career, Petain is now an excellent artillery officer.

In order to better resist the German attack, Petain concentrated all the artillery of the French army and focused on attacking the Germans who were attacking. The performance of the French army on the front line improved immediately.

It seems that the French army seems to have found a more qualified commander-in-chief.

(End of this chapter)