Rise of Australia

Chapter 425 Bombard Verdun

The German General Staff made detailed plans for the siege of Falden, and finally decided to launch the attack in November 1915, code-named Execution Place.

The capture of Verdun is a very difficult task, but it can usher in unparalleled honor for the generals who lead the team.

Therefore, many German generals are gearing up for the commander of the execution site plan, eager to try.

But Falkenhayn finally chose the German Crown Prince William as the commander of the main attack on Verdun, perhaps to flatter the royal family, or perhaps to get William II to approve the plan as soon as possible. Commander of the capture of Verdun.

An authoritative work on the history of World War I called "August Gunfire" describes the German crown prince with irony:
The crown prince is in his thirties, with a fox face, breastless and wicker-thin, not at all like the five robust brothers born every other year to his mother.

The crown prince came across as frail and intellectually mediocre, not at all like his father.

But his posturing posture is exactly the same as that of William II, and he likes to make amazing states.

Although William II intends to train him to become a commander, his training is far from enough.Although he had served as a colonel of the Skeleton Hussars and had worked in the German General Staff for a year, he had not served as any division commander or army commander, and he directly became the commander-in-chief of the German Fifth Army.

Former chief of staff Schlieffen has always dismissed Crown Prince William's self-confidence. Schlieffen believes that it is unfortunate to appoint young and inexperienced commanders. He believes that such commanders will be crazy about personal honor hunting, full of energy, but not interested in executing strategic plans. .

Although Kaiser Wilhelm became the main commander in the capture of Verdun at the beginning, Falkenhayn did not hand over the original text of the memorandum presented to the Kaiser to the Crown Prince or his chief of staff, General Schmidt.

Falkenhayn's order to Crown Prince William was: "Towards Verdun, attack the Meuse area."

Crown Prince William mistook this order as a signal from the General Staff asking him to occupy Verdun, but this was not Falkenhayn's expectation, that is, to lay siege to Verdun and shed French blood.

In order to achieve the goal of besieging Verdun, Falkenhayn mobilized three armies under the command of Crown Prince William.

This also expanded the Fifth Army commanded by Crown Prince William to six armies, all of which were composed of the most elite German troops.

After the execution site was formally determined, the German army and staff began intense preparations.

Falkenhayn kept asking about the preparations of the Fifth Army, and then transferred a large number of artillery from the Russian front and the Krupp arsenal to the front of the Fortress of Verdun.

The previous capture of the Belgian fortress made Falkenhayn very convinced that the German army could easily seize positions on the ground relying on artillery, and the infantry attacking on the narrow frontal battlefield was nothing more than occupying and consolidating positions.

In order to destroy the strongest fortifications in France and smash the resistance of the French, the Germans mobilized 1200 artillery pieces and 200 mortars, including the most powerful 304mm naval artillery and 420mm siege guns.

Especially the 420mm siege gun, which is a huge artillery specially designed for siege of cities and lands. The sound of the guns can be heard tens of kilometers away, and any solid bunkers and fortifications will be blown to pieces by it.

In addition to these artillery designed to siege cities, the German army was also equipped with weapons such as mine throwers, small-caliber high-velocity guns, poison gas and flamethrowers.

Logically speaking, the Germans planned such a large-scale offensive in the Verdun area, and it was impossible to hide it from the eyes of the Allied Powers.

Although there is currently no satellite technology for monitoring, the large number of spies and intelligence personnel sent to each other by various countries is not vegetarian.

In fact, this is indeed the case. As early as the Germans began to prepare, the French intelligence agencies had already grasped the information that Germany was about to launch an offensive.

Russia also reported from the Eastern Front that Germany had mobilized part of its main force to the Western Front to put Britain and France on alert.

But at this time, the French commander-in-chief Joffre did not take it seriously.Joffre firmly believed that the Battle of the Somme planned by the British and French allied forces was more important than the German offensive, and Joffre did not think that the direction of the German offensive was Verdun. It is a peaceful area.

However, because of the suggestion of his subordinates, Xiafei still sent a small amount of troops to the Verdun area, increasing the strength of the defenders in the Verdun area.

November 1915, 11, Verdun, early morning.

The temperature on this day was a bit cold, because the humidity in the air was very high, and the thick fog shrouded the entire land like a veil.

If there is a thermometer, you can find that today's temperature has reached below zero, and even the few green plants on the land are covered with a layer of hoarfrost.

In a certain trench in France, the recruit Gerry rubbed his hands lightly, took a breath of heat, and followed the veterans around him in twos and threes to get out of the underground bunker, breathing the cold but very fresh air.

Including Gerry, this French army has been stationed in the Fortress of Verdun for several months. All the fortifications and defensive buildings around them are too familiar to them, after all, most of them are their own hands. built.

During this period of time, some courageous French soldiers would also shout to the soldiers in the German trenches not far from the opposite side, and sometimes they could also get the same boring German soldiers. The two sides did not have the cruelty of war at all.

But today, after Gerry's squad leader yelled twice to the opposite position, he didn't get any response.

"Damn it! These pigs know how to sleep." The squad leader cursed resentfully, wanting to ease the embarrassing atmosphere.

But it’s not just this place. The German soldiers who often talked to him never responded, which made the French soldiers including Gerry feel a little abnormal.

Looking at the time, it was already early eight o'clock, and Gerry's squad leader ordered: "Everyone, go have breakfast first, and then continue to build that damn defensive position."

The logistics of the French frontline army is still very sufficient, so these troops defending the Verdun Fortress can eat steaming food every day, and occasionally coffee, milk, and fruit.

Of course, when the weather gets colder, the logistics department will also provide some bad wine to the frontline troops to help them relieve fatigue and keep out the cold.

That's right, bad wine.Because this kind of wine is relatively inferior, it tastes more spicy, and it can even heat up the magic weapon properly from the throat to the chest.

Thanks to today's cold weather, the French soldiers can each share a sip of bad wine, and let them warm up on the premise of ensuring that they will not get drunk.

Hearing that they had to eat first, Gerry's unit quickly forgot that the Germans didn't talk to them. After all, in this boring position, eating is more important than anything else, so why should they care about the Germans on the other side? ?
But soon, the French army discovered something was wrong.There was no movement from the German army not far away. Logically speaking, it should also be the breakfast time of the German army.

boom!
With a bombardment, the silent Verdun defense line suddenly shook, and flames shot into the sky.

The German army was no longer hidden. The artillery positions arranged in the front and in the depth, all large and small caliber artillery roared together, launching a large-scale bombardment of the French positions in front.

The loud noise shook the ground, and countless shells pierced the dusty sky amidst the appalling whistling sound. From far to near, they poured over the French army's positions overwhelmingly, causing a series of explosions and wailing.

Coincidentally, some shells just exploded in the rear logistics department, which not only injured many French soldiers queuing up to receive meals, but also the hot soup for breakfast became one of the main culprits for injuring French soldiers.

The steam of breakfast, the smoke of shell explosions and the fog of cold weather completely covered the entire French position like a suffocating cloud of smoke.

Dazzling red lights and deafening noises continued to come from the smoke, coupled with continuous explosions that shook the surrounding land, causing some of the fortifications that were being built or not yet built to collapse directly, and buried a lot of people French soldiers.

"The Germans are attacking! Go to the trenches to hide!" the commanders of the French armies shouted hoarsely.

It is not convenient to make all kinds of food in the trenches, so the logistics department responsible for cooking is a few hundred meters behind the trenches.

Although there are certain fortifications here, they cannot accommodate so many French soldiers, and they are far less strong than the fortifications of the front-line trenches.

Under the order of their commander, countless French soldiers bent down and rushed into the trenches, looking for the strongest hiding place.

There are still some French soldiers who have not woken up in the trenches. With the bombing of the Germans, they have already been bloodied and killed.

Gerry's situation at this time was not very good. Although he hid in the trench in time, the aftermath of the explosion caused Gerry's ears and nose to bleed, staring at his eyes, and roaring in his ears.

"Gerry, open your mouth to defuse the shock wave!" shouted Gerry's squad leader.

Seeing any reaction from Gerry, he knew that he might have temporarily lost his hearing, so he quickly gestured for Gerry to open his mouth.

This is the experience that these French veterans summed up when facing the bombing of the Germans. Opening their mouths can effectively relieve part of the shock wave, at least it will not make people lose their hearing due to the shock wave.

Of course, such a method can only effectively prevent the shock wave generated by the explosion of the shell in the distance, and it does not help in defending against the explosion of the shell.

Anyone facing the bombing can only pray for one thing, either not to be bombed, or to be bombed more happily.

The worst thing is the kind that only blows to the legs or limbs. Not only does it cause great pain, but it is also very likely that the wound will be infected because of this severe trauma, and it will cost a fresh life.

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(End of this chapter)