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Verdun is the prominent part of the Allied defense line, which poses a great threat to the German army's penetration into France and Belgium. It is also a strong stronghold leading to Paris and the hub of the French army's front. At the beginning of 1916, the German Imperial High Command decided to shift its strategic focus to the west, and Falkenhain, the Chief of the German General Staff, set the target of the attack on the famous fortress of Verdun in France.Verdun is the protruding part of the front of the British and French armies. It is like a protruding fang, posing a serious threat to the German flank that penetrates into northern France. Germany and France have fought here many times, but the German army failed to capture it. fortress.If the German army can capture Verdun in one fell swoop this time, it will definitely deal a heavy blow to the morale of the French army.At the same time, the occupation of Verdun also opened up the channel for the German army to march towards Paris. After occupying Paris, France would be destroyed without attack, and the remaining British and Russian armies would be nothing to fear.

Beginning in January 1916, Falkenhayn quietly assembled troops to prepare to attack Verdun. At the same time, Germany blatantly increased its troops to Chamberny, making a gesture of launching an offensive there.The commander-in-chief of the French army, Joffre, was really fooled.Since the German army was unable to capture Verdun in 1 and shifted its offensive direction, the French believed that the Verdun Fortress was outdated, and Joffre stopped strengthening the fortress in 1914.At this time, the movement of the German army to Chamberny made Joffre extremely vigilant. He thought that the German army would attack Chamberny and then march into Paris from here.The Germans are continuing to quietly build up forces in the direction of Verdun.As the signs of assembly gradually became apparent and exposed, the British and French allied forces finally figured out the real intention of the German army.Xiafei panicked and quickly ordered to increase troops to Verdun.But by 1915 February, only two divisions had reached Verdun.On this day, the German army began to attack Verdun.The German artillery regiment bombarded the fortress of Verdun with heavy artillery fire, and then launched a charge.The prelude to the Battle of Verdun has begun.The 2 cannons of the German army bombarded like thunder, charging one lang higher than the other in turns.The commander of Verdun Fortress Petain commanded the defenders and reinforcements to resist desperately.However, because the reinforcements only came to two divisions, plus his own two divisions, there were only four divisions in total, and the German army advanced 21 kilometers on the first day.But he finally held his ground.

The battle was hard for the French army.The German army has 27 divisions and 1000 cannons, while the French army has only 11 troops and 270 cannons.But somehow it withstood the German attack.After the French reinforcements arrived, the two sides began a tug-of-war.The German army had already lost its opportunity to take Verdun in one fell swoop the day before, and both sides were increasing their troops to Verdun, posing for a fight to the death.In the fierce fighting until April, the strength of the French army was comparable to that of the German army.The Germans were in a hurry, and the crown prince personally conquered it, and used gas bombs for the first time.But the French army still stopped the German offensive again and again in front of the fortress. In July, the Germans launched their last offensive **, but they were still held back by the French army. By the autumn, the French army began to counterattack.

In the Battle of Verdun, Germany and France invested nearly 200 million troops, with a total of more than 100 million casualties.The German army was exhausted in this battle.After the French counter-offensive began, they successively recovered large tracts of land east of Verdun, and the German army retreated steadily.By November, the fronts of both sides had returned to their pre-war status.

This is the famous Battle of Verdun, and as the information that the Chinese European Expeditionary Force was about to be stationed here was sent to the desk of Marshal Hindenburg, the chief of the German general staff, a bold idea appeared in Hindenburg's mind .

Another Battle of Verdun?

Due to the two consecutive battles of Verdun and the Lyme River launched in 1916, both the German army and the French army have entered a very exhausted state. In fact, both warring parties stopped large-scale military operations throughout 1917. , They all chose to lie down in the nest and wear their own wounds, trying to recover a little vitality.

But now it is obvious that the French can't hold it anymore. They actually left such an important place in Verdun to the Chinese to guard it.

What level is the squadron? Hindenburg doesn't know?Just over ten years ago, the Eight-Nation Allied Forces commanded by Vadsi with less than 5 people captured the capital of the Eastern Empire very easily, stayed there for more than a year, and obtained huge indemnities.Hindenburg and Vardesi are still acquaintances. He really can't understand how the hundreds of thousands of boxers that overwhelmingly described by Vardesi rushed towards him like a tide, and then how they collapsed in front of the powerful firepower of the coalition forces. .He even couldn't understand how there could be such a horrible organization as the Boxers, who were so keen on killing their compatriots, as if they could defeat the foreigners by killing all their compatriots who believed in Christianity and used Western products!But Hindenburg figured out one thing, that is, Chinese rulers generally have low IQs, and their army is even more vulnerable. The appearance of 24 squadrons in Europe is probably the result of an equally ignorant Chinese ruler's overheating. Will the powerful German army be afraid of a group of troops similar to African natives?The answer is obvious.

Hindenburg began to lobby the Kaiser hard, and organized another Battle of Verdun, trying to use this loophole at this most critical moment to break through the French defense line. Germany in 1917 has entered a very difficult period. Due to the Arab uprising in 1916, the railway line from Berlin through the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire to Basra in Iraq today is almost paralyzed.And the situation is still deteriorating. The Allied Powers have organized troops to plan to land on the bus.There was nothing the Germans could do about it. Their navy had already been transformed into an existing fleet in the Battle of Jutland.

"Marshal Hindenburg, are you sure we can make a breakthrough in Verdun and win this damn war?" In the Imperial Palace in Berlin, Wilhelm II asked hesitantly.

Hindenburg nodded without hesitation: "Your Majesty, with the progress of the war, Britain and France suffered far more losses than the German Empire. They even had to spend money to hire military forces such as Canada, India and even China Fight us. As long as we grit our teeth and persist one last time, we will be able to defeat the French and win this war."

William II no longer had the full confidence that he had at the beginning of the war, and the nearly three years of war had already made him feel physically and mentally exhausted.But because the people who were about to drown were ordinary, the Kaiser decided to grab the life-saving straw handed over by Hindenburg: "Okay, my marshal, tell me, how many troops and supplies do you need?"

Although our Marshal Hindenburg looked down on the squadron, the rigor of the Germans prevented him from making the decision to underestimate the enemy: "Your Majesty the Emperor, according to the information we have, in the Verdun area, the French still About 8 divisions of a group army were left behind, with a total number of about 20, plus about 50 Chinese and British and Indian troops. We analyzed that they had at least 20 divisions with nearly 2000 cannons, and 200 aircraft. To defeat them, we need to concentrate at least 45 troops, 3000 cannons, and 400 aircraft. At the same time, we must launch some offensives at the western end of the Western Front to cover our strategic intentions, and we have to , Organize an army of about 15 people as a follow-up after the successful breakthrough.”

When William II heard this data, his face became extremely ugly: "With so many, can the empire still raise so many troops and supplies? You must know that we lost 50 precious young people in the Somme."

Hindenburg gritted his teeth and said: "We can transfer troops from the Eastern Front. The Russians have been defeated. We can transfer Ludendorff and his army from the Eastern Front to the Western Front. Now it is the turn of Britain and France to enjoy us. The greatest power of the German army."

Hearing what Hindenburg said, William II could only nod his head vigorously and said, "Okay, my Marshal, I hope we can end this damn war within this year."

The time for the battle of Verdun was set at the end of May, because it would take time to bring Ludendorff's 30 troops back from the Eastern Front.

However, after Bai Chongxi realized that he was being pinched as a soft persimmon, he received an order from the coalition forces and unceremoniously drove the officers and soldiers of the Chinese European Expeditionary Force into the front line of Verdun for defense.

Due to the lack of sufficient intelligence support, all Bai Chongxi can do is to order his soldiers to work hard to build various fortifications.In fact, Bai Chongxi is also hesitating in his heart. If it is a positional battle with the Germans in Verdun, repeatedly fighting for 1.1 meters, is this kind of battle what he wants?Bai Chongxi looked at the map and fell into a moment of thought. . .

The transfer of the German army is still very good in terms of secrecy, but it does not mean that the French army does not know anything about it, at least Foch, the chief of the French army’s general staff, knows, because in the direction of Verdun, the Germans Under the active area of ​​the country, the most indispensable thing is the French.But for some unknown reason, Fuxi did not choose to inform the Chinese. The only change he made was to adjust the military deployment in the Verdun area, move the French army to the fourth line of defense, and move the Indian army and the Indian army to the fourth line of defense. The Australian army moved to the third line of defense, and unceremoniously put the Chinese on the first and second lines of defense. The intention of using the Chinese as cannon fodder is naturally obvious.

This selfish order was actually meaningless to an unruly general like Bai Chongxi. On the contrary, it prompted Bai Chongxi to make up his mind. A military operation that shocked Europe was about to begin in this era, and Bai Chongxi also because of this Action became a World War I hero. . .