Chapter 122 Shoot Down the Enemy Plane?

It started to drizzle again in Ypres. Although these drizzles seemed insignificant, they were everywhere and pervasive, like traces of worries that constantly eroded the patience of Lieutenant General von Cross of the German 6th Army.

The plains of Ypres stretch as far as the eye can see, and you can hardly see the end without a telescope.

But all this is an illusion. If you use a telescope, you will find that what you can see is limited to this, because it is not the distance but the rain and fog that blocks the view.

"How much time do we have?" Cross asked the staff member in a deep voice.

The staff officer replied: "I'm not sure, General! But I'm sure they will arrive tomorrow morning!"

This almost told Cross that he must launch an attack before dark, otherwise he would have to watch helplessly as enemy reinforcements arrived.

However, even though the German army maintained a 2:1 strength advantage at this time, and its quality and equipment were far superior to the enemy in front, Cross still maintained a cautious attitude.

The reason is that the enemy controls the Nieuwpoort locks. Once the Belgians are forced to open the locks, sea water will pour into the open areas and turn them into an impassable swamp.

Just when Cross was hesitating, a cheer suddenly erupted from the direction of Belgium. Cross raised his binoculars in confusion and looked at it, and found that there were even people on the opposite side raising their rifles and shouting.

Cross's face darkened and he ordered his staff: "Go and conduct reconnaissance to see which support army has arrived and how many troops there are at what location!"

"Yes, General!" the staff officer responded and went down to make arrangements.

The staff would send out a small detachment, who would launch a small attack with artillery support and return with a few Belgian prisoners, who would quickly learn what had happened.

Sure enough, Cross got a message half an hour later: "General, I heard that Charles is coming to Ypres!"

Cross, who was staring at the map in deep thought, was startled by this information. He suddenly raised his head and looked at the staff officer: "Char? Charles from Antwerp?"

Charles was already well known to the German army because of the Battle of Antwerp, especially the aircraft and artillery that destroyed the airship and the "Big Bertha" were deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Of course Cross had also heard about it.

"Yes!" The staff officer nodded: "This is the reason why the morale of the Belgian army is so high. They said that the king gave up his plan to open the sluice because he believed that the Shire could block our attack!"

Cross said softly, "Yeah". This may be good news. At least for this period of time, he can launch attacks without worrying about being trapped in the middle.

Thinking of this, Cross immediately ordered: "Order the 27th Reserve Army to prepare for the attack. The breakthrough point is on the left flank of the Polegaon Forest!"

"Yes, General!" The staff officer responded and was stunned for a moment. He stopped and reminded: "General, the Polegaon Forest is the British defense line!"

The staff officer expressed doubts about this because shouldn't the Belgian army with weak combat effectiveness be selected as the breakthrough point?

"I know!" Cross responded coldly.

"Yes, General!" The staff officer didn't dare to ask any more questions, so he turned around and went down to deliver the order.

Cross stared at the Polegaon Forest on the map, where he planned to catch his opponent off guard.

Just as the staff thought, the enemy also thought that the German army would attack the defense line where the Belgian army was stationed.

Therefore, the enemy would aim their few artillery pieces at the front of the Belgian defenses, which meant that the British defenses would not have much artillery support.

Even if the British requested reinforcements, communication and language problems would be difficult.

More importantly, Cross believed that the British army's supplies had not kept up. They had only arrived two hours ago and could not have carried too much ammunition.

The scary thing about the British army is precisely that they can shoot the most bullets in a short period of time with their high-rate rifles.

If there is not enough ammunition to support it, this advantage will instantly turn into a disadvantage.

The British would habitually empty the magazine immediately, and then they could only use their bayonets to face the Germans' tide of charge!

Cross's orders were quickly implemented.

The reconnaissance balloon rose into the sky, and the soldiers on both sides became nervous. They knew that this was a precursor to the German army preparing for an artillery attack.

Soon the plane was also released into the air. This was to protect the balloon and to timely grasp the offensive trends of the troops.

The battlefield fell into a depressing silence, with only the sound of raindrops hitting the ground. The soldiers breathed the air greedily, seeming to spend the last moment nostalgic for the beauty of this world.

"Boom!"

"Boom boom boom!"

…

The sound of artillery sounded like thunder, and each artillery shell exploded near the Belgian defense line, setting off a radiating muddy water. Steam and gunpowder smoke mixed together and spread, and then were pressed down by drizzle and covered the entire open area.

Amidst the whistles, a figure suddenly appeared in the originally dark and seemingly flat open space. Their whole bodies were covered with mud, and their existence would not have been visible if they had not stood up.

"Go forward!" the commander ordered loudly in a hoarse voice.

The soldiers grabbed their rifles and charged towards the enemy lines with shouts.

Several shells exploded in the crowd with whistling sounds. In an instant, dozens of people were violently lifted into the air and then fell to the ground. Blood and muddy water splashed everywhere, indistinguishable from each other.

But the charging soldiers acted as if nothing had happened. They still walked hard on their own feet in the mud, raising their rifles from time to time to shoot bullets at suspected targets ahead, and then rushed towards the enemy one after another...

The battle situation was just as Cross had expected. Everyone thought that the British army was stronger, but it was precisely the position where the British army was stationed that was the weakest point in the defense line. The German army easily defeated the British army with just one charge, and then chased them forward like driving ducks.

"Keep going!" Cross ordered sternly: "Go through the defense line as fast as possible!"

The 27th Reserve Army was his main force. As long as this army could break through the enemy's defense line and go around the enemy's rear, even if the enemy opened the sluice gate, it would be too late!

...

At the Belgian command, Albert I also realized this danger.

He could never have imagined that there was a problem with the British army's defense line. They were the army that the Belgian army needed to look up to, but they were vulnerable to the attack of the German army.

"Your Majesty, give the order!" General Charles looked at Albert I in horror: "If we don't open the sluice gate, we will be divided and surrounded by the enemy!"

Albert I gritted his teeth. He knew that now was not the time to hesitate. If he continued like this, he would only lose Ypres.

However, there was a sudden sound of fierce machine gun fire in the sky, followed by the harsh and hoarse roar of the engine, and finally ended with an explosion.

Just as Albert I and General Charles were confused about this, a signalman appeared at the door. His eyes were full of shock, and he reported breathlessly: "Your Majesty, it's the French planes, they are shooting down the enemy's planes!"

"Shooting down the enemy's planes?"

Albert I and Charles looked at each other, and they had the same question in their minds: How can we shoot down the enemy's planes?