Chapter 382 Storm Assault Battalion

The battle became intense as soon as it started.

Under the cover of tanks and field artillery fire, German soldiers launched a frantic charge against the French defense line, and machine gunners also advanced layer by layer to try to get close to shoot.

But the French army was determined to fight to the death and fought very tenaciously.

Before the war, Christian called his subordinates for a short meeting, at which he asked: "Have you seen the enemy tanks we captured? Which tank do you think is better than ours?"

The subordinates laughed and answered one after another:

"Of course it's the German tanks, General."

"Compared with their tanks, ours are simply toys."

"I don't think ours can be called tanks. Schneider is more suitable for producing artillery."

...

"I totally agree." Christian replied, and then asked: "But that's not what I'm talking about. Have you ever thought about what this means to us?"

The subordinates looked at each other, not understanding what Christian meant.

"Imagine." Christine waved at the defense line: "What will happen if our defense line is broken by the enemy and the enemy has this kind of tank at the same time?"

The subordinates were silent for a while, and soon understood:

"We can't retreat, General. Because the German tanks will follow us all the way."

"Yes, just like the troops defeated by the Germans before, they can't run faster than the German tanks. They are either captured or killed. Less than one-tenth can escape back."

"Although we have tanks, they are vulnerable. We are not much better than those infantrymen!"

...

Christine nodded: "So we have no retreat, gentlemen. Either hold the line or die, understand?"

"Yes, General."

"Understood!"

...

Christine cleverly transformed his weakness into the courage of the soldiers.

The French soldiers who knew they had no retreat became more and more courageous.

The rifleman fell in front of the trench, and someone immediately dragged the body down to take his place.

The machine gunner fell in the position, and soon someone rushed forward and raised the gun to continue shooting at the enemy.

Even Christian joined the battle. He encouraged the soldiers to continue fighting with his hoarse voice while pulling the trigger of his rifle and firing bullets at the enemy.

The German tactics were still the same as before. After the tanks broke through the trenches and defense lines, they turned around to assist the infantry in capturing the trench fortifications.

However, Christian's defense was precisely aimed at this tactic.

He deployed the "Saint-Samond M21" on the second line of defense and cleverly designed the tank bunker into two layers:

The first layer was deeper, which allowed the tank to be completely below the horizon to avoid heavy losses under the enemy's artillery fire.

The second layer was shallower. When the tank drove along the slope to this layer, only the machine gun or 37 gun was exposed.

In this way, the German army could only see a small part of the French tank firepower, and the larger chassis was all hidden in the bunker.

Therefore, even though the German army had an absolute advantage in firepower, several "Upper Silesia" tanks successfully broke through the French defense line, but they were still destroyed one after another by the French army.

The battle lasted for more than an hour, with casualties on both sides.

However, the German army, which had been replenished, still had an advantage in manpower and firepower, and the balance of victory gradually tilted towards the German side.

Finally, the German army rushed into the French trenches and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with them. The situation was very critical.

At this time, the sound of "rumbling" engines came from the air. It was the French planes, Caproni bombers, a black mass of at least fifty planes.

The enemy and our infantry who were caught in a fierce battle on the ground ignored the situation in the air and continued to fight with their opponents in the trenches with bayonets, shovels and stones.

They were accustomed to thinking that bombers would not target infantry, and the targets of bombers should be high-value artillery, convoys, or warehouses.

However, they soon found out that they were wrong.

The bomber quickly lowered its altitude, and the nose of the plane dived to the ground. When passing the Cambrai Line, the wide wings almost passed over the soldiers' heads.

Then, rows of bombs were thrown from under the wings and fuselage.

"Boom!"

"Boom, boom, boom!"

...

Hundreds of bombs blew up the German side like a carpet on the ground, and all the follow-up troops of the German army, including tanks, were all engulfed in smoke in an instant.

Everyone was stunned.

The German soldiers did not expect that the bombers would have such deadly power. In the blink of an eye, they engulfed a group of soldiers and completely changed the outcome of a battle.

The French soldiers were a little confused. Aren't those Charles' bombers? Why would he spare no effort to help the First Special Artillery Division standing on the opposite side? Even if he had to bomb because of the order, he could just pretend!

But they didn't have time to think about it, and cheered to launch a counterattack against the German army.

Christian knew what was going on. With blood on his body, he looked at the bomber flying away in the sky with gratitude, and sighed in his heart that Charles had saved him again!

It's different to follow Charles. He knows when he needs help the most, and he also knows how to win this battle!

…

On the other hand, Major General Nicolas, the commander of the German 1st Tank Division, could no longer remain calm and composed.

He shouted angrily at the staff: "Where are our fighters? Why allow enemy bombers to bomb us? If so, how can we capture the enemy's position?"

The staff replied: "General, our fighters are on standby at Humes Airport."

Major General Nicolas then remembered that this was his intention, to keep the air force "low-key" in order not to expose the new fighters too early.

Major General Nicolas realized that this was another problem Charles had given him:

If he continued to keep a low profile and did not send the new fighters to the battlefield, the French bombers would continue to bomb, and the German army would undoubtedly fail.

But if the new fighters were sent, they might be caught off guard by Charles' new fighters.

Go or not?

What's worse is that Charles' reinforcements are said to be on the way, and the First Special Artillery Division in front of him must be defeated before the reinforcements arrive!

After thinking for a while, Major General Nicholas gritted his teeth and ordered: "Send the First Storm Assault Battalion up."

"But General." The staff officer replied: "They have just been formed..."

Major General Nicholas glanced at the staff officer coldly, and the staff officer quickly swallowed the rest of his words and only replied "yes".

(The picture above shows the Storm Assault Team formed by the German Army in 1915. The number is usually a certain Storm Assault Battalion. Each army is equipped with an assault battalion. Initially, it was equipped with armor for bulletproof and close combat. Soon it was realized that mobility was more important and the armor was cancelled)