Chapter 467 The Fortress Is Outdated

Ragden, French Army Headquarters.

This is Xiafei's busiest period of time. After formulating the battle plan, the first thing to deal with is the supply problem.

"General, the frontline troops lack supplies, and artillery shells and bullets are not enough to support a large-scale counterattack."

"Especially artillery. We do not have enough large-caliber artillery to confront the enemy. Our soldiers will suffer a lot of casualties when attacking."

"Not only ammunition, but also soldiers' supplies are severely lacking. Many troops reported that they did not have military boots, and the canvas shoes they brought with them could not pass through the enemy's barbed wire fence."

…

Exactly one year has passed since the war.

At this time, France had to face another serious problem: a shortage of supplies and equipment, to the point where civilians were required to bring their own boots when recruiting.

(Note: The reason why there is a shortage of boots instead of military uniforms is because frontline soldiers have sacrificed their lives. Military uniforms can be reused after being sewn and repaired. Military boots are consumed quickly and have strict length requirements, so the reuse rate is low.)

Xiafei replied coldly:

"Then let them bring a pair of boots from home. Don't they need to wear boots before they join the army and become soldiers?"

"In addition, it is important to prioritize the transportation of ammunition."

"After victory, everything will be different. The war will be over!"

…

Xiafei is an arrogant person. Once he believes in something, it doesn't matter what others say.

Gallieni's earnest explanation did not stir up any disturbance in Joffre's heart. He always believed that he could achieve the final victory.

However, just as he was confidently planning the "Grand Counteroffensive", the communications soldier came forward and reported: "General, intelligence shows that German troops are gathering in the area of ​​Verdun."

"Verdun?" Xiafei frowned, and then found the location of Verdun on the map.

Xiafei looked up at Kanais: "I remember there are many fortresses with strong defenses there, right?"

"Yes, General." Kanais quickly flipped through the documents, but this was something he was not prepared for.

Fortunately, a staff officer found the information in time and handed it over. Kanais took the information and read with relief: "There are a total of 19 large forts and 7 small forts. Each fort has more than thirty artillery pieces, respectively. It’s 155MM, 120MM and 75MM.”

"God." Xiafei exclaimed: "Our frontline troops have no artillery, but Verdun has nearly a thousand artillery? And there are also 155MM and 120MM calibers?"

The French army is extremely short of artillery of these two calibers, with only a few dozen in the entire army.

"But that's..." Kanais replied hurriedly: "They are fortress cannons, General. Without artillery, those fortresses are useless. And Verdun is the gateway to Paris, it is very important!"

Xiafei rubbed his chin and thought for a while, then said slowly: "I know it is important, Kanais, but Verdun has such a strong fortification and so many artillery pieces. Why would the Germans attack here? Don't you think it's a little bit... strangeness?"

When asked by Xiafei, Kanais also felt that it made sense.

According to common sense, the attack should look for weak points in the enemy's defense line rather than strong fortifications, but the German army did the opposite.

"Perhaps it is because it is close to Paris." Kanais said: "The Germans may want to concentrate their forces to defeat our army, and attacking Paris can achieve this goal to a certain extent."

"Even so." Xiafei's eyes wandered along the defense line and his finger clicked on the map: "They can still bypass Verdun."

Kanais nodded in agreement, Verdun is just the closest point to Paris.

After thinking for a while, Xiafei raised his head: "Let Christine come."

Christine is the only major general in Joffre's army who has commanded an armored force and won a victory, although that victory was under the guidance of Charles.

But his combat experience is unmatched.

Xiafei believes that if tactics want to keep up with the times, the only people we can rely on are generals like Christine who fight on the battlefield, rather than staff officers like Kanais who stay in the office all the time.

Soon, Christine stood in front of Xiafei.

Xiafei pointed to the location of Verdun on the map and asked, "The enemies are gathering in front of Verdun. What do you think?"

Christine frowned and thought for a while, then said: "I'm not sure, General. But if it were me, I would definitely not choose to attack here, which is surprising."

Xiafei said "hmm" with satisfaction, which coincided with his thoughts.

However, Christian analyzed again: "But if the Germans attack here, I think there are reasons for them."

Xiafei asked doubtfully: "How do you say that?"

Isn't this inconsistent?

"Because they have large-caliber cannons, general." Christine explained: "'Big Bertha', just like they captured the Liege Fortress and Antwerp in Belgium."

Xiafei's heart skipped a beat, this seemed to make sense.

"No, no." Kanais retorted: "General Christian, you forgot that we have bombers. The bombers can easily blow up the Big Bertha."

"I haven't forgotten." Christian pointed to the map and explained: "But most of Charles's aviation forces are deployed on both wings, especially in the Belgian area in the north. Charles's next step is obviously to push the defense line forward, and he will attack in the direction of Belgium. the focus.”

Jia Fei said "Oh" and understood what Christine meant: "The Germans hope that the dispersed Charles Air Force will reduce the pressure on Belgium!"

"Yes." Christine continued to analyze: "In addition, even if Charles assigned part of the air force to Verdun, it might not be effective."

Then Christine looked up at Joffre and said word by word: "The Germans can set off smoke, and the smoke will cover the position of the 'Big Bertha', and the air force will not know where to drop bombs."

Joffre agreed deeply: "But our fortresses will not move, they can only stay where they are and be blown up by the Germans' Big Bertha one after another."

Joffre refused to rely on Charles's air force in his heart. He believed that he could only win with Charles' help, and he hoped to "be self-reliant."

"That's it." Christine concluded:

"So, I think the fortress is outdated. As long as the enemy has a longer-range cannon, the fortress will be a target."

"And the artillery deployed in the fortress by our army is a huge waste."

"They may be destroyed by the enemy without firing a single shot, and the effect they can play is almost zero!"

Joffre nodded heavily: "We should use them instead of leaving them in the fortress to die. Only mobile artillery is meaningful."

Carnes looked at Joffre in astonishment.

This means that the Germans gathered troops in Verdun, and the commander-in-chief not only did not reinforce them, but also wanted to transfer artillery and troops away?