Expedition to Europe

At six o'clock in the morning on April 16, Nivelle finally launched an attack.

This battle was a confrontation between tradition and innovation.

Surprisingly, Germany, a traditional imperial country, used new tactics, while France, the first country in Europe to overthrow the empire, was still using the old tactics.

The so-called "old tactics" is to conduct a week-long fire preparation before the battle begins, and then the densely packed soldiers like ants begin to advance to kill the enemy or be killed by the enemy.

The Germans have adopted new tactics. Their defense line is on the hills behind the Aisne River, occupying a relatively advantageous terrain from a high position. If the French want to attack, they must first cross the Aisne River and then attack upward along the steep and densely forested hillside.

The Germans dug a large number of gullies on the hillside, installed a large number of barbed wire, and also had a large number of bunkers made of reinforced concrete. Although the dense forest blocked the Germans' firing range, it also provided the best cover for the bunkers. The bunkers hidden under the big trees could not be found unless they were close to them. The French could not destroy them even with the Schneider 320mm 1870/93 railway artillery.

The Schneider 320mm 1870/93 railway artillery is the largest caliber artillery in France.

Although Chemin de Dames is French territory, the Germans are more familiar with it than the French. The Germans have occupied it for nearly three years and are familiar with every tree and grass here. The French come from all over the country and even all over the world. They are very unfamiliar with the Chemin de Dames area.

In this case, the difficulties faced by the French can be imagined.

But first of all, this difficulty belongs to the Second Brigade.

In just one morning, the Second Brigade sent three batches of nearly 9,000 people to launch an attack. The result of the battle made Qin Yunpeng want to cry without tears. 4,400 people died in the battle, and almost everyone was injured.

It cannot be said that the soldiers of the Second Brigade had no fighting spirit. They were fearless and brave, and showed tenacious fighting power and amazing will.

In the battle, a battalion of the Second Brigade attacked the top of Da Cornier Mountain under the bombardment of the German artillery placed on the reverse slope and the crazy shooting of MG08. However, because the reinforcements came too slowly, the Germans finally took back the position.

The German reserve was behind the defense line, beyond the range of the French artillery, but not so far that it could not be deployed in time.

When the battalion returned to the starting position, only 13 wounded soldiers were left out of the 504 people in the battalion. There were no officers, and all the officers were killed in the battle.

Nivelle used tanks in the battle, and 120 FT-17s appeared on the battlefield for the first time. Nivelle had no research on the use of tanks. He certainly had not read the exercise report on the First Brigade of the Foreign Legion issued by the Army Department a few days ago. Although the tanks were used for attack, they were very scattered. On average, there were less than 10 tanks per kilometer on the entire front.

The Germans already had a way to deal with tanks. Crown Prince William stipulated that each gun position must have a gun to attack the tanks that entered the field of vision. This tactic was very effective for scattered tanks. 52 of the 120 tanks were blown to pieces, 28 were blown up, and the rest were in the German anti-tank trenches or in the Aisne River.

The weather was also favorable to the Germans. From the 16th, the drizzle turned into sleet. This kind of weather was rare in the Chemin de Dame area. The side effects of bad weather were obviously greater for the French than for the Germans hiding in the bunkers.

Under the torture of bad weather and German artillery and machine guns, many French troops did not rush to the German positions at all. But in some places, the French soldiers advanced between two and three miles with heroic spirit.

The greater possibility is that the Germans took the initiative to retreat in the face of the superior French army, just like in the late stage of Verdun.

For a whole morning, although the French made great sacrifices, they finally made some progress, but this progress disappeared in the afternoon.

The distance of the French army's advancement was determined by the Germans' large defensive posture. In the afternoon, the German reserve entered the battlefield and attacked the French army, which had just suffered heavy losses and was exhausted. The French army had to retreat to the starting position.

For a whole day, when the battle was over, Nivelle counted the progress and found that all the French troops advanced 600 yards on average, which is about 550 meters.

In Nivelle's estimate, the French army's progress on the first day should be 6 miles, which is about 9,700 meters.

There is a difference of about 17.6 times between these two numbers.

Then, Nivelle's psychological gap is also about 17.6 times.

Qin Zhiyuan learned all this through the battle report in the evening.

Or in the secret room of the Big Weaver Restaurant.

"It seems that your troops are about to leave Paris." Leotai waited for Qin Zhiyuan to finish reading the battle report, and looked at Qin Zhiyuan with a hint of apology.

Qin Zhiyuan just got engaged to Julie yesterday, and it was a bit cruel to tell Qin Zhiyuan the news today.

Fortunately, Qin Zhiyuan didn't have to leave now.

"It's okay, we are ready." Qin Zhiyuan suppressed his anger.

This work is organized and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~

If Qin Yunpeng stood in front of Qin Zhiyuan now, Qin Zhiyuan might have shot him. Although Qin Zhiyuan had expected that the Second Brigade would suffer heavy losses, he still couldn't accept it when he saw the numbers on the battle report.

As soldiers, the Chinese should have the awareness of dying in battle, and should have written a suicide note and prepared to die in battle, but they shouldn't die so rashly, so cheaply, and so worthlessly.

Perhaps Qin Yunpeng chose to obey Nivelle's order unconditionally because of the order of the Beiyang government. But Qin Yunpeng shouldn't be so devoted. Even the French troops were replaced to the back for rest when the casualties exceeded 30%. Qin Yunpeng's hard work really made Qin Zhiyuan angry.

"Tomorrow there will be a batch of new tanks to supplement your troops. Get familiar with the equipment as soon as possible. I have a bad feeling." Leotai never thought highly of Nivelle.

"Thank you, I will make them play the greatest role." Qin Zhiyuan was grateful.

If you want the horse to run, you must first feed it. Leotai still understands this principle. Qin Zhiyuan also understood, so even if he could run very fast, he was ready to pull the reins at any time.

Qin Zhiyuan would not be as stubborn as Qin Yunpeng. Even if he had to attack the German position, he would do it in his own way instead of using the lives of soldiers to fill it.

This is France, where Chinese are a rare race.

"Be mentally prepared. The weather has not been very good recently, and your tank may not run fast." Foch reminded from the side.

This slow running refers to the distance from Paris to the French starting position after entering the battlefield. The tanks will be transported by train. If they have to drive directly, let alone the speed, the loss on the road will make Qin Zhiyuan heartbroken.