On the evening of April 1, the main forces of the German 2nd, 3rd and 4th corps had already crossed the Marne. www.biquge.info On the hundreds of kilometers of water, German sappers built more than 20 pontoon bridges. The appearance of these pontoon bridges made it easy for the main German forces and various war materials to be transported to the south bank of the Marne.

At the same time, the troops crossing the river also seized the time to build a defensive position, and built a fortification on the ruined and ruined position of the French army. Due to time constraints, the fortifications built by the Germans could only be regarded as simple fortifications. However, the various firepower points are still arranged in an orderly manner. Coupled with the strong artillery support in the rear, if the British and French forces want to attack, they will definitely hit their heads and bleed.

In addition, if the Anglo-French forces had attacked that night, it would undoubtedly pose a greater threat to the German army. After all, at that time, the German army was not firmly on a foothold, and its combat power could not be fully exerted. However, the Anglo-French forces gave the Germans a night's time, which allowed the Germans to successfully gain a foothold on the south bank of the Marne. At this time, the British and French forces launched an attack, and the consequences can be imagined.

At the same time, the German sappers continued to be busy. Although, an ordinary pontoon bridge is enough. But they also needed to build pontoon bridges for tanks and trucks so that the Germans' powerful armoured forces could cross the Marne and attack further on the Anglo-French lines.

On the morning of April 2, most of the German soldiers were still resting after a night of hard work. In the trenches of the front line, there were officers and soldiers lying horizontally and vertically. Although the weather is still a little cold, the German officers and soldiers who are too tired and wear blankets sleep very soundly.

However, at 7 o'clock in the morning, they were woken up by the officers.

"Everyone immediately got up and prepared for battle. The enemy is about to attack! The officers shouted loudly to wake the soldiers.

The reconnaissance planes of the German air force discovered that the Anglo-French forces were massing in a big way. Obviously, the British and French forces were unwilling to be broken through the defense line and wanted to recapture the defense line. Qin Tian immediately ordered all the departments on the front line to prepare and must resist this counterattack by the British and French forces. As long as this time is successful, then the German army can be regarded as having truly crossed the Marne. It would have been impossible for the Anglo-French forces to drive the Germans back to the north bank of the Marne. Therefore, Qin Tian and the generals of the German army attached great importance to this battle.

Although, after only two hours of sleep, many of the soldiers were not in good spirits. But they were quickly ready for battle. Some even washed their faces with the icy waters of the Marne to cheer themselves up. Although there are a lot of dead bodies in the Marne at the moment, no one cares about them at all.

The cooks brought breakfast to the troops at the front, so that the soldiers could have enough to eat and have the strength to fight the Anglo-French forces. Quartermasters are also distributing ammunition. It was foreseeable that the battle would be fierce this time, so the quartermaster did not forget to provide sufficient ammunition to the troops on the front line when distributing ammunition.

Before the Anglo-French offensive began, the Germans were ready for battle.

On the positions of the Anglo-French forces, the two new forces of the French 8th Army and the 9th Army also entered the battlefield. Coupled with the troops drawn from the four group armies on the front line, for this counterattack, Marshal Xia Fei put his old capital into it. This undoubtedly shows his determination. At the same time, there is also a bit of an all-or-nothing meaning.

A cannon is being pushed into an artillery position. Despite the heavy losses of the artillery of the four armies of the Anglo-French front under the shelling and bombardment of the Germans, the remaining artillery pieces totaled several hundred. Together with all the artillery of the French 8th Army and the 9th Army, there were more than 2,000 artillery pieces in total. Such a scale, although it cannot be compared with the German army, is also not weak.

"General Foch, this time, we have invested more than 600,000 men in a counterattack, will we be able to drive the Germans back to the north bank of the Marne?" Marshal Xia Fei is still a little uncertain about this battle. Although, in his opinion, with so many troops thrown into the Anglo-French army, the Germans would never be able to resist. However, in this battle, the strength of the German army was so strong that he couldn't help but be a little worried.

"Your Excellency the Marshal, I have to admit that the Germans were strong. They are stronger than they were half a year ago. The German army half a year ago would never have crossed the Marne in a single day. At the same time, their losses were very small. This is undoubtedly very unreasonable. Admiral Foch said.

Marshal Xia Fei nodded: "In this war, the Germans are getting bigger and stronger. I have a feeling that if we don't defeat the Germans this time, maybe we won't have a chance to defeat them again. ”

Admiral Foch also deeply believed that Germany had an absolute advantage in this war. Not to mention, the crushing defeat of the British Royal Navy alone was enough to give the German army an advantage in this war. It can be said that if the Germans were to win again on land, then Britain and France would be finished. On the other hand, if Britain and France can win, then they still have a chance, at least a relatively decent peace.

This shows how much pressure the British and French forces were under in this war. This is probably why Marshal Xia Fei rushed from Paris to the front.

"Your Excellency the President and Your Excellency the Prime Minister, both sent a telegram yesterday. They are also watching the Battle of the Marne. Obviously, we were very unhappy that we had allowed the Germans to cross the Marne on the first day. His Excellency the President and His Excellency the Chancellor have asked us that the Germans must be defeated in this battle. But what they didn't know was that defeating the Germans was not just a matter of words. We will do our best in this battle. But whether the Germans could be defeated or not, perhaps only God knows. Marshal Xia Fei sighed.

When Admiral Foch heard this, he didn't know what to say. Even he felt a deep powerlessness in this war. He also found it hard to believe that in half a year, the Germans would be much stronger than before. Not only the strength of the firepower, but also the tenacity of the will to fight. These are incomparable with the Anglo-French coalition.

"Either way, we'll fight to the end. God bless the French Republic! Admiral Foch said.