"Da Da Da!" A German general-purpose machine gun was strafing the French position, and the dense bullets hit the French soldiers defending this section of the line of defense could not raise their heads at all, and could only shrink in the trenches. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

Then, on several occasions, several small boats successfully rushed to the beach on the south bank of the Marne, and almost a platoon of soldiers successfully crossed the river. They lay on the river beach, further suppressing the positions of the French army, and creating conditions for the subsequent troops to cross the river.

As more and more German soldiers crossed the Marne, they gradually established a solid beachhead on the south bank of the Marne. And tentatively launched an attack on the positions of the French army, trying to tear through the French defense.

The French line of defense was too close to the Marne, and if they were unable to break through their first line of defense, it would be almost impossible for the sappers to erect a pontoon bridge, and they would suffer heavy casualties under French fire.

Therefore, the Germans needed to break through the French line of defense and establish a solid position before they could send out the sappers.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! ”

On the positions of the German troops, mortars and grenadiers of various calibers were firing to provide fire support to the German soldiers who had successfully crossed the river. Shells rained down on the French positions, causing heavy losses to the French troops stationed on this defensive line.

"Your Highness, the soldiers fought very hard, and the casualties were relatively large. However, within our expectations. I believe that the French casualties will definitely not be any smaller than ours. When we have more and more troops crossing the river, we will be able to attack the Anglo-French lines and take them in one fell swoop. Major General Manstein said.

Qin Tian nodded: "Well, let the sappers get ready, and once we take the first line of defense of the British and French forces, we will start building the pontoon bridge immediately." ”

The transportation of soldiers in small boats, after all, was too slow, and at the same time, under the fire of the French, the losses were also great. If weapons can be built, soldiers and all kinds of combat materials can directly cross the river, and in that case, the efficiency will be greatly improved. After spending a little more time and allowing the sappers to build a pontoon bridge that could pass through the tanks, they could directly use armored troops to assault the Anglo-French defenses. Qin Tian believed that the Anglo-French forces would definitely not be able to resist their attack at that time.

"Yes, Your Highness." Major General Manstein replied.

In this battle, the crossing of the Marne was the most crucial battle. As long as the Marne River is crossed, the problem is well solved. The armored forces will run amok on the land of the French and completely knock the Anglo-French forces to their stomachs.

The battle continued, and the Germans and the British and French forces fought to the death on the south bank of the Marne. Although, the Anglo-French forces had a great advantage in terms of troops. However, they suffered heavy losses under the attack of the Germans. Even the line of defense they held on to became precarious.

Marshal Xia Fei, who was sitting in the rear, was also very nervous after learning of the predicament at the front.

It's only been half a day since the battle began, and they're about to lose the first line of defense? At this rate, the defensive line they had built on the south bank of the Marne would not last a few days! Once the Marne line fell, it would be impossible to stop the Germans in the future. When the time comes, the Germans will probably fight all the way to Paris. In that case, France would be finished.

"Marshal, the front-line positions of several army groups at the front, have suffered heavy losses. They have already begun to use their reserves. But even so, it is not known how long it will last. A French general reported to Marshal Chauffeur.

"Tell the front-line units that the battle has just begun. The two armies, which were in reserve, could not be used. They had to find their own way to fend off the German attack. Marshal Xia Fei said.

Although, he prepared two army groups for the coalition forces at the front, a reserve of more than 400,000 people. However, you can't put in a lot of reserves just after the start of the battle, right? In that case, how can this battle continue?

"Yes, Your Excellency." The general nodded and immediately went to deliver the order.

"Alas!" After the generals left, Marshal Xia Fei couldn't help but sigh.

"Those Germans, after half a year of recuperation, have become so powerful? The four armies on the front, numbering more than 800,000 men, could not hold out soon after the battle began. In that case, how can you get it? Marshal Xia Fei was even more worried about the next battle.

Although, compared with half a year ago, the British and French forces are also stronger. But apparently, the Germans made greater progress than they did. In this case, it would be even more impossible for the Anglo-French forces to resist the German attack, or to defeat the German army.

The headquarters of the 2nd French Army, Dekathy? Admiral Terno was in a hurry. The fierce attack of the Germans inflicted heavy losses on the 2nd Army. The line of defense on the front line is even more precarious. On the more than 20-kilometer defensive line that the 2nd Army was responsible for, the infantry corps he deployed had already suffered more than half of the casualties. If another infantry corps had been dispatched in time to replace it, I am afraid that the defensive line would have been broken long ago.

"General, telegram from the headquarters." A staff officer to Dekassy? Admiral Terno reported.

Decarthy? When Admiral Terno took the telegram and read it, his face suddenly became even more ugly.

"Damn, let's figure it out ourselves. Do you want my 2nd Army to be completely destroyed here? When the time comes, how will this battle continue? "Decasssy? Admiral Terno said dissatisfied. For this order of Marshal Xia Fei, he was very dissatisfied.

However, he had no choice but to give more severe orders to the front-line troops, requiring them to hold their positions to the death.

The French have never been people who will fight to the death. In the case of heavy losses, the will to fight of many French soldiers was already very fragile.

On the afternoon of April 1, the German 2nd Army was the first to break through the first line of defense of the French 2nd Army. The French army, having suffered heavy casualties, retreated to the second line of defense.

The German 2nd Army Corps, on the one hand, launched an attack on the second line of defense of the French army, and on the other hand, sent sappers and began to build pontoon bridges.

By the evening of April 1, the first line of defense of the Anglo-French forces on the south bank of the Marne had been broken through by the Germans. The Germans had already established a solid position on the south bank of the Marne. The sappers of the various regiments began to move and began to build pontoon bridges. Prepare for the rapid crossing of the river with the follow-up of the main forces and combat materials.

For sappers, it is very easy to build a pontoon bridge on a river tens of meters wide, and it can be completed in two hours at most.