In the field headquarters, only 10 kilometers from the front line, Ludendorff was standing under a map, thinking about the battle situation with full attention; From time to time, a staff officer pushed through the door and handed him a telegram. Whenever this happens, his body will reveal a kind of compelling sharpness and grandeur; His sharp and clear thinking, accurate and decisive decision-making all demonstrate the 49-year-old lieutenant general's peerless appearance as one of the world's top commanders.

Nearby, Qingying just silently watched Ludendorff's strategizing. The complex and treacherous battlefield front line quickly became clear and clear under his analysis; Whether it is the timing of the dispatch of the army or the amount of changes in the number of troops, it can be called the pinnacle of wonder. As a commander who has also served in the army for nearly half a year, Qingying can fully feel how difficult it is to command so many troops. Looking at the eyes of the person in front of him, who were always bright, Qingying finally realized Hindenburg's feelings: it was not that the commander intended to be the shopkeeper, but really "I have no better idea than the chief of staff"!

As if sensing the gaze of the person beside him, Ludendorff turned his head and reported to Qingying: "Your Highness, up to now, the offensive of all units of our army has been going quite smoothly. Two lightly armed assault regiments have extensively infiltrated French positions, cutting off communications and attacking the enemy's headquarters, while also destroying a large number of key targets such as bridges, barracks, and artillery positions. The attack of the two heavy assault divisions was equally effective, as the French defensive positions were cut into disconnected pieces by their troops, and the machine-gun pillboxes and fortifications could not stop their steps. Now our 11 main divisions are launching the final general assault with the support of tanks, and all weapons, including bombing airships and heavy train guns, have been thrown into them. It is expected within four days. Our army will be able to capture Evry. Annihilate the 8 French divisions defending in this theater of operations. ”

"What about our casualties. What kind of loss did the personnel of the assault force have? Qingying paused slightly, and then asked Ludendorff. Based on the experience of later generations, it can be inferred that the damage of such a strong attack will definitely not be less, even if the German army currently occupies the advantage of air force, artillery and infantry equipment.

Ludendorff's eyes shone slightly, and his voice became a little heavier: "At present, the specific number of casualties of our army is not yet known, but after a day of fighting, the preliminary estimate should be more than 20,000 people. The assault forces suffered a higher proportion of casualties, after all, they were under full enemy fire: the news from the 6th Light Assault Battalion had just arrived. Less than half of their 1,024 people remained. I have ordered them to suspend their offensive and wait for reinforcements from the 11th Assault Company, which served as a reserve. However, the most difficult early breakthrough battle has passed, and it is believed that the troops should not have such severe losses in future battles. ”

"General, perhaps the test we face has just begun." Qingying exhaled a long breath and said angrily. Faced with Ludendorff's condensed gaze, Qingying immediately explained: "Compared with the loss of personnel in the combat troops, what we need to pay more attention to is the logistics supply of the army; The infantry is advancing at a rate that is still within our reach, and the commandos are on the verge of reaching our control. Ammunition supply, wounded treatment, reserve reinforcements, each of these is indispensable for the assault force. It's only the first day of fighting, and all we need is a week or even half a month after that. All maintain the same offensive sharpness as they do now. ”

Hearing this, Ludendorff nodded slightly. There was also a bit of gentle agreement in his sharp eyes. Before the offensive began, Qingying had already emphasized the importance of this area in the battle plan, and Ludendorff, who had an innate keen sense of smell for the battlefield, also appreciated the role of this after careful consideration. After all, the Battle of the Marne, which broke out last year, was a typical case of infantry advancing faster than supplies and baggage; And the current assault force equipped with a large number of automatic weapons, while having stormy firepower, itself is also a staggering amount of ammunition consumption.

Faced with this situation, Ludendorff chose to adopt Qingying's strategy in its entirety. In addition to forming a dedicated transport force, the Germans will also make full use of their air superiority by airdropping supplies and ammunition by transport aircraft and airships. The limited paratrooper force was also pooled to gain an advantage in certain areas of depth in order to avoid further long-distance raids, costly operations and lengthening supply lines. Although it was difficult for the Germans to ensure the accuracy of the parachute bags dropped from high altitudes, and even the supply ammunition was airdropped to the French positions, for the French troops, who had completely different weapon systems, even if they received a basket of ammunition, it was basically useless. In fact, this was also the product of the long-term hostility between Germany and France before the war: in order to prevent the other side from seizing their own weapons on the battlefield for their own use, the arms factories of both sides tacitly staggered the caliber of each other's weapons, which made it impossible for both armies to effectively use battlefield captures.

"But Your Highness, we also inflicted fierce wounds on each other. At the present time the sum of the enemy killed by the various divisions has been determined to be 12,000, and the number of prisoners is also comparable, and the losses of the French are not at all less than ours. What's more, our army successfully broke through the French trench defense line this time, which is a completely different scene from the battle on the Western Front in the past six months! Ludendorff's eyes regained the signature sharpness, and there was a hint of excitement in his tone, "As long as the opponent's defense line is broken, then the next qiē will be easy to do." We can carry out a large-scale mobile encirclement, as on the Eastern Front, or we can engage in a long-lost group field battle with the French, and now they no longer have the capital to continue to expend with our army! ”

In the following days of fighting, the Germans continued to advance with the assault force as the spearhead, supported by the fire of the double-layered barrage. At the end of the day's fighting, the German artillery deployed in the rear shifted positions overnight and moved closer to the edge of the battlefield in order to provide more effective support after dawn the next day. With the suppression of the vision of the air troops, the German artillery steadily became the protagonist on the battlefield, and there were almost no scenes where the artillery was destroyed by the enemy's artillery fire after being transferred to the front line. Although they slowed down the frequency of fire support as planned after the infantry completed the trench breakthrough, their ammunition consumption also exceeded 800,000 rounds without any suspense. The German pilots took a bird's-eye view from the sky and saw that the vast mountains and plains were full of dark hollows as dense as beehives; The rising smoke obscured the red sun in the sky, replacing it with the raging fire of the battlefield.

The grass and trees are scorched and covered with debris. A large number of mutilated and discarded weapons, clothing, hydration bags, bullet casings...... The battlefield has been turned into a garbage dump, and even more shocking are the countless corpses lying on their backs and broken flesh. Although the Germans had cleared some of the areas, the traces of fighting between soldiers on both sides were still everywhere: in some places where the fighting was fierce, the corpses of German and French soldiers could be paved into a bloody road that could not be stepped on the ground. For the sake of the dignity and glory of the country, they have fearless life and death, and only hope to leave a splendid spark of their own in this national holy war.

Under Qing Ying's preparations, the fully supported German assault troops stabbed and slashed in the depths of the French defense line like a sharp spear. After losing communication command and support, the French troops, isolated in the trenches, were quickly wiped out by the main German attacking force. Although it was difficult for the Germans to gnaw down the intact and tight trench positions under normal circumstances, this did not mean that they were also powerless against this tortoise shell with necrotic extremities: after a few pulls, the French position showed a flaw, and a large number of German troops immediately swarmed in with the force of Taishan's eggs. This strategy of concentrating forces and breaking through the enemy units fighting separately one by one has been tried and tested, and the French positions, which once terrified the Germans, are now firmly trampled under their feet!

In the face of the fierce offensive of the German army, the French command, which was full of anger, also mobilized a large number of troops from all fronts to rush in for reinforcements, which undoubtedly curbed the momentum of the German army's continued breakthrough in a considerable way. However, the Germans still smashed a hole in the French line 60 kilometers deep during the week-long fighting. The number of French casualties and prisoners was as high as 120,000, and 800 artillery pieces were damaged or destroyed. The 18th Heavy Assault Division commanded by Hudir was responsible for a quarter of the battle. The Germans lost 74,000 men, a significant number of whom were elite assault sergeants who were difficult to replace with ordinary troops. However, their offensive continued, and the order issued by the General Staff was to use all the last offensive strength: the Germans must deal a heavy enough blow to the other side as the most effective deterrent of force at the negotiating table!

The German offensive continued for another week. Compared to the thunderous battle of the previous week, their offensive in the second half of the attack was rather lackluster, mainly due to the limitations of personnel and logistics. On April 9, Qingying gave the order to stop the offensive. In addition to the fact that the casualties of the assault forces had increased to a point where they urgently needed to rest and replenish, the German offensive in another sector would also begin: as the French forces massed in the center, there was also a weak vacuum on their northern front. (To be continued......)

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