Jack climbed out of the tent, got into the trench, grabbed a running sergeant and asked loudly: "Where is the machine gun? Where is the machine gun?"
As early as when he was stationed here, Jack reported that the platoon needed a machine gun, but until now the superiors had not sent the cute "black pig" - the nickname given to Maxine by the soldiers.
"There are no machine guns, Lieutenant." The sergeant also shouted to Jack, "We can only rely on rifles to deal with the Germans!"
Jack's face looked quite bad. Even without a telescope, he could see that the number of attacking Germans was much smaller than that of his poor platoon. The expeditionary force had only entered this place not long ago and had no idea of the situation on the battlefield.
Knowing this, French, the commander of the expeditionary force, ordered the troops who arrived first to spread out on the vast battlefield to form a series of loose defense points. Once they were attacked, they would report to the rear so that the expeditionary force headquarters could grasp the movements of the German troops.
Jack's battalion was one of the unlucky "first arrivals". The entire battalion was spread out over a wide area that according to British tactical doctrine should be garrisoned by one division.
Of course, the defense area of a division in this era was much smaller than later. If the British had the firepower and communication level of Lin Youde's Marine Corps, then a battalion would be more capable of defending such a position when the enemy does not have heavy artillery.
Grasp.
Jack lay on the edge of the trench, watching the enemy's movements in the distance with his binoculars. Since his troops had just arrived here a few days ago, the trenches had not yet had time to be dug deeply. Once the enemy launched a sudden artillery fire attack, they would definitely die.
Fortunately, the enemy's artillery and infantry units were out of touch.
The sergeant beside Jack patted the worried Jack on the shoulder: "Relax, Mr. Second Lieutenant. You have performed well so far. Leave the rest to us, we are the royal elite riflemen."
The sergeant's confidence was not unfounded. This unit had participated in the Boer War, and the precise marksmanship of the Boer guerrillas in the Boer War caused the British army to suffer a lot. Therefore, after the war, the British army frantically trained the troops' marksmanship.
, most of the people in Jack's company are skilled gunners, and about one-third of them are the most elite "Sharp Gunners" in the Royal Army - the predecessors of the British snipers.
"The Germans are watching, Lieutenant. Look, they are watching." The sergeant patted Jack's shoulder hard again.
Thanks to the sergeant, Jack's racing heart gradually calmed down.
"Get ready to fight!" He said and pulled out his gun.
At this time, the German army had advanced to less than 200 yards away from Jack's troops. They did not seem to notice the British front line at all, and they did not realize that the British elite shooters were aiming at their hearts.
.Many of them carried rifles or submachine guns on their backs. They were talking casually as they walked, with tired but relaxed smiles on their faces, as if they were not fighting, but on an outing.
Jack was lying in the trench. Looking at the black-clad front getting closer and closer, his breathing became heavier and heavier. The tension pressed against his throat, making him breathless.
Finally, the Germans passed the distance markers they had piled up while digging trenches.
"Fire!" Jack roared loudly, and at the same time fired at the Germans with his gun. However, it was too difficult to hit a person with a gun at this distance.
However, the British gunners performed really well. The first round of volleys created an obvious gap in the middle of the German line, and the remaining Germans were so frightened that they all fell down on the spot, thinking that they were being attacked by machine guns.
The British elite shooters completely got into their own shooting rhythm after the first round of firing. They fired as many bullets as they could, and the crackling sound of gunfire really sounded like machine gun fire.
They killed and wounded the Germans quickly and effectively. Even if the Germans lay on the ground, it was of no use. After five minutes of shooting, the Germans began to retreat. They stood up and ran back like crazy, and many of them were shot by the British soldiers.
He knocked him down from behind, but after all, Jack's unit only had one platoon, and soon the Germans ran out of their way.
Jack couldn't believe the sight before him. The British media had been trying to portray the Germans as tireless war maniacs, robots who didn't know fear and mercy, but now they were beaten away like this! Jack couldn't help it.
When he smiled, the excessive secretion of adrenaline made his smile look quite distorted.
The sergeant looked at the young second lieutenant calmly. He knew that everyone's first experience in combat was basically like this. Some people were more serious and some were not.
At this time, Jack finally calmed down. He said to the sergeant: "Quickly, send someone to report to the headquarters that we have encountered the German army and require reinforcements. If possible, be sure to bring the machine gun."
**
Jack and his team were not the only British troops to encounter the Germans on this day. The entire defensive zone of the expeditionary force collided with the German offensive forward. The British riflemen gave the tired Germans a hard blow with their precise shooting skills.
This forced Kluck's troops to stop their advance for the first time since the start of the battle, reorganize their formation, and wait for the artillery to follow.
Red crosses representing encounters with the enemy were plastered all over French’s map, the commander of the expeditionary force, which made the stubborn British gentleman very angry: “What’s going on! Didn’t Foch say that the German troops who broke through Belgium were just flanking raiding troops? What happened?
What kind of harassment force can engage us on the entire front at the same time?"
According to French's idea, after reporting the specific attack position of the German army on the front line, he devoted the main force of the expeditionary force to counter-encirclement the German intruder force. But now he suddenly discovered that the German army was everywhere.
The red fork stretched from the coast to the eastern end of the British front line. No wonder he was on fire.
At this time, the confidential officer entered his command room, saluted him, and then reported: "The French Army Lanrezac sent us a telegram. They have deployed on our right wing and have encountered the German army. According to
During the interrogation of the prisoners, they faced the German Army Bülow.
"Biro..." French rushed to the table, pulled out a document and browsed it quickly, then threw the document hard on the table. "Then if the intelligence from the Military Intelligence Agency is correct, the Germans should be in front of us."
Kluck’s Army! This is not a harassment operation at all! Foch’s sow got it all wrong! The German army’s main attack direction is here!”
As he spoke, French glanced at the darkening night outside the command headquarters window.
"Get all the officers up! The troops will march to the front immediately! We must form a reliable front in front of the German army before tomorrow morning! Move quickly! In addition, send a report to the stupid French sows and tell them the situation here
!”
**
Ferdinand Foch was arranging her curly hair, which could only be described as resplendent. She had just taken a bath, and her plump body wrapped in a bath towel was still steaming.
Someone knocked on the door.
"Come in." Foch ordered, and then turned to the maid who was helping her oil her hair. "Just a little more. Today I went to the front line for inspection, and my hair has been damaged by a round of sunburn."
"Yes ma'am."
At the same time, another waitress opened the door and came in with a telegram.
"Commander French of the British Expeditionary Force called."
Foch frowned.
"That proud little old man? Why is he calling at this time? Nian."
"Our army encountered the main force of the German Kluck Group Army today. The enemy force is huge and is by no means a simple harassment force. Considering that the Lanrezac Division of your army on the right wing of our army also encountered the German Bülow Group Army, I think
The German army's main attack direction is on the Western Front, and Belgium is by no means a simple harassment operation. The German army's goal is Paris."
"Oh?" Foch became interested, and she stood up. This action was too violent, causing her plump breasts to shake violently. The bath towel, which was not tied very stably, fell off her chest and slid to the ground. If
There were men present at this time, and those with a little less concentration might have died from nosebleeds and blood loss.
Foch moved his body carelessly and spread his legs apart when standing, exposing his pink slit to everyone's sight.
"map."
She said this.
So the two maids entered the bathroom with the map, then pulled the four corners of the map and unfolded it in front of Foch.
Foch walked to the map as if she was at a ball. However, she was not wearing a gorgeous dress at this time, so this elegant step that was completely in line with the palace standards of the last century had no aura of nobility at all. On the contrary,
Let her charming body twist seductively and be full of fragrance.
"This is Kluck's army group, and this is Bülow's army group... Well, it seems that the German army did choose to take a long detour from Belgium to attack Paris. However, this is an opportunity for us! In order to ensure the attack, the German army
If it goes smoothly, they must have deployed superior forces on their right wing. On the other hand, their left wing must be very weak. This is a good time for us to attack!"
As she spoke, Foch folded her hands to cross her chest, and her overly plump breasts became more prominent as her arms unconsciously lifted her.
"Hahaha, Moltke has prepared a quite risky plan. Instead of going around Belgium, we can directly penetrate the German defense line and immediately threaten the heart of Germany! Since the Germans are so enthusiastic and generous to stay
If you leave this empty door open for us, we will break through it without any ceremony!"
As he spoke, Foch stood with one hand on his hips and his legs spread wide. He waved his right hand violently in a posture to issue an attack order to thousands of troops: "Send the order! We must launch the offensive in advance! Before the temperature drops to the point where we cannot fight.
, attack as fiercely as the wind and thunder, and make the Germans pay the price for their bold plan!"
"What about... Paris?" one of the maids asked in a low voice. Foch's maids often helped her with military affairs and knew a little bit about the military.
Foch thought for a while and said: "Isn't Gallianni getting cannons everywhere? Provide them to him! Not only that, the concrete, machine guns and ammunition he wants are all provided to him. In addition, they are drawn from our reserve infantry division.
Three divisions are under his command. Galliini’s deputy Pétain is a die-hard defender, let’s see what he is capable of!”dd