Chapter 529: Their Scandal Is About to Be Exposed
The sound of intense artillery fire rang out again. It was the artillery suppression that Monty had requested.
He believed that if tanks could shield infantry, it would help avoid being hit by artillery shells, and this seemed like the perfect moment for such suppression.
His idea appeared to be correct. Under the barrage of British artillery, the German firepower immediately decreased, and there were faint signs of German retreat.
The British tanks seized the opportunity to increase their speed, and soldiers in the rear began their charge. A loud shout rang out, and Monty successfully led his troops into the first German trench.
Unexpectedly, victory came so easily, and Monty felt a surge of joy in his heart.
However, before he could solidify his position, the Germans launched a counterattack.
At this moment, the tanks stopped in front of the trench, unwilling to advance. The drivers were uncertain if they could cross the widened trench that the Germans had reinforced, and without orders, they were too afraid to take risks.
The tank machine guns fired continuously at the Germans, shooting in several directions at once, making the tanks appear like hedgehogs covered with sharp spines, firing wildly.
Yet, they remained stationary at the trench and could not move, turning them into perfect targets for the German 77mm artillery.
"Boom! Boom!"
After a series of explosions, several tanks were immediately blown to pieces, some catching fire and burning fiercely.
Then, the German 105mm long-range artillery let out a roar. Its shells screamed through the air, growing louder as they drew closer, until the final "Boom! Boom! Boom!" shook the ground. Monty felt as though he were a small boat on a stormy sea, on the verge of capsizing.
Risking a glance from a higher position, Monty saw that only a few of the tanks in the rear were still operational, and they were under heavy bombardment with nowhere to hide.
Suddenly, Monty realized he had fallen into a trap. This was a German ambush.
The reason the German 105mm artillery had arrived so accurately and quickly was because they had already targeted this defensive line, the Germans' own line.
The British had been able to achieve such "victory" only because the Germans had voluntarily given up the position, leaving the British exposed to the bombardment.
Shells continued to fall, one after another, hammering the trench that the British had just occupied.
The German plan was as cunning as it was precise.
Their 105mm artillery had a range far greater than that of any British or French artillery. By positioning it far enough from their own line, they ensured that no artillery could reach them.
The German gunners could bombard at will, as long as they wanted.
Fortunately, the German trench was nearly three meters deep, with fortified artillery shelters, providing the British with some protection.
However...
Monty soon realized that after the Germans had finished bombing the tanks, they would send waves of infantry to reclaim the trench.
They were trapped here, certain to be killed, a chill ran down Monty's spine. Surrounded by artillery fire and unable to move, they were isolated with no way out.
Without hesitation, Monty shouted orders to his staff over the deafening artillery fire: "Pass the order down, and when the artillery stops, we retreat immediately!"
His staff hesitated for a moment. Wasn't the plan to launch a charge when the bombardment stopped? They had already achieved the first stage of victory—now was the time to press the advantage!
"Retreat!" Monty confirmed his order. "We retreat as soon as the artillery stops!"
"Yes, Captain!" the staff officer replied, quickly passing the orders to the communications officers.
Monty's decision proved to be the right one.
The result was that the Germans were caught off guard by the sudden British retreat between the artillery barrages. They had expected to surround and annihilate the British forces within the trench, but instead, the British had managed to escape.
...
At the Antwerp airport.
Charles was counting the number of rocket launchers and rockets to be sent to Mons.
The rocket launchers and rockets were ultimately destined for an assault on the Namur Fortress, so it was unnecessary for them to be rerouted through Antwerp.
Not only would this be redundant, but it could easily expose their strategic objectives.
As for the rocket launchers and rockets that had already arrived in Antwerp, they were meant for training and as a reserve force.
Two rocket launcher regiments were mostly in position, but there was still a slight shortage of rockets—just over 20,000 had arrived.
Steed, puzzled, spoke up: "Major General, over 20,000 rockets far exceed the ammunition base of two regiments!"
He had calculated it based on the French artillery ammunition base—72 guns, with 100 rounds per gun, totaling 7,200 rounds per base.
Charles replied: "You seem to have forgotten, Mr. Steed, that each rocket launcher has 12 tubes."
Steed broke into a cold sweat as he realized this meant over 80,000 rockets were required for one ammunition base!
Exactly how many rockets were needed was uncertain. It depended on how many artillery pieces the Germans had deployed at the Namur Fortress, as well as the effectiveness of the rockets in actual combat.
However, it was clear that producing more rockets would not be a mistake. Even if the launchers were not available, they could be placed on sandbags in front of the trenches, connected to a battery, and launched.
While Charles was calculating how to distribute the rockets between the two rocket launcher regiments, Tigani came out holding a telegram:
"Good news! The Germans have diverted reinforcements to the Somme."
"They've at least pulled two artillery regiments from Verdun, and there's also been some movement at the Namur Fortress, though we don't yet know how many troops have been redeployed."
Charles responded with a brief "Hmm," continuing his calculations on the paper.
The Germans must have moved more troops away from Namur. After all, the French Army's plan to assault Namur had already been exposed, and leading generals like Gohier, Haig, and Nivelle were all caught in the "using others' hands to kill" trap.
Moreover, with the British and French forces fully engaged in the Somme offensive, a French attack on Namur had become practically impossible.
So why keep artillery stationed at Namur?
"This may be related to the British deploying tanks," Tigani said. "The Germans must be feeling the pressure."
"Tanks?" Charles stopped his calculations and looked up at Tigani.
"Yes," Tigani said, handing Charles a newspaper with a smug expression. "Your intelligence isn't always so timely, Major General."
Charles took the paper, and at a prominent location, it read: "British Army Deploys New Tanks on the Battlefield and Wins Major Victory," accompanied by a picture of a tank.
Charles immediately recognized it as the British "Whippet."
It was an interesting design. The British believed that as long as the tank had machine guns on all four sides, it didn’t need a rotating turret.
Moreover, they thought that having machine guns fire simultaneously in three directions would be far more powerful than a turret with a single gun.
(Note: The "Whippet" usually had three crew members: a driver, a commander, and a machine gunner. Normally, the machine gunner would rotate between four machine guns, but in extreme cases, an additional machine gunner would be added, allowing three machine guns to fire at once.)
Charles sneered coldly: "Their scandal is about to be exposed."
Whether the tank was a success or failure was painfully obvious, and the soldiers could see it. This was something they couldn't hide.
The British, preoccupied with soothing the troops, hadn't realized this could lead to even more frightening consequences.
Tigani looked at Charles in surprise: "A scandal? What scandal?"