Chapter 538: Anti-Tank Trenches
The rain was pouring down heavily in Namur, and the entire city seemed shrouded in mist. By the afternoon, the sky was as dark as night, and even a few meters away, one could barely make out the outlines of people through the rain.
However, many civilians in the city were cheering in the rain. People held hands, forming a circle, and began dancing folk dances joyfully to the sound of music and rhythmic clapping, shouting as they danced.
They told the Germans that they were celebrating the arrival of the rainy season, but that was not the case.
They were celebrating the sound of artillery fire from outside the city, celebrating that the French forces had reached Namur, and celebrating the arrival of the long-awaited Charles' troops at their doorstep.
The people gathered in the rain whispered to each other:
"Are you sure it’s Charles' troops?"
"Of course! Can you hear the intense bombardment? They say there are at least ten artillery regiments. The Germans are getting a beating! Their end is near!"
"Do you think they will strike us in the final moments?"
"Don’t worry! Do you remember Charles' statement regarding Ghent?"
"Yes, if the Germans harm us, Charles will definitely not spare them! They wouldn’t dare do that!"
...
[The image above shows a scene of Belgian folk dancing.]
In addition, Belgian partisans and civilians had actively launched attacks against the German army. Explosions were heard in garages, and fires broke out in warehouses. Accidents occurred one after another.
...
At the River Bend Area Command, Major General Nicolas was busy contacting various places for reinforcements via phone and radio.
But to his disappointment, no place could provide timely reinforcements to Namur.
"All the fronts are under pressure, Major General," replied Falkenhayn. "Whether it's Verdun or the Somme, they have no spare troops or equipment. I'll organize a reinforcement force as soon as possible, but it may take three days."
When Major General Nicolas received the telegram, he could hardly believe his eyes.
Three days? Reinforcements would take three days to arrive?
After a half-day of artillery battles, only three of his artillery regiments remained, and the casualties were heavy. Only two artillery battalions still had combat capability.
The others were either destroyed by rocket artillery or suffered heavy losses.
If he gathered the remaining troops and repaired the malfunctioning guns, perhaps he could barely form another artillery regiment.
But what would be the point? Even if a new artillery regiment was formed, it would still be helpless, watching its guns blown up one by one!
Major General Nicolas cast a helpless gaze over the River Bend Area, where there were craters of all sizes. The artillery positions had disappeared, and twisted remnants of guns lay scattered everywhere.
How did this happen?
These were supposed to be the invincible 105mm howitzers! Since the war began, they had never lost in an artillery battle, yet now they had been obliterated without even seeing the enemy.
...
Across the River Bend Area, Charles had just arrived in Namur after coming from Verdun.
The command tunnel was somewhat damp, with several areas leaking water. The ground was muddy, as if one had stepped into a swamp.
But none of this mattered. What mattered was that it was safe here, with hardly any enemy shells reaching this spot.
Amidst the pungent smoke from kerosene lamps, Charles looked with interest at the estimated results of the artillery battle provided by the artillery observers.
Tigani excitedly reported from the side: "We've destroyed at least two German artillery regiments."
"Our side had almost no casualties. Only one rocket artillery vehicle broke down temporarily and was destroyed because it couldn't withdraw in time."
"But all personnel evacuated, and the only injury was a sprained ankle, which is not serious."
Charles was not surprised. The mobile rocket artillery was almost invulnerable. While fragile, a single shell could destroy it, but it was nearly impossible to stop them from retreating.
However, he was puzzled about the destruction of two German artillery regiments.
"Did the German artillery not retreat?" he asked.
"No," Tigani answered firmly. "If the German artillery retreats, they can't block the route. That’s not what they want."
Charles fell silent.
The German artillery actually had a choice. They could have retreated to a position where their 105mm howitzers could block the route while the rocket artillery would not be able to reach them due to range limitations.
In such a case, Charles would have had to use bombers for suppression and send in armored units under heavy fire.
That’s how wars work—you can't expect to launch an attack in a nearly perfect state of enemy and friendly forces. Danger is inevitable.
But the Germans did not do that.
After thinking for a moment, Charles seemed to understand. The Germans were ignorant of rocket artillery. They didn't know the range of the rocket artillery, so they couldn’t respond properly to its weaknesses.
"Didn't they scatter their positions?" Charles asked again.
Tigani shook his head again. "No, they didn’t."
If the Germans had scattered their artillery positions, the imprecise rocket artillery would have needed more ammunition and time to achieve the same results.
But the Germans still hadn't done that.
Charles considered that this could be the silver lining of the new equipment, a sort of “bonus package.” Once the Germans understood the data on rocket artillery, the artillery battle wouldn’t go so smoothly.
...
Erwin looked out at the torrential rain outside the command room and sighed with relief. "It looks like we’re safe now."
"What do you mean?" Major General Nicolas, who was in a state of distress, asked. "Aren’t we in danger? The enemy can attack our defensive line at any time through the blockade area, Colonel!"
And it's Charles' armored troops. Nicolas even thought Erwin might be joking.
"No, General." Erwin lifted his head toward the observation window, responding seriously, "This rain has saved us. At least it has bought us some time. In three days, our reinforcements will arrive."
Major General Nicolas thought about it for a moment but was still uncertain. "Are you saying that the rain has made the ground too muddy for tank operations?"
"That's one reason," Erwin slowly walked back to his desk and pointed to two fortifications on the map in front of their defense line.
"More importantly, it’s these anti-tank trenches."
"I’ve built two lines of trenches, one within the range of our 77mm infantry guns."
"The other one is within the range of our infantry K-shells."
"I was just worried that the French might use sandbags to fill in the anti-tank trenches to force a breakthrough."
Major General Nicolas let out an "Oh," and the tension in his forehead eased. "With this heavy rain, the anti-tank trenches will turn into a muddy mess. They’ll become like swamps, very difficult to fill."
Erwin added, "Even if they do fill them, the foundations on both sides will easily collapse. These will trap Charles' armored units!"
Major General Nicolas slowly nodded, his gaze turning toward the heavy rain outside the observation window.
Not long ago, he had been cursing the damn weather. Now, he hoped the rain would fall even heavier and last longer.