Chapter 1635 Before Dawn 2
Chapter 1635 Before Dawn 2
In the chaos caused at the beginning of the breakthrough, the loss of the reserve team also made Xiafei feel heartache. In tonight's battle, not counting the losses of artillery and frontline troops, but simply looking at the rear troops and reserves that were attacked, the French Army lost at least 3 regiments with no less than 5,000 troops. This small force is nothing compared to the overall French army of more than 200,000. But if they all happened at a certain point, it would shake up the losses on some fronts. Although there is no clear figure for the German losses, they are certainly not large. And to be honest, until now, Xiafei still doesn’t know how the Germans broke through. Specific troop strength and equipment levels….
Joffre already knows the next plan of the Bavarian Army. Tomorrow morning, when dawn comes, the French Army will face the most dangerous wave of attack since the beginning of the Asia Minor Campaign. Tens of thousands of Bavarian elite troops will attack the breakthrough point where the backbone has been broken... under the cover of the absolutely superior air force. Our own artillery advantage has disappeared, and there is still such a German unit in the rear causing trouble everywhere.
At this moment, Xiafei knew that the outcome of this battle would be announced within the next two days. In this case, he did not hesitate to order the 2 divisions and 1 brigade of the reserve team of the entire group army to prepare immediately. Fighting, they will first annihilate the German invasion force tomorrow, and then work with the frontline garrison to deal with the main assault force of the Bavarian Army!
"No, this is not enough. According to our estimation, if you want to withstand the main attack of the Bavarian Army on the weak defense line, you will need at least twice the strength and equipment. Even if all the reserves are mobilized, plus the current The remaining troops on the front line, our total strength does not exceed 5 divisions at most, and if the Bavarian Army tries its best to launch a wave of attacks, its strength will be at least 4 divisions!" Xiafei said to himself.
"But fortunately, I have prepared a backup plan!" Xiafei finally smiled for the first time tonight. After this situation occurs, there is only one thing that the French must do and can do, and that is to immediately draw reinforcements from other places. And rapid deployment of troops requires transportation capabilities!
Do you really think that Xiafei, a seasoned veteran on the Western Front battlefield, only knows how to deploy defense lines by digging trenches, laying minefields and barbed wire, and building support points and artillery positions? too young too simple! At this level, you can only command one army at most! The key to a completed defense line is not only military, but more importantly, smooth logistics roads! This is true for both the offensive and defensive sides! Why, in the historical Battle of Verdun, the German Army could support the consumption of millions of artillery shells? Because they laid a wooden narrow-gauge railway for each division!
Also in the Battle of Verdun, why were the French able to defend Verdun when they were caught off guard? What is the key to supporting hundreds of thousands of troops fighting on the front line? Isn't it just the hundreds of car platoons and thousands of cars prepared by the French? And what about in Asia Minor? Xiafei does not have the capital to equip it with such terrifying transportation capabilities. But he also made some preparations for the regional tactical mobilization of the troops!
Xiafei’s method is very simple.
Just a hard squeeze! As the saying goes, time is like water in a sponge, there will always be some if you squeeze it... A similar approach is like the Soviet army's use of heavy artillery in World War II. Among troops below the division level, the artillery attached to the Soviet troops can be described as pitiful. The Soviets concentrated a large number of artillery that should have been assigned to the regiment and division levels and assigned them to higher levels to gain firepower advantage. Xiafei's approach was also very simple. He forced all front-line troops to hand over an additional quarter of their vehicles to form a transportation force directly under the Legion Army.
In Xia Fei's view, the troops on the front line only need to defend their positions. If there is a gap in a certain line of defense, it should be a matter for the reserve team. Frontline troops do not need much mobility, so although this order is cold, it really increases the French's troop mobilization capabilities. Of course, even so, they only have the possibility of rapid mobilization. What the actual situation will be, we won’t know until we get to the battlefield!
"Send a telegram to me and Major General Hawke, the commander of the British Northern Air Corps, saying that the outcome of the battle will be announced tomorrow, and before sunset, I hope that the eagle from England can spread its broad and powerful wings. Block the haze in the sky for us!" Xiafei thought for a while and said.
Generally speaking, unless the twin-engine bombers carry large-yield bombs, such as those iron watermelons above 250KG, using small bombs and machine guns can only suppress trenches and artillery positions. But these aerial gods of death are definitely the most terrifying thing for transport convoys exposed in the wilderness. When humans can fly into the sky, the insurmountable boundary between the front and the rear of the battle line is finally broken!
It is foreseeable that in tomorrow's battle, the Bavarian Army's aviation unit will definitely suppress the French army's deep transport units and the troops coming to support. The French have no choice in this regard, so the only thing they can rely on is the British Air Force.
The response from the British was also impressive. That night, Major General Hawke sent a telegram to his boss, General Trenchard, requesting the mobilization of the British aviation units remaining at the landing site. As for why the frontline airport could not accommodate them, manage? There is no need to worry about this problem at all, because after tomorrow's battle, there will definitely be many planes that will never come back!
Before dawn, Xiafei finally adjusted the mission of the reinforcements. Those troops were to deal with the Bavarian assault troops that had rushed in. Those troops were used to seal the gap, and those troops were used to launch attacks when the opponent's strength was exhausted. A deadly counterattack requires careful calculation. After all, this time, the French generally do not have the advantage in terms of military strength, and after tonight's battle, they have lost a lot of technical equipment.
While the French are intensively preparing for tomorrow's battle, the German troops on the front line are also using the last period of time to arrange their deployment. This battle also has very important experimental significance for the Bavarian Army. After all, it is far from the last time. More than half a year has passed since the army-level war against Britain and France. The experience of this battle is of great significance for the Bavarian Army to improve its future campaign and tactical system on the Western Front!
"All our efforts will bear fruit tomorrow!" Count Schmidt said.
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