Chapter 390: Infantry “Blitz” (2)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The weather in Belgium at the end of September was already a little cold, especially for the people in the trenches. All the troops here had already put on thick woolen coats. The rainy season and the river made the surroundings very muddy.

The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Divisions of the U.S. Army, as the first three divisions to attack, have now broken through the enemy’s first line of defense and rushed to the second line of defense after the scattered soldiers.

The second German defense line was not prepared at all. They had been bombarding them in the morning, and they had been used to it for a week. They did not know when they would go to the first defense line, because there would inevitably be a lot of casualties after the bombardment. They were used to these things.

However, it looked a little different today. The bombardment seemed to be more intense and it had been a little longer. However, it did not matter to the soldiers. They spent their days like this every day.

However, the situation quickly changed. After the artillery fire extended, the front line seemed to be in a mess, but they could not see or hear it. However, orders were quickly passed down and they were ready to fight. The Americans attacked.

However, before they were ready, the routed soldiers had already arrived at the second line of defense. The real-life mortar attack that followed them was followed by grenades and then close combat. Everything happened too quickly.

The German Army had just been appointed as the General Staff of Hindenburg for a year and was still in Berlin discussing the war between East and West with Emperor Wilhelm II. After all, the British and French forces launched the spring offensive and suffered heavy casualties. If they wanted to launch a large-scale battle again, it would take a long time to prepare and they would need to accumulate troops. The Americans had just arrived in Europe and there were not many of them, only a few hundred thousand.

Hindenburg did not expect the Americans to attack, and they attacked so quickly that there was little preparation. Wesley took advantage of the time when the United States had just entered the war and used ships to transport supplies. This situation was easily misunderstood, especially since the American Expeditionary Force had just arrived and it was impossible for spies to pass on information, so the outside world did not know much about supplies.

Long-term fixed thinking, carrying after a battle, backward communication methods, heavy equipment and slow response, and the U.S. Army’s light travel, these factors have led to the German command system not knowing what happened at present. The two years of training of the U.S. Army was not for nothing. Even if they have not been to the battlefield, the infantry exercise is mature, which is the advantage of standing troops.

“Get rid of the machine gun in front,” a lieutenant commander of the 1st Division of the United States Army roared.

Upon hearing his order, the 80mm mortars of the company opened up. Then, with a roar, the infantry in front of them began to charge. Such a situation was everywhere. There were too many automatic firepower and small-caliber mortars, forming an absolute advantage in the area. This was the effect Wesley had asked for. Moreover, the effect of the fire line promotion was abnormally obvious. Some people who were not used to war were sent directly to the rear.

As soon as the battle began, Wesley picked up the phone and got through to Paris GCHQ. The old-fashioned phone was not very effective, but it was good to be able to talk. “Please speak to Marshal Pétain. I am Wesley Gibson, commander of the first echelon of the United States Expeditionary Force.”

“Hello? General Gibson, what’s the matter?” Pétain asked. At the moment, the British and French armies know nothing. Only the troops connected to their defensive position know something, and their frontline commander has sent someone to Wesley’s command center to ask.

“We have already launched an attack and broken through the enemy’s first line of defense. Now I hope that the British and French forces can immediately fire at the front line of the enemy and then be ready to fight.”

“What? Are you sure you’re not joking?” Pétain’s voice was raised and his shocked expression was visible. Haig was smoking a cigar and was startled by Pétain’s sudden voice and looked over in surprise.

“Of course not. We have broken through the enemy’s first defense line and are currently attacking the second defense line. Please be prepared.”

“Why didn’t you say something so big in advance? Our supplies and soldiers were not prepared…”

Wesley did not wait for him to finish his tirade. Instead, he interrupted him. “Lord Marshal, please hurry up. It’s time to defeat the enemy. I don’t want our allies to delay our attack. The artillery doesn’t need to be prepared. Isn’t it played out every day? When the artillery is fired, the troops should be ready to charge. My troops will continue to attack, and you can also not participate.” Wesley was relieved to call.

Wesley, who had put down the phone, gave the order directly. The Second Army began to move to protect the right flank of the First Army. They wanted to start defending after the right flank attacked for five kilometers. The Third and Fourth Armies began their own mission to follow the advance.

The command center moved forward and contacted the Marine Fleet to ask if all four Marine Corps brigades had landed.

When it comes to Blitzkrieg, many people think of Germany in World War II, but Wesley thinks that Blitzkrieg is actually a speed war. Speed is relative. I just need to be faster than you.

The road was not very good. The engineer brigade began to move. They laid the prepared soil on the road and then began to crush it. The steamroller produced by Gibson Group’s company drove straight up. This was the benefit of the concentration of engineers.

The artillery of the divisional troops had already begun to move forward. It was also convenient for the relatively light artillery to move. The divisional troops did not have a heavy burden, and the heavy artillery could slowly move forward.

“Report, First Army reports that they have broken through the enemy’s second line of defense and the German army is being defeated.”

“Order them to replace the first line of assault troops and continue to attack. Bite the tail of the defeated soldiers and keep attacking forward. They will meet the Marines at the three lines of defense. The three lines of defense are no longer a problem,” Wesley said.

“Yes.”

Wesley’s Marines mysteriously appeared behind the enemy, which caught the Germans even more off guard. Their last line of defense was attacked from both sides and was lost. But because of their numbers, the U.S. Army couldn’t completely surround the German routed soldiers and could only kill them with firepower.

The second group of troops, the right-wing German army, launched an attack, and it was the enemy of the enemy’s second line of defense. The confrontation between the two sides was originally a long snake formation, and the right-wing German army did not understand why the American military suddenly appeared. Their hasty counterattack was weak and powerless.

The Second Army did not have time to deploy their troops and could only attack and deploy at the same time. Although it was rushed, it was not chaotic. They knew what to do after a week of preparation and directly attacked for five kilometers before starting to defend on the spot.

Pétain put down the phone and looked at Haig. “The Americans have attacked. They have broken through a defense line.”

“What? How is that possible? Why are they saying it now?”