I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 159

Chapter 159: The Trap of War Machines

The Lafox Line, German 2nd Infantry Regiment Command Post.

Colonel Khalil sat at his desk, staring blankly at the map in front of him. The dim light above his head swayed back and forth, much like his unsettled emotions at that moment.

"Any new intelligence?" Seeing Staff Officer Wolf step forward, Khalil anxiously asked.

Wolf shook his head helplessly. "Our telephone lines with Andelussy and Tamon have been cut. They only managed to send a few telegrams requesting reinforcements to General Waldeck before all contact was lost!"

Khalil turned his gaze back to the map and, with a frustrated tone, asked, "What are General Waldeck's orders?"

"Wait for orders!" Wolf replied. "The General has already sent reinforcements to these two areas. They will assess the situation and then plan the next move."

This was the command style of General Waldeck—he always preferred to gather intelligence before making decisions. People referred to this as "prudent."

But Khalil felt that this method might work against others, but when it came to Charles's raid, it could lead to a "missed opportunity."

"Have you thought about..." Khalil pointed to the two locations on the map that had been attacked, his voice full of concern, "If Charles’s forces can break through these two points quickly and then join forces to encircle our rear, it might only take two hours to completely end this battle?"

Wolf’s expression shifted. He understood what Khalil was implying.

Lafox, Andelussy, and Tamon roughly formed a triangle, with a distance of about ten kilometers between each. If Charles's forces had already broken through Andelussy and Tamon, marching towards each other, and assuming a speed of three kilometers per hour, they would meet in just over two hours, completely encircling Lafox.

However...

"Is that even possible?" Wolf’s expression was clouded. "I mean, breaking through Andelussy and Tamon so quickly. Each of those locations has thousands of defenders, with trenches and barbed wire, and Charles’s total force is only two thousand, currently split in two..."

"Don’t forget that Charles has tanks, Wolf!" Khalil suddenly grew agitated, his words coming faster. "This is exactly what he plans! This is an unprecedented battle for us! If we stay here doing nothing, we’ll end up surrounded without firing a single shot, and we’ll have no choice but to surrender! Do you want to see that happen?"

Khalil didn’t want to, because this outcome would be his responsibility. It was his request that had brought all the artillery from the flanks to this position.

These artillery pieces, which had not fired a single shot, could soon become Charles’s spoils of war!

What an ironic situation!

Charles had dealt him a harsh blow!

"But what can we do?" Wolf countered. "Abandon Lafox?"

Clearly, that wasn’t an option. Without the General’s order, abandoning the position would be considered desertion, and they would undoubtedly face a military tribunal.

Wolf added, "Or send reinforcements to the flanks? That might be feasible, but we don’t even know where the enemy is!"

Khalil fell silent. It seemed that there was nothing he could do, nothing he could change!

After a moment’s thought, Khalil slowly said, "We have artillery, Wolf. We have plenty of artillery!"

Wolf was taken aback. "But what can artillery do?"

Khalil pointed towards the rear and said firmly, "If Charles plans to concentrate his forces behind us, then our artillery... of course, must aim its barrels at the rear!"

Wolf stared at the map for a while, then gave a slight nod in agreement with Khalil's plan.

Another advantage of this approach was that if Charles's forces did indeed encircle from the rear, the Germans might be able to use artillery to smash a gap and break out!

...

At Khalil's command, the artillery began to move.

Colonel Miller, commander of the 6th Artillery Regiment, directed the troops to pack up the cannons. The drivers hurried to their carts, hitching the guns one by one and rushing along the road.

To increase the mobility of the 105mm guns, the Germans had designed a reasonable configuration between the cannons and the wagons. They had added a simple structure between the artillery and the horses, which could carry three artillerymen.

During the move, the six artillerymen were arranged as follows: two soldiers would sit in front of the gun shield, three would ride in the cart, and one would serve as the driver.

With this arrangement, as long as the cannon was hitched to the cart and the artillerymen took their positions, the cart would carry both the cannon and its crew at a speed of 8 kilometers per hour.

The German artillerymen were well-trained, and within just a few minutes, everything was prepared. Thirty-six guns and some horses carrying shells were soon moving down the road towards their destination in the rain.

However...

After traveling a short distance and thinking everything was going smoothly, they were about to increase speed when a low "rumbling" sound, like distant thunder, filled the air.

"Planes!" someone in the German ranks shouted.

The artillerymen looked up, and sure enough, they saw dozens of "Avros" flying overhead. Immediately, some shouted in alarm. These were the planes the Germans called "Sky Reapers."

"Scatter, take cover!" Colonel Miller shouted loudly.

But when the order was passed down, everyone froze in place.

On one side was a steep slope twenty meters high, and on the other side was a farm field flooded with rainwater—there was nowhere to escape!

Colonel Miller’s face went pale. In that moment, he realized that French planes had likely already chosen the terrain and were waiting above them!

Miller’s guess was correct. This trap had been specifically set for the German artillery by Charles.

"Since I’ve already lured the German artillery to Lafox, I’m not going to let them return to break the encirclement!" Charles confidently explained his plan to Gallieni.

"But what can you do?" Gallieni asked. "The Germans only need to move a few kilometers to aim their guns at you, and your infiltrating forces have no artillery to suppress them!"

"Planes, General!" Charles answered slowly. "We have planes!"

Gallieni laughed and asked, "Are you planning to use rocket planes to bomb their hidden artillery positions? I don’t think that will do much good!"

It wasn’t just about the rockets being susceptible to dampness in the rain—it was also about visibility. The pilots would have difficulty spotting the artillery camouflaged on the ground.

Charles smiled slightly and responded, "What if their guns aren’t at artillery positions, but lined up on the road?"

Gallieni’s eyes lit up in realization. He nodded thoughtfully, a look of approval in his eyes. That made things much easier!

What Charles needed to do was first send reconnaissance planes to locate the artillery, then deploy a few reconnaissance planes to monitor their movements.

Once the artillery concentrated on the road and reached the designated ambush point, the first squadron would launch their attack.

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