I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 157

Chapter 157: Charles' Elite Troops

The rain poured down heavily, with raindrops hitting the ground like bullets falling from the sky, violently striking the earth. The rainwater mixed with mud and blood, flowing across the trenches, forming little streams that snaked through the battlefield.

Inside the trench, the two sides were locked in a chaotic melee, struggling in the mud to the point where it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe.

Bayonets, rifle stocks, shovels, and even stones and teeth were used—anything that could kill the enemy was a weapon.

The German soldiers were mostly seasoned veterans, tough and experienced, with a numerical advantage in this particular section of the trench.

The French forces, on the other hand, took advantage of the lingering effects of grenade explosions, charging forward before the Germans could react. After firing a round from their rifles, they engaged in hand-to-hand combat, gaining the upper hand in both tactics and equipment.

Each side had its advantages and disadvantages, and the fighting was fiercely contested. The air was filled with screams and the sounds of combat, while the accumulated water in the trench turned red, indistinguishable from rainwater or blood.

On both sides of the trench, reinforcements were attempting to reach the front line.

If both sides succeeded, the trench would become a meat grinder, with both armies feeding more men into it while suffering tremendous casualties, ultimately collapsing when one side could no longer hold on.

However, this brief stalemate did not last long...

The tank rumbled forward, its tracks clanking. With its 8-meter-long body, it easily crossed the trench, which was about 1.5 meters deep. To it, it was nothing more than a small ditch.

Next, the tank's tracks relentlessly crushed the advancing German reinforcements.

The Germans surged forward like a tidal wave, but the tank acted as an iron gate blocking their path. It even reversed, pushing against the wave, halting the surge of soldiers in an instant.

Screams erupted, and blood splattered!

German soldiers were crushed beneath the heavy tracks, their bodies making a crackling sound like dry branches snapping—a sound that came from broken bones.

Everyone nearby shuddered at the sound, as if it were their own bones breaking, a wave of numb, tingling fear sweeping over them.

The tank's machine gun fired, the mounted Vickers machine gun rattling as bullets rained down on the Germans. The bullets fell like a storm, scything through the enemy like the Grim Reaper reaping souls.

Rows of German soldiers screamed as they fell into pools of blood, unable to resist.

Some tried to block the steel beast with K-shells.

However, the "Mark I" tank's 17mm frontal armor was impenetrable, even at close range.

Others attempted to outflank the tank.

But then, machine gun fire came from the side of the tank...

The "Mark I" tank was equipped with a Hotchkiss machine gun on its side. While its firepower wasn't as fierce as the Vickers, it worked in tandem with nearby tanks to create a crossfire for mutual support.

The side-mounted machine guns from Tank 1 provided cover for Tank 2’s flank, and vice versa.

German soldiers who tried to sneak between the tanks were cut down one by one in a bloodbath.

The tank had successfully halted the German reinforcements. Although only two minutes had passed, the trench lines had already determined the outcome.

The French forces surged into the trench like a tidal wave, easily using their bayonets to pin down or stab the German soldiers who were still struggling in hand-to-hand combat. The combatants had no chance to surrender.

The victorious soldiers did not linger. They quickly climbed out of the trench on the other side, raising their rifles to cover the tanks.

A sharp whistle sounded, and the French soldiers immediately drew grenades, pulling the pins and tossing them.

"Boom boom boom..."

After the explosions, the soldiers shouted and charged again with their bayonets.

The battle seemed to become easier, as the cycle of tanks, grenades, and close-quarters combat played out again and again. The enemy’s trench lines were broken time and time again, with almost no pause.

Colonel Klop was watching from the rear and could hardly believe his eyes.

He had organized no fewer than ten offensives on this defensive line, replenished his forces seven or eight times, and watched as one group of French soldiers after another fell on this land—at least three or four thousand—yet no progress had been made.

The German counterattacks were no different!

Colonel Klop had made an assessment with his staff, and they had agreed that breaking the enemy's defenses would require at least five times the number of troops.

Around fifteen thousand men, plus a significant number of artillery, would be needed to win at such a heavy cost.

Therefore, when he saw Colonel Estigny charge with just over a thousand men and insist that no additional troops were needed, he thought they were mad. It was suicide!

However, Klop did not stop them, as it was an order from General Gallieni.

Klop could only pray for these poor men in his heart: "Forgive these ignorant souls. They don’t know how brutal the battlefield is. Their commander is even an artillery officer..."

Yet, his prayer had barely begun before the first phase of the battle was already won. The expected deaths had not occurred.

To be precise, deaths had occurred, but they were on the enemy’s side!

"What happened?" Colonel Klop raised his binoculars to observe carefully. Although it was hard to see through the rain, he could tell that this unit was advancing at an astonishing speed.

"Colonel!" A messenger came forward with a report. "They’ve broken through the second defense line. The Germans are fleeing!"

Colonel Klop stared in disbelief at the front: "More than three thousand Germans, and they were defeated by just over a thousand men?"

When did the Germans become so fragile?

Was his own unit that incompetent?

But then, he thought again. This was Charles' elite unit. While the result was unexpected, it was not entirely out of the question!

Colonel Klop had not realized that his perception of this unit had shifted smoothly from "a mob going to die" to "Charles' elite troops."

...

The German army collapsed when the French forces broke through the second defense line.

They realized that nothing could stop the French advance. All cover and fortifications would be crushed beneath the tank's tracks. Resistance was futile!

However, Estigny had no intention of letting these retreating soldiers off the hook.

The German deserters were dangerous. This was a conclusion Estigny had drawn from experience. They would regroup somewhere unknown, possibly setting up an ambush along the road.

Therefore, Estigny did not intend to let them escape. He sent out teams mounted on motorbikes, carrying machine guns, to pursue the fleeing soldiers.

They never directly engaged but kept a close distance, a classic tactic of the motorbike units. They knew how to play this game!

In the end, the Germans, realizing they could not escape, had no choice but to surrender in large groups, raising their weapons in the air.

Table of content - Next Chapter >>>