Long live Joachim

Chapter 21: Lightweight Line of Defense Looking down at the ground from the sky, the city of Amiens and the town of Moley, separated by more than ten kilometers, are connected by a lush green link centered around a winding river, which is the main tributary of the Somme River, the River of Alf. With the irrigation and nourishment of the river water, the vegetation on both sides of the riverbank grew particularly lush, forming this continuous forest belt. When approaching the town of Moley, the forest coverage area expands, hence it is called the "Moley Forest" by the French. On the day when the German army captured Amiens, the 1st Marine Division dispatched advance troops from the 2nd and 3rd Naval Infantry Brigades to carry out battles along the Somme River, attempting to occupy Moley upstream and Pidgini downstream as outposts to consolidate the Amiens front. In this context, more than 600 German officers and soldiers from the 3rd Light Infantry Battalion of the 11th Naval Infantry Regiment sailed upstream along the River Alf and advanced to the northern edge of the Morley Forest before dusk. According to the original plan, they had to take a short break and march overnight in order to capture the town of Morley before dawn. The aerial reconnaissance results of the Naval Air Force showed that the French defense positions were mainly deployed along the main stream of the Somme River, and only a few towns such as Morley were stationed with a small number of guard troops along the river line of Alf. Therefore, there was a high chance of success in capturing Morley town by rapid attack. Starting from dusk, the French army launched a counterattack in Amiens. The transmission distance of gunfire was limited, but as night fell, the flames leaping in the direction of Amiens could also be clearly seen from ten kilometers away. In 1914, telegrams had already become a part of people's daily lives, but the most common telegrams at that time were wired telegrams transmitted through lines. The birth of wireless communication technology was only 21 years ago, and naval vessels of great powers had widely used wireless communication. However, due to considerations of cost, weight, and efficiency, armies of various countries still relied on wired telegrams, telephones, carrier pigeons, and manual transmission as their main means of communication. Laying telephone lines during the march is not complicated, it just takes some time. The commander of this advance unit, Lieutenant Colonel von Wakano, has no way of knowing the latest situation in Amiens, nor is he sure whether his troops should continue to advance towards Moley or withdraw quickly. Therefore, he waited for the superior to send communication soldiers while ordering the soldiers to wait and set up guard posts within a few kilometers. Colonel von Wakano, 47 years old, is a veteran marine commander who previously served as a Marine Corps officer on warships and later trained indigenous soldiers in colonies. He spent five years in East Africa and four years in Western Samoa. However, Major Wakano, who holds a noble title, often receives "flawed" evaluations from his superiors, with words such as "arrogant" and "contemptuous of superiors" appearing more frequently in comments. As a result, after more than 20 years in the navy, he is still a mid to low ranking officer, but this does not prevent him from gaining the trust and love of soldiers. The naval soldiers of the 3rd Light Infantry Battalion should feel fortunate to have a commander like Lieutenant Wakano who is knowledgeable, humorous, and empathetic towards his subordinates. They are mostly new recruits who joined the army in 1913, naive and ignorant, and have not seen much of the world. The junior officers and non commissioned officers are also very young. Although they have received further education in the newly established Navy Infantry Department at the Naval Academy or Non commissioned Officer School, they still lack experience in handling problems and dealing with troubles. Like most units of the 3rd Marine Brigade, this naval infantry battalion is equipped with the underperforming M1888 short cavalry rifle. Fortunately, their machine gun firepower was sufficient to compensate for the range deficiency of the short mounted guns. The entire battalion was equipped with a total of 4 MG08 and 24 Madsen light machine guns. It should be noted that a French division formed as a reserve force had fewer machine guns than this. After a day of intense fighting, the officers and soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Marine Brigades were tempered by the flames of war. Although some fell, some withdrew injured, and some remained immersed in tension or fear, most of them still gained valuable experience and grew in spirit, willpower, and combat skills. Since early morning, the 3rd Marine Brigade, as an attacking reserve, has been listening to the symphony of war from behind. On the way to the Morley Forest, Colonel von Wakano's camp engaged in a battle with the French - they encountered a group of French soldiers who had scattered from Amiens. In the battle that lasted for over an hour, several soldiers from both sides were shot, and the exhausted French voluntarily gave up resistance, all of whom became prisoners of German naval infantry. This small victory inspired the soldiers under Major Wakano, but the officers saw the serious lack of practical experience in the troops. From nightfall until everything was quiet, there was no new order from the superior command center, and there was no news of the dispatched communication soldiers. Young officers generally showed anxiety and unease, but Major Wakano remained very calm. He ordered the soldiers to set up their tents and sleep in rotation. The disadvantage of camping in this forest is that there are many wet insects, but the advantage is that there is no need to dig trenches as much as in open areas. Soldiers can use the natural environment as a shooting cover, and then connect them into a coherent front line. As midnight approached, the security soldiers stationed in the north suddenly reported that a large number of French troops were coming along the river. Although the exact number of enemies cannot be determined, their military strength definitely exceeds our own. Colonel von Wakano calmly gathered the officers and asked them to tell the soldiers that a large group of French troops who had retreated from Amiens were trying to reach the town of Moley from here. The enemy morale was low and morale was scattered. Now was a great opportunity to earn military credit from them, and the soldiers could rest assured to bring the enemy closer before fighting. Under the dim starlight, the visibility in the forest does not exceed 50 meters. Once the battle begins, inexperienced soldiers only listen to the sound of gunfire and cannot see the enemy's figure. It is easy for them to fire indiscriminately due to nervousness, especially machine gunners. If their fingers stay on the trigger for a little longer, a few dozen bullets will go out. In the case of being far away from the main force, in addition to the ammunition carried by the soldiers, there is only a small amount of supplies carried by the battalion's supply team on mules and horses. If the bullets are used up in vain, the favorable situation may become unfavorable. In order to prevent the French army from using their numerical advantage to carry out flanking attacks, Major von Wakano extended the front line on both sides to the edge of the forest and the banks of the Alf River, and deployed one MG-08 and two Madsen on each flank of the front line. As a result, the width of the front line has increased to nearly one kilometer, and each soldier needs to defend an average of two meters wide from the front. In fact, Colonel von Wakano also drew two platoons of troops as combat reserves, which increased the defensive pressure on the soldiers. Once the French army broke through a certain section of the defense line, they could immediately organize a counter attack on the battlefield, drive the French army out of the position, and also guard against French attacks from behind them. By the time Major Wakano had deployed properly, the 'large group of French deserters' had also arrived. The rustling footsteps could be heard in the forest, sounding like a group of nocturnal beasts approaching. It was difficult to distinguish the distance as they approached. Listening quietly, occasionally coughing, but unable to hear people's conversations, let alone distinguish the language spoken by the other person. Colonel von Wakano crawled at the forefront of the position, and the dense trees rendered the telescope almost useless. He was holding a 1-inch single shot signal gun in his hand, which could be used to fire illumination rounds in addition to colored signal rounds. At this time, the gun chamber was filled with a phosphorescent illumination round. This type of illumination flare has a short duration of continuous illumination and a limited illumination range, but it has the advantages of being easy to carry and use, making it particularly suitable for land troops. It is estimated that the enemy is only a few hundred meters away from their position. Colonel von Wakano just fired the first flare, casting an incandescent light on the densely packed French soldiers. Their iconic blue shirts and red pants are still very eye-catching at night. The soldiers walking in the front row held their rifles in a defensive posture, while the soldiers walking behind mostly carried their rifles behind their backs. Some supported their injured companions, while others hung their hands and moved forward with heavy steps. Seeing the mental state of the French officers and soldiers, Colonel von Wakano knew that victory was within reach, and his tense heart suddenly relaxed a lot. After the illumination flares were lit up, the two MG08s deployed in the middle of the front line took the lead and fired a series of bullets towards the densely populated area of the French army. Instantly, blood splattered everywhere, killing people like mowing grass. The German soldiers fired their Madsen light machine guns, short cavalry guns, and even pistols one after another. The light of the first illumination bomb quickly dimmed, and flickering muzzle flames filled the forest, with dense gunshots mixed with the cries of the wounded. At this moment, the German officers and soldiers who had occupied the shooting positions in advance undoubtedly had a huge advantage. They opened fire recklessly, and the bullets fired by the French either flew over their heads or crawled into the dirt tree trunks, posing little real threat. By the time another illumination flare illuminated the forest ahead, not a single standing French soldier could be seen in sight. Those who were looking up, those who were crawling, and those who were convulsing and struggling were roughly two to three hundred people. Raindrops of bullets hit the opponent with a dull stick, and the German soldiers nervously and excitedly repeatedly loaded and fired. If it weren't for the officers stopping in time, most people would have forgotten about saving ammunition. The gunshots gradually subsided, and Colonel von Wakano rolled his hand into half a loudspeaker and shouted in standard French, "Surrender! French! You have no way out Someone on the other side immediately answered loudly, 'French soldiers will never surrender to the German aggressors!' Then you're dead! "Colonel Wakano pretended," Wait for the cannon to blast you into minced meat The French on the opposite side responded with rifles, and some German soldiers fired back without waiting for the officer's order. However, most officers faithfully followed Colonel von Wakano's orders and did not compete with their opponents. They only ordered shooting when the French army launched an attack. In an instant, the roar of MG08 could be heard from the left wing of the front line, which was located at the edge of the forest. Immediately after, the Madsen machine gun industry began to shout at its unique rhythm, and the riflemen entered the battle. The illumination flares kept popping up one after another, indicating that some French soldiers were trying to bypass the forest from the fields.