Long live Joachim

Chapter 39: Fight Amiens Again (Part 2) In a hazy illusion, Xia Shu's fingertips finally touched the delicate and handsome face. The elegant and pleasant fragrance still lingered at the tip of his nose, and the sweet smile of the past was far away. Why were his stubborn eyes so sad? Yi Ren is haggard, with a sorrowful heart. The beautiful images in her memory float to her heart, but her sorrow grows stronger. Before waking up from the dream, a line of tears quietly slid past the corner of my eye At dawn, Xia Shu furrowed her brows deeply and opened her eyes. The gray single person tent, the hard marching bed, the loud sound of motors, the aroma of brewing coffee, and occasionally the rough and cheerful voice can be heard. This kind of military life is arduous yet fascinates countless people. While gently rubbing his temples and organizing his thoughts in his mind, Xia Shu quickly returned to his military role. This is Amiens, a place that belongs neither to the Germans nor the British, where soldiers from both sides fight to the death. There is nothing more strange about war than this. In 1914, France was still a predominantly agricultural country, and Amiens was one of the more representative medium-sized cities in the country. The urban area was relatively small, with factories, schools, churches, and residential buildings concentrated on both sides of the river. The city was only four or five kilometers from east to west and from south to north, while the suburbs were large areas of farmland, with small patches of forests and trees resembling raisins scattered on a cake. Before the emergence of machine guns, such terrain was easy to attack but difficult to defend, especially suitable for cavalry combat. When Xia Shu walked out of the marching camp, a Hubert-D reconnaissance plane happened to fly overhead, and on the nearby grassland, more than thirty gray painted fighter jets were spreading their wings and waiting to fly. This place was originally the residence of the French Air Force. If we trace back to before the outbreak of war, it was a sports stadium used for hosting football matches. There were no walls around it, and the audience seats were made of stepped wooden seats. After demolition, only a large flat grassland remained. It is located at a distance from densely populated residential areas, with only scattered buildings and trees nearby. During the First Battle of Amiens, the retreating French 6th Infantry Division dug trenches nearby and deployed artillery positions in the woods. Today, these battlefield ruins have been repurposed by the German army. The 20 train guns brought back by Xia Shu from the front line of the Waz River were divided into four military trains, all of which were parked on the railway tracks less than 500 meters away from the airport. This railway trunk line extends south to Paris, north to the border area of Lille, and northwest through Abbeville to Calais and Dunkirk. Therefore, Amiens is regarded as an important transportation hub in northeastern France. After washing up, Xia Shu sat down at the outdoor dining table, and in just a short while, half of the planes on the airport were gone. Two winged and two seater reconnaissance and attack aircraft took off in groups, with their primary target still being the British gunboats on the Somme River. Good morning, Your Highness Oh, Colonel von Lipseyer, good morning Xia Shu made a gesture of invitation to sit down. The naval colonel in front of us is the commander of the German naval aviation unit stationed in Amiens, and also a senior pilot who has won the championship in international aviation races. He comes from a privileged family in Prussia and often followed his parents to the court when he was young, which was appreciated by William II. He has also known Xia Shu for many years and has joined the German Navy, naturally having a closer feeling than ordinary people. Did you get used to sleeping last night? "The colonel greeted with a cheerful expression. Very good, "Xia Shulue replied somewhat against his will. He stuffed a white napkin into his collar and waited for the orderly to bring warm fried eggs and bread to the table before inviting the colonel to breakfast. I feel honored to receive the invitation from His Highness, but I had already filled my stomach an hour and a half ago... Please give me a cup of coffee! Thank you! "The colonel politely said to Xia Shu's orderly. For many years, Xia Shu has developed the habit of getting up at 5:30 am on time, and the colonel had breakfast just over an hour before that. He must have done a lot of preparation work for the upcoming aerial operations. Xia Shu encouraged in his usual way, "These days we have been carrying out plane missions continuously, and everyone has worked very hard. Now we are getting closer and closer to victory. If we persist for a few more days, the great achievements of history will be forged in our hands. If we can successfully repel the attack of the British army, you and your male eagles should be awarded medals The colonel responded, "Actually, after these days of fighting, the progress and growth of the young men have been very rapid. It's just a pity that our two most skilled pilots have gone missing on the battlefield. It's possible that the plane malfunctioned or they were hit by enemy gunfire, and their lives and deaths are still unknown Accidents are inevitable on the battlefield, "Xia Shu comforted," as long as they are still alive, when we win this battle, they will still receive recognition and praise as heroes The colonel nodded and said, "May God bless them and all of us Xia Shu quickly cleared the food from his plate and picked up his coffee, saying, "How many people are there in your flying unit now Colonel von Lipseyer blurted out a series of numbers without hesitation: "Excluding the security guards deployed by the Marine Division, there are currently 42 pilots, 60 machine gunners and bombers, 73 maintenance technicians, and 209 service personnel Xia Shu nodded. Compared to the hundreds of thousands of army troops, the number of these aviation personnel on the West Coast is negligible. However, including the carrier based aircraft units, the current size of the German Navy Aviation is the world's largest. At the starting line, it is already far ahead of its opponents. In the future, as long as it maintains the correct direction and sufficient investment, it will surely become the core pillar of the German Empire's domination of the ocean. When the war is over, I invite all of you to visit my estate, "Xia Shu said smoothly. Colonel von Lipseyer said half jokingly, "Oh, if we could get the signed photo of His Highness, the young men would immediately forget all their grievances Xia Shu took it seriously and said, "No problem, I guarantee that everyone will get one After all the planes took off, deafening gunshots rang out in the direction of the railway line. According to Xia Shu's arrangement, 20 train guns were divided into two groups. Twelve 150mm guns with a 40 caliber were fired at intervals of five to ten minutes to launch harassing artillery attacks on the British military assembly area in the northwest of Amiens, while eight 240mm guns with a 40 caliber were fired at intervals of twenty minutes at the British military activity area in the northeast of Amiens. Fighter jets were flying and heavy artillery was roaring in the western suburbs of Amiens, creating a lively atmosphere. The British commander, eager to capture Amiens, could not turn a blind eye to this. Soon after, two Allied planes appeared in the western suburbs of Amiens, but they were immediately obstructed and expelled by German fighter jets, and were unable to conduct detailed reconnaissance of German airfields and heavy artillery positions. At nine o'clock in the morning, scattered British cavalry frequently broke into the German controlled area in the western suburbs of Amiens. They were attacked by German infantry gunners deployed in concealed locations such as nearby houses and forests. They were also unable to approach the German airport and artillery positions, but through aerial and ground reconnaissance, the British were able to determine the location of the German artillery positions and airports. Approaching eleven o'clock, during the normal morning tea time for the British, German reconnaissance planes spotted a moving British cavalry unit west of Amiens. Based on the pilot's visual judgment, this British cavalry unit had at least two thousand people, equivalent to the strength of half of a cavalry brigade. The fast movement speed of cavalry is beyond the reach of infantry. Around the time of a morning tea, the German guard post set up north of the train artillery position had already spotted the traces of a large number of British cavalry, and the defense forces immediately entered a state of combat. In a two-story residential building near the airport, Xia Shu quietly observed the British cavalry appearing in his sight through a telescope. These well-equipped professional soldiers are full of energy and majesty. They ride tall and strong warhorses, wear neat military uniforms, hold their heads high, and wield swords to move forward. At first glance, they give the impression of a well-trained and powerful army. But in Xia Shu's view, after almost two months of fighting, both sides have paid a heavy price of hundreds of thousands of people in the process of exploring the mode of war. This group of British cavalry still forms a compact wall formation, either due to the commander's sluggishness or indicating that they underestimate the self defense of the German heavy artillery unit, thinking that a simple attack can crush the opponent. On the battlefield, stupidity is as deadly as underestimating enemies. The three battalions of naval infantry brought back by Xia Shu from the front line of the Waz River have a total of more than 1900 people. They are well-equipped and full of fighting spirit. More than half of the officers and soldiers have been baptized by the war and know how to use their weapons effectively. The troops originally guarding the airport were drawn from the 1st Marine Brigade, mainly consisting of newly added reserve troops, and equipped with a considerable number of light and heavy machine guns. Led by veteran soldiers, it was not a problem to engage in defensive warfare. At first glance, the German defense line for the airport and train guns was not complete, with barbed wire only blocking intersections and low-lying open areas. British cavalry could easily find gaps in the woods and slightly raised fields - they hastily split into two groups, attempting to forcefully break through the German blockade, enter the airport and train gun positions, and quickly destroy the weapons and equipment there, thereby weakening the defense of the Amiens garrison. By the time the British cavalry realized that the gaps were intentionally left as bait by their opponents, the rain of bullets had already made them regret it. The German infantry cleverly deployed machine guns at key locations to weave a terrifying cross fire network. In less than a quarter of an hour, half of the two thousand British cavalry deployed in the attack became the fallen souls of the German army, with corpses and blood flowing everywhere on the battlefield. The remaining British cavalry did not give up the attack, but adjusted their strategy and launched multiple attacks. However, the German defense was almost flawless, and even though a small number of machine gun positions were captured by the British cavalry, the German train guns were already prepared with ship mounted shotguns for the fish that missed the net. The battle quickly ended, and only a few dozen unclaimed warhorses were able to charge into the airport in the end. The expensive professional cavalry was completely defeated by ugly water-cooled machine guns and even uglier air guided light machine guns. It was cruel, ruthless, and full of regret, but this was war, and Shunchang was overthrown.