Chapter 535: Revised: Chapter 535 What can Shire do to cross the anti-tank trench?
Theoretically, Erwin’s judgment was correct.
Namur Fortress is not like the chalky hard ground of the River Somme; here, there are rivers, forests, and soft terrain everywhere.
When the rainy season comes, the "pitter-patter" of the rainwater soaks the ground, making it soft and sticky. Even without tanks, simply walking on it would bring mud onto one’s shoes, making it difficult to walk.
This is extremely disadvantageous for the attacking side, especially with barbed wire and anti-tank ditched ahead. A rash attack could result in a disaster similar to the Battle of the Somme, where tens of thousands of men were wiped out in a day, turning victory into a crushing defeat in an instant.
This is also one of the reasons why it is commonly believed that Namur Fortress is unsuitable for an attack by Shire’s armored forces.
However, since Shire decided to target Namur Fortress, he naturally had a way to deal with it.
...
As dawn broke, the torrential rain that lasted all night finally subsided a bit, and one could even see a bit of sunlight in the sky.
The entire world seemed to have been washed clean, rejuvenating with life. Raindrops hung on the leaves, birds hurried about in the rain looking for food, and the puddles of accumulated water slowly converged, flooding into the German Army’s defensive anti-tank ditches.
Inside the anti-tank ditches, the murky water had already risen to nearly two meters, and with the muddy bottom, even fully armed soldiers wading in could risk drowning.
(Note: Anti-tank ditches are generally 5 to 7 meters wide and 2 to 2.5 meters deep)
Each German Army soldier, wearing a raincoat, huddled carefully in the rear infantry trenches, shielding themselves from the rain as they gnawed on bread for breakfast.
Further ahead was the 77MM infantry gun aimed at the first anti-tank ditch.
Erwin’s plan was perfect:
The first anti-tank ditch was about 500 meters ahead of the defensive line.
When the French Army stopped at this ditch busy filling it, the German Army’s 77mm artillery could easily destroy these tanks one by one.
Infantry holding rifles and machine guns could also rain bullets to kill the enemy infantry and engineers, inflicting heavy casualties before they could pass the first anti-tank ditch.
Next, there was the second anti-tank ditch 100 meters ahead of the defensive line, where infantry could accurately shoot to kill the enemy, and flank infantry could use angled shots with K-bullets to attack the weaker side armor of the tanks.
"Lieutenant Colonel."
"Lieutenant Colonel!"
...
When Erwin passed through the communication trench to reach the front line, soldiers turned their gaze towards him one by one.
The anti-tank ditches invented by Erwin had been proven on the battlefield to be the most practical tactic to halt tanks, making him the only officer in the German Army who could potentially stop Shire.
Erwin nodded in response, but his gaze remained fixed in the enemy’s direction.
He had braved the rain to come from the River Bay District, hoping to do a final check on the defensive line.
The remaining artillery in the River Bay District could no longer block the passage, which meant that the enemy’s attack was imminent.
Erwin reached the foremost defensive line, carefully poked his head out, and raised his binoculars. His movements were very slow, like a movie playing in slow motion.
Finally, the anti-tank ditches appeared in the binoculars’ sight.
After observing for a while, Erwin felt deeply gratified. The two anti-tank ditches, as expected, had become impenetrable man-made barriers for the enemy tanks.
Withdrawing his head, Erwin leaned against the trench wall in a daze for a moment, then sighed in relief.
The German Army soldiers didn’t care about this; they looked at Erwin with anxious expressions:
"Lieutenant Colonel, is that the new equipment invented by Shire, the ones used for bombing the River Bay District yesterday?"
"I heard that the artillery in the River Bay District suffered heavy casualties. Does this mean they have broken through our artillery blockade?"
"Shire’s troops are about to launch an attack, right?"
...
Erwin did not deny it; it was obvious.
"Yes." He nodded, "But we will defeat them, I am certain!"
Then, Erwin explained in detail to the soldiers the firepower configuration of the two anti-tank ditches and the benefits brought by the rain to the German Army.
He believed that by doing so, he could instill a sense of inevitable victory and overcome their fear of "Shire’s troops."
Sure enough, after listening to Erwin’s explanation, the soldiers’ morale was greatly boosted. As they spread the word, they excitedly discussed:
"It is an environmental challenge, I don’t think even Shire can solve this!"
"Shire surely didn’t expect this rain; he must be troubled by it now."
"God saved us by sending this timely heavy rain."
...
However, at that moment, a familiar and terrifying whistle sounded in the sky.
Rocket barrages, hissing with heat and bursting noises, rained down on the German Army positions. The hidden infantry guns outside the defensive lines were instantly blown apart, and several artillerymen’s limbs were thrown into the trenches.
The French Army did not need to locate the concealed 77mm infantry guns. They only needed to indiscriminately "sweep" the areas behind the German defensive line with shells, once, twice, or thrice.
Amidst the smoke and explosions, Erwin was quite surprised. He thought that these French rocket launchers were used for counter-battery fire, not realizing they could also target infantry.
These bastards, Erwin cursed silently, they were relying on Shire’s economic power; otherwise, how could they fire hundreds, even thousands, of shells in dense bombardments as if they cost nothing!
After a few minutes, the bombardment suddenly stopped. The smoke had not yet dissipated, and under the rain’s influence, it rolled slowly into the trenches.
Shortly after, a faint rumbling of tank engines could be heard from the opposite side, the vibrations causing ripples in the trench water.
Erwin was stunned. They started to attack? And with tanks?
This is impossible!
Erwin hurriedly climbed up the steps and popped his head out again. The tanks immediately filled the lens of his binoculars—undoubtedly, they were "Shire A1."
Erwin was stunned for a good while.
Shire wouldn’t send his troops to their deaths; his attacks were usually well-prepared.
This indicated that he had a way to cross the anti-tank ditches.
But what could it be?
The German frontline commander shouted in a long tone: "Prepare!"
The soldiers climbed up the steps one by one, setting up their rifles on the trench edge.
All around was deathly quiet; raindrops tapping lightly on their helmets, streaming down the edges, and dripping onto the rifles ready for firing.
The soldiers’ expressions were serious, their movements precise, their eyes fixed through the sights on their targets ahead.
But they had the same question as Erwin:
What way does Shire have to cross the anti-tank ditches?
Erwin, holding his binoculars, searched through the enemy formations, hoping to find something different.
Suddenly, a strange tank caught his eye. It had the chassis of a tank but no turret, replaced by two iron frames.
Shire’s new invention?
Erwin swallowed hard, knowing that this might be the answer he was looking for!