The Rise Of Australasia
Chapter 541: Chapter 424: Bombarding Verdun

The German General Staff devised a detailed plan for the siege of Falden, which was finally decided to be launched in November 1915, code-named Execution Ground.

Occupying Verdun was a formidable task, but it could bring unparalleled honor to the command leader.

As a result, many German generals were eager to take command of the Execution Ground plan.

However, Fakinham eventually chose Prince William of Germany as the commander of the main attack on Verdun, perhaps as a tribute to the royal family, or perhaps to get William II to approve the plan as soon as possible. In any case, Crown Prince William indeed became the commander of the Verdun offensive.

A prestigious work on the history of World War I called "August Barrage" satirically describes this German Crown Prince:

The Crown Prince, in his 30s, has a fox-like face, no chest, and is as thin as a willow, unlike his mother's five robust brothers born every other year.

This prince gives the impression of being frail and mediocre, nothing like his father.

However, his pretentious manner is exactly like William II's, always keen on making a startling impression.

Although William II intended to train him as a commander, Crown Prince William's training was far from enough. Despite serving as a colonel of the Skull Light Cavalry and working for a year in the German General Staff, he had never held the position of brigadier general or general and became the Commander-in-Chief of the German 5th Army Group directly.

Former Major Sherwin has always been dismissive of the disdain Crown Prince William has for self-confidence, believing that appointing young and inexperienced commanders is unfortunate, thinking that such commanders will be eager to pursue personal honors, and showing great enthusiasm, but not interested in executing strategic plans.

Although Crown Prince William became the main commander for the Verdun attack, Fakinham did not hand over the original memorandum for submitting to the German Emperor to the Crown Prince or his chief of staff, General Schmidt.

Fakinham's order to Crown Prince William was, "Attack in the direction of Verdun, seize the Mozi area."

The Crown Prince mistakenly took this order as a signal from the General Staff to occupy Verdun, but this was not what Fakinham had hoped for, which was to besiege Verdun and bleed France dry.

In order to achieve the purpose of besieging Verdun, Fakinham transferred the strength of three armies to Crown Prince William's command.

This also caused the Crown Prince's 5th Army Group to expand to six armies, all composed of Germany's most elite troops.

After the Execution Ground operation was officially confirmed, the German army and the General Staff entered a tense preparation period.

Fakinham kept inquiring about the readiness of the 5th Army Group, then transferred large numbers of artillery from the Russian front and the Krupp Factory to the front of the Verdun Fortress.

The previous capture of the Belgian fortress made Fakinham very confident that the German army could easily seize the ground positions with artillery fire. The infantry attacking on the narrow front was merely taking and consolidating their positions.

In order to destroy France's strongest defenses and crush the French resistance, the Germans gathered 1,200 artillery pieces and 200 mortars, including the most powerful 304mm naval guns and 420mm siege cannons at present.

Especially the 420mm siege cannon, which was designed specifically for assaulting and capturing territory. The sound of the cannon could be heard tens of kilometers away, and any solid bunkers and defensive works would be blasted to pieces by it.

In addition to these siege artillery pieces, the German army was also equipped with grenade launchers, small-caliber high-speed guns, poison gas, and flamethrowers.

Logically speaking, it was impossible for the German's large-scale attack in the Verdun region to escape the Allies' notice. Enjoy exclusive adventures from m-v l'-NovelFire.net

Although there is no satellite technology for surveillance at present, various countries reciprocally dispatch numerous spies and intelligence personnel who are not to be underestimated.

Indeed, as soon as the Germans began preparations, French intelligence agencies had already learned of Germany's impending attack.

Russia also reported from the Eastern Front that Germany had mobilized part of its main force to the Westline, warning Britain and France to be on guard.

However, the French Commander General Flynn did not attach importance to this. Flynn firmly believed that the Battle of the Somme, planned by the British and French forces, was more important than Germany's attack. Moreover, Flynn did not think that the German attack would be directed at Verdun, as Verdun had been a quiet area since the outbreak of the war.

However, on the advice of his subordinates, Flynn still dispatched a small number of troops to the Verdun region, increasing the strength of the garrison in the Verdun area.

November 27, 1915, Verdun, early morning.

It was a cold day, and the heavy fog enveloped the earth like a veil due to the high humidity in the air.

If there was a thermometer, it would show that today's temperature had reached below zero, even the few green plants on the ground were covered with a layer of frost.

In a French trench, a new recruit named Gregory rubbed his hands together, exhaled a breath of hot air, and followed the elderly soldiers in groups of three or two to crawl out of the underground shelter, breathing the cold but very fresh air.

Including Gregory, the French army stationed in the Verdun Fort area had been there for several months, and they were too familiar with the surrounding defenses and constructions since they had built many of them with their own hands.

During this time, some bold French soldiers would shout at the German soldiers in the trenches not far away, and sometimes they would get a response from equally bored German soldiers, without any trace of war's cruelty.

But today, after Gregory's squad leader shouted at the opposite position twice, he didn't get any response.

"Damn it! These damned pigs, all they do is sleep," the squad leader grumbled in an attempt to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Not only that, but the German soldiers that usually responded no longer responded, making the French soldiers, including Gregory, feel a bit unusual.

Looking at the time, it was already past eight o'clock. Gregory's squad leader instructed, "Everyone, go eat breakfast first, and then continue building those damned defensive positions."

The logistics of the French frontline troops were ample, so the units defending the Verdun Fort were able to eat steaming hot food every day, including occasional coffee, milk, and fruit.

Of course, as the weather got colder, the logistics department would also provide some inferior alcohol to help the frontline troops alleviate fatigue and keep warm.

That's right, inferior alcohol. Because this kind of liquor was of poor quality, it had a spicy taste that could even burn the throat and chest, making it a great heating tool.

Thanks to today's cold weather, every French soldier was given a mouthful of inferior alcohol to help them keep warm without getting drunk.

When they heard it was time to eat, Gregory's squad quickly forgot that the Germans weren't talking, as eating in these dull trenches was more important than worrying about the Germans on the other side.

But soon, the French army noticed something was off. The nearby German army remained silent, even though it should have been their breakfast time.

Boom!

Following a bombing sound, the quiet Verdun line suddenly shook violently, with flames reaching for the sky.

The German army no longer hid, and the artillery positions set up both at the front and in-depth opened fire with all calibers of firearms, launching a large-scale bombardment on the French positions.

The deafening blasts shook the earth, countless shells cutting through the air with terrifying screams, and a torrent of explosions and wailing erupted in the French trenches.

As luck would have it, some shells exploded in the back of the logistics units, injuring many French soldiers who were lining up for meals, and the hot soup for breakfast for the French soldiers also became a direct cause of injury.

Mingling with the steam from breakfast, the smoke from the shell explosions, and the fog from the cold weather, a suffocating cloud covered the entire French position.

Dazzling red lights and deafening explosions emerged from the smoke, with continuous explosions shaking the surrounding land, causing some of the unfinished or not yet built defensive structures to collapse directly and bury even more French soldiers.

"The Germans are attacking! Get to the trenches for cover!" commanded the French officers, shouting with all their strength.

The trenches weren't convenient for preparing various types of food, so the logistics unit responsible for cooking was located several hundred meters behind the trenches.

Although there were some defensive structures here, they couldn't accommodate this many French soldiers, nor were they as strong as the frontline trench defenses.

Under the command of their own commanders, countless French soldiers bent down and ran into the trenches, searching for the sturdiest hiding places.

Inside the trenches, some French soldiers who hadn't even woken up yet had already been torn to shreds by the German bombardment, losing their lives.

At this time, Gregory's situation was not good either. Although he hid in the trench in time, the aftermath of the explosion caused him to have a nosebleed and see stars while the loud ringing in his ears left him temporarily deaf.

"Gregory, open your mouth to relieve the shockwave!" Gregory's squad leader yelled.

Seeing no response from Gregory, he knew that Gregory might have temporarily lost his hearing and quickly gestured for him to open his mouth.

These seasoned French soldiers had learned from experience that opening their mouths during a German bombardment could effectively alleviate some of the shockwaves, at least so they wouldn't be stunned by them and lose their hearing.

Of course, this method would only effectively prevent shockwaves from distant explosions and provide no help in defending against the blast of a shell.

Anyone facing a bombing could only hope for one thing: either not being hit at all or being killed outright.

The worst-case scenario was getting hit in the leg or limbs, which would not only cause great pain but also the possibility of severe trauma leading to infection and even the loss of life.