Chapter 533 They have at least ten artillery regiments

Namur, Belgium.

This is a city with a population of hundreds of thousands. Its architectural style is slightly different from other cities in Belgium, more like Florence, Italy.

However, this city, with its many charming bridges, canals and castles, was ravaged by war because of its strategic location.

(The picture above shows the Namur building)

On this day, Namur woke up to the morning fog and the ringing of church bells as usual.

There were more and more pedestrians on the stone-paved street. A group of heavily armed German patrols walked past with their tired bodies and uneven steps. Pedestrians gave way and bicycles stopped, casting warning and warning signs at the German troops. A look of fear.

After the patrol went away, people breathed a sigh of relief and continued their journey.

They greeted each other with smiles on their faces.

But it is not difficult for those who are careful to find that their eyes and actions always reveal some disappointment unintentionally.

They were disappointed because the war failed to reach Namur.

When the news came that Charles' troops were about to attack Namur, people seemed to remain calm, but secretly they rushed to tell each other:

"Do you know? Ciel's troops are about to attack here."

"Are you sure? It's really Ciel's army?"

"Yes, very sure. Everyone in Paris is talking about this, the Charles' troops!"

"Great, we're about to be liberated!"

…

For the people of Belgium, or indeed for everyone in the world, wherever Charles' finger points, there is freedom.

However, they were happy too soon.

Within a few days, new news came:

"They say Namur is unsuitable for the Charr's forces to attack."

"Yes, I heard that too, that was a trap set for Ciel."

"They tried to use Namur to kill Char and his troops."

…

This has plunged the people living in Namur into deep despair.

Namur can actually be used as a trap to "kill Ciel". You can imagine how difficult it is to recover!

This also means that the liberation of Namur is far away, which means that even the Charr can't do anything about it.

…

Not only people in Belgium thought this way, but also the German soldiers stationed in the "River Bend Area" outside the city.

The German army deployed two infantry divisions and one tank division here, and reinforced six artillery regiments, which can be said to be a heavy investment.

The commander is Nicholas, who has just been promoted to lieutenant general, commander of the 21st Army and commander of the 1st Tank Division.

After Nicholas took office, he immediately promoted Erwin to lieutenant colonel (the original military rank was captain).

Because of Erwin's previous outstanding performance, he has become Lieutenant General Nicholas's most trusted adviser.

…

Lieutenant General Nicholas set up his headquarters in the forest of the "River Bend Area". It is a standard semi-buried bunker. From here, you can clearly see the artillery and artillery deployed in the "River Bend Area" through the observation window. Road conditions across the river.

This is the safest place, and it is almost impossible for the enemy to break through the natural "moat".

"We can't let them transfer the troops away anymore!" Erwin looked at the fewer and fewer flags representing troop strength on the map in distress.

Since the Battle of the Somme, almost half of Namur's troops have been mobilized, leaving only one infantry division, one infantry regiment, two tank regiments and three artillery regiments.

"Relax, Lieutenant Colonel!" Lieutenant General Nicholas looked across the observation window and looked at the Meuse River flowing slowly in the morning fog, thoughtfully.

He thought of his hometown. There was such a river not far from home. I don’t know if the river here will flow there.

"This is very dangerous for us, General." Erwin complained: "Especially since we only have three artillery regiments. We need to use these artillery to block two roads and coordinate with the defense line. In addition, our artillery shells are also transported by them. Walked a lot."

Lieutenant General Nicholas turned around leisurely and replied:

"As a senior officer, we should consider the overall battle situation, Lieutenant Colonel."

"You know what I'm talking about. It is almost impossible for the French to attack Namur, but the Somme is being attacked by nearly a million enemy troops."

"It's clear they need artillery and troops more than we do."

Erwin objected: "I know, General. But I think the Shire will attack Namur!"

"Reason?" Lieutenant General Nicholas raised his eyebrows.

Erwin was stunned for a moment and shook his head: "There is no reason, General. This is an intuition."

Then he added: "If you have to give a reason, it should be that Ciel always takes things by surprise. When everyone thinks they won't attack, he will choose this place."

Lieutenant General Nicholas laughed and handed Erwin a cigarette: "I can't persuade Falkenhayn with such words."

Erwin was silent. He took the cigarette and took out a match to light it for the two of them. He accepted Lieutenant General Nicholas' statement, but the worry on his face did not diminish at all.

Halfway through smoking, he turned his attention to the map again.

If the Charr were to attack Namur, he would certainly consider destroying the artillery in the Reach first.

Can Ciel do it?

Under normal circumstances, it is impossible to do this. The French army does not have any artillery with a range that exceeds the 105MM howitzer. In addition, the German army is ready to release smoke and is not afraid of French bombers.

However, Charles must do it, otherwise it will be impossible to attack Namur Fortress.

So, Erwin thought he should consider how to defend the line when the artillery was destroyed or suppressed!

At this time, bursts of "swoosh" sounds suddenly came from the other side of the Meuse River.

Erwin and Lieutenant General Nicolas rushed to the observation window as if they were pricked by needles, and raised their telescopes to look in the direction of the sound.

I saw rows of shells flying towards the river bend with long tails.

They were not shells, but rockets. Only rockets would have such obvious tails.

"Artillery attack!" Lieutenant General Nicolas shouted.

Erwin grabbed the phone on the desk and shouted: "Fight back, organize a counterattack immediately!"

"Boom boom boom!"

"Boom boom!"

...

The ground shook, and rows of rockets exploded in the "river bend". In an instant, the eyes were plunged into a sea of ​​smoke and fire. The whole land seemed to be on fire. Trees were blown down, and the soil was lifted up to the sky. Of course, there were artillery hidden in the fortifications.

The whizzing sound in the air continued, and the explosions continued.

"God, they have at least ten artillery regiments!" Lieutenant General Nicolas exclaimed. As an artilleryman, he knew how strong the bombing was.

His mind was still a mess and he didn't understand what was going on.

How did such a large artillery regiment escape the eyes of the frontline soldiers?

And the distance was so close, the straight-line distance might be less than 8 kilometers!