Chapter 493 Preparations for Attack

The heavy losses of the French Air Force also made Marshal Joffre give up the idea of ​​competing with the German army for air supremacy. With such a large battle loss ratio between the two sides, even if all the strength of the French Air Force is lost, it is probably not the opponent of the German army.

Without the interference of the French Air Force, the German air force also fully joined the bombing of the French positions.

By the evening of March 31, the 100-kilometer-long French defense line was almost plowed by the German artillery shells and bombs. There is almost no intact place in the entire position. There are bombed trenches and scattered barbed wire everywhere. Many of the landmines that were originally planted were detonated during the shelling and bombing, and obviously they would not be able to play any role in the ensuing battle. The firepower points built by the French army on the position are even more rare. Even the strongest anti-blasting holes that were built, many of them were bombed down. During the shelling and bombing of the German army on this day alone, the British and French allied forces on the entire defense line suffered tens of thousands of casualties.

This is also the reason why the British and French allied forces withdrew their main forces from the frontline positions after the battle began. Otherwise, their casualties will definitely increase exponentially.

"The effect is not bad. The defense line of the British and French coalition forces is already dilapidated. Even if they rush to repair it tonight, they will not be able to build a solid defense line. Tomorrow morning, another hour of bombardment will almost launch the attack. Bi Luo General, General Howson, Your Excellency the Duke, it will be up to you tomorrow!" Qin Tian said.

"Yes, Your Highness." The commanders of the three legions all replied.

After a whole day of firepower preparation, the German army almost destroyed the defense lines of the British and French allied forces. This will undoubtedly reduce a lot of pressure for tomorrow's offense. Among other things, the casualties of the troops must be effectively controlled. Therefore, Admiral Bilow and others were very satisfied.

Of course, in order to do all this, the German artillery was exhausted. The pilots thought that they were exhausted after fighting continuously. However, after a night's rest, they had to continue fighting tomorrow. At least until the German army broke through the Marne River defense line of the British and French allied forces, they could really relax.

"Your Highness, the position of the Anglo-French coalition forces on the opposite side has been almost destroyed. Tomorrow we will definitely be able to cross the Marne River and tear apart the defense lines of the British and French coalition forces." The Duke of Württemberg said.

"Well, but we still can't take it lightly. After all, there are more than one million British and French allied troops on the other side of the river." Qin Tian nodded.

If he was facing more than one million Russian troops, Qin Tian would naturally not be worried. But the British and French allied forces are different. Their combat effectiveness is much stronger than that of the Russian army.

"Yes, Your Highness." The Duke of Württemberg replied, but the expression on his face obviously didn't care. The Duke of Württemberg is not only the commander of the 4th Army of the German Army, but also the Grand Duke of the Kingdom of Württemberg. He has a high position and power throughout the German Empire. Even William II treated him with courtesy. In front of him, Qin Tian, ​​the crown prince of the empire, was nothing more than a junior. The Duke of Württemberg felt very disdainful for Qin Tian to be the commander of the western front. Of course, with Qin Tian's current status, the Duke of Württemberg would certainly not offend him. However, it is an indisputable fact that he has a close relationship with Crown Prince William.

"Everyone, get ready! Tomorrow's battle will be our real test." Qin Tian said.

"Yes, Your Highness."

April 1st is April Fool's Day. However, people in the middle of the war have no time to take care of this festival. The two sides in the war are looking forward to doing their best to defeat the opponent.

After dawn, the German army could observe that the positions of the British and French allied forces on the opposite bank had been repaired. It's just that, compared with the solid position before, the position built hastily overnight is undoubtedly much simpler. Presumably, the soldiers of the British and French coalition forces didn't even sleep last night!

At 8 o'clock in the morning, the German artillery began shelling again. More than 5,000 cannons once again used powerful artillery fire to pour shells on the positions of the British and French allied forces. The fortifications rebuilt with great difficulty by the British and French allied forces were once again destroyed by the fierce German shelling. I don't know how many soldiers of the British and French allied forces would scold the German army for this.

Everyone knows that after yesterday's heavy shelling, the German army will definitely launch an attack today. After those fortifications were destroyed, how did this allow them to resist the German attack?

"God! Damn the Germans, how many times are they planning to destroy our position!" Marshal Lian Xiafei couldn't help but scolded the Germans. It can be seen that the German army's violent bombardment regardless of cost has given them What a loss.

"Order the troops on the front line to prepare for battle. This time, the German bombardment will definitely not last long." Marshal Joffre ordered.

After all, high-intensity shelling like yesterday would consume a terrible amount of shells. Marshal Joffre did not believe that the German army would store so many shells. Besides, you can't just shoot all the shells at the beginning of the battle. In that case, how will the follow-up battle continue? In addition, the artillery has been firing at a high intensity, which is obviously unstoppable.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Marshal."

In fact, without the order from Marshal Joffre, the frontline commanders of the British and French allied forces also knew that the German army would probably launch an attack today. Therefore, they also prepared for battle early in the morning.

Although, their fortifications were destroyed. The soldiers were also very tired. But they are still very confident in resisting the German attack. After all, there is the Marne River, and if the German army wants to attack them, they need to cross the river first. It also takes a certain amount of time for a river surface that is tens of meters wide. During this time, it happened to be the time when they gave full play to their powerful firepower and caused great damage to the German army. Maybe, we can take this opportunity to inflict heavy damage on the German army, and let their blood dye the water of the Marne River red.

The shelling of the German army is still continuing, and the artillerymen are struggling to slam shells one after another into the positions of the British and French coalition forces on the opposite bank.

On the front line of the German army, the infantry had already had breakfast and were resting. The quartermaster has distributed the ammunition, and soon it will be their turn to attack.

At the rear airport, the four air teams of the German army are all ready to take off. They are about to take off to provide fire support for the attacking infantry.