I was a tycoon in World War I: Starting to save France

Chapter 946 Charles once again pioneered a new tactic.
It's all too late.

All of the German defenses were directed from north to south towards the French, including trenches, minefields, and an army group of over 200,000 soldiers.

Behind the defensive line were only artillery, logistics troops, command posts, as well as supplies, ammunition depots, and command posts.

The so-called "logistics unit" didn't even have guns; they were civilians and volunteers organized by the German army to assist in transporting ammunition and supplies.

Artillerymen are indeed soldiers, but their specialty is operating artillery. They have only received basic shooting training, and the rifles they use are mostly repaired and faulty rifles that frontline soldiers have replaced. Their combat effectiveness is only slightly better than that of "logistics troops".

The French paratroopers, on the other hand, were elite troops handpicked by Charles from the army. They were not only physically fit and well-equipped, but also underwent intensive tactical and firearms training over three months.

(Note: Tactical and firearms training mainly focuses on learning to use German equipment, including rifles, machine guns, and artillery, in preparation for using captured equipment after landing.)

The German troops stationed in Saarbrücken reacted immediately, sending motorized units to reinforce the artillery units outside the city.

However, the fighter planes swooping down from the sky riddled the convoy with bullets, and soon the roadsides were littered with burning cars, corpses, and panicked German soldiers.

Then, several more bombers descended and dropped a batch of incendiary bombs on the road.

In an instant, everything vanished in the flames, leaving only eerie howls.

Not just one highway, but all highways were blocked by the French air force.

Nearby, amidst gunfire and explosions, white parachutes slowly descended to the ground.

In the sky, the military transport plane named "Jenny 52" turned around and returned to base.

It could transport 17 to 20 fully armed soldiers, but Charles removed the seats so that it could accommodate 25 soldiers.

This is not usually done, because it would be extremely dangerous if intercepted by enemy aircraft.

However, given that the French army had complete air superiority and its air defense weapons were underdeveloped, these concerns were unnecessary.

Thus, 100 bombers could parachute 2500 elite troops at once.

Upon landing, they immediately joined forces with nearby friendly troops to form a unit, and then, under the command of officers, launched an attack on the German artillery positions.

(Note: This is one of the difficulties of parachute operations. After the parachute jump, the unit's structure is broken up, and the soldiers are strangers to each other. They recognize officers by rank and then spontaneously attack the target, while also requiring coordination with friendly forces.)
Amidst the intense gunfire, German artillery positions were captured one by one.

It wasn't removed or destroyed, but occupied.

Once they captured the 105mm artillery positions, the paratroopers immediately turned their guns towards the German positions, unleashing a barrage of large-caliber shells into the German trenches.

If they captured 77mm infantry guns, these guns would become powerful weapons for the paratroopers, who would push them and fire at German vehicles, warehouses, and bunkers.

If the German army tried to recapture these cannons, all they would get in the end would be a pile of ruins after they were detonated.

The German rear was in complete chaos.

A supply warehouse burst into flames, billowing black smoke; the train station was shelled, the railway tracks were destroyed, and an ambush appeared on the highway out of nowhere...

This was only the first batch. Half an hour later, 100 transport planes flew over Saarbrücken again, dropping another 2500 paratroopers like beans.

……

Gallieni was the first to receive an answer, or rather, half an answer.

Lieutenant Colonel Fernand ran excitedly to him with the telegram in hand: "General, it's paratroopers! Charles has airdropped troops behind the German lines."

"Paratroopers?" Gallieri frowned. Wasn't that just courting death?

His understanding of paratroopers remained the same: a plane carrying a few people to the enemy's rear to gather intelligence or organize espionage work.

But Lieutenant Colonel Fernand handed the telegram to Gallieri, excitedly saying, "The first batch of 2500 paratroopers, they are all elites, General."

Gallieri abruptly turned to look at Lieutenant Colonel Fernand: "How much?"

He thought he had misheard. "2500 people." Fernand nodded confidently. "Those are Charles's new aircraft, each capable of carrying 25 people, 100 of them transported a total of 2500 people!"

Gallieri was taken aback, then suddenly laughed: "That's his method, bypassing the German defenses and attacking their rear directly, making it impossible to defend against!"

This little guy has pioneered a new tactic.

No, it should be said that a new field was created, and a new type of soldier emerged!

……

At the Grand Hotel Creole, the delegates waited anxiously for news from the front lines, each with their own thoughts.

Just then, the phone on Clemenceau's desk rang, and everyone stopped talking and turned their attention to it.

Clemenceau took the microphone, identified himself, and then looked bewildered:

"What did you say? Charles, Charles used airplanes to transport the troops there?"

"How did they get it there? Did they jump down?"

"Umbrellas, paratroopers? How many people?"

"2500 people, and that's just the first batch..."

Clemenceau was at a loss for words to express the shock he felt.

He even doubted the authenticity of the story, wondering if it was fabricated by Gallieri to deceive the representatives of various countries.

Therefore, when others asked, he hesitated in his tone:

"Gentlemen, this is intelligence obtained from the Secretary of the Army."

"That's what he said: Charles used a plane to transport 2500 people and parachuted them to Saarbrücken."

"At this moment, the paratroopers are attacking the German artillery positions and key rear areas, but this still needs to be confirmed..."

The meeting room erupted into chaos with a sudden "whoosh":
"This is Charles! He actually used a parachute!"

"How did he manage 2500 people?"

"I bet it's a new aircraft from Charles. Charles always surprises us!"

……

Then the delegates began to weigh the options in their minds:
Does this mean that the Charr's troops can be deployed to their own country, or even the capital, in a very short time?
The Dutch representatives are already feeling fortunate: choosing Charles was the right decision; only a fool would side with Germany!
……

The news soon reached the outside world, and the people of Paris were in an uproar like boiling water:
"Charles used a parachute; who would have thought it was a parachute?"

"God, those were things pilots used to escape, but Charles turned them into weapons!"

"I want to see what the Germans look like, what their expressions will be when they see paratroopers descending from the sky!"

……

The Saarbrücken defensive line.

Major General Bernhard and the German soldiers felt as if a great disaster was about to befall them.

This was the most powerless battle they had fought since they entered the war; they could only watch helplessly as waves of enemy troops landed in the rear, destroying artillery, supplies, and ammunition.

But there was nothing they could do.

(End of this chapter)