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

Chapter 949 Defeating the Tank Force
Cannons rumbled.

Dense shrapnel exploded on the German positions like saffron, hurling dead bodies and limbs into the air.

Shrapnel and metal fragments were scattered on the ground like a thin layer of hail.

As the bomb hurtled into the ground, the ground suddenly collapsed inwards, then exploded violently, sending up a radiating cloud of dust, like black fountains suddenly erupting.

The thick smoke was mixed with a terrifying, devilish yellow, swirling in the air and forming a filthy, dark cloud of smoke along with the dust.

The air was thick with the smell of death. German soldiers screamed in despair, but machine gun bullets continued to whistle and fire into their positions.

This is the artillery preparation of the First Armored Corps.

Unlike other units, the First Armored Corps is able to advance its barrage about 1000 meters ahead of its troops.

Then, the barrage-pushing troops followed behind, leaving the enemy almost no time to react.

This was thanks to the First Armored Corps' regular training, as well as the unified command of the aerial "radio planes".

By this time, the "radio plane" had been upgraded from the "Caproni" bomber to the "Jenny" transport plane.

Compared to the former, the "Jenny" transport plane is more convenient and safer. It can carry a larger radio and can also be equipped with three communications soldiers and three observers.

In particular, the addition of an observation pod below the nose of the cockpit allows for a more accurate and timely downward view, and the pilot no longer needs to lower the nose of the aircraft for observation.

(The image above shows a hemispherical machine gun pod under an aircraft during World War II, representing the most dangerous branch of the military.)
The German troops were unable to retaliate throughout the entire battle.

The anti-tank guns were blown to pieces by the whistling shells as soon as they were pushed out, the machine guns were suppressed by the enemy infantry guns before they could fire a few bullets, and the mortars disappeared in the sound of rocket explosions before they could even fire.

"Stop them!" Major General Bernhard shouted. "Mortars, aim at the mine-clearing tanks..."

Major General Bernhard's command may have been correct. If the mine-clearing tanks were destroyed, or at least the mine-clearing devices in front of them were damaged, the mines would not be cleared quickly, and the German army might be able to stop the French army's armored onslaught.

However, the mine-clearing device was installed on the "Shire B2".

A mortar shell hitting its 40mm thick frontal armor can only leave a dent. The mine-clearing device is even more durable; some of them are deformed but can still rotate and detonate the mines.

This is thanks to the simplicity of the mechanism; as long as they can move, they can function normally.

Major General Bernhard considered organizing a demolition team to destroy them with cluster grenades and explosive charges, but the positions in front of him were full of landmines and he could not advance at all.

What an irony.

The enemy moved freely in the minefield, while they themselves were trapped and unable to move.

Major General Bernhard could only watch helplessly as the mine-clearing tank drew ever closer and closer…

Finally, the arm-thick iron chain on the mine-clearing device rolled into the trench with a whistling sound as it rotated and a clanging sound as it struck.

A chorus of screams erupted as German soldiers, unable to dodge in time, were struck until their brains splattered. Some had horrific dents across their bodies, as if they had been run over by a vehicle, with bits of flesh and protruding, white bones scattered throughout the wounds.

Major General Bernhard didn't say anything. He picked up a bundle of cluster grenades from his feet, straightened his chest, stared at the rolling iron chains in front of him, gritted his teeth, and lit the fuse.

……

Freeman's command post.

Charles received a telegram from Tijani: "Successfully broke through the enemy's first line of defense. Five of our mine-clearing tanks were damaged, and two Charles A1 tanks were destroyed. The casualties are approximately 300."

Charles nodded in satisfaction and casually handed the telegram to the dumbfounded Pershing.

Pershing asked, puzzled, "Mine-clearing tank? What's a mine-clearing tank?"

Two meters away, Haggard, who was pretending to work at his desk, pricked up his ears. Although he was isolated by the two, he was still very curious about how Charles would break through the enemy's minefield.

“It’s very simple.” Charles took a folder from behind him, opened it, and handed it to Pershing. It was a sketch of a mine-clearing tank.

“All we need to do is add this device to the front of the tanks, General,” Charles said.

"It can open up an offensive path for the troops."

"The only drawback is that it will obstruct the driver's view, and the smoke and dust from the landmine explosion will also obstruct the commander's view."

"However, this is not a big problem. The 'Shar B2' is equipped with a telephone, and the Army can coordinate with it by telephone."

Pershing examined the sketch carefully and couldn't help but praise it:
“Excellent equipment, Lieutenant General.”

"It's simple and practical, and it doesn't even require much time or money to modify!"

"I never imagined that the minefield that the Germans had painstakingly laid out would be defeated by such a rotating iron chain."

After looking at it for a while, Pershing turned to Haig and handed him the sketch, his tone sarcastic:

"Look, esteemed general."

"It disappointed you. I mean, it made war easy."

"This will be another victory that will be recognized worldwide!"

Britain and the United States were in the interest of weakening both Charles and Germany, or at least damaging Charles's prestige and image, but what is happening now is the opposite of what they expected.

Haig glanced at the sketch and immediately understood how it worked.

He pretended not to understand Pershing's words, looking embarrassed but trying his best to appear nonchalant:

"It is indeed a very good device, and I am very happy to hear the news of the victory."

"However, I must remind you that the Germans also have tank units on both flanks of the minefield."

"They could launch a pincer attack on the First Armored Corps at any moment..."

Before he could finish speaking, the communications soldier relayed the message: "General, we have defeated the German tank force."

Hager's expression changed: "What? How... how did you do that?"

He turned his gaze to Charles.

How could the tanks of the 1st Panzer Corps possibly defeat the German tank forces while they were attacking a minefield?

“Nothing is impossible,” Charles said calmly. “Defeating the German tank forces doesn’t necessarily require tanks; motorized units can do it too.”

Haig was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped. Had Charles's forces become so strong that even motorized units could defeat enemy tank units?

Pershing also looked at Charles with a puzzled expression.

Charles shrugged noncommittally.

Normally, it is not possible; motorized units have a hard time resisting tank assaults.

but.

If there were "radio planes" monitoring the enemy tanks from the air and reporting their positions in a timely manner, and if the "75mm truck-mounted guns" were combined with the "105mm truck-mounted guns" to fight and retreat, the German tanks would lose more than half of their tanks before they even had a chance to fire.

The only tanks that could withstand the bombing were the German K-Wagen super-heavy tanks, but without exception, they were all rendered unusable by the bombed-out roads.

(End of this chapter)