The four armies of the German Central Group have a total of 47 infantry divisions, and the number of artillery in each infantry division is also equipped in the same way as the infantry divisions of the 8th Army. This makes the four armies add up to 846 150mm heavy howitzers, 1692 105mm light howitzers and 2538 75mm field guns, not counting mortars and grenades, etc., these artillery add up There are more than 5,000 gates.
You must know that the length of the attack positions of the four German armies is only one hundred kilometers. Calculated in this way, there are more than fifty artillery pieces deployed per kilometer. This density is already outrageous.
If you count the mortars and grenades of various troops, the number of artillery that the German army will invest in this war will be even greater. The Anglo-French coalition forces on the opposite side, even though their strength far exceeds that of the German army. However, in terms of the number of artillery, it is far from being comparable to the German army.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
On the artillery positions of the German army, the artillerymen have taken off their shirts, and their strong bodies have been wet with sweat. Although, in Western Europe at the end of March, it was not hot, and there was even a hint of coolness. However, the soldiers were sweating profusely during the heavy process of carrying the shells.
Every artilleryman is firing at the maximum rate of fire, smashing as many shells as possible onto the positions of the British and French coalition forces. No matter whether the enemy can be killed or not, as long as they can destroy their defensive positions, it will undoubtedly be extremely important. Big win.
In the previous battles, many German soldiers died on the way to attack. Facing the trenches of the British and French allied forces, coupled with barbed wire and machine gun fire points, every step forward often requires great casualties. Therefore, when preparing for firepower, if the positions of the British and French coalition forces can be destroyed, this will undoubtedly be of great benefit to subsequent operations.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Shells hit the positions of the British and French coalition forces like raindrops, and there were violent explosions everywhere. During the explosion, the defensive positions built by the British and French allied forces were blown up to the sky. The barbed wire fence was blown up and down, and the firepower points of the machine guns were directly destroyed.
However, the British and French allied forces are much more professional than the Russian army in soil work. This makes their fortifications undoubtedly much stronger than those of the Russian army. In particular, the anti-bunker holes where the soldiers hid have been specially reinforced. As long as it is not hit continuously by large-caliber heavy artillery, there will be no major problems under normal circumstances. Therefore, it is almost impossible to cause too many casualties to the British and French coalition forces during firepower preparations.
However, the British and French allied forces hiding in the anti-gun caves are certainly safe. But the fortifications outside can't resist it. Under the heavy shelling of the German army, a large number of fortifications were destroyed.
"Damn it, how many cannons did the Germans assemble? Are they trying to completely destroy our position?" Admiral Decasy Terno, commander of the French 2nd Army, saw the turmoil of his troops. The position was completely covered by gunpowder smoke and flames, and he couldn't help but curse. Although, before each attack, both sides will carry out powerful firepower preparations, which has become a practice on the Western Front battlefield. However, this time, Admiral Decasy Terno still felt something different, that is, the artillery fire of the German army seemed to be stronger than it was half a year ago.
"General, among the German artillery, there seem to be 150mm heavy artillery. And there are quite a few of them." An artillery general reminded.
"Have all the heavy artillery moved to the battlefield? It seems that they are determined to win this attack!" Admiral Decasy Turno's face was serious.
"General, the German field guns seem to be different. The rate of fire is very fast, and it can almost catch up with our 75mm field guns." Another general said.
"Damn the Germans, they must have imitated our 75mm field gun shamelessly. Those despicable guys are simply too shameless!" The air strike? Admiral Terno couldn't help cursing.
The 75mm field gun of the French army has a very fast rate of fire, with a maximum rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute. This is regarded as a secret weapon by the French army. Every infantry division is equipped with 36 such artillery pieces. As for larger caliber artillery, the French army is rarely equipped.
During the battle in the second half of last year, the French army succeeded in severely injuring the German army with this fast-firing and powerful 75mm field gun. Although, in the artillery battle with the large-caliber artillery of the German army, the French army suffered a lot of losses. But overall, their 75mm field gun was very successful. Qin Tian disclosed the key technology of the French army's 75mm field gun to the Krupp factory. With Krupp's scientific and technological strength, after mastering the key technology, it is naturally easy to give the French army's 75mm field gun to the factory. Imitation came out. And improvements have also been made, such as greatly reducing the weight of the artillery, making the transportation and deployment of the artillery more flexible. To some extent, the performance of the 75mm field guns equipped by the German army is already stronger than that of the 75mm field guns equipped by the French army.
"General, Your Excellency the Marshal ordered us to counterattack immediately, and we cannot let the German artillery destroy our defensive positions." A staff officer reported.
Admiral Decasy Terno nodded: "Order the artillery to counterattack immediately to suppress the German shelling!"
"Yes, General."
Almost at the same time, several group armies deployed by the British and French coalition forces on the front line also received orders to counterattack. Their artillery immediately entered the position and counterattacked. A fierce artillery battle ensued.
Among the six legions deployed by the British and French coalition forces on the Marne River, four of them were deployed on the front line. The other two legions were deployed in the rear as reserves. After all, in order to resist the German attack, it is very necessary to keep sufficient reserves. Otherwise, once the battle is unfavorable and there is not enough reserves to counterattack, the consequences will be serious.
"Counterattack immediately, suppress the Germans!"
The artillery commanders of the British and French coalition forces issued an order. A series of 75mm field guns, 105mm field guns, 83.8mm field guns and 114mm howitzers started a fierce counterattack.
Among them, the 75mm field gun and 105mm howitzer are equipped by the French army, and the 83.8mm field gun and 114mm howitzer are equipped by the British army. However, the number of 105mm howitzers equipped by the French army is very small, and the most important artillery is 75mm field guns.
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