Imperial Elite

Chapter 54 The Marne Offensive

Having learned from the lesson of mixing tanks in the previous battle, which caused them to become separated and isolated when launching attacks due to their different speeds, the team has now taken action.

This time, Joe reverted to his previous practice of grouping identical vehicles into the same squad.

However, it wasn't a complete recovery. Since the Guards Grenadiers' infantry fighting vehicles were still in their infancy, and they had only managed to mount the machine guns on top of the truck cabs before finding a suitable mounting point for the artillery version, the Teutons arrived.

Therefore, in order to prevent infantry from becoming separated from tank units during their advance, the MK-3 assault gun version now also had to take on the additional task of transporting infantry.

Because the main turret and the left and right side turrets were removed, the assault gun version of the MK-3 has the most spacious interior of all the tanks currently in use.

In addition, the personnel access hatch is located at the rear of the vehicle, which allows it to provide fire support to the troops while also serving as an infantry fighting vehicle.

As Joe approached the battlefield, he discovered that although the Teutonic bombardment was short-lived, it had caused him considerable trouble.

The power of a large-caliber cannon is naturally incomparable to the small water pipes on a tank; a single large-caliber shell is enough to destroy a brick and stone building.

Unfortunately, the Parisians built almost exclusively brick and stone structures in this area.

After these brick and stone buildings were destroyed by the shelling, not only did the wreckage block the road, but the burst sewer pipes and ignited gas pipes also made it take Joe longer to reach the battlefield.

When Joe arrived at La Villette Park again, he found that the condition was even worse than the last time he had been there.

The Teutons have almost completely broken through the Gauls' defenses here, and some Teutonic infantry have even crossed the Gauls' trenches and are advancing into the city.

"Target at one o'clock, Teutonic infantry, high-explosive shells! Fire!"

As Joe peered out of the turret, he ordered the gunners to fire, then pulled out a signal pistol and fired a red flare into the sky, signaling the troops to launch an attack.

Then, fearing that someone might have missed the signal flare in the sky, Joe waved his arms and gestured "all forces attack" as the tank gun fired before operating the commander's machine gun on the turret and firing fiercely at the Teutonic infantry.

After the tanks of the Paris task force drove out of the city, they deployed and launched an attack on the Teutons.

The Teutons, whose offensive had been going very smoothly, were suddenly pinned down in trenches and any available cover, like a Chihuahua that had been hit head-on by a truck.

However, while these bunkers might be able to withstand machine gun fire, when faced with 40mm rapid-fire cannons, six-pound cannons, and three-inch cannons, the Teutonic soldiers hiding behind their bunkers usually only had one outcome: being blown up along with their bunkers.

The only difference might be that if you're hit by a 40mm rapid-fire cannon, you might still get some larger pieces of the body, but if you're hit by a six-pounder or a three-inch cannon, the unlucky guy collecting the body can only use a shovel or spoon to put the unlucky guy's body into a bag or lunchbox.

However, under the fierce offensive of the Paris task force, the morale of these Teutons did not collapse and begin to retreat as it had in the past when faced with tank attacks.

On the contrary, even when they were being targeted by artillery and machine guns, they still insisted on using rifles or any other weapons within their reach of the tanks to fight back.

This unwavering fighting spirit, coupled with much more accurate shooting, quickly forced Joe back into the turret.

Even after Joe returned to the turret, the Teutons remained restless.

They continued to fire their rifles at the Paris task force's tanks, and Joe even noticed that these Teutonic infantrymen had clearly received some anti-tank training.

As the steel tracks rolled forward, the Teutons' firing became much more accurate. From the clanging sounds on the turret, and from the bullets grazing his scalp and the falling metal fragments, Joe could clearly sense that the Teutons were aiming at their own observation towers on top of the tank.

It is clear that the Teutons studied the tanks they destroyed or captured during the previous Battle of the Somme.

They now understand where to attack to most likely disable tanks, and to counter the tank threat, they've not only issued armor-piercing steel-core rounds to machine guns but also to infantry. The Dunton Empire has some brilliant minds here.

However, as someone who was actually going to engage in armored vehicle combat inside a tank, Joe had already thought of this.

From the initial design stage, the tank turret had spare observation windows available for use.

This rendered the efforts of those fearless Teutonic archers, who were watching the commander's observation tower, futile.

However, just like on most battlefields, since artillery bombardment and machine gun fire could not destroy the fighting will of these Teutonic infantrymen, the battle eventually had to return to the old path of trench warfare.

While directing the gunners to fire and preparing to act as a loader to load ammunition into the six-pounder, Joe also pressed a button on the light communication system, symbolizing preparation to seize the trench.

Soon, as the lights on Joe's command vehicle began to flash, the task force approached the trenches that were once the Gauls' defensive line, now contested or occupied by the Teutons.

While the tanks were still advancing, the assault gun crews suddenly stopped and began releasing infantry units to seize the trenches occupied by the Teutons.

Originally, according to the manual Joe wrote during the exercise in London and the admonitions Joe gave to all the crews before departure, the training was conducted as planned.

"The Teutons have just bombarded us, so we're definitely going to encounter artillery fire this time. Our armor certainly won't withstand the Teutonic artillery fire. Even the smallest caliber Teutonic cannon could easily send us flying. So if you don't want to die, keep moving and keep stopping to fire short bursts."

However, the Guards grenadiers almost never boarded a tank, let alone jumped off a moving one.

Therefore, the assault gun carrying the Guards grenadiers had to stop so that the Guards grenadiers could disembark.

However, just as the assault gun crew came to a stop, several flashes of light suddenly appeared in the distant woods, followed by several red fireballs that flew out of the woods like comets.

"Stop the car! At the 10 o'clock position! In the woods! Next to the rock! Load the high-explosive shell!"

With a loud explosion, the two parked assault guns were instantly turned into fireballs, and one of them, which was hit by multiple shells, was reduced to parts in an instant.

Although Joe spotted the firing cannons immediately and instructed Herbert to stop the car, preparing to have the gunners destroy the cannons during a short stop, Joe's voice, aside from being a bit loud, could still be described as calm and composed.

But in reality, at that moment, Joe's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat.

Damn it, have the Teutons gotten rich or are they just having a hard time living elsewhere, that they're setting up these cannons here specifically to target me?
First, they equipped machine guns and rifles with armor-piercing steel-core rounds, and now they're reinforcing artillery on the offensive direction to fight tanks. Joe doesn't even dare to think about what they're planning to do next.

With a roar from the tank cannon, a shell flew from the muzzle, through the chaotic trenches and the craters left by heavy artillery and mortar fire, and into the woods.

The next second, as a fireball erupted in the woods, Joe shouted into the car's communication system, "Herbert! Full speed ahead!"

While pushing Herbert forward at full speed, Joe also replaced the flashing signal lights on the turret.

He ordered his tank crew and himself to charge into the woods.

According to the manual, after Joe gave the order for the tank crew to launch an assault together, the assault gun crews that had not received the order should have continued to execute the previous order.

After releasing the guards grenadiers from the vehicles, provide them with fire support to help them recapture the trenches and reinforce the Gauls' defenses.

However, in the chaos of the battlefield, perhaps someone didn't see the flashing signal lights on Joe's vehicle, or perhaps Joe's signal lights malfunctioned during the battle.

After Joe ordered the tank crews to follow him in the attack, most of the tank crews were still carrying out the previous task of suppressing and assisting the Guards grenadiers in recapturing the trenches.

Instead, some assault gun crews joined Joe in the attack.

However, Joe's attention was focused on the area ahead, where the Teutons had ambushed artillery in the woods, so he was unaware that his formation had fallen into chaos.

Moreover, as Joe's tank crossed the Gauls' trenches, the Teutonic heavy machine guns began to fire, with a dense barrage of ricochets echoing from the vehicle.

At this point, Joe, disregarding the fact that the commander's observation tower could be penetrated by bullets, continued to issue orders from within the tower.

"Herbert, turn left! Stop! Maintain the angle and continue!"

"Turn the turret 15 degrees to the right! Ignore that machine gun position! That pile of wood behind! One high-explosive shell! Load! Fire!"

As someone who had suffered for many years in a Slavic labor camp, when faced with attacks from heavy machine guns equipped with steel-core armor-piercing rounds—rounds that were sometimes effective and sometimes not, and which involved a bit of luck and chance—Joe instinctively angled the vehicle to increase the probability of ricochets.

Under heavy machine gun fire, they continued to attack the Teutonic artillery positions hidden in the woods.

Perhaps it was because Qiao Chong was positioned too far forward, or perhaps the Teutons noticed the tank's very skillful maneuvering, or perhaps the lighting system on Qiao's tank made them think it was an important target.

So after Joe destroyed the second cannon, the Teutons focused most of their attention and attacks on Joe's car number 101.

For a moment, the armor of Joe's tank rattled like a corrugated iron roof during a typhoon, especially the commander's observation cupola on the roof, which was now under heavy fire from the Teutonic heavy machine gun.

The metal fragments falling from the commander's observation tower made Joe thankful that the laws of physics in this world were not like those of that famous Slavic planet; ricochets were still governed by some physics.

Otherwise, given the current frequency of the Teutonic attacks, according to the physical rules of that Slavic planet, the ricocheting bullets would have killed the people in the car eight hundred times over.

With his view obstructed and unable to observe his surroundings, Joe simply let Herbert do as he pleased, flooring the accelerator and speeding into the woods at seventeen kilometers per hour.

They no longer engaged in relatively precise short-stop bursts. After Joe loaded the main gun with high-explosive shells, the gunners fired wherever they could, hoping to scare the Teutons to death if they didn't kill them. At the same time, the coaxial machine guns also opened fire wildly, causing trouble for the Teutons.

Joe's aggressive tactics prompted the Hound tanks No. 102 and No. 103, which served as his wingmen, to accelerate and push forward behind Joe's vehicle.

However, compared to Joe's order to fire while moving without stopping, this was different.

Because Joe had attracted most of the Teutonics' attention, the two wingmen were also able to perform short stops and bursts of fire according to the manual, destroying the Teutonic machine gun positions that were firing wildly one by one with precise shooting.

Meanwhile, the slower assault guns that charged with Joe, whose firing arcs were not as flexible as tanks, simply continued to reload their shells and exchange fire with the Teutonic artillery in the woods while advancing at low speed.

While sitting in his tank, under the crazed gaze of the Teutonic tank as he led his two wingmen in a frenzied charge, Joe was unaware that a brutal battle was also raging in the sky above them.

Spurred by news of 600,000 Teutons outside Paris, Admiral Henry was eager to ascertain the Teuton deployment outside the city.

Just as the Teutons, unable to mobilize too many ground troops, pinned their hopes on their superior air force.

Since this mutiny was limited to the Army's ground forces and neither the Army Air Corps nor the Navy was affected, General Henry also placed his hopes on the Army Air Corps.

General Henry hoped that the Army Air Corps could send reconnaissance planes to find out the Teutons' deployment outside the city, to tear away the fog of war for him, and that the bomber force could bomb the Teutons, even if they could not kill many Teutons, at least to delay their advance.

Every minute their attack went on later, their chances of holding Paris increased.

In response to the call to defend Paris, Gallic pilots flew their planes into the skies over the city.

However, what they didn't expect was that a terrifying hunter was already lurking in the sky.

In order to cover the troops attacking Paris and to ensure they could reach the outskirts of Paris right under the noses of the Gauls.

The First Wing, known as the "Air Circus" and a top aces of the Teutonic Air Force, was also in the airspace outside Paris at that time.

Thus, a brutal battle broke out instantly. Although the Teutonic ace pilots had better flying skills and fighter planes, the Gallic pilots who entered the Paris airspace were also elite among the Gallic pilots, and they had a different reason than the Teutons: Paris was right under their feet.

No one would choose to leave this sky before being shot down or running out of ammunition.

While the elite pilots of the Teutonic and Gaulish armies were locked in a fierce battle in the sky.

Joe's tank suddenly stopped in the middle of the battlefield, about two hundred meters away from the Teutonic artillery positions where they were hiding.

Although Herbert's driving style, which seemed to be so unpredictable that even he himself didn't know where he was going, meant that the Teutonic artillery failed to hit Joe's tank in several shots.

However, after several near misses and the Teutonic machine gunners finding that firing at the turret was ineffective and turning their attention to attacking Joe's tracks, the tank's already strained running gear, which was nearing its limit due to the balance between its suspension and tonnage, finally broke down completely.

With a sickening metallic creak, Joe's tank came to a stop, lying across the center of the battlefield.

"Two o'clock! Behind the dead tree! High explosive bomb! Load!"

After loading another shell into the breech, Joe asked Herbert.

"Herbert! What happened! Why did the car stop!"

With a boom of artillery fire, Herbert shouted to Joe.

"There's probably a problem with the tracks or suspension! We can't move now!"

After Joe pulled back the breechblock and loaded another shell into the cannon, he just stuck his head out of the commander's observation cupola to see where the next target was when he realized what was happening.

Herbert meant that their car was now stuck.

"Still the same position! Adjust it! Let's fire again!"

After the order to fire was given again, Joe finally realized that they were now trapped in the middle of the battlefield; in other words, they were sitting ducks.

The Teutonic artillery could now destroy them as easily as hitting ducks in a bucket. Judging from the rain of shells that had just fallen and the machine guns that were constantly firing at them, the Teutons seemed quite happy to do so.

Joe never wanted to be a hero, and in this situation, whether he could even become one was another matter.

After all, being destroyed under such circumstances is more likely to result in being written into textbooks as a negative example of not abandoning a vehicle when it should have been abandoned, than becoming a hero.

"abandoned……"

But just as the words "abandon the car" were about to come out of his mouth, Joe swallowed them back.

Just as the gunner fired another shot at the concealed artillery position, a fireball rose from the woods, and Joe realized that ever since he ordered the assault, the shelling around his tank had been like thunder.

The relentless machine gun fire, which had been like a torrential downpour, seemed to have stopped as well.

It seems like everything is over?
After stuffing another high-explosive shell into the breech, Joe peered out from the battered commander's observation tower.

In the woods ahead, several plumes of smoke rose from the sky, armored troops were advancing across the ravaged land, and Teutonic soldiers dressed in black were abandoning their positions and withdrawing from the battlefield.

Seeing all this, Joe breathed a long sigh of relief and wanted to slump into the chair inside the turret, but as soon as he sat down, he remembered something, then pushed open the hatch and waved to the armored forces of the Paris task force to give orders.

"Keep pushing forward! Destroy their heavy artillery positions!"

Joe knew very well that the most important thing now, rather than chasing down these poor infantrymen, was to destroy the Teutonic heavy artillery positions that the Teutons had set up behind the front lines.

After destroying these artillery pieces capable of direct fire, the Teutons certainly wouldn't have time to deploy more anti-tank weapons in a short period of time. If they didn't send their armored forces to crush those heavy artillery pieces now, what were they waiting for?
Are we going to wait until next time, after they redeploy their anti-tank firepower?
Just as Joe was waving his arm to give the order, he suddenly felt a heat near his ear, followed by a buzzing sound, and then a pain in his ear.

The pain was excruciating, and Joe covered his ears as he shrank back into the turret. Judging from the warm, damp touch of his hand covering his ears, Joe knew he had probably been shot.

Seeing the bright red blood flowing from Joe's hand as he clutched his head, the gunner was immediately startled.

"Sir! You've been shot!"

The gunner's scream alerted Herbert.

"Joe! You've been shot?!"

"It's nothing, it's just your ear."

Joe turned his head to the gunner and removed his hand.

"Can you tell me how bad the situation is?"

The gunner carefully glanced at Joe's ears and then breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s alright, sir. The bullet only tore your earlobe. Herbert, find the medkit.”

When he heard the bullet whiz past his ear, Joe slumped into his chair, no longer wanting to move.

While Herbert was searching for the medkit, the gunner rotated the turret, carefully looking across the battlefield for the possible sniper.

But the gunner still hadn't found the potential sniper by the time Herbert found the medical kit and handed the gauze to Joe.

After covering his ears with gauze, he saw his wingman and several Royal Fist MK-5 tanks charging forward in the direction the Teutons had retreated, heading to cause trouble for those heavy artillery pieces.

Joe, realizing this was no place to linger, climbed out of the tank.

Perhaps the sniper had already left, or perhaps he had been killed in the previous incident, because no one fired at Joe this time.

As Joe dismounted from the tank, a Royal Fist tank painted with the number 131 drove towards him, and the tank commander and platoon leader poked their heads out of the turret.

"Sir, are you alright? What's wrong? Do you need my help?"

Joe looked at the lieutenant and, suppressing his anger, asked him a question.

"Why are you still here? Didn't I just order you to keep advancing and destroy the Teutonic artillery positions?"

Upon hearing Joe's words, the lieutenant paused for a moment.

"Sir, I was just assisting the Gauls in recapturing the trenches, and I did not receive any orders from you."

Upon hearing this, Joe frowned.

"Retake the trenches? Didn't I previously order all tank crews to launch an assault with me? Why are you still suppressing the trenches?"

Upon hearing Joe's unfriendly words, the lieutenant's expression clearly showed panic.

"Sir, the situation on the battlefield was too chaotic just now, and I did not receive any of your orders."

"Didn't you see my traffic light..."

When Joe turned around to look at the signal lights on his turret, he discovered that the signal lights on his turret had been broken at some point.

Since that was the case, Joe couldn't continue to criticize the lieutenant. He just sighed and, while lamenting in his heart that the lack of radio greatly affected battlefield command, he had the lieutenant send a signal to the troops who were not currently participating in the pursuit to clean up the battlefield and assist the Gauls in rebuilding their defenses.

When Joe began cleaning up the battlefield, he realized how many losses he had suffered in the battle.

In addition to its own vehicle number 101 being damaged due to running gear failure, vehicle number 121, which served as a prototype for the Hound tank, was also destroyed in the battle.

A 77mm cannon shell sent the turret of the test vehicle flying to the ground three meters away from the vehicle body.

When something is damaged to this extent, it is basically beyond repair.

Aside from waiting for the still-burning wreckage to cool down before removing the armor and attaching it to other Hound tanks, Joe couldn't think of any other value in the burning wreckage, so he simply gave up.

Meanwhile, the Royal Fist tank, which was the main force of the task force, also suffered losses due to its large size, slow speed, and weak armor.

Therefore, the Royal Fist MK-5 became the most lost vehicle in this battle, with a total of four Royal Fist MK-5s losing their combat capability due to artillery fire and Teutonic machine gun fire.

Two of them were completely destroyed by direct hits from artillery shells, while the other two were temporarily rendered combat ineffective due to crew losses or mechanical failures.

Fortunately, because they won the battle, the damaged vehicles were able to be towed back, making the losses somewhat more acceptable.

After all, compared to the losses of the Paris contingent, the losses of the Gauls stationed here were truly frightening.

After being replenished, Jean-Pierre's battalion was reduced to less than a company in the fighting. The other battalions of the Paris National Guard were not much better off. One battalion suffered particularly heavy losses and was reduced to only a platoon after the battle.

Only the battalion from the colonial division fared better, having lost only a company.

Joe felt that at this rate of loss, this position would eventually fall.

Just then, a major from the Paris city defense command approached Joe, hoping he could lend them a hand.

Although the visitor was a major, he approached Joe on his own initiative, claiming to be from the Paris City Defense Command. As someone who understood things to some extent, Joe realized that this was a form of compromise from General Neville Henry.

Joe had come here to help him defend Paris, so he didn't make things difficult for the major. He simply asked them what they wanted him to do.

Then Joe learned two things: first, the Teutons had come with 600,000 men; and second, La Villette Park was not the Teutons' main target this time.

Perhaps because they had been driven out of La Villette Park by Joe, the Teutons focused their attacks on the east this time.

Just as Joe led the Paris task force to once again crush the Teutonic attack at the La Villette Park, the Teutons were launching a fierce assault on the eastern gateway to Paris, the Marne Bay area and the surrounding forests.

These towns controlled the fords and the land inside the bends of the Marne River. If they fell, the canal defenses to the east of Paris would collapse, and after that, only the fortresses of Champigny and Sycy would remain between the Teutons and Paris.

If this area falls, the Teutons will not only be able to enter Paris along the canal region, but will also be able to further occupy the industrial and densely populated areas southeast of Paris.

After losing the wealthy north at the beginning of the war, this area became the main industrial base of Gaul and also one of the largest railway dispatching yards south of Paris.

Meanwhile, Colbert-Esson, a satellite city of Paris, controls the industry along the Seine. Occupying it would be tantamount to strangling Paris, which would be a devastating strategic blow to Gaul, a loss that Gaul absolutely could not afford.

And it seems the situation wasn't bad enough. Even if the Teutons didn't advance southeast, but only east of Paris, which was under attack, the Paris-Mulhouse railway, a vital supply route for Paris, also passed through this area. Once this railway was cut off...

This would significantly reduce the supplies available to Paris, further accelerating the fall of the city.

Therefore, in order to defend Paris, it was absolutely necessary to prevent the Teutons from capturing the eastern canal region, and at the very least, to hold the fortresses of Champigny and Sycy.

Faced with the Teutonic attack, which seemed to strike at a vital spot right from the start, and whose kicking foot was like a leather boot with spikes.

It's not hard to understand why General Henry would choose to compromise with Joe.

Faced with the Teutonic army's relentless, large-scale offensive that gave him no time to breathe, all Joe could do was leave a portion of his guards grenadiers to assist the Gauls in holding the area and to protect the arriving logistics personnel as they salvaged the vehicles that could still be repaired and used.

Joe then boarded a Royal Fist MK-5 tank, number 412, which had been rendered immobile due to crew losses, and led the remaining troops to the Marne Bay area east of Paris to see what they could do.

Of course, since a battle had just ended, the troops urgently needed supplies, but they arrived too late, and Joe was worried that the Gauls at the front would not be able to withstand the Teutonic offensive.

After all, these two battles in La Villette Park gave Joe a clear understanding of just how much fighting power these hastily assembled Gauls actually possessed.

To hold out in Paris for as long as possible, they have to take matters into their own hands.

So Joe had no choice but to endure the logistical burden again, letting the Teutons bear the blame.

Joe sent men to the base at Gare du Nord in Paris to inform the logistics personnel to load fuel, ammunition, and necessary tools and parts for basic tank maintenance onto trucks and meet them at Gare du Nord.

Joe planned to have his troops rest and replenish their supplies there before heading to the Marne bend to see what he could do for the Gauls.

As he left La Villette Park, Joe somewhat regretted ordering a portion of the tanks to continue advancing and destroy the Teutonic artillery.

If I hadn't sent them to destroy the Teutonic heavy artillery, I would still have a lot more troops at my disposal.

Meanwhile, Ehrlich, sitting in the car, finally escaped the battlefield and arrived at a relatively safe location. With a camera hanging around his neck, Ehrlich slumped into the car seat.

Although Ehrlich had some expectations about the power of armored forces when he applied to go to the front lines to observe,

However, there is a huge difference between what others say and what you see with your own eyes.

Especially after the Gauls' armored forces had recently shattered their lines, seeing the battle of the Bunitania's armored forces was a stark reminder of the fighting.

Although the coordination seemed poor, the way the various vehicles performed their respective roles and cooperated closely with the infantry still greatly impressed Ehrlich.

Leaning back in his seat, Ehrlich had an idea: this was the right way to fight on the ground in the future. These terrifying vehicles would become the cuirassiers of the new era, destroying any enemy that dared to stand in their way.

The problem is that the Bunitarians now have such a terrifying force, while the Empire has yet to develop a similar one.

Perhaps I should write a report or something to advance the Empire's research in armored tactics?

----------

After witnessing the fighting of the Bunitania armored forces in La Villette Park in 1917, I was deeply impressed by their multi-equipment and multi-branch coordinated combat methods, which became the main reason why I later supported the development of armored forces.

At that time, I often wondered how the war would have changed if the Empire had had such a force in 1914, or even 1916.

A skilled armored force, coupled with an elite storm assault team, is ground power capable of penetrating any defense line.

The trench system, which once consumed a lot of manpower and artillery shells, will be swept into the dustbin of history, and the battlefield will return to the era of mobile warfare.

Unfortunately, history has no "what ifs," but on that day, I remembered the name of the commander of that Britannian armored force: Joe Harrison.

—From *Victory Within Reach* by Erich

(End of this chapter)