Chapter 55 Averkull Forest
The Prussian army launched an attack on the Hill of the Dead on the left bank of the Meuse River in order to eliminate the French artillery in the Bois de Brux behind the Hill of the Dead and relieve the pressure on the large force on the right bank of the Meuse River to directly attack Verdun.
But when they attacked the Hill of the Dead, they were bombarded by French artillery fire from a more flank. The artillery fire echoed among the mountains and caused very serious casualties to them.
And no matter how wide the Prussian offensive front was, there were always one or two damn French machine guns on the flanks of the assault force to firmly pin down the attack of an entire division.
After broadening the attack front and knocking out the machine gun, new enemy fire points will emerge on the flank. It's like a doctor trying to remove a tumor that has spread. The part that needs to be removed with a scalpel is getting farther and farther away from the original site of the cancer. Every assault is like walking on the edge of a knife, and every step is thrilling.
After several unsuccessful attacks on Dead Man's Hill, the Prussian army command realized that in order to capture Dead Man's Hill they had to destroy the French artillery positions further to the side. The atmosphere in the command was heavy, and everyone had fatigue and anxiety on their faces.
The artillery position was deployed on Hill 304 on the western ridge, which was similar to the terrain of Dead Man's Hill. It was full of mountains and steep terrain, and was covered with French fortifications.
"Your Highness, we must take Hill 304 first before we can capture Dead Man's Hill!" said a staff officer of the Prussian command.
Crown Prince William squinted at the map on the table, secretly weighing various possibilities in his mind. The map on the table was already marked with many marks, showing countless strategic discussions in the past.
"We can launch an attack from the Avercour Forest in the west, where there is a turning point in the French position. We can directly attack Hill 304, and our infiltration tactics can also be well implemented there." The staff officer continued, his tone full of confidence as he drew an attack route on the map with his finger, as if he had seen the dawn of victory.
"But the French have already set up at least three barbed wire fences there, as well as many hidden trenches and bunkers. It can be said that it is the most strongly defended place on the entire left bank of the Meuse River. Can we really take it down in the first place?" Another staff officer retorted at this time, his brow furrowed and he was obviously skeptical about the plan.
"If we can't take the French positions in the Avecour Forest, it will be impossible to take Hill 304. If we can't take Hill 304, it will be impossible to take the Hill of the Dead. If we can't take the Hill of the Dead, the large force on the right bank of the Meuse River will not be able to break through Verdun, so we must take this place!" The previous staff officer continued to speak firmly, with determination flashing in his eyes.
The two staff officers broke out into a violent quarrel, and other staff officers also joined in the quarrel. The entire staff office was suddenly in chaos, with noises coming one after another, papers being thrown into the air, and pencils breaking on the table.
"Shut up! Stop arguing!" Crown Prince William was annoyed by the quarreling in his ears, and he shouted angrily to suppress the quarreling.
His eyes were still fixed on the map, trying to find a chance for a breakthrough. His gaze was firm but his inner struggle was difficult to conceal.
He continued to look at the map. He knew in his heart the importance of taking over the Avocour Forest, but the fortifications there made him feel very difficult. At this moment, he suddenly thought of the half-breed who had taken over Fort Douaumont single-handedly before. Perhaps he could work a miracle again.
The task of attacking the Averkour Forest was given to the 11th Bavarian Division, which had just performed well in the Serbian and Galician campaigns. The division commander, General von Kneuso, was awarded the Order of Merit after capturing the Russian fortress of Przemysl.
At the same time, the small platoon led by Lu Mingfei was also sent here to serve as a commando.
The news that General von Kneosaur had received a small second lieutenant at his headquarters surprised the other officers of the 11th Bavarian Division.
"I don't know why His Royal Highness William specially selected your platoon to serve as the commando. Perhaps you have some outstanding qualities, but a battle like this cannot be influenced by a single platoon. However, I will still follow His Royal Highness William's arrangement and let you serve as the forefront of the commando. I hope you won't let me down."
General von Kneussow said, looking at the young, handsome but silent face in front of him.
The murderous aura emanating from this young man made this general, who had experienced countless life and death experiences on the battlefield, feel a little frightened. It was the first time he had seen such a fierce soldier, and his aura alone was enough to make people dare not look directly into his eyes.
At first he was wondering why Prince William specially arranged a platoon to serve as a commando, but when he saw the platoon leader, he knew that this person was extraordinary. However, he still maintained his point of view that in a war of this scale, the role of a platoon was very small.
"Understood, sir." Lu Mingfei saluted and walked out of the command center.
Yesterday, Prince William personally ordered him to come here to participate in the next attack. He was also very surprised. He didn't know whether the next battle here would be more intense than that on the Hill of the Dead, but military orders could not be disobeyed, so he still brought his men here.
As soon as he left the command center, Lu Mingfei saw Hill, Paul and others waiting for him not far away. They stood in the cold wind with anxiety and uneasiness on their faces.
When they saw Lu Mingfei coming out, they immediately surrounded him and asked anxiously, "Second Lieutenant, what happened?"
"Nothing, we just have to participate in the next attack." Due to the urgency of the situation, Lu Mingfei did not know the specific situation. He only learned about their next mission at the command center just now.
"Let's go." Lu Mingfei led them to a nearby assault trench. The air in the trench was damp and cold, and the muddy ground made it difficult to walk.
The entire Bavarian Division was digging assault trenches in preparation for the next attack. Some engineers dug tunnels directly under the French positions and buried explosives, preparing to deal a fatal blow to the enemy when the attack began.
But there were too many of them, and when the French on the high ground saw so many Prussian soldiers gathered together, they immediately understood what was going to happen next.
They brought in the largest-caliber mortars and launched an artillery attack on the Prussian army's positions, destroying several assault trenches and burying alive all the Bavarian soldiers hiding inside. The roar of the explosion was deafening, and mud and rocks flew everywhere, making the scene a mess.
But none of these could stop the Prussian army's offensive.
On the morning of March 3, the Bavarian Division began their attack, but the attack got off to a bad start.
"Damn it! It must be the French artillery fire yesterday that cut off the power line!" An engineer angrily threw the detonator in his hand to the ground. None of the explosives they set up yesterday exploded.
But the attack had already begun and it was impossible to stop because of this incident. In order not to attract the attention of the French positions opposite, the Prussian army rushed towards the French positions in the form of small teams.
The dense forest became their best protection, and they moved forward silently like ghosts, taking every step carefully and breathing heavily.
The platoon led by Lu Mingfei rushed to the front of all the commandos. Their mission was to open a gap for the commandos behind them. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle, staring at every inch of land in front.
The faint light of the morning sun shone through the branches onto the ground, adding a tense atmosphere to their actions. "Second Lieutenant, what should we do if there is a barbed wire fence ahead?" Hill hid behind a tree, looking at the barbed wire in front of him and whispered to Lu Mingfei beside him.
Not far behind the barbed wire was the French position. He didn't even dare to speak too loudly for fear of being heard by the French troops on the opposite side.
Of course Lu Mingfei also saw the barbed wire, but it was nothing to him. He was detecting how many French troops were on the opposite side and their distribution locations.
He tilted his ear slightly, listening to every subtle change in the surrounding environment, as if listening to the breath of nature. Soon the sickle-weasel transmitted back everything he wanted. The position of every French soldier on the opposite side was in his grasp. At this moment, he was like a calm hunter, ready to give his prey a fatal blow at any time.
"Charge!" Lu Mingfei responded to Hill with only these two words, and then he rushed out from behind the tree, like a cheetah running towards the barbed wire.
The barbed wire melted like ice and snow before he reached it, and the red-hot iron dripped onto the ground with a sizzling sound.
………………
"Bernard, stop looking outside and come play cards." A French soldier in the bunker shouted to another French soldier next to him who was holding a machine gun and aiming at the outside.
Their bunker was dark and damp, and the air was filled with a stale, musty smell.
"Aren't you afraid that the Prussians will attack us?" The machine gunner turned his head and asked his comrade who was a little listless. The machine gunner's eyes were bloodshot, and it was obvious that he had not had a good rest all night.
"Not so fast. Didn't we just bombard their trenches yesterday? Besides, there are three barbed wire fences in front of us. They have to cut them slowly with pliers. If they use grenades to explode, we can hear them from a long distance away, which is not more efficient than seeing with your eyes." The French soldier leaned against the wall of the bunker, yawned and said casually, with a trace of fatigue and helplessness on his face.
"Why do you look sleepy all day long?" After hearing what his companion said, the French machine gunner felt that there was some truth in it, so he put down his machine gun, sat opposite his comrade, picked up the cards on the ground and asked.
"There's no way. It's too cold here. I don't want to move at all." The French soldier leaning against the wall reached out and tightened his clothes. The biting cold air made it difficult for him to feel warm even in the bunker.
"It's already March and almost April, and it's still cold?" asked the French machine gunner in confusion.
"You are new here and may not know this, but our team has been stationed in Provence. It's a great place, with never any snow and spring-like weather all year round. The wine there is also excellent, and there are vast tracts of lavender, which are very beautiful. In the summer, beautiful girls from Paris often go there to see the lavender, and we'll take the opportunity to hook up with a few of them." The French soldier leaning against the wall smiled nostalgically.
The French machine gunner also showed an envious expression when he heard his companion's words. He seemed to be immersed in the beautiful scenery described by his companion. However, a gunshot shattered all his beautiful imaginations, and a bullet penetrated his head from the firing hole of the machine gun next to him.
The French soldier leaning against the wall stared blankly at the body slowly falling in front of him. Before he could come to his senses, another bullet pierced his forehead.
Gunshots continued to ring out in the French positions. Some French soldiers who were deserting in bunkers and trenches fell to the ground lifeless before they could react to the gunshots.
This line of defense had never been attacked since it was established. The French troops stationed here had long lost their vigilance during these peaceful days. When the gunshots rang out, it was too late to take any remedial measures.
Lu Mingfei kept pulling the trigger to empty the magazine. The bullets seemed to have eyes, and each one could accurately hit a French soldier.
After he had used up all his bullets, he threw the empty drum to the soldiers behind him, who immediately began to refill the drum with bullets.
This new artillery-type Luger P08 came into his hands the day before yesterday along with the order of Crown Prince William. The gun in Lu Mingfei's hand was like having unlimited firepower. One person was comparable to the firepower of an entire company. It was not until the barrel began to glow red that Lu Mingfei finally stopped shooting to prevent the barrel from exploding.
But his mission had been accomplished. He had made large holes in the three barbed wire fences large enough for the Prussian soldiers to pass through, and all the more vigilant French soldiers were killed.
Prussian soldiers continued to enter through the gap opened by Lu Mingfei. They completely surrounded the place and began to clear every trench and bunker.
Finally, an entire brigade in the Avercourt Forest was surrounded and began to surrender, just two hours after the Prussian offensive began.
A total of 2825 French soldiers were captured, including 2 French officers including the brigade commander and two regimental commanders. 58 machine guns and 25 cannons were also seized. The Prussian army was basically unscathed except for a few unlucky guys who were hit and injured in the French hasty counterattack.
A great victory, another great victory after the fall of Fort Douaumont.
When Lu Mingfei led his men back to the camp, he was greeted with countless admiring gazes. Many people saw his amazing marksmanship, and then his deeds began to spread in the army.
"That's really amazing! I finally understand why His Highness William transferred you here specially. I will recommend you for credit." General von Kneosaur exclaimed as he looked at the young man in front of him who still had a calm expression as if he had just done something insignificant.
After accepting the commendation from General von Kneussow, Lu Mingfei left the headquarters but he did not feel happy at all.
"What's wrong with Mr. Lieutenant?" After returning to the camp, Hill and the others saw that Lu Mingfei didn't seem very happy and surrounded him to ask for his concern.
"I don't know why, but I always feel something is wrong..." A bad feeling has been lingering in Lu Mingfei's heart since the beginning.
The wind howled through the camp, kicking up dust from the ground, foreshadowing the coming storm.
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(End of this chapter)
