Iron Cross Fire

The artillery fired as usual, and dust continued to rise on the position, which was normal for the French.

However, there is something special about today. In addition to tens of thousands of artillery shells sent by Germany, there are also a few people secretly lurking on the plains that were bombed into scorched earth.

The Frenchmen standing guard were so bombarded that they were unable to stand firmly, so naturally they could not effectively observe the battlefield.

Especially in the dark night, you can't see your fingers, and the French army does not turn on the lights in order to hide, which makes the observation work even more difficult.

However, if they are used to being bombed, shells are not so scary to them. On the contrary, not being bombed is scary.

So they were very relaxed. The mound structure outside was buzzing, and the soldiers inside were eating rats and playing cards.

They did not notice the danger slowly approaching. The German non-commissioned officers in heavy armor were very flexible and quickly reached the front of the position.

After waiting for a lull in the round of artillery fire, he quickly rushed in and killed several sentries with a hammer head.

Throw the corpses away, then circle the interlaced trenches and continue to quietly assassinate French soldiers in the thick smoke.

In this round trip, the unsuspecting French army suffered heavy casualties, but none of the cautious German non-commissioned officers died.

The French people inside finally felt something unusual, and came out in groups, nervously aware of the movement in the position.

Unexpectedly, the second round of artillery fire came much faster than the previous one, hitting the position only ten minutes later.

The German non-commissioned officers took the opportunity to run to the edge of the trench and hid in a pit surrounded by wood.

One of them, hiding under the eaves, raised his signal gun and fired, and then thick red smoke shot up into the sky and melted into the turbid sky.

This scene was seen by Kuster. He stood on the ladder, drew his saber and shouted:

"Soldiers, charge!"

Nearly a thousand people crawled out of the huge position, roaring into one mass, and rushed towards the opposite side with a posture that shook the earth.

The French were shocked for a few seconds when they heard the roar, but they quickly reacted and hurried to the front of the position.

But the ferocious artillery fire killed more than a dozen people every time they took a step forward, and they were dragged out of their position like dogs.

After finally reaching the position, the officer led the soldiers into the pit and wanted to question the sentries.

But what came face to face were not the soldiers he was familiar with, but Germans covered in steel. They pointed their submachine guns at the officer with ferocious looks.

The officer didn't even have time to surrender. He was beaten into a sieve in the next second. Several unlucky guys behind him also suffered the same fate and were penetrated by bullets.

After taking care of these people, the noncommissioned officers braved artillery fire and shuttled back and forth to the front of the position, killing every Frenchman they saw, and greeting anyone with a machine gun with a grenade.

Seeing the German army getting closer and closer, his soldiers had just woken up and were very slow and tired, unable to resist at all.

The French officers made a decision that went against their ancestors and continued to retreat.

The Germans had not yet taken a position, and the casualties on both sides did not exceed a thousand people. It was obvious that they were not engaged in a fierce battle. However, the French withdrew on their own.

They withdrew decisively, taking away everything they could; abandoning all the artillery that had become a display and useless wounded soldiers.

A minute after the artillery fire ceased, the Germans took up position.

After that, a steady stream of people poured in, and the already narrow trenches became even more clogged.

Kuster also followed the army and walked into the position. He saw a few non-commissioned officers lying on the ground wearing heavy armor.

He walked forward and said with concern:

"It's great that you are still alive!"

It's really good, you can go on to die.

A glimmer of light flashed in the closed helmet of one petty officer, seeming to roll his eyes at him.

He sighed and asked him:

"General, when can we go home?"

After hearing this, several non-commissioned officers around him stood up slightly and looked at Kuster, obviously looking forward to the answer.

But Kuster was an Austrian, how could he possibly know.

"Uh... Oops, it's a bit cold. You said that the quality of the French's trenches is just not durable, and the rats they raise are not as big as ours. Haha..."

Kuster laughed a few times, feeling a little embarrassed, and coughed a few more times:

"It's been decided organizationally, well... I'm going to try to move you to the rear and take a paid vacation."

In fact, the Germans didn't care about these soldiers at all, but if Kuster used his personal connections, it would become very simple.

But even so, the news made the sergeants excited:

"That's great! Thank you General, it is our honor to bring you and the Emperor victory."

"Well..." Kuster responded in a low voice, turned around and asked the adjutant:

"Nelson, where are the French? I'm going to give them a knife in the buttocks."

"Went to a village in the west. It's worth mentioning that most of the men in this village were sent to the battlefield. Therefore, there are only widowed women left here."

Nelson made a strange expression, as if he was holding back a laugh:

"I guess...we could let our soldiers rest there for a while?"

Kuster paused and slowly turned his head away. The two looked at each other and smiled, reaching a consensus:

"Okay, let's go. Nelson, it's up to you. Do whatever you want, as long as you don't bring anyone in front of me. I'm already a fifty-year-old man."

Nelson saluted him, then walked forward and shouted some obscene and vulgar words to the soldiers.

However, this not only did not disgust the soldiers, but instead made them more motivated to fight, and the hatred for their superiors due to lack of sleep turned into admiration.

So, with the consent of several bigwigs in the army group, the artillery commander took the lead in vying for credit - he dropped nearly a thousand shells around the village, blasting the solid stones into ash.

In order to prevent the French from escaping again, the cavalry surrounded them on both sides and cut off the French army's retreat.

Seeing that the preparations were almost done, Nelson made a prompt decision and issued an order to charge.

The Germans who had been on the ladder jumped out ferociously, howling and running like wild dogs.

The French in the village saw such a fierce attack, and they were very timid and surrounded on all sides, and they had the idea of ​​surrendering.

But the officer firmly disagreed, raised his pistol and asked loudly:

"French men, are you going to give your land and your wives to the Germans as happened in history?"

This roar calmed the panicked French army, their eyes gradually became firm, as if they had changed into a different person, and they quickly ran to the entrance of the village to set up defenses.

However, there were still a few young men who asked the officer what Emperor Napoleon III did in Sedan during the Franco-Prussian War.

There is no doubt that they were shot, leaving only those with a firm will to fight.

The French squatted under the eaves of the burning house, holding their guns, forcing their bloodshot eyelids open, and staring at the plain.

Suddenly, the first person wearing the iconic steel helmet appeared in the field of vision.

He pulled the trigger decisively, and the man fell to the ground.

It was also because of this shot that the "Widow" village in Brittany was finally no longer silent.

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