I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 942: Shire Pioneers a New Tactic Again
It’s all too late.
All the German Army’s defense lines are oriented from north to south facing the French Army, with trenches, minefields, and an army group of over 200,000 soldiers.
Behind the defense lines, there are only artillery, logistics units, command posts, as well as supplies, ammunition depots, and command posts.
The so-called "logistics units" don’t even have guns; they are civilians and volunteers organized by the German Army to assist in transporting ammunition and supplies.
The artillerymen are indeed soldiers, but their specialty is operating cannons. They have only undergone basic shooting training, and the rifles they use are mostly the ones replaced by frontline soldiers after being repaired. Their combat capability is only slightly better than that of the "logistics units."
On the other hand, the French paratroopers were carefully selected by Shire from the troops as elites. Not only were they physically fit and well-equipped, but they also underwent intensive tactical and firearms training over three months.
(Note: The tactical and firearms training mainly involved learning to use German-style equipment, including rifles, machine guns, and artillery, to prepare for using captured equipment after landing.)
The German troops stationed in Saarbrücken responded immediately, sending a motorized unit to reinforce the artillery units outside the city.
However, fighter planes diving from the sky riddled the convoy with bullets, and soon the sides of the highway were littered with burning cars, corpses, and panicked, fleeing German soldiers.
Then, several bombers descended and dropped a volley of incendiary bullets on the highway.
In an instant, everything vanished in flames, leaving only ghostly wails.
Not just one highway; all roads were sealed by the French Air Force.
Nearby, amidst the sounds of gunfire and explosions, white parachutes gently descended.
In the sky, the military transport plane named "Jenny 52" turned around and headed back.
It could transport 17 to 20 fully armed soldiers, but Shire removed the seats to accommodate 25 soldiers.
This is not typically done because it’s extremely dangerous if intercepted by enemy aircraft.
But with the French Army having complete air superiority and the underdeveloped anti-air defenses, these concerns were unnecessary.
Thus, 100 bombers could drop 2,500 elite paratroopers at once.
Once landed, they immediately gathered with nearby friendly forces, forming a unit and then launching an attack on the German artillery positions under the officers’ command.
(Note: One of the difficulties of airborne operations is that the structure of the units is broken up after the drop. The soldiers are unfamiliar with each other, and they must rely solely on military rank to identify officers and actively attack the target, while also coordinating with friendly forces.)
Amidst intense gunfire, each German artillery position was captured.
Not removed or destroyed, but captured.
If they captured a 105mm artillery position, the paratroopers immediately turned the guns towards the German positions, raining down large-caliber shells on the German trenches.
If they captured a 77mm infantry gun, these guns became a powerful weapon in the paratroopers’ hands, with the paratroopers pushing them to fire at German cars, warehouses, and bunkers.
If any Germans tried to reclaim these guns, they would end up with a demolished ruin after an explosion.
The German rear was in chaos.
Supply depots caught fire, belching black smoke, the train station was shelled, the tracks were blown up, and ambushes suddenly appeared on the highways...
And this was only the first wave; more than half an hour later, 100 transport planes flew over Saarbrücken again, dropping another 2,500 paratroopers like scattering beans.
...
Gallieni was the first to get the answer, or rather, half an answer.
Major Fernan ran to him excitedly with a telegram: "General, it’s paratroopers, Shire parachuted the troops behind the German lines."
"Paratroopers?" Gallieni frowned. Isn’t that a death wish?
His understanding of paratroopers was still: planes carrying a few people behind enemy lines to gather intelligence or conduct espionage.
But Major Fernan handed the telegram to Gallieni, excitedly saying, "The first batch dropped 2,500 men, they’re all elite, General."
Gallieni sharply turned to Major Fernan: "How many?"
He thought he had misheard.
"2,500," Fernan nodded firmly, "That’s Shire’s new aircraft, each can carry 25 men, and 100 planes delivered a total of 2,500 men!"
Gallieni was dumbfounded, then suddenly laughed: "This is his method, bypassing the Germans’ defense line to directly strike their rear, unstoppable!"
This little guy has created a new tactic again.
No, it should be said he has pioneered a new field, thus giving rise to a new branch of the military!
...
At the Clyron Hotel, the delegates were anxiously awaiting news from the front.
Just then, the phone on Clemenceau’s desk rang, and everyone stopped discussing and turned their gaze in that direction.
Clemenceau picked up the receiver and identified himself, then showed a look of confusion:
"What did you say? Shire, Shire used planes to transport the troops?"
"How did they transport them? Did they jump down?"
"Parachute, parachute drop? How many people?"
"2,500 people, and that’s just the first batch..."
Clemenceau didn’t know how to express his inner shock.
He even doubted the authenticity of the matter, wondering if Gallieni fabricated it to deceive the representatives of other countries.
So when others asked, he spoke with hesitation:
"Gentlemen, this intelligence comes from the Minister of the Army."
"He said that Shire used planes to transport 2,500 men, parachuting into Saarbrücken."
"The paratroopers are currently attacking the Germans’ artillery positions and rear strongholds, but this still needs verification..."
The conference room erupted in chaos:
"That’s Shire, and he actually used a parachute drop!"
"2,500 people, how did he do it?"
"I guess it’s Shire’s new aircraft, Shire always surprises us!"
...
Then the delegates began to weigh in their minds:
Does this mean that Shire’s army can be delivered to one’s country, or even its capital, in an extremely short time?
The Dutch representative had already begun to feel thankful: Choosing Shire was the right decision, only fools would side with the Germans!
...
The news soon spread outside, and the people of Paris roiled like boiling water:
"Shire used parachute drops, who could have thought of parachute drops?"
"Oh God, that’s something pilots use to escape, and Shire turned it into a weapon!"
"I want to see the Germans’ faces when they see paratroopers descending from the sky!"
...
Saarbrücken defense line.
Major General Bernhard and the German soldiers felt like disaster loomed over them.
This was the most powerless battle they had fought since entering the war; all they could do was watch the enemy land in waves behind them, destroying artillery, supplies, and ammunition.
And they could do nothing.
