Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 164 Crown Prince: Then what I'm missing is the assault battalion (Bonus Chapter 810 for the Silver Alliance)

Just as Morin was commanding the training assault battalion, preparing for what might be the world's first truly 'motorized march'.

Moltke the Younger, who had already moved the General Staff's frontline command to Kolembutz, far away in the Saxon Empire, also began to receive the latest military intelligence from various army groups on the western front.

In the operations room, Moltke stood in front of a huge map of the western front, holding a long baton, listening to the operations staff report on the progress of each front.

"Reporting to the Chief of the General Staff, the First Army under General Mackensen has made good progress since the formal engagement on August 4."

"In field battle, they successfully defeated the main force of the Northern Army Group of the United Kingdom of Flanders, and the Teutonic Knights under their command almost completely annihilated the 'Golden Fleece' of the United Kingdom of Flanders at a very low cost."

"Currently, the enemy forces in the north have retreated to the Rosendal-Breda-Shertogenbos-Nijmegen line and are holed up in the cities, showing no signs of engaging in battle."

"General Mackensen stated in the telegram that he had left some troops to monitor the enemy and cover the army group's rear supply lines, awaiting the arrival of reserve troops to fill the gaps. Meanwhile, his main force had adjusted its offensive direction."

The operations staff pointed to Antwerp on the map and continued:
"A portion of the troops will adopt a strategy of 'encircling without attacking' Antwerp to contain the enemy, while the main force will bypass the city and head straight for the border between Flanders and Gaul."

"General Mackensen also mentioned that, according to military intelligence, the Breton expeditionary force might land in the Dunkirk area. He said that if the time was right, he would seize the opportunity to strike the Bretons hard before they could establish a firm foothold."

After listening to the report from the First Army Group, Moltke nodded in satisfaction.

General Mackensen, who was temporarily transferred before the war, did not disappoint his expectations. He fought quickly and fiercely, fully demonstrating the qualities of an excellent commander.

"What about the Third Army and the Fourth Army?" he asked.

"The Third and Fourth Armies have also rapidly penetrated into the territory of the United Kingdom of Flanders in the past two days and have now reached the border of the Republic of Gaul, awaiting further orders."

"Very good." A smile appeared on Moltke's face.

Since the start of the war, everything has gone as he expected, or even more smoothly than he anticipated.

"What about the Second Army Group?" he asked, voicing his most pressing question.

"Report to the Chief of the General Staff! The Second Army reports that they have completely captured the Liege fortress complex this morning!"

This news caused an uncontrollable gasp of surprise to erupt throughout the operations room.

Moltke himself was stunned, and he couldn't help but tighten his grip on the baton.

The Liege fortress was the point he was most worried about before the war.

He was even mentally prepared for the Second Army to be bogged down under the walls of Liege, unable to carry out subsequent plans according to the scheduled timetable.

But now, they have actually captured this fortified city in just two days?

"What did the telegram say?"

"The telegram mentioned that General Ludendorff, the deputy chief of staff of the Second Army, upon arriving at the front, adopted the suggestion of Captain Morin, the commander of the 1st Training Assault Battalion of the Guards, and organized a... uh... airborne raid last night."

When the operations staff mentioned the term 'airborne raid,' he hesitated noticeably, seemingly unsure about this somewhat novel concept.

"Twenty soldiers from the training assault battalion, led by Captain Morin, boarded an armored airship and landed directly inside the Liege fortress from the air."

"In the end, we successfully destroyed the enemy's command post and magic center, causing great chaos among the defending troops and creating a decisive opportunity for our main force to launch a general offensive."

"Training Assault Battalion Airborne"

Moltke kept repeating these words in his mouth.

His mind involuntarily drifted back to the time he accompanied His Highness the Crown Prince to Potsdam to observe and train the assault battalion's exercises.

He also recalled the young battalion commander who had displayed astonishing tactical talent in the exercise, and his soldiers, who were unlike any other Imperial soldiers and were full of high morale.

At the time, he also felt that some of the Crown Prince's tactical ideas were too idealistic.

But now it seems that he himself has fallen behind.

"Perhaps, this time, His Excellency Schlieffen's strategic conjecture can truly come true."

A surge of unprecedented pride welled up in Moltke's heart.

He turned around and reopened the battle plan timeline, which was accurate to the day.

According to the final official plan issued by the General Staff:

After the mobilization order was issued on August 1, the passage through the United Kingdom of Flanders must be completely opened within 12 days.

On the 19th day, Brussels was captured, isolating the northern enemy forces and completely eliminating the threat to their supply lines.

On the 22nd day, the main force entered the territory of the Republic of Gaul.

Day 39, Paris captured!

If all these operations are successful, the Saxon army will form an unprecedentedly large arc-shaped encirclement within the territory of the Gallic Republic.

And the grand tactical plan to eliminate most of the Gauls' fighting force within seven weeks is very likely to actually come true!

Meanwhile, in the Ardennes Forest region.

Crown Prince George, as commander of the Fifth Army—also known as the 'Crown Prince George Army'—also received battle reports from other armies. When he saw the Training Assault Battalion wreaking havoc in the Second Army's order of battle, helping the Second Army to 'speed through' the Liege Fortress in an almost mythical manner, he was deeply impressed.
His feelings became extremely complicated.

On the one hand, he felt genuinely proud of the brilliant achievements of the troops he had personally trained.

But on the other hand, an indescribable bitterness and regret also welled up in his heart.

He regretted not having persisted and argued his case to have the training assault battalion transferred to his Fifth Army Group.

The peaches I painstakingly planted were picked by someone else.
Moreover, the fact that they picked them so beautifully and so spectacularly made Georg feel quite uneasy.

"Morin, oh Morin, how wonderful it would be if you and the training commando battalion were under my command."

He couldn't help but sigh softly.

August 7, morning, Southampton Port, Brittany.

The dock was bustling with noise and the ship's horn was blaring.

Huge troop transport ships and cargo ships were docked at their berths, and countless Breton soldiers in khaki uniforms were boarding the ships in neat rows.

They were the vanguard of the Holy Britannian Empire's expeditionary force, about to cross the strait to the mainland to fulfill their promise to their 'ally'.

At the window of a building somewhere in the port, Sir John French, Field Marshal of the Holy Britannian Empire and Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force, was watching everything with a blank expression through his binoculars.

He was a seasoned veteran who had participated in numerous colonial wars of the Empire around the world and was known for his stubborn and cautious command style.

"Marshal, the latest battle report from the United Kingdom of Flanders."

An adjutant quickly walked up to him and handed him a newly translated telegram.

French put down his binoculars, took the telegram, and read it carefully.

However, as he read on, the expression on his face became increasingly serious.

"How is this possible?!"

When he saw the end of the telegram, he gasped in disbelief, his face filled with astonishment.

"Marshal, what's wrong?" the adjutant asked with concern.

French did not answer, but simply handed him the telegram.

The adjutant took the telegram, glanced at it, and his eyes widened in surprise.

The contents of the battle report were truly astonishing.

The Saxons' advance was far faster than they had anticipated.

In the north, the Flanders' most elite 'Golden Fleece' was almost completely annihilated by the Saxon 'Teutonic Knights'.

This convinced French that the Saxons must have made some significant breakthrough in the technology of armored knights, otherwise they could not have achieved such a disparate exchange ratio.
What shocked and baffled him even more was the speed at which the Liege fortress fell.

They resisted for less than two days!
This fortified fortress complex, which was unanimously considered by Britannian and Gallic military experts before the war to be able to hold out for at least a month under siege by a large army, was thus easily captured by the Saxons.

The battle report was vague about the reasons for the fall of Liège, only mentioning that "the Saxons used some kind of despicable and unprecedented surprise attack tactic".

But regardless of the process, the outcome is certain.

The fall of Liège meant that the gates to the heart of Flanders and even the Gallic borders had been opened to the Saxons.

"We severely underestimated the military strength of the Saxons."

French said in a dry voice.

He realized that the Empire's assessment of the Saxon army, based on its experience with previous colonial conflicts, had made a fatal mistake.

The Saxon army before them was no longer the rigid and inflexible army they remembered.

It has become faster, more ruthless, and more imaginative.

"General, should we modify our plan to carry out the landing at Dunkirk?" the adjutant asked cautiously.

According to the original plan, the Brittany Expeditionary Force would land in Boulogne, Calais, Le Havre, and Dunkirk.

Then they joined forces with the armies of Flanders and Gaul to build a defensive line along the border to block the Saxons' advance.

But now, the Saxons are advancing so rapidly that if they take their time to land and assemble, the situation could become very uncertain.
They might run into Saxon armored knights the moment they land.

French paced back and forth in the room, his brow furrowed.

He was a cautious man who never fought a battle he wasn't sure of winning, but the current situation left him no time to think things through.

Finally, he stopped and said in a very serious tone:
"Speed ​​up the boarding process immediately! We must land before the scheduled time, or the situation will be irreversible!"

(End of this chapter)