Expedition to Europe

Europeans during World War I were still very simple.

For example, when they were bombarding, they always strictly followed the military manual. Before the attack, they would conduct a long period of fire preparation. When the bombardment stopped, the troops would start charging. There were not many tricks.

If it were the Chinese artillery, they would definitely be able to show you the tricks, style, and personality. If you don't make you want to die, you can't be called a good artilleryman.

Just as the German artillery extended from the front position to the rear, the observer in the trench observed through the high periscope that the Germans had moved to the scheduled departure position, so he blew the copper whistle in his hand.

"Hurry up! Move! Move! The ammunition man followed!"

"Enter the position, enter the position!" Without Qin Zhiyuan's urging, Lieutenant Gars, the commander of the machine gun company, and Lieutenant Ian, the commander of the infantry company, led the soldiers into the position.

The most important thing is of course the heavy machine gun. The M1914 Hotchkiss heavy machine gun, which weighs more than 46 kilograms, is divided into two parts: the gun body and the tripod. Four soldiers carried it and ran fast. Behind each machine gun group, there were two ammunition handlers. They pulled the heavy bullet boxes out of the spiral ladder, and then carried them on their shoulders and followed the machine gun group. They went wherever the machine gun group went. In the upcoming battle, they will be responsible for replenishing bullets for the machine guns. If there are casualties in the machine gun group, they will also make up for it in time.

Qin Zhiyuan can see through the trench periscope that behind a breast wall about 500 meters away, there is a faint German iconic peaked helmet, which shows that the Germans are ready to attack and may launch an attack at any time.

"Hurry up and get into the position, use your shovel to repair your shooting position, and it is best to prepare a spare shooting position." Qin Zhiyuan ran back and forth in the trench, constantly reminding the Chinese workers who were fighting a positional battle for the first time in Chinese.

"Take out your grenades and put them beside you. When the Germans enter the 30-meter area, throw them out. Don't forget the firing method. Hit them first and then throw them out." The firing method of the French F-1 pear-shaped grenades and the German 24-type wooden-handled grenades is different. Qin Zhiyuan emphasized this point in particular, so that the Chinese workers would not be confused and throw them without igniting.

"Ready!" Someone shouted loudly, reminding the Germans that they had launched an attack.

Qin Zhiyuan found a trench periscope and began to observe.

I saw teams of murderous Germans bypassing the breastwork, forming a dispersed formation, and slowly coming towards this side.

They were still far away, so they didn't rush to charge. They just half-bent their waists and slowly moved forward, always ready to use the terrain and objects to avoid the French machine gun fire, and at the same time pay attention to the position of their companions, trying to keep the front line neat and not chaotic.

About ten meters after the first line of battle, the second, third, and fourth...

This already has the meaning of a skirmish line.

Everyone on the French position has completed their preparations. The riflemen simply arranged their shooting positions, making it easier to draw their guns and protect themselves as much as possible, so that they can crawl or squat more comfortably. They all have grenades at hand, ready to throw them out at the right time to blow the Germans upside down.

The machine gunners have assembled the heavy machine guns. They hid behind the bunkers made of sandbags, with only their heads exposed. The shooter set the scale and was ready to fire at any time; the assistant shooter held the magazine in his hand and was ready to load at any time; the observer and the commander were observing with binoculars, and they also took on the task of assistant shooters. If the shooter and assistant shooter were killed, they would take over. If they were also killed, the two ammunition feeders would take over.

There are also several Hotchkiss M1909 machine guns and Lewis light machine guns made by the British on the battlefield. As for the Chauchat light machine gun, no one is willing to use it because of its serious failure rate and poor shooting effect. The M1909 also uses a spring-loaded bullet, and its working principle is similar to that of the M1914.

The Lewis light machine gun is more popular with soldiers because it uses a 47-round drum magazine with better firepower sustainability.

The Lewis light machine gun has a very thick tube. If you look at it at first glance, you will think it is a water-cooled barrel, but it is not. Because the patent for water-cooled barrels has been registered, the Lewis light machine gun uses an air-cooled barrel. Inside the thick tube outside the barrel is the former heat sink, and the center of the heat sink is the real barrel. The outer layer of the tube is said to be equipped to extract air and accelerate the cooling of the barrel, but later studies have shown that this cover is useless.

It can't be said that it is useless. At least after shooting, you can run with the gun at any time. If it is an ordinary air-cooled barrel, it can be used to light a cigarette.

Although the Germans were not charging fast, they were slowly approaching the French positions.

When they were about 100 meters away from the French positions, with a sharp whistle, the French positions began to fire in volleys.

At the moment of firing, the French positions were like a dragon entrenched on the earth, with flames spitting out from every part of the body, mixed with irresistible violent power, and smashing towards the Germans head on.

The muzzle flame of a machine gun can spray more than half a meter long, and the flame of a heavy machine gun is even more conspicuous, thick and long like a monster. Although the muzzle flame of a rifle is fleeting, it is shorter and more concealed, like an assassin.

The fierce gunshots stimulated people's hearing, but sometimes when the soldiers were fully engaged, they could not hear the gunshots at all. All they could see were the sights on the muzzle and the enemies trapped in the sights. The faint smoke rose, mixed with the dust stirred up by the muzzle gas holes, and the whole position seemed to be boiling, making people's heartbeats accelerate and their blood boil.

This work was compiled and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~

Once they were at the station, the officers' command actually did not play a big role. Without the officers' urging, the soldiers were firing bullets frantically and fighting to the death. Everyone knew that if the Germans rushed to the position, everyone would only die, so even if they wanted to escape, they had to wait until the Germans were repelled first.

Being in it, Qin Zhiyuan couldn't help but get on the shooting position. He half-crouched in the shooting position, holding the barrel with his hand as steady as a rock, constantly pulling the bolt and pulling the trigger, knocking down the Germans one by one on the way to the charge.

When the French began to shoot, the crossfire showed great value. The Germans were knocked down row by row on the way to the charge, just like the British in July. The dead died silently, the seriously injured rolled in pain and wailed loudly, and the slightly injured crawled to the nearest crater to avoid.

The Germans were fierce after all. They were not lacking in fighting spirit and were determined. Once they were engaged in the battle, they would stick to it without hesitation. After encountering the crossfire, the German line had fallen into chaos and gaps appeared, but the Germans dodged bullets according to the direction of the tracer bullets, and took advantage of the terrain to leap forward despite the huge casualties and the riflemen's accumulated fire.

After entering the 50-meter distance, the Germans quickened their pace and sprinted in a running manner. They shouted hoarsely while charging, and the sound was clearly audible.

The critical moment has come.