Chapter 45: The Law Does Not Apply Retrospectively
After Bock and Major von Rundstedt finalized the allocation of the final offensive positions, Lelouch drove around to submit them up the chain of command for official approval and filing.
The various units made corresponding adjustments as well. For instance, the 6th Barian Division, corresponding to the 2nd Assault Battalion, was shifted to the northern half of the town of Armentières and urgently constructed the final departure positions. Similarly, the 12th Barian Division, corresponding to the 1st Assault Battalion, was repositioned to the southern half of the town and made identical preparations.
The artillery regiments attached to these two divisions were also busily deploying forward observation posts and bunkers. Once the fighting broke out, they were required to provide one-on-one firepower support.
The army group also transferred several corps-level artillery units from the rear, temporarily reinforcing them to the front-line breakthrough forces. During a general offensive, relying solely on the main assault division's own artillery was absolute suicide; it was customary to temporarily over-allocate artillery strength by several fold.
Moreover, at the final juncture, Lelouch saw that the General Staff had decided to deploy the 280mm "Nebelwerfer" mortar launchers—the exact type of launch racks mounted on Sd.Kfz. 251 "Stuka zu Fuß" half-tracks during World War II, as illustrated previously.
This weapon was not being used to hurl heavy high-explosive shells this time, but rather to drop "gas canisters" filled with the tear gas the French army had already utilized several times.
In Earth's history, chlorine gas was originally used for the first time at the Battle of Ypres.
Yet in this harmonious world, neither side possessed toxic gas, ultimately forcing them to resort to an eye-for-an-eye usage of tear gas. This substance was non-lethal and could only be used to "force repositioning," meaning it compelled enemy soldiers hunkered down in heavily fortified positions to flee backward out of sheer unbearable misery.
As for upgrading the delivery method from Earth's "simply opening gas cylinders and letting the wind blow the gas across" to the "Nebelwerfer" launcher, that too was a decision made by the General Staff after studying the legal texts.
Article 23 of the 1907 Hague Convention only stipulated that "artillery" could not be used to launch gas containers, whereas a "Nebelwerfer" was much more similar to a rocket launcher.
This might be difficult to distinguish in the Chinese linguistic context because the term for "rocket artillery" contains the word "artillery." However, in Western languages, the distinction was clear: as long as there was no sealed barrel subjected to internal pressure, international law classified it merely as a "launch cradle."
Lelouch even suspected whether the General Staff had put so much effort into enhancing the covering firepower simply because the Chief of General Staff's nephew had been transferred to the front line as an "assault trooper," out of sheer terror that something might happen to him.
From this perspective, having Major von Bock serve as his battalion commander could be considered a stroke of bizarre fortune, ensuring this unit received extra special care.
……
The final two days of combat preparation passed in a relentless flurry of activity.
This was Lelouch's first time personally participating in such a massive general offensive. Lacking direct experience in leading troops initially, he learned a great deal from leaders and colleagues like Major Bock and Captain Rommel, patching up many gaps in his front-line military common sense.
Time flashed forward to the early hours of December 20th.
Since the snow had begun to taper off by nightfall on the 19th, the army group finalized that the artillery bombardment would commence at 6:00 AM on the 20th, with the full-scale offensive launching at 8:00 AM.
By a little past 4:00 AM, all the soldiers were up. They finished breakfast before 5:00 AM and sipped hot coffee to warm their bodies.
The German military's ration supply system was much simpler than that of Eastern armies because there was no need to cook soup-based dishes, eliminating the need for grassroots mess squads. Staple foods like bread and sausages could be uniformly baked and distributed by the division's organic "bread company."
While drinking coffee, Rommel and other officers clustered around Lelouch, nervously analyzing the situations they might encounter shortly.
Rommel, who excelled most at unconventional methods, seemed deeply dissatisfied with the timing chosen for the general offensive:
"If you ask me, the bombardment should have started at 4:00 AM, with the infantry assault at 6:00 AM. The effect would have been far better, catching the enemy completely off guard. By the time of the charge, the sky would just be dawning, which wouldn't hinder assault visibility, nor would it allow the distant enemy to see too clearly."
Rommel's complaints were quickly echoed by the other officers. This aligned closely with common sense, and previous campaigns had been conducted precisely that way.
"Indeed, attacking at 8:00 AM gives the enemy's machine gunners and field artillery observers much better visibility. Even in a snowy day, it shouldn't have been set so late," concurred platoon leader Second Lieutenant Dieter.
Second Lieutenant Dieter seemed to possess a natural talent, exceptionally skilled in rugged terrain combat, with a remarkably sharp eye for observing battlefield environments.
Fortunately, Lelouch was privy to the high-level inside information. He quickly explained, "Everyone, stop letting your imaginations run wild. The decision from above is logical; this offensive will utilize Nebelwerfers to launch gas canisters.
The white smoke of the tear gas needs to be visible to have a deterrent effect. If deployed in pitch darkness, the enemy would choke half to death without knowing where safety lies or which direction to flee, failing to achieve the objective of forcing them out of position.
The command isn't out to kill people; they just want to force the enemy to abandon their most heavily fortified front-line positions, which they've spent over a month improving. That's why they specifically added some experimental colorants from IG Farben's previous failed projects into the tear gas shells to make them much more conspicuous when deployed."
Hearing Lelouch's explanation, the officers at all levels were finally thoroughly convinced, and their confidence surged significantly.
Lelouch seized the moment to remind them: "Once the smoke clears more or less, we charge immediately! Capture as many positions as possible and don't waste the tactical window! Make sure you all put on your gas masks. Everyone shaved clean, right? Check again to prevent any leaks and suffocation. We only get one chance like this; next time, the enemy will have learned their lesson and will be wearing masks too."
……
Lelouch knew very well that the chlorine gas used in Earth's history also achieved devastatingly effective results only on its first deployment; the second time, it was immediately countered since masks required no sophisticated technology.
Yet the German army in Earth's history had initially failed to anticipate that the clearing effect would be so successful, resulting in the follow-up forces failing to deploy in a timely manner and thus wasting the operational window.
This time, Lelouch would waste no operational window! He had calculated that the Nebelwerfers could cover a three-kilometer range, so he intended to capture the entire front-line fortified defensive belt spanning three kilometers in one breath!
Once the enemy was driven back to their less fortified secondary reserve positions, he would exploit their unstable footing to swiftly launch a conventional breakthrough battle!
At precisely 6:00 AM, the roar of artillery finally erupted. A thousand cannons fired simultaneously, a thunderous din shaking the heavens and earth.
The soldiers hid in their trenches, quietly listening to the distant commotion.
The bombardment started off fiercely, with almost all heavy guns firing in salvoes. The opposing positions were churned into utter chaos, flesh and blood flying, as if no living thing could possibly survive.
Yet after five minutes of rapid-fire shooting, the artillery fire thinned out.
A few technical officers who lacked experience began to whisper anxiously, worrying that their own artillery's momentum was flagging.
Hearing this, Lelouch raised his voice to boost morale and encourage them loudly: "Don't worry, everyone! Everything is under control! The initial rapid-fire was meant to inflict maximum casualties while the enemy was unprepared. Now that the remaining enemies should all be in bunkers, switching to a sustained rate of fire avoids wasting shells needlessly.
Furthermore, conducting rapid-fire first carries an unexpected tactical advantage: it serves as an advance warning to the enemy that tear gas is coming, prompting them to run for their lives! Besides, the period before 7:00 AM focuses primarily on dropping gas canisters, which is why the noise level sounds lower! Rest assured, the Imperial General Staff's plan is meticulous! Our army will prevail!"
The dispersion of gas canisters required time, whereas artillery shrapnel inflicted instantaneous casualties. Therefore, the most scientific bombardment protocol was to drop canisters first and demolition shells second.
Hearing this, the soldiers' confidence grew even firmer. They felt that the crude, mathematically challenged scoundrels on the opposite side were no longer anything to be feared.
……
At that exact moment, across the trench lines, the soldiers of the opposing Britannian 3rd and 7th Divisions had indeed plunged into abject terror.
The two sides had not engaged in intense combat for over a month. The Britannian forces had easily beaten back the German army's occasional probing attacks, as the muddy terrain imposed severe limitations on the attacking side.
Moreover, the Britannian high command placed far too much trust in their wireless interception superiority. Because there had been no sudden, frequent spikes in enemy radio traffic recently, they failed to take extra precautions against enemy maneuvers.
As a result, these sudden initial waves of artillery shells killed and maimed a large number of Britannian soldiers who had failed to enter their fortifications or were even still sleeping in their tents.
The 3rd Division lost a full several hundred men, while the 7th Division suffered close to a thousand casualties before they scrambled into their positions to consolidate their defense.
Yet very soon, amidst the morning light, Britannian soldiers watched as clusters of 280mm gas canisters crashed into their trenches and began billowing smoke. Many began coughing violently. Compounding the panic, the color of the smoke differed from that used by the French army; paranoid and suspicious, many feared the smoke was lethal and fled backward in droves to escape.
Troops on the move were naturally much more vulnerable to being wiped out by artillery barrages. During the Britannian retreat, the German forces maintained a low-intensity artillery bombardment. Britannian soldiers were picked off like lottery draws by incoming shells, dying in heaps.
The preparatory fire continued until 7:00 and 8:00 AM before the roar of the guns finally ceased.
Bock and Rundstedt's two assault battalions had long been prepared; the moment the artillery fire ceased, they charged straight forward.
Lelouch's company was right at the very front of the charge.
"What a pity, I forgot to teach the allied artillery the 'creeping barrage' tactic beforehand; otherwise, the effectiveness of today's fire preparation could have been improved by another margin."
Until the very moment of the final charge, watching his own artillery cease fire with such neat synchronization, Lelouch had a sudden flash of insight.
Historically, the creeping barrage tactic was not invented by the Britannian forces until 1917, conceived only after suffering heavy losses at the Battle of the Somme.
Things had reached this point, and dwelling on regrets was useless. Better to use the conditions at hand to win the battle right in front of them first! Everything else was a conversation for later.
"Platoons 1 through 3 form the first echelon, with each platoon covering a 500-meter-wide frontage and advancing 500 meters apart from left to right! Platoons 4 through 6 form the second echelon, and Platoons 7 and 8 form the third echelon. Do not go all at once! Control the density of the formation!
For every 300 meters advanced, establish a local stronghold on the spot, then order the second-tier troops to push forward. Once they pass the friendly forces, advance another 300 meters, alternating in this fashion! Pay attention to the continuity of the offensive!"
Carrying a submachine gun, Lelouch led the charge while shouting aloud to emphasize the key principles of stormtrooper tactics: do not throw too many people into the front line all at once, and do not covet a breakthrough spread across an excessively long front.
Only a small number of troops were needed to focus on breaking through a few key points. The crucial thing was that the momentum and rhythm of the advance must not be broken!
They must not give the potential enemy a chance to catch their breath, nor allow the enemy time to react and reorganize a comprehensive defense after a breakthrough.
These principles were entirely incomprehensible to the old-style armies of 1914, requiring officers to repeatedly remind their men.
The positions just ravaged by tear gas and artillery fire were not entirely cleared out, so the assault units soon ran into fierce, brief firefights with the surviving Britannian troops.
In the end, non-lethal tear gas lacked the thorough clearing power of chlorine gas.
Some enemies continuously washed their faces with wet rags, while others hid in muddy water puddles; inevitably, a few individuals with unique physiology managed to evade the stinging irritant of the tear gas.
However, these pockets of resistance posed little threat and could not alter the grand scheme, as nearly all front-line Vickers heavy machine gun nests had been neutralized. Scattered enemy soldiers could only fire haphazardly and desultorily with Lee-Enfield rifles.
Amidst the pattering sound of rifle duels, the attention of the remaining enemies was quickly drawn away by counter-sniping fire.
Meanwhile, the submachine gunners of Company A's 1st through 3rd Platoons seized the opportunity to hunch over and stealthily cross the two outermost trenches. The Germans did not even have time to deploy their light machine gun and mortar squads, prioritizing sheer forward momentum above all else.
As they advanced and encountered unattended barbed wire, the soldiers unclipped the specialized bayonets from their two rifles, pieced them together into a makeshift wire cutter, and cleanly snipped through the barbed wire with crisp, successive snaps.
"Quick! Hurry through the wire and attack the trenches still held by the enemy from the flank!"
Second Lieutenant Model, leading Lelouch's 1st Platoon while wearing a silk bulletproof vest worth three thousand marks, spearheaded the charge with his four assault squads. He methodically directed the soldiers to breach the obstacles and finally vaulted into the enemy's trench.
Following closely behind was the sweep of submachine gunners moving laterally down the sparsely populated trench.
When the scattered Britannian infantrymen offering resistance inside the trench faintly heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching nearby, everything was already too late.
"Hiss-hiss~" Fused grenades soon came flying from the adjacent segment of the Z-shaped trench, turning the still-firing Britannian riflemen upside down in a concussive blast.
"The Demanian bastards have infiltrated our trenches! Clear them out along the trench immediately! The number of enemies who just infiltrated can't be large! There's still time!" A surviving Britannian lieutenant and platoon leader roared in terror upon seeing this.
He organized his remaining soldiers to mount an immediate counterattack, attempting to leverage local numerical superiority to expel the enemy who had just slipped into the trench.
Regrettably, the moment a hastily organized group of Britannian riflemen fixed their bayonets and rushed around the corner of the Z-shaped trench, the rattling chatter of submachine guns erupted!
Second Lieutenant Model possessed exceptionally sharp hearing. From the sound of the enemy footsteps, he could tell they had reached the adjacent corner of the Z-trench. Therefore, he personally shouldered an MP15 and fired preemptively around the corner.
The five submachine gunners closely flanking him took turns firing pre-emptively around the trench bend as well, coordinating smoothly to reload in rotation and ensure there was never a gap in firepower.
When had the opposing Britannian soldiers ever encountered such weaponry and tactical formations? They were quickly cut down one after another by pre-emptive fire, killed instantly the moment they poked their heads out.
"Tell the company commander and the 2nd and 3rd platoons they can follow up now! The 1st Platoon has breached the wire and captured the first line of trenches!" Second Lieutenant Model shouted loudly to order friendly forces forward after clearing the front-line position.
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Author's Note:
Another 8,000 words today, and this is still during the new book period.
Also, taking advantage of the free space to share some legal history:
During Earth's World War II, using any gas weapon, regardless of whether it was launched via artillery, violated international law.
The loophole-exemptions mentioned in the book were subsequently closed after World War I when nations reconvened to sign the 1925 Geneva Protocol.
However, the 1925 Geneva Protocol did not exist during WWI. Therefore, under the principle that "laws are not retroactive," the only applicable treaty foundations at the time were the 1899 and 1907 Hague Conventions.