Chapter 49: Let the Enemy’s Cavalry Division Be Skilled in Song and Dance!

Major General Rawlinson was pressured by the army commander to promise a full-scale counterattack before dawn.

However, in reality, that very night, some officers on the front lines of the British army, relying on real-time assessments of the battle, independently organized small-scale counterattacks, attempting to sever the German pincers and reclaim lost positions.

This was not limited to the British forces on the northeast side of the German pincers. Even on the southwest side, French commanders launched several coordinated attacks to support their allies.

Yet, without a doubt, these hastily arranged counterattacks failed to break the German pincers and instead resulted in significant casualties for the Allies.

The main forces of the German 12th and 6th Divisions had already reinforced the positions they captured earlier that day and constructed solid defenses.

General Karl Ludendorff, commanding the 12th Division, had moved his headquarters forward by at least five or six kilometers.

Numerous MG08 heavy machine guns and even some direct-fire field artillery were brought into the newly occupied positions.

Therefore, whether the British or French launched countercharges, they inevitably fell into a deadly crossfire.

The heaviest Allied casualties that day came from these counterattacks.

Throughout the entire day, the breakthroughs by the two assault battalions did not kill many British soldiers in absolute numbers.

The company to which Lelouch belonged suffered over seventy deaths after a day of fierce fighting, with more than a hundred severely wounded who had to be withdrawn to the rear. His company endured up to one-third casualties, excluding minor injuries that didn’t require evacuation.

The enemy casualties inflicted by Lelouch’s company numbered only several hundred. Counting the total results of the two assault battalions, the toll might have reached nearly two thousand.

Considering the enemy was not elite—many were new recruits following heavy losses at Mons—the exchange rate was not particularly unfavorable.

The greatest contribution of the assault battalions lay in their breakthrough, in tearing open a gap that turned the Germans from attackers into defenders.

They threatened the enemy’s retreat route and struck where the Germans had to respond.

Originally, the two German divisions would have had to leave their trenches and charge, exposing themselves to artillery and machine-gun fire.

Now, they could stay dug in, forcing the enemy to charge and thus become vulnerable to fire.

If warfare could be quantified like in the game Hearts of Iron, it would be as if the entire German attacking force suffered a debuff halving their defense, while the enemy enjoyed a buff doubling theirs.

But now, due to Lelouch’s tactical disruption and the localized switch in offensive and defensive roles, both German divisions effectively doubled their defense, while the British and French suffered halved defenses.

After repelling two enemy counterattacks that night, General Karl felt refreshed and his appreciation for Lelouch’s contributions became more concrete.

“So this is how offensive campaigns can be fought—so thrilling! My soldiers were originally the ones forced to charge headlong! Now, thanks to that lad’s planning, we can comfortably hold the trenches and make the enemy charge through a hail of bullets.

After the war, I must persuade my commander to promote him! If he compiles the assault tactics manual for army-wide adoption, his merit alone will guarantee a major’s rank!”

General Karl, reviewing the latest reports from various sectors and watching British and French soldiers fall like ripe wheat along the flanks, felt utterly invigorated.

Two battalions’ breakthrough earned two divisions the luxury of entrenched defense—such a trade was priceless.

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The two German divisions spent the night securely entrenched, inflicting thousands of casualties on the counterattacking enemy.

The more the Allied frontline troops failed to break through, the more dire the reports sent upward became, pressing commanders to intensify their counteroffensives.

For example, the British cavalry stationed at Poperinge received repeated calls from British Commander-in-Chief Marshal French, urging them to reach Bayeux before dawn and launch an all-out assault to annihilate the German raiding party that had likely infiltrated behind their lines.

Meanwhile, unaware that the British high command had taken notice of him, Lelouch was leading several small units wreaking havoc behind Bayeux in the enemy’s rear.

Since breaking through the tightly fortified British lines, his operational space had significantly expanded. Utilizing night raids, he had dealt considerable damage to the enemy’s rear.

Around 3 a.m., Lelouch’s two platoon reconnaissance units, led by Lieutenants Modell and Dieter, split into smaller groups and finally reached the railway line between Bayeux and the rear town of Stamford.

Lelouch had tasked them with sabotaging the railway—knowing that only by making the enemy realize their supply line was compromised would the defenders in Bayeux panic and consider retreating, thereby undermining the morale of the British 3rd Army on a strategic level.

Because it was December 21, the lunar calendar’s fifth day, and the waxing moon was faint, visibility was poor. Modell and Dieter initially had no idea where they had crept to.

Only when they spotted a train passing about a kilometer ahead did they realize they had skirted half the town and reached the railway behind.

Dieter, seeing the loaded supply train, wanted to attack immediately with grenades: “Let’s lob a few grenade launcher rounds to blow up the train. We won’t have time to get close enough to plant explosives.”

Modell, however, was more cautious. Reviewing their commander’s instructions, he vetoed the idea:

“No! Our commander ordered us to sabotage the railway. A few grenade rounds might flip or damage the train, but can’t guarantee breaking the tracks. This is a one-shot opportunity—let’s sneak up and plant explosives slowly while the enemy isn’t expecting it.

Besides, our commander predicted that once the railway is severed, the enemy will lose heart about holding the town and might retreat northward to the high ground. They probably haven’t used up the supplies just delivered, which could work to our advantage. If you insist on blowing the train now, wait until it finishes unloading and is returning.”

Dieter thought this made sense and agreed.

The two platoons infiltrated forward slowly, encountering brief firefights with two British railway patrols, which they eliminated.

Because fighting was widespread, these skirmishes drew little attention; this era lacked special operations, and rear guards were often lax.

Half an hour later, they reached the railway, planted explosives beneath the tracks, securing whatever TNT they could find to the rails and sleepers.

Soon after, the train that had delivered military supplies returned, this time carrying wounded soldiers, corpses, and a few civilians needing evacuation—though Modell was unaware of its exact contents, as there were no rules forbidding attacks on trains transporting wounded in wartime.

To Modell, it was simply an enemy troop withdrawal.

“Detonate!” Modell ordered. The accompanying engineers pressed the detonator; several kilograms of TNT exploded instantly, blowing up multiple rail segments and catapulting five or six nearby carriages into the air. The rest derailed and overturned under the force.

Most British soldiers aboard were killed by the blast, collisions, or falls.

A few wounded struggled out but were caught in a crossfire from Modell and Dieter’s submachine guns sweeping the wreckage, before the raiders hastily withdrew.

Around 4 a.m., Modell rejoined Lelouch with a brief report.

“Commander! We found the British railway and blew it up!”

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. “Excellent! Now the British 3rd Army in Bayeux must withdraw! But let’s not get complacent—the enemy will surely launch one last furious counterattack.

We need to reinforce our defenses quickly and hold out until reinforcements arrive to consolidate our gains. Send a message to Colonel Lister to bring the 16th Regiment to relieve us and have Captain Lundstedt’s battalion move up to join us!”

“Yes, Commander!” Schweinsteiger, in charge of communications, immediately set the arrangements. Modell and Dieter joined the ranks digging deeper trenches, adding foxholes, and camouflaging firing points.

As Lelouch predicted, the enemy’s movements were soon confirmed.

Within twenty minutes, a forward reconnaissance platoon radioed a warning:

“Commander! I see large mobile units coming from the north, Stamford direction! Enemy cavalry division!”

“Cavalry division?” Lelouch was momentarily taken aback, his mind flashing to the 2011 film War Horse.

That movie depicted British cavalry charging machine-gun nests, waving sabers and riding to near-certain death during World War I.

It was only 1914, the war had just begun months ago, and the enemy’s tactical thinking was still backward. Could it be…

With this thought, Lelouch’s heart stirred with anticipation. He quickly asked beside him, “Modell, do you know about the British cavalry? What weapons do they use?”

Modell, well grounded in basics, replied without hesitation, “They have pistols and carbines, as well as sabers and cavalry swords for charges.”

Lelouch smiled broadly. “Good! You split into two platoons and hide in the nearby woods. Dig foxholes and pile the earth to brace the light machine guns’ bipods. Fill all water containers with snowmelt to cool the barrels—or even bury the barrels in snow, leaving just the muzzle exposed.

Concentrate all submachine gunners; first, use them to delay the enemy with suppressive fire and lure them in, making them think we lack long-range firepower.”

Under Lelouch’s orderly command, the soldiers of Company A sprang into action.

Meanwhile, in the rear, Major Bock led companies under Rommel, Lister, and others, hastening their approach and choosing suitable positions to form a pincer.

Lelouch’s blood boiled with excitement. After a day of grueling, high-intensity fighting, finally an opportunity to outsmart these tactically outdated enemies—a chance not to be missed!

Of course, they would feign weakness first, baiting the enemy to commit fully.

Soon, these “nomads” would learn to sing and dance on the battlefield!

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P.S.: Never mind, I’ll post two updates early tomorrow to maintain momentum and gather comments and followers.

The book won’t be available until mid-August, so the updates must keep coming; if enthusiasm wanes, the story will be lost.