I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 761: Crossing the River

Outside Nancy City, smoke and debris filled the air, and the sound of gunfire and artillery was incessant.

The battlefield was littered with the wreckage of "Shire A1" tanks, many of which were still burning, with ammunition exploding within the flames, shattering the already broken tank bodies to pieces.

Erwin's first tank division had broken into the French Army's artillery positions like a sharp knife piercing through a fragile group, spreading chaos among the "Saint-Chamond" and "truck-mounted guns."

The gunners, lacking much infantry combat experience, either fled or were killed on the spot, those with quick reactions hurriedly knelt down and raised their hands in surrender.

Subsequently, dozens of truck-mounted guns were immediately taken over by the German Army, while the "Saint-Chamond" was destroyed with grenades.

The German Army preferred the simple and easy-to-operate truck-mounted guns, considering the "Saint-Chamond" a waste of precious gasoline and tank personnel.

After securing the first phase of victory, Erwin's tank division did not stop. They continued to advance along the road.

Not far ahead of them, at the rear of the French Army's specialized mechanized division located east of Nancy...

Ganmelin, with his command post, fled in a hurry, leaving behind over 30,000 subordinates to be encircled and divided by the German Army at will.

In addition, large amounts of supplies, including gasoline and ammunition, were all captured by the German Army.

This was all part of Ganmelin's preparations for taking Nancy and moving along the road to Metz, which he didn't get to use, and it all fell into the hands of the Germans.

...

Erwin immediately moved his command post to a captured French armored car.

His original command car was an EV4 armored car, but whenever possible, Erwin always preferred to use a French-made armored car designed by Shire.

(The above image shows the German EV4 armored car from World War I)

Although the EV4 armored car was equipped with four powerful Maxim Machine Guns, it was cumbersome, narrow, and had poor visibility.

The French semi-open armored car, on the other hand, although only equipped with a single machine gun and seemingly devoid of sufficient firepower and protection, was the best choice for command:

The semi-open compartment allowed the commander to observe all directions and quickly jump out in extreme situations to escape.

While the firepower on board was indeed insufficient, the soldiers carried could be quickly mobilized into external firepower, making it highly versatile.

Most importantly, it had ample space and high speed, which, equipped with a radio and accompanied by a radio operator and a guard, could move very quickly.

Erwin had heard it was designed by Shire and couldn't help but praise, "Shire always knows what the battlefield needs most and can produce the most practical equipment at the simplest, most inexpensive cost."

Then he sighed, "Such a general is exactly what we need, but unfortunately, he is our enemy!"

At this moment, looking at the disorganized French Army, Erwin felt even more uneasy.

He instructed the radio operator to send a telegram to Manstein: "Do you still think these are Shire's troops?"

"No, General." Manstein replied, "You are right, they are not Shire's troops. This is the second specialized artillery division commanded by Ganmelin, part of the Eastern Army Group."

Manstein had obtained this information from the prisoners.

Erwin's face changed slightly as he replied, "So, we were deceived!"

"I don't think so, General." Manstein stubbornly replied, "We just mistook them for Shire's troops. Shire probably does not even know this. I would consider this our warm-up battle."

"No!" Erwin responded, "Shire knows, and he will seize this opportunity. This was most likely deliberate. His goal is..."

Then Erwin realized, "Metz, his goal has always been Metz! Immediately return to Metz!"

Without further hesitation, Erwin ordered his troops to disengage from the battlefield.

But it was already too late.

Even if the German army had achieved a comprehensive victory, the battlefield was not something they could simply leave. They needed to wait for friendly infantry to catch up and take over.

Otherwise, they could lose all their advantages or even be defeated.

While Erwin was scrambling to respond, Shire's bombers had already begun bombing the railway and highway from Nancy to Metz.

At the same time, Erwin received a telegram: "General, Shire's troops are crossing the river near Verdun, the 69th Infantry Regiment requests reinforcements!" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Crossing the river?" Erwin stared blankly at the telegram in his hand, "Shire chose to cross the river instead of attacking the bridge?"

Then he questioned and answered himself:

"Could it be that he's using amphibious tanks again?"

"No, that's impossible!"

"Then how is he crossing the river?!"

...

Shire indeed did not use amphibious tanks.

The German Army had already prepared for this possibility, setting up many 77MM infantry guns along the banks of the Meuse River and stretching barbed wire across the river.

The most deadly was the barbed wire.

It had barbs that could tangle the screws and paddles of the "amphibious tanks" and once caught on their rubber skirts, could cause leaks and leave them stuck.

Shire certainly would not be foolish enough to attempt river crossing like this again.

Tijani raised a similar doubt as Erwin, "Why don't we choose to attack the bridge? This would be much easier than crossing the river, General."

"You think that would be easier?" Shire retorted.

"Of course." Tijani confidently nodded:

"We have tanks, as you say, the new 'Shire B1' tanks are ready for service."

"We should use these new tanks to charge across the bridge. I can't wait to see that scene."

"Crossing the river will evidently be much more difficult, without a doubt."

Shire nodded slightly but responded negatively, "Which is why the Germans think the same."

"What?" Tijani did not understand what Shire meant by this.

"The Germans have heavily fortified the bridgehead, Major General." Shire pointed at the map on the other side of the Meuse River, "You should be aware of this since you've been in Bicangxi for some time!"

"Yes, but what's the issue?" Tijani answered, "If it were me, I'd also heavily fortify the bridgehead."

Shire continued, "They have also marked the bridge with artillery, including 105MM howitzers. If we attack the bridge with tanks, we'll face relentless German bombardment!"

Tijani retorted, "We have bombers, General, and incendiary bullets. We can use these to suppress the enemy's artillery."

Shire shook his head slowly:

"It's true we can do that, but have you considered that as soon as a few tanks are destroyed, they will block the narrow passage?"

"At that point, all our troops will be stuck west of the Meuse River."

"Furthermore, the enemy might blow up the bridge. Do you have a plan for that?"

Tijani was speechless.

There was no solution to the German destruction of the bridge.

However, isn't war all about taking risks?

Other than seizing the bridge, what other choice is there?

Tijani couldn't believe that crossing the river would be easier than seizing the bridge!