"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
A German fighter plane unleashed a torrent of gunfire from its airborne machine guns, targeting an artillery position of the British Expeditionary Force. The bullets chased after the panicked British gunners, and many were mercilessly shredded by the relentless onslaught.
Such an aerial assault, delivered from above, offered little chance of escape.
Suddenly, a hail of machine-gun fire erupted from the ground, fiercely targeting the German aircraft in the sky. One bullet struck home, perforating the plane's wing. Startled, the pilot yanked the controls, soaring away in a hasty retreat.
Unlike the Russian forces, the Anglo-French coalition was not without means to counter the German aerial attacks. Armed with the technological prowess of both nations, they swiftly developed weapons capable of engaging enemy aircraft. As the German planes demonstrated increasing lethality, the Anglo-French forces allocated a significant number of anti-aircraft machine guns to the front lines, serving as their primary defense against the encroaching enemy aircraft. In the absence of their own fighters capable of matching the German planes, this was their sole means of retaliation.
"Damn it, we almost brought down that German plane," lamented a British lieutenant.
However, his sense of loss was short-lived as the German fighter returned.
Having evaded the British ground defenses, the German aircraft commenced its counterattack. Their orders were clear: suppress the ground-based Anglo-French anti-aircraft positions to safeguard the bombers during their assaults. Discovering the enemy's defenses necessitated a full effort to obliterate them, ensuring that their bombers could drop their payloads without fear of interception.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
The German fighter's machine guns opened fire again, unleashing a barrage of bullets upon the British anti-aircraft emplacements. The bullets clanged against the shields of the heavy machine guns, creating a cacophony of metallic sounds and scattering sparks.
Several British gunners cowered behind their shields, trembling with fear, terrified of being struck.
As the German fighter swept past overhead, they finally exhaled in relief. Yet, when they turned back, horror washed over them. The lieutenant lay lifeless on the ground, his head gruesomely shattered. Clearly, he had fallen victim to the recent German aerial attack.
"Our commander is dead; what should we do?" a soldier stammered, eyes wide with terror.
"Let's flee! We must escape immediately. The German assault is too fierce; we cannot withstand it," another soldier suggested.
Before they could finish their discussion, the German fighter returned for another assault. This time, none of the British soldiers managed to evade the deadly hail, succumbing to the bullets and collapsing into pools of blood.
Despite the frantic retaliation of the Anglo-French ground defenses, the onslaught of the German air force resulted in devastating losses. One artillery position after another was obliterated, severely crippling the firepower of the Anglo-French coalition.
Although the battle had only just commenced, the situation on the battlefield revealed a stark reality: the Anglo-French forces were entirely suppressed. Their defensive works were being dismantled under the relentless German bombardment, while their artillery suffered grave losses from both ground and aerial strikes. It remained uncertain how much longer they could endure.
The German air force repeatedly dispatched over two hundred aircraft to strike at the positions and artillery of the Anglo-French forces, exacerbating their losses.
In less than half a day, the Anglo-French artillery suffered grievous casualties, forcing them to disperse their forces to mitigate further devastation.
As the Anglo-French artillery withdrew from the fight under heavy losses, the German gunners no longer faced any rear threats, allowing them to concentrate their firepower on the Anglo-French defenses. Under the ferocious German bombardment, the fortifications of the Anglo-French forces crumbled one after another, while casualties mounted steadily.
General de Cassagnac, commander of the French 2nd Army Corps, personally reported the losses to Marshal Foch.
"Marshal, the German bombardment and bombing have inflicted significant losses on the 2nd Corps this morning. A third of the defensive works we constructed over the past six months have been destroyed. The artillery losses are even more dire, reaching fifty percent. Worse still, the German offensive shows no signs of abating; no one knows how long it will continue. If this persists, our troops may collapse even before the Germans launch a full-scale assault," de Cassagnac stated.
Foch furrowed his brow in concern. "Is it truly this severe?"
"Marshal, the situation is likely even more dire than I've described," de Cassagnac replied solemnly.
"Very well, General, I understand. But do we have any means to respond? Our artillery numbers are less than half that of the Germans. Even if we deploy the artillery from the other two corps, we would only reach seventy-five percent of their strength, not accounting for the losses we've sustained this morning. With those losses factored in, we'd still be at half their capacity. Under such circumstances, we cannot engage in a protracted artillery duel without risking even more losses. Instead, let the men take shelter in their bunkers! The German bombardment cannot last indefinitely. The ammunition they require must be transported from Germany to the front lines, and such large-scale consumption cannot be sustained for long," Foch concluded.
If it were feasible, he would certainly hope for the Anglo-French artillery to mount a counteroffensive and decisively defeat the German gunners. Unfortunately, they lacked the capability. Rather than allowing their artillery and men to be decimated in a brutal artillery engagement, it was wiser to order them to take cover, conserve their strength, and play a pivotal role at a critical moment.
Foch believed that the Germans would soon initiate river crossings, at which point their conserved artillery would undoubtedly prove invaluable.
However, such decisions would undoubtedly affect the morale of the front-line troops. As enemy bombardments raged on while their own artillery fell silent, this disparity would inevitably place an even greater burden on the soldiers' spirits.