"God! Is this still our position?" A British officer stared at the devastated position, unable to believe his eyes.
After the sun set, the German military's fierce bombardment finally stopped. This gave the British troops a chance to catch their breath. Many British officers and soldiers crawled out of the shelters that had not been blasted down. But the sight outside was completely different from before they had entered the shelters.
The urban area had been reduced entirely to ruins. Even their positions looked as though someone had plowed them over several times. Most of the trenches they had painstakingly dug had collapsed under the bombardment, the barbed wire had been blasted into scattered fragments, and fewer than one in ten fire points remained. Worse still, some shelters had collapsed, burying the officers and soldiers inside alive, causing British casualties to soar in a straight line. The German offensive had not even begun, yet they had already suffered such losses. How were they supposed to fight this battle?
"Damn Germans! Just how many shells did they throw onto our positions?"
"The defensive works have almost all been destroyed. When the Germans launch their attack, what are we supposed to do?"
A mood of panic and despair filled the British officers and soldiers on the positions.
"Everyone, listen up! The general orders you to immediately repair the defensive works!" The British Commander issued the order. To reduce casualties as much as possible in the coming battle, they clearly could not do without defensive works. They had to rebuild them.
Although there was not quite enough time, repairing them a little was still better than nothing.
The British officers and soldiers, who had spent the whole day trembling with fear, had no choice but to pick up their tools and begin repairing