Reims, an important city in northeastern France. Now, this place is under the control of German military. Northern France has a convenient railway network and dense road network, allowing German military to use these transportation facilities to quickly mobilize troops and supplies. German military Western Front Headquarters is established at Reims. Imperial Crown Prince Oscar and a group of generals arrived here on March 28.
Now Oscar still serves as 8th Army Corps Commander. However, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ludendorff is responsible for all matters of 8th Army Corps. Oscar just needs to be responsible in the general direction. Oscar attaches great importance to Lieutenant General Ludendorff's ability and intends to further train him. After this war is over, it is planned to let him serve as the legion Commander or Deputy Chief of Staff.
Oscar stood in the war room of the headquarters, looking at the map hanging on the wall. The red and black colors on it clearly mark the enemy and friend situations. German military's eight legions formed four clusters. That is, Right Wing Army Group made by 1st Army Corps and 8th Army Corps, Central Army Group composed of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th legions, and Left Wing Army Group made of the 6th and 7th Army Corps. Central Army Group has four legions, with a total strength of 820,000, making it the most powerful. The total strength of Right Wing Army Group is 500,000, and the total strength of Left Wing Army Group is more than 400,000.
Compared with German military, Anglo-French Allied Forces, shown in red, has stronger troops. French Army, British Expeditionary Force, troop numbers, are densely deployed in the South Bank of the Marne River, and the area from the south of Amiens to the north of Paris.
"Manstein, our military strength is only about 60% of Anglo-French Allied Forces. It will be difficult to defeat them in this battle!" Oscar said.
"Your Highness, we have fought many battles to win more with less. I believe we can win this time too." Major General Manstein is quite confident about this.
"I am also confident of winning. However, Anglo-French Allied Forces is not Russians after all, so we need to be careful this time." Oscar said. In Oscar's view, Anglo-French Allied Forces's combat effectiveness is undoubtedly much stronger than that of the Russian army.
"Yes, Your Highness." Manstein nodded.
"Your Highness, General Bülow, General Hausen, Duke of Württemberg and General Dithfurth are here." A staff officer came in and reported.
"Let them all come in!" Oscar said.
General Bülow is 2nd Army Corps Commander, General Hutier is 3rd Army Corps Commander, Duke of Württemberg is 4th Army Corps Commander, and General Dithfurth is 5th Army Corps Commander. If it weren't for Crown Prince Wilhelm being thrown into a vegetative state, Commander of 5th Army Corps should be his.
"Your Highness." Several generals saluted Oscar.
"Please take a seat, everyone. Manstein, ask someone to bring coffee." Oscar said.
"Okay, Your Highness." Major General Manstein immediately went to make arrangements.
"Generals, are your armies ready?" Oscar asked.
"Your Highness, 2nd Army Corps are ready for battle and can launch an attack at any time!" General Bülow said.
Several other legions, Commander, also expressed their opinions.
Oscar nodded. "According to the previously planned combat objectives, 2nd Army Corps is responsible for attacking Châlons-en-Champagne, 3rd Army Corps is responsible for attacking Épernay, 4th Army Corps is responsible for attacking Thierry, and 5th Army Corps serves as a reserve team, ready to reinforce the frontline units at any time."
Several generals nodded repeatedly. They already knew about these combat missions at the last pre-war meeting.
"According to the intelligence we have received, the troops opposite us include French 2nd Army Corps, 4th Army Corps, 6th Army Corps, 8th Army Corps, 9th Army Corps, and British Expeditionary Force 2nd Army Corps. The total strength is more than 1.2 million, which is more than 400,000 more than us. But, even so, I believe we will be able to defeat them."
"Your Highness, our troops have been strengthened. Each legion has formed Armored Forces, and the firepower of the following units has also been strengthened. Even if Anglo-French Allied Forces has 400,000 more than us, we can still defeat them." General Hutier said.
In the past six months, German Army has been preparing. The weapons developed by Deutsche Militaire were tested through the performance of 8th Army Corps on Eastern Front. In addition, Moltke the Younger was dismissed, and the new chief of staff Feng Falkenhayn was from Oscar, so the weapons developed by German Arms Company began to be equipped with various legions on the Western Front. However, due to limited time, each legion did not undergo a comprehensive equipment change like 8th Army Corps. It was just that the machine gun firepower and Semi-Automatic Rifle were strengthened in each infantry unit.
If it weren't for Right Wing Army Group's heavier task, Oscar would have planned to transfer 8th Army Corps to Central Army Group. However, Right Wing Army Group has to travel a long distance of two hundred kilometers and needs stronger combat effectiveness and maneuverability. This is why Oscar places 8th Army Corps on the right wing.
Seeing that everyone has confidence in this, Oscar is still very satisfied. With Germany's rigorous character, he believed that these generals were not bragging. Besides, he is Imperial Crown Prince, the future Imperial Crown Prince. If these guys brag in front of him, there will be many ways to deal with them after he succeeds to the throne and becomes emperor.
"Tomorrow at 8 o'clock in the morning, we Central Army Group will be the first to launch the attack. The day after tomorrow, Left Wing Army Group and Right Wing Army Group will launch the attack. I hope that we can set an example and break through Marne Defense Line of Anglo-French Allied Forces within three days." Oscar said.
"Yes, Your Highness." Several Commander answered. Everyone is confident in this.
Oscar talked with several generals about the current battle situation and Anglo-French Allied Forces's possible movements after the battle began. From talking with them, Oscar can feel their confidence. Although, while German military was resting, Anglo-French Allied Forces was not idle either and was also preparing for the war. They mobilized a large number of troops and built solid fortifications in the South Bank of the Marne River, trying to block German offensive through trench warfare.
However, German military's generals are still full of confidence in this battle. Everyone believes that under the powerful German offensive, victory will definitely belong to the German Empire. The narrow Marne River cannot withstand the attack of the German Army.
German military This battle not only strengthened the infantry firepower, but also received a large number of Armored Forces reinforcements. The four Armored Divisions of Central Army Group add up to thousands of tanks. In addition, the four Air Corps also have thousands of combat aircraft. This will make their offensive even more fierce.