CHAPTER 340: CHAPTER 340: DESPERATE COUNTERATTACK

About half an hour later, the poison gas had not yet completely dissipated, but the German Army launched their attack impatiently.

This was Major General Jonas’s order. He was worried that the 105th Infantry Regiment would stabilize their position at the rear and establish another line of defense, then just as Shire said, implement "Mobile Defense" and regain the front line.

With a sharp whistle, German soldiers climbed out of the trenches one after another.

They wore pilot goggles, had their mouths and noses covered with a layer of cotton cloth soaked in sodium carbonate solution, and carefully moved forward in the muddy battlefield while holding their rifles.

This was the plan provided by the German chemist Haber. He developed the poison gas, so naturally he found ways to prevent it from accidentally harming their own troops.

(The above image shows German chemist Fritz Haber, who developed poison gas, synthesized ammonia, and won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry)

However, these cotton cloths had the same problem as activated charcoal gas masks; their protective effect only lasted for a limited time.

...

Not long after, the German Army advanced to the French Army’s defensive lines.

Smoke lingered in the trenches, faintly showing a yellow-green hue, indicating that the poison gas had settled there and had not dissipated.

Colonel Fabian walked to the edge of the trench, held his pistol, peeked into the trench, then quickly retracted his head.

But in just that glance, he was certain the front was safe.

Apart from a few grotesquely dead bodies, the trench was a mess, with overturned food, abandoned baggage, and boxes full of ammunition everywhere. They had not even had time to carry away their machine guns.

Some German soldiers tried to jump down and lift the machine guns out, as these were valuable "assets" for the frontline troops, but were stopped by Colonel Fabian.

"Keep moving forward!" Colonel Fabian ordered loudly, his voice muffled through the cotton cloth: "See those corpses? If you don’t want to end up like them, don’t bother with these machine guns!"

The German soldiers responded sparsely, placed the prepared wooden planks over the trenches, and one by one, stepped on them to cross over.

Occasionally, someone accidentally fell into the trench. They hurriedly climbed out, quickly held their breaths, and took out spare disinfected cotton cloths to replace the old ones.

The German soldiers did not know that hidden right beneath their feet in the trench tunnels, was an entire regiment of French soldiers, and this regiment was their target – the 105th Infantry Regiment of France.

...

Major General Jonas watched with binoculars as the soldiers disappeared into the smoke, then he waved his hand, and another regiment of soldiers climbed out of the trenches to follow.

These were his two most elite infantry regiments.

"Dealing with the 105th Infantry Regiment is different." Major General Jonas put away his binoculars and murmured to himself: "Shire’s troops are worth our cautious consideration."

Then he turned his gaze to the staff officer: "Order the troops to advance at least two kilometers!"

"Yes, General." The staff officer responded and ordered the signalman to relay the command through flag signals layer by layer to the advancing troops.

Watching the troops disappear from sight, Major General Jonas felt a bit emotional. With the poison gas, the battle seemed to have become simpler.

We should produce more poison gas, so we can step by step achieve victory and end this war, saving many lives.

In this light, poison gas should not be seen as a demon; it is just a weapon, a weapon that can save lives!

At that moment, Major General Jonas’s peripheral vision caught something moving in the French trench.

At first, Major General Jonas didn’t pay it much attention, thinking it was a German soldier who had fallen behind.

But soon he realized something was wrong; the movement in the French trench was getting bigger, and more and more heads were appearing, causing the yellow-green poison gas to slowly seep out and drift into the air due to the frequent air currents.

Major General Jonas’s face changed; those were enemies.

A sizable enemy force that had hidden there without being discovered and was clearly able to survive in the poison gas.

God, I was right, Major General Jonas’s heart trembled. Shire had invented equipment to fend off poison gas!

Then Major General Jonas confirmed this; he saw through his binoculars that the French soldiers had a special device on their faces, completely enclosed, with something similar to a pig’s snout extending from it.

"Enemy sighted!" Major General Jonas did not hesitate, turning and shouting to both sides: "Prepare for combat, the enemy is coming up."

The soldiers were instantly confused; how could there be enemies at this time? Here!

Following Major General Jonas’s gaze, they were horrified to see French soldiers wearing masks emerging from the trenches filled with poison gas, their lenses and respirators looking quite terrifying.

The soldiers panicked.

There was only one infantry battalion and a guard company left in the trench, with a total strength of just over five hundred men, while the enemy in front was at least an infantry regiment strong.

Major General Jonas’s face turned ashen. He knew what he was facing. In a rush, he issued another order: "Order the 297th Regiment to retreat and assist!"

That was the second regiment he had dispatched. If they hadn’t gone far, they could launch a pincer attack on the enemy as soon as they returned.

But the battlefield reality was not as simple as imagined.

Before Major General Jonas’s order could be issued, the signalman waving the flag was shot to the ground after a few gunshots.

"Sniper!" Major General Jonas’s face changed again and again. The enemy in front of him was indeed the 105th Infantry Regiment.

It was ironic. Major General Jonas had always wanted to catch up with and annihilate it, but now it was in front of him, and it was going to annihilate Major General Jonas instead.

Before the German soldiers could react, the French Army had launched their charge.

Rows of soldiers in red trousers swept over like a storm.

There was no battle cry because they were wearing masks, but even so, the German soldiers could still clearly feel the enemy’s murderous intent.

Determined footsteps, gleaming needle-shaped bayonets, and the dark muzzles all seemed to hint at their intent to avenge their comrades who died in the poison gas!

"Machine guns!" Major General Jonas shouted: "Organize fire to block them!"

But it was to no avail. The 105th Infantry Regiment had already set up sniper positions in the trenches, suppressing the German machine guns with a succession of gunfire.

Soon, mortars rained shells on the German trenches. The German positions instantly became a scene of screams, as machine gunners and their guns were blown into the air together.

Major General Jonas glanced at the poison gas canisters behind him; that might be the final choice—to perish together with the enemy.

But he quickly realized it would be futile; the enemy was wearing gas masks, and releasing the gas would only result in poisoning themselves.

"General, retreat!" the staff officer shouted by his side.

Major General Jonas hesitated for a moment. Retreating meant this battle was a complete defeat, and the two infantry regiments left in the enemy lines might never come back.

But if they didn’t retreat...

Though it was only a moment of hesitation, it was already too late.

The French Army had already broken into the fifty-meter line, and rows of smoking grenades were thrown into the German trenches from above.