In mid-April, the Oise River has not yet entered the flood season, and a simple floating bridge made of steel plates is located on the not-wide river channel.*

The diesel engine roared, and the "Uncle Hans" mentioned by the imperial infantry - an A7V land cruiser with standard classification in later generations belonging to early light tanks swaying on a narrow simple floating bridge and walking forward with difficulty...

A7V land cruiser is Germany's first land cruiser, with a total weight of 7.7 tons, a length of 5 meters, a width of 1.7 meters, a height of 2.29 meters, and a maximum speed

kilometer

Hourly, maximum itinerary

Kilometers. The track device, engine, gearbox and driving wheel are at the rear end of the vehicle body, and driving and other control devices are at the front end of the vehicle body. The rotatable turret improved by the Navy 45mm naval gun is located in the middle of the vehicle body, occupying the commanding heights of the entire vehicle, and the cockpit is located slightly in front of the turret.

On April 7, 1915, the tragic Battle of Paris officially began. Under the cover of three Dragoon regiments equipped with land cruisers, the Empire broke through four positions on the French front in a row, and the limelight was unparalleled.

This land cruiser unit belongs to three Dragoon regiments that have been recorded in history, or to be precise, the second company of the Third Dragoon regiment of Bavaria. It has 16 A7V land cruisers and 6 T-1 transport tanks improved by truck-added defensive armor, the second company of T-1 transport tanks, fought from a French position with a defensive depth of more than 60 kilometers. Under the leadership of its commander Major Franz von Ahalder, it quickly advanced toward the simple floating bridge temporarily built by the Dragoon regiment engineering company, and advanced toward the Crey of Picardy.

Crey is a small town on the banks of the Oates River. It guards the railway line to Paris and is the gateway to the French capital Paris. Taking down Crey means using the local railway network to quickly penetrate into Paris in the early stage and transport troops and supplies in the later stage.

The land cruiser company crossed the Oise River. The roads near the river were muddy. The powerful tracks stirred up the mud all over the ground and splashed in the sky, causing the infantry sitting at the top of the land cruiser to complain.

In fact, these infantry did not belong to Major Franz von Ahalder's land cruiser company. Because the land cruiser that advanced early was too terrifying, neither the passively accepted Allies nor the active allies were mentally prepared, so when the war began to become a mess on the third day of the Battle of Paris.

As the attacking vanguard, the land cruiser company, led the way through the French defense line and rushed across the depths of the French defensive positions. Many companies had already penetrated the enemy's back and threw friendly forces and enemy troops behind them. The French and a small number of British soldiers were defeated, and they ran around in the Compières and north of the Oates River, with a scale of at least three or five people and a battalion. They were struggling around in the Compières and north of the Oates River, looking for the possibility of breaking through.

In order to encircle and suppress the defeated army, the commander of the Western Front had to divide his troops while retaining his fists. He divided his troops and finally, the front line commanders were embarrassed to find that they could no longer find any complete division-level combat sequence. For this reason, the German army had to slow down the offensive and gather the troops.

Although the enemy forces ahead of the company were unknown and the closest friendly positions were unknown, Major Franz von Ehald had no intention of worrying or restraining.

Major Franz von Ahalder also has 13 land cruisers, 7 T-1 tanks and 4 engineering tanks. Taking advantage of the chaos in the battlefield, Major Franz von Ahalder pulled and gathered more than 400 infantrymen and five 105mm guns. Now the five 105mm guns are hung behind the T-1 tank.

Turning his head to look at the company with a rather winding momentum, Major Franz von Ahalder was proud and full of enthusiasm. The Dragoon regiment equipped with land cruisers did not have a battalion-level organization. Major Franz von Ahalder, as the company commander, was somewhat unworthy of his name. Now the major is strong and powerful. The major battalion commander finally confirmed. The only drawback is that Franz von Ahalder's cavalry company did not even have a cavalry.

"What are you asking the cavalry company to do without cavalry!"

Major Franz von Ahalder was full of complaints. If he knew that his super-company Second Company was the only unit of the three million Germans to cross the Oates River and was separated from the nearest friendly army, the major's complaints would probably turn into a slander.

It was not that the friendly forces were too weak, but that the three Dragoon regiments had 144 land cruisers exhausted.

In the past week of high-intensity combat, one land cruiser after another fell on immature diesel engines. There was a lack of fuel, improper maintenance, lack of infantry protection, and under trenches. The reason why the major's second company was able to go so far was due to the engineering company that followed the operation and the infantry that fought in concert.

"Why don't we call it a dragon cavalry, but an inexplicable land cruiser. How could a weapon used for land warfare have a very naval name..."

The major was complaining, and Corporal Martin Bowman was also complaining. After complaining that the name of the Land Cruiser was too "Navy", Bowman, who was unable to get idle, twisted the black bread and cooked beef that was harder than the steel plate of the Land Cruiser under his butt, turned his head and asked Julius Reiber, "Julie, do you still have sugar?"

"It is said that the land cruiser was inspired by General Heidi Sileme, and this weapon was first technically tracked by the Navy's "Land Warship Commission". Most of the army designers who designed it were from ship designers..."

Julius Lebble took out a stacked piece of waterproof paper from his dirty shoulder bag, took it apart, twisted a little and put it on the black bread in Bauman's hand, and then chewed the hard cooked beef.

"I said guys, when the war ends, I will return to my hometown Redston. My wife, who is more than 300 pounds, will definitely ask me if I have lived in the army and how the food is. Then I will proudly tell my wife - your man eats beef every day in the army and is tired of eating it!"

"Haha..." The infantrymen who were riding laughed because it was a rare pleasure in suffering.

"Wait, there's something going on!"

The vanguard of land cruisers was in a state of turret, and the infantrymen who were riding their rifles and jumped off the land cruisers, hid their bodies at the rear of the car, and followed the chariot. The captain of the car poked his head out of the hatch at the top of the turret and gestured to the back "High-alert warning: gesture."

"It should be a transportation station outside Clay. There is a trench in front and behind the platform. There are some circular sandbag positions near the platform buildings, but the quality of the fortifications is generally not high and the trenches are incoherent. The high ground located on the left side of the railway line is about twenty meters, and there may be hunters. There should be 75 guns in the woods behind the platform, but the number will definitely not exceed five."

Major Franz von Ehald, who was staying in the 45mm turret of the second land cruiser as the command vehicle, put down his glasses and turned around and made a "wedge-shaped attack" gesture behind him.

"All infantry get off the chariot, pay attention to hiding behind the chariots and protecting the chariots. After advancing to the trenches, pay attention to cleaning the trenches. In principle, do not accept surrender. The cavalry company will discharge wedge-shaped formations, and follow the command chariots and I will drill through the French guys!"

On April 14, 1915, the battle started at the railway platform outside the city of Crey. In the first phase of the cruel Battle of Paris, the Battle of Crey, which was fought by millions of troops, began.

After the 105mm gun and 45mm gun were scattered, the battlefield in early spring was filled with a creeping cold air and the smoke of gunpowder. The fire was swaying, and the French position was dead.

Suddenly, the ground under his feet seemed to be trembling slightly, and a mechanical sound similar to the rotation of a chain or a winch sounded, and occasionally a sharp metal friction sound. Captain Wavenel had an ominous premonition in his heart. He pulled open the loose soil that covered his body more than a foot, picked up a Lebel rifle and carefully poked his head out of the trench.

A strange-shaped steel monster rushed over through the smoke and opened its cannon. The Krey position suddenly turned over, and the explosion and shouting sounds were connected.

In addition to fear, the French army desperately used various rifles and machine guns to shoot at the "monsters", but the "monsters" were not only not damaged at all, but also made metal storms at the French positions even more violently. They destroyed one fire point after another that was fired at it, flattened the barbed wire, and rushed through the trenches. In the chaos, the spirit-disrupted French soldiers threw away their rifles and climbed out of the trenches, fled desperately to the rear, and were torn to pieces by machine guns and 45mm artillery.

Finally, the French army stopped their unnecessary resistance and surrendered to the monsters, while the infantrymen who fought with land cruisers waved their butt stocks and urged them to throw their guns in German that they could not understand.

"The Germans have crossed the river, and Krey has advanced to the German vanguard. They have at least five cannons with a caliber of more than 105 mm and a large number of small-caliber direct-fire artillery, as well as a large number of steel monsters that cannot be penetrated by machine gun bullets. Fortunately, we destroyed a monster with a 37 direct-fire artillery, proving that they are not miracles from Mount Olympus."

The colonel commander of the 264th Regiment of the 93rd Division of the French Army rushed into the temporary command center, grabbed the phone and shouted without hesitation:

"Hey, Command, can you hear it? Thank goodness, I can still hear your voice, Commander, the Craire's phone line was not blown up. By the way, the Germans also have about one battalion of infantry, so I need large caliber artillery and at least one regiment of infantry support, and as many small caliber direct-fired cannons as possible. Hello, Command, can you hear it? Hello?!"

"Col. Krey can't defend it anymore! The Germans have occupied the periphery and rushed towards the command center!"
Chapter completed!