In January 1915, the severe winter was still raging north of the Pyrenees and the Alps, but the horn of the Allies' counterattack was already played.

In order to recover the lost territory in northern France, the war was burned to Germany. On the front line that stretched 350 kilometers from the Swiss border to the North Sea coastline, more than 3 million soldiers of the Allied countries rushed towards the German defense line like a tide under the cover of tens of thousands of artillery.[..com]

Although the main force of the German army moved eastward, nearly two million troops were still retained on the battlefield on the Western Front. It was really difficult for the Allies to break through the defense line composed of unfathomable trenches, countless machine guns, strategic depths of several kilometers or even dozens of kilometers and well-trained German troops. It should be noted that the front line is the neutral country Switzerland and the left side is the North Sea controlled by the Germans. Detours and mobile warfare have become unreachable dreams here.

The Allies were bleeding from the German steel defense line, and the multi-point growth was a complete joke. After reflection, the Allies' senior management decided to shrink their troops and focus on attacking, because although the German defense line was tight, it was not impeccable.

As the legacy of the Battle of the Marne, the German defense line formed a protrusion less than 100 kilometers away from Paris in the Noiron area, threatening Paris's security at all times. The British and French coalition forces were determined to concentrate their forces on the two wings to attack, divide and surround this protrusion, making Noiron a bait to attract German reinforcements, forcing the position war that was unfavorable to the Allies into a mobile war that was determined to win.

On February 15, the Battle of Noiron began, and the French began to attack in the Champagne area between Reims and Masirje, with the goal of cutting off the supply line of the German outpost. On February 19, the British army carried out operations on the other side, intending to form an encirclement with the French army.

I can't remember which round of decisive attacks the French army was. At lunch time, another round of shelling, 155mm cannons and howitzers, and more Miss Seventh Five and large caliber curved artillery shells were scattered like raindrops on the German champagne outer positions.

"Damn Frenchman!"

The French artillery seemed to have many duds in this round of artillery shells. Apart from the sparse sound of more than a dozen shells, there was only the dull sound of shells hitting the mountain. Since the Battle of Noiron, the French Army's determination to attack was enough to make God afraid. So many duds made the long-standing corporal Abio vaguely feel something was wrong.

The narrow anti-cannon hole was filled with unbearable cold and stench. Corporal Abio curled up in that narrow corner, trying to grab the inspiration that flashed through his mind. At this time, a 155mm grenade exploded on the back slope of the mountain. The anti-cannon hole and the mountain shook violently, and dust and heat waves surged. The black bread in Abio's hand was immediately shocked to the ground.

Abio picked up the black bread cursingly, regardless of the dust on the surface of the bread, and swallowed hard with the cold and cold water in the kettle.

"Corporate, will we be surrounded?" Twenty days before the battle, the French casualties were as high as 140,000, but the Allied Front pushed forward only about 400 meters. The damage caused the German army's Western Front to have an illusion. Tens of thousands of German troops who reinforced the Noiron protrusion were transferred to the Ipresentiment of the British and French coalition front and into the German front. However, just yesterday, the French took down the outer position of Masirer and approached the city of Masirer. The French's offensive was really scared by the new recruits. Private Kahnen stroked the dirty gray military cap and asked with some fear.

"It's better to fill your stomach and fuck those Gallics who are in the mood to consider a retreat!" Abio, a veteran who participated in the Battle of the Marne River and the coastline movement, rolled his eyes and said angrily: "This is the last line of defense outside Champagne!"

The sparse sound of cannons finally stopped. Without the commander's reminder, the well-trained German army carried weapons, bullet belts, helmets and ammunition boxes toward the trenches at positions less than fifty meters high.

There seemed to be something in the distance that could defeat the instinct of the soldiers, so that the Private Kanin who was rushing in front solidified like a meteor.

In the age of hot weapons, the sound of cannons has always been a prelude to the enemy's attack. Entering the reserve position from the anti-aircraft hole, resting fortifications, connecting trenches, and setting up machine gun bunkers is crucial to the subsequent high-intensity defense wars, and it does not allow any delay! Corporal Abio knocked on Karnen's helmet, and his mouth holding the bread in his mouth was vaguely spit out a few words:

“a

schloch! Why are you still standing there? Enter the position quickly..."

The expected hand-held Leber-style rifle, occasionally mixed with a few old Glass rifles, wearing knee-length light-colored ragged winter clothes covered with mud, and the unkempt and tired French "scavengers" did not rush up. Instead, they were more than one person tall, yellow-green, swaying and colorful fog. The smoke blew out from the bullet barrels of all sizes scattered at the front of the position, and rushed towards Abio and the others with the help of the bitter cold wind.

The more vulgar words of the soldiers seemed to be forcibly twisted by external forces. The white mist exhaled by Abio shrank sharply in the bitter cold wind in the northern highlands of France, and then turned into the most terrifying curse: "That's chemical poison! God, the French actually used poison gas on us! The outer defense line of Champagne is completely over!"

The huge casualties in the early stage of the Battle of Noiron made the French, who were not able to see the dawn of victory, perform the first poison gas battle. The tragedy at the city of Masirer recurred. Even though the German army had been through a long battle, the defeat was inevitable.

French soldiers wearing thick biochemical suits and gas masks walked onto the German positions with ease and comfort, bypassing the bodies of German soldiers corroded by poisonous gas or insanity, and wantonly harvesting any life forms that still have a breath. In the next period of time, they will constrain the German bodies and burn them to cover up this outrageous anti-human behavior. At this time, the military flag flying in France is only a short distance from Champagne.

****

In January 1915, the rising results of the USS Emden light patrol finally fell silent, staying at the terrifying level of sinking two old British unprotected cruisers, a Russian auxiliary cruiser, a French destroyer, a French gunboat and 37 steam merchant ships. At the same time, more than 30 concession ships and forty guards surrounded and intercepted the USS Emden attack ship in the Indian Ocean, leaving room for Eastern Swan to flick and move smaller and smaller.

The ground war in Germany's East Africa continued. With the support of the Konisberg light patrol, the British and French colonial troops suffered heavy losses in the East African jungle and the Tanganiga Lake area. However, how long can the battle without local material support and military supplements last? Whether it is the captain of the Konisberg Marx-Von-Lov or Paul Von-Wal, the commander of the East African colonial army, was unsure.

In the Pacific, a Japanese division army joined more than 3,000 British troops to capture the Dejiaozhou Bay. At the same time, the Japanese combined fleet formed a southward detachment and attacked the German island colonies in the southwest Pacific. Germany soon lost the Marshall Islands, the Jarolin Islands and the Mariana Islands. The Bismarck Islands and the Western Samoa Islands were also occupied by Australia and New Zealand.

The empire's cruise in the North Pacific region was not smooth. The USS Elizabeth's light patrol and Prince Etel-Friedrich's auxiliary cruiser were successively sunk by the Japanese fleet, but the South Pacific was one-sided. The East Asian fleet consisting of two large Schonhorst-class armored ships and three light patrols stopped on the Chilean coastline, bringing the value of the attack fleet to the extreme.

Although the large armored ship of the Schánhorst class belongs to the level of armored cruisers within the German Navy, who has seen an armored cruiser with a standard displacement of 13,900 tons and a waterline with a main armored 160 mm? Its overall defense even exceeds the British invincible class and tireless battle patrol! The Japanese joint fleet consisting of old battleships and old armored cruisers will not stop in the Central Pacific. This is the best proof!

In late December 1914, the situation reversed, and the second battle patrol fleet led by Major General Moore merged with the South American squadron stationed in Stanley Port, Falkland Islands.

After a brief rest, a huge fleet consisting of the USSVFU, Australia, New Zealand, Defense, the old-satellite battleship, Kanavon, the Armored Cruiser of Cornwall, the Bristol Light Cruiser, Macedonia, and the Orama armed merchant ships left the Falkland Islands and headed towards Cape Horn and Drake Strait!

"The Admiralty Department requires us to try our best to avoid Moor's battle patrol fleet, take morals to West Africa, and return to the country at the right time..."

At dusk in the southern hemisphere, the steel ship and its sailors, which were scorching sun all day long, were finally able to enjoy the cool sea breeze, sunset and leisurely seabirds. Captain Bernhard von Oden stood on the bridge and pointed to the intricate waterways of the Strait of Magellan and said insincerely to the commander Maximilian von Spee:

"Going north to the Stokes waterway and turning back to the Atlantic Ocean from the dangerous Strait of Magellan, the East Asian fleet finally avoided Moore's intercepting fleet, and the next step was to travel across the South Atlantic to German West Africa."

Due to the timely replacement of the code code system, Germany's intelligence system in South America was preserved. On December 26, the British South American squadron, which was strengthened, launched the intelligence of the Port of Stanley. Considering the 24 12-inch main guns equipped with three tireless class battle patrols, the East Asian fleet had no choice but to avoid its edge.

There are only two roads back to the South Atlantic Ocean. One is the Magellan Strait, where the waters are narrow and the British are eyelinered, and the other is the Drake Strait, where the winds and waves are high and the waves are vast. Although the former is a sharp sword, it is easy to expose the fleet traces. Although the latter is just average, the Drake Strait has a wide waters.
Chapter completed!