The initial offensive went even smoother than the German Army had anticipated.
Upon learning that the Stormtroopers had defeated the defenders and breached the enemy’s first line of defense in just half an hour, Wilhelm made a prompt and decisive decision to commit more troops to expand on their success.
Recovering lost territory had the same effect as annihilating the enemy; both would deliver a massive shock and blow to the opposing Allied Powers.
If they could push forward fifteen to twenty kilometers in one go and completely drive the American forces from their positions, the front-page headlines of newspapers worldwide the next day would surely be all about Crown Prince Wilhelm.
“Your Highness, isn’t this too risky?
What if this is a trap where the Americans are deliberately showing weakness to lure us in?” Chief of Staff Kuhl was more cautious.
Feeling that this might be an enemy trap, he wanted to advise Crown Prince Wilhelm not to act on impulse and not to commit too many troops all at once.
But Crown Prince Wilhelm reassured him: “Whether it’s a trap depends on where the front line is.
Listen to the gunfire and artillery from the front; isn’t it still advancing toward the enemy’s positions?
This shows that our offensive hasn’t met any major obstacles yet, and the enemy is still in full retreat!
If the enemy had truly been prepared, how could they have retreated this far?
The vanguard of our army is about to reach their artillery positions.
I’ve never seen anyone set a trap that sacrifices their own precious artillery!” As if to validate Wilhelm’s words, a series of violent and dense explosions suddenly echoed from the front line.
“It sounds like their artillery positions have been destroyed by us!” For the sound to be this loud from so far away, there was only one possibility: an ammunition depot had blown up!
Now, Chief of Staff Kuhl not only stopped objecting, but the way he looked at Wilhelm even turned into one of admiration.
Winning a defensive battle wasn’t considered a massive feat, as trench warfare was inherently favorable to the defense.
Throughout the many campaigns fought by both sides in World War I, whether it was the German Army or the Allied Powers, taking an enemy position always demanded a heavy price, and success was never guaranteed.
Therefore, in the eyes of Kuhl and the staff officers of Army Group B, Crown Prince Wilhelm’s victory in the previous defensive battle was just a standard performance, nothing particularly extraordinary.
But an offensive was a different story!
To rapidly capture an enemy position in trench warfare, which heavily favored the defender, was an incredibly remarkable achievement.
Furthermore, the German Army’s forces were far fewer than their opponent’s.
Under such outnumbered conditions, they not only dared to attack but actually won.
What was this?
This was a fucking genius!
The military was unlike any other place; every wrong decision made by a commander could affect the lives of thousands.
Thus, the military valued ability above all else.
Even if you were of noble birth, if you lacked capability, it would still be difficult to win the love and respect of the soldiers and officers.
But if you were exceptionally skilled in battle, and following you always led to victory, even a commoner could win the devotion of the military.
If Crown Prince Wilhelm’s previous position as commander of the Army Group had been obtained solely through his status as the crown prince, then after this battle, he would truly win the respect and devotion of every soldier and officer in Army Group B!
…
The German Army’s night raid was highly successful.
Due to their relentless pursuit, the routed American forces did not dare to fight back and could only run for their lives.
Meanwhile, the American forces in the rear had just been jolted awake from their sleep.
Before they could figure out what was happening, they were thrown into utter chaos by the fleeing troops, and immediately after, they were hit by the pursuing German Army.
Still in a state of daze, they had no time to organize any effective resistance.
Just like the American forces before them, they suffered heavy losses under the German onslaught.
Some American soldiers tried to launch counterattacks, but with the aid of night-vision devices and the precise hunting by German snipers, their attempts were quickly thwarted.
As a large number of officers were taken out, this group of American forces quickly became leaderless, lost their combat capability, and joined the ranks of the retreat.
Once they fled, those heavy artillery positions that were too slow to relocate were exposed to the German Army’s view.
When enemies came face to face, their eyes burned with raw hatred.
In previous battles, the German Army had taken a beating from the American artillery, with many soldiers dying under enemy bombardment.
Now that the opportunity for revenge had arrived, how could the German Army let it slip by?
With just a single charge, the artillerymen, already like startled birds, scattered in all directions.
A vast amount of artillery and ammunition, which they had no time to carry away, was left scattered all over the ground.
The German Army was not polite either; they took whatever they could carry and detonated the rest on the spot, blowing the gun barrels into three pieces to ensure they could never be used again!
What Wilhelm and the others had heard earlier in the headquarters was the sound of German soldiers detonating the enemy’s ammunition depots.
Such a massive explosion was heard not only by the German headquarters in the rear but also by all the American soldiers on the front line.
The soaring flames appeared extremely blinding against the night sky.
Upon learning that their own artillery positions had been wiped out by the enemy, General Guerite, the commander of the First Army, flew into a rage.
The defeat during the day had already made him lose all face before General Pershing.
Now, the enemy had actually penetrated his positions, breached two of their defensive lines, and even wiped out their artillery positions.
He didn’t even dare to imagine how he would answer to General Pershing and the gentlemen in Congress once dawn broke!
Having originally hoped to make a name for himself in this battle, he had suddenly found himself on the chopping block.
It was foreseeable that after this battle, even if he wasn’t court-martialed, he would highly likely be demoted due to the crushing defeat and never be given important responsibilities again.
Terrified of such consequences, General Guerite could not sit still.
Almost roaring, he issued orders to his subordinates, throwing every available combat force into the fray regardless of the cost, swearing to retake the positions before dawn!
If he could drive the enemy away, retake the positions, and seize the opportunity to eliminate a portion of the German Army, perhaps he might still have a glimmer of hope.
However, his orders were issued too late.
By the time he ordered the counterattack, German reinforcements had already arrived on the battlefield.
Having lost their numerical superiority, launching an offensive, and lacking the protection of trenches, bunkers, and other covers, the American forces once again became sitting ducks for the German machine gunners and artillerymen.
The German Army even used the artillery and machine guns they had just captured from the Americans against them.
Large numbers of American soldiers fell under the hail of German bullets and shells before they could even lay eyes on the enemy.
Seeing this, even the German soldiers couldn’t help but sigh: “This isn’t a counterattack; this is pure suicide!” A few hours later, the sky gradually began to brighten.
Having sustained massive casualties, the Americans had no choice but to temporarily halt their offensive.
Due to the enemy’s counterattacks, the German Army was unable to fully reclaim all the previously lost positions, only managing to advance a distance of five to seven kilometers.
Yet during this single night, they had once again inflicted a horrific toll of nearly fifty thousand casualties on the enemy, wiped out one of their artillery positions, and destroyed or captured over four hundred artillery pieces.
As the first light of dawn broke, news of this battle spread across the entire world at lightning speed via telephone and telegraph!