Just as Hindenburg arrived at the front lines, General Pershing, the U.S.
Army Commander-in-Chief, also arrived at the headquarters of the U.S.
First Army.
General Pershing glanced at Lieutenant General Greer and spoke coldly: “Tell me, what’s the situation at the front?” He couldn’t understand why this battle, which he was certain to win, had turned out this way.
Not only did the US military fail to capture the German Army’s positions, but it was also pushed back five or six kilometers, with casualties reaching nearly 100,000!
Even if the German Army caught 100,000 pigs, they wouldn’t be able to catch them all in three days!
But that fool Gretel managed to wipe out 100,000 of the Empire’s elite troops in a single day.
If looks could kill, Gretel would have died hundreds of times over.
“Yes, General!” The subordinates gave General Pershing a detailed account of the situation at the front and the course of yesterday’s battle, especially their night raid by the German Army.
After hearing this, General Pershing’s face grew even more somber.
“Pigs, they’re all pigs!” “Hundreds of thousands of people were defeated by only 8,000 enemy soldiers, and even the artillery positions were bombed.
What were you doing?” Those who were being scolded lowered their heads, not daring to look Pershing in the eye.
General Pershing was not the only one who found it outrageous; they themselves were equally shocked after figuring out the enemy’s attacking force.
I’ve fought wars my whole life, and I’ve never seen anything like this.
Last night, the German Army seemed to be on a roll, as if the darkness had no effect on them whatsoever.
Before the American soldiers could even spot the enemy, they were shot and killed.
In addition, they were equipped with a large number of automatic firearms, making their firepower extremely fierce.
Eight thousand people, yet they fought with the momentum of eighty thousand!
In complete darkness, the US military had no idea about the enemy’s strength and only felt that the enemy was everywhere.
They scared themselves, thinking the position was no longer defensible, so they all chose to flee.
Moreover, they not only ran around themselves, but also spread false information everywhere.
Some say the enemy has sent 80,000, some say 100,000, and some even more exaggeratedly claim that the entire German Army has been mobilized, totaling 700,000.
These false reports severely affected the US military’s judgment, preventing them from organizing a counterattack in a timely manner and giving the German Army the opportunity to expand its gains.
It wasn’t until dawn that they learned from captured German Army prisoners of war that the German Army had initially deployed only 8,000 men, and only after seeing the results of the battle did they send in a larger force.
General Pershing was furious, but he wasn’t there to yell at people; he was there to clean up the mess.
This operation was originally intended to demonstrate America’s military strength to countries around the world.
Unexpectedly, the performance went wrong, and instead of showing his face, he showed his buttocks.
By this time, the US military had become a laughing stock of the entire Allied Powers, with their allies, the French and the British, secretly mocking them.
If they were only ridiculed by the French and British, that would be one thing, but what’s most infuriating is that even the Italians, who are considered weaklings, are mocking them.
This is something the Americans can’t tolerate!
If they can’t save face, everyone will look down on them in the future!
The best way to save face is to defeat the German Army in front of them and take the positions they hold.
“From this moment on, the offensive operation will be the responsibility of the Second Army Group, and I will be in full command!” The First Army had already suffered heavy casualties in previous battles, and yesterday’s two battles further weakened them.
General Pershing judged that they were no longer fit to continue fighting, so he planned to transfer them to the rear for rest and recuperation.
Currently, the United States is still continuously sending troops and weapons to the European continent, and the First Army’s losses can be replenished in less than a month.
What pained General Pershing was that the casualties were all veterans who had participated in many battles, while the replacements were new recruits with no combat experience.
With this replacement, the First Army’s combat effectiveness will likely decrease significantly.
The U.S.
military already lacked combat experience, and now it has suffered so many casualties among its veterans.
The losses are definitely much greater than the numbers on paper!
The thought of this made him want to strangle that guy Gretel!
…
While General Pershing was raging, Hindenburg, on the German Army side, couldn’t hide the joy on his face after reading the German Army’s battle report.
“Your Highness fought a brilliant battle, effectively striking a blow against the arrogance of the Allied Powers and greatly improving our position at the negotiating table!” Hindenburg was also a member of the Royalistos, but he was more ambitious and his stance was not as firm as Ludendorff’s.
However, because he has Junker Nobility behind him, the two sides share common interests at this moment.
“So, to what extent have your negotiations progressed?” William asked curiously, knowing that Germany and Allied Powers had already begun negotiations on a ceasefire several months ago, and that the two sides should have reached a conclusion by now; otherwise, Hindenburg would not have ordered the German Army at the front to withdraw.
“Uh…
we had almost reached an agreement before, but now that you’ve finished this battle, we’re afraid we’ll have to renegotiate!” Hindenburg looked distressed; he could already foresee the fury Allied Powers would unleash after the negotiations were renegotiated.
“The Empire can return Alsace and Lorraine to the French, and it can withdraw its troops from Belgium, but it cannot cede any more territory.
This is my bottom line!” Although Crown Prince Wilhelm is not yet emperor, he is already issuing orders in the tone of an emperor.
The key point is that Hindenburg didn’t refute it after hearing it, as if he had already accepted it.
He was a smart man and knew that after this battle, Crown Prince Wilhelm would gain immense prestige within the empire.
If the throne of the German Empire were to be retained after the war, Crown Prince Wilhelm would certainly be the next Kaiser.
Even if the old Emperor Wilhelm II had fled back from the Netherlands, he might not have been able to defeat him!
There’s no need to go against the future emperor; it wouldn’t do him any good.
However, the conditions offered by Crown Prince Wilhelm made Hindenburg secretly groan.
Compared to the terms offered by Allied Powers, Crown Prince Wilhelm made too few concessions, and they probably wouldn’t agree, especially the French.
Having suffered heavy losses in the Franco-Prussian War, they were determined to completely dismantle Germany and utterly crush its resistance, rendering it unable to threaten France any longer.
Simply giving up Alsace and Lorraine is clearly not enough to satisfy the French; they will certainly make even more outrageous demands.
As for the British, they were very wary of the German Empire’s navy, and most of their demands were related to restricting its development.
Hindenburg thought this was negotiable.
Like many senior military officials, he had opposed Wilhelm II engaging in a naval arms race with the British from the very beginning.
The High Seas Fleet, which the German Empire spent so much money building, played almost no role during the war, and hundreds of millions of dollars of military spending were wasted!
If only that money had been saved and invested in the army’s military development.
Perhaps they could defeat the Russians sooner, and then, before their allies collapse and the Americans enter the fray, march westward and sweep away Allied Powers.
In that case, the ones sitting at the negotiating table now might be the British and French!