The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 555 - 434: Poison Gas Warfare

Since mid-March, the fierce battles on the west bank of the Mars River reached their peak. In the last two days of intense fighting, the German Army deployed five divisions of troops on the west bank of the Mars River.

Ignoring the fierce artillery and machine gun fire from the French defenders, the German commander ordered the troops to launch a strong attack on both the east and west sides of the Mort-Orme Highland, resulting in heavy losses for the German Army.

After a few days of rest, the German Army suddenly launched an unusually fierce artillery attack on the defensive positions on the northeast and northwest slopes of Mort-Orme Highland. Under the cover of artillery, an elite German force began to launch an attack on the northeast slope.

This force, with the support of regular troops that had been relocated to the northwest of the highland a few days earlier, launched a fierce attack on the highland’s neck area.

Due to the sharp offensive of this elite German force, the battle for the highland soon achieved results. After several rounds of defense, the French defenders on the highland eventually had no choice but to retreat to the summit, leaving only a few machine gun squads for defense.

Clearly, the remaining machine gun squads would not be able to withstand the German offensive. The elite German troops quickly took control of the mid-slope defensive positions and joined the attack on the summit.

In addition, the German Army divided their forces to not only consolidate the captured defensive positions but also split into two groups to launch an attack on the rear of Mort-Orme Highland while attacking the defensive positions on the summit.

The Germans intended to encircle the French defenders and annihilate the French Army.

But the French Army was not foolish; once their rear was surrounded, they had no room for retreat. Your next journey awaits at мѵʟ

Thus, the defenders brought out all their machine guns and artillery, declaring their unyielding spirit with dense and persistent firepower.

Although the Germans’ attack went smoothly, they also suffered heavy casualties.

Since the French Army was positioned at the summit, they had a relatively good defensive terrain and were often able to achieve better casualty ratios in battle.

To launch a strong attack on the French Army at the summit, the German Army had to gather artillery at the middle slopes, surrounding the area from all sides, and initiate artillery strikes on the upper positions.

There was bad news for both France and Germany: by the second half of March, temperatures in the Verdun region had gradually warmed up.

As a result, the ice and snow in many places had melted, making the land around the Verdun Fort muddy and increasing logistical difficulties.

Along with the melting of ice and snow, the problem of handling the large number of corpses on the battlefield was also a thorny issue.

Previously, because the temperature was colder, the corpses of people and livestock could be dragged around for half a month before being dealt with.

But now it was not possible; if the corpses were not cleaned up within a week, the stench and bacteria they emitted would be enough to cause both armies to collapse.

In response, France and Germany reached an unwritten agreement. After each round of offensive and defensive battles, medical soldiers from both sides would deal with the corpses on the battlefield. During this time, France and Germany would enter a temporary ceasefire.

Despite the casualties, the remaining German soldiers would still risk their lives to attack. They firmly believed that passing through dangerous zones quickly would allow them the opportunity to infiltrate trenches and render the French Army’s heavy artillery useless.

This led to the German attacking forces constantly charging towards the French defense positions, like waves of a lake.

Even if soldiers in front fell, the troops following behind would not hesitate to step over their comrades’ bodies and continue advancing.

Due to the French Army’s powerful artillery combined with the concentration of a large number of guns in the Verdun region, the German formations were often scattered.

However, this still could not prevent the German soldiers from charging. After the French artillery attack, the German forces quickly reorganized and launched an assault on the French positions.

Although the German soldiers who were able to enter the French positions were significantly fewer due to heavy losses, the Germans employed a bombing strategy. Once an assault team entered the French lines, bomb squads would immediately follow up and throw a large number of bombs into the trenches, giving the French defenders no choice but to defend.

This bombing tactic was temporary, and French soldiers did not have time to enter the defensive works. Under this attack, the French Army suffered heavy casualties for a time, and their defense positions were captured by the German forces.

By the night of March 23, the Mort-Orme Highland had fallen almost entirely into the hands of the German Army, with only Highland 304 and a few nearby artillery turrets fighting until dawn.

Although the current situation for the defenders was extremely dangerous, the French Army was prepared and even wrote final wishes under the organization of the commander, ready to live and die with the positions.

As dawn approached, the French soldiers who had been fighting all night could finally rest for a while. They snuggled up to one another and took a nap in their positions.

On a spring morning, a slight chill lingered in the breeze, with the air filled with the smell of gunpowder the soldiers were already accustomed to, accompanied by the scent of burnt mud and blood.

Suddenly, a strange yellow-green fog slowly drifted towards the highland along the ground. Most of the French soldiers had fallen asleep and did not notice this oddly colored fog.

When the fog reached the positions, the French defenders noticed an unusual smell. Some felt a burning pain in their eyes, nose, and throat, and the pain intensified when they opened their eyes.

Many soldiers began to scream in agony, tearing open their clothes and clutching their throats, rolling and stumbling frantically.

However, such struggles only made them more uncomfortable, as frequent, intense breathing caused them to inhale more poison gas, eventually suffocating and even dying.

A month later, Germany launched another poison gas attack on the Verdun region, which had a significant impact on the exhausted French Army.

During the entire Verdun campaign, the Germans launched more than ten poison gas attacks, but due to wind direction, only three or four were truly effective.

Clearly, this poison gas attack was one of them, and the damage inflicted by it was the best among the recent poison gas releases.

In less than half an hour, the French soldiers defending the positions and turrets had completely lost their ability to resist.

A few soldiers who were not severely affected by the poison gas struggled to jump out of the trenches and madly run towards the rear.