Chapter 471: This is the "French Sedative"
There was one thing Colonel Deyoka had probably gotten wrong: the Germans did not just have "over a thousand" artillery pieces to bomb Verdun—they had over two thousand.
On the nearly 10-kilometer stretch of the front at Verdun, the German army deployed a total of 2,000 howitzers, 500 mortars, and more than a dozen massive 210mm howitzers scattered throughout.
During their preparation for the attack, the Germans not only stockpiled a massive amount of ammunition but also deployed 30 engineer companies and over 20 railway units to improve transportation, with more than 20,000 men working on the construction. Just the transportation of artillery shells to the front required over 200 trainloads.
Ironically, while the Germans were meticulously enhancing their facilities, the French forces on the other side were busy dismantling artillery and redeploying troops.
September 3rd, 9 PM, French soldiers, bored and tired, hid in tunnels and fortresses, preparing to end the day with sleep.
Suddenly, three red signal flares ascended into the sky.
The French soldiers, noticing the light, curiously peeked out of their shelters, gazing toward the source of the light. They hadn't seen this kind of signal in a long time.
Could it be the Germans signaling an attack?
They must be out of their minds! This is Verdun!
The next moment, the entire region suddenly shook with an earth-shattering roar.
All of the artillery positions, both forward and deep in the German lines, opened fire at once. Countless shells rained down on the French positions, with the flashes of explosions lighting up the landscape on both sides.
And this was just the beginning.
Shell after shell, with a high-pitched whistling sound, flew across the sky, from German positions to French lines.
Then came a series of rolling explosions. Clouds of smoke radiated out from the fireballs, mixing with the dust thrown into the air to form a thick, black cloud.
The French soldiers were completely unprepared for this.
Only Colonel Deyoka had anticipated the Germans were about to attack, but he had been ordered not to spread the word about the imminent assault, as it might "disturb the morale."
The soldiers were stunned by the sudden barrage. Staring blankly at the chaos, they then screamed and scrambled to find cover.
In the dark, they had no idea where to hide. The tunnels were either collapsing from the shock or were filling with falling earth. They seemed anything but safe—more like dark graves.
Even the seemingly indestructible fortresses were being reduced to rubble under the barrage.
Colonel Deyoka, shaken by the explosions in the fortress, felt his ears ringing and vision blurred. He instinctively cupped his ears and shouted, the dim light flickering above him, eventually fading into total darkness.
Stumbling, he opened the door and entered the operations area, where he saw soldiers setting up machine guns.
"Get away from there!" Colonel Deyoka shouted.
The Germans' artillery barrage wasn't going to stop anytime soon—there was no reason to set up machine guns now, as it would only put them at risk.
But the machine gunners couldn't hear his orders.
As Colonel Deyoka approached to pull them down, a massive explosion erupted. The two machine gunners were violently thrown backward, slamming into the rear wall before sliding down to the floor in a crumpled heap.
Colonel Deyoka rushed forward. He found that both men were bleeding from their mouths, noses, and ears, with deep gashes on their faces, as if their skulls had shattered like broken mirrors.
The lights flickered back on. It seemed someone had switched on the backup power.
Gritting his teeth, Colonel Deyoka left the wounded men behind and sprinted down the corridor toward the command post.
As soon as he entered, he ordered the signal operator, "Send a telegram to the command center…"
"The radio station is broken, sir," the operator answered.
"Then use the phone!" Colonel Deyoka shouted angrily.
"The phone line is down, sir! It might be too many calls coming through at once!" the operator replied.
Just as he finished speaking, the phone miraculously rang. Colonel Deyoka rushed to grab the receiver, not caring who was on the other end, and shouted into the mouthpiece:
"They've opened fire—this bombardment is unprecedented! Report to the Commander-in-Chief immediately!"
Before he could finish, the line went dead.
Colonel Deyoka stared blankly at the phone, held loosely in his hand, as explosions continued outside. He took a deep breath and ordered coldly, "This is it, gentlemen. Prepare for battle!"
It wasn't until an hour later that General Foch received the news. Major Jules had found Deputy Commander-General Carnet, who then woke Foch.
Before waking Foch, Carnet hesitated.
He asked Major Jules, "Are you sure it's a full-scale attack? I lean toward it being a feint."
"No, General, I'm sure," Major Jules answered urgently. "I heard the gunfire over the phone—it's intense. Colonel Deyoka said there are at least a thousand guns firing at Verdun!"
As he spoke, Major Jules felt a sudden chill, like he had just gulped down a glass of ice water, the coldness sinking deep into his bones.
They seemed to think this military report wasn't important enough to disturb General Foch's sleep.
Shouldn't every piece of military intelligence be reported, no matter how small? Even the smallest battle should warrant attention!
Now, the situation was urgent, and yet they were still debating whether it was worth waking Foch up for it!
What happened next left Major Jules speechless.
Carnet brought Major Jules to Foch's quarters and knocked gently on the door.
After waiting a while with no response, he knocked again.
Finally, Foch's voice came from inside, "What's going on?"
"General," Carnet reported, "it's Colonel Deyoka's staff officer. He says the Germans have begun attacking Verdun!"
"Again, Colonel Deyoka?" Foch complained with a hint of annoyance. "Can't he just keep quiet for once? Tell him it's just a German feint…"
"General!" Major Jules shouted, restraining his fury as he faced the closed door. "A thousand guns are bombarding Verdun! Don't you think you should care? At least consider the possibility that Colonel Deyoka might go over your head to report to the government, like last time!"
"Major!" Carnet intervened, attempting to stop Jules, but seeing the rage in his eyes, he swallowed the rest of his words.
The lights inside the room flickered on.
Then came the slow sound of someone getting dressed.
After a long pause, Foch emerged, looking impeccably dressed, even adjusting his military cap as though he had straightened it in front of a mirror.
He slowly looked up at Major Jules and said, "Alright, Major. Let's go see what's happening."
"But I must remind you," Foch added, "this may not be what you think it is."
Major Jules' veins stood out on his forehead. Was this the "French Sedative"?
Why did he feel the urge to pull out his pistol and shoot this man?
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