Chapter 525: Rocket Artillery Tactics
At Antwerp airfield, after receiving a telegram from General Gallieni, Tijani hurried to find Charles.
"They're claiming victories," Tijani said nervously. "Though that sounds like good news, shouldn't you speed up your plan to attack Namur if you really intend to?"
Everyone was saying that the Battle of the Somme would soon conclude with an allied victory; even General Nivelle had announced the same.
Yet Charles calmly replied, "There's no rush. We'll wait a little longer."
"Wait for what?" Tijani asked, puzzled.
"If we're genuinely winning at the Somme, the Germans should already be redeploying reinforcements there," Charles explained. "Especially artillery."
Tijani frowned. "But if the Somme battle is supposed to end victoriously within days, the Germans might not even have time to redeploy those reinforcements!"
"Relax, General," Charles assured him confidently. "They will have plenty of time."
Charles knew exactly what was happening. Historically, the Somme offensive lasted nearly five months—not days. The recent allied assaults had ended in catastrophic casualties without any significant gains. Eventually, General Haig, who distrusted machine guns and tanks, would reluctantly bring tanks onto the battlefield, achieving minimal progress.
Changing the subject, Tijani asked curiously, "Then tell me your tactics for attacking Namur, General. You look very confident."
Instead of answering directly, Charles countered, "What's the biggest headache at Namur's defensive line, in your opinion?"
Tijani's gaze drifted to the map of Namur fortress spread out before them. He replied slowly, "Undoubtedly their artillery. The Germans have five artillery regiments positioned across the river, sealing off our approach routes. We have no solution for them."
Even amphibious landing crafts were useless.
In the area known as "River Bend," German troops had constructed trenches along the banks. A full infantry division defended it, equipped with machine guns, mortars, and 77mm guns. Any attempted river crossing would face devastating fire.
Moreover, behind them lay five artillery regiments equipped with 105mm howitzers, ready to support the defenders. The fragile landing crafts might be destroyed even before they reached the river.
Charles nodded. "Exactly. Thus, we need to neutralize those artillery units, or at least render them incapable of effectively blocking Routes 1 and 2."
The two main approaches to Namur fortress were narrow paths formed by dense forests and riverbanks—Charles named them Route 1 and Route 2.
"The question is how to eliminate those artillery pieces!" Tijani objected. "Are you seriously considering using those rocket launchers?"
Charles remained silent, staring calmly at Tijani.
Realizing Charles wasn't joking, Tijani exclaimed in shock, "Good Lord, you're insane! That cannot possibly succeed!"
Charles smiled mockingly. "Right now, I'm just curious whether you still want these rocket launchers or not."
Tijani paused, quickly understanding Charles's implication. "So, you're saying that if I want these rocket launchers, I must use them against German 105mm howitzers?"
"Very clever," Charles praised sarcastically.
Tijani sighed helplessly. "You win! Fine, I'll use them against artillery. Now tell me exactly how!"
Tijani glared fiercely at Charles. Facing enemy artillery bombardment was terrifying, but even more, Tijani needed to know how rockets—known for poor accuracy—could possibly neutralize long-range artillery.
"It's all about launch speed, General," Charles explained calmly.
"Launch speed?" Tijani didn't understand immediately.
"Yes," Charles said slowly. "Artillery fire creates large amounts of smoke and flashes, clearly revealing their positions."
Tijani nodded. But then he asked skeptically, "Don't rockets also create smoke trails—much bigger and longer, even easier to track?"
"You're right," Charles replied. "But rockets can fire all their ammunition within minutes and then quickly move away."
The answer was surprisingly simple, yet Tijani took a moment to grasp it fully. Rockets could fire quickly and relocate before enemy artillery had a chance to respond effectively. The enemy might spot the rockets' launch site, but by then, the rocket batteries would already have left.
Realizing this, Tijani excitedly exclaimed, "Yes! They can indeed neutralize enemy artillery. They're practically invincible if we have good intelligence and proper concealment!"
"Excellent tactics, General Charles! You amaze me!" Tijani continued passionately. "Incredible—you turned a seemingly useless weapon into a treasure. Everyone thought rocket artillery was worthless except you, and now you even developed tactics specifically for it!"
Excitedly, Tijani rushed to his desk, ready to record this new tactic in his notebook filled with Charles's innovative methods.
"You shouldn't do that," Charles interrupted. "Not yet."
Tijani stopped writing, quickly realizing his mistake. "You're right, General. We haven't tested this tactic in battle yet."
Recording untested tactics was risky. If German spies saw the notes, they could turn Namur fortress into a deadly trap.
Tijani, excitedly visualizing this new rocket tactic, suddenly had a thought and turned back to Charles. "Since we have a way to neutralize enemy artillery, why did we need the Somme battle as a decoy?"
"Because we lack sufficient rockets," Charles replied matter-of-factly. "To be precise, our rocket ammunition isn't sufficient yet."
This explanation was partially true. Low rocket ammunition was indeed a factor. But the more crucial reason was timing: only after the slaughter at Somme was fully exposed could Charles's subsequent victory at Namur form a stark contrast in everyone's eyes—thus delivering a double blow to General Haig.
(End of Chapter 525)
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