Chapter 255: A 50-50 Standoff
Diewillette
Series of trenches, barbed wire, and sandbag fortifications were rapidly taking shape. Overnight, the soldiers of the Hechingen Brigade used their entrenching tools to construct fortifications encircling the town of Diewillette.
With additional buildings and houses incorporated, the place became virtually impenetrable—almost like a porcupine.
A unit as typically academy-trained as the Hechingen Brigade approached the building of defensive fortifications with meticulous care and a rigorous spirit.
Hence on the second day, they were still refining and regularizing their positions. Seeing this scene, Robert—stationed next door—was left dumbfounded.
Putting down his binoculars, Robert said to his deputy, "I think General Kirchbach has overreacted completely. I'm not sure how formidable the Hechingen Brigade actually is, but they sure know how to protect themselves. Look at them: they want to turn Diewillette into a fortress. If I were the French, I wouldn't be dumb enough to attack a place like that head-on."
The deputy responded, "Colonel, these people from the Principality of Hechingen are just too timid! The battlefield is fluid; no one has time for all that fancy stuff. At best, fortifications play a supporting role. Right now, we have a far greater advantage in numbers over the French, so the high command will definitely choose to go on the offensive rather than stay on the defensive. Even if their fortifications are well-built, it won't matter much—we're the attackers, after all."
If Napoleon III had heard that, he might have slapped the man. The French themselves were misled by their own planning before the war. Back then, they chose to launch an offensive without thorough preparation; thus, in Alsace and Lorraine, they hardly built any fortifications. Now that the tables had turned and France found itself on the defensive, they realized they had practically no defenses to rely on.
Wissembourg was a prime example—still using fortifications from the previous century, which were mostly neglected or in ruins.
…
Robert was not the only one puzzled; even Leopold found it hard to comprehend. He said to Heinrich, "Are all you young people this energetic now? Building fortifications this extensive might just make other units laugh at us."
Heinrich replied, "We're just following our textbooks and drawing on the real-world examples from our predecessors. In war, nothing is trivial. We can never drop our guard. Besides, in this war, the French Chassepot rifles have a longer range than the Dreyse rifles, giving the French a clear advantage. Other than countering them with our own artillery, we should use fortifications to offset their range advantage."
"That does make some sense. But if the situation shifts tomorrow and the high command orders us somewhere else, wouldn't all these painstaking fortifications be wasted?"
"If they're wasted, so be it. That's not my concern. Wherever we go, we dig in. Even if we stay only one night, we must do it. This protects the lives of our soldiers, reducing casualties."
"Did you learn that in Berlin?"
"No, I learned it at the Hechingen Military Academy."
"When this war ends, I definitely want to go back and see your textbooks. They're quite distinctive," Leopold said.
…
French Fifth Corps, Rhine Army
The commander of France's Fifth Corps was General De Failly, who was about to face none other than Prussia's Fifth Corps under Kirchbach.
At dusk, the French Fifth Corps' reconnaissance cavalry returned.
"General, we've identified the enemy on the other side. It's the Prussian Fifth Corps deployed on the northern foothills of the Vosges Mountains. There also seems to be a small contingent on their right flank, but we haven't determined its designation yet."
"How big is this Prussian Fifth Corps?"
"It's probably larger than ours, but their main force is split into two groups—one garrisoned in Stanley, the other in Saverne. Scattered small units hold towns along the highway such as Diewillette."
"Bring me the map," said Failly. "Here's Stanley, which juts out on the Prussian defensive line. They're likely waiting for us there. Not far behind them is Saverne, ready to provide support. Likewise, Saverne itself is a traffic hub—holding it means one can both advance and retreat at will."
"If we recklessly attack Stanley or Saverne, it won't match our real objective. We need to tighten the link between the Rhine Army and the Châlons Corps, ensuring neither side gets encircled by the Prussians. That means we absolutely can't launch a frontal assault the way we have before—we need to outsmart them."
"It's becoming clearer what the Prussians are up to. They want to use superior numbers to fragment us, then annihilate us piece by piece. We can't let them succeed."
"In recent days, I've also seen some of Prussia's traits. Aside from their rifles being inferior to ours, their cavalry hasn't really shown up except for reconnaissance, spending most of its time roaming between the two armies to gather intelligence. If our analysis is correct, we can leverage that and deal the Prussians a fatal blow."
After the discussion, Failly laid out his plan:
The Cavalry Brigade will swing around to outflank Saverne.Two infantry divisions will hold the main front. The 12th Infantry Division will feign an assault on Stanley—Prussia's likely elite force—tying them down.The main force (14th Infantry Division plus artillery) will head south from the western flank, converging on Saverne in coordination with the Cavalry Brigade, striking it from both sides. Once Saverne is taken, we'll turn back to join the 12th Infantry Division.
A subordinate asked, "General, what about the enemy to the east?"
"Have the 12th Infantry Division pull one brigade to Diewillette to keep the rest of the enemy there at bay. Remember, for the 12th Division, the key objective in this war is to delay the enemy. As soon as we capture Savertet, everything else will fall into place."
The 12th Infantry Division's commander asked, "What if the Prussian Third Corps arrives from the south to reinforce?"
Failly answered, "Trust in Marshal MacMahon's leadership. Right now, the Prussian Third Corps should be moving south to engage MacMahon. They won't be able to head north anytime soon. The main reason they posted the Fifth Corps in Saverne is to keep us from heading south. The Third Corps has far more troops than the Châlons Corps, so Crown Prince Wilhelm is likely planning to use his superior numbers to defeat MacMahon first. That's why Saverne is held by only one Prussian corps. Marshal MacMahon and the Châlons Corps are in a bad predicament, and whether we can relieve them depends on whether we swiftly defeat the Prussian Fifth Corps and force the Third Corps to split off troops for defense. That would greatly reduce pressure on Marshal MacMahon."
Since this was to be a surprise attack, it couldn't be done openly. Under General Failly's command, the French Fifth Corps moved rapidly under cover of darkness toward its objectives. The first engagement came with the Prussian troops stationed at Stanley. Once battle erupted, the Prussian Fifth Corps garrisoning Stanley urgently telegraphed Saverne, requesting backup.
Kirchbach immediately dispatched two infantry brigades to reinforce Stanley. But Stanley was merely a diversion, precisely what Failly wanted. By stripping forces from Saverne to aid Stanley, Kirchbach played into Failly's hands.
In the meantime, the French Fifth Cavalry Brigade had circled around in the dark, arriving at a position southeast of Saverne, while the main French force marched in from the west toward Saverne.
Because of the redirected manpower, Saverne's defending troops now numbered about the same as the French attackers. In other words, it would be a showdown between the two "Fifth Corps"—one French, one Prussian—set to unfold that very night.
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