The Rise Of Australasia

Before the war began, French Army Commander-in-Chief Cynthia was quite confident in the combat capabilities of the French Army.

According to the No. 17 Offensive Plan, France would use nearly 1.6 million troops in this offensive.

Although for various reasons, the actual number of troops involved might not even reach half, Cynthia still firmly believed that the core task of completing Operation 17, which was to recapture Alsace and Lorraine, would not be difficult.

In order to supervise the completion of the military tasks, Cynthia often traveled by car to the various battlefronts from Commander Francois Headquarter.

It is worth mentioning that the reason Cynthia was able to shuttle freely between the different battlefronts without delay was due to her skilled personal driver, a three-time winner of the French Grand Prix.

Automobiles had been around for more than a decade by this time, and European nations like France had started to compete in car races.

The winners not only received prizes such as cars but also gained the favor of those in power and were hired as personal drivers.

After all, the current driver training system and traffic regulations were not as standardized, and a skilled driver could not only avoid various dangers encountered on the road but also react quickly when danger arose, so as not to be overwhelmed.

A small part of the reason Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated was due to the lack of skill of his driver.

If the driver had started the car quickly when the assassin approached, Archduke Ferdinand might have had a chance of survival.

The reason that led to Archduke Ferdinand's driver not to quickly start the car bizarrely was due to reversing.

If a more skilled driver had been at the wheel, the probability of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife's survival would have been somewhat higher.

Thanks to the superb driving skills of her personal driver, it took Cynthia just over an hour to shuttle back and forth between the headquarters and the troop stations.

Before the final battle began, Cynthia, in her special car, arrived at the First Army Group to learn about its status and to supervise the attack that was about to take place.

The commander of the First Army Group was Dibai, a general who did not particularly agree with this attack.

The reason Cynthia frequently visited the First Army Group was to gain General Dibai's support and to ensure that the crucial First Army Group did not falter.

The day before Operation 17 commenced, deep in the night.

Dibai, the commander of the French First Army Group, was discussing battle plans with the French Commander General Flynn.

Dibai was still uncertain about the attack and hesitantly asked Cynthia, "Your Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, are we sure there's no problem with this large-scale offensive?"

Cynthia looked at her subordinate seriously, patted Dibai on the shoulder, and pointed to his military uniform, saying, "General, please remember what you are wearing. We are the proud French soldiers. Our duty is to protect this beautiful land beneath our feet and all its people. If we cannot recapture Alsace and Lorraine, how can we have the face to continue wearing these military uniforms?"

At the end of the conversation, Cynthia added, "General, please remember one thing: only an attack is in line with the thoughts of a French soldier. To uphold war is to honor the soul of a soldier." Cynthia then glanced at Dibai meaningfully, and got into her car and left.

With the realization from the conversation with Cynthia, the First Army Group Commander Dibai, the second day, organized an Alsatian Detachment of 45,000 troops, composed of four infantry divisions, one cavalry division, five mountain battalions, and an artillery division from the Seventh Army, led by General Bono, to serve as the vanguard for this offensive.

Dibai assigned the vanguard the task ofs striking from Bellevue, focusing their efforts on attacking Muroz, a German border stronghold 40 kilometers away.

Speaking of Muroz, this is a significant border town of Germany and an essential strategic location in the region.

Capturing this area would mean taking the southern railway junction of Alsace, which in the past could lead to Bellevue and south to Basel in Switzerland.

Kolmar lies to the north, while to the east, the railway bridge can be crossed, and the Rhine River can be traversed.

This extremely important strategic location made Muroz the primary target of the French Army, and the small town was about to face the flames of war.

An enhanced German battalion guarded this small town.

To capture the town, once the operation began, General Bono of the Seventh Army ordered the vanguard division to launch a night raid on Artaxi before the German Army discovered them.

This city stood 20 kilometers in front of Muroz and was a bridgehead for Muroz.

After conquering Artaxi, Muroz would be like a defenseless beauty waiting for the French Army to visit.

The entire vanguard was divided into three parts, encircling the entire Artaxi. Taking advantage of the night, the vanguard soldiers successfully entered the city center of Artaxi before the German sentries noticed.

When the French soldiers began firing, the German sentries finally reacted, but by that time, it was already too late.

It goes without saying that the battle strength gap between the French soldiers who attacked at night and the German soldiers who hurriedly responded to the battle.

Although a single German soldier had a higher combat capability than a French soldier, at that moment, the French Army was better prepared, and the hastily responding German soldiers were at a disadvantage compared to the French soldiers.