6th October 1914, Charleroi
General Manoury Commander of the Sixth Army was meeting his commander General Joffre and General Lanzerac Commander of the Fifth Army. They were going over the final plans for the next phase of the counterattack that was to commence the following day. They had started the meeting with a review of progress and developments over the last week. The pace at which the war was moving had shocked all of the officers involved, the material demands and the destructive power of the guns had been under appreciated.
The past week had been spent in resupply and reconsolidation, with liaison officers working desperately to co-ordinate three separate national armies. The time had been well spent additional heavy guns had been sourced for 5th army, the French army taking a leaf from the Royal Navy and Royal Carines and making extemporaneous mounts for heavy guns stripped from obsolete battleships. This had given Lanzerac a grand battery which he was using to target the German heavy guns around Namur, as well as the key supply hubs feeding the Second Army. The effort was demanding much of the Aeronautique Militaire with 4 squadrons of Farman MF11 aircraft assigned to reconnaissance, and another 3 squadrons of Voisin III bombers allocated as well. This did not include the scout aircraft and artillery spotting aircraft.
Currently the artillery spotting units were using a variety of primitive communications methods to direct the guns, but there was a joint anglo-french project. Initiated pre-war by the RNAS, working on mounting a radio into the artillery spotting aircraft to establish at least a one way link between the observer in the air and the artillery battery on the ground. It was thought that a workable prototype was no more than a few weeks away.
In addition to the radios more and more effort was being put into arming the aircraft for air-to-air combat, the Entente and German Aviators had taken to shooting at each other with a variety of weapons. The British pilots taking up Lee Enfield and FH Rifles and when they could get the Lewis guns, a French Voison III piloted by Sergeant Joseph Frantz and with observer/gunner Corporal Louis Quénault managed to shoot down a German Aviatik B.1 using a Hotchiss Light Machine gun.
As yet the various rifles lacked proper mounts and so being fired unsupported were relatively ineffective, but this would change rapidly as the brutal calculus of war demanded innovation merely to survive.
The fortress at Maubeuge had been completely stripped of its infantry garrison, adding their numbers to 5th army, much of their forces had already been deployed by the time the counter attack occurred but it was still a useful addition. The artillery that could be moved was being deployed behind Charleroi and would be available to support the next attack. This artillery included 100 120mm and 40 155mm guns, as well as 25 howitzers. The 90mm guns were deployed forward but they were distributed with their crews to the French armies facing off against the German 4th and 5th Armies. Lacking a recuperator these guns had to be manually returned to their firing position and were best deployed defensively.
The plan that Generals Joffre, Lanzerac and Manoury had developed in conjunction with their allies was simple. The 5thArmy would commence heavy artillery preparation of the German lines near Namur, as if preparing for a counter attack, the fighting around Namur had largely tailed of over the last few weeks as the Germans attempted to recover their balance, local attacks and counter attacks had been continuing along with artillery duels but no attacks at greater than battalion strength had been conducted by either side. Despite that the heavy fighting during September had left the area devastated with most of the city flattened and the French and Belgian defenders holding on in the ruins.
5th Army would conduct limited attacks once the artillery had had 24 hours to prepare the German defences, the attacks would be small scale bite and hold attacks focused on the area around Namur, ostensibly the attacks would be focused on recapturing the Fortifications that had previously fallen. The actual aim of the attacks was to draw German attention to the location and force them to concentrate their reserves to prevent any breakthroughs particularly towards Liege. The Germans would be forced to further reinforce their 2nd Army taking troops from the 3rd Army to do so.
The British would continue the methodical advance they had been conducting. The German units had been engaged in a steady consolidation of their own lines, withdrawing when pushed back by the British but as their line contracted on Brussels their defence became more tenacious.
The British had penetrated the German lines between Ninove and Turbize on the 4th of October, capturing Leerbeek and Lennik, the Germans had responded by abandoning Ninove, Aalst, Turbize and Nivelles, pulling back to the line running Asse to Ternat across to Schepdal to Groenenberg to Halle and on to Nivelles. This had substantially shortened the German lines and left most of their positions anchored on built up areas which would impose a much greater cost on the British advance. The British casualties were heavier than those suffered by the Germans, with small rear guards contesting the advance but few opportunities for decisive battle.
The British attacks would continue to conduct small scale attacks using heavy artillery preparation to minimise casualties and to keep the Brussels Garrison focused on that threat axis.
Within Brussels, terror ruled, with heavy patrols, a draconian curfew maintaining the peace but punctuated by occasional sniping. Any harm to German soldiers was met with savage reprisals, hostages had been taken and the death of any single German resulted in the shooting of at least 10 hostages. The Garrison was maintaining control but it was taking a lot of effort, with additional and larger patrols required in many areas. Worsening the situation was the Cardinal’s command that the Belgians offer no support to the German Army, it had precipitated a kind of General Strike with the Police and almost all other workers staying home.
The Antwerp Garrison had been largely static for the past week as it sought to make good the losses from the past months fighting. The morale of the Belgian troops was high, the recent successes coupled with their rage at the atrocities carried out had brought them to a fine boil. They would be the northern pincer that would cut off the Brussels Garrison, their attack would be timed with that of 6th Army. They would thrust southeast from Lueven towards Tienen before heading southwards as if to threaten the 2nd army before Namur. Speed would be of the essence and the once the German line had been broken the Belgian Cavalry, Bicycle troops and 8 RNAS armoured cars would lead the attack.
In the south the 6th Army, was waiting, they would attack either 24 or 48 hours after the commencement of operations by 5th Army, their attack would be along the line the Germans had withdrawn to between Nivelles and Sombreffe, none of the 6th Army had gone into the line at this stage and their artillery was positioned but unfired. The sector of the line through which the attack would be conducted was quiet, the French conducting little in the way of raiding or artillery preparation. Aerial Reconnaissance was general across the entire front but surreptitiously focused on the axis of attack.
The attack by 6th Army would begin with a brief but intense bombardment of the German frontline positions. The addition of the heavy guns from Mauberg would enable the shelling of targets beyond the range of the 75mm guns that dominated the batteries of the 6th. The attack would be on a narrow front of only 3 kilometres to the south of Villiers la Ville, aiming northeast to capture Mont-Saint-Guibert, before moving up the road to Warve. If the French attack made it this far it would orient its next movements to co-ordinate with the Belgians attacking out out Leuven. The goal would be to rupture the German lines between the Second Army and the Brussels Garrison, the risk of envelopment would cause the Garrison to risk capture if they remained in Brussels and relied on their demoralised comrades to throw back attacks by two powerful Entente armies.
The French Generals and their liaison officer colleagues were satisfied with the plan. The Fifth Army Artillery preparations would commence at dawn on the 7th, with their first attacks to begin on the 8th. The Belgians and 6th Army would attack at dawn on the 9th or the 10th depending on the progress around Namur. The British would continue with their attacks pushing towards Brussels and making a show of their plan to fight in the city.
