French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 61 The Paris Legion's Deployment, Examining the High Ground Fortifications

While the new recruits in Versailles were intensifying their training, the construction of multiple ring-shaped defensive lines around Paris was also in full swing thanks to the combined efforts of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians.

According to the defense plan devised by Camrobelle, the first line of defense was located ten to fifteen kilometers outside the city of Paris, mainly relying on villages, rivers and high ground.

Composed of a series of mutually supporting bunkers, trenches, and barbed wire, its mission was to delay the Prussian advance and deplete their manpower.

The second line of defense, located five to eight kilometers outside the city, is the core defensive position, where most of the artillery and reserves are deployed, and its fortifications are the most solid.

The third line of defense consisted of Paris's old city walls and main streets, serving as the final barrier for street fighting.

The three most important defensive strongholds were each guarded by one of the three main infantry corps of the Paris Army.

The 14th Army was stationed in Saint-Denis in the north, controlling the railway and road hub connecting Paris to Belgium, which was also the most likely direction for the Prussian army's main attack.

The 15th Army was stationed in the southern Meudon Heights and the southern Bois de Boulogne, controlling the lower Seine River waterway and preventing Prussian troops from outflanking from the south.

The 13th Army, serving as the general reserve, was stationed at the Versailles fortress in the west, ready to support battles in all directions at any time.

Two independent cavalry divisions were deployed separately in the eastern and western suburbs of Paris, responsible for reconnaissance, patrols, and flank protection, and could quickly move to support a direction in case of an emergency.

Of course, that was the official stance on these two divisions, but in reality, Eugène intended to use them as a suppressive force. Once a rebellion broke out in Paris, these two divisions would be essential for a swift suppression.

The corps' reserve artillery brigade, with 580 artillery pieces, was deployed on various high grounds along the second line of defense, forming a crossfire network.

The entire city of Paris had 2500 cannons. Apart from 700 fortress cannons belonging to various fortress units, the remaining 1800 cannons belonged to the Legion of Paris. Even if the Legion of Paris did not approve of the quality of some cannons, there were still more than 1200 cannons available.

After allocating such a large number of artillery pieces to three infantry corps, there was still a significant surplus, making the artillery brigade more accurately described as an artillery division than a brigade.

On August 22, the same day that Eugène sent 8 million francs worth of supplies to the front lines, the French Crown Prince personally inspected the fortifications at the Meudon Heights.

Accompanying Eugène were General Auguste-Alexandre Dictlow, commander of the 15th Army, and the engineer commander. Dictlow was the most staunch advocate of war in Paris, and his status and rank were also appropriate.

This man had led the largest breakout attempt in Paris in history, which ended in failure. After the failure, he went from being a pro-war advocate to a pro-peace advocate.

Despite this blemish, given the lack of suitable candidates in Paris, Dicklow, who is currently a proponent of war, is undoubtedly the best option at the moment.

As long as the Paris team doesn't suffer a crushing defeat, that's fine. Besides, if they really suffer a crushing defeat and squander all the savings they've painstakingly accumulated over the past two months, Eugène doesn't think he'll have a chance to regroup. At that point, he won't care whether Dickelo is a proponent of peace or not.

Meudon is the highest point in southern Paris, with a maximum elevation of 179 meters and an average elevation of 103 meters. From the top of the mountain, you can overlook the entire city of Paris and a range of more than 20 kilometers downstream of the Seine.

This is no joke. Meudon Hill is located on the left bank of the Seine River in southwest Paris. The terrain slopes gently towards the city of Paris, with no high mountains at all, making it the best artillery observation point in southwest Paris.

Within 15 kilometers, almost all of Paris's southwestern fortifications, Seine River crossings, and access roads to the city can be seen in their entirety.

The Meudon Heights, together with the 157-meter Valérien Hill to the northwest and the 130-meter Montmartre Heights in the city, were essentially the core defensive positions of the Paris artillery. At the same time, these three places would also be key targets for the Prussian army's offensive.

After all, if the Prussian army occupied this area, their artillery could directly bombard the center of Paris.

Therefore, it was impossible to sit idly by and wait for death. Whether it was dealing with the external Prussians or the internal Republicans, they needed Eugène of the Medon Heights, and that's why they deployed the 15th Army's most elite Alpine brigade here.

Euren walked step by step along the communication trenches dug by the engineers. Since his future was at stake, Euren carefully checked every detail.

To ensure the fortifications met the standards, Eugene also carried a measuring tape with him to check whether the width and depth of the trenches met the requirements.

Fortunately, there seemed to be no corruption here. The trenches were exactly two meters deep and 1.5 meters wide, with foxholes and artillery shelters dug on both sides. The tops were covered with logs and sandbags, which could withstand direct bombardment from 12-pound field guns.

There is a machine gun emplacement every 100 meters, and the firepower can cover the entire front line.

"This reverse slope construction is well done."

Having witnessed the French army's chaotic operations, Eugène, quite satisfied after touring the 15th Army, pointed to a concealed artillery position on the back of the hillside and praised it generously.

"The Prussian artillery can't reach this area from the front, and when their infantry charge up, our artillery can provide flank fire."

Regarding Eugène, who hadn't met him much and didn't know he was also an engineer commander with military expertise, a look of surprise appeared on his face, but it was quickly replaced by a smile.

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness. This was designed by the soldiers of the Alpine Brigade themselves. They have built many similar fortifications in the Alps."

France has many mountain troops, but most of them are in the south, such as the Alpine Brigade established by the 15th Army.

The mountain soldiers were either veterans recruited from Paris or soldiers who had served in the southern mountain troops and were drawn from all over Paris.

These soldiers with mountain warfare experience were mostly appointed as platoon leaders. With the addition of some veterans and new recruits, this mountain brigade could be considered to have been put together.

Knowing the inside story of the mountain brigade, Eugene did not respond to the engineer commander's boastful words and continued walking forward.

When Eugène reached an observation post on the mountaintop, he suddenly stopped and, in front of Dicklow and the engineering commander, pointed to a small hill not far ahead and asked a question.

"What's that person's name?"

"Your Highness, that is the Monruzhi Hill, which is about thirty meters lower in elevation than here."

Somewhat confused, Dirk chose to answer Eugène's question truthfully. Eugène, upon receiving the answer, frowned and voiced his doubts.

"Why not deploy an outpost there? If the Prussian army captures that small hill, they can see our entire defensive deployment on the Merdon Heights, and they can use field artillery with a longer range to directly bombard our artillery positions."