Paris City Hall.
In the Prime Minister's office, a few people had no appetite for breakfast. They sipped coffee and waited anxiously for news from the front.
Petain's situation was as they expected; he indeed failed to break through the German defense line.
Ever since Shire led his troops to seize the core Duomont Fortress of the Verdun Fortress Group, the Germans had built a defense line combining fortresses and trenches based on Ornes, Beaumont, Mokur, and other fortresses.
Perhaps knowing that Petain wouldn't attack easily, the Germans didn't place barbed wire and mines in front of the defense line.
But even so, Petain, who always focused on constructing defensive positions, appeared weak and powerless during the attack—over an hour of offensive, with half an hour spent on artillery preparation. The troops charged and were repelled by German artillery three times.
Major Durra felt odd about this:
"Repelled by German artillery three times in half an hour?"
