According to protocol, the German artillery should be positioned 3 to 5 kilometers behind the front lines to avoid being suppressed by French howitzers.
More importantly, it is to prevent the artillery from being directly threatened if the enemy infantry breaks through the front lines.
(Note: Being 3 to 5 kilometers away allows more reaction time and, in extreme cases, enables the artillery to fire and retreat simultaneously in the face of an enemy infantry breakthrough.)
But on the west bank of the Meuse River, the German artillery positions were only 1 kilometer from the front lines.
They had no concerns about enemy counter-battery fire or an infantry breakthrough; the Meuse River acted as an insurmountable barrier, providing the artillery with a sense of security.
Colonel Cyril, commander of the 97th Artillery Regiment, was convinced of this, and thus he spent the entire night directing fire into the town without bothering to move the artillery positions.
