Chapter 347 Foch's Phone Call
Charles and his 105th Infantry Regiment spent two days in the French trenches.
This was to avoid the German army launching a sudden counterattack and losing the position that had been regained with great difficulty. Charles believed that it was necessary to change defenses cautiously when the foothold was not stable. The 105th Infantry Regiment could only withdraw after the troops in the rear were slowly replenished and adapted to the position.
Life in the trenches was worse than one might imagine.
It can be seen that the French army has tried its best to build trenches along the high-altitude areas, but at a depth of 2.5 meters, water seepage is still inevitable.
In many places, the water is higher than the thighs. Tunnels cannot be built in these locations because they may collapse at any time or the people inside may be drowned.
There was almost no dry place in the trenches. Even in Charles's headquarters, the water was ankle-deep. The military boots made a rustling sound when they stepped on the ground, which was sticky.
Although it is not the rainy season now, the accumulated water formed by the melting ice and snow in winter has never been able to be drained, resulting in the current situation.
The rainy season will come again in a few months, and the waterlogging and landslides will be more serious. This is why Ypres is muddy all year round.
It is hard to imagine that such a place was occupied by the German army and then immediately turned into a supply transfer station as a paradise.
It wasn't long before Charles understood why.
Perhaps to vent their anger, the German army soon launched an artillery bombardment on the defense line for more than an hour without stopping for a second.
This time Charles felt much better. There was a tunnel under the 2.5-meter-deep trench, which made them feel very safe.
Unless the shells hit the top of the tunnel directly and collapsed it, there would be basically no danger. Charles instantly felt that the accumulated water in the trench was not unbearable.
The Germans attempted several charges behind the artillery fire, but these quickly failed.
The German army left a large number of Maxim machine guns and ammunition in the trenches.
The 105th Infantry Regiment made use of them, setting up one every thirty to fifty meters on the defense line. Except for the sniper company and mortar operators, the rifles of ordinary soldiers were put aside. As soon as the enemy's artillery fire stopped, they rushed into the machine gun positions, and then rained bullets on the rushing German troops.
Only then did Charles realize why World War I had developed into trench warfare, especially at Ypres.
…
More than two hours later, the phone call from the defense line was finally connected to the rear, at the cost of the lives of three signalmen.
What Charles didn't expect was that the first caller was from Foch.
It was Tijani who answered the phone. He looked at Charles in astonishment, then leaned forward and said in a low voice, "Looking for you, Colonel, General Foch, commander of the Northern Army Group."
Charles hesitated.
Perhaps because Charles' tactical ideas were opposed to Foch's, Charles had always tried his best to avoid contact with Foch to avoid disputes or even conflicts.
Foch seemed to have such a tacit understanding. They actually had several opportunities to meet, but they "missed" each other for one reason or another.
Now, Foch actually called Charles?
Is it because it cannot be avoided and must be faced?
With doubts, Charles took the phone and revealed his identity.
Foch did not mince words:
"I know we have our differences, Colonel."
"But our goals are the same, which is to defeat the enemy and recover the French territory."
"The only difference between us is in method. It's not a big deal, don't you think?"
Charles felt comfortable instantly. He liked this way of solving the problem, putting things out in the open.
"Of course, General," Charles replied. "I agree with you very much!"
Foch did not shy away from expressing his thoughts:
"Sometimes I also doubt the correctness of the 'offensive theory', but we all cannot deny that most victories are achieved under offense, including your battles."
"Indeed, what you said seems to make more sense. Some battles require defense, and some battles require offense."
"But doesn't what you said cover all the battle examples? It's the same as saying nothing!"
"We need a definite tactic that can guide the entire army to victory, rather than empty statements without substantive meaning."
In Foch's eyes, Charles's tactical theory was meaningless.
Even Pétain's "defense theory" has a specific direction, while Charles' tactical theory is a "jack of all trades" that can be used for everything.
Foch then added:
"In fact, if it weren't for your repeated miraculous victories, I wouldn't even be discussing this with you."
"I don't mean to look down on you, I just think this is meaningless."
Ciel replied calmly, "I understand, General. But what if that is the case?"
Foch asked in return: "What is so true?"
"The fact of the battlefield is that it cannot be determined by a simple, definite, black-and-white tactic," Charles explained.
Foch laughed. "Is that so? No, I don't think so. There must be a pattern to it."
"May I ask a question, General?" asked Charles.
"Of course." Foch was very patient and did not act arrogantly because of the difference in military rank.
But this may be because Charles' performance on the battlefield was so dazzling that he had to take it seriously.
At this time, several cannon shots were heard overhead. Charles waited until the cannon shots died down before he said calmly:
"If you are a teacher, you have 40, 50 or even more students."
"Can you teach them in a simple, certain, and unique way?"
“If possible, can this method be replicated globally, and can your method be written down in a notebook so that all teachers can copy it?”
Foch was stunned.
He was a professor at the Saint-Cyr Military Academy for several years, teaching military history and strategy and tactics, and later served as dean.
He was well aware that education was something uncertain and unrepeatable.
Because its working objects are students, which are people. Each student has a different personality and different ideas, and they will have different reactions to the same sentence.
This is where the difficulty of education lies. Teachers must use different educational methods according to the personalities of different students.
Foch seemed to understand Charles's idea: "You mean to say that military theory is similar to education, and it also needs to respond to different situations?"
"Of course." Charles replied, "Because it is also people fighting on the battlefield, not just a simple war."
There was silence on the other end of the phone, and no one responded for a long time, as if he was thinking.
Charles went on to say:
"Let us assume that all the French troops implement your 'theory of attack'."
"And the German commander across from us knew this, and from that he knew what we were going to do next."
"Under these circumstances, do you still think we can win?"
Foch suddenly felt that perhaps Charles was the only one who was right.
Because Pétain’s "defense theory" also has this problem. Once the entire army implements and finalizes it, the enemy will know what the French army will do next!
(End of this chapter)
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