Chapter 606 This is another Schlieffen Plan
Kitchener and Lieutenant General Ives believed that Charles would launch a counterattack from Brussels, and they were ready to cooperate with Charles to attack the German army from both sides.
Albert I, Major-General Eden and Foch also believed that Charles would attack from Brussels.
Albert I arrived in Brussels first. He personally commanded the militia to gather intelligence on the German army and to detect the firepower and troop deployment of the German defense line.
In addition to defending Antwerp, Major General Eden was responsible for organizing guerrillas to harass and sabotage the German army's logistical supply lines.
Foch commanded the French troops in the Somme and Verdun to launch a counterattack against the German army in order to increase the pressure on the German army and prevent it from rushing to the aid of Belgium.
The Germans also believed that Charles would counterattack from Brussels.
Colonel Erwin was busy around the breach in the defenses, trying to connect the new German line with Leuven.
Lieutenant General Nicolas was not very confident about this penetration. He reminded Erwin: "We are facing Charles's troops. No one dares to take risks in front of him. Colonel, whether it is tanks or planes, we are no match for Charles."
"I know, General." Colonel Erwin insisted on his point of view: "But we still have hope of victory because of supplies. Charles' troops lack supplies..."
"How do you plan to deal with Charles' fighter planes?" Lieutenant General Nicolas interrupted Erwin.
The Camel fighter was 50 kilometers per hour faster than the Fokker E2, which forced the German Air Force to avoid fighting for a time because fighting almost meant suicide.
"Attack is the best defense, General." Colonel Erwin pointed to the map and replied, "Brussels has only one airport. Our planes have a numerical advantage. They can be divided into several groups and deployed around the enemy airport to attack in turns."
Lieutenant General Nicolas seemed to understand what Colonel Erwin meant: "You mean, attack the enemy airport?"
Colonel Erwin nodded:
"Yes, General."
"Our air force will try to avoid air combat with the enemy. I intend to adopt guerrilla warfare, the main purpose of which is to consume the enemy's fuel."
"Enemy planes will always land, and then our army will attack the enemy airport from several directions at the same time and destroy the fighter planes parked at the airport!"
Lieutenant General Nicolas nodded thoughtfully.
If you can't shoot them down in the air, blow them up while they're at the airport.
After hesitating for a while, Lieutenant General Nicolas asked again: "What about tanks? Our tanks are also no match for the 'Char A1'."
Erwin answered simply: "Anti-tank trench."
"But they have bridge-laying vehicles, Colonel." Lieutenant General Nicholas reminded him, "Have you forgotten the battle of Namur?"
"Of course I haven't forgotten, General," Colonel Erwin replied:
"But I hid the 77mm gun in an underground bunker at the front of the position, and when the bridge-laying vehicle appeared, I pushed it out of the bunker and blew it up."
"In addition, I also put up multiple barbed wire fences and laid mines in front of the anti-tank ditch."
"There is also a 105MM artillery piece marked behind the anti-tank trench."
Lieutenant General Nicolas thought it sounded good and seemed to be able to defend against Charles' bridge-laying vehicles.
"The important thing is," Erwin concluded, "Charle's troops don't have much supplies. If we hold out for a few more days, they will completely lose their combat effectiveness."
Lieutenant General Nicolas nodded with satisfaction. He felt that this might be Charles' first defeat since he joined the army.
This is not a problem of the quality of the French First Armored Corps, nor is it a problem of their equipment, nor is it a problem of Charles' command.
Instead, the English and the French Parliament foolishly cut supplies to the Shire.
Now, even if we transport supplies to Charles day and night, it is too late. The supplies that can be transported are far less than what will be consumed after the battle begins.
This is precisely what became Charles' fatal weakness.
The more Nicholas thought about it, the more he felt it was right. He patted Erwin on the shoulder with satisfaction and said, "You should be the commander, Colonel. Well done!"
…
The Prime Minister's Office in Paris.
When Briand and Clemenceau learned that the main force of the German army had quickly penetrated into Ghent and threatened the French supply lines, they were frightened and at a loss.
"God, this is another Schlieffen Plan." Clemenceau looked at the map and swallowed hard. "Just like last time, the Germans will launch a surprise attack from the north. If this continues, Paris may be in danger again."
"Will they?" Briand looked up at Clemenceau, fear in his eyes. As a lawyer, he knew nothing about military affairs. "But the Germans are still in Belgium. It seems they are still far away from us."
Although Clemenceau had never been a soldier, he was a doctor during the Franco-German War and had more military experience than Briand. At this time, he acted as an expert to analyze Briand:
"It's different now, Your Excellency the Prime Minister."
"When the war broke out, France still had plenty of supplies. At that time, our army did not rely on external assistance. Even if the Germans attacked Paris, we were able to fight back."
"But now, we are in a dilemma of extreme shortage of supplies. 40% of our ammunition comes from the United States by sea transportation. The Germans can cut off our external supply routes along the coastline. This is fatal!"
Briand turned pale, he didn't expect things to be so serious.
He just wanted to weaken Charles, but he didn't expect to put the whole of France in danger.
If France collapses in this battle, he will undoubtedly lose his position as prime minister, and it may even become a big stain on his life, and he will have no chance of making any achievements in politics in the future.
Thinking of this, Brian stood up nervously and said, "We should send supplies to Charles immediately and concentrate all our supplies and transportation capacity, even if it means transferring supplies from the Somme River and Verdun."
"It's too late, Prime Minister." Clemenceau shook his head: "The battle is about to start. The German fighter planes have begun to block the railways and roads."
After a pause, Clemenceau added: "To put it simply, we have supplies but no Charles in the rear, and we have Charles but no supplies in the front."
Briand sank back into his chair and heaved a long sigh.
He regretted that he should not have joked about the war at this time. He thought the Allies had already won the battle, so he began to weaken Charles before achieving a decisive victory.
After a long while, Briand asked weakly, "Charles, we can win, right?"
Clemenceau did not answer. He did not believe that Charles could win under the circumstances unless a miracle happened.
Suddenly, the secretary hurried in with a telegram: "Mr. Prime Minister, Charles's troops have launched an attack. He is attacking Hasselt."
"Hasselt?"
Briand and Clemenceau looked at each other in bewilderment; they had no idea what the place name was.
Where is that place?
Why did Ciel attack there?
Shouldn't it be an attack on Antwerp?
(End of this chapter)
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