Chapter 786 Hindenburg Line
Although the parliamentary discussions ended, the bombing and panic continued.
Artillery shells bombarded Paris at a frequency of about one shell every 20 minutes. Some shells hit the suburbs without causing any damage, but those that hit Paris always caused some casualties.
Report after report flew onto Gallieni's desk.
Gallieni had moved to the city defense headquarters because it was more convenient to command the reserve army group from there.
However, he was more in charge of the police station next door rather than the reserve army group.
It was difficult for soldiers to play a role in this situation, and the police were seriously understaffed. In desperation, Gallieni had to assign soldiers to the police and let the police command the soldiers to carry out disaster relief, clear traffic and maintain public order.
However, dangers continued to arise.
Lieutenant Colonel Fernan held the document and reported nervously:
"A building was destroyed in Charles V Avenue, killing eight people and injuring 32."
"A huge crater was blown up near the Paris train station, killing seven people and injuring 23. Train service was suspended."
"Stable Avenue was blown up, 4 people died and 25 people were injured, and traffic was interrupted!"
…
"That's enough." Gallieni interrupted Colonel Fernand.
Although he regretted the casualties of these civilians, he understood that as a general he should not be troubled by these tactical issues, and he should solve the problem from a higher strategic perspective.
He turned his gaze to Charles, who was sitting at the staff officer's desk and staring at the map, and said anxiously, "You know that's not the point of the problem."
"Yes, General." Charles replied calmly: "The key point is the panic of the people. Stores are closed, transportation is interrupted, and even the subway has stopped running. This will affect the normal life in Paris and even affect industrial production."
(Note: The Paris Metro was built and put into operation in 1900)
But this was exactly what Charles wanted, even beyond his expectations.
Capitalists sold off their assets at low prices, not just land, but also power plants, textile mills, food processing plants, etc.
Because there is a rumor in society:
Now it is just because the Germans do not have enough of this kind of artillery. In the future, when there are more and more of this kind of artillery, it will not be one round every 20 minutes, but several rounds per minute. By then, will Paris still exist?
As a result, everything became worthless, asset prices were halved overnight, but still no one was interested, and prices continued to fall.
Charles's insurance company was making a fortune, and the doors were nearly broken down by the people.
"A solution." Gallieni stared at Charles. "I want a solution."
Charles spread his hands and answered awkwardly: "There is no solution, General. If there is, the only way is to fight into German territory and force them to surrender."
What Charles said was true, but it was not true either.
The fact is that there is no need to pay attention to it. The Germans did not have many "Paris Cannons", especially this type of "Paris Cannon" which caused great damage to the barrel. After firing 50 rounds, it had to be sent back to the factory for barrel expansion.
(Note: The meaning of expanding the bore is that because the barrel is severely worn and no longer suitable for firing shells of the original caliber, it is sent back to the factory to be turned smooth so that it can fire shells of a larger caliber)
Therefore, the situation that the people of Paris imagine, where more and more artillery is produced and finally covers and bombards Paris, will never happen.
But as long as Charles doesn't say it, who will know?
"I also heard that the Germans are building a Hindenburg Line." Charles handed the map to Gallieni and drew a line along the border. "It's in Lorraine and Alsace. You know why."
Gallieni nodded heavily.
If they have the "Paris Cannon" to bombard Paris within their territory, then they don't need to attack. They just need to hold the defense line and then continue to produce the "Paris Cannon" to continue bombing Paris. One day, Paris will collapse.
"Can you break through this line of defense?" Gallieni asked.
Charles shook his head again. “This line of defense is much shorter than the Western Front, and it is specifically designed for armored forces.”
Charles handed Gallieni a sketch and said, "This is a sample map of the defense line observed by the frontline soldiers. It is obvious that the Germans are fully prepared. They even changed their tactics."
(The above picture is a schematic diagram of the Hindenburg Line. It has a dedicated anti-tank trench and a large area of barbed wire. There is also a warning line in front of the main defense line, where a small number of soldiers are deployed to guard and cooperate with artillery to kill a large number of enemy troops)
Gallieni glanced at the sketch and sighed, "This is because Hindenburg came to power. His fighting style is completely different from Falkenhayn's."
"It's not just that, General." Charles reminded, "If Hindenburg builds such a solid defense line that we can't break through, they can break through our fragile defense line at any time while bombing with the 'Paris Cannon'. Our army will be overwhelmed and it will cause a serious blow to our morale and confidence."
Gallieni exclaimed: "That's right, we can either break through this line of defense or build a similar line of defense."
That was what Gallieni said, not Charles.
…
After leaving the city defense headquarters, Charles flew to Buzenci to meet Pétain and also gave him a sketch of the Hindenburg Line.
Pétain was the most defensive person, and he frowned when he saw the sketch:
"This, is this true? There's a reinforced concrete underground bunker behind us?"
"These bunkers can store ammunition and food, and are perfect for taking shelter from artillery fire."
"Such a line of defense is almost impossible to break through!"
(The above picture is a cross-section of the Hindenburg Line, which was the prototype of Germany's famous Siegfried Line after the war. Opposing it was France's Maginot Line.)
"Of course it is true, Major General," Charles replied. "The Germans are playing a big game. They are trying to replicate the success of the Battle of the Somme and aim to kill our troops."
"Yes." Petain nodded heavily:
"The Germans are seriously outnumbered on several fronts. They can only hope to use the defense line to increase their casualties to our army. Only in this way can they have a chance of victory."
"And we..."
Petain looked up at Charles and said, "Lieutenant General, with all due respect, we also need a line of defense, a similar line of defense, even stronger than the Germans."
"I'm not sure, Major-General," Charles replied, "but General Gallieni said the same thing. I don't know if General Foch will object. And then there's Parliament. We need its support."
This is a big project.
And this project will certainly fall into the hands of the Bernard Group, and Charles certainly does not want it to be "proposed by itself", "produced by itself", and finally "benefited by itself".
Therefore, the best solution is for Pétain to take the lead and have Gallieni's support.
The Bernard Group only needs to "passively" reap the benefits from behind.
Then one day, the capitalists will suddenly discover that Bernard has grasped all the lifelines of France!
(End of this chapter)
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