Chapter 365: Boomerang
General Winter bid a hasty farewell to Charles and then set off to meet with Joffre.
Everything seemed reasonable: Britain needed a "remarkable" victory on the Western Front, which was primarily led by the French army, so naturally, they would turn to the French Commander-in-Chief, Joffre.
Just as Charles had expected, when Winter met with Joffre and explained the request, Joffre felt a sense of destiny at work.
While Charles had been engaged in combat on the Gallipoli Peninsula, Joffre had already equipped his First Special Artillery Division with the "Saint-Chamond M21" tanks and had begun their training.
This was a mixed unit of the original "Saint-Chamond" and the improved "Saint-Chamond M21" models, under the command of General Christine.
The critical point was that this division was trained in Charles's tactics, and the "Saint-Chamond M21" even had a variant equipped with a 37mm cannon.
General Christine had once discreetly reminded Joffre, "General, if we use Charles's tactics and the tank cannons he invented, even if we achieve victory on the battlefield, it doesn't mean we've outdone Charles."
But Joffre replied, "The key is the tank, Christine! This is a completely different tank from the 'Charles A1.' It's much faster than Charles's tank and may well represent the future of armored warfare!"
When Joffre spoke of speed, he was referring to the "Saint-Chamond M21"'s road speed, reaching 28 kilometers per hour with tires, significantly faster than the "Charles A1"'s top speed of 15 kilometers per hour.
However, its speed on tracks was only 6 kilometers per hour.
Joffre ignored this disadvantage, justifying it as follows:
"We don't need high speed in combat—6 kilometers per hour is enough. Any faster, and the infantry won't be able to keep up."
"For movement, it can use the road and travel at 28 kilometers per hour."
"Most importantly, we have a perfect balance with a combination of heavy and light tanks!"
General Christine was skeptical. He had studied Charles's tactics against the German "A7V" tanks and believed that tanks also needed maneuverability in combat.
As for the heavy-light tank pairing, that only mattered if the heavy "Saint-Chamond" could actually reach the enemy's front line.
But Christine said nothing, knowing it was futile to object. The tanks were already in use, and his only option was to lead them to victory as best he could.
Confident as he was, Joffre hadn't anticipated that the Germans' tanks were no longer the clunky A7Vs he envisioned. The "First Special Artillery Division" he was preparing was merely fodder in Charles's plan to test the German's new equipment.
...
Meanwhile, Charles was already able to make a fair guess about the new German aircraft.
At this point, the German "Fokker E" series fighter should have already been developed. Historically, its appearance sparked what was known as the "Fokker Scourge," with the Allies struggling to field anything comparable.
However, Charles knew this broad outline wasn't enough. He couldn't recall the exact specifications of the Fokker E series, such as its top speed, number of machine guns, or its maneuverability.
As for what the Germans' new tank might be, Charles was completely in the dark, as Germany had not deployed any other tanks in combat following the A7V.
Thus, Charles needed to use a bit of strategy to push Joffre and Schneider to lead the charge, allowing Charles's real trump cards to strike with precision.
What Charles hadn't expected, however, was Joffre's roundabout attempt to glean his battle plans.
One day, while Charles was going through intelligence reports as usual, the phone on his desk rang.
Surprised—he hadn't received a direct call in quite some time—Charles answered. Typically, messages were routed through the communications room and then relayed to the command center, rather than calling Charles directly.
On the other end was Foch's voice. "Are you busy, Brigadier?"
"No, not at all, General," Charles replied, wondering if Foch wanted to revisit the topic of "offensive theory."
Foch acknowledged him with a short "Hmm" and continued:
"I've been reflecting on your tactical theories and have developed an interest in your tanks."
"I'm curious—if you were to lead an assault on the enemy's front lines, how would you proceed?"
Foch's words were vague, and since he had previously discussed tactics with Charles, it seemed harmless.
However, Charles immediately recalled General Winter's words about the Allies' need for a "noteworthy victory" on the Western Front.
After Winter's visit, he'd gone to see Joffre.
And now Foch was trying to probe his battle plans. Coincidence? Unlikely.
More likely, Joffre was the one truly interested in hearing this.
Charles felt certain of it.
What Joffre and Foch didn't know was that General Winter had already approached Charles, meaning Charles knew everything.
It was somewhat ironic—a boomerang had come back around to Charles.
Feigning ignorance, Charles paused thoughtfully and decided to give them a feasible plan. After all, to draw out the Germans' "secret weapons," Joffre's forces needed to be competent enough to prompt a response.
"I believe we should first find a flat, firm surface," Charles suggested.
"A firm surface?" Foch repeated, clearly unfamiliar with the concept.
"Yes," Charles explained. "For example, the mud of Ypres would be unsuitable for tank maneuvering. Without proper terrain, even the best tactics and equipment are rendered useless. It must at least support tank movement."
"That makes sense," Foch agreed.
"Second," Charles continued, "the tanks should concentrate their attack to break through the enemy's front lines rapidly."
Foch acknowledged this as well. A dispersed push would spread the tanks' firepower too thinly, which could result in a prolonged stalemate against fortified defenses.
"And finally," Charles added, "we shouldn't conduct excessive or prolonged artillery bombardment beforehand."
On the other end of the line, Foch fell silent; they had been planning to do just that.
After a while, Foch asked, "Why not? Why wouldn't that work?"
"Because, General, it would be like announcing to the enemy where our tanks intend to breach," Charles replied. "The enemy would concentrate their artillery in defense, and once that happens, no tank can break through."
Foch grasped the idea. If the enemy amassed enough artillery to blanket the no-man's land in front of their trenches, even maneuverable tanks would be decimated under a heavy barrage.
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