Chapter 411: The Pulse of War
Charles approached the battle with full confidence.
One reason for his assuredness was that the French army had previously captured an "Upper Silesia" tank, allowing Charles to conduct tests and obtain its complete performance data.
The frontal armor of the "Upper Silesia" tank was 14mm thick, which Charles' A1 tank's 37mm cannon could penetrate at a range of approximately 350 meters.
Conversely, the front of Charles' A1 tank had been reinforced with additional armor, bringing its thickness to 45mm. The "Upper Silesia" tank's 57mm cannon would need to close to within 200 meters to have any chance of penetrating it.
(Note: At this time, specialized armor-piercing shells were not yet developed. Otherwise, the penetration capability of a 57mm cannon would not have been so weak.)
With this knowledge, the tanks of the 1st Armored Division advanced to about 200 meters from the enemy trenches and halted temporarily. They formed a steel barrier directly in front of the German defensive line.
Rather than wasting time aiming at enemy tanks or 77mm field guns, they targeted machine gun positions and infantry in the trenches.
This was because most of the German tanks and artillery were hidden in emplacements, exposing only small portions of their structures. With the accuracy of the A1 tank, destroying such targets was highly challenging.
The task of dealing with the German tanks was left to the Saint-Chamond tanks and truck-mounted artillery that followed closely behind.
The truck-mounted artillery played the most crucial role.
Tigani’s 1st Mechanized Division was equipped with 80 truck-mounted artillery pieces. After the Saint-Chamond tanks drove away the German artillery units, these truck-mounted guns quickly moved forward and prepared for bombardment.
This preparation took only a few minutes. All they needed was a flat piece of ground or a roughly leveled area. The truck would reverse into position, and the 75mm cannon mounted on its rear would be aimed at the enemy positions.
The more complex and important task was actually the preparation done before the truck-mounted artillery reached its combat positions:
Artillery observers advanced alongside the infantry, using binoculars to locate the positions of enemy tanks and calculate coordinates.
Signalers worked quickly to connect telephone lines to the artillery observers.
Initially, Charles had intended to use radios. However, the poor sound quality of radios at the time and their susceptibility to interference made communication on the noisy front lines extremely difficult. For now, they were only suitable for transmitting information between relatively stable command posts.
The downside of using telephones was that their lines were easily broken by artillery shells or crushed by vehicles.
Charles' solution was to "spare no expense." He assigned two signaler squads to each artillery observation team, each responsible for laying a separate line.
Additionally, an emergency communications company was established.
This company used armored vehicles and motorcycle sidecars equipped with a reel mechanism that laid telephone lines as they advanced. A distance of three to four kilometers could be connected in as little as five minutes.
This method perfectly solved the coordination problem between frontline infantry and rear artillery.
As a result, artillery observers relayed the coordinates of enemy tanks back by telephone, and the artillery in the rear used these coordinates to eliminate targets one by one.
The 75mm cannons had a maximum firing rate of 30 rounds per minute. Even at a standard rate of fire of over ten rounds per minute, the combined firepower of 80 truck-mounted cannons was formidable.
One shell after another rained down on the German positions, reducing their tanks to wreckage in no time.
...
Meanwhile, the German tanks achieved almost no results. Their shells only created flashes of fire on the A1 tanks' frontal armor. The A1 tanks continued firing at the German defenses as if nothing had happened.
Erwin was on the verge of collapse upon seeing this. This was one of the rare battles he had no idea how to resolve, the other being Charles' counteroffensive at Cambrai.
After a moment of silence, Erwin suddenly shouted, "Retreat! Retreat!"
He realized that defeat was inevitable. Continuing to fight would only increase casualties without any gain.
The signal was promptly relayed by the communication officers. However, only eight tanks managed to retreat, and two of them were destroyed during the withdrawal.
The rear armor of the "Upper Silesia" tank was only 5mm thick. Even if a shell didn’t directly hit, shrapnel could pierce the armor and damage the engine.
Erwin returned to the forest where his tank division was stationed, riding in a motorcycle sidecar. His body was covered in dust, his face blackened with gunpowder smoke, and his once-confident eyes now dimmed.
Major General Nicolas paced anxiously in front of the bunker. When he saw Erwin arrive, he hurriedly approached and asked, "What’s the situation?"
"It’s bad, General," Erwin said helplessly, shaking his head. "Charles is much more formidable than I imagined. The defenses I organized were no match for him."
Major General Nicolas was momentarily stunned. This wasn’t like Erwin, who always carried an air of arrogance. He never admitted defeat or took others seriously—not even Nicolas.
But now, he looked as dejected as a rooster beaten in a cockfight.
"Pull yourself together, Captain," Nicolas said. "We haven’t lost yet. At least you correctly guessed Charles' intentions, and only you guessed it right! Now, I need you to predict his next move and stop him."
"Yes, General." Erwin swallowed hard, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to focus. After studying a map spread on the wheel of a vehicle, he said, "General, we may have only one option."
Pointing to the map, Erwin explained, "The town of Valot, about thirty kilometers away, is a key route to Brussels. It has a highway bridge. If we hold the bridge or destroy it, we can delay the enemy's advance."
Nicolas didn’t hesitate. With a quick glance at the map, he decisively ordered, "All troops retreat to Valot. Advance at full speed!"
The German 1st Tank Division sprang into action. Despite having only 38 tanks left—some of which had just been repaired with no guarantee they’d make it to Valot—they moved out.
...
At the 1st Mechanized Division’s headquarters, Charles received a call reporting the successful capture of the German defenses. He turned to General Foch and said, "Apologies, sir. I may not be able to host you."
Foch noticed the guards packing up documents and equipment and asked curiously, "You’re planning to advance with the troops?"
"Yes," Charles replied.
"No." A flicker of surprise crossed Foch’s eyes. "You don’t need to do this, Brigadier. You know the penetration mission is dangerous. A single misstep could leave you surrounded by the enemy..."
"Precisely because it’s dangerous, I must go with the troops," Charles answered firmly. "Otherwise, what right do we have to ask our soldiers to charge into enemy lines despite the risks?"
Foch was taken aback. He silently patted Charles on the shoulder and said, "You’re right. I await news of your victory!"
"Thank you, General." Charles shook Foch’s hand.
After Charles and his entourage departed, the headquarters suddenly felt empty, leaving only Foch and Weygand.
Foch asked Weygand thoughtfully, "Do you still believe his theories are wrong?"
Weygand fell silent.
Compared to those who could only formulate plans from the rear, Charles was a commander who immersed himself in the battlefield.
This meant he could connect theory with practice, grasp the pulse of war, and seize the enemy by the throat...
Though Weygand was reluctant to admit it, he had a nagging feeling that he was the one who might be wrong.