I was a tycoon in World War I: Starting to save France

Chapter 943 Charles is feigning an attack
Charles did not rush to attack; he had his troops wait for two days in front of the "centipede tunnel."

The fire burned day and night in the forest, and bombers flew to the relevant airspace in batches. The pilots looked down from the air and dropped a batch of incendiary bombs wherever the fire was not burning enough.

The next day, they even used a "zoning and contracting tactic," dividing the forest area into "well"-shaped sections and assigning them to each bomber squadron. If any section wasn't completely burned, the squadron in question would be held accountable.

(Note: This is a tactic used by our army on the battlefield against Vietnam: searching and burning in sections to wipe out the remaining Vietnamese troops hidden in tunnels and secret passages.)

……

The International League meeting room at the Grand Hotel Crillon in Paris.

The delegates cheered upon receiving the battle report:
"This is the power of Charles; the Germans will completely lose control of the 'Centipede Passage'."

"This is what the Germans deserve; this is the price of confronting the international community."

"The Germans are foolish enough to try to use the same tactics against Charles. Victory is ours!"

……

The delegates have naturally come to regard themselves as part of the "international community".

The reason is simple: at this time, 17 countries had joined the League of Nations, including countries with many colonies such as Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Italy.

If we include the colonies of these countries, the League of Nations comprised at least several dozen countries.

The "majority" can certainly represent the "international community" and even "human justice".

The Romanian and Italian representatives were overjoyed upon hearing the news of the victory, and they repeatedly shook hands with Clemenceau.
"Please convey our gratitude to Charles; the German offensive in Romania seems to have slowed down."

"The same goes for Italy. The Germans seem to have some reservations; they are worried that Saarbrücken will fall."

If Saarbrücken falls, any victories Germany achieves in other directions will be of little significance.

Especially in the Italian direction, the German troops attacking Italy will immediately have their backs exposed to the French forces.

(The red line in the image above indicates the location where the French army broke through the German border. If they had continued southeast, they would have attacked Italy from the rear.)
……

The media devoted large sections to reporting on Charles's attack:
"It's hard to imagine that Charles actually used the same attack route as the British and American allied forces last time, without even changing the position or anything."

"Yes, but the situation is very different from the last time the British and American forces attacked. Charles burned the forest so that he had no worries about the rear."

Is this a satire of the Anglo-American coalition? Or is it a lesson in how to fight a war?

……

Military experts subsequently published various analyses in the newspapers:
“We acknowledge that Charles got off to a good start; he prepared a large number of incendiary bombs and achieved a phased victory in the simplest and most brutal way.”

"This was something the Germans hadn't expected. Although they had suffered a loss before, they clearly hadn't anticipated that Charles would target the entire forest. The German artillery hidden in the forest was wiped out, and even if some survived, they would be difficult to use effectively."

"Will Char gain the upper hand? I doubt it. The German defense is focused on Saarbrücken, a line of armored units, anti-tank guns, countless mines and trenches, which Hindenburg specifically designed to counter Char's 1st Panzer Corps!"

……

General Staff Headquarters in Berlin.

When Hindenburg received the telegram about the forest being burned, he was not flustered at all; instead, he showed a confident smile.

“You are right.” Hindenburg handed the telegram to Ludendorff: “I believe that Charles’ ultimate goal will be to cross the Rhine and attack Offenburg.”

Ludendorff took the telegram, his face filled with confusion. He didn't understand what this "forest fire" had to do with the Charles's strategic intentions.

Hindenburg's explanation:
“If Charles’s real target was Saarbrücken, he would not have allowed the newspapers to report on it extensively, as that would be tantamount to revealing his battle plans to the public.”

“If his strategic objectives and operational plans can be seen in the newspapers, then it can’t be true.” “Moreover, Charles’s characteristic is to infiltrate the target and achieve victory in the fastest speed. This time, he actually lingered for two days in front of the ‘centipede tunnel’.”

Ludendorff said "Oh": "The reason Charles is waiting is that he hopes we will have time to move the main force to Saarbrücken."

Hindenburg nodded slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips:
“The more Charles does this, the more it proves that his attack in the Saarbrücken direction is a feint.”

"Does he think I know nothing about him?"

"I might be going to disappoint him!"

……

Forests on either side of the Centipede Pass at the Freeman Front.

The trees had been burned black, leaving only bare trunks. The air was filled with a suffocating smell of smoke. A gentle breeze blew, and visible dust and grass swirled among the tree trunks. Some trunks were still slowly emitting wisps of smoke.

This is a living, magical version of the Black Forest.

British and American troops were concentrated in front of the "Black Forest," with American troops on the left and British troops on the right. They carried rifles with bayonets fixed and backpacks with enough rations for several days, forming a long line to wait.

"Advance!" the commander shouted, pointing his saber toward the forest.

The soldiers cautiously stepped forward, searching as they went. Their figures grew increasingly blurry until they disappeared into the depths. The only sound from outside was the occasional clatter of gunfire.

Haig had objected to this type of search.

“It doesn’t seem necessary for us to search the forest,” Haig said. “No one can survive a fire like this, and even if they could, they wouldn’t pose a threat to us.”

“General,” Charles replied calmly.

"The 'centipede tunnel' is our most important supply line. Ammunition, supplies, artillery, and fuel all have to pass through this tunnel."

"They are very vulnerable, and if attacked, they will suffer heavy losses, which could even affect the outcome of the war."

"We must ensure the safety of this passage, its absolute safety."

Haig remained unconvinced: "But this is just a feint, Lieutenant General, have you forgotten? So in reality, there won't be that many supplies, artillery, and fuel passing through here, nor is it necessary."

Pershing interrupted Hague:

“I don’t think so, General Haig.”

"Although it's a feint, we must make it look like a real attack."

"Only in this way can we fool the Germans; otherwise, we may very well fail!"

Haig was momentarily speechless. He glared fiercely at Pershing, as if to say:
Why can't you understand my intention? Why should the British and American troops do these rough and arduous tasks?

The British and American forces were traumatized by the Germans last time because they fought deep into the forest. Now they are going to fight in the forest again.

Pershing seemed to understand Haig's thoughts, and he comforted him:
"Rest assured, General Haig."

“This time it’s different. It has been burned by fire, and not many Germans will survive.”

"We're going there for revenge, don't you think?"

Haig had no choice but to agree to Charles's order.

(End of this chapter)