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

Chapter 968 New Type of Tank
Hindenburg hesitated after learning that Charles had flown to Belgium.

"Liege Fortress." Hindenburg located it on the map: "Once Charles breaches Liege Fortress, he can directly threaten the Ruhr industrial region and, together with the French forces in Saarbrücken, encircle our army!"

Hindenburg's eyes showed terror. If this were the case, Germany would completely lose the ability to fight the French army and would only have the option of surrender.

(The above image shows Hindenburg's vision of the Char forces' offensive route, which would attack the Ruhr, Germany's most important industrial region, from two directions, while simultaneously encircling the German forces between the two lines.)
Wilhelm II, however, was much calmer than Hindenburg.

"I've heard that we've repaired the Liege fortress," Wilhelm II asked. "And we've also strengthened its defenses, is that right?"

“You could say that,” Hindenburg replied.

At the same time, he felt a chill run down his spine. Wilhelm II would ask such a question if he believed that the Charles could not breach the Liège fortress.

Sure enough, Wilhelm II continued:
"Think about it, Marshal, how difficult it was for us to capture the Luri Fortress back then."

"We had to bring in the 'Grand Bertha' to capture it, and at the time, the troops stationed there were just poorly equipped Belgian troops."

"Our people are stationed there now!"

Hindenburg retorted, "But the troops attacking the Liege fortress now are not the same German troops as before, but Charles's forces!"

Wilhelm II insisted on his own ideas:
“If the force heading towards Liege Fortress is the First Armored Corps of the Charles, then I believe you are right, and we should immediately reinforce Liege.”

"But that's not it; the French 6th Army is stationed in Belgium."

"I remember it was a 'mutinous' army, wasn't it?"

With that, Wilhelm II turned his gaze to his trusted aide-de-camp.

The aide-de-camp hurriedly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, it is now led by Major General Christine."

Wilhelm II shrugged at Hindenburg:

"That's exactly what I wanted to say. Wherever the First Armored Corps is, that's where the main attack direction of the Charles will be. It's that obvious!"

"Make a decision, Marshal, don't hesitate any longer."

"Charles's aim was merely to have our troops divide their forces for defense, thereby relieving the pressure on Saarbrücken."

Hindenburg hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said:

“No, Your Majesty, I do not believe that Charles is bluffing.”

“He didn’t need to do that. We didn’t even manage to surround Saarbrücken. Charles’ First Panzer Corps could withdraw to the front line at any time.”

"Before retreating, they could also blow up all the factories in Saarbrücken."

Wilhelm II countered, "Then why didn't he do it?"

"Because the Charles are confident they can defeat us." Hindenburg pointed to several locations on the map:

"The First Panzer Corps is in Saarbrücken, the Second Panzer Corps is in Liège Fortress, and the Third Panzer Corps is on the east bank of the Rhine!"

"The combat effectiveness of every unit should not be underestimated; we cannot focus solely on the First Armored Corps!"

"Charles has the power to crush us, yet we thought we could defeat him!"

Wilhelm II stared at Hindenburg for a while, then suddenly laughed, his voice tinged with sarcasm: "You've been frightened by Charles, Marshal. The enemy isn't as terrible as you think."

Hindenburg was speechless.

It wasn't because he believed Wilhelm II's words, but because he saw hesitation, doubt, and disappointment in the eyes of his staff—disappointment with Hindenburg.

In the face of war, people are more receptive to inspiring, uplifting, and never-say-die spirits. This seems correct, and such propaganda should indeed be used to educate soldiers.

However, at the command level, they may misjudge the enemy's strength and display unrealistic "bravery," causing them to launch attacks instead of taking a defensive stance.

This will lead to strategic errors, and a large number of soldiers will pay the price for the commander's hot-headed "spirit".

Hindenburg understood this, but found himself powerless to stop Wilhelm II.

Everyone was so caught up in Wilhelm II’s recent series of victories that they habitually assumed that following Wilhelm II would bring them another victory.

Looking at the eager eyes of his advisors, Wilhelm II nodded in satisfaction.

His resolute decision to launch a full-scale attack on Saarbrücken was not due to underestimating Charles, but rather because he knew one thing:
In the Saarbrücken direction, the British and American forces would not support the French army, leaving the French army isolated.

……

Under Wilhelm II's orders, the German army launched its recapture of Saarbrücken.

There was no large-scale artillery preparation because Saarbrücken was a German city, and the German army had to consider the citizens trapped in the city.

From the very beginning, the German army planned to use infantry to enter the city and fight street battles with the French army.

They were not unprepared.

For some time, the German army had been sending people to infiltrate Saarbrücken and secretly transporting weapons into the city.

Once the battle begins, the citizens of the city will revolt in coordination with the attacking forces, leaving the French troops stationed in the city in a predicament from both inside and outside.

But they were soon disappointed.

The citizens had been cleared out by the French army in advance and were all gathered near the city hall in the center of the city. They were under close guard and had undergone thorough body searches. They were controlled from above by the dark muzzles of guns, and had no opportunity to cause trouble.

The German troops found themselves surrounded as soon as they entered the city.

All the houses in the city were turned into firing positions, with machine guns firing fiercely downwards to block the street entrances.

Then, French tanks burst out of the houses one by one, leading squads of French soldiers in a counterattack against the German army.

The German soldiers exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the tank: "A new tank! It's Charles's new tank!"

What appeared before them was indeed a new tank.

A dedicated tank gun has been successfully developed. The Char has upgraded the Char B2 tank by removing the 75mm gun inside the hull and the 37mm gun on the turret, and integrating them into a dedicated 75mm gun.

The empty space was used to mount a traverse machine gun and a coaxial machine gun on the hull and turret, respectively.

This configuration is most suitable for modern tanks, and the coordination between tank crew members is closer and simpler, unlike before when the driver had to coordinate with the 75mm gun.

More importantly, the two machine guns on the tanks were extremely lethal to enemy infantry. As soon as they emerged from Saarbrücken, they relentlessly fired at the German troops who were lined up in dense formations.

Bullets rained down on the German troops, mowing them down in droves.

Within moments, the no-man's-land outside the city was littered with German corpses, some of whom were still alive, clutching their wounds and dragging bloody trails as they tried to escape French fire.

However, the tank caught up with a rumbling sound, and the corpses crushed by its tracks burst open like blood bags, staining the entire tank armor a shocking red.

The wounded screamed and struggled to escape, some even shouting for surrender.

But the tank tracks still ran over them amidst their cries of despair...

(End of this chapter)