Imperial Elite

Chapter 58 "The Miracle of Paris"

As the Battle of Paris continued, Erich, as the chief of staff of the Paris battle group, felt that the Buntanian troops currently holding off the Teutonic army in Paris were not from the same era as his own Teutonic troops.

Although the two sides are not far apart in terms of technology, theoretically the Teutonic Army can also possess the equipment that the other side has. The Imperial Industrial Department only needs a little time to produce similar prototypes based on the concepts of these equipment.

However, Ehrlich believed that what truly widened the almost hopeless gap in combat capability between the two sides was not equipment, but rather Joe's understanding of military affairs as the commander of the Bunitania forces, which was completely ahead of its time.

Those battle groups, composed of self-propelled artillery, assault guns, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and infantry—things no one had ever imagined—could easily shatter the Teutonic forces' defenses like a hot knife through butter.

Even in urban warfare, even if the troops supporting them were second- or third-line Gauls, or even militia who had just picked up guns and entered the battlefield.

This did not affect the Bunitania troops in the slightest, crushing any enemy that stood in their way.

Now all the officers in the Paris battle group were convinced of one thing: if these Buntanians hadn't come to defend Paris, they would have taken it long ago.

Even if the Bunitania had sent other troops instead of this one, even if it were one or two divisions of those old indomitables who could suppress machine gun fire with precision shooting in 1914, they could have pushed the controlled area across the canal zone by now.

But it just so happened that this particular unit arrived.

You might think they're numerous, but after the frontline troops tallied all the tank numbers that appeared, the Teutonic officers believed that even with the auxiliary infantry, the force was at most a regiment.

However, no one dared to treat this force as a regiment. Even after the force was dispersed and formed into small combat groups to act as fire brigade on the battlefield, the Teutonic troops who broke through the Gauls' defenses least wanted to encounter this force.

The Teutons would rather not see this force appear in front of their lines than encounter it during an attack.

After all, the way heavy artillery was used like heavy machine guns on the front lines left these Teutonic officers, who had received formal military education from a young age, saying, "I don't understand it, but I am deeply shocked."

The physical impact was considerable; after all, a shell fired from a 60-pounder cannon does have some force when it hits a bunker. Usually, after being hit by such a shell, people in nearby bunkers would be covered in bruises and welts.

The last person who could use a cannon like a pistol did indeed have a certain status in history and is now usually referred to as an emperor.

Although Joe was far from being comparable to the emperor who, after the French Revolution, suppressed the entire Old World and knocked down countless crowns.

However, the rapid emergence of these new weapons and tactics has made Joe the most formidable opponent in the Teutonic Paris battle group.

As for General Henri, who served as the commander-in-chief of the Gallic Army and the commander of the Paris garrison?
May he live a long life!

Especially after breaking through the northern defenses of Paris, the Teutons obtained the wreckage of new tanks abandoned by the Bunitania forces from the battlefield.

As a staff officer, Erich naturally examined the wreckage to satisfy his curiosity before the troops towed it back to Germania to display the spoils of war on the trains returning after delivering supplies.

Although the tank wreckage was almost completely destroyed and was a pile of irreparable junk, Ehrlich crawled inside the burning-smelling vehicles to try and understand how these crews fought.

Ehrlich discovered that these tanks were vastly different from the Gallic tanks and the Bunitalian tanks they had encountered before.

Although Ehrlich himself had never driven a tank in combat, he could still tell that the design philosophy of these new tanks was completely different from that of the current tanks, which were simply meant to be used to cramm people and weapons into a moving vehicle.

The designers of these tanks went further and deeper down this path than any of them.

Once again, Erich became curious about Joe. He wanted to know who Joe was, the guy who was described in the Teutonic newspapers as someone forced to go to the battlefield, a symbol of Bonitania going mad and about to collapse, and who was the guy who was called 'the hero of our time' in the Bonitania newspapers that celebrated a funeral.

In fact, at the same time that Erich became curious about Joe, newspapers in Bonitania, and even newspapers across the ocean in the United States, were reporting on the Battle of Paris and were also wildly praising the Paris Task Force and Joe, who were the biggest highlights of the battle.

After all, for journalists in both Britannia and the United States, the end of the world is not scary; what is scary is having no news to write about.

The constant news and updates about world wars might be a disaster for most people, but for these uncrowned kings, it wasn't just a gift from God, it was a feast that God was practically feeding them—a windfall.

Of course, even when it comes to journalism, one needs to take a stance. At this time and place, if one wants to avoid wartime news censorship, then one can only do one's best to report on Paris's firm resistance.

As for why the Gauls resisted in Paris, don't worry about that; they just resolutely resisted.

Even with the resolute resistance in Paris, the journalists were rather dismissive of those who were resisting.

After all, this group of people who write as the National Guard and read as armed citizens, along with those territorial soldiers who are almost their grandfathers, not only have a similar image of burning books and burying scholars, but in terms of combat power, even these uncrowned kings who are paid to do things feel that even if they have taken money, it would be difficult to do this, let alone since they haven't taken any money.

Those two colonial divisions were quite impressive in both appearance and combat prowess, and could be called the pride of Gaul.

However, both colonies had a large number of Black people.

The journalists didn't know how readers would react to the propaganda about a group of people who, theoretically, were not even human, but they certainly knew whether the Parisian gendarmes and police would deport them.

Joe and his Paris task force, however, perfectly avoided these problems.

First of all, in terms of appearance, the male servants in the Paris detachment were very presentable to be able to work for noblemen. In addition, the grenadiers of the Imperial Guard, who were also responsible for guarding the palace's ceremonial duties, had the air of seasoned veterans. At first glance, they were clearly an elite force.

Secondly, anyone who has spent even a little time in Paris during this period knows that Paris is only able to hold on because of Joe's Paris task force.

As the National Guard and Territorial Army began their retreat, the battle groups of the Paris Task Force advanced against the tide of the people to crush the Teutonic offensive.

This scene was not only incredibly photogenic, but it also deeply shocked the journalists who were huddled near the front lines, risking being shot to take pictures in order to get a good shot.

To these journalists, these armored soldiers charging against the tide of people were nothing short of knights of the new era.

As the Paris task force launched its assault, self-propelled artillery would typically roar to clear the way for the tanks and grenadiers, and the flashes from the explosions allowed these journalists to take many excellent photos against the light.

Just by looking at the photos of these tank units advancing against the flow of people through damaged buildings, even someone who knows nothing about military affairs can feel the smell of gunpowder.

Moreover, most of the journalists who were still able to report on military news in Paris had some connections within the Gallic army, so they quickly learned that the force attacking Paris from the outskirts of the city was a Teutonic army of 600,000.

Even by the most optimistic estimates of these journalists, Joe's Paris task force was no more than a division, not exceeding ten thousand men.

The idea of ​​10,000 men defeating 600,000 and still managing to overwhelm them and prevent them from occupying Paris is something even Western novels wouldn't dare to write; it's a plot only found in Renaissance chivalric romances.

This allows journalists to speak freely without any psychological burden, based on the principle of "seeing is believing" and with the help of those photos.

As for the Gallic troops filling the front lines...

You guys played so poorly, you'd better not show yourselves anymore.

Finally, at this time, the United States of America began mobilization to persuade young men to join the army to fight the Teutons. In addition to trying to portray the Teutons as monsters who ate children in the morning, at noon, and at night, they also...

They also used the excuse that fighting wasn't so dangerous, but rather a journey full of honor, to lure young people into enlisting.

Joe's background was perfect for these journalists from the United States.

Born into a poor working-class family, he became a member of the bourgeoisie through his own inventions and the foresight of angel investors. Then, he joined the army for his country, distinguished himself on the Somme, and single-handedly defended Paris. What kind of script is this, my friends? This is the script of the United States Dream!
As a fundamentalist capitalist country, the ability to rise from the bottom and change one's life, achieving upward mobility and becoming a member of the bourgeoisie, is enough to make the people of the United States feel incredibly proud and become idols for a time.

If you add his military service and his background of winning every battle, then it's no longer just about becoming an idol. If Joe were a native-born American, his resume would be good enough to run for president.

Moreover, due to its unique geographical environment, the United States of America has never paid much attention to the development of its army. Therefore, many people have a question: if we go to the battlefield, can we really defeat those Teutons who eat children?
Joe's perfect resume, with no military background whatsoever, has now become the best recruitment propaganda.

Look, others also had no military background, only enlisting after the war started, and now they're saving Paris! They're taking on sixty men at a time! The Teutons aren't that scary! Don't hesitate, lads! Join the army! Wouldn't it be exhilarating to fight your way to a high position and a prosperous future in the Old World?!

If the journalists in the United States chose to sing praises of Joe and the Paris task force, there were some political factors involved, then the journalists in Brittany who sang praises of Joe were driven entirely by emotion, not politics.

As is well known, there were some minor frictions between Buntania and Gaul in history. These were nothing more than a hundred-year war between the two sides over the succession to the throne, or Buntania defeating the Gallic Emperor twice and annexing all of Gaul's overseas colonies in the process.

Even though the two sides are now huddled in the same trench, the Buntanians will definitely not miss the chance to see the Gauls make a fool of themselves.

So without any prompting from the wartime press office, the cabinet, or any other department, these journalists began to frantically crown Joe, and in no time, empty titles such as "Savior of Paris," "Hero of the Empire," and "Last Knight" were slapped on Joe's head by the journalists of Bonitania as if they were free.

This feat of holding off sixty Gauls single-handedly against an offensive was called the "Miracle of Paris," just like the Miracle of the Marne that prevented the Teutons from advancing into Paris at the beginning of the war.

And the fact that Joe was able to step up and hold the line at crucial moments made the ministers of the wartime cabinet and His Majesty George feel that Major Joe was truly a good comrade.

The news department also did a great job. Soldiers who have made meritorious contributions should be awarded, and Joe's deeds should be widely publicized. The new medal can also be prepared.

Once this battle is over, Jonah's temporary major title can be removed.

Joe's popularity soared that His Majesty George, while marveling at his own judgment and confirming that Joe was indeed a reliable man, also unusually sent a letter to the Minister of War and Quartermaster, inquiring about the progress of Joe's supply shipments, given the difficult fighting ahead, and whether they had reached Paris on time.

Joe has already achieved such a brilliant victory on the front lines, defending Paris from 600,000 Teutons. We must not let Joe bleed and weep because of insufficient supplies.

In response to His Majesty George's concern, the Minister of War and the Minister of Munitions stated that they were doing their utmost to ensure George's supplies, with at least one military train loaded with supplies entering Paris every day specifically to provide George with supplies.

And they are doing their best to meet all of Joe's needs. Even if Joe wanted the moon in the sky, they would bring him a basin of water at night.

Quartermaster Winston had many thoughts about his relationship with His Majesty. Before he messed things up, their relationship had been so good. He wondered if Joe would mess things up too…

After a moment of reflection, Winston began to put even more pressure on the tank manufacturers.

Although they told His Majesty George that they could meet Joe's needs, in wartime, what unit's needs can be completely met?

Even with the highest supply priority, Joe, who is currently engaged in intense urban warfare, still has a large demand for supplies and tanks.

In particular, there is a demand for technological equipment such as tanks.

The intense combat resulted in Joe's Paris task force losing a large number of tanks in order to meet Joe's needs.

Now Winston has to adopt a very wasteful method of transporting tanks: as soon as they roll off the production line at the factory, they immediately load them onto trucks and transport them to the port, then gather three or five tanks and ship them to the Old World.

Instead of the old model where manufacturers produced a batch of tanks and then delivered them to the troops in bulk.

Meanwhile, as the chief armored officer, Joe, in addition to commanding the troops in combat, also sent new blueprints to the rear, allowing them to begin researching two new types of equipment: self-propelled artillery and infantry fighting vehicles.

This made Winston, who prided himself on his boundless energy and boundless vitality, think that Joe was simply a superman.

However, unlike his good reputation in Bonitania and the United States, José's fame in Gaul was not as high. After all, being driven into the capital was already a humiliating thing; if the people then knew that a foreigner had defended Paris, it would certainly be a blow to morale.

Even if it weren't for the help of the Bonitania Expeditionary Force in 1914, Paris would have already fallen by then.

Therefore, the Gaulish newspapers reported on the Battle of Paris with the bravery and courage of the Paris National Guard and the loyalty and bravery of the Territorial Army in defending Paris against the Teutonic offensive. Of course, the Bunitania, as in the past, also provided some support to the brave Gauls.

Joe's image in the Teutonic newspapers was quite different from his image in Gaul.

Although in the newspapers, the Teutons were cheering because they had once again stormed into Paris.

After all, based on historical experience, once they entered Paris, Gaul was not far from surrendering.

If Gaul surrenders, then the Bunitarian expeditionary force will have to withdraw from the mainland. As for Lucia on the eastern front, they were already weak and incapable of fighting before the revolution, so how much better can they be now after the revolution?

So after a difficult winter, the war was nearing victory.

No one knows what Joe did in Paris. The only impression people have of the name Joe is that he was a poor man forced into military service.

However, the situation was different for the Teutonic leadership.

Neither the Teutonic Emperor, nor the Teutonic Chief of Staff, nor any other high-ranking military officer understood it.

Why was the Paris battle group helpless against this armored force of no more than a regiment?

They had dealt with tanks before; on the Somme and during the Neville offensive, they destroyed large numbers of Bunitalian and Gaulish tanks.

Although these combat vehicles are very troublesome, they are not indestructible.

What exactly happened on the front lines?
Does that Joe possess some kind of magic? Why are you all so afraid of him?

If it weren't for the clear signs of mobilization already present on the Eastern Front, and the Teutonic leadership's conviction, through intercepted radio communications and messages from spies, that Russia was about to launch a large-scale offensive, then...

The Teutonic leadership wanted to withdraw troops from the Eastern Front and actually besiege Paris with an army of 600,000.

Instead of the current situation, where fewer than 200,000 people are needed to complete this task.

At this time, Joe was unaware that he had already gained a certain reputation not only in the military but also across the ocean.

Joe is now facing a dilemma: whether or not he should risk diverting troops and concentrating two or three squads of tanks to launch a counterattack on the outskirts of Paris.

Although Joe employed a very conservative tactic in Paris, one could even say that he relied on the Gauls sacrificing themselves to maintain the front line, while his armored forces provided mobile support to the Teutons.

However, the armored forces continued to suffer losses, the greatest of which came from the Teutonic artillery barrage and gas attacks.

After discovering that field artillery was at a disadvantage against self-propelled artillery, the fanatical Teutons, having gained control of the skies with their air force, also deployed heavy artillery to the front lines.

When Joe's Paris task force appeared on the front lines, attacking the Teutonic forces, or while defending against their attack.

The Teutons would retreat quickly and then call in heavy artillery to attack the area. In some blocks, the Teutons even used roadside bombs mixed with poison gas to attack Joe's armored forces.

This method requires extremely good luck to disable a tank and forces the tank crew to abandon the vehicle.

However, as the Teutons realized that if tanks and infantry charged up, they would lose control of the area, and if they released poison gas here, they would also lose control of the area. So why not just release poison gas directly and force the armored forces to leave?
If they can't have it, the Buntanians can't have it either. Anyway, this isn't their own city. Who cares if he dies or not? They can use the poison gas freely.

As the Teutons began to use poison gas indiscriminately and in large quantities, the offensive efficiency of their armored forces began to decline sharply.

After all, gas masks for both infantry and armored soldiers are designed to allow troops to pass through contaminated areas quickly. Wearing such a thing for a long time is not very comfortable, and it is even more so in the hot and stuffy tank.

The fog caused by sweating on the gas masks, along with the toxic fumes, already impaired the crew's visibility. This meant that the crew, whose visibility was already poor, could only see the roadside bombs at extremely close range. At that distance, it was basically a matter of luck.

In addition to heavy artillery, explosives, and poison gas.

The Teutonic aircraft also became a new threat. After discovering that brief machine gun fire was ineffective against the tank armor, the experienced Teutonic pilots began to attempt to attack Joe's armored forces by dive bombing.

Although due to technical limitations, the angle of this dive bombing was very shallow, and nowadays bombing can only be done by the machine gunner in the back seat, like an infantryman throwing a grenade, by throwing the bomb out of the cockpit.

This method of bombing not only has limited power, but also poses significant accuracy problems.

However, they couldn't withstand the sheer number of Teutonic aircraft.

After several rounds of bombing, one or two bombs would eventually hit the vicinity of the tank, and if you were lucky, they could destroy the tank's tracks.

If they were even luckier and the bomb landed on top of the tank, then the crew inside would have to start praying that both the tank's roof and their own roofs could withstand the attack.

It was clear that if this dragged on, the Teutons would have to find more ways to deal with armored forces in this tug-of-war. Just then, good news came from the 56th Squadron, which had been fighting in the skies over Paris.

Although the 56th Squadron suffered considerable losses in the air battles during this period, it also achieved significant results.

In addition to the emergence of a double ace in the squadron, the 56th Squadron, which was conducting combat reconnaissance, also determined in the northern suburbs of Paris that the main reason why the Teutons were able to maintain such a large-scale offensive was that they were using the railway line at Le Bourget, north of Paris, to transport supplies to their troops.

Of course, with Joe's current strength, the mere thought of destroying this station and cutting off the railway line is a bit too much for him.

However, Joe felt he could manage to destroy the Teutonic supplies that had been stockpiled at the station.

With the arrival of the second batch of tanks, and the fact that Joe's No. 101 tank had been repaired, Joe was now able to assemble two full-strength Hound tank squads, including the three tanks at the company headquarters.

Theoretically, if Joe launched an attack from the north, which was still under Gallic control, eastward, he could quickly reach Bourget.

After arriving at Bourges, destroying the Teutonic stockpile was not a difficult task.

By firing a few more shots into the warehouse area, they could eventually hit the Teutonics' ammunition reserves, allowing Joe to enjoy a period of peace and quiet.

After all, no matter how many Teutons there were, they couldn't launch an attack without supplies.

Although the idea was good, the plan had two problems: first, whether they could defeat the Teutons outside Saint-Tannis, and second, whether the Gauls in Paris could withstand the attack after Joe launched this armored raid and withdrew six squads from the city.

Because the Teutons had always wanted to capture Saint-Tanni and cut off the railway from Paris to Calais, even in the most dangerous times in Paris, Henry did not mobilize the troops stationed in Saint-Tanni, from the Miracle of the Marne to the Battle of Verdun.

Saint Tanni always had two elite Gallic divisions stationed there.

So, just like in Paris, the Teutons were also trying to capture Saint-Tanni.

However, because the Gallic troops stationed there were too formidable, the Teutons who launched the attack were blocked outside the city and had to dig trenches.

To break through the Teutonic forces here, Joe felt he would need at least six squads of tanks and assault guns, as well as all the Guards grenadiers and at least one Liverpool infantry company to arrive later for support.

If I were to withdraw these troops from Paris, would the Gauls in the city be able to withstand the Teutonic attack before I could complete my assault?

After all, these Teutons had already gained experience fighting in Paris.

Whenever Joe's armored forces appeared in one place, the Teutons would launch an attack in another.

This method of fighting, where pressing down one pot only makes another float up, or using six pot lids to cover ten pots, is already extremely dangerous.

Now they want to send troops on a highly risky military adventure; it's not something a normal person would do.

But if they continued to hold out in the city like this, Joe felt that it was only a matter of time before the Teutons broke through their defenses.

Although Joe had already submitted numerous reports requesting the Bonitania Expeditionary Force to provide more support to the Paris Task Force.

However, the main force of the expeditionary force, which was launching an offensive in the direction of the Somme, simply could not quickly transfer the elite troops that had already been engaged in the battle to Paris.

In particular, for the armored forces that Joe desperately needed, it would take at least a week before a tank company could be deployed to Paris.

Support is definitely available; there's plenty of ammunition and other equipment, and we can even negotiate for cod from the North Sea. However, we simply can't spare any elite troops to serve as the spearhead of the attack.

Marshal Haig hoped that Joe would persevere a little longer; if he could hold on for just one more week, the expeditionary force would surely be able to send a sufficient number of elite troops to Paris.

The Army Air Forces have paid a heavy price in order to maintain the railway to Paris, and the offensive rhythm on the front lines has been disrupted by the redeployment of troops.

The main force of the expeditionary force is also having a tough time, so Joe must persevere. After all, the main force of the expeditionary force has attracted a considerable number of Teutonic troops. If the main force of the expeditionary force relaxes its offensive here, the Teutons will definitely be able to move more troops to Paris.

When asked by Marshal Haig to persevere a little longer, Joe felt that his words were meaningless. If he could hold on, would he need to talk to him about this?
However, the Britannian Army has a rule that subordinates are not allowed to talk back to their superiors, so Joe could only say "Okay, got it" as he did when he was a city dweller before he transmigrated, while starting to prepare for this raid.

Joe couldn't carry out this kind of surprise attack by himself; he needed the Gauls' cooperation.

Let's not even mention that before Santany launched his own attack, he prepared artillery fire and coordinated infantry operations.

At least while he was drawing troops away and personally carrying out the raid, the Gauls were able to hold the canal zone. Even if they couldn't hold out, they at least couldn't allow the Teutons to break through the canal.

To make this decision, the colonels and major generals who usually dealt with Joe were no match for him; Joe had no choice but to go to General Henry.

Then, unsurprisingly, Joe and General Henry started arguing again.

General Henry thought Joe had gone completely mad with his raid.

The last person to make a similar decision was Neville. Look at that guy after that stupid offensive, the Teutons were able to get all the way to Paris!
What? You think the current battle isn't tough enough and want to increase the intensity?

Joe, on the other hand, felt that Joe didn't understand armored warfare. He said that if Joe hadn't insisted on concentrating armored forces in the operation, the defenses would have collapsed long ago.

Besides, even if we take a step back and assume the situation is as it is, is it my responsibility that the battle lines have become like this?
It's because you couldn't hold the line that I had to put out fires everywhere instead of going to the Teutonic command post to kick it down.

Damn it, they keep saying they need time to rebuild the defenses, they need time to rebuild the defenses. Now, if this attack succeeds, we can buy ourselves at least a few days to rebuild the defenses and troops. So, are you going to take the gamble this time or not?
(End of this chapter)