Chapter 408: The Armored Division and Mechanized Division
"I bought all the steel plants along the attack route of the Eastern Army Group," said Charles. "I introduced workers from the steel plants to Schneider and provided training for them. Actually, it was more of a signal."
Foch responded with an "Oh."
This was the first time Foch had heard about this; the intelligence officers would never report such "small matters" to Foch, the Deputy Chief of Staff.
"Two weeks ago, I also made a trip to Lagden," Charles continued.
Foch instantly understood. "You went to see Joffre?"
Joffre's headquarters was currently in Lagden, a small town in the northeast.
"No," Charles shook his head. "I just took a tour."
In principle, Charles should have gone to meet Joffre, but he had no desire to engage with him socially.
Foch paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, you don't need to meet Joffre."
Tijani, standing nearby, was thoroughly confused. What did this have to do with the battle at hand?
However, the colonel brought by Foch seemed to have an epiphany. "You want to signal to people that you and Joffre met, to discuss cooperation within the Eastern Army Group, correct?"
"Yes." Charles looked at the colonel, surprised by his quick deduction.
Foch introduced, "This is my Chief of Staff, Wei Gang."
Charles was stunned. It was Wei Gang—the future Commander-in-Chief of the French Army and Minister of National Defense after France's surrender in WWII.
Wei Gang, noticing the surprise on Charles's face, asked curiously, "Have we met, Brigadier General?"
"No," Charles quickly replied. "I've heard that you, along with General Foch, planned the 'March to the Sea' campaign."
Charles had initially wanted to compliment Wei Gang with a reference to a successful battle, but remembering that Wei Gang had not fought on the front lines and had only worked as a staff officer, he made up this excuse instead.
Wei Gang felt a bit uncomfortable. The "March to the Sea" campaign was hardly a victory—it was, in fact, a failure, as it did not achieve its intended outcomes.
Foch broke the awkward silence. He took the briefcase from Wei Gang, pulled out a document, and waved it at Charles. "Here is the equipment list for your forces, Brigadier General."
"There are some things I don't quite understand," Foch continued. "Both the 1st Tank Brigade and the 105th Infantry Regiment are equipped with tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery. What's the difference between them?"
Foch had initially suspected that Charles had made an error—perhaps mixing up the tank brigade and the infantry regiment. At least, Foch could not see any real distinction between them.
From battlefield experience, Foch knew that each branch of the military should specialize in its strengths and weaknesses. For example, artillery should focus primarily on artillery, not spread thinly across various units.
"Of course, there's a difference, General," Charles replied. "Actually, I think they should change their designations because they can no longer simply be called 'tank brigades' and 'infantry regiments.'"
Foch agreed. Particularly, the 105th Infantry Regiment, which was now armed to the teeth, still being called an "infantry regiment" seemed a bit much.
"What do you think they should be called?" Foch asked.
Without hesitation, Charles answered firmly, "The 1st Armored Division and the 1st Mechanized Division."
Charles had always organized his forces according to the standards for armored and mechanized units.
"Armored divisions have more tanks and are mainly used to combat enemy tank units or break through enemy lines on the offensive," Charles explained.
"Mechanized divisions have fewer tanks and more artillery, but they remain infantry-focused. They are capable of quickly transporting troops and deploying them to where they are needed in the shortest time."
Foch nodded slightly. While he still couldn't fully understand the purpose of such units, he found Charles's approach to be quite innovative.
Wei Gang could no longer contain his curiosity. He took a small step forward and looked directly at Charles. "Brigadier General, I noticed that each of your two forces has over five hundred vehicles of various types. Don't you worry they'll suffer severe losses under enemy artillery fire?"
Even tanks couldn't withstand the German 105mm artillery, could they? On the battlefield, these two forces would likely be obliterated by enemy fire.
Charles raised an eyebrow and replied, "Before that happens, we'll destroy their artillery."
"What?" Wei Gang laughed. "But our artillery is only 75mm. In terms of artillery, our forces are always at a disadvantage. The enemy's artillery has much longer range. Before we even get close, we'll already have suffered heavy casualties!"
Foch's Northern Army Group had firsthand experience of this. Sticking to the "Offensive Theory," they often encountered this problem in their own offensives.
"That's why I need the 'Saint Chamond,'" Charles said, taking the document from Foch and pointing at "Saint Chamond" on the list. "It can do this."
"That's impossible. You're oversimplifying the battlefield," Wei Gang shook his head in disbelief, a trace of mockery still on his lips.
This guy had won too many easy victories, Wei Gang thought. He had simplified everything.
However, at this moment, a messenger from the radio room entered, carrying a telegram for Charles. "General, our forces have destroyed the enemy's artillery. Colonel Browny requests further instructions."
"Push forward relentlessly," Charles took the telegram and ordered with firm resolve. "Advance deep into enemy territory."
"Yes!"
Charles handed the telegram to Foch. "Just as I said, the armored division has torn through the enemy's lines. They've done it."
Foch took a quick glance at the telegram and then handed it over to the stunned Wei Gang.
Wei Gang read the telegram over and over, still in disbelief. He looked at Charles, incredulous, and asked with difficulty, "How… How did you do it?"
That was the very question Foch had.
Artillery had always been a weakness for the French Army.
Foch and Wei Gang had even believed that the reason the "Offensive Theory" had faltered was not because of a flaw in the theory, but because the development of artillery had been misguided.
If Charles could solve this problem and use the 75mm artillery to suppress the German 105mm artillery, it would be a breakthrough, paving a way forward for the soon-to-collapse "Offensive Theory."
"It's simple," Charles answered casually. "Intelligence, aviation, and the 'Saint Chamond!'"
The "White Lady" was responsible for gathering intelligence, knowing the locations of German artillery positions or suspected artillery positions beforehand.
Then, the "Caproni" bombers, with "Camel" fighters providing cover and guidance, bombed the German artillery positions first.
While the German artillery was still scrambling to respond, the 1st Armored Division launched their attack.
At the front were the tanks, followed by armored vehicles loaded with infantry, and then came the 50 modified "Saint Chamond" vehicles.
By the time the German artillery was able to react, the "Saint Chamond" had already reached a range of 8 kilometers, within which it could retaliate.
As they advanced while fighting, with the support of fighters and bombers, they successfully suppressed two German 105mm artillery regiments.
Foch and Wei Gang exchanged looks of astonishment. What had seemed an unsolvable problem for them was nothing but a trivial task for Charles!
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