Chapter 615: Nominating Charles as Commander-in-Chief
The Netherlands' decision to close its borders and deny entry to the German "refugees" shattered Germany's last hope of retreating safely back home through neutral territory. This turn of events inflicted irreparable damage on the encircled German army, destroying both their morale and their will to fight.
It's often said, "The greater the hope, the more bitter the disappointment."
Initially, if there had never been a possibility of retreat through the Netherlands, the German forces would have desperately attempted to break out via Hasselt. But after briefly glimpsing hope—only to have it cruelly extinguished—the soldiers lost all motivation. A sense of resignation spread among the ranks, causing many to simply surrender without even trying to fight.
Lieutenant General Nicholas and Colonel Erwin, however, refused to accept defeat easily. They rallied over a hundred thousand surviving soldiers and made a desperate effort to break out through multiple directions.
But despite their efforts, fewer than ten thousand managed to escape the encirclement.
Their disastrous failure was partly due to the extensive preparations Charles had already made. Anticipating this scenario, Charles had urgently requisitioned enormous quantities of mines and rockets from France. Parliament, uncharacteristically supportive in this critical moment, mobilized over forty trains to deliver military supplies day and night without pause. On average, one train per hour reached Namur, where the cargo was swiftly loaded onto trucks and transported directly to the frontline positions.
Thousands of mines—particularly the lethal "S-type" bouncing mines—were planted along every major road from Namur to Hasselt. Additionally, the Belgian First Special Reconnaissance Corps was newly equipped with rocket artillery, further fortifying their defensive positions.
German forces attempting to escape thus faced an ordeal akin to a living hell: first, navigating treacherous minefields; then, enduring relentless barrages of rocket artillery; followed by intense firefights against entrenched Belgian infantry positions. And even after surviving all that, they still had to evade pursuit by Charles's armored units and aerial bombardments.
Under these conditions, successful escape was virtually impossible. Many soldiers gave up halfway, laying down their arms and surrendering to the nearest Belgian or French unit they encountered.
Nicholas and Erwin were among the few lucky survivors. They were secretly evacuated by plane at night—taking advantage of the only weakness in Charles's airtight encirclement. Aircraft, at this point, had no effective night-fighting capabilities, allowing a handful of high-ranking officers to escape under cover of darkness.
...
In Paris, snow fell steadily over the sleeping city. At five in the morning, most residents remained in bed, with only a few early risers—mostly housewives—starting their daily routines. The streets were deserted, save for occasional passing cars whose headlights briefly illuminated drifting snowflakes.
Suddenly, excited shouts pierced the morning stillness:
"Charles has won again! The Germans have surrendered!"
Windows flew open as people leaned out eagerly, shouting to their neighbors:
"Charles is victorious! He captured 210,000 German prisoners—210,000!"
News spread rapidly. Lights flickered on in apartments across the city, and soon all of Paris was buzzing with excitement. Some people rushed into the streets wearing only pajamas; others shouted with joy from balconies. Some even ran naked through the snow, deliriously celebrating the incredible news.
Prime Minister Briand received a call at home.
"Are you certain?" he asked, stunned. "210,000 Germans captured?"
"Oh my God—Charles has saved France yet again. He's done the impossible!"
He immediately hung up and called his secretary:
"Tell Clemenceau to meet me at my office immediately!"
...
At the Prime Minister's office, Georges Clemenceau arrived bleary-eyed and clearly unhappy about the early summons. Removing his coat and hat, he dropped them carelessly onto the sofa, placed his briefcase aside, and settled heavily into a chair, yawning.
Clemenceau had already heard of Charles's astonishing victory but didn't consider it significant enough to warrant such an early-morning meeting in the bitter cold.
"You consider this good news, Prime Minister?" Clemenceau asked skeptically.
"Isn't it?" Briand countered, reviewing a detailed report. "Think about it—just recently we feared losing our supply lines, worried the Germans might threaten Paris itself. Now, everything is resolved, and we have 210,000 German prisoners! 210,000!"
Briand rose and poured Clemenceau a glass of red wine, adding cautiously:
"I believe we must learn a valuable lesson here. We nearly placed France in grave danger by undermining Charles's supplies."
He implied that Parliament's constant attempts to constrain and sabotage Charles needed to be reconsidered.
Clemenceau, however, shook his head slightly:
"You've overlooked something, Prime Minister. This entire crisis was engineered and controlled by Charles himself—including Parliament's actions."
Briand stared at Clemenceau, puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
Clemenceau reached into his briefcase, retrieving a confidential intelligence report from the Second Bureau (French military intelligence). He handed it solemnly to Briand, explaining:
"According to this report, Charles began secretly stockpiling ammunition and supplies as soon as he left Gembloux. While Parliament assumed his forces would collapse from lack of supplies, Charles quietly ensured he remained in full control."
Briand quickly scanned the document, his expression growing troubled.
"So the situation was never as dire as we thought?"
"Exactly," Clemenceau confirmed. "Moreover, Charles has extended his influence into the navy by secretly collaborating with the British Admiralty. His invention, the 'echo locator,' has effectively neutralized the German U-boat threat. Do you see the implications?"
Briand nodded slowly, grasping the gravity of Clemenceau's revelation:
"You mean Charles is expanding his power base, controlling vital supply routes and gaining influence over our naval forces?"
"Yes," Clemenceau agreed grimly. "His influence among the soldiers and the public is already enormous. Now he's reaching into our navy and logistics. Meanwhile, we sit here debating whether we should relax our controls on him?"
Clemenceau answered his own rhetorical question forcefully:
"No. We absolutely should not."
Briand fell silent, feeling tricked and manipulated by Charles. The brilliant general had cleverly leveraged Parliament's attempts to weaken him, turning every crisis into an opportunity to strengthen his own position. Charles's power had become dangerously large, perhaps even unstoppable.
"What can we do, then?" Briand finally asked, concerned.
He immediately thought of General Foch.
"We must openly support General Foch," Briand suggested.
Clemenceau agreed instantly:
"If Foch decisively ends the stalemates at Verdun and the Somme, his standing would rise, and perhaps he'd emerge as a credible rival to Charles."
"It still might not be enough," Briand sighed, deeply troubled.
"I fear you're correct," Clemenceau admitted reluctantly. Both men knew Charles had an unmatched record of victories, making him nearly impossible to politically defeat.
After a moment's contemplation, Briand suddenly proposed a surprising solution:
"Therefore, I believe we must officially nominate Charles as the overall commander-in-chief."
Clemenceau immediately looked up in shock, staring at Briand as if the man had suddenly lost his mind.
Nominate Charles as commander-in-chief? Parliament had been desperately trying to avoid precisely that outcome for years, terrified of giving Charles such unprecedented authority. Now, Briand himself was proposing it.
Yet, after the initial shock passed, Clemenceau understood precisely what Briand intended.
(End of Chapter 615)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1