Chapter 661: Defeating the Enemy Without Facing Charles
Under Charles's leadership, the concept of "freedom of navigation" for the French navy and merchant fleet underwent a fundamental transformation—even a complete reversal. Previously, French ships had no real freedom in the Atlantic. In fact, one could say they operated under the shadow of the British Royal Navy.
Using the pretext of war, Britain controlled the majority of sea lanes—especially the English Channel. Any vessel passing through had to be inspected and escorted by Royal Navy warships, including French commercial and military vessels. Britain's official reasoning was: inspections were meant to prevent contraband from reaching Germany, and guidance or escort ensured ships didn't stray into minefields—for the safety of all vessels involved.
While that explanation might have sounded reasonable, in practice it completely ignored French territorial rights at sea. If the Royal Navy could operate this way, then didn't the French Navy have an equal right to inspect British ships or Royal Navy vessels near French waters? Did British ships also need French permission or escort to pass through?
By principle, rights between nations should be equal. If the Royal Navy could do it, the French Navy had just as much right to do the same. But the French parliament lacked such backbone. They had long treated the Royal Navy as the uncontested number one in the world and assumed that the French Navy could never oppose them. Not only did they fail to resist, but there were even proposals to relocate the Brest naval yard and military port to Toulon—farther from Britain's sphere.
As a result, when Charles's forces advanced to Antwerp, the French Navy clearly had the means to reinforce him, yet remained constrained by the Royal Navy's chokehold.
But Charles changed all that.
Using the German Navy to pressure the Royal Navy, Charles, without any formal agreement, established a tacit understanding. German submarines targeted only British convoys and merchant ships. They deliberately ignored vessels flying the French flag, even those without escorts.
Charles explained this behavior as follows:
"The Germans know our destroyers can detect their submarines, and we also have torpedo bombers. They don't dare make a move."
In turn, French escorts returned the favor. Even when British merchant ships near them were ambushed and sent repeated distress calls, the French fleets did nothing.
Charles justified this with clear reasoning:
"Our warships are tasked with protecting our own merchant vessels. We don't have the capacity to provide aid."
"And we cannot rule out that the Germans are using diversionary tactics. They might be targeting our ships once we move in to help."
"Our priority must always be our own national interest. Any country would act the same."
…
This left Britain's Minister of Munitions and First Lord of the Admiralty livid—yet helpless. They couldn't even issue a formal protest.
Were the French allied with the German Navy?
Not at all. They were simply doing their job.
The Royal Navy still claimed to be the world's number one and long asserted they didn't need French naval assistance. Now that the French Navy had achieved basic self-defense capabilities, they certainly weren't obligated to help the Royal Navy.
Thus, a strange situation unfolded across the Atlantic and North Sea:
The Royal Navy continued blocking the English Channel, inspecting and escorting vessels like loyal watchmen. But now, international merchant fleets were paying "protection fees" to the French and joining Charles's convoys—because they knew only the French could guarantee their safety.
…
In Berlin, inside the General Staff Headquarters, the maps in front of Falkenhayn now included the North Sea. Previously, he hadn't needed to concern himself with that region. As Chief of the General Staff, his job was army affairs, and the German Navy had barely seen action.
But the situation had changed.
The German Navy was becoming increasingly active—so much so that it was beginning to overshadow the army. For Falkenhayn, this was both good and bad.
Good, because the navy's actions relieved pressure on the army—especially now that control of military supplies had shifted to Charles, which significantly reduced the combat effectiveness of the British Expeditionary Force.
Bad, because resources were being funneled toward the navy. Even the newly developed bomber aircraft and their design teams had been reassigned without compensation.
Originally, Falkenhayn had planned to use the bombers as a secret weapon—to strike Charles's airfields. Since Charles didn't know Germany had bombers, he'd be completely unprepared. A surprise raid could wipe out a whole fleet of Camel fighters. Germany could then potentially regain air superiority with these new planes.
But that plan was now in ruins.
"General, Colonel Erwin has arrived," the guard reported.
Falkenhayn closed the folder in his hands. "Take him to the conference room. I'll meet him there."
"Yes, General."
…
Inside the spacious conference room, only Falkenhayn and Colonel Erwin were present. This time, Falkenhayn had not invited Lieutenant General Nicholas. After reviewing the Antwerp battle reports, Falkenhayn concluded that Nicholas had hindered Erwin's performance.
In the Antwerp operation, Nicholas had insisted on heavily reinforcing both flanks, leaving Erwin with insufficient forces for the breakthrough. And the worst part—Nicholas's deployment didn't achieve anything. Charles didn't attack Antwerp; he bypassed it and moved directly to Hasselt.
"I deeply apologize, General," Erwin said, visibly remorseful. "I failed your expectations."
Falkenhayn raised a hand to stop him.
"I won't hold you accountable, Colonel," he said flatly. "If I were to punish every officer defeated by Charles, Germany wouldn't have a single commander left at the front."
Then he added, "However… the battlefield doesn't care about excuses. Do you understand?"
"Yes, General," Erwin stood upright and responded.
Defeat was defeat. Even against someone like Charles, responsibility came with the territory.
Falkenhayn motioned for Erwin to sit and got straight to the point.
"What's your plan?"
Erwin's expression was tinged with helplessness.
"I believe… it's nearly impossible to defeat Charles head-on," he admitted.
"He's superior in strategy, equipment, and the quality of his armored units. A direct confrontation would be suicide—even if we did win, the cost would be unbearable."
Falkenhayn looked at him, intrigued.
"So what you're saying is… we should defeat the enemy by avoiding Charles?"
"The British, General," Erwin replied.
"Charles's main force is in Belgium, currently facing the Liège Fortress. He doesn't have the flexibility to maneuver anymore."
Falkenhayn started to understand. The Liège Fortress was Belgium's key stronghold against German advances. Flanked by the Dutch border to the north and the Ardennes Forest to the south, it was a natural obstacle for armored units.
That meant Germany's 1st Panzer Division could be redeployed elsewhere.
Falkenhayn's gaze shifted to the map on the wall, where his eyes landed on the Somme River.
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