Chapter 707 – All That Awaits Charles Is Defeat
At dawn, golden sunlight spilled across the open fields outside the town of Truc. In the distance, artillery fire could be heard rumbling from the south—Pétain's troops had begun their assault on the German defensive lines.
In the town, life moved as usual. A few pedestrians strolled through the streets, cafés opened for business, chimneys curled with rising smoke, and the morning breeze carried the faint aroma of freshly baked bread.
On the far side of the town lay a dense forest of leafy green oaks. Mist rolled through the trees under the sunlight, blending with chimney smoke so seamlessly that one couldn't tell them apart.
Charles lay prone on the hood of an armored car, peering through binoculars at the landscape ahead, scanning it over and over—but found nothing suspicious.
Behind him stretched rows of tanks and armored vehicles, their hulls riddled with pockmarks from bullets and shrapnel—silent witnesses to the fierce battles of the night before.
The soldiers, worn and dusty, carried the fatigue of the journey on their faces, yet their eyes sparkled with anticipation and excitement.
Victory was near. The First Armored Division was about to create yet another miracle.
And this time, it would be a historic one—a single maneuver had already solved multiple critical problems:
It had saved the encircled British forces at Dunkirk, sparing over a million troops from destruction.It had recaptured the Somme region—something that had cost massive casualties yet yielded nothing before.It had reclaimed Verdun, where months of stalemate had produced no gains at all.
…
Everyone was waiting for the final push.
But strangely, Charles issued the order to halt and regroup.
"General," Major General Browning asked quietly as he crouched beside Charles, "is something wrong?"
Charles's voice was calm as he replied, "There's no one here."
Browning was puzzled. He poked his head out to look at the open ground ahead and blinked in confusion. "Isn't that normal? This terrain favors tank warfare. Even if the Germans wanted to stop us, they wouldn't do it here."
"But what if what's waiting for us is tanks?" Charles asked.
Browning's expression shifted. "You mean… the German First Panzer Division?"
He turned again to look at the terrain, his gaze now tinged with fear.
If German tanks were hidden in the forest, they could charge out as the French passed by and split the column into two—severing their communication and support.
Charles gave a slight nod. "Have we located their position yet?"
"No, General." Browning shook his head. "They disappeared from our recon yesterday. We sent several waves of aircraft to search, but none could find their whereabouts."
"If we can't find them," Charles said, "there's only one explanation—they're on a train."
Browning's eyes narrowed. Just two miles away ran a railway line. The Germans could have transported the First Panzer Division there for an ambush.
"They've hidden well," Charles murmured as he lowered his binoculars, still gazing at the forest. "I can't see any flaws in the setup. But they made one mistake: this place is only five kilometers from Verdun. Regardless of whether the terrain favors tanks or not, they should have mobilized troops to stop us."
With that, Charles leaned in to whisper a few words to Browning, who immediately turned to carry out the orders.
…
In the forest near Truc, rows of camouflaged tanks sat waiting—primed to strike.
This was Erwin's plan.
His armored division had just been pulled from Dunkirk and rushed by train toward Mézières.
This had been Lieutenant General Nicholas's order:
"Mézières holds too many supplies now in French hands. It's become their key logistics base."
"I even found that French soldiers have swapped their rifles for our Mausers."
"That means they're using our ammunition. Retaking Mézières is critical!"
On paper, it made sense—cutting off Mézières would sever Charles's lifeline.
But Erwin hesitated, staring at the map spread before him.
Would they make it in time?
Getting to Mézières and retaking it would take at least a day. And that was just at best.
In reality, the Meuse River offered a natural barrier, and the First Panzer Division couldn't spread out and fight properly there.
Unless they floated across the river with balloons like Charles did...
How did he even come up with that?
The man had actually ferried tanks across a river and pulled off an impossible victory.
After pondering a while, Erwin concluded: retaking Mézières no longer mattered.
He sent a report to Nicholas:
"Charles's target is likely Verdun."
"He's fast. He could reach it in a day or two."
"Even if we take Mézières, it won't change anything. We'll still lose."
And he was right.
If Charles broke through Verdun from the rear, then all of Pétain's defensive preparations would become Charles's springboard.
Verdun was loaded with munitions, supplies, and manpower.
Charles could seize it and—with Pétain's army—march back the way he came. His supply line would follow the Meuse downstream with ease.
The only way to stop all this was to cut Charles off before he reached Verdun.
Erwin was confident: "As long as Verdun remains in our hands, Charles will be surrounded. Victory will be ours."
Meanwhile, Nicholas was still panicking—obsessed with recapturing Mézières.
Only when he read Erwin's telegram did he come to his senses. He approved the plan and felt a pang of shame: compared to Erwin, he was clearly outclassed—even if his rank was higher.
Erwin's train had changed course under cover of darkness, avoiding French aircraft.
He reached Truc more than three hours before Charles's forces.
The first thing he did was clear the town and place the civilians under guard—he knew these French would reveal the ambush.
To deceive Charles, Erwin staged a fake village life: he stationed a regiment of infantry in civilian clothes to simulate daily activity.
The chimney smoke, the cafés, the strolling townsfolk—it was all a ruse.
Once the battle began, they would coordinate with the First Panzer Division to crush Charles's First Armored Division in a pincer move.
Erwin also brought in two artillery regiments, which had already zeroed their guns on the open terrain.
His plan was simple:
Let Charles's forces enter the open field via the main road.Rain artillery fire on them.Then send tanks charging from the forest to divide the column in two.Finally, eliminate each half in turn.
If he could destroy Charles's First Armored Division, everything else would fall into place.
All that awaited Charles… was defeat.
(End of Chapter 707)
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