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Vichy France
French Southern Command Headquarters
"What did you say? You want me to launch a broad conscription mobilization? Are you kidding me, Marshal Pétain?"
President Du Meiluo was shocked, as if he had heard something unbelievable. "If we want to ensure absolute victory on the front line, relying on the current troops is not enough. Even if we don't conduct a widespread conscription, at least partial mobilization is necessary," Marshal Pétain answered very firmly.
"You know this is impossible. At most, we can call back discharged soldiers. If we mobilize civilians to the battlefield, my approval rating will plummet immediately, and the government might even face impeachment by Congress," said Du Meluo.
"Thatwe it's hard to guarantee victory on the front line if we rely solely on the existing troops," Bedang said. "Why? Isn't there a 300,000-strong army on the front line?"
"Across the way, there are 200,000 Germany talents, and they are all equipped with some outdated weapons. It wouldn't be easy for we to defeat them, would it?" Du Melo was somewhat puzzled.
"If one were to think this way at the start of the special military operation on February 24, it would be quite normal, but now it is absolutely impossible."
You should know that Germany is not a small country like Netherlands and Belgium, but a large country with a land area of 530,000 square kilometers, not much smaller than France.
It would be very difficult to occupy this country with only 300,000 people, especially considering the resistance from The German Armed Forces.
Germany's military strength is not as weak as we imagine. Although they only have 200,000 troops, these soldiers are experienced veterans of the European war, highly educated, and have extremely strong military literacy and combat capabilities.
There are tens of thousands of discharged soldiers like this in Germany, and they can quickly make up for the losses on the front line. So it is not wise to try to wear down Germany through attrition, because the population of France is even smaller than that of Germany. The one who wins in the end may not necessarily be us," Béthouart said.
"However, we have the advantage in firepower, right? The Germany people can only use some light weapons, they have no artillery or tanks, and they don't have an air force either. It seems that we have the greater advantage," Du Melo argued.
"Yes, we do have the advantage in artillery and air support, but the Germany people have fortified their positions too well."
The bombing by we cannot kill all the German army in their positions, nor can it destroy the fortifications of the Germany people with artillery. In the end, infantry must be used to occupy the positions.
However, according to the information from the front-line troops, the Germany people's light weapons are better than we's. In close combat, their weapons have an overwhelming advantage in firepower, often allowing a small number of troops to overpower a larger attacking force.
This is extremely deadly. Our army cannot quickly take down the enemy positions after approaching them, due to the firepower gap.
Beidang explained, "The weapons of the Germans have developed so quickly?" Du Meiluo was somewhat surprised.
"These guys really know how to exploit loopholes! Didn't the Treaty of Versailles prohibit them from developing weapons? These guys are secretly developing weapons on the side, so sanctioning them is the right choice."
"This is also thanks to our good ally, the British people. If it weren't for them signing the Anglo-German Naval Agreement with the Germans, the Germans wouldn't have been able to openly equip these weapons," said Béthune helplessly.
"It doesn't matter, I'll start bidding in Paris tomorrow. I need to go to the arms company to develop a rifle with firepower stronger than the Germans." Du Melo said fiercely. "But before that, we must consider how to fight the next battle."
we always need to have a strategic goal in war. Previously, it was because it was expected that Germany would surrender soon, so we didn't dwell on this point. But now we must clarify our thinking, determine a strategic direction, otherwise this war cannot be continued."
Bedan asked Dumiro to determine an operational goal for French Army. Many officers and soldiers of French Army do not know what the ultimate purpose of their actions is this time. The reason of demilitarizing and de-communizing Germany is still too vague for them.
"So, in the opinion of Marshal Pétain, what is the maximum achievement that the French Army can obtain without increasing its forces?" Du Meiluo asked.
Beethoven pondered for a moment and quickly gave his answer.
"I think it's unrealistic to rely on the current capabilities of the French Army to reach Berlin; our supply lines cannot stretch that far, and the mountainous terrain in the south is not conducive to an offensive. The best approach is to attack from south to north; we should not advance towards Berlin, but instead capture the Ruhr and Saar regions. After all, aren't these areas the ones promised to us by Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Meyers? Taking these places wouldn't be a loss for us."
Are the soldiers nowadays really that clueless? Du Meiluo rubbed his forehead, sometimes feeling that the members of the Supreme Military Council were nothing but a bunch of madmen who only knew how to fight and had no understanding of politics at all.
However, considering that the other party was the esteemed Marshal Pétain, President Du Meiluo decided to patiently explain things to him.
"Marshal, you need to understand that merely occupying a territory militarily does not mean it belongs to you. You also need international recognition, and at the very least, the acknowledgment of your occupation by the former owner of that territory."
Even if we occupy the Ruhr, as long as the German government does not acknowledge it, they will always think about reclaiming this region. We cannot keep a large number of troops stationed in the Ruhr indefinitely.
That is why I need to collaborate with Meyers to support him in ascending to the position of Chancellor of Germany, allowing him to represent Germany in recognizing that the Ruhr and Saar regions permanently belong to France. Only then can we truly claim ownership of these areas.
If we want to elevate Meyers to the position of Chancellor of Germany and replace Stresemann from the Labour Party, we must advance to Berlin; otherwise, the Labour Party will not willingly relinquish their power.
"To reach Berlin, we need at least one million troops."
"That's impossible. Our standing army in France is only six hundred thousand, and we also need to deploy forces to maintain order in our colonies in North Africa.
In other words, to gather one million troops on the southern front, we would need to conscript an additional seven hundred thousand."
France's majority of eligible young people have to go to the front lines, and there are no people left in the rear to engage in production, which is a devastating blow to France's economy."
President Du Merle can already imagine how angry citizens would storm the Élysée Palace and arrest him for execution if he were to enact a broad conscription proposal.
He certainly does not want to become the first republican president to be executed, alongside the first king, Louis XVI, to be executed in France's history.
"Since that's the case, there's only one way to do it."
Bédat knew that his first request would definitely not be agreed upon, but he was only laying the groundwork for his true goal.
As the saying goes, the French people always like to find a compromise. For example, if you say, "This room is too dark, we need to open a window here," everyone will surely not agree. But if you suggest tearing off the roof, they will compromise and agree to open the window.
"What method?"
"Launching a large-scale attack from the Ardennes Forest."
"Will launching an attack from here really defeat the Germans?"
Béton spread a map of Europe on the table and explained to President Dumérot, "You see, the current situation for both France and Germany is that we are all concentrating our forces in the rugged mountainous area to the south. If someone suddenly makes a maneuver from the north and quickly encircles the southern troops from behind, it could create a situation of encirclement, making it easy for us to achieve victory with pressure from both sides."
President Du Meiluo followed the train of thought of Marshal Pétain and walked through the map, and indeed found it to be so. He then asked, "But why does it have to be Ardennes Forest?" "It's simple, because we do not border Germany in the north, Netherlands and Belgium stand between my country and Germany, this form has its advantages and disadvantages."
During the European war, Belgium served as our barrier, but now Belgium has become our obstacle in attacking Germany. Our country also does not have military passage rights through Belgium and the Netherlands, so we must find a way to bypass them. The Ardennes Forest is an excellent direction for attack. According to our aerial reconnaissance, Germany has not deployed any significant forces in the north. As long as we enter Germany from the direction of the Ardennes Forest, it will be a clear path.
"We's forces can either head directly east to take Berlin, or they can move south to coordinate with the Southern Theater Command for a decisive battle."
Bedan mentioned the advantages of attacking through the Ardennes Forest, which was proposed by his proud disciple Charles de Gaulle. After careful study, Bedan found it feasible.
"But the Ardennes Forest is not part of we France's territory. If we send troops through here, it will cause an international dispute, and Belgium and Luxembourg's relations with we will deteriorate."
Du Meiluo pointed out the drawbacks of this plan.
"Yes, but the good news is that the population in the Ardennes Forest is sparse, so if we force our way through, it won't cause much damage.
And precisely because the Ardennes Forest is located at the border of Belgium and Luxembourg, we can pass through from the border of their national boundaries, so their border defense forces are not very well managed."
"But this doesn't change the fundamental issue."
"Then we can only mobilize another seven hundred thousand troops to join the southern front."
Pétain shrugged, indicating that he had no other solutions.
"If attacking from the Ardennes Forest, ten thousand people would be enough. Compared to achieving victory, the attitudes of Belgium and Luxembourg are not important, are they? Of course, I don't object if President Duméry has a better way."
Upon hearing this, President Duméry also fell silent. He began silently weighing which choice would be more advantageous for himself.
This choice is not difficult, because the anger of Belgium cannot affect him, but the anger of the domestic people can definitely hit him."
Determined, President Du Meiluo said, "I have decided to appoint Charles de Gaulle as the commander of the Northern Group Army. I will allocate five more divisions to gather a hundred thousand troops to launch an attack from the Ardennes direction." "It seems the president has already figured out how to respond to the diplomatic pressure from Belgium and Luxembourg."
Du Meiluo said with great righteousness:
"In order to prevent the spread of Communism in Europe, France has made great sacrifices, and Belgium and Luxembourg also have an obligation to make concessions. This is not a sacrifice, but their glorious mission."
Even if this is a sacrifice, it is a sacrifice for the benefit of all of Europe, a noble sacrifice. Belgium and Luxembourg have no right to place their own interests above those of all of Europe, and must make concessions for the peace of Europe!
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