Chapter 686 - retreat

Charleroi, Major General Fred's headquarters was located in a steel plant on the Sang River.

This was the choice of Major General Fred, who was worried that the headquarters was located in a conspicuous villa and city hall building and would be "targeted and eliminated" by Charles' bombers.

After all, this is Belgium, and there are Belgians everywhere who are staring at the German army with hatred.

They would pass the intelligence on to the guerrillas, who would tell Charles, and then the bombers would come in droves.

However, Major General Fred in the steel plant was still uneasy. He paced back and forth in front of his desk anxiously, occasionally stopping to stare at the map, trying to find a suitable direction to break out.

west?

Or south?

Major General Fred preferred the south.

Because there is a large primeval forest to the west, the warming weather is the time when poisonous insects and fierce beasts end their hibernation and come out to move around.

What's more, the Somme River battlefield is located to the west, and even if they successfully pass through the forest, they are not sure whether they have entered the German defense zone or the British defense zone.

Neither seems to be a good thing.

If you enter the British defense zone, you will be taken prisoner; if you enter the German defense zone, you will be incorporated into the army and put into battle.

The best choice is definitely the south. After crossing the Ardennes Mountains, you will reach the rear of the German army. Even if you go to the battlefield, you will have time to rest and reorganize.

The problem is that the south may have been occupied by the French.

"General." The staff officer stepped forward and reported, "The troops are ready!"

This fully demonstrated the quality of the German army. In just fifteen minutes, a force of more than 5,000 people was ready to march, and was ready to retreat into the mountains.

The soldiers even brought ropes for climbing, and some found horses to carry heavy loads and livestock to use as food.

Of course, these were all urgently requisitioned from the Belgians.

But Major General Fred still couldn't decide where to break out.

Suddenly, he looked up at the staff officer and asked, "We have been monitoring Charles' troops?"

"Yes." The staff officer nodded: "There is a reconnaissance company lurking around Namur, and there are also some spies in the city."

It is not a problem for Germans to pretend to be Belgians. Most Belgians near this area speak German, and it is difficult to distinguish the Germans among them.

"So," Major General Fred asked, "are there any movements from Charles's troops?"

"I haven't heard any reports, General," the staff officer replied.

Major General Fred nodded slightly, turned his gaze to the map again, and murmured:

"So, the French troops that appeared in the southern mountains were not the troops stationed in Namur, but... the 6th Army stationed in the Gembloux line!"

“And, instead of going around the south side of Charleroi from the east, they used the forest to the west.”

This is obvious. The east is open and full of German scouts. It is impossible for the French army to bypass it without being noticed.

The staff officer immediately understood what Major General Fred meant: "So, if the French army appears in the south, there must be more troops in the west because that is their only way?"

"Yes." Major General Fred nodded: "It seems that our only option is to break out from the south."

At this time, the signalman sent a telegram: "General, Major Fiend reported that they defeated the enemy. Please give the next order."

Major General Fred was overjoyed. As expected, the enemy's main force for encirclement was in the west rather than the south.

These French troops in the south may have just arrived, with few men and exhausted, so they were repelled by an infantry battalion led by Major Pefinde.

"Order them to hold there until we arrive!" Major General Fred ordered.

"Yes, General!"

Then Major General Fred no longer hesitated and firmly ordered his staff: "Order the entire army to retreat to the south!"

"Yes, General!"

Following the order from the staff officer, the German army marched southward in a mighty force.

They basically did not carry any heavy equipment, and the artillery and ammunition that could not be taken away were blown up on the spot. Food was transported by cars following the troops, but the farthest they could go was only the edge of the forest. When there was no road, they still had to unload the food and burn the cars.

…

At the Namur Castle Command Center, Charles was discussing the issue of interspersed supplies with Tijani.

The troops needed too many supplies. The fuel needed for the tanks alone was a huge burden, and there were also parts that needed to be replaced when the tanks were damaged along the way.

"It may be difficult for sidecars to meet the supply needs," Tijani said. "The First Armored Corps has more than 300 tanks in total. Based on a conservative distance of 100 kilometers, at least 15,000 liters are needed."

Upon hearing this number, Charles couldn't help but frown. The carrying capacity of sidecars is limited. It is already difficult to carry 100 liters of gasoline up and down the mountain road. Even so, 150 sidecars are still needed.

The point is that the sidecar tricycle itself also consumes fuel, and the insertion distance may be more than 100 kilometers. After the insertion, it still needs fuel for combat...

After thinking for a while, Charles said, "We can transport the fuel to the forest first."

"One step ahead?" Tijani was stunned: "Isn't this too dangerous?"

Charles replied in a deep voice: "The whole process was carried out in secret. Several supply points were set up along the marching route. Each supply point had underground fortifications to store fuel, food, and tank parts."

Tijani said "Oh" and nodded slightly. This seemed like a good idea.

The disadvantage is that once seen by the German skirmishers, they are likely to guess the French army's combat objectives and even know the French army's marching route.

Charles also knew this, but he believed that the risk could be controlled if the transport troops conducted reconnaissance in advance to confirm that there was no one nearby.

"Another issue is airdrops," Tijani said. "If we were to airdrop in an open, flat area, it wouldn't be that difficult. We would just need to drop a signal board. But we are going to the Ardennes Mountains, which are mostly covered by trees. It's hard for us to find a place to drop a signal board."

To be precise, it is not that it is difficult to put it down, but even if you put it down, the bombers flying in the air will not be able to detect it.

Other methods were to light cigarettes or fire flares, but that could easily expose the position of the interspersed troops or attract the attention of the Germans.

After thinking for a while, Charles replied: "Try to use canvas as a signal. It can be spread over a large area on the mountain or even on the treetops."

The advantage of canvas signaling is that it is usually not affected by terrain.

At this time, a messenger knocked on the door and handed Charles a telegram: "General, the German troops in Charleroi retreated to the south."

Charles looked at the signalman in astonishment. He did not expect the German army to retreat so quickly, and to retreat to the south.

He asked anxiously, "Is the 6th Army ready?"

"Yes, they are ready," the signalman replied.

Charles was a little surprised. Although the German army only had two directions to break out, there were many points where they could break out.

How could the 6th Army be prepared at all points in such a short time?

Or is Kristen exaggerating?