Chapter 518 Crisis in France

The retreat of the British and French allied forces on the Marne River marked that the British and French allied forces were completely at a disadvantage in the battle with the German army. Marshal Joffre ordered the remaining troops, except for the French 3rd Army and 5th Army, to gather in Paris and prepare to defend Paris.

Of course, at this point, it may still be up to the French government to decide whether or not this battle should continue.

Marshal Joffre received an order from French President Poincaré to return to Paris ahead of schedule. He handed over the task of retreat to Admiral Foch. When Marshal Joffre arrived at the presidential office of the Elysee Palace, he found that besides him, Sir French, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force, was also here.

"Your Excellency, Marshal, I'm afraid we will not be able to defeat the Germans this time!" Sir French seemed very upset. The British Expeditionary Force suffered a big loss in this war. The 1st Army was severely damaged, the 2nd Army was also severely damaged, and the 3rd Army was completely wiped out. Now only the 4th Army and the newly formed 5th Army in western France are left. It can be said that the entire expeditionary force lost nearly half of its strength. The combat power is only about one-third left. Under such circumstances, the British Expeditionary Force undoubtedly lost the courage to continue fighting.

"No, Your Excellency. Although the current situation is very difficult for us, we cannot just give up. We still have troops, and we can continue to fight! I have ordered the 11th and 12th Army to go north. In addition, I I will also suggest to His Excellency the President to form more army groups in southern France." Marshal Joffre said.

Compared with the losses of the British Expeditionary Force, the losses of the French Army were greater. Almost all of the several armies on the Marne River defense line were disabled. Add the losses of the 1st Army, and the losses of the 3rd and 5th Armies at Verdun. So far, the French army has lost more than 800,000.

Such a heavy loss is undoubtedly traumatic for France. After all, the total population of this country is only over 30 million. Even if it is an extreme mobilization, it can mobilize a maximum of three million troops. You must know that France now has mobilized 12 group armies with 2.4 million people, which is not far from the figure of 3 million.

When Marshal Joffre said this, he naturally wanted Sir French to see his determination so that the British Expeditionary Force could assist them and continue fighting. After all, with France's own strength, it is obviously impossible to confront Germany. At this time, the assistance of the British Expeditionary Force became especially important.

"Your Excellency, Marshal, your courage is very admirable. However, we also need to ask the country for instructions on what to do with the expeditionary force," Sir French said. Of course, he is probably not optimistic about the resistance of the French personally. After all, France has lost too many troops in this war. Even if they mobilize further, how many troops can they mobilize? Sir French was very suspicious of this. In addition, he does not think that those newly formed troops are the opponents of the German army. The previous battles have undoubtedly proved how strong the German army is. Even the elite troops of the British and French allied forces were no match for the German army. Not to mention the hastily formed new troops. Those new troops were simply sent to die.

Thinking of this, Sir French was also worried about the fate of the British Empire. France's failure seems to be doomed. Then, after France fails, it may be Britain's turn. The British navy has failed. If the British do not surrender, the Germans will definitely land on the British mainland. At that time, the British Army will have to fight these fierce German troops. And can the British Army withstand the German attack? That is obviously unlikely. However, in order to defend their country, they had to fight the Germans desperately. This made Sir French very distressed.

"Your Excellency, no matter what, we will continue to fight. It will never be so easy for the Germans to defeat the French Republic. French soldiers will fight to the end." Marshal Joffre said firmly again.

Sir French nodded, but said nothing more.

Marshal Joffre and Sir French walked to the office of President Poincaré together. When they entered the office, they found that not only President Poincaré was there, but Prime Minister René Viviani, Foreign Minister Theo Feller Delcase, Secretary of War Alexander Millerand, Secretary of the Navy Victor Gagnour and Minister of Finance Alexander Ribert are already waiting here.

These people are undoubtedly those who are in power in the French government. They were eager to see Marshal Joffre and Sir French, no doubt they hoped to have a deep understanding of the upcoming battle situation. So that in the future, they can make a correct judgment on the situation,

"Your Excellency Marshal, Your Excellency Sir, please sit down!" President Poincaré said. He seemed to be trying hard to squeeze a smile on his face, but he couldn't do it at all. It made the smile on his face very ugly, as if it was a fake smile.

Marshal Joffre and Sir French both knew President Poincaré's current mood and didn't care about it. After all, as the president of the French Republic, their army has suffered an unprecedented fiasco on the battlefield, and their country will even lose in this war, and then their country is likely to perish because of it. This is undoubtedly an unbearable pressure for anyone.

Marshal Joffre and Sir French nodded and sat down in their places.

President Poincaré glanced at everyone in the office, and then said: "Gentlemen, the current French Republic has reached the most critical moment. Our army was defeated by the Germans on the front line and suffered heavy losses. Now, the German army is approaching Paris. What should we do next?"

The faces of these senior officials of the French government are very ugly. They probably didn't expect that the situation would deteriorate to such a degree. At the beginning of the war, even when the German army stormed last year and was only tens of kilometers away from Paris, they were not as desperate as they are now. They have always believed that Germany can win the war. But now, no one thinks so anymore. They are very clear that this time the French Republic may really perish.