Chapter 675: Attacking Charleroi
After settling matters in Paris, Charles flew to Namur early the next morning.
The enclosed cockpit offered considerable comfort, allowing Charles to sleep during the flight and wake up refreshed. For lunch, he ate cake prepared by Camille. According to Camille, their house was overflowing with gifts of food sent by grateful neighbors. Charles, however, never touched them—nor did he let Camille or Dreyoka consume them. Instead, he instructed Laurent to distribute all these gifts among his guards.
In a period of shortages, such gestures meant a lot. Even though his security detachment had expanded into a regiment, and the share per person wasn't substantial, these regular bonuses added up considerably, making Charles's guards extremely grateful.
In reality, Charles worried that spies or assassins might try poisoning him or his family. Gifts arrived from countless sources; planting explosives or poison was always a possibility. By distributing all gifts among the guards, Charles established a defensive habit. Any spy attempting to harm Charles would quickly learn that tampering with gifts was useless—worse, it risked exposing their identity—and thus avoid such tactics.
At two in the afternoon, his aircraft landed smoothly at Namur's airfield. From there, Charles transferred to a car and arrived at headquarters about thirty minutes later.
One disadvantage of situating the headquarters in Namur's ancient fortress, perched atop a hill, was the impossibility of constructing a nearby temporary airstrip, necessitating this longer commute.
General Tijani was already busy directing operations in the command center—telegraphs clicking urgently, documents circulating rapidly, aides rushing around as if preparing for imminent combat.
Charles knew precisely why. He'd already secretly ordered Tijani to prepare for the armored advance through the Ardennes mountains. This critical operation was highly classified, known only to Charles, Gallieni, and Tijani himself.
To other staff officers, the current preparations were simply for the upcoming assault on Charleroi. As Charles entered, Tijani swiftly saluted and escorted him into the conference room.
"King Albert I has implemented wartime rationing across Belgium," Tijani said wryly, handing Charles a thick stack of documents. "He claims to follow French standards, but everyone knows his 'French standard' really means 'Charles's standard.'"
Charles smiled lightly.
Unlike France, Belgium retained relatively open trade routes with the Netherlands and had Antwerp's international port receiving abundant supplies. The Belgian people weren't facing starvation yet. King Albert implemented rationing primarily to suppress Belgium's restless capitalists—and simultaneously, to improve supplies and meals specifically for Charles's army.
Tijani placed several files in front of Charles. "Here are updates on the First Armored Corps's rearmament, reconnaissance data for the Ardennes, and the latest intelligence on German forces around Charleroi."
Charles reviewed each report carefully.
The rearmament of his 20,000-strong First Armored Corps had proceeded smoothly. Except for the specialized submachine-gunners, nearly all infantry had switched to German G98 and K98 rifles captured at Hasselt—over 400,000 rifles had fallen into allied hands during that campaign alone.
King Albert had provided 30,000 carefully selected rifles in excellent condition, with 20,000 immediately issued and 10,000 kept in reserve as replacements.
Soldiers adapted readily, particularly given the well-known shortcomings of their previous Lebel rifles. Many found the balance of German Mauser rifles preferable, accepting the change enthusiastically.
Only around 2,000 veterans previously equipped with Garand semi-automatic rifles expressed dissatisfaction. After becoming accustomed to semi-automatic firepower, reverting to bolt-action rifles felt painfully outdated.
"Many soldiers question the decision," Tijani mentioned. "They don't understand why we switched to captured German rifles, especially since we don't face any significant ammunition shortages."
Tijani struggled to explain adequately without revealing their secret Ardennes plan.
Charles offered a plausible excuse: "We captured enormous quantities of German rifles and ammunition, yet our homeland remains critically short on ammo. It would be irresponsible to waste these resources."
Tijani raised his eyebrows, acknowledging the logic—even if slightly contrived.
As for the Ardennes reconnaissance report, Charles glanced briefly. Terrain challenges mainly involved blasting through rocky paths and clearing forest roads. Recently, Charles's engineers had adapted the "Charles A1" tank chassis into effective engineering vehicles—bulldozers equipped with blades or cranes for lifting heavy objects—vastly accelerating construction tasks like road-clearing and bridge-building.
Satisfied, Charles set the documents aside and directly questioned Tijani: "How do you plan to attack Charleroi?"
Tijani gestured casually toward the intelligence files: "Only two German infantry regiments hold Charleroi—barely five thousand men. Do we even need a sophisticated plan? They're reportedly demoralized, some already deserting. Once our armored troops arrive, they'll likely surrender immediately or flee."
Charleroi was effectively isolated, defended largely by dispirited remnants and retreating troops. Facing Charles's formidable armored forces, their resistance seemed unlikely.
Charles, however, responded sharply, "General, if these Germans abandon Charleroi, where will they retreat?"
"Into the mountains, obviously," Tijani replied immediately—then abruptly fell silent, realizing his critical mistake. Embarrassed, he met Charles's steady gaze, comprehension dawning rapidly.
Germans fleeing into the Ardennes would scatter deep into the forest—the exact route Charles's armored troops planned to take secretly.
If defeated Germans believed Charles's troops were pursuing them into the forest, they'd panic, spreading news of the French advance directly to other German units. The element of surprise essential to Charles's operation would vanish instantly, potentially dooming the entire Ardennes offensive.
Tijani studied the map again, troubled. "But preventing them from retreating into the Ardennes seems nearly impossible."
"Use the Sixth Army," Charles interrupted decisively. "German defenders in Charleroi assume the First Armored Corps will spearhead our assault. Instead, the Sixth Army infantry will encircle the city and swiftly move into position behind it, cutting off the Germans' escape routes into the Ardennes."
Tijani instantly grasped the brilliance of Charles's strategy—another perfectly executed feint.
Additionally, this plan provided a credible pretext for French infantry to enter the Ardennes forest first, secretly clearing paths, building bridges, and preparing routes to facilitate the subsequent advance of the armored troops.
It was a flawless solution, aligning perfectly with Charles's larger strategic objectives.
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