Chapter 223: Press the Accelerator
The good news that had lasted through the night was shattered by the urgent telegram placed on the desk.
The adjutant asked repeatedly, his voice trembling despite his effort to remain professional.
"Marshal, are we… retreating or attacking?"
Once Germany's homeland had been attacked, the possibility of a German counterattack was one hundred percent.
To organize this offensive, France had even withdrawn part of the defenders from the Maginot Line.
If Germany seized the opportunity to launch an attack against the Maginot Line, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Most importantly, there were no prepared defenses inside Germany itself. The plains turned infantry into a burden. If the remaining forces continued advancing, they would only stretch themselves thinner and thinner until German armor tore them apart.
Retreating now could still save the remaining eighty thousand soldiers and allow them to preserve some value.
Attacking was no different from suicide.
Pétain's cloudy eyes shifted slightly.
At last, he realized that Germany had not failed to deploy its proud armored divisions along the border.
They had simply been waiting.
Waiting for the French attacking force to stretch itself out.
Waiting to break through the fragile defensive line in one blow and encircle the entire offensive force.
He was indeed old.
He had not even noticed such a strategic trap.
Yet what shocked him even more was the extent of Germany's military development. He had originally thought that what he had seen on the Spanish battlefield represented the full measure of Germany's strength.
But now, the endless stream of new weapons appearing along the front told him clearly that Spain had only been a glimpse.
This attack had been a complete tactical misjudgment.
"Retreat."
Pétain's voice carried a helpless exhaustion.
"We have lost. Completely."
He slowly lowered the telegram.
"The Germans thought farther than us. They were prepared, and we were simply… a mess."
This also meant that Leclerc, the attacking commander still inside the encirclement, had been abandoned by him.
One of France's few armored commanders was struggling in the siege of Athens.
The other had already staked his life on a final breakout operation.
Within two days, after barely launching a probing attack, Pétain completely abandoned the idea of rescuing the attacking force.
Leclerc successfully broke through after leaving behind dozens of tank wrecks and sacrificing his left arm.
But the cost was equally heavy.
Three infantry divisions, one tank division, and one light mechanized division had been encircled. Only part of the tank division managed to break out.
The remaining forces were immediately compressed by German reinforcements.
Knowing they had been abandoned, and after three failed breakout attempts on the third night, they chose to surrender.
In this offensive, France handed Germany a "perfect" report card.
Nearly thirty thousand surrendered.
Ten thousand dead.
More than fifteen thousand wounded.
Meanwhile, on the second front in Greece, the situation was equally grim.
Bock's advance had been too rapid, catching De Gaulle completely off guard.
He could only reduce the frontal assault forces assigned to capture Athens and divert troops into the mountains to assist the defense, hoping to buy more time for the capture of the city and the breakthrough of the Navy.
The reduction of pressure on the front line gave the Greeks a chance to breathe.
They had held out for a week.
Facing attacks from two countries, this was already everything they could do.
Even though Athens had become a ruin, they had still not thought of giving up.
The increasing number of German aircraft appearing above the capital, and the growing number of Romanian reinforcements landing at the eastern port, told them one thing.
They could win this war.
Berlin.
Jörg sat silently in his office, as though waiting for something.
Ding-a-ling.
The electric bell that had been silent for a long time pulled his wandering thoughts back into his body.
He picked up the receiver.
A muffled voice entered his ear.
"Commander in Chief, all forces on the Western Front are ready. Shall we begin the operation?"
The receiver fell silent.
After a while, the single word Jörg uttered pushed Europe onto fast forward.
"Yes."
Under the weight of that word, the Maginot Line, which had long been waiting for battle, was pierced by artillery fire at dawn.
On the Spanish-French border, bombings by aircraft of the Spanish Forward Party echoed through the mountains.
José officially declared war on France.
At the same time, he demanded a peaceful merger with Portugal.
General Vorbeck, wearing a smile, murmured in Arabic.
"Attack. To Marseille."
North Africa, Morocco.
Rommel dispatched Spanish auxiliary troops to launch the first probing attack against Algeria.
He wiped the sand from his pocket watch.
His wife's photograph came into view.
"I will be absent this Christmas, Lucy."
The Ardennes Mountains.
Amid the howling of Stuka bombers, Manstein launched the operation codenamed [Mountain Climb].
Looking up, the trees were dense.
Behind him, countless tanks advanced along narrow roads toward the high mountains.
Such a grand sight reminded him of Hindenburg, who had refused a state funeral, and of his rarely seen great-uncle.
Manstein took a deep breath of air mixed with gasoline and cold wind.
Then he whispered, "Your Excellency Marshal, I will win back Paris for you, for Germany, and for His Excellency Jörg."
His gaze turned toward the front.
"May you protect Germany."
At this time, in Paris, the Élysée Palace was brightly lit.
Reports of three-pronged attacks against the French homeland plunged Daladier into panic.
One high-ranking military official after another discussed the specific directions of Germany's offensives. Voices rose and fell, maps were unfolded and replaced, and the conference room became a battlefield of paper, ink, and fear.
But Daladier said nothing.
After giving up the main seat in the conference room to Marshal Pétain, he entered a car and drove toward the British consulate.
London.
The prime ministerial election had entered its final stage.
Churchill took a long drag from his cigarette.
The brandy in his glass was already empty, and his aides were meticulously reporting the voting situation in each district.
But the report was soon interrupted.
A military representative ran breathlessly to Churchill's side and whispered, "Germany has launched a full-scale attack on France, Mr. Churchill. We must make a decision."
"The election process will take too long. I have received inside information that your approval rating has been manipulated by the aristocratic faction."
"They fear Soviet Russia more than the Germans. They fear that intervention in the war will exhaust Europe's foundations and Britain's foundations, leaving them powerless to resist a large-scale Russian invasion."
"And Chamberlain, for the sake of his political position, has abandoned his previous stance and begun appeasing the doves on a large scale. If he takes office, he will absolutely push Britain toward reconciliation with Germany."
The representative lowered his voice further.
"King George has just ascended the throne. He can give the Army an order to intervene in the Franco-German war ahead of schedule."
"This time, we cannot retreat again."
"And we can control Downing Street."
Churchill thought for a long time.
Finally, he nodded.
He agreed to the plan.
United States.
Roosevelt read the intelligence from Europe word by word.
"Europe…"
He slowly lowered the document.
"The flames of war have reignited."
An aide asked, "Mr. President, should we do anything?"
"Not for now. We must first see Britain's attitude."
Roosevelt paused, then asked, "By the way, Roche, is my second-term speech ready?"
Roche nodded.
"It is ready, sir. In New York."
After a slight hesitation, he added, "I still strongly recommend a broadcast speech. Those isolationist fanatics have been very active since your visit to Germany."
After thinking for a long while, Roosevelt shook his head.
"No. Not this time."
His voice was calm but firm.
"What happened on the Mexican border and what happened in Europe have already shown that we cannot remain aloof forever."
"I want to prepare the American people."
"Prepare the military-industrial enterprises."
"And prepare the Army."
Roosevelt looked toward the window.
"Standing behind a microphone will only make me look weak."
…..
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