Chapter 230: How to Save France
Efficient commands.
Extremely rapid advance.
It was only after the German Third Armored Division completed the capture of Abbeville on the coast that the Paris command center finally realized that three German armored formations had already crossed the Meuse River and driven directly toward the Channel coast.
The sudden change threw Weygand and Pétain into complete panic.
They had estimated that even if the German Army seized control of the Meuse River, it would still need time to rest and resupply.
They had never expected the enemy to abandon traditional concepts of offense and defense altogether.
The Germans had driven their tanks straight to the coast of the northern Channel region.
If there had not been too many troops stationed in that region, being encircled would not have been the worst news.
But the problem was that, because the French high command had previously concluded that Belgium and Germany had formed an alliance, Pétain and Montgomery had deployed heavy forces to the Channel area.
Their intention had been to use Lille, the central city of the region, to defend against the Belgians while also organizing a land counterattack against the German line at Sedan.
And now, without daytime air superiority, they could not dispatch reconnaissance aircraft to obtain accurate intelligence from the air.
They had no way of knowing how many German infantry divisions were already heading toward the coast, or whether those divisions had already completed the encirclement.
They could only assume the worst.
Germany had completely encircled and controlled the entire Channel region.
Including the original defensive forces, a total of one hundred and eighty thousand French soldiers and seventy thousand British soldiers were now trapped.
What made Pétain feel most helpless was that many of these soldiers had only just arrived in the Channel area.
Without even firing a shot, they were already facing encirclement.
This almost foolish decision to send more than two hundred thousand men into the enemy's pocket made Pétain slap his own forehead repeatedly.
He had thought that tanks and mechanized units could bring tactical change.
But he had not expected that this change would directly lead to the destruction of two hundred and fifty thousand men. Worse still, the Maginot Line was now threatened from both front and rear, meaning more than six hundred thousand troops were at risk of losing all combat effectiveness.
Even calculating from the day France had launched its active offensive into the Rhineland, the frontal war had lasted only a little more than a week.
And they had nearly lost the entire eastern region.
This speed shocked the high commands of both the French and British armies.
What worried Daladier and Churchill even more was how to rescue the two hundred and fifty thousand British and French troops who were about to sink into the quagmire.
The next morning, aboard the Prime Minister's special plane to Paris, Churchill stared at the battle report in his hand and sighed repeatedly.
"Why did the Air Force deployed in France not detect the German Army's movements immediately?"
His voice carried suppressed anger.
"Were the battle intelligence reports blind? Three Panzer divisions drove all the way to the English Channel?"
The staff officer responsible for the report bowed his head respectfully and said, "Mr. Prime Minister, the Air Force claims this was a necessary measure to compensate for the air gap. Only night operations could guarantee success."
"What successful operations can there be at night with such poor visibility?"
Churchill's rhetorical question was like a slap.
"Does dropping bombs on any open field count as a successful operation?"
The staff officer fell silent.
He did not dare expose the fact that the Air Force had already lost its nerve.
Churchill merely shook his head and took a heavy puff from his cigar.
His trip to Paris this time was also meant to stabilize the French government.
The fall of the northeastern region and the encirclement of hundreds of thousands of men were undoubtedly heavy blows to any country.
If he did not give Daladier full support, France's already weak will to resist would collapse further.
While he was thinking, the plane steadily landed at the airport.
Although Churchill knew very well that the situation was extremely bad, he still maintained his composure.
He knew he could not reveal even the slightest hint of compromise or weakness.
If he showed even a trace of it, that trace would be magnified infinitely, leading to the resurgence of the compromise faction that had only been suppressed by force.
After stepping off the plane, Churchill went directly to the general command room.
The moment he saw the exhausted faces of Marshal Pétain and Commander in Chief Gamelin, Churchill shook his head and quickly walked to French Prime Minister Reynaud.
"Mr. Reynaud, how much war potential does France still possess?"
He asked repeatedly, "How many strategic reserves can still be organized to defend against the coming full-scale German offensive?"
Reynaud sighed deeply.
"There are no strategic reserves left, Mr. Churchill."
His voice was heavy.
"We only have twenty-four divisions stationed in the south. Even if all the troops deployed in the Balkan Peninsula are withdrawn, we can only gather thirty-five infantry divisions."
"If we estimate the situation optimistically, and withdraw a small number of troops from the Maginot Line, then at most, we can organize fifty divisions for defense."
Churchill found this result unbelievable.
During the Great War, fifty divisions could be thrown into a single battle.
France, once so rich in war potential, could now only field an army of roughly five hundred thousand men.
It was like a sword that had been invincible ten years ago had suddenly become soft as mud.
"Then call for general mobilization, Mr. Reynaud!"
Churchill braced himself against the table.
"Call every adult male to stand up. This is your homeland. Every Frenchman has a responsibility to protect it."
Seeing Reynaud only lower his head in silence, Churchill finally realized that he had still overestimated the French people's will to resist.
The Frenchmen with the strongest will to resist had already entered the Army.
The people who remained, even if forcibly recruited, would be nothing more than cowards waiting to surrender.
Thinking of this, Churchill understood the importance of the two hundred and fifty thousand Allied troops trapped in the north.
Organizing a retreat had already become urgent.
Montgomery, who had heard of the Prime Minister's arrival, seemed to see through Churchill's thoughts and quickly reported, "Mr. Prime Minister, the troops are currently trapped around Lille."
"Lille is a border city adjacent to Belgium. The best way to get the troops out of danger is to retreat into Belgium."
"Belgium?"
Churchill frowned.
"Are they not Germany's ally?"
Montgomery shook his head.
"No, sir. Germany did not enter through Belgium. If they had, they would not need to transport supplies through the Ardennes Mountains."
"We speculate that Germany may have only reached an agreement with Belgium regarding military passage through the Ardennes Forest. Belgium has not fully allied with Germany."
He pointed to the map.
"We may be able to use Belgium to reach an agreement. The troops can retreat to the Belgian coast, and then we can dispatch ships and warships to transport two hundred and fifty thousand men back to mainland Britain."
Having Belgium as a buffer would certainly be ideal.
But Churchill believed Belgium would most likely refuse such a decision.
It could be attempted, but it could not be their only option.
Thinking of this, Churchill continued asking, "Are there any alternative plans?"
"Yes, Mr. Prime Minister, but the risks are also quite high."
Montgomery's expression turned serious.
"This morning, the latest intelligence from the French Channel region arrived. The German Army has already launched an assault on Calais. Even if we commit our elite forces in the Channel area to intercept them, we can delay them for at most one night."
"And aside from Calais, there is one other coastal town closest to Lille…"
Before Montgomery could finish speaking, Churchill had already found the inconspicuous small town at the edge of the map with his magnifying glass.
Dunkirk.
"Prepare both plans."
Churchill made the decision at once.
"You will immediately coordinate with the Navy and the shipping companies to formulate the Dunkirk evacuation plan."
Then he looked toward Reynaud.
"Mr. Reynaud, please join me in making a call to the King of Belgium."
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