CHAPTER 673: REVISED: CHAPTER 673 RETREAT

Charleroi, Major General Fred’s command center was set up in a steel factory by the River Somme.

This was Major General Fred’s choice, fearing that a command center set up in obvious locations like a villa or city hall would be "pinpointed and eliminated" by Shire’s bombers.

After all, this is Belgium, where everywhere people with eyes filled with hatred are staring at the German Army.

They would leak information to the guerrillas, who in turn would inform Shire, and then bombers would swarm in.

However, Major General Fred still felt uneasy even inside the steel factory, pacing anxiously in front of his desk, occasionally standing still to stare at the map, trying to find a suitable direction for breaking out.

West?

Or south?

Major General Fred leaned towards the south.

Because the west is a vast primeval forest, and with the warming weather, it’s the time for venomous insects and beasts to come out of hibernation.

Moreover, the west faces the battlefield of the River Somme, and even if successfully crossing the forest, it’s uncertain whether it would be entering the German Army’s or the British Army’s zone.

Neither seems good.

Entering the British Army’s zone would mean becoming a prisoner, and entering the German Army’s zone would mean being incorporated into the troops for combat.

The best choice would definitely be the south; reaching the rear of the German Army after crossing the Arden Mountains, even if going to the battlefield, there’s time to rest and reorganize.

The problem is the south might already be occupied by the French Army.

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

This fully demonstrated the quality of the German Army; within just fifteen minutes, over five thousand troops were prepared for marching, specifically for retreating into the mountains.

Soldiers even carried ropes for climbing, and some found pack animals to carry heavy loads as well as livestock that could be used for food.

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

But Major General Fred still couldn’t decide which direction to break out.

Suddenly, he looked up at the staff officer, "Have we been monitoring Shire’s troops?"

"Yes." The staff officer nodded, "There is a reconnaissance company lurking around Namur, with some informants placed within the city."

The Germans pretending to be the Belgians wasn’t much of a problem; most of the Belgians near this area spoke German, making the Germans hard to distinguish among them.

"So." Major General Fred asked, "Is there any movement from Shire’s troops?"

"I haven’t received any reports, General." The staff officer replied.

Major General Fred gently nodded, his gaze turning back to the map, murmuring:

"So this means, the French Army appearing in the southern mountain area is not the troops stationed at Namur, but... the 6th Army Group stationed along Jangbulu!"

"And they didn’t bypass Charleroi from the east but utilized the western forest."

This was evident; the east was an open area filled with German scouts, making it impossible for the French Army to bypass unnoticed.

The staff officer immediately understood Major General Fred’s meaning: "So if the French Army appears in the south, there must be more forces in the west, as it’s their only way through?"

"Yes." Major General Fred nodded, "It seems we have no choice but to break out from the south."

At that moment, a signaler brought a telegram: "General, Major Feinde reports that they have defeated the enemy and request further orders."

Major General Fred rejoiced, as expected, the main encircling force of the enemy was in the west, not the south.

The French Army in the south likely just arrived, with their forces few and exhausted, which is why they were driven back by Major Feinde’s infantry battalion.

"Order them to hold that position until we arrive!" Major General Fred commanded.

"Yes, General!"

Then Major General Fred no longer hesitated, resolutely ordering the staff officer: "Order the entire army to retreat south!"

"Yes, General!"

With the staff officer’s command, the German Army began marching south in a mighty formation.

They carried almost no heavy equipment; the cannons and ammunition that couldn’t be carried were destroyed in place, and vehicles transporting food followed the troops but could only reach the edge of the forest. When there were no roads, they still had to unload the food and burn the vehicles.

...

In the command center at Namur Castle, Shire was discussing the issue of encirclement supplies with Tijani.

The troops needed vast amounts of supplies; just the fuel required for the tanks was a huge burden, not to mention the parts needed when tanks were damaged along the way.

"Border tricycles may have a hard time meeting supply needs." Tijani said, "The First Armored Army has over three hundred tanks, conservatively calculating a distance of one hundred kilometers, they need at least 15,000 liters."

Upon hearing this number, Shire frowned, the border tricycles had limited carrying capacity, 100 liters of gasoline up and down the mountain road was already very strenuous, even so, 150 border tricycles were still needed.

The key issue was the border tricycles also consumed fuel, and the encirclement distance might exceed one hundred kilometers, even after arrival, combat fuel was still needed...

After considering for a while, Shire said, "We could advance fuel transportation into the forest."

"Advance?" Tijani was surprised, "Wouldn’t that be too dangerous?"

Shire replied in a deep voice, "Carry out the entire process secretly, set up several supply points along the marching route, each supply point construct underground facilities to store fuel, food, and tank parts."

Tijani murmured an "Oh" and nodded lightly, this seemed like a good idea.

The downside was if seen by scattered German soldiers, they might guess the French Army’s combat objective or even know the marching route.

Shire knew this too but believed that if the transportation troops carried out reconnaissance work in advance to confirm no nearby enemies, the risk was controllable.

"There’s also the problem of airdropping." Tijani continued, "Airdropping in open flat areas is still manageable, we only need to lay down signal boards. But we’re entering the Arden Mountains, most of which are covered by trees, it’s hard to find a place to lay down signal boards."

More precisely, it wasn’t about difficulty laying down, but even if laid down, bombers flying in the air couldn’t find them.

Other methods included lighting a fire or firing signal flares, but that could easily expose the location of the encircling troops or attract the attention of the German Army.

After pondering for a while, Shire responded, "Try using canvas as signals, it can be spread out extensively on mountain terrain or treetops."

The advantage of using canvas as signals was it usually remained unaffected by the terrain.

As Shire was speaking, a signaler knocked and entered, handing Shire a telegram: "General, the German Army at Charleroi is retreating south."

Shire was stunned looking at the signaler, not expecting the German Army to retreat so quickly and head south.

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

"Yes, they’re ready." The signaler replied.

Shire was somewhat surprised; although there were only two directions for the German Army to break out, there were quite a few breakout points.

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

Or was Kristen exaggerating?