"An expanded trench?" Nicholas was startled. "That's it? Just that simple?"

"Yes," Erwin explained. "I've observed Charles's tanks. The reason the 'Charles A1' can cross our trenches is due to its tail hitch for support. If we widen the trenches, their tanks might not make it across!"

"Might not?"

"I'm not certain, General," Erwin replied. "But it's worth trying—it's better than doing nothing."

Major General Nicholas nodded slightly. Fine, let him try whatever he wants; it's no loss to me, so long as he stops pestering me.

So, Nicholas relayed Erwin's suggestion up to Lieutenant General Jürgen, the 2nd Army commander.

Although Jürgen wasn't particularly enthused, he decided to go along with the plan on the principle of "it couldn't hurt to try."

But Erwin didn't stop there. He reinforced the barbed wire in front of the trenches and led his men to clear paths through the battlefield.

These pathways extended from the tank battalion's position in Bourlon Forest all the way back to the trenches, where they also constructed tank cover positions.

In a strategic move, Erwin positioned the "Upper Silesia" tanks to face the enemy from the side, allowing their main gun and both machine guns to fire forward. By swiveling all their guns to one side, each tank could bring three firing points to bear on the enemy simultaneously.

Erwin felt satisfied with the setup. He believed he could withstand Charles's assault if they dared to attack.

The tactic was indeed sound, and Charles couldn't help but feel a touch of admiration when he received word of the enemy's preparations.

If not for the "White Lady" infiltrating the German lines and providing real-time intel, the 1st Armored Division might have been caught off guard.

Digging wider trenches seemed straightforward, but it was essentially an early form of "anti-tank ditch." Even today, it's a difficult obstacle, requiring careful trench-filling to traverse.

While the French filled the trenches, the German tanks could safely fire from cover. With a 57mm cannon, they could penetrate the front armor of the "Charles A1" at close range, while the tanks' front and rear machine guns could decimate advancing soldiers and trench-filling infantry.

But now that Charles knew of these German preparations, he knew exactly how to counter them.

It was Bastille Day, and the German 2nd Army on the Cambrai front was feeling unusually relaxed.

They reasoned the French wouldn't choose such a day to launch an attack, especially since they'd heard Charles's unit would be in the parade.

The soldiers passed around cigarettes, trading a few gripes here and there.

"Our biggest worry now seems to be Charles's unit," one said.

"Yeah, every time they show up, we end up losing, no exceptions."

"It's frustrating, but it's the truth. His unit's just different from the rest of the French army. Why don't the French train all their troops like that?"

"Prochno," someone quickly cautioned, "Do you really want all the French forces to be like Charles's unit?"

The soldiers laughed, silently grateful that the French hadn't adopted Charles's training methods army-wide, although some still didn't understand why.

"Hey, Captain!" they called, waving to Erwin, who was peeking out of the trenches to survey the terrain.

These days, Erwin, commander of the tank battalion, had become a regular in the trenches.

"Watch out for snipers, Captain!" warned a grizzled soldier, his face smeared with dirt. "They always seem to spot you when you least expect it."

Erwin pulled his head back, stowed his binoculars, and ambled over to the soldiers, taking a cigarette that was offered to him.

"Any updates?" he asked while lighting up.

"No, Captain," the old soldier answered, lighting a match for him. "The French have all gone to storm the Bastille!"

The soldiers laughed again.

Erwin cracked a smile, exhaling a puff of smoke before advising, "Stay vigilant. Battle usually breaks out when we least expect it."

"Yes, sir," the soldiers responded one after another, though none seemed to take it to heart.

But just as Erwin's figure disappeared around the bend in the communication trench, the droning hum of engines echoed from above.

Everyone's expressions changed as they looked up.

Erwin dashed back, raising his binoculars and climbing onto a platform.

A dark mass of planes loomed through the clouds—Erwin immediately recognized them as Charles's "Caproni" bombers.

"Damn it!" he swore. "I was right; Charles's target is here!"

Wasting no time, Erwin lowered his binoculars and shouted to the soldiers, "Alert your officers—prepare for battle!"

Soldiers quickly dropped their half-smoked cigarettes, grabbing rifles and scrambling to the trench edges, while signalmen rushed to find their officers.

Erwin ducked down, heading toward his unit. He feared that the bombers were targeting the 1st Tank Division.

If that were the case, everything they'd prepared would be for nothing.

As he ran, Erwin glanced back up at the sky, noticing that the bombers seemed to be aiming elsewhere.

Following their trajectory, he realized they were heading toward the 105mm howitzer battery, about four kilometers away.

"My God, they're done for," Erwin muttered, horrified. "Charles knows the exact location of the howitzer positions!"

Sure enough, bombs rained down like a cascade of leaves, whistling as they fell onto the artillery positions.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Explosions and fire erupted across the artillery field, with dark plumes rising from the site as the blasts roared like some infernal beast, shaking the whole forest.

But as the echoes of the bombing faded, some of the bombers remained circling in the sky, seemingly waiting for something.

Erwin understood the implications. Pulling out a signal flag, he began waving it toward the tank battalion.

Dozens of "Upper Silesia" tanks slowly emerged from the forest, moving into their protective positions as rehearsed.

Just as Erwin had anticipated, the sound of tank engines rumbled through the smoke on the other side of the trenches. One by one, "Charles A1" tanks appeared on the horizon, their short-barreled cannons swinging from side to side, seemingly scanning for targets.

"Aim!" Erwin shouted.

He knew the artillery was beyond hope. As soon as the howitzers opened fire, the circling bombers would spot and destroy them.

This was the glaring flaw in their lack of anti-aircraft firepower. The planes could loiter overhead, simply waiting for a target, limited only by their fuel.

Yet Erwin realized that even his tank tactics might not hold.

The enemy's artillery fire was relentless, one barrage after another. The "Upper Silesia" tanks were often destroyed before they even caught sight of their targets, despite their defensive positions.

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