The German 1st Tank Division raced down the road toward the town of Valois.

The "Upper Silesia" tanks had a cruising speed of 12 km/h; while they could technically reach 16 km/h, that was only for emergency combat maneuvers.

If they pushed it to top speed, the engines would likely overheat within fifteen minutes, risking a catastrophic breakdown or worse.

Even at normal speed, eleven tanks broke down along the way and had to be abandoned.

The drivers were thoroughly exhausted, having driven the thirty kilometers in just over two hours without a break.

Driving tanks at this time was pure physical labor—no power steering, just relentless noise, sweltering heat, and choking air inside the cabins.

Erwin had accompanied Major General Nicholas in his car for most of the journey. They crawled along behind the tanks, slowly discussing their plans over a map.

"The bridge is built over a gorge more than seven meters deep and over ten meters wide," Erwin explained. "Back when I led the mountain battalion, I had studied it as a potential objective, so I'm quite familiar with the terrain."

Nicholas scrutinized the map, eyeing the edges of the gorge.

"It's not very long." Erwin traced a line along the map with his finger, explaining, "Only about 200 meters, and not marked here, but it connects two mountain ridges impassable for tanks. If they can't cross here, they'd have to detour over 100 kilometers in the direction of Charleroi."

Nicholas sighed in relief. "This is an excellent opportunity. We can conceal our tanks on the opposite side of the bridge and open fire as soon as they try to cross…"

"General," Erwin interrupted, "I doubt this tactic will work against Charles's forces."

Nicholas looked at Erwin, confused. "The bridge can only handle one tank at a time, Captain. No matter how formidable the 'Charles A1' is, it couldn't possibly withstand a simultaneous attack from dozens of our tanks. And if we manage to destroy one tank on the bridge, we'd block their advance altogether."

To Nicholas, the plan seemed practically flawless.

But Erwin shook his head.

"That's exactly what I initially thought," Erwin replied, a note of resignation in his voice. "It's precisely how I arranged our defenses along the line."

The realization hit Nicholas. Erwin's widened trenches functioned like a natural gorge, and Charles's troops had simply bridged them with sandbags. Despite Erwin's tank regiment's concentrated attack, the enemy had still prevailed.

"What exactly did they do?" Nicholas asked.

Erwin's answer was straightforward. "Their artillery—they might as well have had eyes on our tanks from kilometers away, knowing our exact locations. I believe they stationed a large number of artillery spotters along the front line, coordinating infantry and artillery perfectly."

Before becoming a mountain battalion commander, Erwin had served with the 49th Field Artillery Regiment, so he understood the power of coordinated fire support better than most.

After a moment of reflection, Nicholas said, "So, our tanks would be destroyed one by one by their artillery, and then their tanks would cross the bridge."

"Exactly," Erwin sighed. "Until now, I assumed that Charles had an equipment advantage. But now I see the difference goes much deeper."

"What do you mean?" Nicholas asked.

"They operate as a seamless unit, General," Erwin explained. "Their air force suppresses our 105mm howitzers, their artillery covers their tanks, and their infantry attacks in close coordination with their armor. Every branch complements the others' weaknesses. And we…"

"…fight separately?" Nicholas finished for him.

Erwin nodded, feeling a wave of helplessness wash over him. What truly demoralized him wasn't Charles's bombers or tanks, nor was it the recent defeat; it was the flawless coordination between Charles's units.

How had Charles learned to organize and train his forces to function as a single, cohesive entity?

With such an army, invincible in nature, he could deploy one division after another, eventually building an unstoppable force. German troops that could only dig trenches would be swept aside in their wake, and this war was destined for failure.

Sensing Erwin's thoughts, Nicholas kept a neutral expression. "Captain, you're getting ahead of yourself. Focus on winning this battle first."

Then, shifting to a more resolute tone, he said, "If that's the case, blowing up the bridge may be our only option."

Destroying the bridge wasn't an ideal choice, as it would leave many of their trucks, sidecars, and artillery stranded. Only infantry could cross the ravine without it.

After a moment of thought, Erwin suggested, "There might be another option."

Pointing at the map about a mile away from the bridge, Erwin said, "We could try hiding our tanks here, in Valois."

Nicholas understood Erwin's idea immediately. Hiding tanks in Valois meant they'd be invisible to the French, who might also be hesitant to bombard a town full of Belgian civilians.

However…

"What good would that do?" Nicholas countered. "At that range, we still couldn't penetrate the 'Charles A1'; we'd only be able to watch as they crossed the bridge."

"No, General," Erwin said. "When a dozen 'Charles A1' tanks cross, we'd launch a counterattack!"

Nicholas stared at Erwin, wondering if the man had lost his mind. Counterattack? Engage "Charles A1" in close combat?

After considering it, Nicholas conceded that it might be their only viable tactic.

If the "Upper Silesia" tanks mixed with the "Charles A1" units, the enemy artillery would be unable to target them without risking friendly fire.

Then, German tanks could employ superior numbers, even flanking with their maximum speed of 16 km/h, and fire from the rear, where the enemy armor was thinnest.

If they succeeded, they could use the wrecked "Charles A1" tanks to block the bridge, trapping the French on the other side.

With that, Nicholas resolved to adopt this bold strategy.

"I'll assign all remaining tanks to your battalion," Nicholas said. "You'll lead the armored assault while I manage the infantry. If possible, we should secure some artillery support as well."

"Yes, General," Erwin replied.

He realized his earlier mistake: he should have used a mobile defense rather than positioning his tanks in static emplacements.

Tanks were built to move, not to serve as fixed gun emplacements!

Yet, fate had other plans—Erwin wouldn't get the chance to put his new strategy to the test.

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