Chapter 764 - 764: Are These Really Charles’s Troops?

On the road toward Nancy, General Gamelin, wearing a steel helmet and a heavy raincoat, bounced uncomfortably in the back of an armored car as it rattled forward. For the first time in his life, he questioned his long-held beliefs:

Were tanks really useless?

When they attacked Toul, the tanks had seemed unstoppable. Although the Germans had dug anti-tank trenches, French bridging vehicles had swiftly laid down paths for the armor to cross with ease. German infantry quickly crumbled beneath the concentrated tank assault.

If the attack had relied solely on infantry, it might have taken months—or even longer—to break through. Yet, with tanks, the entire city had fallen within an hour.

Gamelin reluctantly admitted that this was precisely the kind of weapon Charles had used to achieve his legendary successes. Now that he himself commanded these powerful machines, he realized he should use them wisely.

"General," reported an aide riding beside him, "we're only three kilometers from Nancy."

Gamelin nodded, pulling a map from his coat pocket and studying it briefly. "Order the Special Mechanized Division to move east of Nancy and block enemy reinforcements from that direction. The Special Artillery Division will launch a full assault on Nancy itself."

Though officially commander of the Second Special Artillery Division, Gamelin was actually commanding two full divisions. Parliament had spared no expense, modeling his forces after Charles's formidable First Armored Army, even down to the organization of the mechanized units.

"Yes, General," the aide replied, quickly relaying orders via radio.

Gamelin followed closely behind the advancing Special Artillery Division, soon nearing the German lines just outside Nancy. Leaning forward from his armored car, he raised his binoculars carefully above the vehicle's armor plating, examining the German defenses.

Through the thin veil of rain, he could see German troops hurriedly repositioning themselves along their trench lines. This was exactly what he wanted—the enemy was clearly unprepared, scrambling to respond at the very last moment.

Without hesitation, Gamelin raised his hand and signaled. Immediately, dozens of French tanks surged forward, accompanied by infantry following closely behind. Only at that precise moment did the French artillery open fire, deliberately avoiding preliminary bombardments that might hinder tank movement.

Their artillery support came from "truck-mounted cannons" and "Saint-Chamond" self-propelled artillery—both weapons directly purchased from Charles's factories. The advancing tanks adopted Charles's signature "three-tank" formation: one tank attacked, one provided covering fire, and one served as reinforcement.

Even Charles himself, had he witnessed this maneuver, might have mistaken them for his own troops. Indeed, under Briand's instructions, these divisions had been meticulously modeled after Charles's own tactics and organization. Briand's logic was straightforward: if no one fully understood Charles's methods, the next best thing was simply to imitate them precisely, down to the smallest detail.

As the tanks approached within 300 meters of the enemy lines, artillery support ceased, following established tactical doctrine. The uneven terrain at closer ranges increased the risk of friendly fire from inaccurate artillery strikes.

Gamelin watched through his binoculars, a satisfied smile slowly spreading across his face. The Germans appeared unresponsive, and victory now seemed certain.

But suddenly—

Boom! Boom! Boom-boom-boom!

The German trenches erupted with the sudden fire of dozens of small-caliber guns, sending repeated volleys directly toward the advancing tanks.

Gamelin frowned sharply. He had never heard this sound before. The guns appeared small-caliber—did the Germans seriously intend to stop tanks with such weak artillery? Surely this was folly.

Yet, as he refocused his binoculars onto his tanks, shock filled his expression. Several vehicles had already halted abruptly, their hulls penetrated by German fire. Smoke billowed from several others.

"General!" His aide cried out anxiously. "The enemy artillery is penetrating our tanks—and with incredible accuracy!"

Gamelin froze, utterly bewildered. He'd never before seen Germans wielding such effective anti-tank weaponry. Previously, German guns had either lacked accuracy or the penetration power necessary to pierce French armor. Where had these precise, deadly weapons suddenly come from?

More shells landed among his advancing tanks, crippling seven or eight additional vehicles.

"What should we do?" His aide shouted in panic.

Gamelin himself desperately wanted an answer. He frantically wondered how Charles himself would respond. Why was he the one facing such an unprecedented problem?

He cursed inwardly. He should never have trusted these worthless machines. Tanks were merely large, inviting targets for any enemy equipped with suitable weaponry. How could he have ever thought otherwise?

Gritting his teeth, he shouted decisively, "Continue the attack! Even if we lose the tanks, our infantry cannot retreat. Order them forward! Victory lies ahead!"

"Yes, General!"

But without proper coordination, the previously disciplined French units descended into chaos. Infantry rushed forward desperately, overtaking stalled tanks, forcing vehicles to slow further or even halt. With infantry blocking their line of fire, tank crews couldn't return fire effectively. The slowed vehicles became even easier targets.

Meanwhile, the exposed infantry, deprived of armored cover, fell rapidly under withering German machine-gun fire.

…

On the German side, Manstein's mobile anti-tank units had just arrived, quickly deploying their TAK-type anti-tank guns on the flanks of their lines. Although their 37mm shells could penetrate 25mm armor at 300 meters, that capability applied strictly against vertical armor. The Charles A1 tanks had angled frontal armor, difficult to penetrate directly from the front.

Thus, Manstein carefully positioned his guns to target the thinner side armor of the French tanks—dramatically improving their chances of penetration.

Yet, as he observed the resulting chaos among French ranks, Manstein grew uneasy. Were these truly Charles's troops? Even caught off guard, Charles's experienced forces surely wouldn't descend into such disorder so quickly.

Moments later, French artillery began firing desperately again, ordered by a frantic Gamelin to suppress the German anti-tank guns. But in the hazy rain, French gunners couldn't clearly identify German positions. Their blind bombardment caused more friendly casualties, further plunging French troops into disorder.

Manstein cursed inwardly: they'd clearly been deceived. These weren't Charles's units—this was a trap. Still, retreating now was impossible.

Resolutely, Manstein continued the assault, directing his forces forward. Moments later, Erwin's own armored division launched a devastating flank attack, bypassing the chaotic frontline fighting entirely, aiming straight toward vulnerable French artillery positions behind the lines.

Seeing the unexpected appearance of German tanks attacking from the flank, Gamelin panicked, his face drained of color.

"The Mechanized Division!" he shouted desperately. "Recall them immediately to hold the flank!"

"General!" his aide responded frantically, "The Mechanized Division is already fully engaged and cannot break away to support us!"

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