Chapter 518 Another Quagmire

Dunkirk, General Headquarters of the British Expeditionary Force.

Kitchener, who is the Secretary of War, has an office here. After all, this is where the British Army fights, and there will be a big battle soon.

Kitchener used to write in his diary after dinner.

He thinks this is very meaningful. After he retires, he can dig them out and read them, and then he can easily write a memoir as a summary of his life.

After jotting down a few strokes, Kitchener suddenly lost interest.

He closed the book and put away the pen, took the coffee and walked to the window, looking towards the darkness in the north.

The important thing is actually not writing a diary, but what you can write in that little notebook, such as becoming the British Prime Minister in your lifetime.

(The picture above shows a World War I-era fountain pen, invented in 1884 by an American insuranceman.)

At this time, there was a slight knock on the door.

Kitchener put away his thoughts, turned around and responded: "Please come in."

Haig opened the door and came in. He, who had been so arrogant in Chantilly just now, was as humble as a student in front of Kitchener.

"Things are going very well, Your Majesty Marshal." Haig reported: "They agreed to our attack plan. As we estimated, the only obstacle is Gallieni, but he can't do anything."

Kitchener said "hmm" and said nothing.

Haig asked doubtfully: "You don't seem to be very satisfied with the current situation?"

Kitchener replied expressionlessly: "The biggest obstacle is not Gallieni, General. Difficulties are still waiting for us ahead. Now is not the time to discuss 'satisfaction'."

Haig was stunned for a moment, and then quickly thought of the reason: "What do you mean, Ciel?"

Kitchener nodded slightly: "Have you heard about the cooperation between Saint-Etienne and FN Company?"

"I've heard a little bit about it," Haig replied.

He didn't take it to heart because he always believed that fighting relied on people rather than equipment.

"I know what you're thinking." Kitchener said helplessly.

The only thing he was dissatisfied with Haig was this. His "tradition" and "conservatism" were outrageous, to the point where he didn't believe in any new equipment.

Kitchener said in a critical tone: "Even if you don't believe this, you should always see the fact that Charles was victorious. He invented the tank in Paris and combined fighter planes with 'Congreve' rockets in Antwerp. And the mines at Verdun and so on, is it all luck?"

"I don't think this is luck, Marshal." Haig replied: "But a large part of the reason why these equipment can win is due to luck and the enemy's lack of preparation. Once they are prepared and make corresponding countermeasures, they will Ineffective. For example, the Germans built anti-tank trenches that tanks could not cross. "

Kitchener did not pursue the argument with Haig, which was a waste of time.

Of course there are flukes on the battlefield, and there are flukes in every battle.

But if Shire wins again and again, it can't be explained by a fluke.

Kitchener's own analysis:

"I have received information that Shire has been actively training troops recently and is working hard to produce new equipment."

"I think he's preparing for the fight that's coming."

"That's not a good thing for us."

Haig understood what Kitchener was worried about. If the Shire won again, and even achieved a big victory with a small force, even if the British army also won, it would be overshadowed by the Shire's light.

There was a hint of disdain on Haig's lips: "With all due respect, I think your worries are unnecessary, Marshal. We have been preparing for this victory for several months, and preliminary estimates are that we can mobilize 80 divisions and millions of people. So. The size of the offensive is almost negligible."

(Note: A total of 54 British divisions and 32 French divisions were invested in the Battle of the Somme, with a total of 86 divisions and millions of men.)

Kitchener rolled his eyes. The point was not how many troops could be mobilized, but how much results could be obtained after investing so many people.

Can you, like Charles, travel to Antwerp to recapture one-third of Belgium and capture hundreds of thousands of German troops in one go?

But of course Kitchener would not say this, and saying so would be a slap in the face. He understood that Haig was such a person. He was superstitious about military superiority and believed that military strength could crush all obstacles.

Kitchener said in a different way: "But just in case, we should give Charles a problem and give him a surprise, what do you think?"

Haig's eyes lit up, he had no problem with this!

…

Ciel is dealing with Tijani's entanglement.

"I think it is more suitable for equipping mechanized troops, general." Returning to the headquarters from the training ground, Tijani kept talking almost for a moment: "The armored troops have tanks. They can approach the enemy in a short time and fire. There is no need for this at all. A rocket launcher with a range of 8 kilometers.”

Charles asked back: "You mean, the armored forces don't need 75 guns and don't need 'Saint Shamon'?"

"No, of course not." Tijani's excuse remained unchanged after being exposed. He replied seriously: "What I mean is that artillery has higher accuracy. That is what tanks need. They can better fight with it." Collaboration. However, rocket launchers always have accuracy problems, and they may pose a threat to friendly tanks and cause accidental damage.”

This makes some sense.

But Charles asked: "Don't mechanized troops need to coordinate with armored troops? So, you don't need rocket launchers, right?"

Tijani was speechless.

Charles looked at Tijani teasingly and added: "What's more, not long ago someone swore, 'I don't need rocket launchers', you won't forget it so quickly, right?"

Tijani tilted his head to recall: "Did I say that? No, you must have remembered it wrong!"

Charles was speechless. This shameless guy was actually a major general division commander!

At this time, the guard brought a British lieutenant. The British lieutenant saluted in front of Charles, took out a file from his bag and handed it over: "Top secret document, General, please open it when you are sure it is safe."

Charles said "hmm" and opened it casually.

Charles' command center is absolutely safe. Everyone has been strictly tested and even restricted in their activities. They are not allowed to go out and contact other people without permission.

The British lieutenant saluted and left.

Charles looked at the file and said "huh" and frowned.

Tijani was instantly curious and came up to see that it was a battle plan.

After flipping through it carefully, he looked at Charles in shock: "They actually ordered us to attack the Namur Fortress?"

Charles nodded.

This was something he had not expected. He always thought that the Battle of the Somme was about to begin, and dozens of divisions and millions of troops would be transferred there to launch an attack, and he would be no exception.

Now it seems that the British seem to want to fall into another quagmire!