Chapter 699 – Recapturing the Bridge
No one knew who fired the first shot, but chaos suddenly erupted among the German artillerymen. They made a last-ditch effort to resist.
It was meaningless.
The French troops didn't hesitate. They pulled their triggers, and a storm of gunfire swept through the German lines. One by one, the German soldiers collapsed into pools of blood.
After several minutes of intense fighting, the gunfire gradually died down. The only sounds that remained were the French soldiers shouting in rough German:
"Hands up!"
"Drop your weapons if you want to live!"
"We won't harm you. Surrender is the smart choice!"
…
The Germans realized they couldn't possibly stand against the French force before them. They were artillery troops—lacking both combat experience and proper weapons. The French, meanwhile, had tanks.
The machine guns and 37mm cannons mounted on the tanks' turrets exerted unimaginable pressure and fear on these German artillerymen, who had never fought in close combat before.
As a result, the battle never reached its climax. The Germans quickly raised their hands and surrendered en masse.
This marked the second large-scale capture by the French forces.
The first had been during the liberation of Mézières, where the French seized countless supplies and ammunition—so much that there hadn't even been time to tally it all.
What they did know was that seven warehouses in the Ardennes forest and thirteen more near the train station were nearly full.
With these stores, the French had no need to worry about food, ammunition, or fuel. Even if the city were entirely cut off by the Germans, they could hold out for months.
The second major capture came during this surprise attack on the German artillery positions on the west bank of the Meuse.
In that battle, the French captured 63 German 105mm howitzers, all in pristine condition, along with a huge stockpile of shells.
For the French army, which was severely lacking in large-caliber artillery, this was a godsend.
At the time, Schneider factories were working at full capacity, and some artillery was being reverse-imported from Italy. Even so, the French had only managed to accumulate 103 of these howitzers across the entire country.
They hadn't dared to deploy them yet, afraid that without mass production, they'd be quickly depleted by the enemy.
And now, Charles had captured 63 in one stroke on the battlefield.
…
After the victory, the French did not pause. Without rest, they pushed southward along the Meuse.
The German defenses were arrayed along the riverbank, but Charles's First Armored Division was now maneuvering a kilometer behind those lines, catching the enemy from the rear.
So they encountered nothing but artillery units, command posts, logistics teams, and supply depots.
These support forces were unprepared for direct combat. Even when they managed to cobble together a few attempts at resistance, they were easily crushed by a few bursts of fire.
In total, the French forces destroyed ten regimental command posts, six brigade headquarters, four divisional HQs, and two corps-level command centers.
They killed, wounded, or captured 33 German generals, with countless colonels and field officers among the casualties.
Even Lieutenant General Nicholas, commander of the 21st Army Group, fled in a panic—his command post so hastily abandoned that secret documents were left behind, neither removed nor destroyed.
As a result, the French immediately gained access to all German intelligence in the area.
They now had exact positions, unit strengths, and identification numbers.
Most importantly, just half an hour later, the First Armored Division successfully captured a bridge located seven kilometers upstream.
The bridge had already been rigged with explosives. A German infantry battalion had been stationed there specifically to secure it.
Their orders were clear: if they couldn't hold the bridge, they were to destroy it, ensuring that the French could not cross.
But…
All their higher command units had been swept away like dirt by a bulldozer. They had lost communication and had no idea what was happening with the main forces.
With no direct order to blow up the bridge, the troops hesitated. After all, German reinforcements also relied on this bridge to reach Sedan.
More importantly, their instructions were to "ensure that the French cannot cross the bridge."
Now, the French weren't coming from the other side—they had suddenly appeared from the flank and rear. Did that still meet the criteria for destruction?
Clearly not.
Should they blow it anyway?
If they did, what would happen if the Germans needed the bridge later to counterattack or re-enter Mézières?
They had only a few minutes to decide—then they saw the French tanks rolling in.
Gunfire and cannon blasts rained down on them like a storm. Fighter planes screeched overhead, diving to strafe and bomb.
In the end, Captain Noah, the German officer guarding the bridge, chose to do nothing. He fled with his troops.
With the bridge now under French control, everything became easier.
The First Armored Corps had more than 300 tanks. Only 100 had been hastily converted into amphibious models for the river crossing, and 27 of those had been lost in action.
Most of those were bogged down in the mud or had their engines flooded and couldn't be repaired.
Without the bridge, the remaining 200 tanks in Mézières would face serious challenges in crossing—unless a floating bridge was constructed or they were all converted into amphibious models.
Even then, there would still be major issues with supply lines and reinforcements. The western and eastern banks of the Meuse could easily become isolated from each other.
Now, with the bridge in French hands, all those problems disappeared.
Charles immediately dispatched a mechanized regiment to secure the bridge, followed by two freshly captured artillery regiments—one stationed on each bank of the river.
…
In Paris, at dawn, the public had yet to receive news of the front-line victory.
After a night of cooling off, citizens slowly came down from the euphoria of retaking Mézières.
They began to realize that Charles's forces had not expanded their gains. In fact, there were signs they might be surrounded and trapped there.
Morning newspapers reflected the shift in tone, featuring numerous skeptical opinions about Charles:
"This isn't good news. Though Charles recaptured Mézières, if he can't break out, it means nothing."
"Yes, and Mézières will become a wasteland. We'll gain nothing, because the Germans will flatten it."
"This might be Charles's greatest failure. Crossing the Ardennes was impressive, but the results aren't as great as we hoped."
"We even have to worry about Mézières's civilians—where will they go? Through the Ardennes into Belgium?"
…
Behind the scenes, capitalists and parliamentarians breathed a sigh of relief.
Charles's failure was their success. If he kept winning, he'd become untouchable—a figure too powerful to restrain.
So they quickly reactivated their propaganda machines, attempting to sway public opinion against Charles.
But just as they launched their campaign, a second wave of victory reports arrived from the front:
"Charles has defeated the Germans—again!"
"This morning, his troops broke through the German encirclement. The enemy was routed!"
"The German defenses on the west bank of the Meuse have collapsed—three infantry divisions and one artillery division, over 70,000 men!"
"The Germans had the advantage of the Meuse, numerical superiority—yet they were completely overrun by Charles!"
…
Once again, the people of France erupted in cheers for Charles and his brilliant victory.
(End of Chapter 699)
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