27 – How to Break Through the Chamho Ship
War Fortress, the capital of the French Republic, Paris.
After the French failed in their offensive against German territory, War Minister Adolf Mari Massimi and Chief of Staff Joffre spent a noisy time by punishing numerous generals.
“Dismissal? I said I did my best for the country.”
“If your defense is over, vacate your seat and stand up.”
Those who were passive in the operation, showed incompetence, or disobeyed orders were the targets. Joffre carried out punishment using the failure of the offensive as an excuse. In the process, about 40 generals lost their posts or were stripped of their uniforms.
Joffre intended to rejuvenate the demoralized army through this punishment. Indeed, many incompetent generals who only occupied positions were cut off through the punishment.
Anyway, the large-scale punishment offered a great opportunity for promotion to the officers, in line with the expansion of the army due to the war, and many aggressive offensive-minded individuals rose to the ranks of generals.
Before the war, young generals who couldn’t even step foot in the ranks of high-ranking officers boldly advocated for a resumption of the offensive that the existing high-ranking officers, weakened by defeat, dared not bring up.
At that very moment, Germany’s victory on the Eastern Front gave strength to their voices.
“We must launch an offensive before Germany completely conquers Poland. We cannot allow Germany to relax and deploy divisions to the East. Sitting idly by and watching Russia’s defeat, how disgraceful of an act is that? Our Grand Army is capable of achieving victory with our own hands.”
“Last time, our army failed because we aimed for targets beyond our capabilities. Instead of a comprehensive offensive across the entire front, we should concentrate our forces in a limited area and maximize our numerical superiority.”
The young generals advocating for the offensive were supported by the proponents of aggression, who were unable to voice their own opinions. To the devotees of Élan Vital, even with numerical superiority, the fact that they were still holding their ground was an unbearable disgrace.
“We could just wipe them out completely and advance. If the artillery bombardment doesn’t work, we can deploy around 2,000 cannons. Then no fortress or stronghold will remain standing, right?”
As the generals advocated for the offensive, Joffre, who was presiding over the meeting, fell into deep thought. He was already under strong pressure from the government and the Russian side to get the French army to respond.
“Offensive, huh?”
Due to the previous defeat, the French army suffered losses totaling nearly 50,000 in casualties and missing. Because of this, the French army had temporarily suspended the offensive.
However, with the mobilization of reserves, the divisions rushing to the front line, many of which included reservists, it was not at all difficult to pour even more supplies onto the front line. Including the mobile forces, they now outnumbered the German army by more than twice, with a total of seven armies.
The problem was that numerical superiority did not guarantee victory. The factors that brought victory to the defenders in the previous battles were powerful fortresses, maximized advantages of internal lines through railways, and formidable defensive lines. If there was no advantage that could break the superiority of the defenders, the act of attacking their positions would only result in meaningless sacrifices.
If there were more routes to destroy the fortresses and launch an invasion, as the generals said, it would be great. However, the German fortresses were fortified with thick concrete walls, impervious to the heavy artillery on this side, and had the advantage of natural terrain.
In the case of the fortress zone in Strasbourg, which was terrifying beyond imagination, they didn’t even dare to touch it. Joffre believed that he couldn’t neutralize those fortresses, which had poured in 15 million marks.
The generals, of course, knew that.
They were leaning more towards the idea that somehow everything would be resolved if they poured overwhelming supplies.
“The problem is that the cost is too high.”
Due to the world’s fastest declining birth rate and aging population, the young generation of France had barely half the number compared to what they had to face with Germany. What was even more pessimistic was that the next generation would have to endure a threefold gap.
The country was not in a desperate situation, so needlessly depleting human resources was tantamount to exacerbating this demographic disadvantage.
However, if they ignored the fortresses and launched an attack, they would have to face a similar risk as before. Joffre had no intention of repeating the same mistakes.
If they really wanted to increase their numbers, they had to deploy more efficient new weapons than the existing ones.
And the French had such a weapon.
The Livens Projector.
If they were to use this new chemical weapon mixed with conventional shells, they could challenge the German forces entrenched in the fortress.
However, for political reasons, the French Republic was reluctant to use the Livens Projector.
The reason was that if they were to use chemical weapons on German territory, Germany would use it as an excuse to wage a large-scale chemical war. Unfortunately, France’s chemical industry was overwhelmingly inferior to Germany’s. Joffre also agreed with this point, so he was not actively supporting chemical warfare.
“Your Excellency?”
The generals’ gaze turned to Joffre, wondering if they had gathered their opinions. After clearing his throat, the Chief of Staff expressed his thoughts.
“Let’s start by attacking the fortresses that obstruct our advance, as suggested by several commanders. However, we oppose a simple frontal assault. Let’s follow the conventional method of using artillery support to breach the ramparts and then dig tunnels underneath the fortress.”
“Tunnels?”
One of the generals asked.
“During the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese army dug tunnels to destroy the Russian fortresses in Port Arthur and then used naval mines to demolish the fortresses. I think this is a method worth trying for the siege of the fortress, rather than a simple attack.”
“It will take a long time to dig tunnels. Even if we’re fast, won’t it take 3 to 4 months?”
Modern excavation technology had emerged, but it still took a considerable amount of time to dig tunnels.
Joffre acknowledged that fact.
“Of course, it won’t be done in a short time. But we need to have a parallel means as a backup. The fortress won’t crumble overnight, will it?”
The generals agreed.
The suggestion to add one more option in preparation had persuasive power.
The meeting concluded with the decision to resume the offensive.
The target was determined to be the Mozhelshchelung fortress area, which relatively guaranteed safety on the flanks. This powerful fortress stronghold consisted of about 20 fortresses such as Coenismecker, Gatranje, and Ilash, boasting a defense that could be considered the front line of the First World War.
If they could break through these fortresses in the area, they could deal a devastating blow to the heart of German industry, the Ruhr.
Of course, the fortresses that were built over a period of two to fifteen years were not easy opponents. If there had been a simple enemy that could be easily destroyed, they would have been targeted in the initial offensive.
In any case, the French army intended to provide a significant news story that would appeal to the troubled political realm and public opinion by defeating these fortresses with a massive amount of artillery. If France could deliver a defeat to the German army in Metz, where they had tasted humiliation during the Franco-Prussian War, it would be difficult to make them any happier.
If they could obtain these fortresses militarily, they could make the German army, which was effectively using its troops to defend the frontlines despite being outnumbered, feel the limits.
From a logistical perspective, there was also the advantage of having control over the railway passing through Metz, which would reduce the burden of supplying the reinforced French army on the frontlines.
In many ways, Moltke was an attractive target for the French army, and it was worth shedding blood for.
This large-scale offensive operation was named “Bonaparte”. Just by looking at the name, it sounded like an ambitious operation to annex all of the German territory on the western bank of the Rhine and merge it with France, reminiscent of the achievements of Napoleon Bonaparte, but it was nothing more than a pun to confuse the German army.
At the same time, there were plans for diversionary operations to distract the German army.
The renewed offensive towards Saarburg was named “Jeanne d’Arc”. Although it was a diversionary offensive, the Jeanne d’Arc operation was expected to be of a scale that the German army could not ignore.
France intended to establish its prestige among its allies and gain control over the entire country through this grand attack.
These plans of the French army soon began to be known to the German side through active troop movements.
*
Instead of scanning the frontlines with binoculars, the French generals were busy sitting down with the engineering officers at the operational headquarters located several kilometers behind the frontlines and listening to their explanations.
In fact, they were more interested in the tunneling operations being prepared behind the siege towers that were advancing towards the fortresses, rather than the siege battles that were progressing in a predictable manner.
However, since it was their first attempt at tunneling operations, they couldn’t help but be interested.
The tunneling operations involved not only the engineering corps but also a large number of skilled technicians from mining companies, so the scale was larger than what the French commanders had vaguely imagined.
Just looking at the fact that the 6th Engineering Division, which would oversee the operations, was the only division-level engineering unit in the entire army, it was difficult for it to be a small operation.
Colonel Henri Bernard, who commanded the engineering corps, explained the operational overview in front of the high-ranking generals who had come from Paris and various field armies.
“First, we will advance the siege towers to near the German positions, and then we will construct circular trenches around them. Although they may appear to be trenches for encircling, the construction work will start from that point.”
“Isn’t there a risk that the German army will notice?”
“That’s why we plan to mainly carry out tunneling operations during the night. It will be difficult to observe at night, and if we intermittently pile up soil on top of the trenches, it can obstruct their line of sight.”
“In the subterranean passage, there must be a considerable amount of supplies, but can we achieve this with manpower alone?”
It might be easy to think that simply digging a tunnel would suffice, but in order to dig deep into the passage, we needed to provide the necessary supports to prevent collapse and drainage facilities for wastewater disposal. It was only natural to question whether such support could be easily provided during battle.
“It is possible. We will modify the siege tank and install mining rails inside. We will load carts with coal on top and use them to transport supports and excavation equipment. On the return trip, we will remove the dirt and solve the issue.”
“What about power? If there is no power supply, not only will drainage be affected, but supplying oxygen to the passage will also be difficult.”
“We can solve this by laying down wires underneath the rails. The power generation facilities can be set up around here.”
“Commander, I have one question.”
“Go ahead.”
“In the Middle Ages, there were instances where vibrations were detected when tunnels were dug beneath fortresses. Won’t it be a problem if the Germans find out?”
As the general pointed out, it was difficult to completely hide the vibrations and noise caused by digging.
However, the colonel showed a nonchalant attitude, saying there would be no problem.
“Don’t worry. We are not digging the tunnel to infiltrate the fortress. After digging the tunnel to penetrate the underground of the fortress, we just need to fill it with explosives, right?”
Others agreed.
There were not many ways for the Germans to detect this. They would have to dig tunnels underground and prevent the passage from being blocked.
“How long will it take?”
“At least two months, but it could take more than four months.”
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“Why is there such a difference?”
“It’s because of the groundwater and geological conditions. If the ground is loose, it will be easier to dig, but if it’s solid rock, it will take longer to go around or break through, right? This is something that cannot be solved with manpower alone.”
Everyone nodded.
“Listening to the commander’s explanation, we understand that the task is not easy. We will not rush you, so please proceed carefully and without mistakes.”
“Of course. I will take responsibility and handle it.”
Henri confidently spoke.
The generals felt that the excavation work was difficult, but it seemed plausible. They were convinced that this method would gradually destroy the German military fortress while minimizing losses.
They stood up from their seats with satisfied expressions.
The battle of Metz, a showdown that challenged the pride of France and Germany, began quietly like this.