83 – Episode 83 The loser is miserable (2)
On March 1, 1917, the Allies’ cruel ‘disposal plan’ for France was notified to Paris. The French, who had signed the unconditional surrender, were also shocked when they saw this. Conditions in Germany were harsher than I had vaguely imagined. These conditions were simply unacceptable.
“Isn’t this saying that we, France, should fall?”
“It’s too much to do. Even when we lost the Franco-Prussian War, it wasn’t like this!”
“It’s not like they came out like that because they felt the Germans made a mistake during the time of Marquis Bismarck.”
As the French thought, Germany had no intention of repeating the mistakes of the Franco-Prussian War.
“We must not give the French a chance to make a comeback.”
Germany bound France with all kinds of nooses.
Although various military restrictions and colonial confiscations were the case, the huge amount of compensation and the division of the mainland, which seemed to have no way of repaying, made the French people resentful.
“Rather than accept these conditions, let’s fight again.”
“France can never be divided. “The republic is one.”
Various organizations rose up and demanded opposition to the peace treaty.
In the meantime, the French branch of the Second International attempted to contact the Social Democratic Party, the largest party in Germany. Representatives of the two political parties of the 2nd International met in Belgium for a meeting.
“As a socialist comrade, I ask you a favor. The current harsh end-of-war proposal cannot bring peace to Europe. Would it be okay to make France and Germany enemies forever?”
“We also know that the government’s plan to end the war is overly harsh. But if you oppose this, it is difficult to guarantee the next election.”
The Social Democratic Party was well aware of the situation in Germany, which was riding the nationalist coin. If they made a noise here about easing the conditions, the Social Democratic Party would be the first to die. The French government could not hide its disappointment at the Social Democratic Party’s refusal.
“Negotiations between 2 International have failed. “The German Social Democratic Party cannot help in this matter.”
“What about other counters? “Is there no place that will even listen to your story?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
I approached many political parties in Germany and even the military, but there was no one that listened to the French people.
The Foreign Minister reported the failure of prior negotiations.
France tried to change Germany’s thinking through various routes, but the point was unwavering. The German Empire resolutely maintained its opinion.
“How can there be so much to say about a subject who surrendered unconditionally!”
On March 5, 1917, the French delegation was called to the Palace of Versailles. Archduke Ruprecht, commander of the German occupation forces, sat at the head of the table and asked for signatures.
“Come here and sign.”
French Foreign Minister Joseph Cairo hesitated for a while and then stood up. Photographers took pictures of him walking slowly, as if with a limp. French photographers even shed tears at the sight of the minister’s miserable appearance.
As Joseph Cairo sat down, the German officer asked in an overbearing tone.
“Are you aware of everything written in this document?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you recognize that France has signed this document as an unconditional surrender?”
“I understand.”
“Then, please sign.”
Cairo’s hands shook before signing.
I agreed to surrender unconditionally and prepared for harsh punishment, but this was too much. His hands didn’t move.
The moment you sign here, your country, France, will fall. Even if it does not lead to destruction, it will never be able to return to being a great power again.
But even if we don’t do it, our country will be ruined. By the German army’s fire.
France had already lost the ability to resist Germany.
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The minister held the pen for a long time, his hands shaking before he finally signed. He wiped away the sweat that had formed several times.
Click click.
After the signing, the minister met with Marshal Joffre, who was sitting in his private room. The enemy poured a glass full of wine with a gloomy expression.
“This is alcohol provided by the Germans. “It seemed to taste good.”
It was an 1871 Bordeaux wine made during the season when Germany was victorious.
It was a good drink, but I didn’t even have the presence of mind to read the label.
The minister could not bear it with his bare mind, so he gulped down his drink. The alcohol that normally felt sweet felt bitter.
“General. Was the decision to surrender really the right one? “I still don’t know.”
“I don’t know either.”
“I am not sure.”
The enemy filled his own glass with wine without saying a word. Although they could not taste or smell, the two emptied their glasses without stopping.
“What will happen to our republic now?”
“I can only hope that God will take care of me.”
The Minister nodded his head.
“What will you do now when you return to Paris? “There will be people who hold the minister accountable.”
“I have to resign. I am not shameless enough to sign my country’s surrender papers and keep my position. “The way I feel right now, I want to shoot myself in the head with a pistol.”
“I also prepared discharge documents before coming. “There has been talk of recruiting military advisors in Paraguay, so I’m thinking of going there.”
The two exchanged bitter smiles. The marshal, who had no courage to look at his country collapsing, and the minister, weighed down by the responsibility of failed negotiations, all shared the same feeling of sympathy.
For the first time, something resembling a sense of homogeneity emerged between the pro-German faction and the hardliners.
I wish we had shared a drink before this happened.
The enemy took out another glass of wine and asked.
“Would you like another drink?”
“That’s right.”
The two raised their glasses again to forget the bitterness of defeat.
*
Only about half of the French fleet survived the British Navy’s attack. The French government ordered the downed fleet to be sentenced to death.
“Transfer all ships to the allies.”
Admiral Ferdinand de Bon, Chief of Staff of the French Navy, shouted furiously when he heard about the government’s transfer of the fleet.
“How can I accept that!”
The Alliance planned to completely dismantle the French Navy without leaving a single battleship to France.
“Admiral, we lost the war. Losers are miserable.”
When the Romans lost to the Celts, the Celts demanded gold from Rome. The Romans placed the gold demanded by the Celts on the scales, but the scales were not balanced. When the Romans protested, the Celtic chieftain Brennus placed a sword on the scale and said,
“Wretched is the loser.”
It is up to the winner to determine the scale.
France, which lost the war, did not even have the right to complain like the Romans. Even when the Germans put a knife on the scale, they had to comply.
The admiral could not hold back his anger and shed tears.
The end of the French Navy, which had built up a great history over hundreds of years, was its destruction by her own hands.
I was so saddened by that fact that I couldn’t hold back my emotions.
His subordinates, who saw the admiral looking like he was about to collapse at any moment, tried to help him, but he raised his hand and refused.
“I’m fine.”
The admiral hesitated for a while and then had his adjutant send a message to Marseille. He had a disastrous order to deliver the fleet to the allies.
On March 8, 1917, the French ships remaining in the Mediterranean were gathered at Marseille, under German occupation, under the orders of the Allies.
This included a considerable force, including 5 battleships, 8 cruisers, and 29 destroyers.
The Allied forces stationed in Marseille expressed satisfaction as they watched the majesty of the French fleet.
“That’s because it’s all our loot.”
“Take your time and choose.”
While the Allied officers looked around the ship, the navy soldiers could not hide their anger.
“It’s a shame that we were trampled on by the British, but we can’t have the rest of our fleet taken away.”
“Then what are we going to do?”
“I need to be needled. “It is right to protect the pride of the French people rather than handing it over to the enemy.”
“If we do that, our allies will retaliate, so what are we going to do about it?”
“The burden on our country is too great.”
The admirals could not easily accept the demands of the young officer corps.
Officers gathered separately in a conference room to discuss scuttling.
“We are doing a good job for the British, but we must not give our fleet to our allies. Only if the war lasts longer will Germany realize that it needs us. Only then can our country breathe.”
“If that’s the right path, you should take it!”
After a long heated debate, the officer corps came to its conclusion.
At 8 p.M., While the Allied soldiers disembarked for dinner, the French soldiers opened all the ship’s pipes.
As thousands of tons of water began pouring in, the huge ships immediately began to tilt. As the ships began to tilt, the allies who were enjoying a late dinner also smelled something suspicious.
“Huh? “Isn’t that a battleship tilting?”
Admiral Horthy Miklosi, who went on a business trip from the Black Sea to France to receive the compensation ship, could not hide his astonishment.
“Ships, what are you doing when ships are sinking?”
Allied soldiers came running late, but there was no point. It was impossible to save the ships once they started to tilt.
Just like that, the last French capital ships disappeared from the face of the earth.