Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: A Litmus Test Staked on 400,000 Lives
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The Battle of Ypres was wrapping up in the blink of an eye.
The unrestricted chemical warfare, confined solely to the Ypres sector, had driven the Anglo-French Allied Forces to the brink of annihilation.
The British Expeditionary Force did have the 1st Cavalry Division acting as firefighters and the 28th Division with plenty of reserves left.
"It's going smoothly. We'll just steamroll right up to Ypres."
"Cavalry doesn't have much room to shine on the Western Front anyway, and since our forces are breaking through on both flanks, the enemy 28th Division is retreating toward Ypres."
"To avoid getting trapped in the encirclement."
Since I was attached to the 4th Army anyway, I decided to inspect all the way to the front lines.
The British Expeditionary Force put up fierce resistance worthy of elite troops, but their limits were clear.
Having gathered sufficient data, our forces intelligently adjusted the ratio of gas shells to high-explosive shells, and the infantry along the front were gradually growing accustomed to chemical warfare.
In contrast, the enemy had no gas masks and was clinging to the myth that urine-soaked cloths over their mouths and noses could block the gas.
The gap between the German forces, who had meticulously prepared for chemical warfare over months, and the unprepared Anglo-French Allies was vast.
"...It's about time I head back to OHL."
"Returning to headquarters?"
"Yes. Let's pull out carefully."
Zombie-like figures charging in their final assault even as their flesh melted away.
Tututututututu!!! With that final sight of our machine guns mowing down the British, I lowered my binoculars.
I turned my back on the yellow fog blanketing the area and the dead wasteland.
Soon, Ypres was fully encircled, and the battle shifted to mop-up operations.
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"This is a violation of international law!! Germany must immediately cease using chemical weapons!!"
"It was the Entente Powers who first used chemical weapons prohibited by the Hague Convention."
"We have never violated international law first!!"
"We have repeatedly canceled chemical weapon use, demanded apologies, promises of non-recurrence, and reparations, but France ignored us. Therefore, we have decided to employ chemical weapons as well."
Even though they weren't speaking face-to-face, the conversation somehow proceeded.
The Entente and Central Powers traded arguments through foreign correspondents and diplomats, as if testifying in court.
Naturally, now that full-scale chemical warfare had begun, it was disadvantageous for the Central Powers, but the mere fact that a war of public opinion was underway meant we had already achieved our goal.
If unrestricted chemical warfare continued smoothly like this, Germany—which had prepared far more thoroughly—stood to gain the most.
"Now that we've encircled Ypres, the Allied forces in the area will face supply shortages. We need to expand our gains immediately."
"Perfect timing with the unrestricted submarine campaign keeping Britain distracted. It'd be ideal if we could wrap things up all the way to the Yser line..."
Falkenhayn and the staff pored over the operations map as they discussed.
I submitted my report to the Chief of the General Staff as a liaison officer and observed the meeting from the back.
After the First Battle of Ypres, there had been no major changes on the Western Front. Even with Ypres now encircled, that remained true.
"So when do we reach Paris like this? We really need to maximize casualties as much as possible."
"Yes, sir."
"But at this rate, it'll never end. We can't fight a war for the rest of our lives."
As Falkenhayn whispered worriedly, I subtly wet my lips.
Then, out of earshot of the other staff, I whispered to the Chief of the General Staff.
"In that case, how about using Ypres to lure the enemy into attacking?"
"Hm?"
"Ypres is a key strongpoint. Since we've seized it even using chemical weapons, the enemy will want it back."
"Hoo... Indeed."
Falkenhayn's gaze, which had been scanning the operations map meticulously, fixed back on Ypres.
He seemed to have already grasped what I was getting at.
"So we build a fortress at Ypres and slaughter the enemy forces there. There are countless such strongpoints along the front."
"Where?"
"For example... Artois right now, where the French are advancing. Arras."
With each place name I mentioned, Falkenhayn's eyes darted across the map.
I glanced at the other staffers, but fortunately, none seemed to have noticed our little conspiracy.
"...Or Verdun."
"Verdun."
"We set up slaughterhouses like this in key spots to bleed the enemy dry. If we steadily whittle down their numbers that way, collapsing the front might become possible... That's the thought."
Falkenhayn slowly turned to look me straight in the eye.
In his gaze... I saw a faint glimmer of anticipation.
"You think that's feasible? We've slaughtered so many French already, but their lines remain solid."
"That's because we're killing fewer than they're replacing. France declared total war, after all."
"So we need a massive battle to rack up even more casualties... And that could open the path to Paris?"
Ypres would soon be fully in our hands, but for the Anglo-French—especially the British—that would be intolerable.
Securing Verdun here would bait the French too, turning both nations into endless meat grinders...
"Our goal is to kill as many Entente soldiers as possible anyway, pushing their war weariness to the limit. That's why Verdun."
"Verdun's symbolic to France, but its defenses are currently weak."
"We can expect a casualty ratio of about 5:2."
"If we're lucky, the road to Paris opens..."
Falkenhayn stroked his chin and stared holes into the operations map.
Then.
"Hmm."
"..."
For a fleeting moment, doubt flickered across his face, and I schooled my expression firmly.
Did he catch on? No, impossible. He couldn't have.
I hid my emotions thoroughly and waited for the Chief of the General Staff to speak.
"...What about Belfort instead of Verdun?"
'Phew.'
"Similar symbolic value, but supplies would favor us more there."
Fortunately, Falkenhayn had only been thinking about the axis of attack.
For now... Belfort was off-limits. It could throw a wrench in my plans.
"Too close to the Swiss border, risks complications, and breaking through the mountains and fortifications would be tough."
"True enough."
I quickly scanned the operations map and came up with an excuse.
Falkenhayn nodded at the map, seemingly convinced.
Only then did the other staffers, finally catching on, ask him.
"Has a good idea come to you?"
I'd intended to stoke Falkenhayn's ambitions further, but it was time to dial it back.
Time to keep a proper distance from the Chief of the General Staff.
As I subtly retreated a step, neither he nor the staff noticed.
"Ah, I was thinking our next objective could be Verdun."
"Verdun?"
"Yes."
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
True to form, Falkenhayn didn't explain the precise strategy or tactics to the staff—just designated the offensive target.
The staff didn't press for reasons either, simply repositioning the pieces and running calculations per the Chief's orders.
'Done.'
I allowed myself a faint smile.
It had gone exactly as planned.
The autocratic Chief hadn't detailed strategy or tactics, and my name hadn't come up.
The staff, accustomed yet still uneasy with him, didn't bother asking.
'An outsider might think I'd lured them into a trap.'
Of course not. The strategy I'd pitched to Falkenhayn was the right one for the current moment.
Verdun's defenses were indeed lax, and it was truly preferable to Belfort.
Breaking through there could strategically gnaw at the French, open paths into the Burgundy plains, and potentially drive deep toward Paris.
So what was the problem?
'The problem is that in original history, the Battle of Verdun is recorded as a German defeat.'
The same logic led to an offensive, but it resulted in a staggering 400,000 casualties and failure.
Verdun failed for many reasons, but the biggest lay with Falkenhayn.
He lacked the charisma to execute, committed strategic and tactical blunders, and failed to control his subordinates.
Whispering Verdun to him was...
A kind of test. To prove he was different from the Falkenhayn I knew from history.
If he won, great. It would prove the benefits of keeping him—verified competence and all gains from victory—outweighed removing him.
'If he wins, I'll watch and wait...'
But if he lost?
'If he loses, he's gone.'
It would prove his incompetence, giving me just cause to oust him.
A litmus test staked on hundreds of thousands of lives.
But I was convinced it was worth it.
'I'll watch it through to the end.'
Unaware of my scrutiny from behind, Falkenhayn stared at the pieces, lost in thought once more.