Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Border Battle (6)
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“Waaah!”
“Long live the Allied forces!”
“Belgium welcomes its friends!”
On July 26, 1913—exactly one week after Britain’s entry into the war.
General John French and the British Expeditionary Force finally arrived in Antwerp amid a warm welcome from the Belgians.
“Now that even the slow-moving British have arrived, we can finally discuss our offensive plans. Foreign Minister.”
Chief of the General Staff Falkenhayn twirled his mustache sarcastically toward the British who had rushed over upon hearing of the Belgian invasion. I simply nodded without a word.
Falkenhayn had come to Antwerp with the German generals to meet the British Expeditionary Force, aiming to discuss joint Allied operations with the British and Belgian armies.
And I had accompanied him to handle the diplomatic coordination among the three nations.
Honestly, I wondered if it was really necessary, but seeing Falkenhayn already gearing up for a stare-down with the British through his arrogant gaze, I knew coming along had been the right call.
I reminded myself once again of the common wisdom: you can’t expect Junkers to handle something as delicate as diplomacy.
I watched John French wave to the Belgians shaking Union Jacks on all sides.
In the original history, he had commanded the British Expeditionary Force until 1915, but he hadn’t shown much competence during World War I. He was eventually replaced by First Army commander Douglas Haig—who was now disembarking behind him—and stepped down as BEF commander.
Despite his name suggesting he might get along with the French, he’d clashed with French generals, harbored a grudge after getting chewed out by War Secretary Kitchener, and triggered the Shell Crisis of 1915 that brought down the Asquith cabinet. Quite the character.
“Welcome, Field Marshal John French.”
“Your Majesty, you’ve been through a lot. Now that the brave soldiers of our Great British Empire are here to aid Belgium, you can rest easy.”
Albert I, who had come out to greet the British, smiled and nodded as if relieved by French’s confident words.
Falkenhayn frowned, interpreting it as a slight against the Germans.
“Don’t mind it. Whether by size or achievements, the true stars of this war are still us Germans, aren’t they?”
“Ahem, of course.”
Falkenhayn’s face relaxed slightly, his lips curling up at my words.
Sigh, he still had months to go before becoming a father, but I already felt like I was babysitting.
…Coming to Antwerp was definitely the right choice.
Call it overconfidence if you want, but without me here, the Allies might’ve started bickering and splintering from day one.
The future of this alliance was looking shaky.
As the British disembarked, the first Allied operations conference began at Antwerp headquarters.
At the center were Belgian generals led by Albert I, who was also the Belgian commander-in-chief, and Major General Leman. Facing them were British generals headed by John French and German generals led by Falkenhayn.
“First, I’ll explain the situation on the Belgian front from the invasion to the present.”
Major General Leman of the Belgian army spoke first. Among the three nations’ generals gathered here, he held the lowest rank—unavoidable, given that major general was the highest in Belgium—and represented the smallest power.
“Simultaneously with the invasion of Belgium, the French advanced rapidly, occupying most of Wallonia and pushing up to the Brussels defense line. We tried flooding the area by breaching the dikes to slow them down, but it didn’t help much.”
Wallonia had ended up as a muddy swamp as a result.
“Afterward, the French launched a powerful assault toward Brussels with heavy artillery, but thanks to the swift German support, they’ve paused their offensive and are now focused on building trench defenses in preparation for our counterattack.”
Leman bowed slightly toward me and Falkenhayn, expressing gratitude for the aid.
In truth, since France’s invasion of Belgium was partly due to my nudging, my conscience prickled a bit.
Just a bit, though.
I might have guided them, but the decision to invade Belgium ultimately came from France and its General Staff.
Still, no point advertising it—better to take that secret to the grave.
“Mm, I’ll take it from here, Major General Leman.”
“Understood, Chief of the General Staff Falkenhayn.”
Once Leman finished, Falkenhayn—deciding it best to explain the rest himself—stroked his chin and pointed at various spots on the map with his baton.
“Currently, Kluck’s 1st Army and Bülow’s 2nd Army are fighting the French in Belgium alongside the Belgians. Hausen’s 3rd Army is in the Ardennes, while Crown Prince Albrecht’s 4th, Einem’s 5th, and Crown Prince Rupprecht’s 6th are advancing along the Meuse River.”
Those familiar with World War I might sense something off here.
Why was Einem—former War Minister—commanding the 5th Army instead of Crown Prince Wilhelm, as in the original history?
And where was the German 7th Army under Josias von Heeringen, originally assigned to the Western Front?
The 7th Army’s on the Eastern Front!
Crown Prince Wilhelm was too.
In particular, Wilhelm had Ludendorff as his chief of staff and had been appointed commander of the 8th Army—the key player in Tannenberg and the First Masurian Lakes battle.
Einem filled the gap as 5th Army commander.
In the original history, Einem had succeeded Hausen in the 3rd anyway, so this assignment wasn’t problematic.
The Tannenberg commander has a high chance of becoming a German hero like Hindenburg and wielding massive influence.
Ludendorff was a key figure in Tannenberg’s victory alongside Max Hoffmann, and I had him on a leash, so that was fine. But Hindenburg was a different story.
The original 8th Army commander before Hindenburg, Maximilian von Prittwitz, had a mental breakdown at the thought of facing the Russians and was immediately replaced. No use for that guy.
So, our Crown Prince needed to step up as Tannenberg’s hero in Hindenburg’s place.
Ludendorff would handle the real command anyway, and Wilhelm had some military talent himself.
“However, due to French resistance, the front has reached a stalemate. Our forces are digging trenches, reorganizing, and catching their breath for the next battle.”
“Can’t we commit more troops?”
I shook my head at the question from an unnamed British general.
“The Russians started mobilizing faster than expected. Looks like the French lit a fire under the Tsar. As such, our German army must now prepare for their offensive, making further reinforcements impossible.”
“Then our Allies need to press the French hard on the Belgian front without delay.”
We Germans—me, Falkenhayn, and the rest—nodded at Albert I’s words.
Belgium wanted to reclaim Wallonia, quickly overrun by the French. And we Germans needed to disperse French strength, so an offensive in Belgium was essential.
“Our German 1st Army will advance toward Brussels with the Belgians, and the 2nd will cross the Meuse into southern Wallonia. So, once ready, we’d appreciate the British attacking toward Ghent and Ypres.”
“We British agree to the Belgian offensive, but your tone, Chief of the General Staff Falkenhayn, is rather grating.”
“Pardon?”
French, what nonsense is that?
“The British Expeditionary Force decides where and when to fight. Let’s make that clear from the start.”
Falkenhayn and the German generals’ faces darkened at French’s firm tone.
Why pick a fight when we could’ve kept it amicable?
I’d expected this eventually.
With no overall Allied commander, command authority issues were inevitable.
I just hadn’t thought John French would swing for the fences on day one.
Still, this isn’t just French’s personal view.
It reflected the entire BEF’s will—and that of the British War Cabinet, represented by Kitchener.
They didn’t want the Germans bossing their expeditionary force around.
“The main force of the Allies is unequivocally our German army. The troop numbers and fronts we’re handling make it obvious.”
Of course, the prideful Prussian Junkers wouldn’t yield on pride to anyone.
“We don’t deny that. But we came to fight alongside the Germans, not as auxiliaries taking orders.”
Falkenhayn quoted my earlier words back strongly.
But John French, true to form, didn’t back down easily.
He even dragged the Belgians into it.
“Of course, I acknowledge our current forces are smaller than yours. But the same applies to Belgium. So, to resolve this, how about placing the Belgian army under our British Expeditionary Force?”
“Field Marshal!”
Albert I raised his voice indignantly at French’s suggestion to hand Belgian command to the British.
Leman scowled, equally unwilling to accept it.
“The Belgian army fights under Belgian command. We need no British oversight.”
“If my words seemed harsh, I apologize, Your Majesty. But if the Belgians retain independent command, shouldn’t the larger British force receive the same autonomy?”
“Listen here, Field Marshal. You’ve said enough—”
Clap clap!
“Now, now, everyone calm down. Fighting over petty issues among allies only delights the French.”
As Falkenhayn bristled, about to make unnecessary enemies with his usual temperament, I stepped forward to stop him.
Bickering would only heat things up further, helping no one against France. Time for some mediation.
“I understand what Field Marshal French means. The German Empire respects the British Expeditionary Force’s command and autonomy.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“However, since we Germans are bearing most of the Western Front, you must understand that the Chief of the General Staff plans offensives with our forces at the center.”
“Ahem, naturally. I’m not refusing the Ypres offensive itself.”
Perhaps unwilling to push too hard against me—the foreign minister of an ally and son-in-law to the Kaiser—French cleared his throat and backed off.
“Besides, more troops will arrive from the homeland and colonies. That’ll ease the burden on your front.”
Still taking credit, of course.
“You’ve had a tough time, my friend.”
As I forced a smile at French’s grin, Albert I patted my shoulder sympathetically.
Eh, this was expected.
“Then, Your Majesty, I’ll head back to Berlin.”
“Mm, the German army has fronts beyond this one.”
And soon, the Austro-Hungarian army would launch a full offensive on Serbia to avenge Franz Joseph’s assassination.
Of course, considering their original history—failing to take Serbia in over a year despite superiority, forcing even the Germans to step in—I wasn’t holding my breath.
No helping it. A new emperor won’t magically fix the Austro-Hungarian army.
Already swamped with work, and now it felt like I’d be busier in a whole new way.
Austro-Hungary, please just be average. Average is fine.