Father of France

Chapter 103 The Arrogant English
Hearing General König's remarks that "you pose no threat to me in the military, but are enough to ruin the reputation of soldiers" is incredibly disheartening.

Koeman forced a smile. He felt he had to explain the theory that the conflict between the Youth Division and the French army was entirely an internal contradiction among the people, and to correct General König's erroneous understanding.

But in the end, Koeman chose to say that there is no such thing as a peaceful life; it's just that Lao Tzu is carrying the burden for France.

"Our troops' actions, even if they are not supported, should at least be understood. This is something we have to do to fill the gap left by the country's four-year absence. There are still many things waiting for us to do."

General König could actually understand, but he didn't expect that Koeman's moral compass would be so easily shaken by his teasing. Out of consideration for the future successor of the French military, General König tried to appease him.

His method of appeasement was simple: mock the British for their procrastination, which led to the influx of refugees into the British-occupied Austrian territory, saying, "The Yugoslav government is spitting on the British."

Koeman was unfamiliar with the Yugoslav government, but was more familiar with another name: Titorankovic-Kadergiras Group.

At this moment, Berlin had gone through the war and the subsequent month-long Soviet occupation. In that month, the Soviets had done almost everything they needed to retaliate against.

As for the victims hiding on the edge of the ruins, who the hell cares? Germany did the first thing, the Soviet Union did the fifteenth; it's all a matter of retribution.

Koeman would never be a foolish saint, seeking justice for a minority, a small group, a simple isolated incident that lacks widespread influence. Justice resides in the hearts of the people, but Koeman also knows that people's hearts are inherently biased.

Koeman, who has always practiced the philosophy of "do good deeds and don't worry about the future," selectively elaborated on this saying, and poured all his goodwill toward the Germans onto Gudrun Himmler.

As for the rest, everyone knows that the Germans are self-reliant and will never accept charity. His interference is not because he looks down on the noble Germans.

The French controlled about one-tenth of the city of Berlin. After all, they were one of the three major powers in World War II. France's contribution was indeed not comparable to that of Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union, probably only slightly higher than that of Chiang Kai-shek.

As for where this advantage lies, Coman believes it mainly stems from the impact of the victory in the Henan-Hunan-Guangxi campaign, and the fact that France is a predominantly white country.

However, this is not constant. The contribution of a major Eastern power in a war depends on the level of its national strength in the future.

During the height of the Cold War in the 1960s and 70s, the major powers that defeated Germany were not the Big Three. Britain, which had already fallen behind, was hardly a major victor. The only major victors were the United States and the Soviet Union.

If we talk about Russia's achievements in defeating Germany after the Cold War, Russia clearly no longer has the national strength to sit on the table. As Trump said, it was the United States that saved Europe, including Russia.

Therefore, it is true that descendants can determine their ancestors. France should understand this principle, which has been proven since the Gallo-Chinese historical view triumphed over the Germanic historical view in French historiography.

Upon arriving in Berlin, Koeman was immediately arranged to attend a military social gathering. The attendees were officers from other Allied countries. The World War had only ended a little over a month ago, and the British, French, and American troops had just entered Berlin. At this time, the Allied troops were still quite united and were happy to demonstrate this unity.

In the postwar period when resources were scarce, the most financially powerful country was undoubtedly the US military. The food for the gathering was naturally prepared by the Americans. The other three countries had all received invitations, and the officers who came came from all kinds of units, but mainly army and air force officers.

Koman didn't understand Russian very well, so he could only stay with the British and American officers. The Soviet officers formed their own faction and managed to get along peacefully. Outside the social gathering, the American Stars and Stripes, the British Union Jack, the French tricolor flag, and the Soviet Red Flag fluttered in the wind. Inside the hall, the warmth of the heating system mixed with the smells of perfume, tobacco, and alcohol.

Koeman had to admit that he had material needs, and the key was that, apart from the military, there were many things that were indeed unavailable outside. So, although he didn't like this environment, he still came.

And he quickly became friends with British and American officers using the English he had learned in Damascus.

"I heard you discovered another underground factory in the Tempelhof district yesterday?" Williams handed over a glass of champagne, his voice low. Royal Air Force Major Charles Williams had just taken a glass of champagne from the champagne tower and was handing it to Coleman.

Koeman took a sip of his drink, the bubbles bursting on his tongue. "Just some abandoned machine tools. The Soviets arrived three days before us and took everything, not even a screw."

“Don’t worry, it’s all fate,” Williams said with a smile. “The Soviet ground forces are too strong, we can only balance them with air superiority.”

Koeman was somewhat aware of this British thinking. Based on the experience of strategic bombing of Germany during World War II, Britain knew after the war that it was no match for the Soviet Union in a ground conflict. The Royal Navy, a powerful offshore balancing force, was of little use against the vast and formidable territory of the Soviet Union. Therefore, Britain made a desperate gamble and placed its military core on the Royal Air Force.

The British military sought to divert as many air resources as possible to support its forces, eventually creating its own organic ground support air force—along with the Royal Air Force—both of which remain closely linked to concepts related to strategic air warfare, including bombing enemy homes and using high-performance interceptor fighters for the defense of the British airspace.

By separating the Royal Air Force from the Army and making it an independent service branch, the UK established its central role in the national security system. This reform marked a shift in the Air Force's focus from tactical support to strategic dominance.

On the offensive side, the company continuously manufactured the 3V bomber, aiming to deter the Soviet Union from taking any rash actions by launching strategic bombing raids on the Soviet mainland.

This military strategic adjustment was, of course, a failure. As rocket technology became more reliable, the model of invading British airspace through the Battle of Britain, as Germany had done, became obsolete.

The Soviet Union's various missiles replaced the option of strategic bombing, thwarting Britain's efforts to establish a balance during its decline.

The United States is completely different. It's not that it didn't get caught up in Britain's problems, but rather that its national strength meant that the strategic bombing of Britain wouldn't become a problem for the United States.

The United States has sufficient national strength to make adjustments, and while strategic bombers continue to be manufactured, it can also ensure a continuous supply of missiles.

As for Britain, it was no longer the British Empire it once was. After its gamble on the air force failed, it no longer had the national strength to follow up. Ultimately, it was a matter of national strength.

As allies who were essentially on the same side, Britain and France needed to maintain a respectable relationship, at least before the Suez Canal War. Corman relayed this, saying, "Currently, the era of jet fighters has arrived, which is a new beginning for us and our questionable allies."

Major Williams nodded with a surprised expression and said, "These are the opinions of some military experts, but France still needs to be prepared to fight threats on the ground."

The so-called ground-based countermeasures against threats refer to the direct threats posed by the Soviet Red Army.

Koeman disagreed, saying the British were dreaming. They thought the British were so clever to use France as a human shield against a Soviet Union far more powerful than Germany.
Koeman sneered inwardly. According to the division of the four occupation zones, France should not be in the right. Britain was the front line against the Soviet Union. In fact, this was the case. In order to occupy most of the British-occupied area in the Rhine River Basin, Britain had to be in a position to face the Soviet Union's westward offensive for such a small gain of short-term control.

Ultimately, under continuous pressure from the United States, the British military, with its air force at its core, had to simultaneously confront the Soviet Union's Western forces. Since both the air force and the army were so important, the only option was to cut the Royal Navy. Britain, an island nation, became a symbol of NATO's heavy forces in Germany.

Knowing that it was impossible to drag France into the conflict, Koeman didn't mind the other party's verbal advantage. Instead, he took the opportunity to inquire about the situation of the Royal Air Force, which could be considered as an exchange on air force development.

Now, more or less, all countries have obtained jet fighter data from Germany, but Britain still has the most comprehensive accumulation. Britain's jet fighters entered service no later than Germany's, making it a true aviation power. If it weren't for the gap in size with the United States, it's hard to say who would be the number one aviation power.

So Major Williams had reason to be proud, talking about some concepts that were under discussion, like startup layouts and such.

Koeman scoffed at the condescending tone and said slowly, "The simplest and most practical solution is to adopt a nose-mounted air intake layout, which can solve most of the current problems."

This layout was dominant in first-generation fighter jets, with advantages including simple design, low drag, and ample ground clearance for the air intakes. Its lightweight design and Mach 2 speed made it a heavyweight contender at the time.

Current technology means that it cannot compare with that of decades to come in many areas, such as temperature resistance and power. Therefore, nose-mounted air intake is the most suitable solution under the current technological conditions.

"It seems France already has an idea." Major Williams smiled dismissively, displaying the pride of the Royal Air Force of the British Empire. France had fallen behind in the aviation industry, so what the French said could be listened to, but there was no need to take it too seriously.

This attitude posed no problem whatsoever for Koeman, who had witnessed firsthand that the production capacity of the 27 EU member states was inferior to that of North Korea.

France was at least able to develop the Rafale independently, while Britain had to collaborate with other countries to develop the Tornado.

"Strengthening the air force as much as possible is indeed the best way to counter the Soviet Union." After returning to Paris, Koeman decided to give AFP some money to promote the correct course of the British Air Force and, ideally, build more 3Vs to deter the Soviet Union.

(End of this chapter)