Father of France

Chapter 79: Fight without bloodshed

It's normal for the US military to be racist. After the wave of European immigration to the United States during the two World Wars, the proportion of whites in the United States, excluding non-Hispanic Americans, reached an unprecedented 90% in 1945, while blacks were less than 10%.

However, Koeman knew that this percentage would drop next year, and the situation would become more severe every year thereafter.

With an America like this, and a U.S. military like this, it's impossible for Black soldiers to appear in the order of combat. Racism is not surprising at all.

"That's what the Allied Command says anyway, so we don't need to think too much about it. We can just wait for the war to end." General Axel didn't seem to care about the impact of racism on his troops.

By 1945, the definition of white people had been completely revised, with almost all people of European descent now considered white, except for a small number of Southern states that still harbored some hostility toward Ireland and Italy.

As for France, although it is also a Latin cultural country, it has never broken away from the definition of white people, and racism is also selective. Immigrants from countries like Italy and Ireland are discriminated against partly because these two countries have always been weak and have never been stronger than the United States.

The United States made a mistake in defining white people that was no less significant than the Soviet Union's mistake in its relations with Russia and Ukraine.

If Latinos are excluded from white statistics, decades later they will surpass Blacks to become the second largest group in the United States, accounting for more than one-fifth of the US population. This is not a problem when the United States is the world's number one power, but what if it loses its hegemony?
It's important to understand that during the Soviet era, the relationship between Russians and Ukrainians was far closer than that between whites and Latinos. The potential for division in the United States is no less than that in the Soviet Union.

France, as the biggest driving force behind American independence, was not among the discriminated groups from the beginning; otherwise, even if the DuPont family were capable of sending people to fly in airplanes, they would not have been able to develop to such a powerful extent.

Although the First Army Group was affected, the Southern Group could still be successfully formed, and after crossing the Rhine, the talent acquisition plan could be implemented.

General Axel hadn't seen Koman for a long time either; the 1st Armored Division was among the first troops to leave Syria.

General Axel was very welcoming to Koman after not seeing him for a long time. "Your Youth Division must be careful when you enter the battlefield this time. You are all just teenagers. Your safety is the most important thing. By the way, what have you been doing these past few days?"

"Even after leaving Saar, our troops are still gathering war orphans. After all, the children are innocent." Koman's answer was so confident and assertive that it perfectly embodied the Crusader style. "The Youth Division is determined to heal the wounds inflicted on children by the war and to ensure that the poor children are properly resettled while we are advancing."

While Koeman was visiting the headquarters of the 1st Panzer Division, the German war orphans brought by the Youth Division were being gathered together on the left bank of the Rhine River to wash up.

This position would definitely be spotted by the German garrison in Gersheim. The youth division that left Saar only brought a few hundred boys, but along the way they had already reached a thousand. I believe these children knew the cruelty of war from a young age.

A few hours later, Koeman returned to the Youth Division's base and learned that Friedrich Junker, who had gone to persuade them to surrender, had returned with good news: Karl Renzen, the mayor in charge of the defense of Gersheim during the war, obviously did not believe that Germany would encounter a second Peter II.

When he returned from Gersheim, Friedrich Junker had already spoken with General Duval to avoid settling accounts regarding the transfer of defense responsibilities.

"Then tomorrow, the Youth Division will cross the river first, with each member taking a child into Gersheim." Koeman was overjoyed to hear the good news that they could cross the Rhine without bloodshed.

"Why do this?" Upon hearing the translator's retelling, Friedrich Junker's smile gradually faded, and he asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Using children as shields is utterly shameful."

"When the news of the Soviet Red Army's capture of Auschwitz became known to the whole world, all Germans could no longer describe others as shameful."

Although Friedrich Junker might not like to hear it, in keeping with his consistent honesty, Koeman still sincerely gave his answer: from now on, Germans will be trampled underfoot and will never be able to rise again.

"If the German garrison truly does not resist when crossing the river, the children will naturally be safe. The Youth Division will take good care of these orphans. But if they are deceived, after all, the lives of my comrades are also very precious, and we cannot completely trust the promise of non-resistance at this time."

Whether Friedrich Junker accepted it or not, the young teachers would do it anyway; when the Germans implemented the Final Solution against the Jews, they showed no mercy to children.

Their attitude toward Eastern European countries was no different from that of Britain and France toward their colonies.

At this moment, what right do we have to oppose the actions of the young teachers?

France usually only does this in its colonies. Germany was the first to do it in Europe, but when it came to itself, it couldn't stand it.
It didn't matter that Friedrich Junker left in a daze; General Duval immediately discussed with his fellow troops the opportunity to be the first to cross the river.

Ultimately, the first unit to cross the river was the Jerusalem Regiment of the 1st Regiment of the Youth Division. When the crossing began the next day, a large number of crossing vehicles had been prepared on the left bank. All the German war orphans gathered by the Youth Division were called out and boarded the boats with the Jerusalem Regiment's crossing troops. Inside the bunker, Koeman looked across the river through binoculars, observing the visible and invisible machine gun bunkers. If they opened fire, the crossing operation would immediately cease.

“Now our troops are not only famous in France, but throughout the entire Allied countries.” Martin sighed softly, not because he opposed this behavior, but because he felt it was inappropriate in Europe.

"That depends on the Germans' own considerations. If they successfully cross the river, we will naturally treat these children well." Koeman explained the core ideas of the free Confucian debate after entering the pass without changing his expression. Taking these war orphans was for this purpose in itself, and he had already thought it through when he was in Saar.

Using children as shields is certainly big news in Europe, but compared to the lives of French soldiers, the lives of these children are still worth sacrificing; they are not Koeman's comrades.

But while acting as a human shield, Koeman will also treat these unfortunate souls well. After restoring order, the first thing he will do is establish a children's welfare home. This is not contradictory; there must be a first-come, first-served principle.

While Coman was dissecting the treacherous nature of the Rhine River, the Jerusalem Regiment's crossing of the river had already begun. The French and German troops on both banks were keeping a close eye on the ferries in the Rhine. If looks had a temperature, this level of scrutiny could set the ferries on fire.

The German garrison feared any unforeseen events, as did the French. If anything went wrong, the French artillery would immediately turn Gersheim into a second Saar district.

Although it hadn't been long, it felt like a century to many. Finally, the first ferry arrived at the right bank of the Rhine, and the first French soldier jumped off. More ferries docked, and more and more French soldiers appeared on the riverbank, mixed with minors, forming a strange group.

The troops that had not been hit by fire breathed a sigh of relief. The French positions on the left bank of the Rhine immediately began preparations for crossing the river, while repairing the bridges that had been blown up and connecting the two banks.

The French were unlucky; there was a bridge connecting the two banks of the river in Gersheim, but it had been blown up by the Germans before the French arrived.

Now repairs could be carried out at a leisurely pace, and more and more French soldiers reached the right bank via bridges and ferries, and Gersheim was captured by the French without bloodshed.

"First, go to the museums, libraries, and schools. Take control of the city, prevent the army from violating military discipline, and give special protection to pregnant women." General Duval walked the streets of Gersheim, issuing orders one by one. "Quickly restore order. Oh, and the orphans are also under the highest priority of protection."

Because the Youth Division was the first unit to cross the river, General Duval immediately got to work, turning the experience he had accumulated from reason, emotion, law, and betrayal into a series of orders that were quickly issued.

Since Gersheim has refrained from resistance, the French army must ensure the safety of the military and civilians in Gersheim and fulfill the conditions previously agreed upon.

Mayor Karl Renzen has temporarily completed his transition from war criminal to tainted witness.

The capture of Gersheim was achieved without bloodshed, rendering the Fifth Mountain Division's attempt to bypass the German-Swiss border by going against the current futile. General Raphael had only just found open ground to land fifty kilometers away.

This time, Koeman was incredibly lucky. He knew the German army couldn't possibly defend the Rhine River comprehensively due to insufficient manpower; even during the Yangtze River campaign, the artillery could only focus on key defenses. He just hadn't expected things to go so smoothly in Gersheim.

The news of the bloodless capture of Gersheim was immediately reported to the French provisional government, and the French army reappeared on the right bank of the Rhine River after a nine-year hiatus since withdrawing from the Rhine demilitarized zone.

However, their joy was short-lived. Details about the French Youth Division using minors as human shields were quickly discovered by the provisional government in Paris.

When de Gaulle learned of this dishonorable tactic, he was at a loss for words. However, he knew that the provisional government's foreign minister, Georges Pidul, would be quite busy and might have to defend himself in this matter.

“Absolutely not. A small town of tens of thousands of people is not worthy of glorious France doing such a thing,” Georges Pitoure said righteously, asserting that there was no such thing.

"After crossing the Rhine, there are no real defenses in Germany. We will bypass cities with large numbers of German troops, leaving troops behind to prevent the Germans from breaking out. The Southern Group will head straight for Munich, with Austria as its final destination. Italy may be the direction from which the German high command escapes. We will not let any of them escape."

After successfully crossing the river, General Dracon made a clear plan for the next phase of the offensive, mainly targeting southern Germany and Austria, where France now desperately needed what it had to offer.

　The VPI Chapter 1 didn't get the Tiger and Panther tanks wrong, but the caliber was. There aren't many armored divisions equipped entirely with Tiger tanks.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)