Imperial Elite

Chapter 141 The Sky of Gaul

When the Bohemian and NATO representatives arrived in Munich again, they were greeted at the airport by the Teutonic Foreign Ministry representative.

Clearly, after crashing into the Sudetenland fortified zone, even the proud Teutons had to lower their proud heads a little.

Compared to the last one, the disputes at this Munich conference were much more intense.

The dispute lasted from the end of 1938 to the beginning of 1939.

The Teutonic demands gradually escalated from claiming the entire Sudetenland to demanding the territories they now held militarily, and also demanding Wagner's withdrawal from Bohemia.

Logically speaking, this requirement is already very low.

They only demanded the land they occupied, without even asking for reparations, which was not at all like the style of the Old World powers.

But even with such low demands, Bohemia still had objections.

Last time you attacked the Sudetenland, claiming it was to protect the Teutons. Now we are preparing to expel all the Teutons from the Sudetenland to the Teutons so you can take them home and protect them. Get ready to receive them.

The Teutons, of course, lodged the strongest protest against this proposal, citing everything from natural human rights to the inviolability of private property, to protest Bohemia's demand to expel the Teutons.

While negotiations were underway, the Teutonic forces were also constructing fortifications along the Bohemian border.

This approach of simultaneously engaging in diplomatic negotiations on one hand and building fortifications on the other led many to believe that the Teutons would finally settle down for a while.

Those American soldiers who had been hastily enlisted, ready to give the Teutons a good thrashing in Bohemia, were especially disappointed.

Why did this guy back down before we even left the training ground?
However, Joe was not among those who believed the world would be quiet for a while.

Although so far everything the Teutons have done seems like a ceasefire is imminent, Joe still feels something is amiss.

The Teutonic troops retreated a little too decisively.

Typically, before signing a contract at the negotiating table, the military launches a final, desperate attack to gain more leverage in diplomatic negotiations through military means.

However, the Teutons decisively withdrew their armored forces, and even their mechanized infantry divisions and motorized units were withdrawn from the front lines.

Even though these elite units suffered considerable losses in the previous phase of the battle, they were all ready to negotiate. The fact that these units retreated without even putting up a fight made Joe feel that they were being a bit too decisive.

So although Joe agreed during the negotiations that Wagner's troops would withdraw from Bohemia after the ceasefire for the sake of peace.

However, when it came to the execution phase, Joe began to find various excuses to delay the withdrawal.

Today, the Air Force is prioritizing the transport of equipment, so the personnel will have to wait. Tomorrow, well, the troops have made many friends during joint operations, so they're having a farewell party. We won't be short of a day when we withdraw, so let's finish the farewell party first.

In short, the attitude is good, there are many excuses, but no action.

In response to Joe's statement, the Teutonic side naturally lodged a strong protest, shouting internationally, "Look at this! This is how that Buntanian warlord treats the treaties they signed! He has no shame! Disgraceful!"

The reason for the Teutonic protests was quite simple: they had essentially reached the limit of how long the Teutonic war could be delayed.

Large-scale troop buildup is difficult to conceal. Even though the Gauls had previously used the excuse of bringing troops to the industrial area for repairs and rest, they had slightly raised the alert level of their border troops.

As time goes on, the fact that these troops do not leave the Rhineland industrial region will only make the Gauls more vigilant.

At the same time, winter is now over, and if they do not act now, they will lose the window of opportunity that traditional military theory considers unsuitable for large-scale offensives in early spring.

So while Joe was still clinging to Bohemia like a piece of chewing gum, refusing to leave, the Teutons were already preparing to take action.

On the morning of February 13, 1939, a Teutonic fighter plane made an emergency landing in Gaul due to heavy fog. The pilot was quickly arrested by the local military police. It was originally just an ordinary incident of getting lost.

However, because the pilot seemed so nervous, the sheriff, who had participated in the war, felt that there must be something wrong with him, so he inspected the pilot's luggage.

Sure enough, they found a plan called 'Operation Erich' among the pilot's belongings, which startled the young policeman who understood Teutonic.

The report was then sent directly to Paris.

The plan in this report is so astonishing; it's practically an enhanced version of the Schlieffen Plan. This time, the Teutons will go all in from the Low Countries.

Send all troops except for the second and third-line garrisons that are delaying the Bohemians on the eastern front into the Low Countries, advance along the coastline, and then launch a massive counter-offensive to encircle and annihilate the Gallic forces in Paris and the defensive lines.

Paris was quite surprised by the report.

After all, the Munich Agreement hadn't been finalized yet, and the Teutons had just suffered a crushing defeat in Bohemia. It seemed a bit too unbelievable that they would now claim to want to invade Gaul.

The veracity of this report was not immediately decided within Paris, as various general staffs kept all sorts of plans, and even the Gauls' headquarters had a plan outlining what they should do should they go to war with Bonitania one day.

After all, when there is no war, the staff officers in the General Staff Department who have nothing to do always have to find some projects to do.

After the General Staff has prepared the plan, it is normal for the grassroots troops to conduct exercises according to the plan. So Paris now wants to know if this plan is one of many plans that the Teutonic General Staff made out of boredom.

After a night of debate, the Paris side decided to summon the Teutonic ambassador to inquire about the report.

When he received the call from Paris summoning him, the Teutonic ambassador was already dressed and carrying his briefcase, ready to depart.

In his briefcase lay the Teutonic declaration of war against Gaul.

Five minutes later, in the command center aboard the Führer's private train, the American, the Führer glanced at his watch and said to the generals from the Supreme Command and the Army, "The dice have been thrown. Let's begin."

As the Führer issued his order, the radio on the American train broadcast the message "Victory is calling," and at the same time, radio stations throughout Teutonic China began broadcasting "Erica."

At 5:30, the Teutonic Air Force mobilized its entire force, with a massive fleet of nearly three thousand aircraft darkening the sky as it entered the airspace of the Gallic and Low Countries.

At this time, the air forces of the Low Countries and the Gauls, which had not been mobilized or warned at all, were still on holiday. Especially since it was Valentine's Day, many pilots had taken leave and left the base to go on dates with their girlfriends.

So while the Parisian side, their faces ashen, roared at the Teutonic ambassador who had delivered the declaration of war, "This is a sneak attack!", the Teutonic air force's bombs had already landed on Gaul's airports, railway hubs, and oil depots.

The intense bombing destroyed almost all the airfields in northern Gaul, and a large number of planes were destroyed before they could take off. Many excellent pilots and ground crew died in their sleep during the bombing.

Those who survived, though still not understanding what was happening, instinctively rushed out of their hiding places after the long bombing that felt like an eternity.

They began salvaging equipment and repairing fighter jets and airport runways.

Those pilots who were lucky enough to survive, after finding their equipment in the rubble, began preparing to take off and fight.

Meanwhile, the pilots who were on leave were using every means of transportation they could find to rush back to their bases to prepare for battle.

Soon, ground crew managed to repair a usable runway in the base, which had been bombed to the point of resembling the surface of the moon. The pilots, some still in their pajamas, did not hesitate to climb into the newly repaired fighter jets in front of them and take off.

However, by this time, the Teutonic air raids had already arrived.

Although the command chain was paralyzed by the Teutonic air raids, and the pilots didn't know exactly what was happening, one thing was certain: it was now their turn to defend their country.

Some people pulled crucifixes from their necks, some looked at the photos pasted on the plane's instruments, and some looked at the fighting nuns stuck to the instrument panel. Then they pulled the control stick.

On that day, the flames of the explosion never went out in the skies over Gaul.

Meanwhile, the Teutonic Army Group C, under air cover, began to enter the Low Countries.

This time, they still did not enter the land of windmills. The armored forces, supported by the advance paratroopers, began a rapid advance through Cambrai.

The Sunburst Fortress, which held out for 12 days in the last major battle, couldn't even last an hour this time.

While the Teutonic Air Force was carrying out a terrifying bombing raid, the Teutonic Paratroopers also parachuted as planned, and in just one hour, these paratroopers captured the fortress from the unsuspecting defenders.

As the armored forces sped past the fortress, the Teutonic paratroopers waved their flags at them while both sides shouted "Paris!"

Meanwhile, the bewildered men in Paris, having been beaten up, received a deluge of reports and immediately made three decisions, including a general mobilization.

Then the armored forces were moved to the northern front.

The only weak point in Gaul's entire border defenses was Cambrai in the north.

Because the current King of Cambrai, Leopold III, is a very anthropomorphic king, they were unwilling to allow the Gauls to extend their border defenses into their country when the Gauls were building their defenses.

Even if the Gauls were willing to pay, they wouldn't. So, faced with a vulnerable north, the Gauls decided to immediately move all their armored forces north.

If Leopold still couldn't see the situation clearly, then all they had to do was keep the Teutons at bay on the border.

Then he immediately called London, saying, "Brother, I can't hold on any longer! For the sake of our alliance, help me out!"

At the same time, upon receiving news of the Teutonic attack on Gaul and Cambrai, London immediately descended into chaos.

Over the past few years, London's stance on Joe, who has been calling for restrictions on the Teutons and for putting this war beast in a cage, has always been that Joe's intentions are good, but he shouldn't set off yet.

Given the Empire's current state, it is clearly not suitable to intervene in the situation on the continent. Moreover, the Teutons still owe the Empire a large sum of money. What if the Teutons refuse to pay after intervention?
At the same time, the trauma of the last war has made many people less enthusiastic about war than they were during that war. Their attitude towards Joe has also changed from that of a war hero who brought victory to the Empire to a question of whether Joe is a dangerous warlord who wants to sacrifice the interests of the Empire for his own military victory and prestige after Joe's repeated victories.

Therefore, London basically ignored Joe's warnings and actions regarding Teutonic expansion and the breach of the Treaty of Versailles, adopting a dismissive attitude.

They even engaged in a war of words with the Best of Buntania party in the media, saying, "You say you're doing this for Buntania, but which Buntania are you doing this for?"

However, now that the situation has indeed developed in the direction Joe predicted, the gentlemen of London have discovered a very embarrassing thing: their continental policy has not only completely failed, but also, due to the previous Germania Treaty, Joe has directly renounced his Bruneian citizenship.

There's no one left to lead the troops.

Faced with this dire situation, and in order to prevent the government from collapsing, the prime minister who had "brought peace to a generation" resigned at lightning speed, handing over the premiership to the hawkish Winston.

After taking office, Winston, in order to demonstrate unity, first appointed James as Minister of War, and then ordered a general mobilization to form an expeditionary force, preparing to send troops to the Old World as quickly as possible.

Next, they prepared to contact Old Joe and have this scoundrel from Buntania take command of the Buntanian Expeditionary Force.

However, Joe's only response to Winston's invitation this time was a single word: "Busy!"

Joe was indeed very busy at this time. When the first bomb fell on Gaul, Joe, who had received the news, immediately began to mobilize the troops.

Although the Munich Agreement interrupted Joe's plan to bring the war to the Teutonic homeland, he had already completed the plan during the negotiations. Especially after Joe felt that something was not right, he secretly ordered the only armored division and armored brigade in Bohemia to move to the border.

Meanwhile, the Wagner Force, which had quietly expanded to a division and then a brigade, had also moved to the border.

After the troops quickly completed their mobilization, Joe, who had arrived at the combat group, immediately ordered the troops to set off.

If the Teutons were to head to Paris, he would have to see whether the Teutons arrived in Paris first or he himself rushed to Germania first.

Although I don't have enough offensive forces at the moment, the main force of the Teutons is not on the eastern front, and the Gauls should be able to hold out for a while. I should still have a chance... right?

Like the Teutons, the air force and artillery struck the Teutonic positions before the armored forces launched their attack.

Wagner's elite paratroopers then began airdropping behind the Teutonic lines.

Although the Teutonic defenders put up a fierce resistance, their defensive line in the Sudetenland region lasted only two days.

On the third day, Joe's vanguard broke through the Teutonic border defenses and stormed into Dresden, the capital of Teutonic Saxony.

The attack on Dresden shocked many generals in the Teutonic High Command, who recalled Joe's swift and decisive offensive in the last war.

So some generals suggested to the Führer that they should now send some reserves to the East to hold off Joe's offensive.

The leader's response to this suggestion was a single word: "No."

This was because the war had now entered its third day.

The situation on the battlefield has also changed somewhat.

Along the border, Army Group B kept the Teutonic fortress garrison from leaving the long fortified belt.

Meanwhile, in Cambrai, Army Group C had already engaged in combat with the advance troops of the Gauls who had rushed to their aid.

Just as they knew from the beginning, the Gauls' super-heavy tanks were a very troublesome opponent.

These monsters, seemingly frozen in time from the last great war, are almost unbelievably tough.

The Teutonic medium tanks had to get within 500 meters to have a chance of destroying these big guys from the side, and even the heavy tanks had to get within 800 meters.

These large Gaulish contraptions could inflict devastating damage on any Teutonic tank from a distance of one kilometer.

However, these bulky creatures are not invincible. First of all, it is early spring, a time when the soil is in a terrible state of frost heave.

The mud made it even more difficult for these already slow-moving creatures to move after leaving the road.

Secondly, on the first day of the war, the Teutonic Air Force almost destroyed the Gallic Air Force, although the brave Gallic pilots still took to the air to fight despite being outnumbered and inflicted some losses on the Teutons.

However, air superiority on the battlefield had now fallen into the hands of the Teutonic Air Force, which allowed them to freely attack any target that interested them.

In particular, these heavy tanks, which posed a significant challenge to armored forces, became a key target for the Teutonic Air Force.

After encountering these heavily armored Gallic tanks, the Teutonic Air Force pilots would immediately call for support from dive bombers, who would drop 500-kilogram bombs directly onto the heads of these tough nut to crack.

Although the shortcomings of the heavy tanks in terms of poor mobility were almost immediately exposed after they entered the war.

However, with the addition of these super-heavy tanks to the battlefield, the offensive of the Teutonic Army Group C began to slow down, while more Gallic troops were heading north on the railway.

As the war entered its sixth day, after follow-up troops arrived and entered Dresden to begin street fighting, Joe led his armored forces to advance toward Leipzig.

Meanwhile, in diplomacy, both London and Paris began to court Poland, hoping to bring Poland into their camp and stab the Teutons in the back.

Meanwhile, the expeditionary force from Buntania had already landed in Calais, ready to help the Gauls stabilize their northern defenses.

The air force from Buntania also began to occupy the Gaulish airport, so that the Teutonic bombers could no longer attack any target at will, as they had a few days before, as if they were strolling in their own backyard.

It seemed that things were starting to turn against the Teutons, a development that led London to believe they should have intervened long ago, and that if the Teutons weren't as formidable as they appeared, they shouldn't have let things get to this point.

Meanwhile, Erich, who commanded Army Group A, which comprised almost the entire elite of the Teutonic Army, watched as the main Gallic forces and the Bunitania expeditionary force entered the Low Countries and knew that now was the time.

Now it's his turn to walk the same path Joe took during the last great battle.

It was during the frost season, and no one would have imagined that the Teutonic armored forces would traverse this terrible terrain.

As the war entered its second week, the Teutonic Army Group C, under pressure from the Bunitania Expeditionary Force, the Gallic armored forces, and the Cambrai garrison, began to show signs of weakness.

What began as a rapid, swift advance at the start of the war began to resemble a march through mud.

It wasn't until the first Teutonic tank emerged from the woods and appeared on the flank of the Allied forces that the situation improved.

Then Erich discovered that the situation was slightly different from what he had expected.

Erich had anticipated that when Army Group A emerged from the woods, they would be met only by some second-rate troops filling the front lines. However, when Army Group A emerged from the woods...

Army Group A discovered that the Guards Armored Training Regiment of the Bunitania Expeditionary Force had suddenly appeared before them.

As the commander of the expeditionary force, Cecil, having traveled this route with Joe before, would surely be wary of the Teutons taking it again.

However, due to the immense pressure at the front, Cecil left his most elite armored forces here, intending to give the Teutons who were breaking through the forest a little surprise.

Even if they couldn't defeat the Teutons, they could at least slow down their advance.

When Erich first heard the news after encountering the armored forces of Bunitania, his blood ran cold.

If Army Group A is trapped in the forest, the entire plan will be completely ruined.

So Erich immediately called the Air Force, hoping they could lend them a hand.

However, just after Erich called for air support, the advance troops sent a report that they had broken through the defenses of the Bunitania armored forces.

Compared to the armored forces of Bohemia, fighting these Bunitania armored forces was much more comfortable and exhilarating!
Several hours later, the advance force finally realized that they had just defeated the renowned Guards Armored Training Regiment of Britannia.

(End of this chapter)