Chapter 195: Charles' Students
At the Paris Command Headquarters, Gallieni woke up just before 8 a.m., as usual. But today, he didn't immediately head to his office. Instead, he looked out the window at the torrential rain, accompanied by gusty winds and claps of thunder. Dense raindrops hammered the ground, and Gallieni sighed, wishing the downpour could sweep away the obstructive forces in the Chamber of Deputies.
Yesterday, Gallieni had gone there himself to advocate for Charles' tank, seeing it as essential for victory and the lives of soldiers. He had spoken without invitation, requesting an opportunity to address the assembly:
"Charles' tank, along with his tactics, has already proven itself in combat. For some time now, the First Tank Brigade has been training exclusively with his tanks, showing excellent results."
"We now have a fully developed infantry-tank coordination strategy, and I believe this tank can defeat the enemy!"
"Why, then, would we reject a proven weapon and instead purchase a model that has failed?"
But before he could finish, members of the assembly began to heckle him:
"The tanks have been upgraded. They're no longer failures!"
"The enemy understands Charles' tank and has developed even better tanks specifically to counter it."
"A lack of a cannon is the biggest flaw in the 'Mark I,' while the enemy's tanks have cannons. How can we hope to defeat them with just machine guns?"
The outcome was inevitable: Charles' tank received no new orders. Instead, the "Saint-Chamond" and CA-1 each received additional orders for 200 units. Their reasoning sounded valid, but it still couldn't hide the absurdity of the situation: ineffective tanks were approved, while a proven model was rejected.
Gallieni, after collecting his thoughts, made his way toward his office. As he passed Charles' desk, he called quietly, "Come with me, Major."
"Yes, General," Charles responded, following Gallieni to his desk.
Gallieni sat down, opened a drawer, and handed Charles a document, his expression impassive. "This outlines the latest modifications to the CA-1 and 'Saint-Chamond' tanks. They've received additional orders. I want to know if you think they still have issues."
Charles flipped through the document. "The CA-1 has upgraded its engine and thickened its armor, reaching a top speed of 8 kilometers per hour."
"Yes," Gallieni explained. "They believe this will allow the tank to avoid long-range artillery bombardments, much like you said—that tanks need a certain level of mobility."
Charles nodded as he continued reading. "True, but increasing the front armor from 11mm to 17mm isn't enough."
"What do you mean?" Gallieni asked, puzzled. "Your 'Mark I' tank only has 17mm of frontal armor, so it seems they're learning from your design."
"I know," Charles replied, meeting Gallieni's gaze. "But General, when our tank armor was 11mm thick, the Germans developed K-bullets that could penetrate 13mm of steel. Now, our tanks have 17mm armor…"
Gallieni's eyes widened in understanding. "They'll develop even more powerful armor-piercing weapons."
"Exactly," Charles nodded. "I don't know what it will be, but as they said, the Germans will target my tanks and use every means necessary."
This wasn't entirely true; Charles was already aware of the Germans' development of anti-tank rifles. Gallieni sighed internally, hoping that the Germans would rely solely on artillery to break through 17mm armor rather than some new weapon.
After a moment's thought, Gallieni asked, "And what about the 'Saint-Chamond'?"
"The 'Saint-Chamond' has seen several improvements," Charles continued, examining the file. "They've upgraded the engine, reduced weight, lengthened the tracks, adjusted the roof shape, and added extra hatches."
The track extension aimed to improve mobility, while the sloped roof was designed to prevent German grenades from lodging there. The added hatches were a response to issues discovered in combat, where the side hatch couldn't be opened if the tank was stuck in a crater, leaving the crew trapped.
"They've also added small wheels to the front and rear," Gallieni noted.
The small wheels were meant to prevent the elongated body from getting stuck in craters or trenches. Charles raised the file, asking, "But is this really effective? Did it pass the army's tests?"
Gallieni replied dryly, "If the previous model of the 'Saint-Chamond' passed military testing, why shouldn't this improved model?"
Charles understood; the so-called "military testing" was essentially meaningless. With backing from Joffre and the Automobile Technical Service, failing to pass would be laughable.
His final assessment was blunt: "The additional orders might be acceptable, but they should never be sent to the battlefield."
Gallieni remained silent, looking resigned.
Charles understood his expression. "Have they already decided to deploy them?"
Gallieni nodded slowly. "You should understand their motivation. Your tank succeeded, and theirs failed. They're eager to prove themselves by surpassing your tanks in combat."
"They even have some of that confidence because of you, Major," Gallieni added.
"What do you mean?" Charles asked, taken aback.
"They haven't just copied your tank," Gallieni said with a trace of disdain. "They're copying your tactics too, replicating your methods from the Lafaux battle."
Charles chuckled at the thought, amused by the idea of "beating the teacher with his own lessons." They hadn't even paid the "tuition," yet were so quick to knock their teacher off the stage—despite only having learned half the lessons.
"One more thing," Gallieni said, his voice hardening. "They plan to deploy the First Flight Squadron in the operation."
Charles' face darkened. "No, they can't do that."
"They can, and they will," Gallieni replied, his own tone betraying anger. "It's an order from the French Commander-in-Chief. If necessary, they can even call up the First Tank Brigade. They've held off on that only because they want to beat the First Tank Brigade to prove their point."
Charles realized that they believed the First Tank Brigade's success at Lafaux was largely thanks to the First Flight Squadron. For this next battle, they insisted on including the squadron—even though it was the very one Charles had assembled.
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