The news of victory reached Paris, and the City Defense Command erupted in cheers. The staff crowded around Charles, embracing him with excitent as more people squeezed in to shake his hand. Amidst the congratulatory chaos, Charles scanned the crowd, looking for Gallieni—but he was nowhere to be seen.
Fernand, the colonel, answered, "The general is still in the House of Representatives for questioning. I'll go and bring him the good news."
...
When Gallieni finally returned to the command center from the House of Representatives, he wore an uncharacteristic smile. For a man as reserved as Gallieni, this was highly unusual. His staff, accustod to his seriousness—even when pushing back the German advance—was astonished. In past victories, Gallieni's only reaction had been to dryly remark, "They finally realized that Paris is nothing but exhaust fus, filthy water, and garbage." Yet today, his radiant mood lifted the usual tension at headquarters, as though a long-sealed room had finally been opened to fresh air.
Most assud Gallieni's mood was because of Charles's successful command in the first aerial battle in history. Only Gallieni himself knew that his satisfaction ca from a confrontation in the House of Representatives, where he had unabashedly exposed the hypocrisy of certain mbers, tearing away their veneer of patriotism. Nothing could have been more satisfying.
To Gallieni, defeating the enemy was secondary to combating those who he saw as parasites upon France: the self-serving opportunists who claid to act for France while squandering its resources and betraying the people. Sitting down, he reviewed the combat report while relishing mories of the session in the House.
"General!" Colonel Fernand interrupted his thoughts. "We successfully shot down thirteen enemy planes and destroyed three observation balloons. Our strafing runs also killed over a hundred enemy infantry and at least two artillery guns!"
Gallieni responded with a simple "Good," as if it were a foregone conclusion.
"Sir," Fernand added, "not one of our n was lost!"
Gallieni glanced up, mildly puzzled. "The enemy didn't have any aircraft equipped for defense. Did you think we'd lose n—unless perhaps they ramd us?"
"But, General…" Fernand gestured behind him, lowering his voice. "Shouldn't we acknowledge this victory sohow?"
Looking around, Gallieni saw the hopeful faces of his staff. He understood they wanted a formal acknowledgnt, especially for Charles, who had commanded this historic operation. So he gave a slight nod and called out, "Lieutenant Charles!"
"Yes, General!" Charles quickly set down his paperwork and approached.
Gallieni tossed the combat report toward Charles with a look of mild disapproval. "You talked about 'asymtric warfare,' didn't you? I didn't see any evidence of it here."
The staff was stunned. Instead of praising Charles's major victory, Gallieni was questioning him. They were unaware that this was Gallieni's way of ntoring.
For an ordinary soldier, this victory would warrant praise or even a dal. But for Charles, Gallieni saw that excessive praise could lead to complacency—a stagnation he wanted to avoid. Charles himself hadn't expected accolades; Gallieni's question made sense to him. This battle had rely frightened the Germans into a temporary retreat, nothing more.
"Sir," Charles replied, "I believe we could execute a true asymtric strategy with so infantry support."
"Not a problem," Gallieni replied without hesitation. "I'll see to it that the infantry is expedited to Ypres. How would you want them to assist?"
"No, General," Charles said, surprising everyone. "I'd actually prefer they don't arrive in ti for Ypres."
"What?" Gallieni looked at him in disbelief, almost certain he'd misheard. "So, the help you want is... to have no support?"
The staff exchanged baffled glances. While everyone else was anxious for reinforcents, Charles was requesting that they be delayed?
Charles explained calmly. "From what I understand, General Foch will be leading the reinforcents to Ypres…"
Gallieni raised his brows. "You have an issue with General Foch?" he asked, masking his surprise. Foch was highly regarded as an authority on military strategy and practically a household na in the French army. Yet, here was Charles, expressing doubts.
It wasn't that Charles disliked Foch; he simply felt they were ideologically at odds. Under Foch's command, this battle would undoubtedly proceed as planned, with heavy losses like in the history Charles knew. Foch's strategic mindset was built on principles of "spiritual victory" and "offensive supremacy." He believed that soldiers, when ard with unyielding determination, could triumph in any battle through relentless offense.
"Defeat cos only when one loses the will to fight." "The will to conquer is the first requirent for victory." "All defense is unnecessary; offensive to the limit is victory."
Such sentints were deeply flawed, at least in Charles's view. Though these ideas had held true in the age of line infantry and pre-machine-gun warfare, the new reality was different. Foch's relentless emphasis on attack had earned him fa, with so calling him "the finisher of WWI, and the prophet of WWII," but Charles knew better than to contradict Foch's status in front of his colleagues. He chose a more diplomatic reply:
"Sir, General Foch tends to prioritize offense," Charles explained. "But in this particular battle, I need the Germans to attack us. That way, our artillery can maximize its impact and achieve a true asymtric victory."
Gallieni considered this for a mont. He had already weighed the implications of the infantry getting bogged down in direct conflict with the Germans. In such a scenario, the artillery might have no clear target. Nodding thoughtfully, Gallieni turned to Charles. "I understand…just for this battle, then?"
Gallieni turned back to the map, examining it thoughtfully. "This should be simple enough… perhaps a 'landslide' washes out a bridge sowhere. Yes, that could work."
(Above: Portrait of Marshal Foch)
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