Re: Blood and Iron

Gunfire echoed in perfect tandem with the roar of engines and artillery. The Spring Offensive of 1916 had begun, but it was not the Central Powers who had moved their pieces on the chessboard into play first.

Nay, that boast belonged to the Allies who came crashing over the German fortifications built at the edge of Luxembourg like a tidal wave of steel. Frankly speaking, the defenses were light, and the battle was brief, a mere skirmish, if you would.

It was such a rapid and unexpected victory at the border that while the Allied troops began to cheer and embrace one another for their first major win in God knows how long; the commanders began to speculate that something was seriously wrong.

But after thoroughly searching the area, no signs of treachery could be found, and thus it could only be concluded that their armor had truly trounced the enemy. But if this were truly the case, then why? Why were there no flak guns, which in time past had shredded their tanks, both at the Alpine theater, and in Belgium?

Better yet, why were there no German planes soaring above the sky? The Officer in charge of the French Brigade that was in the vanguard was a man who Bruno knew all too well from his past life. Or, more accurately, knew of all too well.

Charles De Gaulle, having miraculously escaped from a German Prisoner of War camp after the unit he was a mere junior officer in was decimated in the first wave of the war. Charles returned to France where he gained some success in minor skirmishes with the enemy.

And had quickly risen through the ranks to the position of colonel. Why was he made a colonel despite his relatively young age and lack of experience? Because the French had lost hundreds of thousands, if not over a million men so far in the war, and many of them were officers of every rank.

Even French Generals had not been spared the grim reaper’s scythe in this war. And because of this, any officer who remotely showed some intelligence, capability, and ingenuity in the field was placed on a fast track to promotion.

Because Charles de Gaulle had seen how adept the Germans were at preparing for this war, and tricking their enemies into attacking precisely where they desired, he was the only man highly skeptical about this whole affair.

In fact, he outright voiced his concerns about pushing further into Luxembourg before their scouts could verify whether or not the enemy was lying in wait for them. But eager for further glory, after having been starved of it for two whole years, the General placed in command of the Anglo-French force which pushed into Luxembourg’s borders ignored these concerns.

What would a mere 25-year-old officer with limited experience understand about seizing the opportunity when it was presented to you? Because of this, Charles was quickly chastised, and threatened with being stripped of his command should he press the matter further.

With a heavy sigh, the notorious man who would one day become the President of France, that is, if he were given the opportunity to thrive in this life as he had done in Bruno’s past, could only return to his unit and tell them to be on the lookout for potential traps and tricks.

After which, he loaded on top of one of the Mk II Tanks, that was painted with the colors of the French Army, and began pushing forward with his unit towards the city of Luxembourg where the enemy had pulled back to in order to form a secondary line of defense.