Churchill came all the way to pay a special visit to General Gamelin, who concurrently served as Commander-in-Chief of the French Army and Commander of the British Expeditionary Force.
Today, Gamelin has 123 French infantry divisions with a total of 2.5 million people, 3,250 French tanks, and tens of thousands of large-caliber artillery. He has also won over Belgium, which has 22 infantry divisions. The current French-Belgian coalition can be said to be
It has the most powerful troops and firepower in Europe.
In addition to the 10 elite British expeditionary forces with excellent equipment and first-class combat effectiveness, the three-nation coalition forces of Britain, France and Belgium are even fully equipped to actively attack Germany's western defense line.
And Gamelin, who commanded the majestic armies of the three countries, was about to become a key figure in deciding a war. For such a celebrity, Churchill looked for opportunities several times, and finally waited for the day to meet.
Churchill was greeted by a French major general named Berante, who left a deep impression on Churchill as soon as they met.
"Hello, Mr. Churchill." Berlant said in English with a calm face: "Commander Gamelin is holding a military meeting, so I hope you can go to his office and wait for a while."
Is there a meeting? Churchill's face immediately darkened.
Churchill is coming to visit him today, will Gamelin know?
No! The notification had been sent a long time ago, and Gamelin was definitely aware of it. In this case, choosing to hold the meeting at a time when Churchill was visiting would be contempt for the British Empire!
"Commander Gamelin has such a big air!" Churchill snorted and said angrily: "That's right, General Gamelin has more than a hundred French divisions, and he probably also appreciates the mere 10 divisions that the British kindly provided.
Not on."
Churchill had always been very cautious and rarely uttered rude words. However, because he had been arguing with Chamberlain recently about the details of the invasion of Norway, he was so upset that in a moment of panic, he actually said such a harmful thing.
Remarks that undermine allied cooperation.
Of course, he was a rational politician after all. As soon as he said this, Churchill immediately regretted it.
However, the seemingly arrogant French major general did not pursue Churchill's slip of the tongue. Instead, he saluted Churchill quite politely and said: "Mr. Churchill, our commander is holding a strategic and tactical seminar on the defensive war against Germany. It was originally scheduled.
The time should have ended long ago, but everyone was very enthusiastic about the discussion, so the commander made the temporary decision to extend the meeting time. We are deeply sorry for the impact this has had on you."
"You are quite polite." Churchill had a good impression of this humble French major general and asked with interest: "As far as I know, most French army officers have a natural arrogance. This phenomenon,
It is especially noticeable at the general level. This is the first time I have seen a French general as calm as you."
"You're flattered." Berlant responded with a smile: "If it were six months ago, maybe I would be as arrogant and self-righteous as you said. And this is indeed a common problem among our judges.
.”
"Oh? Then why have you changed now?" Anyway, it was boring to be idle. Churchill followed Berante to Gamelin's office while curiously learning about Berante's past.
Politely guiding Churchill to the second floor where his office was located, Berlant slowed down and walked side by side with Churchill: "Sir, you may not believe it. I had the honor to lead the French official group two months ago.
I saw the war between Poland and Germany. That battle taught me a lot. The most important thing is that I learned that I can’t be too confident in my life.”
"You participated in the Polish Campaign!?" Churchill's eyes widened and he looked straight at this major general who could not be more than 45 years old.
"Yes, not only did I participate in that battle, but I also witnessed almost every major mistake made by the Polish army." Berlant didn't seem to be proud of his experience because of Churchill's reaction. He just looked at it quietly.
It tells its own story.
"Two months ago, I naively thought that the Germans just got lucky and turned around thanks to incredible luck. At that time, I looked down on Germany's hastily expanded army of 100,000 people.
I arrogantly believe that those troops are definitely the enemies of the French Army." Berante's expression was dark, as if he was recalling an unforgettable and painful past.
"But we all know the facts now. The German army not only wiped out the Polish army that was equal to its own number, but also suffered very little losses and took a very short time. In the entire battle, the German army suffered the greatest losses, and it was the one that lost its life.
The 30th Infantry Division used as bait. Not to mention how incredible it was that the Germans used one division to hold down a Polish group army for 72 hours. Just the acumen of their commanders to use the plan and turn the crisis into a fighter opportunity was enough to see.
It shows how strong their command skills are."
Taking a deep breath, Berlant turned his head and responded to Churchill's gaze: "In the end, the Germans were not even willing to let the Polish army eat the bait. Not only did the heavily surrounded 30th Infantry Division not behave like most of the Polish army,
Surrendered, but persisted until the last moment, and even took advantage of the chaos to launch a counterattack, capturing the Polish army in full force with its remaining soldiers."
Hearing this, Churchill could no longer remain calm. He knew that the German army was very successful in the Polish campaign, but he did not expect that the German commanders actually fought so brilliantly. In their hands, war has become an advanced art.
It's an art, a wonderful performance. It's really not a pleasant thing to be an enemy with such an opponent.
Churchill still wanted to say something, but before he knew it, they had reached the door of Gamelin's office.
Berante made a sign of welcome and invited Churchill to come in.
"Mr. Churchill," looking at Churchill who was still unfinished, Berlant said in a serious tone: "I don't know what the fighting will of the British expedition is, but I can assert that the French soldiers, known as the first army in Europe, have no fighting will.
The strength of the German army today. Although we seem to have the upper hand now, I still hope that you big guys can be more careful and don't underestimate the enemy, let alone the combat effectiveness of the German army. I guarantee that they will be the best you have ever seen in your life.
The most cunning and scheming, but also the most brave and tenacious enemy!"
The French major general said that his army, which is recognized as the best in Europe, cannot compare with Germany! In what year was this a joke?
Churchill looked at Berlant with some dumbfounding. If the French army could not compare with the German army, then the British army should go and compete with the German police as Bismarck said back then!
"Why don't you tell Gamelin yourself?" Although Churchill had half stepped into the door of Gamelin's office, he still couldn't help but turned around and asked: "You are a French general.
, your commander is also the commander-in-chief of the Three Kingdoms Allied Forces, so it stands to reason that it should be easier for Commander Gan Molin to accept what you say than what I say."
Bertrand was silent for a long time after hearing this. Finally he shook his head: "He won't! He won't listen to my words."
After speaking, Berlant left two French officers who also spoke English to accompany Churchill, closed the door of his office alone, and left.
From the mouths of the two remaining French officers, Churchill learned that Berante had participated in the First World War when he was young. Later, Marshal Pétain noticed his talent and recruited him under the rule, and taught him many military theories.
and thoughts.
In the eyes of most French generals, it is not an exaggeration to say that Berante was the disciple and student of Marshal Pétain.
Moreover, this protégé of Marshal Pétain took the initiative to join the French National Regiment that went to Poland to guide operations two months ago. With his excellent military qualities and effective and feasible military suggestions, he won the unanimous approval of the Polish generals.
Recognize.
With his intervention, the Polish army withstood the Soviet army's onslaught for nearly a month. Moreover, after the Soviet-German joint operation, he still boosted the morale of the Polish army, organized the Polish army to carry out effective large-scale operations, and held back the main German force.
, to gain sufficient time for preparations such as the mobilization, transportation, and deployment of the French army.