I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 247

Chapter 247: The Foolish People

The results of the bombing could not be conclusively determined.

This was because the bomber pilots could only drop bombs and then view the bombed scene from a distance in the sky, unable to know exactly how many planes were destroyed or how many enemy pilots were killed.

But there was no doubt that France had regained control of the skies over the frontline... The once formidable German Air Force suddenly vanished, replaced by the "Avros" of Charles' First Flight Squadron.

People thought that the mere deployment of Charles' First Flight Squadron had frightened the German Air Force away.

On the surface, this seemed to be the case.

What they didn't know was that during this period, the French Army's air force under Joffre had been battered severely by the German Air Force. Nearly every day, enemy aircraft or airfields were destroyed or raided, causing Joffre to move and hide his planes in fear.

Joffre's solution was to drag the planes outside the airfield and cover them with canvas, so that the German planes could not spot or destroy them.

While this method was safe, it clearly did not cultivate new talent: whether pilots or trainees, they could only stay grounded.

Then, Charles' First Flight Squadron appeared, and the German Air Force vanished.

People speculated that it was Charles' First Flight Squadron that drove the German Air Force away!

The next day, The Meritorious Report published a photo taken from a distance and ambiguously reported: "Charles' new aircraft models made a great contribution. They dropped 16,000 kilograms of bombs, destroying two German airfields."

Only then did people realize that the battle had already been fought and won, without them even knowing about it.

Public opinion once again stirred, and people spontaneously gathered at the entrance to the House of Commons shouting:

"Support the incorporation of the Army Air Corps and let Charles have unified command."

"Spare those poor pilots; under Joffre's leadership, their only options are to flee or die."

"We should let those who understand aerial combat command the planes, not those who have spent their entire lives dealing with the army!"

...

Many army pilots also exposed the chaos at the army airfields. When speaking to reporters, they complained with fearful expressions:

"All we do every day is dodge and evade, we're not even real pilots."

"Many of us still can't fly, let alone shoot down enemy planes in the air!"

"Planes in our hands are a waste. We don't understand why things turned out this way!"

...

The ball was now in Joffre's court.

At the General Staff headquarters, Joffre stood by the window, staring blankly at the sky, where several "Avro" planes flew by in the snowstorm.

Carnes stood nearby, silent.

If it were Carnes in this situation, he would have let go without hesitation.

The situation was clear: Joffre had lost the air battle, and he had lost badly.

Every decision he had made seemed to be wrong—from the setup of airfields to the purchase of planes and the pilot training plans; everything was a failure.

They were all clearly styled after the army, with an offensive mentality, but aerial combat was obviously different from land warfare.

If he didn't admit defeat now, he would just have to wait for Parliament's decision and be forced to carry it out. By then, not only would they lose the planes, but they would also lose face.

But Joffre was never one to give up easily. After thinking for a moment, he slowly spoke, his tone filled with resentment: "Foolish people, they can't tell the difference. What Charles used to defeat the Germans were bombers, not his First Flight Squadron. If we had bombers like that, we would win too!"

Carnes widened his eyes.

Joffre's words seemed to be true. These bombers could bring victory in anyone's hands.

But the key was that these were new aircraft developed by Charles, and it was under his command that they had defeated the Germans, while not long ago, the German Air Force had inflicted heavy losses on the army's planes, forcing them to hide. As the commander, Joffre had done nothing about it.

Now, Charles had achieved this victory with his method, and Joffre casually said, "If I had such planes, I could do it too!"

He then erased all of Charles' accomplishments and told people that the army air corps still had a role to play. Joffre even claimed that he could do better than Charles...

Carnes could hardly bear to listen, and his expression became awkward.

But Joffre remained unperturbed, seemingly convinced that he was right: "What we need to do is not hand over the army planes to Charles, but buy a batch of bombers, and that will change the current situation!"

"But General!" Carnes said, "How do we explain this to the public?"

"That's a matter for the newspapers," Joffre replied, his gaze shifting to the map. "As long as we hold a press conference to explain this clearly, and achieve a few victories..."

Carnes suddenly understood. Charles' bombers could give Joffre the perfect victory: in the past, to boast about a victory to the media, they had to provide tangible results. But with these bombers, they could simply send them out, and then boast to the reporters about how the army bombers had destroyed certain places and achieved glorious victories.

The reporters and the public would have no way to verify, since these victories all took place in enemy-controlled areas.

At that moment, a staff officer a few meters away reported to Joffre through a microphone: "General, Mr. Clemenceau from the Army Committee!"

Joffre's expression changed. He walked up and answered the phone with an emotionless face:
"Yes, Mr. Clemenceau."

"Alright, I understand!"

"I have no objections, sir, I will comply with Parliament's decision!"

After hanging up the phone, Joffre's face darkened.

He understood what was happening. The social discontent in the war was boiling over, and the Christmas truce was actually the soldiers' "silent protest" against the government. This put pressure on the government and parliament, which had once promised to end the war quickly, and they were unwilling to take any more risks for Joffre.

"Those bastards!" Joffre muttered angrily. "They only care about their own interests, without considering what is truly beneficial for France. They will regret their decision!"

"General?" Carnes sensed a change in the situation and cautiously asked.

Joffre gritted his teeth and gave the order: "Hand over all the planes and pilots to the Paris City Defense Command!"

"Yes, General!" Carnes responded decisively.

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