I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 128

Chapter 128: Can This Be Called War?

“Avro” launched smoke shells at the German artillery positions.

The earliest smoke shells were invented in 1849 by a British officer named Motley, who used silver nitrate and ferric oxalate as chemical agents. However, these early smoke shells were ineffective, producing only faint smoke that merely indicated “there’s smoke.”

Charles used a formula developed two years later by Germans. This formula used potassium nitrate and sucrose as chemical agents, generating smoke tenfold denser than the original version. It was also cost-effective and used more accessible materials.

Charles’ task was to pack these chemical agents into rockets, which pilots would then fire into “danger zones.”

German machine gunners stationed at the artillery positions quickly found their view obscured by smoke, rendering them unable to spot aircraft in the sky. The pilots, however, could still see the towering barrels of the German artillery from above.

Soon, rocket-equipped aircraft dove down, unleashing a barrage of rockets onto the artillery positions.

Though the rockets lacked precision, they made up for it in sheer volume. Each aircraft carried ten rockets, and with over ten planes in operation, the bombardment delivered over a hundred rockets.

This indiscriminate barrage of rockets threw the German artillery into chaos.

Suddenly, a fire erupted within the smoke—an inferno resembling a pile of burning timber.

But it wasn’t timber—it was an ammunition truck.

There were only two trucks on the entire artillery site, yet one of the rockets had coincidentally struck one. Its rear compartment still held more than twenty shells that hadn’t yet been unloaded.

A panicked artillery officer blew his whistle and shouted for the driver to move the truck, but the driver couldn’t comply. The rocket had hit the cab, engulfing it in flames, and the gear rod was too hot to grasp.

Several soldiers rushed over with soaked coats and entrenching tools, attempting to extinguish the fire, but their efforts proved futile. The flames only grew fiercer.

Terrified, the soldiers abandoned their tools and fled, but it was too late.

“Boom!”

A deafening explosion erupted as the shells in the rear compartment detonated, spreading fire to nearby ammunition and triggering a chain of explosions.

From his aircraft, Carter glanced briefly at the blaze below before refocusing on the German planes. They were fleeing in all directions under pursuit from the “Avro” planes. But unarmed as they were, the German planes were destined to be easy targets.

Carter calmly closed in on an enemy aircraft, aimed, and pulled the trigger...

General Cross watched the chaos unfolding in the rear lines and the steady stream of German planes being shot down. An inexplicable sense of powerlessness overcame him.

This was an unfair war. The Germans had superior numbers and far better-trained troops, yet their efforts were as futile as punching cotton—completely ineffective.

Meanwhile, the enemy’s fragile infantry remained safely entrenched, occasionally popping up to fire a few shots.

Could this even be called war? It was more like a one-sided massacre!

After a long silence, Cross finally muttered an order in a low, muffled voice: “Retreat.”

His staff had been anticipating this command. Anyone could see the soldiers were enduring senseless casualties. Upon receiving the order, the staff officer immediately relayed it by telephone.

...

King Albert I and General Charles were still trying to grasp the situation when the German forces began retreating. Everything had happened so suddenly.

Watching the Germans retreat like a receding tide, King Albert I was at a loss: “Did the planes scare them off? Or was it the artillery?”

In his view, French artillery fire was unsustainable. Whenever the French fired, it practically signaled their own doom, as the German artillery would immediately launch counter-bombardments.

The most dangerous moment should have been next: French artillery silenced, German infantry launching a ferocious assault, and the two sides clashing at close quarters. Soon, the Belgian forces would collapse across the front.

The Germans were on the brink of victory—if only they held out a bit longer!

Albert even considered whether to open the floodgates, believing it might be the only way to save Ypres.

And yet...

The Germans inexplicably retreated!
A whirlwind of questions filled Albert I’s mind:
Why did they retreat?
Why didn’t the German artillery fire?
Why were the French 75mm guns relentlessly shelling the Germans?

General Charles initially shared Albert’s confusion until he raised his binoculars to survey the German positions. He noticed that all the German observation balloons had vanished—every last one.

“It’s the planes!” General Charles exclaimed in excitement. “The planes have won again! They destroyed the balloons!”

Albert I followed Charles’ gaze and finally realized that nothing remained in the German skies except white clouds and French “Avro” planes.

He couldn’t help but exclaim, “My God, Charles doesn’t even need us to win this battle!”

This wasn’t entirely accurate; the Belgian troops had played their part.

At the very least, they had dug trenches to form a defensive line. Whenever a few daring German soldiers managed to slip through the artillery barrage, the Belgians were there to deal with them.

Otherwise, these “stragglers” might have infiltrated the artillery positions or threatened the king and the command center, causing some degree of chaos.

What Albert I didn’t know was that a small detachment of French reinforcements was on its way. Their commander, mounted on a tall steed and leading over two hundred cavalrymen, was none other than the renowned French general Foch.

Foch was livid upon receiving the order to “halt.” To be precise, he was furious. He couldn’t contain his outburst:
“This is outrageous!”

“Ypres is waiting for reinforcements! There’s no ‘flood’ ahead, and the bridge is right there, within reach!”

“We could arrive tonight, yet we’re supposed to wait here until tomorrow?”

“This decision clearly invites the Germans to take Ypres!”

Foch even suspected Gallieni of being bribed by the Germans to issue such an unreasonable order.

But that didn’t add up either. Gallieni had saved Paris. If he were working for the Germans, he would have cooperated with them in Paris instead of driving them out!
Was Gallieni hoping for the British reinforcements to arrive first?
Or was there another consideration at play?

Baffled, Foch decided to personally lead a cavalry detachment to Ypres to investigate.
All along the way, Foch was filled with worry, even considering defying orders to bring the reinforcements forward.

However...

Before long, he realized his concerns were unfounded.

When he finally arrived in Ypres, he witnessed the French forces securing victory.

The sky was filled with planes bearing the French tricolor, while German troops fled under relentless artillery bombardment. The battlefield was strewn with the mangled remains of German soldiers...

It was a near-perfect victory, with the Allies suffering almost no casualties.

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