Capítulo 179: Chapter 257 The French Doomsday (27)
After seeing off Churchill, Reynaud and Gamelin returned to their contemplative state, sitting silently in the office, lost in their own thoughts.
However, they were both pondering the same question: why did it turn out this way?
After World War I, Britain and France had seemingly pulled out all of Germany's teeth, but in just twenty years, Germany had regrown its teeth, even sharper and harder than before, making it impossible to defend against.
"Mr. Prime Minister.", after a long while, Gamelin spoke first, breaking the oppressive silence. "Perhaps we should talk to the Germans."
"Are you out of your mind, Supreme Commander?!" Reynaud exploded like a cat that had its tail stepped on. "It's only been a few days! Less than a week! The Poles held out for 18 days! Are we, the proud France, going to surrender to the Germans in just one week?!"
Gamelin sighed. "The Poles held out for 18 days, but their country was still annihilated." It was ironic, a month ago, they had watched indifferently as their ally Poland was invaded by Germany. Unexpectedly, retribution came so quickly.
Upon hearing "annihilation", Reynaud's expression stiffened. He slumped against the back of his chair, murmuring after a while, "So, Supreme Commander, are you going to negotiate for a ceasefire or surrender? At this stage of the war, the Germans won't agree to any ceasefire. After all, if they continue to attack, they can completely defeat France."
Gamelin spoke with a low tone, "We still have nearly three million troops. Maybe we can exchange that for a dignified peace."
"Supreme Commander, you are too naive. There's no such thing as a dignified peace.", Reynaud said wearily, tapping his forehead. "Do you remember how we treated Germany twenty years ago?"
After World War I, as a victorious nation, France was extremely harsh when sanctioning Germany. They not only demanded exorbitant reparations but also forcibly divided Germany's colonies and territories. Additionally, Germany's military defense was completely castrated.
For those who are familiar with the Treaty of Versailles, this treaty was extremely harsh on Germany, essentially placing Germany in a state of near desperation. The treaty gave the impression that France, at that time, wanted to crush Germany into an irredeemable situation, preventing it from bouncing back. Of course, there is no unconditional love or hate in this world, and France's unappealing behavior had a very simple reason – survival.
Between Germany and France, the enmity was already deeply rooted. After the Franco-Prussian War, France's dominant position on the European continent had effectively been lost, maintaining only a semblance of historical glory. To be blunt, when Prussia transformed into the German Empire, the struggle for hegemony on the European continent entered a new phase. The crowning of the German Emperor at Versailles was considered a major humiliation for France.
Entering World War I, France initially intended to use the conflict to reclaim the territories ceded to Germany after the Franco-Prussian War. However, as the war unfolded, the French defense lines repeatedly crumbled under the German onslaught, and the entire northern part of France was gradually consumed by the German forces, almost reaching Paris.
Later, during the Allied counteroffensive led by Britain and France, the primary theater of war remained on French soil.
During World War I, as France took on the role of the main battleground, compared to the loss of lives by England and Germany, France paid a heavier price with extensive devastation in its northern regions. This was the reason why France could demand exorbitant reparations from Germany.
Having not shown mercy to Germany initially, could France expect a dignified treatment now?
Germany had bottled up this resentment for 21 years and undoubtedly wished to overturn France and trample it mercilessly, ensuring it would never rise again.
"If it weren't for those fools, things wouldn't have reached this point!" In his frustration, Prime Minister Reynaud cursed vehemently.
He wasn't cursing anyone else but the United Kingdom and the United States.
After their defeat, Germany became the sacrificial lamb on the victorious nations' chopping block, subject to their "butchering". Every nation knew that Germany was a very belligerent country. France proposed the dissolution of the German General Staff.
The German General Staff was the high-level military institution responsible for planning and decision-making in warfare. It evolved from the original Prussian General Staff and served as a model for the general staffs of most modern armies. The rise and development of the General Staff were one of the German military's greatest advantages, making it one of the most formidable staff organizations in military history over the past two centuries.
Therefore, France's proposal to disband the German General Staff was evidently to prevent Germany from initiating another war after recovering its strength.
The German General Staff was the core of the German military. Many outstanding German military leaders were produced there. Once disbanded, Germany's military and forces would be completely disintegrated. Germany realized this, and thus, vehemently opposed the dissolution of the General Staff.
At this point, Britain and the United States stepped in as mediators, opposing France's severe punishment of Germany. Not out of the goodness of their hearts, but driven by their own national interests, they could not allow Germany to suffer too much. Both Britain and the United States were trade-oriented nations. Germany, with its developed industry and well-established commercial system, was crucial for their trade. If Germany collapsed, the trade income of both nations would undoubtedly suffer.
In addition to a shared perspective between Britain and the United States, they also had different considerations. This made them oppose France's strict punishment of Germany while still holding distinct opinions.
From the British perspective, since World War I had already ended, they needed to consider the post-war situation and the new European order. Although France had suffered considerable damage, it was showing signs of recovery, and its strength and position were enough to threaten Britain's status. If such a situation were allowed to develop, there was a high likelihood that Britain would have to face the pressure from France alone.
This scenario had already been witnessed during the days of Napoleon's rule in France. Therefore, Britain needed a Germany capable of sharing the burden and pressure from France. This Germany could not be weakened to a state of powerlessness, it needed to have a certain level of strength.
The United States had its own considerations. After World War I, a sentiment began to prevail in the United States: return to America and avoid getting involved in European affairs. This sentiment was widespread at that time in the United States, as people did not want to see another war erupt. Moreover, the United States had gained a lot from World War I, whether in terms of international status or practical trade benefits. If the United States agreed to severely punish Germany, it might very well trigger another war. However, the United States also agreed to a certain degree of reduction in Germany's military strength but opposed severe punishment.
If France had followed through with its proposal to severely punish Germany at that time, leaving it in a weakened state, the current predicament might not have unfolded.
"In any case, now is not the time for seeking peace."
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