I Became a Tycoon During World War I: Saving France from the Start

Chapter 628 628: Offense Over Defense

Someone opened a bottle of beer and handed it to Charles—a bottle of France's top-selling 1664.

(Image above: France's 1664 beer, founded in 1664, known for its golden color and 5% alcohol content.)

"Thank you," Charles nodded to the young major who had handed him the beer.

The young major appeared to be in his twenties, with a composed demeanor beyond his years. At that moment, he looked at Charles with an eager expression, his eyes glowing with admiration.

"You're welcome, General," the young major replied. "I've been waiting here for over a month, just to hear the answers to these questions."

The officers nearby chuckled knowingly. Many of them frequented the club for moments like this—hoping to talk with Charles and perhaps learn something valuable.

Charles wasn't in a hurry. He took a sip of the beer—cold and crisp—causing him to shiver slightly.

"Gentlemen," Charles said as he set the bottle down, calmly asking, "First, let's consider this question: In real combat, do you believe defense holds the greater advantage, or is offense more advantageous?"

The question left the officers momentarily silent. It was a long-standing debate among them, yet they'd never reached a satisfying conclusion.

After a pause, some officers began to offer their views:

"I believe offense holds the advantage, General, because an attack boosts morale among the troops."

"Yes, with artillery support and tanks, offense is the true path to victory."

"Lieutenant General, your flanking maneuvers at Antwerp and Hasselt were offensive operations. That proves offense is the correct approach."

…

Although they cited Charles's flanking tactics as examples, what they really had in mind was Foch's "offensive doctrine." Some even viewed Charles's victories as validation of Foch's theory.

After all, Charles had indeed won through offensive operations.

But soon, another group of officers pushed back:

"I think defense is superior. Look at the Battle of the Somme—Germany inflicted 100,000 British casualties in a single day."

"Exactly. Defense benefits from terrain and, with proper firepower setup, can inflict heavier casualties on the enemy—sometimes several times more."

"I agree. The defenders stay protected in trenches, while attackers become easy targets. General Pétain's success at Verdun proves this."

Most of these officers aligned themselves with Pétain's school of thought.

At the time, many frontline soldiers preferred to believe in the "defensive doctrine," as it better reflected reality—and their own psychological state.

Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many frontline mutinies.

Once the debate quieted down, Charles began his analysis:

"In actual combat, defense often holds the advantage. The attacking side tends to suffer heavier losses and may not gain even a single step of ground, despite paying a high price."

The officers nodded in agreement.

This was the harsh truth of trench warfare: both sides entrenched, staring each other down, unable to break the stalemate. Many offensives only added to the death toll.

Even proponents of the offensive doctrine couldn't deny this.

However, Charles suddenly shifted his tone and continued:

"But that's only true on the tactical level. Gentlemen, what I want to say is that—on the strategic level—offense outweighs defense."

The officers exchanged confused glances, puzzled by this sudden reversal.

Defense was clearly more advantageous, so why was Charles now claiming "offense over defense"?

Charles calmly picked up a knife and fork from the table and began laying them out like a diagram.

"This is the enemy's defensive line. This is ours."

"For both sides to stop each other's advance, they must build complete and seamless defensive lines."

"Otherwise, the enemy will break through any gap and exploit it for further gains."

The officers nodded in agreement. That was exactly the situation on the Western Front.

Charles continued:

"This line stretches more than 700 kilometers. Both sides have stationed over a million troops."

"But even so, the quality of the troops varies wildly. Many areas are undermanned and underprepared—neither side is fully aware of all the weak points."

The officers nodded again. Many of them had served on the front lines, some more than once. They knew Charles was telling the truth.

Finally, Charles summed up:

"This situation arises because the defending side must secure every single point."

"And covering every point along a 700-kilometer line is practically impossible—it's beyond human capability."

"Meanwhile, the attackers only need to observe carefully and find a single weak spot in that entire 700-kilometer line. Break through there—and they can achieve victory."

"That, gentlemen, is what I mean by offense over defense."

A wave of realization swept through the officers. They nodded emphatically in agreement.

In fact, this could easily be explained using a Chinese proverb: "Even the wisest can overlook one detail; even the fool can hit the mark once in a thousand tries."

The defending side is like the "wise man" who cannot afford a single mistake.

The attacking side is like the "fool" who needs only one success to win it all.

One officer cheered: "The General is right! 'Offense over defense' proves General Foch was right—it supports the offensive doctrine!"

"No," the young major immediately interjected.

"What Lieutenant General Charles means by 'offense over defense' is not the same as General Foch's 'offensive doctrine.'"

"Foch's theory emphasizes the merits of attack without considering other factors."

"But what General Charles means is that—given a long enough defensive line—we will inevitably find a weak point to break through and expand our gains from there."

Charles silently approved—this young major clearly had insight. At least he didn't simplistically reduce all theory to a binary of 'offense' or 'defense.'

Someone else asked curiously: "General, but what does the theory of 'offense over defense' have to do with your flanking operations at Antwerp and Hasselt?"

"You still don't get it, Field?" the young major answered.

"Antwerp and Hasselt weren't part of the original plan. The General found those weak points along the enemy's long defensive line."

"Just like the General said: the longer the defensive line, the harder it is to secure every part. Some areas will inevitably be under-defended."

"That's why the Germans were repeatedly caught unprepared and overwhelmed by the General's elite forces."

The officers finally understood:

"So it wasn't luck or coincidence—it was deliberate. That means it's a repeatable tactic!"

"This is definitely different from the old 'offensive doctrine.'"

"Incredible! We can apply this tactic in our own operations!"

…

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