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I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 83
🕑 Added 2025-03-02 18:03:01 +0000 UTCChapter 83: Smoke Deployment
General Gillis was commanding the troops at the frontline.
Rather than directing a battle, it was more like staging a performance, setting traps, and using deception. The plan was exactly what Charles had proposed: to feign the destruction of Fort Wavre.
The plan sounded simple, but implementing it proved to be somewhat challenging. Last night, several people, including King Albert I, discussed it until 11 o'clock.
“How can we possibly fool the Germans?” General Gillis asked with a furrowed brow. “The Germans have three observation balloons, with observers watching Fort Wavre through telescopes. They know very clearly whether or not the fort has been destroyed!”
The observers’ task was to watch where the artillery shells landed—whether they veered left, right, fell short, or overshot—and then use signal flags to notify the artillery below to adjust their aim. This way, the next shell would be closer to its target.
As General Gillis spoke, a trace of guilt flickered in his eyes. If the vegetation and trees around the fort had been left untouched, this wouldn’t be an issue. The enemy’s observers wouldn’t be able to see the fort clearly and wouldn’t be able to expose the disguise.
“This is easy to solve!” Charles responded. “We can create smoke around the fort!”
“Smoke?” General Gillis looked up at Charles in surprise.
“Yes!” Charles nodded. “We can set fires around the fort and throw in rubber products or old tires. They’ll produce thick, black smoke that will linger close to the ground, obscuring the observers’ view. The only downside is that it might smell a bit unpleasant.”
General Gillis was both surprised and delighted. For the first time, he genuinely praised Charles: “That’s an excellent idea, Lieutenant!”
This was great news for General Gillis.
If smoke could solve the problem, then his decision to clear the vegetation and trees around the fort might not count as a mistake—or at least not a grave one! The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. The heavy burden of guilt that had been weighing on him seemed to vanish instantly. And yet, for Charles, it was just a casual thought, a simple idea. How did this young man come up with it?
General Winter and King Albert I were equally astonished. The idea was indeed feasible and surprisingly easy to execute, but no one had ever thought of it before.
Charles merely smiled lightly. This was nothing unusual in modern warfare.
When you’re at an aerial disadvantage, deploy smoke!
When the logistics convoy needs to avoid enemy aircraft bombings, deploy smoke!
When your firepower is inferior to the enemy and you want to engage in close combat, deploy smoke!
The reason people of this era hadn’t thought of it might simply be because they had never faced significant threats from the air.
...
General Gillis immediately took action. He worked through the night, rallying the entire city to collect rubber products. Tires from motorcycles, cars—even military vehicles—were all removed and surrendered.
Some soldiers protested, “General, how will we transport ammunition and supplies without tires?”
General Gillis retorted loudly, “How many bullets have you fired?”
The soldiers instantly fell silent.
Most of the time, the Germans bombarded from a safe distance beyond the range of Belgian weapons. Many forts were destroyed without firing a single shot.
Besides, the farthest point in Antwerp was only a little over ten kilometers away. Transportation could be managed with horses or even manpower.
At dawn, General Gillis ordered fires to be lit around the fort and rubber to be burned. The results were immediate. Thick, black smoke quickly enveloped the area around the fort.
The downside was exactly as Charles had said—it smelled unpleasant.
For the soldiers hiding inside the fort, it was sheer torment. The air inside the fort was already stifling, and they had hoped the ventilation shafts might bring in some fresh air. Instead, what came through was the acrid, choking stench of burning rubber.
Soon, the fort’s defenders began calling the command center to complain, including Colonel Eden, stationed at Fort Wavre.
Colonel Eden, coughing incessantly, protested, “General, if this continues, we’ll choke to death on the smoke before the enemy even gets to us!”
General Gillis’s response was curt and decisive: “Make your choice, Colonel! Either keep the smoke or expose the fort to enemy artillery fire. Pick one!”
Colonel Eden hadn’t expected General Gillis to push the decision onto him. After a moment’s thought, he ultimately chose the former: “Keep the smoke. At least this way, we still have a chance of survival.”
Compared to the smoke, the German bombardment was far more terrifying—especially since the shells didn’t come all at once. Instead, they landed every half hour, like waiting for an execution. No one knew if they’d survive the next half-hour.
After hanging up the phone, General Gillis grumbled, “These guys are always looking for excuses to complain!”
...
On the German side, General von Beseler was fuming.
At dawn, he noticed the target was shrouded in black smoke, completely obscured from view. He turned his gaze to the balloons in the sky, where the observers were frantically waving signal flags, indicating they couldn’t see anything either.
“General!” A communications officer approached to relay the artillery’s question. “Major Flex reports that the artillery is ready. Should they open fire now?”
Von Beseler hesitated. Firing under these circumstances would result in almost no accuracy and would be a waste of shells.
But...
“Continue firing!” von Beseler ordered through gritted teeth. “Aim for the center of the smoke!”
“Yes, General!”
Under normal circumstances, von Beseler would never have given the order to fire. But this was an extraordinary situation. Charles was right in front of him. He needed to keep up the pressure on the Belgians and force them to hand Charles over.
Thus, even if it meant missing the target, the artillery had to keep firing.
Soon, a thunderous roar erupted. Shells whistled through the air, plunging into the smoke.
Just before the shells hit, the smoke seemed to deflate like a compressed balloon. Then, with a deafening explosion, a cloud of dust erupted, mixing with the smoke and enveloping the area in a thick, gray-black haze.
Von Beseler realized the situation had worsened. The dust from the explosion and the smoke from the fires blended together, forming a dense, cotton-like cloud that completely obscured the fort’s location.
The staff officers all turned to von Beseler, as if silently asking, “Should we continue?”
Von Beseler clenched his teeth but persisted with his order: “Keep firing!”
Luck was on their side. By the fifth shell, the explosion was noticeably different. After a thunderous detonation, flames and thick smoke erupted from the direction of the fort, blazing for a long time.
The observers in the balloons signaled excitedly. A staff officer translated the flag signals: “The surviving enemy troops are retreating. We see their wounded!”
The German troops cheered, and von Beseler was overcome with excitement.
This was Fort Wavre. Destroying it meant cutting off Antwerp’s freshwater supply. The Belgian surrender was now only a matter of time.
What von Beseler didn’t know was that the flames and smoke he saw weren’t from the fort’s destruction. It was General Gillis who had ordered the burning of stockpiled gasoline and gunpowder...
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