Chapter 292 Paris Military Parade (2)

The sound produced by the hard-soled military boots striking the ground was like war drums, continuously pounding at the hearts of the onlookers. The uniform footsteps seemed to merge into one, creating a sense that thousands of people had become a single entity. The stoic and indifferent faces of the German soldiers made it feel like one was not facing a group of flesh-and-blood individuals but rather a war machine devoid of independent thoughts.

The disciplined leather boots trod upon the square as if stepping on the heart of the backward and decadent France.

The goose step, a marching style mainly used by soldiers during parades and ceremonial occasions, served as a demonstration of military strength and a crucial means of boosting morale. Its history was almost as long as that of the military itself.

In the 1790s, during Napoleon Bonaparte's rule of the First French Republic, France's military power was at its peak, achieving victories in every battle and conquering all adversaries.

Following the tradition of celebrating victories, Napoleon arranged a grand national celebration, showcasing the splendor of the military. The parade, an essential part of such celebrations, featured the French cavalry and artillery columns, appearing majestic and formidable with the imposing horses and steel cannons. Accompanied by the deafening cheers and shouts from the audience, it filled the emperor, Napoleon, with pride and excitement.

However, when the infantry parade followed, consisting of hundreds of infantrymen marching in step, it seemed limp and lackluster compared to the cavalry and artillery.

Napoleon, in the midst of his excitement, frowned upon seeing the lackluster performance of the infantry. Dissatisfied with the lifeless and uninspiring display, he immediately gathered his generals for a meeting after the parade, sternly reprimanding them. He set a deadline for them to find ways to make the infantry appear majestic and powerful in the next year's parade.

This indeed posed a challenge. The generals brainstormed, racked their brains, but couldn't find a solution to the problem.

Later, through an accidental discovery, they suddenly realized that there was an animal that walked proudly, appearing quite majestic: the goose.

Because geese (pl. of goose) walk with their heads held high and their knees unbent, they give off a spirit of exhilaration. Inspired by this observation, the French generals strictly instructed the soldiers in the queue to extend their legs forward without "stepping" but rather "kicking" them out, keeping the knees unbent. They were also required to raise their legs high and forcefully stomp the entire sole onto the ground, swinging their arms vigorously at the same time. After a period of rigorous practice, the spirit and appearance of the infantry parade underwent a remarkable transformation, becoming formidable and spirited.

This delighted the generals, as they finally had something to present to Napoleon.

Another year passed, and when the parade arrived, the cavalry and artillery were still majestic but lacked innovation. However, the infantry, now marching with coordinated and powerful new steps, caught Napoleon's attention. Infected by this fresh style of marching, Napoleon was uplifted and praised it repeatedly, expressing his satisfaction. When he eagerly asked what kind of step it was, the generals, thinking on their feet, collectively called it the "goose step." This later evolved into the standard term for infantry marching, known as the "goose step." As Napoleon's army swept across Europe, conquering all in its path, the concept of the "goose step" quickly spread throughout the continent.

Ironically, when Napoleon was eventually exiled due to defeat, the goose step of the French army was also abolished, considered as one of Napoleon's "residual effects." However, the goose step thrived in many other European countries, particularly Prussia, the largest adversary of France at the time, which made it a focal point in their soldier training.

However, in the early days, the goose step did not involve swinging the arms. During the goose step, soldiers had to keep their arms tightly against their seams and rigidly kick their steps high. While this might have had a certain unconventional aesthetic appeal, it sacrificed the most elegant and natural hand movements during walking.

Fortunately, the Germans realized the impracticality of not swinging the arms, probably during World War I, when the German goose step was modified to include swinging the arms with bent elbows, which evidently suited human biomechanics better.

Subsequently, this goose step was propagated worldwide and became the parade marching style for many countries, even influencing the parade marching style in China, which was adopted from the German model. It originated in the Huai Army (jokingly referred to as the "duck step" at the time) and was later expanded by Yuan Shikai's newly established army. Yuan Shikai was a fervent admirer of Germany, hiring German advisors to train the new army according to German methods, making the goose step a standardized training subject for individual soldiers.

With the majestic and elevated "Imperial March" playing, the black-clad legion advanced slowly, and Wilhelm was so excited that he almost wanted to roar to the sky, "The Force is with me, and I am with the Force!"

However, shouting it out loud might have been considered madness by Marshal Pétain standing nearby.

Wilhelm didn't bother to chat with Marshal Pétain anymore. He stood up, adjusted his uniform, and raised his right hand diagonally towards the sky, saluting the formation passing below the platform. With a splash, the military high-ranking officials behind him also stood up one after another, raising their hands in salute.

"Our honor is our loyalty!"

"Our honor is our loyalty!"

Marshal Pétain watched the soldiers passing below with fanaticism in their eyes, thinking that if Wilhelm ordered them to die immediately, they would execute it without hesitation.

These formations were arranged in such a way that each rank represented a single infantry squad. It was evident to Wilhelm that the Reich's infantry squads were well-equipped. They were armed with an MG3 machine gun, four Mauser Karabiner 98K rifles, three Gewehr 43 semi-automatic rifles, an MP44 assault rifle, and an MP40 submachine gun. The firepower density of the European battlefields at that time was unmatched by any other army. Still, Wilhelm was cautious, musing that if the Soviet RPK-47 light machine gun, essentially a heavy-barreled AK-47, could be adapted for squad use, then perhaps the same could be done with the MP44 by fitting it with a heavy barrel, thereby increasing its muzzle velocity, bullet kinetic energy, and range.

It seemed Wilhelm might have suffered from what is commonly known as "the fear of insufficient firepower." He even contemplated developing a chain-fed submachine gun to counter the Soviet human wave tactics.

The concept of a "chain-fed submachine gun" was not entirely new; in fact, the United States had later developed one for law enforcement purposes: the FM-9 police chain-fed submachine gun. This would be like turning criminals into Swiss cheese. Carrying a 10-kilogram ammunition belt would ensure a hail of gunfire, akin to a metal storm.

As Wilhelm was deep in thought about enhancing his troops' firepower, the music suddenly shifted to a more relaxed melody, and the band began to play the "Imperial March" (Erika), the national anthem of the Reich. Erika was a common flower in Germany, belonging to the heather family. The lyrics used a metaphorical approach, comparing Erika to a beautiful woman, expressing the soldiers' love for their homeland. The melody was less solemn and tragic than the old Prussian military march, instead, it was quite light and romantic, and it was one of the favorite songs among German soldiers during World War II. Wilhelm did not overlook this song; in this timeline, he had become its creator.

After the eight infantry battalions had passed, it was time for the armored units to march. The engines of the Jackal tanks roared, their tracks crushing the ground beneath them. The tank crews, standing tall and proud, kept their eyes fixed on the reviewing platform.

The thundering engines of the tanks and the motorcycles of the reconnaissance and communication soldiers flanking them created a deafening cacophony. They paused periodically to clear the crowd, keeping the increasingly bold French citizens at a safe distance from the German war machines.

One Jackal tank after another thundered past the Arc de Triomphe, and the German armored soldiers sang their battle hymns with gusto, their voices echoing through the skies of Paris, growing louder with each passing vehicle. A French citizen, watching as the flag near his home was lowered and replaced with the black, red, and gold colors of Germany, could not hold back his tears.