Chapter 268 The French Doomsday (End)

On the other side, Guderian's armored forces, advancing recklessly, had also reached a small city called Saint-Omer, more than 20 kilometers away from Dunkirk.

The few stationed troops here had long been reassigned to defend Paris. Only the trembling French civilians remained in the town, peeking from behind windows at the steadily advancing German forces. Some timid individuals even blocked doors with sofas and tables, huddling together in narrow bathrooms, shivering and constantly praying for God's salvation and protection. They feared German atrocities – rape, looting, and killing – giving these French people too many reasons to be afraid.

If communications were as advanced as in the future, they would have found that, except for eliminating resisting French troops, the German forces were basically leaving civilian populations untouched.

Wilhelm had already issued orders: unless encountering resistance, German forces were strictly prohibited from harassing civilians. Rape and looting were considered serious crimes. He aimed to portray the German army as a "civilized and mighty force". After all, in the eyes of others, Poland was the provocateur in this war, and Britain and France were accomplices, while Germany was reluctantly resisting.

Although the current situation suggested a somewhat excessive defensiveness from the German side, the countries not involved in this war, and even many residents in the occupied areas, did not express particularly strong condemnation or resentment toward Germany. The strict discipline of the German army was one of the reasons.

After entering the city of Saint-Omer, the German forces quickly took control of some important facilities, such as the city hall, power plant, water supply station, bank, police station, broadcasting building, and more.

In the city hall, Guderian met a group of nervous government officials. A senior official in his sixties stammered and introduced himself, "Greetings, General, I am Alfred, the mayor of this city."

Guderian nodded. "Hello, Mayor Alfred. I am Guderian, the commander of the 19th Panzer Army of Germany."

The people exchanged puzzled glances, seemingly unable to believe that a general was charging at the front with his troops. Mayor Alfred quickly began to flatter, "General, you are truly valiant and heroic, leading by example. Admire, admire!" Others echoed the sentiment.

However, Guderian wasn't there to bask in their flattery. "Mayor Alfred, gentlemen, you are the elites of Saint-Omer, contributing to the prosperity and development of the city. Your efforts are commendable." He had said these words many times before, it was a universal template designed by Goebbels. All that needed to be done in a new place was to replace the local name. "We didn't come to France, to Saint-Omer, willingly. Germany and France were originally traditional friends. Every military clash occurred due to the provocation and mistakes of the British.

We are not here to destroy or ruin. We need a stable and prosperous Saint-Omer, and the citizens of Stenford also need a peaceful and harmonious living environment, don't they? This, of course, requires the cooperation of all you elite individuals. Your positions in the city will remain unchanged. Saint-Omer will continue to be managed by you. What do you think?"

"Great General Guderian, your decision is truly wise."

"We will certainly manage Saint-Omer in an orderly manner and not cause any trouble for your forces."

Politicians are flexible creatures, experts at "knowing the current situation". If their heads were pointed at by a gun, you would see them become "enlightened" faster than anyone. Hearing Guderian's words, the originally anxious crowd immediately relaxed. It seemed that the Germans not only wouldn't kill them but would also continue to employ them. Thus, Guderian's words received a round of enthusiastic applause. Guderian couldn't tell whether these people were genuinely pleased or just paying lip service, but he couldn't be bothered by it. Even if these guys behaved obediently and didn't cause trouble on the surface, it would be fine. After the war, administrative personnel would handle these people.

After instructing on other matters, Mayor Alfred suggested, "General Guderian, it's getting dark. Let's arrange accommodation for your forces."

"Don't bother." Guderian shook his head. This vanguard force had the strength of a division, and the small city had insufficient facilities like hotels to accommodate them.

Guderian was well aware that his soldiers had become extremely fatigued after days of continuous combat and marching. In theory, they should be provided with an ideal rest environment, but this was a matter of German military discipline, and there was no room for compromise.

He approached the Saint-Omer map on the wall, took a few glances, and pointed to several locations. "Mayor Alfred, we will requisition this park, the sports stadium, and the nearby open areas. It's sufficient for our army to set up camp."

Mayor Alfred couldn't help but widen his eyes; they were planning to sleep outdoors? "Your army is planning to camp outside?"

Guderian nodded. "Exactly, it's a rule of our army, not to disturb the civilians."

The people looked at each other again. What kind of army was this, showing such restraint? This was the legendary chivalrous spirit!

Mayor Alfred said again, "Then let us make arrangements for your officers."

Guderian shook his head again. "No need, I'll sleep wherever my soldiers sleep."

"!!" The crowd was thoroughly shocked. A general actually ate and slept together with his soldiers, sharing joys and sorrows. Such a general, such soldiers, such an army was destined to be invincible. In their hearts, everyone sighed that Britain and France were surely doomed this time. Such an army couldn't be defeated by the joint forces of Britain and France.

Guderian went to the park, entered the gate, and saw a small wooden house not far away. A man in his fifties sat in front of the wooden house, quietly observing the German soldiers moving around.

Standing not far from him was a German soldier, attentively watching the old man.

Seeing this, Guderian couldn't help but be curious. "What's going on?"

His adjutant waved to the soldier, and the soldier ran over and saluted. "General, he is the park keeper. We found an old-style rifle in his house, but it has no bullets." As he spoke, he handed over a rifle.

Guderian took the rifle and glanced at it. "Lebel Model 1886 Rifle". This rifle was a manually operated rifle introduced by France in 1886, designed by Colonel Nicolas Lebel. The gun used smokeless powder developed by Paul Vielle, making it the world's first successful smokeless powder firearm.

During World War I, the French army intended to replace the Lebel rifle with the "Model 1917 Automatic Rifle", a semi-automatic rifle, on a large scale. However, soldiers generally felt that the Mle. 1917 was too heavy and too long, making it difficult to operate and maintain in the trenches. Due to these issues, the French army never found a suitable replacement for the Lebel rifle.

He found the year of manufacture on the buttstock. "1913?" This meant that this rifle and its owner likely participated in the previous war.

Waving his hand to dismiss the soldier, Guderian walked up to the old man. "Did you participate in the last war?"

The old man nodded silently.

Guderian handed the Lebel rifle back to the old man, sighing. "Indeed, things are unpredictable." The last war lasted for four years, and Germany couldn't conquer France, eventually ending in defeat. Who could have predicted that this time, the fate of France would be decided in just a week?

"Thank you." The old man happily took the rifle and replied, "It's not that things are unpredictable, I knew long ago that France wouldn't last."

"Oh? How do you mean?"

The old man sighed. "General, do you know how many different cabinets have ruled France from the end of the last war until now?"

"It seems like quite a few." Guderian shook his head. "But I haven't paid specific attention."

The old man extended five fingers. "50 different cabinets. In just 20 years, there have been a total of 50 cabinets, with an average lifespan of 6 months. The longest-serving cabinet lasted only two or three years, and some could only hold on for a few months. The shortest-lived cabinets existed for only 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, and 5 days! Can you imagine what a cabinet like this can achieve?!"

The old man became increasingly excited, raising his voice indignantly. "A constantly unstable national authority, ever-changing leaders, in such a country, it might as well not exist."

Listening to the old man's complaints, Guderian couldn't help but feel delighted. If most French people shared this mindset, there wouldn't be widespread resistance even after being occupied.