At Arras city, Holy Britannian Empire Expeditionary Force General Headquarters.
John French, the Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force, had already sensed trouble when he received news in the morning of ‘large-scale Saxon troop activity in the southeast.’ He had always considered the junction between the Expeditionary Force’s southeast flank and the Gallic Fifth Army Group to be a huge hole in the defense. This roughly 20-kilometer gap was, theoretically, just wide enough for the Saxon corps-level units to deploy.
And when the sound of artillery erupted from the southeast at six o’clock, John French’s fears became reality.
Not long after the artillery fire subsided, a staff officer rushed into John French’s command tent with a telegram, his face filled with panic.
“Your Excellency, Field Marshal, our right flank… our right flank has been breached by the Saxons!”
“What?!” John French leaped up from his chair, snatching the battle report.
The contents of the report made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice pit. In the gap southeast of Arras, the Saxons had concentrated eighty thousand troops, supported by hundreds of cannons and Armored Knights, and launched a devastating assault on the right flank of his defense line—the junction with the Gallic Fifth Army Group.
The defense line was completely torn open less than an hour after the attack began. The Fifth Infantry Division responsible for defending that sector suffered heavy casualties shortly after the fighting started, and an inexplicable gap appeared in the line. The Fifth Infantry Division Commander sent reserves to try and fill the gap, but the reserves were also shattered in a short time. If he hadn’t immediately ordered the division headquarters to retreat, his headquarters might have been overrun by this Saxon unit.
The subsequent Saxon attacking forces poured through the breach. Because the initial Armored Knights and Spellcasters of the Expeditionary Force were few in number, John French had positioned them all on the front line to withstand the massive main force of the Saxon First Army Group. This meant that the Armored Knights of the Saxon units that broke through the southeast flank operated virtually unopposed. While the Saxon Armored Knights might not have been superior in performance, their numerical advantage now allowed them to freely deploy their forces.
The final line of the telegram stated that the Fifth Infantry Division, supported by the Sixth Infantry Division, had begun an orderly retreat. And an unidentified small Saxon Assault Unit was rushing directly toward Arras, like a dagger.
“Damn it! How could they be so fast!” John French’s forehead broke out in cold sweat after reading the telegram. He knew his greatest fear had come true. The Saxons had found the weakest link in the Allied defense line and, relying on overwhelming numerical superiority, sent units to flank and deliver a fatal blow.
“Where are the Gauls? Where is the Gallic Fifth Army Group? What is their reaction?” John French asked urgently.
The staff officer’s face showed an expression uglier than a cry. “Field Marshal… the Gauls… they have no reaction! Our Liaison Officer reported that General Lanrezac’s headquarters is completely unreachable! Their position is in chaos. According to the last message received, they, too, seem to be under fierce attack from the Saxon Second Army Group.”
“I knew I couldn’t rely on the Gauls!” John French cursed vehemently. He was now one hundred percent certain that the Fifth Army Group would not be coming to their aid; they were likely struggling to save themselves.
The Expeditionary Force Commander walked to the map, looking at the huge gap that the staff officers had just drawn—a gap in the southeast defense line completely pierced by a red arrow. A chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head. His entire right flank was completely exposed to the Saxon spearhead. If he didn’t act immediately, his entire Expeditionary Force would face the danger of being flanked, surrounded, and annihilated by the Saxons.
And the unidentified small unit mentioned in the telegram… he knew immediately that it was heading straight for the Expeditionary Force Command Post.
“Where did they get the nerve, and why are they so decisive?”
However, John French knew this was not the time to ponder such things. A single thought became crystal clear in his mind—he absolutely could not allow the Expeditionary Force to be destroyed here.
He took a deep breath, turned around, and issued the command he had already prepared.
“Pass on my order!” All the surrounding staff officers held their breath, fixing their gaze on their Commander-in-Chief.
“All frontline units, immediately disengage from the enemy!”
“What?!” A young staff officer couldn’t help but gasp. “Field Marshal, are we… are we retreating now? We just engaged the enemy!”
“Silence!” John French glared fiercely at him. “Do you want to be encircled and annihilated by the Saxons like the Gauls?!” The young staff officer shrank back, dared not speak again.
Silence fell over the headquarters. Everyone understood what the Field Marshal’s order meant. It meant they would abandon Arras, abandoning the land they had just set foot on. More importantly, it meant they would unhesitatingly abandon their ally—the Gallic Fifth Army Group—to the mercy of the savage Saxons.
In military terms, this might be a ‘rational’ decision, but morally, it was blatant betrayal.
“Field Marshal…” An older staff officer, a confidant of John French, hesitated before speaking: “Shouldn’t we… shouldn’t we at least inform the Gauls? Even… even symbolically…”
“Inform them?” John French sneered, cutting him off. “Inform them so they can drag down our retreat? Or inform them so they can run with us, turning the entire withdrawal into a chaotic rout?”
He scanned his staff officers, his voice icy: “Gentlemen, remember this! You are officers of the Holy Britannian Empire! Your first loyalty is to Her Majesty the Queen! You are responsible for the lives of these one hundred thousand Expeditionary Force soldiers!”
“As for the Gauls… I warned them countless times at the joint command meeting! It is their own stupidity and arrogance that made them ignore all advice! Their current plight is entirely their own doing! We have no obligation to perish with them for their foolishness!”
His words were final, leaving no room for discussion. The staff officers in the tent fell silent. They knew the Field Marshal had made up his mind.
“Order General Haig to command the First and Second Infantry Divisions to act as the rearguard, providing alternating cover to slow down the enemy’s frontal pursuit!”
“Order General Dorrien to command the Third and Fourth Infantry Divisions and the Cavalry Division to meet the Fifth and Sixth Infantry Divisions coming from the southeast, and immediately begin a full-speed retreat toward Amiens!”
“Order the engineer units to immediately destroy all bridges and roads along our retreat route! Slow the Saxons’ advance by any means necessary!”
“Order the surrounded units at Dunkirk to immediately contact the Royal Navy and prepare for an emergency embarkation and withdrawal!”
Command after command issued clearly and rapidly from John French’s mouth. His mind was working at its absolute peak. He showed no sign of panic, and the entire withdrawal plan was organized meticulously. This was because he had already rehearsed this plan countless times in his mind.
“Yes, Field Marshal!” The staff officers responded in unison, then quickly rushed out of the tent to relay the orders.
Soon, a bizarre scene unfolded on the Britannian Expeditionary Force’s position. The units that had just been fiercely exchanging fire with the Saxons suddenly reduced their firepower, as if following a unified order. Then, in a highly organized fashion, they began to slowly disengage and withdraw to the rear under alternating cover. The entire process, though hasty, was orderly, showing no sign of collapse.
This sudden turn of events surprised the charging Saxons.
And Morin, who had already pushed through the southeast defense line with the Instruction Assault Battalion and was continuing his rapid advance to within 2 kilometers of Arras City after the follow-up infantry was in position, immediately realized the problem.
“Damn it, the Britannians are running!”
“Don’t retreat to Amiens! That place is going to be hard to attack!”
Gallic Fifth Army Group Temporary Headquarters.
General Lanrezac was franticly commanding his troops, resisting the frontal pressure from the Saxon Second Army Group. Since the disaster at Charleroi, his Fifth Army Group’s morale had plummeted, and they had been retreating the whole way. They had just barely managed to stabilize the line at St. Quentin.
But the Saxon offensive was relentless, surging forward with increasing intensity.
“Reporting, General! The first line of defense on the front has been lost! The enemy cavalry is penetrating deep into our defense line!”
“Reporting, General! Our left flank… our left flank is completely out of contact!”
Bad news after bad news flew in like snowflakes, causing Lanrezac’s heart to sink further and further.
“The left flank? What happened to the left flank? Where are the Britannians?! They should be there!” Lanrezac grabbed a staff officer’s lapel, shouting hysterically.
“General… we… we don’t know…” The staff officer’s face was pale, and his mind was clearly overwhelmed. “We sent dozens of contact requests to the Britannian Expeditionary Force Command Post, but… but we received no response. They have simply… simply vanished without a trace.”
“Vanished?” Lanrezac released his grip, stumbling back two steps, and collapsed into his chair. He was no fool. A terrifying hypothesis instantly formed in his mind.
“They ran…” Lanrezac muttered, his voice filled with despair and disbelief. “Those damned Britannians… they abandoned us and ran!”
He finally understood why the Saxon offensive had suddenly become so fierce, and why his left flank had suddenly gone silent… because his entire left flank was now wide open! The Saxon forces were now inevitably pouring through that massive gap, flanking his rear!
(End of this Chapter)