Prince Franz breathed a sigh of relief as the Marak had not been destroyed in that ridiculous propaganda puff piece. The doctrine for using the Land Cruisers called for a mass attack of all available machines in a single action on the flank of a French penetration. This would only work if the attack was massive, unexpected, and the weapons themselves new to the French. He hoped that the Marak’s appearance would be too confusing to the targeted infantry unit to permit an accurate intelligence assessment. Certainly the French had nothing like the Land Cruisers with which they could be compared.

Meanwhile, precise French air attacks had shattered the concrete bunkers protecting the crossroads town of Waldwisse, weakening the German line. Second Army’s commander, Fedor von Bock, had no authority to order the Land Cruisers into action, as they came under the direct authority of Prince Franz and the Bavarian Upper Rhine Army Group. Despite their knowledge of the intent of Prince Franz as to their use, Bock’s plea to the 1st Mechanized Support Brigade to “stop these Frenchmen who would take German land and lives”, proved too urgent and heartfelt to ignore.

The Land Cruisers managed to slow the French advance, but the high command had specifically intended to concentrate their force for the maximum shock effect rather than fritter it away in isolated detachments. “Were this a different sort of Germany,” Prince Franz raged at Bock, “You would be shot for disobedience and incompetence.” Franz fired Bock, who was relegated to training the massive new draftee class, replacing him with Halder. When Halder asked what he should do with the cruisers that had already deployed and could not easily be withdrawn, Prince Franz said that he didn’t know at this time, “just cover them up.”