Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 866 Harsh

When the Ministry of War learned that Southern Africa had launched an attack on Tanganyika, it was already August No. 15. On this day, the German army under the leadership of Ludendorff captured the fortress of Liege, and the door to Paris was completely opened.

In order to conquer the Liege Fortress, Germany borrowed a 305mm Skoda assault mortar from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This huge artillery was affectionately called "Slender Emma" by the German troops.

The reason why the caliber of 305 mm is still called "slim" is because the German army also has a cannon "Big Berta" with a caliber of 420 mm.

The "Great Bell Tower" is produced by the Krupp Steel Company. This big guy weighs 75 tons, and each shell weighs one ton. It must be disassembled into five parts before it can be transported by rail. On a special reinforced concrete base, driven by electricity, 200 soldiers work together to fire ten rounds per hour.

The power of the "Big Bell Tower" is astonishing, and it can destroy all targets. Before each launch, the artillerymen have to hide three hundred yards away. High, the shell falls almost vertically on the target, and the time-delay insurance allows the shell to explode after passing through the target.

When attacking the Longsen Fort, the shells fired by the "Big Bell Tower" detonated the ammunition depot of the fort, triggering a chain explosion, and the entire fort was completely destroyed. General Lehman was in this fort. He was captured after he fell into a coma. After waking up Said to the German officer who captured him: I ask you to testify that when you found me, I was in a coma.

The fall of Fortress Liege means that France is about to face the invasion of Germany. Britain has declared war on Germany ten days ago. The expeditionary force formed for the war is ready to go. The commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force performed well during the Second Boer War John Frenzi, who had just been promoted to field marshal a few months ago, previously served as the chief of the British general staff.

"John, you have a great responsibility. Be careful when you go to France." Minister of War Kitchener said earnestly, and his attitude was not what Frenzi expected.

The British Expeditionary Force consisted of five divisions, four infantry divisions and one cavalry division, which included almost all the troops that the United Kingdom could mobilize. The newly formed troops after Kitchener became the Minister of War have not yet been trained, and they are not enough. weapons.

According to Frenzi's vision, Britain must go all out to defeat the Allies after entering the war.

In fact, before this, there have been many controversies in the UK about whether the UK should maintain its ally relationship with Russia, whether the UK should participate in the war, or even whether the UK should choose to join forces with Germany.

These disputes were finally won by the main war faction headed by Kitchener and Winston. Before Britain declared war on Germany, several cabinet members resigned in protest, but no one cared about them. The main war faction claimed only the Royal Navy The promise of participating in the war has also become a thing of the past. The expeditionary force was soon formed. Londoners rejoiced and hoped to end the war in Berlin within three months. They did not realize how cruel the world war was.

"The fortress of Liege has fallen, there is no danger to defend the southern front, and the German army is overwhelmed. We must start as soon as possible." Frenzi advocated that the speed of soldiers is very important, but others did not think so.

Kitchener and Winston looked at each other, both of them had worries in their eyes. It was not appropriate to entrust the expeditionary force to Frenzi. He was too aggressive and didn't know how to serve politics. I don't know if the commander is a blessing or a curse.

If possible, the commander of the expeditionary force will definitely not be Frenzi, but Britain, which is traditionally dominated by the navy, has no better choice. Frenzi is already the best general in the army, unless Kitchener personally leads the expedition. But the homeland also needs Kitchener to be in charge.

The British commander was Earl Frederick Roberts. During the Second Boer War, Kitchener was Earl Roberts' chief of staff. Originally, Earl Roberts was a better candidate for the commander of the expeditionary force, but Earl Roberts was too old. He has basically relegated to the second line and is not suitable to be the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force.

"John, your men are the only mobile force in the British Empire, so—" Kitchener tried to get Frenzi back on track.

Ferenzi didn't speak, but stared at Kitchener, and Kitchener couldn't speak for a moment.

"John, the commander-in-chief of the French army is Joseph. The expeditionary force to France is to cooperate with France in combat, not the main force, so you must always pay attention to the situation of the troops and not put them in danger." Winston was more direct, The local expeditionary forces are all white, and they cannot be sent to France as cannon fodder for nothing.

"You mean to let me preserve my strength, so let's not go to France at all. It's also good to go to the pier to help move things, and that is also to contribute to defeating Germany." What Frenzi was most worried about really happened. Commander of the Expeditionary Force, if the performance is not good, then Frenzi will definitely be blamed domestically.

But even if the performance is outstanding, if the loss is heavy, the domestic public opinion will not let Frenzi go, so this is a mouse that is not happy at both ends of the bellows. Everyone wants to easily defeat the Germans, but the Germans disagree.

"Don't worry, the troops sent by Lord Nyasaland have set off from Walvis Bay and will arrive in Calais in a week." Winston didn't care. Friends of Taoism are immortal and poor.

Calais is located in the border area closest to Belgium in France. The arrangement of the Ministry of War is that the reinforcements from southern Africa do not need to go through the local rest and go directly to the war in France.

"I hope that Calais will still be in our hands." Frenzi laughed angrily. The Liege Fortress had already fallen, and the German army was in front of the flat plain.

"John, I hope you understand that this is for the benefit of the British Empire." Kitchener adjusted his mentality, and for the benefit of the country, personal sacrifice is not worth mentioning.

What's more, it's only the sacrifice of the three views and morality. History is written by the victors. As long as the war is won, all actions are politically correct. The rout on the battlefield can be beautified as a strategic retreat, and the preservation of strength can also be said to be looking for opportunities. , Abandoning allies is a great strategic choice. In short, the British Empire can do nothing wrong.

"Well, I will be careful—" Frenzi had to bow his head in front of the interests of the empire. Compared with the interests of the empire, personal honor and disgrace must be temporarily put aside.

"Gentlemen, Southern Africa has launched an attack on Southwest Africa." Earl Roberts, Commander-in-Chief of Defense, brought good news.

"This is really good news!"

"very good!"

Winston and Kitchener praised and applauded, and Frenzi forced a difficult smile. After hearing so much bad news, there was finally some exciting news.

"Nyasaland's third batch of rifles has arrived in Brighton, and this batch is 30." Earl Roberts continued to have good news.

"Great!" Kitchener was in a happy mood. The total of the three batches of rifles totaled 80. Although it was still not enough for one shot per person, the embarrassment of the previous period has been greatly alleviated.

"But I have another bad news. Southern Africa is attacking Tanganyika and has already occupied Usumbra and Dar es Salaam—" Earl Roberts is not all good news. Hearing this news, Ki Both Chenna and Ferenzi frowned.

For Kitchener and Winston, the South African attack on South West Africa was welcome, and the attack on Tanganyika was unexpected.

Compared with Southwest Africa, where most of its territory is a barren desert, Tanganyika has a vast area, rich resources, and greater development potential. Both Kitchener and Frenzi participated in the Second Boer War and know Tanganyika click value.

In fact, the four people in the room all participated in the Second Boer War, but their positions were different, so their attitudes towards this matter were also different.

"Great, as long as Tanganyika and Southwest Africa are cut off from feeding back to the German mainland, we can defeat the Germans more easily." Winston doesn't care about Tanganyika, his relationship with Rock is there. Regardless of whether he was worried about the future or not, Winston had to maintain contact with Rock during the World Wars.

"Since Southern Africa has the ability to attack Southwest Africa and Tanganyika at the same time, why did it only send one division to Calais?" Kitchener didn't care about the ownership of Tanganyika, he only cared about Southern Africa's attack on Britain. The support is not strong enough.

"The five divisions attacking Southwest Africa were originally intended to be sent to Calais, but the War Department ordered Southern Africa to attack Southwest Africa, so these five divisions will be used in Southwest Africa." Winston understood Rock's battle plan.

"What about Tanganyika? The War Department did not order Southern Africa to attack Tanganyika." Kitchener was not satisfied with this explanation. In his opinion, Southern Africa should provide greater support to the mainland.

"Tanganyika is too close to Nyasaland, which will pose a huge threat to the industry in Nyasaland. Nyasaland is now the industrial center of southern Africa. Since Lord Nyasaland has done this, then There must be his reasons." Winston's inclination is obvious, and Rock's efforts over the years have finally played a huge role.

"In any case, our biggest enemy now is Germany. Lord Nyasaland is not our enemy. Southern Africa can also provide us with much-needed supplies and more reinforcements. The Southern African Ministry of Defense has decided to form ten more They are going to be sent to fight in France, they will be our powerful supplement.” Winston has a firm attitude, the memory of the Second Boer War is not good for him, in his opinion, the colonies have also become part of the British Empire. This is why Winston resolutely promoted the autonomy of southern Africa during his tenure as Deputy Minister of Colonial Affairs.

"John, here's your chance—" Kitchener first put aside the fact that Southern Africa took the initiative to attack Tanganyika. Frenzi wanted to make contributions, and Kitchener and Winston wanted to preserve their strength. Now There is cannon fodder, not much, but more will come from southern Africa.

What more can one ask of such a southern Africa.

(End of this chapter)