Rise of Australia

Chapter 424 Wild Vision of Verdun

Although Nicholas II's big order made Russia shine in the Allied Powers, it is clear that the protagonist of the war is not the Eastern Front, but the Western Front, which has been calm for a long time.

After the plan of the German-Austrian coalition forces to annihilate the main force of the Russian army was shattered, the main force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire had to go south to help and resist the severe pressure brought by the Balkan army to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

For the time being, Germany's attention was also focused on the Western Front, because in order to reduce the pressure on the Russian army on the Eastern Front, Britain and France decided to launch a new round of large-scale offensive, and by the way, they were looking for an opportunity to break through the German defense line.

The current European war has entered a long stage of a war of attrition, and the situation has actually gradually become clear.

The Allied Powers currently have a clear advantage. Rather than saying that the Allied Powers defeated the Allied Powers, it is better to say that the Allied Powers' more developed economy and richer resources defeated the Allied Powers.

All countries spent so much money in war that Germany supervised farms, levied income taxes, and, in some areas, instituted rationing in kind.

The same is true of Britain and France, only to raise more resources and food for the front line, strengthen the militarization of the national economy, and fully serve the war.

During this period, a new term was also born, the so-called industrial mobilization.

During the year and two months when the war broke out, the arms industries of various countries expanded rapidly, and all factories entered the bottomless pit of war. Clothing factories were changed to produce military uniforms, and various machinery and equipment factories were changed to produce weapons and equipment, bullets, shells, etc.

A large number of women also entered the factory to produce military helmets, military uniforms and various bullets for the front-line soldiers.

Some women stuffed written notes into their helmets and clothing to comfort the wounded or tired souls of frontline soldiers.

But I have to admit that this trick is really effective.Encouraged by the ladies in the rear, some soldiers on the front line really broke out with extraordinary fighting spirit.

The expansion of the military industry in various countries is very exaggerated, especially in Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

By October, German production of rifles and shells had more than halved, and that of machine guns and artillery nearly tripled.

Even for aircraft that have just been valued by countries all over the world, Germany has already been able to produce thousands of aircraft a year.

Although the increase in arms production in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was not as exaggerated, the annual output of various types of weapons also increased by more than half.

The growth of the military industry of the Allies as a whole is not so exaggerated. After all, except for Russia, Britain, France and Australasia are all major exporters of military products. Before the war, weapons and equipment had been sold well in many countries and regions around the world.

For the Allied Powers, compared with the military industry, the expansion of the military scale is even more exaggerated.

When the war just broke out, that is, in early August 1914, the country with the largest number of Allied soldiers was Russia, but the total number of soldiers was less than 8 million.

But as of now, Russia has invested more than 400 million troops, France has also invested more than 300 million troops, Britain 120 million, Australasia 55, Italy 60, Belgium 35, Romania 25, Serbia 35, Greece 15, Montenegro 8.

The total number of soldiers of the Allied Powers involved in this war has exceeded 1000 million, with over 100 million dead and 300 million injured (accumulated).

As for the Allies, Germany invested 350 million troops, Austria-Hungary 200 million, Bulgaria 30, and the Ottoman Turkish Empire 55, totaling more than 600 million troops.

At present, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire will also withdraw from the war. Among the more than 500 million troops of Germany and Austria-Hungary, the death toll is nearly 100 million and the number of injured is as high as 150 million.

Of course, a considerable part of this is the record contributed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.The Austro-Hungarian Empire was defeated by Russia in a single battle. At that time, the number of casualties was as high as hundreds of thousands, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire almost collapsed.

This war has caused more than 200 million deaths and nearly 500 million injuries in the participating countries, and the economic losses are even more immeasurable.

Because of this, neither the Allies nor the Entente could take a step back at this time.

It also cannot bear the consequences of the failure of the war, not only the anger of the people, but also the extortion and extortion from the enemy country after the war.

This has also made countries face the war more frantically. Germany has plans to continue to increase the intensity of conscription. In the new year, it will continue to recruit at least 100 million troops to fight on the East and West Fronts.

At this time, Germany's combatable soldiers were as high as nearly 200 million, but the Western Front Army currently has only a little over 100 million.

Adhering to the principle that a better defense is an offense, the Germans decided to take the lead in launching a surprise attack on the strategically important areas of the French before the British and French launched a large-scale battle. If the British and French allied forces were unprepared, it might achieve miraculous results.

Speaking of the upcoming raid by the Germans, one has to mention Falkenhayn's determination to return the focus of the offensive to the Western Front.

Falkenhayn believes that Russia on the Eastern Front has a vast territory, a cold climate, inconvenient transportation, and Russia has sufficient reserves, so it is impossible to defeat it in a short time.

An attack like St. Petersburg will not have a decisive result, and even in a rash advance, it is very easy to repeat the mistakes of Napoleon and have a different kind of Waterloo.

The depth of the French battlefield on the western front is shallower, and the British and French allied forces have directly threatened the hinterland of Germany, Germany's biggest threat at present.

You must know that the German army on the Western Front is only a little over 100 million, while the British and French allied forces have nearly 300 million combat troops. Although a considerable part of them are colonial troops, it is still undeniable that the British and French troops have an overwhelming advantage over the German army.

In Falkenhayn's letter to William II, Falkenhayn specifically mentioned that the Russian army is now dizzy after defeat, and that the new Russian commander-in-chief Nicholas II is not capable enough to launch an offensive in a short time.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the main force of the 50 troops should be transferred to the western front, and a part of the reserve troops should be summoned from the country to gather enough 200 million troops to fight to the death with the British and French armies.

As long as it can defeat France and force the British and French allied forces to surrender, Russia will lose financial and military support from the West and can only surrender to Germany.

Because of Wilhelm II's fear of repeating Napoleon's mistakes, coupled with the fact that Russia is getting colder and colder, winter in the northern hemisphere is approaching.

As well as the large-scale battle that Britain and France are about to launch on the Western Front, William II agreed to Falkenhayn's proposal to mobilize at least 50 main troops to the Western Front and fight to the death with the British and French coalition forces on the Western Front.

If 200 million troops can be gathered, 200 million versus 300 million, William II thinks that the advantage is on the German side.

After defeating Britain and France, even if Russia has the support of Australasia, it is absolutely impossible to be Germany's opponent.

But if the stalemate with Russia continues, Britain and France have stronger industrial strength and rich colonial resources, and they can completely return blood to Russia through the Mediterranean to the Black Sea route like a nanny.

Although Germany carried out a large number of attacks on the supply ships of Britain and France traveling between the mainland and the colonies through submarine warfare, it caused a lot of economic losses to Britain and France.

But Britain and France have a big family and a big business after all, which is not comparable to Germany, which only has a barren colony.

Falkenhayn strongly advocated attacking France, because he believed that the foundation of the Allied Powers was Britain and France, and the foundation of Britain and France against Germany was France.

As long as France is defeated on land, it is equivalent to defeating at least one-third of the Allies.

At the same time, it can also use the mainland of France to restore blood to Germany, and then turn around and defeat Russia, the British Isles can only be caught without a fight.

As for the mainland and Australasia, which is far away from Europe, Falkenhayn thinks it is not a cause for concern.

After all, Australasia does not have much interest in Europe, so there is no need to fight Germany.As long as Germany has a sufficient advantage, relying on the good relationship between William II and Arthur, it is completely possible to withdraw Australasia from the war.

In this way, Germany, which has solved France and Russia, only needs to frantically explode the navy and the Royal Fleet to complete the plan to destroy the entire Allied Powers.

As for Italy, Falkenhayn did not mention it in the plan, and William II did not mean to inquire in the slightest.

Judging from the combat effectiveness shown by Italy, without the help of other Allied countries, Italy could not exert any pressure on Germany in terms of army and navy. It only needed [-] German troops, and with a part of the Austro-Hungarian army, it could easily destroy this country from land. nation.

After William II nodded, under the order of Falkenhayn, the German General Staff quickly formulated a plan for a new round of offensive, and put the main direction of the new round of offensive on the Western Front.

According to Falkenhayn's request, the German army does not necessarily have to implement a large-scale breakthrough, and obtain results by encircling the enemy's main force.

All it takes is to capture a particular area that is emotionally sacred to the French, forcing the French to commit every single soldier in their army to protect the area.

In this way, Germany can achieve the goal of letting the French flow into the blood in this area, and achieve all their achievements in one battle, effectively killing and wounding French soldiers.

As a result, there are not many places that fit Falkenhayn's intentions, and there are only two that are most suitable.

After comprehensive consideration, Falkenhayn chose Verdun between Belfort and Verdun, because he felt that Verdun was more important to the French, which made the French willing to shed their last drop of blood.

In fact, Verdun is just a small town on the banks of the Maas River in northeastern France, with a population of just over 1.

But in terms of military affairs, Verdun is one of the most famous fortresses in France. It has appeared many times in French history and has connections with many major events in France.

In terms of geographical location, Verdun is the gateway to Paris and the hub of the French defense line, and the terrain is difficult.

The fortress of Verdun was the fulcrum of the French Eastern Front, on the salient part of the Entente line of defense.

The existence of Verdun will pose a great flank threat to the western front troops that penetrate into France and Belgium.

But if Verdun loses water, the German army can quickly reach many strategic points in France by rail and open the way to Paris.

You know, Verdun is only 200 kilometers away from the city of Paris, known as the key of Paris and the gateway to the East of France.

In the eyes of the French, Verdun Fortress is a sacred and insurmountable place, a symbol of French strength and bravery.

If Verdun falls, let's not talk about the huge impact on the eastern defense of France.The heavy blow caused by the French people alone is enough to make the French people's optimism about the war drop by a level.

After Verdun is breached, the whole of Paris will be at stake.In the history of France, the day when the enemy broke through Paris was often the time when the French government surrendered.

Therefore, Falkenhayn believes that the capture of Verdun is equivalent to the capture of Paris.The capture of Paris is equivalent to the capture of most of France.

Although after the war broke out, the French government built a new defense system in the Verdun area, combining fortifications and field fortresses.

But it has only been more than a year since now, and some of the fortifications are still not completed, which is also Falkenhayn's hope of breaking through the Verdun Fortress.

Of course, having said that, Verdun Fortress is definitely not easy to break through.The most basic fortification system has been formed, and Verdun is definitely one of the strongest fortresses in France, and it is also the most difficult fortress to break.

There are four defensive positions in the Fortress of Verdun area, three of which have been built since 1914.

If you look down from the air, the depth of these four fortresses is nearly 50 kilometers. Large and small formula bunkers are dotted around the fortress area, and most of them protrude northward into the Vail Valley and the plains.

Almost all defensive positions are cleverly arranged in the rolling hills and forests full of deep ditches and plateaus, which also increases the difficulty of breaking through the fortress.

The original fortifications, the newly added field fortifications and the rear supply base are closely connected, so that the Verdun fortress system has almost no shortcomings. It has become a solid and deep echelon configuration, which is enough to make any opponent daunting.

The French army deployed thousands of machine guns and large and small artillery positions in the Fortress of Verdun, which greatly strengthened the firepower of the fortress.

It is no exaggeration to say that this is a difficult bone for the Germans.

However, Falkenhayn chose Verdun for precisely this reason.

Just because the Fortress of Verdun is so tough, the French will be more willing to pay all prices to defend the fortress.

For Verdun, Falkenhayn believed, the French would throw all their strength, and this was Falkenhayn's purpose.

At the mobilization meeting within the German army, Falkenhayn even declared ambitiously that he would make Verdun a millstone for crushing the French army and let all French people shed their last drop of blood.

As for Falkenhayn's specific plan to attack Verdun, it is also very simple. It is to use powerful firepower to destroy the French fortifications, and then carry out a breakthrough from the east bank of the Meuse River, trying to take the French before they react. Get down from this fort.

The French army that reacted is bound to receive a large number of reinforcements. Germany only needs to attack Verdun, which is equivalent to attacking all French troops.

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(End of this chapter)