Rise of Australia

Chapter 446 Offensive Preparation
Amid war and diplomacy, 1916 passed quickly too.

Looking back at the whole of 1916, the situation in Europe was chaotic.The Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme were launched successively, and 1916 was stained with blood red.

In these two battles alone, the British, French and German forces suffered a total of more than 500 million casualties, and a total of more than 200 million deaths. They were two out-and-out super wars.

For the vast majority of countries participating in the war, this war is more of a loss.The loss of manpower, economy, material, land, etc., cast a negative color on this war in the eyes of most European civilians.

If there were sufficiently advanced polling agencies to conduct polls on civilians in all European countries participating in the war at this time, the support of the European people for this war would definitely not exceed one-third.

After the former French commander-in-chief Joffre was deposed, the new French commander-in-chief was General Nivelt.

Unlike the conservative and stubborn Joffre, Nivell has a terrible impulse and passion hidden in his heart.

France's well-planned Battle of the Somme did not achieve the expected excellent results, and it also made the new commander-in-chief Nivell have a different plan.

Throughout 1916, France and Germany were engaged in a terrible war of attrition, which made Nivelles very taboo.

After Nivell took office as French commander-in-chief, the French people generally hoped that he would bring a glorious victory to end the war.

It is precisely because of the people's expectations for Nivelle that after the time entered 1917, Nivelle decided to plan a new campaign and named it the Spring Offensive.

The main core of the spring offensive is actually a replica and magnification of Nivelles' winning experience in the Verdun area.

Nivell chose a German salient protruding from east to west on the Aisne River. The north of this salient is the British army, and the south is the French army.

The Nivelles plan is that the British will take the lead in launching a storm, just like the Battle of Verdun at that time, leading the Germans out of the hole, and then France will attack the German flank, tearing a gap in the German trench system, and thus winning enough to determine the war. .

Of course, in order to expand the results of the war and even promote the arrival of peace, Nivel also asked the Italian and Balkan coalition forces on the southern front to rush to attack the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

At present, apart from Russia, the weakest power country should be the Austro-Hungarian Empire.As of the war so far, the casualties of the Austro-Hungarian Empire have exceeded 300 million, and the simple death toll has reached more than 120 million.

At present, the remaining combatable troops of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are less than 120 million, and they will be dispersed to the southwestern and southern borders. Under the attack of the Italian and Balkan coalition forces, the borders are already in jeopardy.

If the Germans hadn't sent an army group to help the Austro-Hungarian Empire defend the border, I am afraid that the Austro-Hungarian Empire would have been discussing where to set up the temporary capital at this time.

This does not mean that the current situation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is better.The logistics of the frontline army, the treatment of a large number of casualties, the shortage of supplies, and the rise of strike waves all caused headaches for the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The neighbor's revolution made the Austro-Hungarian Empire sweat even more, because the possibility of civil strife in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was even higher than that in Russia.

As a multi-ethnic country, the various ethnic groups in the Austro-Hungarian Empire already had a gap in status and wealth.

The long war has exhausted the empire, and the death of Franz I at the end of last year has made the empire even more difficult.

The successor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was Karl I, grandnephew of Franz I.After the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Karl was appointed Crown Prince of the Empire and became the successor of the old emperor.

But it is obvious that Karl I did not have the ability of the old emperor, and he has not received strong support from the imperial government and the Hungarian government for more than a month after he succeeded to the throne.

If it weren't for the lingering prestige of the old emperor, I am afraid that the Austro-Hungarian Empire, like Tsarist Russia, would erupt an anti-war parade in an instant.

After receiving the request from France, Italy took the lead in agreeing, and agreed to launch a large-scale offensive on the border with the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Since the outbreak of the war, Italy is the country that has achieved the least victories.If it weren't for the Italian navy's contribution to the blockade of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, Italy's presence in this war would be close to zero.

So far, the frontlines of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire have been advancing slowly, and after the Austro-Hungarian Empire increased its troops, it was even more likely to be a stalemate.

If it weren't for the Balkan front to share at least 80 combat troops of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, I am afraid that Italy is already considering what kind of peace conditions it is now.

This is not to belittle Italy, but the combat effectiveness of the Italian army is really disappointing, and the results of several battles are even more surprising.

But if it is replaced by any normal power country, I am afraid that the Austro-Hungarian Empire has surrendered at this time.

Not only did Italy not put too much pressure on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but it also provided the Austro-Hungarian Empire with a batch of weapons and equipment, and trained recruits along the way.

The French telegram requesting coordinated operations was naturally also sent to Thomas, then Commander-in-Chief of the Australasian Expeditionary Force, Commander of the [-]st Guards Division.

As Thomas reported this telegram to the country, after careful consideration by Arthur and the Ministry of National Defense, they decided to cooperate with the French in this battle and strive to end the war as much as possible.

Although Arthur remembered that the historical spring campaign did not achieve much results, even the French suffered a large number of casualties.

However, the task of Australasia in this battle is to contain the Austro-Hungarian Empire and at the same time hold down the German army in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and will not engage in a direct confrontation with the main force of the German army.

In this way, whether the battle can be won or not, it is acceptable to Australasia.

Anyway, the Australasian Expeditionary Force continued to fight in the Balkans, which itself was holding back the Austro-Hungarian army.

In fact, it is not unacceptable for Australasia to end this war now. Anyway, Australasia has obtained a lot of benefits from the Allied Powers, and it has already secured the throne of the top five powers.

In terms of land, what should be obtained has already been obtained, and it is only a matter of absorbing a large number of German talents and population after the war to completely improve the country's potential.

In any case, Australasia can get a good distribution of benefits after the war.Whether it is the attitude of the British who want to win over Australasia, or the strength that Australasia has developed, it can guarantee that Australasia will obtain sufficient benefits.

On the other hand, Russia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, especially the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which suffered the most in this war, are likely to lose their status as great powers.

The strength of Italy is also clearly seen by all countries. Even if Italy can maintain its status as a great power after the war, it is definitely the one with the worst strength.

It is no wonder that other countries despise a country that can be completely dragged down by a small number of troops from the bloody Austro-Hungarian Empire.

For Arthur, most of the war's own goals have been achieved, and European countries have also been severely weakened.

Judging from the results obtained so far, it is already in line with Arthur's expectations for this war, and there is no need to continue to consume it.

If Arthur remembered correctly, the United States of history would intervene in this war this year, joining in for a share of the action.

Britain and France will naturally not reject the joining of the United States. After all, the Americans can also provide a large number of troops, thereby reducing the casualties of the British and French troops.

The large amount of supplies from the United States can also relieve the domestic pressure on Britain and France, allowing Britain and France to have enough patience to spend with Germany.

But it's not all good news for Australasia.The joining of the United States is bound to get a share of the pie, and it will definitely be a lot.

According to Arthur's strategic plan, post-war Australasia is seeking the hegemony of the Pacific Ocean.

This also means that Australasia is bound to conflict with the United States on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, and even have certain frictions with the island countries in the north.

The stronger the allies, the better, and the weaker the enemies.Arthur didn't want to see the U.S. get a big cut of the war, so the best outcome was to end the war before the U.S. entered the war.

You know, the real rise of the United States began with World War I.The Americans absorbed a large number of European talents during the two world wars, which promoted the explosion of American technology in a short period of time, and also made the United States move towards the status of world hegemony.

Based on the national conditions of Australasia and the United States, if the two sides are determined to compete for talents, Australasia may not be able to compete with the United States.

After all, the United States is a real power, its economic and industrial strength ranks first in the world, and it has unique advantages in terms of financial resources.

In terms of the degree of development of the United States alone, there is no doubt that it has an advantage over Australasia.If the two sides spend a lot of money to attract talents, Australasia will basically not be the opponent of the United States.

If the United States is allowed to absorb European talents, the gap between Australasia and the United States will become wider and wider, and competing with the United States for hegemony will be like smashing an egg into a stone.

Only by weakening the United States as much as possible can Australasia have any hope of defeating the United States in the struggle for hegemony in the Pacific.

The Americans gained a lot of benefits in the First World War in history, and more importantly, it strengthened the influence of the federal government on the local area and improved its military strength.

Before entering the war, the United States could only be said to be a big economic and industrial country, with a messy military strength, and the army was the last of the great powers.

After participating in the war, the United States has made considerable progress in the army and navy, and the size and strength of the army ranks above the middle powers.

It also represents that the United States used World War I to realize the transition from an economic power to a military power, and successfully got rid of the control of European capital on the domestic economy of the United States.

Before World War I, the United States was a debtor country, but after World War I, the United States has become a creditor country. Through aid and loans to Europe and various economic means, the United States has completed its penetration into the European continent.

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(End of this chapter)