Chapter 696 Tirpitz's Determination
It was necessary to remove this hidden danger and resolve the threat posed by the Austrian and Italian navies to the British and French Mediterranean shipping routes. For several months, the British and French fleets had been waiting for an opportunity to move, and with the entry of Bulgaria into the war, this goal had become increasingly urgent.
The Port of Toulon is the base of the French Mediterranean Fleet. The base dock has a total shoreline of ten kilometers and a water depth of more than twelve meters. It is the largest military port in the French Mediterranean region. As a semi-closed port, it is very important to the French fleet in the Mediterranean and is an important fulcrum for controlling the western Mediterranean.
During the French Revolution, Napoleon crushed the royalists and repelled the British and Spanish fleets. Later, it became the starting point for Napoleon's expedition to Egypt. The French Mediterranean Fleet's imaginary enemy for a long time was the Italian Navy.
From the Saint-Mandrier Peninsula in the port, one can have a panoramic view of the Port of Toulon. The interior of the naval port is full of warships with flags hoisted. There is no doubt that spies from the Allied Powers gather here, overlooking the port and observing the movements of the French navy at any time.
Since France transferred the Atlantic Fleet back to the Mediterranean, the port of Toulon has become increasingly important. A large number of French naval warships have been concentrated here, and spies report the port's movements in real time.
This cannot be concealed at all, and many military ports like Toulon cannot avoid this situation.
After Churchill's own mediation, on June 25, the British fleets in Gibraltar and Alexandria, Egypt, and the French fleet in Toulon set sail at the same time, disappearing into major military ports in an active offensive posture.
The Allied spies lurking near these ports almost immediately discovered that the port fleet was empty. Such a big movement could not be concealed, and telegrams flew like snowflakes to Rome, Vienna and Berlin. At the same time, it was also passed to Alfred von Tirpitz, the commander-in-chief of the German Navy.
Upon receiving the news, Alfred von Tirpitz immediately rushed to the palace and asked to meet with German Emperor Wilhelm II.
Before Tirpitz became the Minister of the Navy, the German Navy was only a coastal defense force, and its strength was only equal to that of Sweden and Denmark, or slightly stronger. For the ambitious German Emperor, the German Army with its fine traditions was not worth worrying about. The only thing he was worried about was the navy. At that time, the British Royal Navy was in its heyday. It not only had a large fleet, but also attracted the best talents in the UK to the navy. This fleet guarded tens of millions of square kilometers of colonial territories from Canada to Australia, from India to South Africa. The combat effectiveness of the British Royal Navy had an absolute advantage over Germany. If Germany wanted to realize its ambitions, it had to seriously consider this harsh fact.
Tirpitz was a man of great courage. Not only was he determined to create a true ocean-going fleet for Germany, but he also wanted such a fleet to rival the British Royal Navy.
William II admired Tirpitz's courage and ambition, placed great trust in him, fully supported his expansion plan, and soon made him a count. This trust was so deep that Tirpitz was finally given the title of Eternal Tirpitz.
In order to increase his weight, Tirpitz called the German Chief of the General Staff, Moltke the Younger, before arriving at the palace. Although the Schlieffen Plan failed for various reasons, its early success and the fact that the Allies still had a strategic advantage on land meant that Moltke the Younger did not lose his position as Chief of the General Staff and was still dragging his tired body to make plans for the war.
"Chief of the General Staff, you are too tense mentally. You should take a proper rest." Before William II appeared, Tirpitz met the thin-faced Moltke the Younger. As the commander-in-chief of the navy, Tirpitz did not join in the power struggle within the army and had a normal attitude towards the affairs within the army.
Before the war, everyone hoped that the Schlieffen Plan could be implemented resolutely and without compromise. However, such a war involving so many countries would inevitably cause problems in the plan to deal with the war.
Even with careful planning, there will be many unexpected things to deal with when war really comes. If Italy had followed suit immediately after Germany joined the war, or if the Russian army had not desperately launched an offensive on the Eastern Front, the war might have ended by now.
World war is not a one-on-one fight. Germany's own performance is important, but the performance of its allies is equally important. Take Italy's entry into the war as an example. As a result, the Austro-Hungarian Empire gained hundreds of thousands of additional military forces and got rid of the threat of the Italian army. Now the Austro-Hungarian Empire can use the extra troops to withstand the offensive of the Russian army, and even the Austrian army has arrived on the Western Front and fought side by side with Germany. This is the benefit.
Now the Allies as a whole are fighting the war on enemy territory, and have a relative advantage on both fronts. It is also for this reason that Moltke the Younger's position as Chief of the General Staff is still very stable.
"Marshal, thank you for your concern. I wonder what's the matter that you asked me to meet His Majesty together?" Moltke the Younger was indeed a little exhausted. Because of his physical illness, coupled with long-term high-intensity work and war, his current condition was indeed very bad.
However, when Tirpitz, who rarely appeared in public, took the initiative to invite him to meet His Majesty together, he gladly accepted.
"I have important news. I need the Chief of the General Staff to analyze the overall situation. When your Majesty arrives, I hope the Chief of the General Staff can help." Tirpitz said solemnly, "This is intelligence. It is reported that the British and French fleets in Gibraltar, Alexandria and Toulon have left the ports."
"What is their purpose?" Moltke the Younger asked thoughtfully after taking a look at the telegram handed over by Tirpitz.
"Humph, the British and French fleets want to Copenhagenize the Austrian and Italian navies in the Mediterranean!" Tirpitz snorted and sneered, "But although we in Germany currently have no naval power in the Mediterranean, we can still take advantage of this gap."
After Germany developed its navy and engaged in a naval competition with Britain, the then British First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir John Arbuthnot Fisher, roared wildly: "The German fleet should be destroyed in Copenhagen", meaning that it should be destroyed in Copenhagen just like the Danish Navy, which had the second largest fleet in the world during the Napoleonic Wars.
Because the British Royal Navy had long faced an overwhelming advantage over the German Navy and was blocked and destroyed by the British in the port, this had always been a concern for Tirpitz, but this time he felt the possibility of breaking the British naval advantage.
Moltke's eyes lit up, and he followed Tirpitz's idea. After a moment, he agreed and said, "Good idea."
"My eternal Tirpitz, please come to me if you have anything to say. Oh, look who else is there, our Chief of the General Staff." William II appeared with a relaxed expression. The war had been going on for nearly a year, and William II had also come out of his initial anxiety and frustration over the failure of the Schlieffen Plan, and entered a new normal during the war.
Although the Allied camp did not defeat the enemy quickly, overall there were more good news in the past year. William II was very happy to see the heads of the navy and the army coming at the same time.
"Your Majesty!" Tirpitz and Moltke the Younger simultaneously performed court etiquette and greeted William II. They nodded to each other, and Tirpitz said, "We have received important news from the Mediterranean. Your Majesty, please read it."
"Oh?" William II took the telegram and read it attentively. Finally, he asked, "What do you think?"
"The French Navy's Courbet-class battleships have some problems, and are even inferior to the dreadnoughts of the Italian and Austro-Hungarian navies. Even if France transfers its entire Atlantic Fleet to the Mediterranean, the total tonnage is only equal, and in fact, the French Navy is at a disadvantage in terms of dreadnoughts and pre-dreadnoughts. If the British and French fleets want to deal a heavy blow to the Austro-Italian Navy this time, then I can make a judgment that in addition to the British fleet in the Mediterranean, Britain must have withdrawn part of its home fleet." Tirpitz said confidently, "I don't know how many warships were withdrawn, but at least they had to suppress the four dreadnoughts of the Italian Navy and the Austro-Hungarian Navy respectively. If the gap is to be made up by Britain, Your Majesty, this is the time in the past ten years when the German Navy and the British Navy are closest in strength."
The area where the British and German navies were close was in dreadnoughts, with Britain having 20 and Germany having 14. As for similar battlecruisers, the German Navy was only a little more than half the strength of the British Royal Navy in terms of pre-dreadnoughts. In terms of armored cruisers that were still in service, the German Navy was only one-third the strength of the British Navy.
William II nodded slightly, with some thoughts in his mind. He understood what Tirpitz meant. If the High Seas Fleet came out in full force at this time, the British might feel that their lives were in danger.
"Chief of the General Staff, what do you think?" William II looked at Moltke the Younger and asked in a consulting tone.
"Your Majesty, I am considering the worst-case scenario. If we tie with the British Navy at sea, or even win a miserable victory, it will be beneficial to us. The navy is a very important strategic force for the empire, but for Britain, the navy is their life." Moltke the Younger stood firmly beside Tirpitz and emphasized, "If the British Royal Navy is hit hard, the impact on national confidence will be far greater than ours. Of course, I am not saying that the High Seas Fleet is not strong enough, but I am telling the truth."
"I understand. My admiral wants a decisive battle at sea." William II nodded to show that he understood, and asked Tirpitz again, "Is our navy really ready?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Tirpitz replied solemnly, "We have never been so fully prepared. The navy must go to the ocean. This battle with the British Navy is just the right time at this time."
With the Allied Navy in the Mediterranean attracting the British and French fleets, Tirpitz would never miss this opportunity.
(End of this chapter)
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