Chapter 718: Decisive Battle on Land and Sea
"An unprecedented tragedy, a blatant violation of international law!" The Allied public opinion fiercely criticized the massacre in the Middle East. At the same time, before the blood had dried, the Ottoman Eighth Army quickly swept through the surrounding Arab tribal armed forces.
It is impossible to forget that when they were fighting the British Indian Army, the surrounding Arab tribes were more or less on the side of the British. At the same time, the troops of the three armies had reached the outskirts of Oman, and countless heavy artillery were transported to the front line accompanied by the cross road signs on the coastline.
"Half of the trucks and motorcycles were lost in a motorized march?" Sheffield muttered as he held the telegram. "This is really in line with the tradition of the United States. This kind of astonishing waste is unbearable for anyone else. My senior managers are all talented people."
Only after committing the tragedy did John Connor report the losses of this counterattack. When Sheffield saw the list of losses, he felt the pain in his heart.
"Should we attack Oman directly or something else?" Jesla didn't understand his boss's considerations. He just wanted to know how to return the call.
"Get ready for the attack. Louisa went to talk to the British." Sheffield let out a long sigh. "At least we didn't do anything to the British. There is still a chance to ease the situation. If we can't reach an agreement, don't think I don't know that the president has had a stroke. I will ask the Democratic congressmen to propose an attack on Canada. For Canada's safety, I hope the British will calm down and communicate with me."
Pah! Sheffield lit a cigar and took a puff, then continued with a stream of white smoke, "As for us, all the newspapers of the League of Nations insisted that it was a religious killing, an emotional release of the oppression of Christians in the Middle East for thousands of years. At the same time, they announced that they would investigate the matter. There must be a secret organization of middle and lower-level officers within the Eighth Army. When the time comes, we can just find a few dozen Arabs and shoot them, put on military uniforms and say they are officers of a secret society, and that would be an explanation."
"In fact, I can sense that John and the other two are also afraid." Jessla hesitated and said, "I wonder if the British will be able to bear this."
"What are you afraid of? I'm not dead. As long as I'm here, they'll be safe. I might as well die if I can't protect the top managers of Black Gold Company." Sheffield stubbed out his cigar fiercely, and when he failed, he drank some water again, then said, "If the British declare war on us, they'll be crazy."
As for the slave owners now, they are waiting for news from Louisa Morgan while pretending to be dead and enduring the criticism from the international community.
Now if there is no major battle to attract attention, Sheffield will have to stay at home for a while. It turns out that being a senior German fan is not in vain. While the Kuwait defenders counterattacked in what has been named the Persian Gulf Campaign, Germany was also preparing for this decisive year.
If Sheffield were to take a neutral stance, after Germany failed to cut France's throat in the first year of the war, it should have mobilized its main forces, joined forces with the Allied forces that surrounded the Russian Empire, and dealt a severe blow to the Russian Empire, forcing it to withdraw from the war. Then, after the Russian Empire was defeated, it should have used a part of the troops of the newly independent countries, combined with the Allied forces, to rush into France in an overwhelming manner.
But perhaps because the Russian Empire was too large and could not achieve its goals in a short period of time, Germany chose a choice that was no different from history and focused its main energy on France.
The armies of Germany and Austria-Hungary were both famous for their powerful heavy artillery. Krupp and Skoda Arsenals were both well-known artillery manufacturers. After Moltke the Younger had to resign as Chief of the General Staff due to serious illness, his successor as Chief of the German General Staff was Falkenhayn. His goal was to consume the main force of the French army in this place - because the historical significance and military value of Verdun were too great, the French army could not give in and could only defend with all their might here.
Moreover, in the previous war, Verdun had been surrounded on three sides, forming a salient, which was an advantage for the attacking German army. Falkenhayn never wanted a bloodless victory. In front of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Falkenhayn said bluntly, "This is a war of attrition. I want to make the French bleed dry, and we must also be prepared to pay heavy casualties."
Verdun is a fortress, and it is built in the mountains. In this case, the supply of the defenders is not as smooth as in other places. In many cases, the defenders have to fight fiercely without supply and communication. What's more terrible is that compared with the wilderness, the terrain of the fortress will make the German artillery fire more concentrated.
Falkenhayn also attached great importance to the attack of the Zeppelin airship brigade and was prepared to deploy airships in combat at the beginning of the battle.
Moreover, at present, the Allied forces have sufficient manpower. Although the strength of the Italian army is not optimistic, it has caused a total of 200,000 French casualties on the southeastern border of France in one year. On the contrary, Germany still has the help of 300,000 Austro-Hungarian troops, plus the advantage of heavy artillery, so it can still fight.
A large-scale assembled army certainly could not be concealed for too long. The French finally discovered the German intention, but it was too late. In February 1916, the German army launched the Battle of Verdun. 1,500 cannons bombarded the French army's 40-kilometer front line with intensive artillery fire. After nine hours of fire preparation, 1.5 million shells were fired, and then the German army began a group charge.
The Allied heavy howitzers, which were already famous, roared, and the airships in the sky blocked out the sun. In just one day, they captured the Douaumont Fortress, the stronghold. At this time, the French army was completely in chaos. Just like in the parallel history, the French army had only 100,000 soldiers and more than 200 cannons. Facing such a powerful offensive by the German army, they were beaten badly.
The Verdun fortress must not be lost and has been regarded as a battle of honor by the French. Falkingham was right. The French would never give up the Verdun fortress. This was a good opportunity to bleed, but it was a two-way process and the Germans were also the ones who were bled.
The Allied forces, singing the Marseillaise, launched a full mobilization, transported a large number of troops and equipment to Verdun, built defensive positions along the highway, and strengthened the depth of defense.
The outbreak of the Battle of Verdun instantly put a stop to the criticism of the Persian Gulf that had just lasted for a few days. After all, for the two major camps, the results of the battle in the Persian Gulf, which annihilated more than 200,000 British and Indian troops, cannot be said to be negligible, but it is not a big scene either. The Western Front, which determines the direction of the war, is the place that deserves more attention.
At this time, the world's public opinion was focused on the fortress, and the Battle of Verdun had become a battle of honor between the German and French armies. In a year that was considered a decisive battle, Tirpitz also carried out a second round of plans. The German High Seas Fleet had been renovated and the damaged warships had been repaired.
There is no time to waste, otherwise the warships on the British slipway will be completed and the previous naval battle results will be in vain. The German Navy is also preparing to go to sea again in the next few days to seek a decisive battle with the British fleet.
There would be no chance like the last time. Tirpitz knew that he could not set up an ambush using the leaked code. This time, the naval battle would be a face-to-face battle with no chance of trickery. He was both looking forward to it and worried about it, but he was determined to go to sea according to the established plan.
The German offensive front expanded to 30 kilometers, and the main direction of attack was shifted to the west bank of the Meuse River. They changed from rapid attacks to steady attacks, attempting to capture Hill 304 and Hill 256, eliminate the threat of French artillery on the west bank, and encircle Verdun from the west. At the same time, they continued to intensify the offensive on the east bank, changing from rapid attacks to steady attacks, but encountered stubborn resistance from the French army. After suffering huge casualties, they only captured a few small strongholds.
At this time, the airship's empty poison gas bomb bombing that the slave owners had always envisioned took place. Compared with large-scale artillery bombing, the airship in the air was obviously able to have a better overview of the overall situation. Countless poison gas bombs poured down from the magazine and bombed the clearly visible French positions below.
The mountains were rugged, the roads were narrow, the German heavy howitzers were familiar, and the French trenches were crude and vulnerable. The Battle of Verdun became a war where small groups were separated from each other and soldiers were struggling to survive in shell holes.
The so-called fortifications were just bags of sand, and the so-called transportation was just a series of dug-out narrow paths. And they would soon be unusable. The only effect of these so-called fortifications was to give the soldiers the illusion that they were protected.
Even when the artillery fired back, the artillerymen did not know where their shells would land, and whether they would kill the enemy soldiers or their own soldiers. Many soldiers stayed in the craters because they subconsciously believed that the shells would never land in the same craters. However, with so many heavy artillery shelling continuously, even this iron rule began to waver.
At this point, it is no longer a battle between complete legions, but a battle between stragglers. Large troops are useless, and middle and lower-level officers are the backbone of the war. After they die, the soldiers need to lead themselves until the moment of their life ends.
The purpose of this bloody battle envisioned by the German General Staff has been achieved. Division after division of French soldiers have been thrown into the Verdun battlefield, and the same is true on the German side.
London also paid special attention to this battle and tried to find a way to solve the French crisis. At this time, the news that the German High Seas Fleet had left the port again made all members of the British cabinet nervous. The last time the Beatty Fleet was destroyed was still fresh in their minds. Britain had to first withdraw its attention from the land and deal with the challengers at sea.
(End of this chapter)
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