Chapter 424 Verdun Ambition

Although Nicholas II's large-scale orders made Russia shine in the Allied Powers, it is obvious that the protagonist of the war is not the Eastern Front, but the Western Front battlefield that has been quiet for a long time.

After the plan of the German-Austrian Allied Forces to annihilate the main force of the Russian army was shattered, the main army of the Austro-Hungarian Empire had to go south to return reinforcements to resist the severe pressure brought by the Balkan army to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Germany's attention has also been temporarily 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 look for opportunities to break through the German defense line.

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

The Entente currently has a clear advantage. It is not so much that the Entente's army defeated the Central Powers' army, but that the Entente's more developed economy and richer resources defeated the Central Powers.

The consumption of all countries in the war was huge. For this war, Germany implemented supervision of farms, levied income tax, and implemented a physical rationing system in some areas.

The same is true for Britain and France, who only want 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.

In the one year and two months since the war broke out, the arms industries of various countries expanded rapidly, and all factories entered the bottomless pit of the war. Clothing factories were switched to the production of military uniforms, and various mechanical equipment factories were switched to the production of weapons and equipment, bullets, artillery shells, etc.

A large number of women also went into factories to produce military helmets, military uniforms and various bullets for the soldiers on the front line.

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

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

The expansion of the military industries of various countries was very exaggerated, especially that of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

By October, German rifle and artillery shell production had more than halved, and machine gun and cannon production nearly tripled.

Even for aircraft that have just been valued by countries around the world, Germany has been able to produce thousands of them annually.

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

Generally speaking, the growth of the military industry of the Allied Powers is not so exaggerated. After all, except for Russia, Britain, France and Australasia are all major exporters of military products. Before the war, their weapons and equipment were already 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 more exaggerated.

When the war just broke out, in early August 1914, the country with the largest number of Allied soldiers was Russia, but the total number of soldiers was less than 2 million.

But so far, Russia has invested more than 4 million troops, France has also invested more than 3 million troops, the United Kingdom has invested 1.2 million troops, Australasia has 550,000 troops, Italy has 600,000 troops, Belgium has 350,000 troops, Romania has 250,000 troops, and Serbia has 350,000 troops. 150,000 in Greece and 80,000 in Montenegro.

The total number of Allied soldiers involved in this war has exceeded 10 million, with more than 1 million dead and 3 million injured (cumulative).

As for the Allies, Germany invested 3.5 million troops, Austria-Hungary 2 million, Bulgaria 300,000, and the Ottoman Empire 550,000, for a total of more than 6 million troops.

At present, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire will also withdraw from the war. Among the more than 5 million troops of Germany and Austria-Hungary, the death toll has reached nearly 1 million and the number of injured has reached more than 1.5 million.

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

This war has resulted in more than 2 million deaths in participating countries, nearly 5 million injuries, and incalculable economic losses.

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

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

This has also made countries face the war even more crazily. Germany has plans to continue to increase its recruitment intensity. In the new year, it will continue to recruit at least 1 million troops to fight on the east and west fronts.

At this time, Germany has nearly 2 million combatable troops, but the army on the Western Front currently only has over 1 million.

The Germans adhered to the principle that better defense is offensive, and decided to take the lead in launching a surprise attack on the French strategic areas before Britain and France launched a large-scale campaign. If the British and French forces were unprepared, they might achieve miraculous results.

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

Falkenhayn believed that Russia on the Eastern Front had a vast territory, cold climate, inconvenient transportation, and Russia had sufficient reserve troops, making it impossible to defeat it in a short time.

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

The French battlefield on the Western Front is shallower in depth. The British and French coalition 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 only has a little over 1 million troops, while the British and French coalition forces have nearly 3 million combat troops. Although a considerable part are colonial troops, the overwhelming numerical advantage of the British and French troops over the German army cannot be denied.

In Falkenhayn's letter to William II, Falkenhayn specifically mentioned that the Russian army was dizzy after the defeat. The new Russian commander-in-chief Nicholas II was not capable enough and would not be able to launch an attack in a short time.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the main force of 500,000 troops should be transferred to the Western Front, and some reserve troops should be mobilized from the country to gather 2 million troops to fight the British and French armies to the death.

As long as it could defeat France and force the British and French forces to surrender, Russia would lose financial and military equipment support from the West and would have no choice but to surrender to Germany.

Because William II was worried about repeating Napoleon's mistakes, and it was getting colder and colder in Russia, winter in the northern hemisphere was coming soon.

As well as the large-scale battle that Britain and France were about to launch on the Western Front, William II agreed to Falkenhayn's proposal and mobilized at least 500,000 main troops to the Western Front to fight to the death with the British and French coalition forces on the Western Front.

If 2 million troops could be gathered, 2 million versus 3 million, William II believed that the advantage was on Germany's 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. They can completely replenish Russia's blood through the route from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea, like a wet nurse.

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

But after all, Britain and France have a great family and a great cause, which cannot be compared to Germany, which is only a desolate colony.

Falkenhayn strongly advocated attacking France because he believed that the foundation of the Entente was Britain and France, and the foundation of Britain and France's fight against Germany was France.

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

At the same time, the French mainland can be used to restore blood to Germany. After changing direction and defeating Russia, the British Isles will have no choice but to capture it.

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

After all, Australasia does not have many interests in Europe, so there is no need to fight Germany to the death. 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 fight to the death with the Royal Fleet to complete its plan to eliminate the entire Allied Powers.

As for Italy, Falkenhayn did not mention it in his plan, and William II had no intention of asking.

Judging from the combat effectiveness shown by Italy, without the help of other Allied countries, Italy cannot exert any pressure on Germany in terms of army and navy. It only needs 100,000 German troops, combined with a part of the Austro-Hungarian army, which can be easily destroyed from land. this country.

After William II nodded, under Falkenhayn's order, the German staff quickly formulated a plan for a new round of offensive, and placed the main direction of the new round of offensive on the western front.

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

All it took was the capture of a special area that was emotionally sacred to the French, forcing the French to devote every soldier in their army to protecting it.

In this way, Germany can achieve its goal of letting the French blood flow in this area, achieve its success in one battle, and effectively kill and wound French soldiers.

As a result, there were not many places that fit Falkenhayn's intention, and there were only two that were 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 the last drop of blood.

In fact, Verdun is just a small town on the Meuse River in northeastern France, with a population of just over 10,000.

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

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

The Fortress of Verdun is the support point of France's eastern front and is located on the protruding part of the Allied Defense Line.

The existence of Verdun would pose a great flank threat to the Western Front troops that penetrated deep into France and Belgium.

But if Verdun fell, the German army would be able to quickly reach many strategic locations in France by railway and open the passage to Paris.

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

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

If Verdun fell, let alone what a huge impact it would have on France's eastern defense line. The heavy blow caused to the French people alone is enough to reduce the French people's optimism about the war by one level.

After Verdun is captured, all of Paris will be in danger. In the history of France, the day when the enemy troops captured Paris was often the day when the French government surrendered.

Therefore, Falkenhayn believed that the capture of Verdun was equivalent to the capture of Paris. And capturing Paris is equivalent to capturing most of France.

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

But just over a year has passed, and some of the fortifications are still not completed. Falkenhayn also saw hope of breaking through the Verdun Fortress.

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

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

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

Almost all defensive positions were cleverly arranged in the rugged hills and forests full of deep ditches and highlands, which also increased the difficulty of breaking through the fortress.

The original fortifications, the newly added field fortifications and the rear supply base are closely connected, making the Verdun fort system almost without any shortcomings. It has become a solid and deep echelon configuration, enough to make any opponent daunting.

The French army deployed thousands of machine guns and artillery positions of various sizes in the Verdun Fortress, which greatly enhanced the fortress's firepower.

It is no exaggeration to say that this is a tough nut to crack for the Germans.

However, Falkenhayn chose Verdun for this very reason.

Precisely because the Fortress of Verdun is so difficult to attack, the French will be more willing to pay all costs to defend the fortress.

Falkenhayn believed that the French would devote all their strength to Verdun, and this was Falkenhayn's purpose.

At the mobilization meeting within the German army, Falkenhayn even ambitiously declared that he would make Verdun a millstone to crush the French army and make all French people shed the 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 defenses, and then implement a breakthrough from the east bank of the Meuse River, trying to capture the enemy before the French can react. Get off this fort.

The French army that reacted was bound to receive massive reinforcements. Germany only needed to launch an attack at Verdun, which was equivalent to attacking all French armies.

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