Chapter 362: Fighting in South Africa

Just as the prince was preparing to dig the foot of the Austro-Hungarian wall, the Boers and Americans were digging the foot of the British Empire with their hoes in South Africa. But how easy is it to dig the foot of the British Empire? The Boers only had a certain advantage in the early stages of the war. Using their military strength and full preparations, the Boer army successfully brought the entire Eastern Cape area into its control under the command of Kruger, with hundreds of thousands. The Dutch descendants eat pots of pulp to welcome the king.

The incorporation of the Eastern Cape region provided continued personnel and funds for the Boers. Apart from anything else, the number base that can be simply mobilized has more than doubled! The British Army’s warehouses, supplies, and infrastructure in the Eastern Cape were also taken over by the Boers. Although the powerful Boer Army did not capture Durban in the end, the port was also destroyed by war, even if the British still occupied it. , It takes a long time and a lot of energy to turn it into a bridgehead to attack the Boers!

However, the British who were really mobilized still put tremendous pressure on the Boers. The war has been going on for half a year. According to history, the Boers have already lost the ability of the large corps to smash forward and the mode of war will change from regular warfare. It became a "police war" but at this time, the Boers, who were on the strength of their forces, were confronted with the British army in a place called Bloemfontein after receiving Bavarian weapons and American support....

This is the southern gate of the Boer Republic, and it is also an important intersection of railway lines entering and leaving the Boers. If the British take this place, then they can use it as a base and follow the railway line to Johannesburg and even Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal Republic. Solve the war in one fell swoop, and if the Boers get stuck at this critical point, the cost of maneuvering for the British troops who have lost the railway will increase greatly. After all, if there is no train, then all the British troops’ equipment and supplies can only be equipped with horses. Transportation, and it is obviously very difficult for a large army to cross half of South Africa to Johannesburg!

The 20,000 British native British troops, 5,000 Australian troops and 15,000 Indian Legions, which the British gathered in half a year, confronted the 27,000 Boers here. Kruger not only concentrated the most elite Transvaal First Division. Here, there are also American artillery and Orange's elite troops. The fighting situation between the two sides was forced to turn into a battle of positions.

The British have advantages in numbers and firepower, but Naihe is the offensive side, and the other side has the advantage of terrain, and backed by their own motherland, supplies and personnel are very easy. So the two armies fought like angry bulls. No one can do anything for a while.

There is a fatal crisis hidden under the stable battlefield. According to the plan made by Caliput for the Boers, after the Eastern Cape area is taken, the main force should be quickly concentrated to advance to the British hinterland, no matter how many places it can occupy, At least the entire transportation system, material warehouses, and important transportation hubs in South Africa must be completely destroyed. However, Kruger's actions were slower after all.

With the Eastern Cape already in hand, in order to expand the territory of the "Future Boer Republic" as much as possible, Kruger even used its precious military power in Bechunaland (later Botswana) in the west and Botswana in the north. South rodnia. The number of the Boer regiment was originally small. After the troops were dispersed, they naturally lost their military advantage. When Kruger realized that his precious troops were used where it was not needed, he regrouped and prepared to go south. People have concentrated a large number of troops, starting from Cape Town and killing along the railway line to the Boer Republic!

In half a year, the British mobilized 100,000 troops and as many as 30,000 livestock. Among them, light mules ordered 12,000 heads, and 30 ox cart transport companies were formed, each with ox carts. 100 vehicles. But even so, in the face of the transportation network that has been destroyed by the Boers, the British can deploy 40,000 people in Bloemfontein has reached the limit of transportation.

And under this circumstance, the British still dare not launch an offensive, because they calculated that once a large-scale offensive is launched, let alone whether they can break through the opponent's position, the ammunition consumed during a simple offensive is not something that the British army can bear. . "At most 3 days, we can light up the logistics troops and transport ammunition for more than half a month. If the attack fails, then we will be a problem even with defense. Because almost all of our ammunition now comes from Cape Town, East London and Port Elizabeth are transported here, and the nearest ports are more than 400 miles away! And these railways are still intermittent!" The British Commander-in-Chief Lord Roberts wrote in his diary. Spotlight.

Of course, the Boers are also not easy here. In addition to the old places where food can be collected, the weapons transportation roads of the Boers are farther than the British. Weapons and equipment shipped from Germany will first arrive in Mozambique, which is now a German colony. , And then it can be transported to the front line through the long transportation line, but fortunately, no one destroys the Boer’s transportation line. The railway transportation is still smooth. Although it is farther, the logistics supply pressure is not great~www.wuxiaspot.com~The troops can eat and wear. Housing is guaranteed.

But this kind of stalemate made the Boers themselves somewhat overwhelmed. The opponent is an empire, the most powerful enemy country in the world! Comparing it with consumption, isn't it a death hunt? For the British to maintain an unbeatable situation for the time being is a victory in itself! After giving the British a few months, the British can mobilize another 100,000 troops into South Africa. When that happens, what will the Boers do with the British?

"The defense of the British Bloemfontein is more than aggressive and insufficient, and if we can further weaken this supply line, then when the opponent's material storage drops to a certain level, we only need to consume it, and then a round of violent Attacks can achieve a breakthrough. Then go south and defeat the British before they can gather a stronger army. We must use our mobile advantage to burn the war to the rear of the British!" Pershing said bluntly in a military meeting. Said.

The idea is very good, but it is very difficult to implement it. The British have 100,000 troops in South Africa! In addition to the 40,000 people in the front, 30,000 people are deployed on the railway lines along the way, while the other 30,000 people are used to defend important cities and fortresses. Although these troops deployed along the route are scattered, they still have a variety of firearms, including machine guns and rapid-fire guns, and many of them are marines composed of Royal Navy marines, which are superior in technical and tactical skills and artillery. One chip.