Chapter 702: Unexpected Balkan War
According to Rupresit's idea, in the last less than 4 years, everyone was violent, and then it was just a matter of victory or defeat. But soon, the facts tell Rupresit what it means to be counterproductive! In addition to climbing technology, carrying out military reforms, and accumulating supplies, under the leadership of Germany's first Super Dreadnought Helgeland, a formation of four German Dreadnought and Super Dreadnought ships began their first voyage around the world. And just as the German fleet had just entered the Caribbean Sea and was about to chat with its allies and Americans, something went wrong in the Balkans!
On September 15, 1908, three Dandong-class battleships flying the Greek flag appeared in the Aegean Sea. On the second day, the four countries of Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Montenegro suddenly announced the establishment of the Balkan Alliance, but on September 20, 1908, the four countries simultaneously declared war on the Ottoman Turkish Empire! Unprepared, the Turkish Empire can only rely on its less than 100,000 troops in Europe to resist the first wave of as many as 400,000 troops from the opponent!
In this case, facing a group of nationalist leaders, smashing iron and making armaments, and at the same time gaining strong support from the Allied Powers of the Balkan Alliance, Turkey, which hastily challenged the battle, was naturally a victim of defeat. The Turkish reinforcement plan also fell through because of three Dandong-class battleships flying the Greek flag. It is very slow to transfer troops from the depths of the empire by land, but by sea, it is impossible to cross the Aegean Sea. The only relatively modern armored cruiser of the Turkish Navy, Prince Albert, can’t do anything larger than itself. Dandong-class quasi-dreadnought ship, not to mention there are three others!
The little brother was caught off guard, and he was helpless in a short time. So naturally, he was looking for the eldest brother. On the third day after the war broke out, the Turkish ambassador to Germany issued a diplomatic note asking for help. In the afternoon, related documents were sent to Rupresit's desk in the form of telegram.
"It's a good time to find it." Rupresit had to admit that he was a little miscalculated this time. He did not expect that the Allied Powers would dare to instigate the four Balkan countries to Turkey when Russia has not fully recovered. Start the war. At the same time, the explosive power of the four Balkans also surprised Rupresit. What should I say? In summary, the combat effectiveness is somewhat high!
The total population of the four countries combined has just passed 10 million, but the first wave of troops has accumulated 500,000 troops, which is a 5% enlistment rate! The proportion of this army to the total population has reached Germany in the middle and late stages of World War I. It is impossible for Germany to mobilize 5% of its population in the first wave. That is 3.5 million troops! In fact, Germany’s first wave of offensive and defensive incidents did not include 2.5 million! But the question is, Germany is one of the best industrial countries on the planet, and what are the four Balkan countries?
Especially what makes Rupresit terrifying is that Serbia, a country with a total population of only 2.91 million, a population of only 1.5 million men, and a population of only 530,000 soldiers, actually mobilized 175,000 troops in the first place! One third of school-age men have joined the army! It's not an exaggeration to say that it is a wave of mouthfuls! With this kind of desperate energy, it's no wonder that a small Seville in the 1st battle actually made the Austria-Hungary empire like a throat!
In addition to Serbia, the Kingdom of Greece is not weak. Greece, with a population of 2.6 million, has also mobilized nearly 100,000 troops, ranking second among the four countries. The Navy of the Kingdom of Greece has played an extremely important role. In history, Greece used one ship. The armored cruiser purchased from Italy steadily suppressed the Turkish navy and cut off the sea transportation line. And this time, the Greek Navy with three Dandong-class battleships even had enough surplus to provide support for the army, so with the support of the navy, the Greek army brought the entire coastal area of the Peloponnese into its own control. Among. This hand is very good to play with the sea and land.
The time chosen by the Allied Powers and the Balkan Alliance is indeed good. The Prussian Army is undergoing army reforms after the tragic failure of the last exercise. There is no time or energy to manage Turkey’s affairs, or in other words, to let Germany internalize for Turkey. The delay or suspension of the military reform of the United States is not worth the gain. Not to mention the German General Staff. Even Rupresit himself does not recommend making a big fight in this situation.
The use of naval deterrence is also a way to at least ensure smoother maritime transport in Turkey, but now, the four main forces of the German high seas fleet are all in the Americas, and the strength of the local fleet is greatly reduced. It is impossible to withdraw one with sufficient deterrence. The fleet goes to the Mediterranean to protect Turkey's interests. You must know that behind the Balkan Alliance are the Allies. People in the Mediterranean have huge advantages. Therefore, the final result is that although Rupresit believes that the Allied Powers should not dare to do anything to Turkey, in fact, they still do it!
So now the question is ~www.wuxiaspot.com~ How should the German government handle this matter? One week after the war broke out, Mackensen came to Bavaria on behalf of the General Staff of the Prussian Army and wanted to discuss the Turkish issue with Rupresit.
"Under this situation, it is not convenient for the German Empire to intervene. As you know, the situation of the Imperial Army is that we are carrying out a life-and-death reform. No external matters should affect this reform, and the direct participation of the empire is likely to The war has evolved into a battle between the Allies and the Allies. The time is not right. But the Bavarian Legion in the hands of His Royal Highness has completed reforms and its combat effectiveness is very high. At the same time, the Blue Legion based on your country’s elite forces is in the Far East and South Africa. The performance of North Africa and North Africa are very eye-catching, so the central government of the Empire hopes that this time the Kingdom of Bavaria can turn the tide and help our allies tide over the difficulties." Mackensen paused and said.
"Of course, the imperial government will be responsible for the military expenses of your army's participation in the war, and your country can also reach some economic or trade cooperation agreements with the Turkish Empire. These empires will not interfere," Mackensen said. I understand very well, let the Bavarian Legion be a mercenary once again to help Turkey solve this crisis, and then it is good to watch and fish.
"No, the Bavarian Legion is not suitable for war this time." Ruprecht shook his head and gave Mackensen a surprising answer.
The third one is here~~~! The Balkan war was just a transition, and it was a battle soon.
