Chapter 1213: Playing Big 1
Chapter 1213 Playing too big 1
As a civil servant, Churchill thought the problem was too simple. And even Lord Hamilton, a veteran of the British Army, unconsciously made another mistake, that is, whether this battle is worth fighting! Or when to do it!
Will there be much benefit from this battle if it succeeds? certainly! There is no doubt about that! If Constantinople is donated, the entire 3B railway will be cut in half, Germany will lose the oil in the two river basins, Turkey will most likely collapse as a result, and one of the Allied Tridents will be broken in an instant. The Allied Mediterranean Fleet may be completely annihilated. The best result is that it can only stay in the Black Sea and then be renamed the Allied Black Sea Fleet...
In order to win this victory, from a God's perspective, there is only one way, and that is to follow the famous saying of Napoleon the Great: "Speed is the only way to win!" This speed does not mean that now The speed of preparation of the British was at the battle level! In other words, if Britain and France want those here, they must prepare for action within 3 months after the war begins! In other words, the Western Front has stabilized, the Bavarian Army is fighting with the Russians on the Eastern Front, Serbia is suppressing Austria-Hungary, and Romania and Bulgaria are still waiting and watching. It is best to choose to take action!
Why is this time good? The reason is very simple. Almost all the forces of Germany and Austria are involved on the east and west fronts. The troops of the Austro-Hungarian Empire remaining in the Balkans cannot even deal with Serbia! From an army perspective, the overall situation of the Allied Powers in the Balkans is excellent!
The best thing is that both Romania and Bulgaria are neutral at this time! If they hadn't realized that the other party would definitely choose to join the Allies, the German army would not have easily set foot in these two areas! In other words, it will not be easy for Deao to get over it! Even if the entire Serbia is mobilized, facing the three neutral countries of Bulgaria, Romania and Greece, unless Germany is willing to risk going to war with the three countries at the same time, it will not be able to directly support Turkey! Although supplies are flowing smoothly at this time, the military is insulated from Turkey!
Of course, you may say that the Allied forces are not enough at this time. If they are placed on the Western Front, how can they be sent to the distant Eastern Mediterranean? This is just a layman’s issue! In fact, the British and French armies on the Western Front have always had a huge advantage in strength, and the number of reserve forces in their hands is outrageous.
After the Bavarian Army ended the battle on the Western Front, after both sides had rested and recuperated, the situation of the British and French armies on the Western Front was as follows. At that time, seven French armies and three British armies formed the core of the defense, with a total of one hundred and ten divisions, with a total of about 2.4 million men. At that time, Germany had 6 armies and several battle groups on the Western Front. It had a total of 85 divisions with a total strength of about 1.7 million men. At that time, the Bavarian Army had already advanced eastward, and the Mackensen Army was also being established. The peak of the German army on the Western Front had passed. The British and French armies, plus the soy sauce Belgians, had a strength advantage of nearly 700,000 or more!
(This comparison of military strength is based on the historical comparison of military strength between the two sides on the Western Front in February 1915.
Historically, the Germans had 94 and a half divisions with a total strength of about 1.9 million, while the British and French armies had 111 divisions with a total strength of about 2.6 million. In fact, before the collapse of Russia, Britain and France had a huge military advantage. By the beginning of 1916, the total number of British and French reserves was as high as 50 divisions, while Germany only had about 26 divisions. Considering that there are more British and French troops on the front line than Germany, the advantage is even greater! Otherwise, it would be impossible for the Allied Powers to deploy 500,000 troops in the Balkans! )
Britain and France have a strong military advantage, but in the case of World War 1, the defender's innate advantage is too great, coupled with the equipment and quality advantages of the German army, it is difficult for the British and French attacks to achieve much results, but at least in the There is no problem with stabilizing the front line. After all, we are all powerful countries at the same level. There will be some differences in combat effectiveness, but the numerical advantage is still important.
At this time, Britain and France were actually fully capable of allocating some to participate in the offensive against Turkey. Although Greece was still neutral at this time, they had already shown a tendency towards the Allies. During the Battle of the Dardanelles in history, the Allies They rented an island in Greece 50 nautical miles away from the strait as a base. At this time, Turkey had no defense at all, or its defense force was very limited. Most of its troops were fighting against the Allied Powers in the Transcaucasus and later Israel. Whether it is to attack Huanglong from the Dardanelles Strait or to launch a land offensive elsewhere in Turkey's European territory, there is a high probability of success, coupled with the support of the Japanese in this plane. As far as the situation in the Balkans is concerned, this time is the most beneficial to Britain and France, but it is a pity that Britain and France did not seize it at all!
As the saying goes, if you don’t take what is given by nature, you will suffer from it. Britain and France failed to get it done when Türkiye was at its weakest. Then as time goes by, the possibility of their success becomes smaller and smaller! Because as time goes by, the Russians are getting weaker and weaker, and the remaining strength of the German legions on the Eastern Front is getting larger and larger!
Now, from a God's perspective, for the British, it is no longer a matter of when to fight or how many troops to send to fight, but a matter of not being able to fight at all! That's right, it just can't be fought! The fruits of victory are indeed tempting, but when you are unable to pick them, it is better to give up the greed in your heart! Churchill, in particular, chose the most difficult path to success - the Dardanelles Strait!
First, let’s take a look at the topography of the Dardanelles Strait. This narrow strait is 61 kilometers long, with a width ranging from 1,200 meters to 6,000 meters. The average water depth is 55 meters, and the deepest point is 82 meters. The main water area is suitable for mining. Both sides are composed of limestone and sandstone and are lined with cliffs. The narrowest point in the strait forms an S-shaped waterway. Prior to this, Turkey had built more than 40 forts on both sides of the strait, equipped with more than 200 artillery pieces of various types, and the number of new artillery pieces was large, far exceeding historical levels. In the sea, the Turkish Navy also deployed three minefields, with a total of more than 800 mines! This is not to say that Turkey cannot produce more mines, but because the Spey fleet will go out for a walk when it is free to facilitate the actions of the Allied Mediterranean Fleet!
If in history Britain and France faced difficulties when launching the Battle of the Dardanelles, and there was the possibility of a breakthrough, then in this dimension, the difficulty of this battle is absolutely epic! It is almost impossible to break through the Dardanelles alone! Even though the British aviation power in this dimension has been greatly enhanced!
If you make the wrong mistake, you will go far!
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