Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
If you had a God's-eye view, you could clearly see a situation like this on the real-time map of the Franco-German War. From the first minute of the war, the German army had no intention of holding their territory on the border, but instead set up defenses about fifty to one hundred kilometers away from the border. This was because the terrain there was more rugged and winding, making it easier to disrupt the enemy's forces.
So on February 24th, the French Army advanced smoothly, as if entering a deserted place. But when they entered the pocket of the wedge-shaped position, the National Defense Forces's armor division, to be precise, the armor vehicle division, quickly deployed infantry behind the French Army, cutting off the advancing France troops from the following forces.
Although the distance is not so great as to be unacceptable, it is not easy to complete the rendezvous in the mountains. If the surrounded troops have a strong fighting spirit, they can certainly defend their position and hold out until reinforcements arrive. However, for the upper echelons, there may be no difference between waging war against another country and defending one's homeland, but for the lower-ranking soldiers, it is a different matter.
Take the soldiers of the French Army, for example. They did not participate in this special military operation because they believed President Dumeiro's propaganda about demilitarizing and decommunizing Germany, nor did they think they were there to liberate the German people. They came to Germany solely for higher pay.
Therefore, when they encounter resistance, their first thought is not how to counterattack but rather how to save their own lives. They can only rely on the reputation of France's achievements from World War I and the title of having the strongest army in the world to intimidate their opponents. If surrounded by the enemy, it is highly likely that they would consider how to surrender.
On February 27th, the French Army encountered a full-scale counterattack from the National Defense Forces. Similar battles to Freiburg were not uncommon, and both sides suffered minimal casualties, as the French Army chose to surrender directly upon realizing they were surrounded. It's more accurate to say that the German army was capturing prisoners rather than engaging in annihilation warfare, as they managed to capture a whopping 100,000 people in just three days.
When the statistical results were placed on Strasser's desk, the Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Force was left speechless. He even repeatedly asked the telegraph operator to confirm whether the message was false. After receiving a positive response, Strasser sighed, "I never expected the French Army to be so vulnerable; even if it were a hundred thousand pigs, it wouldn't take three days to catch them all."
After losing nearly a third of the troops on the front line, the French Army headquarters was finally awakened. All levels of the organization quickly sprang into action, and the orders conveyed from the highest military command to the frontline combat units were very simple: retreat. The French Army swiftly withdrew to its original positions before the operation began, deliberately abandoning most of the areas vulnerable to ambush, while retaining some advantageous areas for future offensives.
They need to take a brief rest and wait for the arrival of reinforcements before launching a new attack. Although the capture of 100,000 people is indeed a huge loss, after all, it is not the death of 100,000 people, which is not an unacceptable situation for France. Moreover, President Duméry has also blocked the news, and he does not want anti-war forces within France to cause trouble at this time.
In President Du Mielo's view, as long as the armed forces of Germany are defeated, those captured soldiers will soon be able to return to their homeland, and France will not suffer any losses at all.
The government immediately strengthened media censorship after the front-line army encountered a counterattack on February 27, requiring all media to accept wartime supervision and strictly review articles published by embedded journalists.
Fortunately, because the troops advanced too quickly, these embedded journalists did not keep up with their pace and naturally did not know what was happening on the front line.
They only vaguely learned from the troops that had retreated from the front lines that the vanguard had encountered a minor setback, and the Germans had launched a counterattack, so the French Army needed a temporary rest before launching another offensive.
The French people were completely unaware of what was happening at the front; they were still immersed in the dream of a 1 hour and 22 minutes Speedrun Berlin.
However, not everyone was kept in the dark; at least on the British Isles, the British people were already discussing issues related to the Franco-Prussian War.
London, UK
10 Downing Street
At this time, the British Cabinet is meeting here.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today I have gathered you here to hear your thoughts on the recent outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War and what stance the British Empire should take."
The British Prime Minister, Baldwin, asked the various government officials present, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Austen Chamberlain, and the Minister of Health, Neville Chamberlain.
"The actions of the French people have disrupted the peaceful atmosphere of Europe, and we must strongly condemn it."
Neville's words received agreement from those present.
"That's right, the French people are despicable for deceiving the British Empire; this is an unforgivable act. I suggest all newspapers should criticize the French government."
"We could dig up some gossip about Dumérol; I've heard this guy really enjoys throwing lavish parties at the Élysée Palace."
The Minister of the Navy's words caused a burst of laughter. However, one person couldn't help himself, and that was Austen Chamberlain. He was strongly against France invading Germany. From the country's perspective, if France were to dismantle Germany, there would be no one left in Western Europe to balance France, which is inconsistent with Britain's continental equilibrium policy.
From a personal emotional perspective, Chamberlain had a good friendship with Strasser, the Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Force in Germany, and he did not wish for this young man to commit suicide due to military failures.
"I ask you, do you have no other means besides condemnation? It is a disgrace that we stand by while the French people are conquering territories. I believe everyone present knows what the consequences of France's successful military operation will be," Viscount Chamberlain mocked.
"However, what can we do? With the mere 200,000 troops of the German army, it's only a matter of time before France crushes them. I heard they have already reached Berlin, even if we wanted to mediate, it's too late."
The Minister of the Interior shrugged helplessly, of course they could see the impact of France's victory.
However, the French people's recent actions were not coordinated with the British side at all. They only found out about the French plans to attack after President Duvalier announced the special military operation. Previously, so many British media outlets that had been mocking the Soviet Union are now playing dead. Even if the UK has extraordinary foresight, they cannot stop the French people's actions now.
Even if they send weapons to Germany, by the time the weapons arrive in Germany, the French Army will have already entered Berlin. They can't just directly send troops, right?
Chamberlain fell silent. He knew that the Minister of the Interior was speaking the truth. If the French Army's advance was really that fast, then any action taken by Britain would be futile.
If your own strength is not enough, it is impossible to succeed by relying on others to resist aggression.
"That's not necessarily true," Baldwin the Prime Minister interrupted the noisy crowd, taking out a document from his bag. "This is the battle report of the Franco-Prussian War that the Military Intelligence Department just delivered this morning. It's intelligence from our spies in France and Germany, and the information is absolutely reliable."
After reading this battle report, you will definitely have a new perspective on This war.
Comment 0 Comment Count