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Text Chapter 875 The Americans want to strike first

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    £®  Army's 'Autumn Offensive, at the beginning, the Russian 1st Army consisted of 3! 3rd, 4th and 20th Army), and was supported by 5 Cavalry Divisions and the 5th Infantry Brigade.  The 2nd Army consisted of 6 corps (1st, 2613th, 5th and 23rd Army, the first 2 corps were later transferred to the 1st Army), and was supported by 3 cavalry divisions and the 1st Infantry Brigade.  The strength of these two armies is 200,000 and 250,000 respectively. They have greatly exceeded the number of the German 8th Army confronting them.  However, the Russian army's complete lack of combat preparations before the war was one of the decisive factors in this battle.

    Except for numbers, the German army was stronger than the Russian army in every aspect.  The German army was commanded by General von Pritwitz and consisted of four armies (the 11th, 17th and 20th armies and a reserve army) as well as various garrison units and the 1st Cavalry Division.  The comparison of the strength of the German army and the Russian army is: the infantry is 117, and the cavalry is 17, which is at a disadvantage.  This numerical disadvantage was fully compensated by the excellent organization, management and leadership of the German army.

    The German 8th Army had four outstanding senior officers, who jointly won the victory of this battle under the leadership of the steady second commander General Hindenburg.  Chief of Staff Ludendorff is resolute and confident, smart, capable, and energetic; General von Grunert is a very competent minister of munitions; General Francois is a talented and adventurous military commander who has achieved great success.  The most decisive tactical result; Colonel Max Hoffman of the General Staff is not only active and profound in thinking, but also loves to have fun and be carefree.  He was perhaps the best of them all.

    Compared with the high-level German generals, the quality of Russian commanders is really low.  Although Zhilinsky commanded a cavalry division, he did staff work most of the time, so he did not gain the trust of his subordinates.  Lennenkampf and Samsonov had won a high reputation for their outstanding command in the Sino-Russian War, but during that war they had quarreled with each other (reportedly at a train station).  Some believe this was the reason for Lennenkampf's lack of cooperation with another army commander during this battle.

    Zhilinsky ordered the 1st Army to cross the border on August 17 and march towards the Insterburg-Angleburg line.  Lennenkampf would use most of his cavalry to cut off the German left wing from Koenigsberg.  The general plan of the headquarters was for the 1st Army to advance ahead of the 2nd Army in order to attract the Germans, and then the 2nd Army would attack the German flanks and rear.  Therefore, Samsonov is scheduled to cross the border on August 19, and his first target is the Rastenburg-Seburg line, about 43 kilometers from the border.

    Lennenkampf crossed the border on the designated date on August 17. Soon, his 3rd Army came into contact with the German 1st Army.  The battle that day took place near Staruponen, with both sides suffering heavy casualties and making little progress.  On the night of 1718, the German army retreated towards Gombinnen, and the Russian army followed them at a slow speed. They also arrived at Gombinnen on the evening of the 19th.  The German army retreated from here at midnight that day!

    In the early days of the battle, the poor command of the German 8th Army Commander Prittwitz and Chief of Staff Waldzer made it impossible for the Germans to repel the Russian attack.  In the end, Moltke dismissed the two of them from their positions and replaced them with General von Hindenburg and General Erich Ludendorff as the commander-in-chief and chief of staff of the German Army on the Eastern Front respectively.

    Hindenburg and Ludendorff arrived at Marienburg on the afternoon of August 23.  The German army found a document in the notebook of a killed Russian officer, which recorded the detailed plan of the Russian army to launch a concentrated offensive.  Hindenburg did not say when this information was obtained, but it is presumed that it was obtained upon his arrival.  Obviously, the acquisition of this information made the German command unsure about Lennenkampf's movements.  It was not until the 25th that, according to an intercepted wireless telegram, the German command clearly understood that Lennenkampf was moving very slowly, so Ludendorff decided to place only 1 cavalry division (less than 1 brigade) in front of it.  ).

    Samsonov¡¯s Second Army finally lumbered across the border on August 21 and 22, a date well behind schedule.  Under Zhilinsky's strict orders, his troops set off before mobilization was complete.  Due to inadequate transportation facilities, a disorganized supply system, lack of food for the soldiers, and having to march on crowded sandy trails, the troops were in very bad shape.

    By this time, the German army had completed its counterattack and launched a counterattack on August 24!  After several days of fierce fighting, the German army gained the advantage on the battlefield!

    On August 29th and 30th, the three German armies launched a powerful offensive against the center of the Russian army, mercilessly driving them to the front of Francois's troops waiting for them.  Francois's army has blocked the Russian army's retreat along the Knightenburg-Willenberg line.  The Russian Second Army was attacked fiercely by the German army. After two days of hard fighting, the Russian Second Army was defeated.  During this battle, the German army captured 920,000 prisoners, killed 70,000 Russian soldiers, captured and destroyed all Russian artillery and transportation, and suffered only 150,000 casualties.

    Lennankamp?? made no effort to support the defeated Samsonov, but continued to move slowly and listlessly on the Werau-Geldaun-Angleborg line.  His end is coming too.  In the subsequent Battle of Lake Masuria, he was driven out of East Prussia and lost approximately 60,000 soldiers and 150 cannon.

    The consequences of the Russian army¡¯s autumn offensive were very serious.  The Allies had placed great hopes on the Russian "steam roller". The rapid collapse of the Russian 2nd Army greatly shocked the Allies. It also let the Allies know that it would be very difficult to defeat Germany.  At least you have to pay a huge price!

    When Russia launched the Autumn Offensive, the United States also received a request for help from France. At the same time, the United Kingdom also asked the United States to fulfill its treaty obligations as soon as possible and send troops to participate in the war!

    The demands of France and the United Kingdom put the United States in a very difficult position.  The general mobilization in the United States has been fully launched, and a large number of young people have been recruited into the army.  However, the United States does not want to apply their military power to the European battlefield. They face a powerful threat from China!

    On August 12, the French Ambassador to the United States once again asked to see U.S. President Taft, but he still did not receive a satisfactory answer!

    "Gentlemen, the French ambassador just left here. The French suffered a disastrous defeat in the border battle that just ended. France hopes that the U.S. Army can send an army to participate in the war against Germany. What do you think?" Taaffe  President Tuo asked.

    "Your Excellency, our mobilization has not been completed yet. We cannot disperse our troops to Europe until we have resolved China's threat to us!" U.S. Secretary of War Jacob MM Dickinson first objected.  Although, the U.S. Army's plan is to mobilize two million troops.  But he does not have the confidence to rely on these two million troops to withstand China's attack.  Therefore, he firmly opposed sending limited troops to Europe.

    "Your Excellency, I am also opposed to it. China is our biggest enemy!" Vice President James S. Sherman also said!

    ¡°What about other people¡¯s opinions?¡± President Taft continued.

    As a result, almost everyone's opinion is that they oppose soldiers going to Europe. From the perspective of Americans, the war in Europe has little to do with the United States. The reason why the United States joined the Allied Powers is to deal with China.  At present, the Chinese seem to have no tendency to attack, so the United States should seize the time to accumulate combat power instead of intervening in the European war!

    "Then, Your Excellency, Secretary of State, please reply to the French and British governments. The United States will do its best to hold China back so that China will have no extra energy to intervene in the European battlefield. I think this is also our greatest contribution to this war!"  President Fut said!

    "Yes, Your Excellency, President!" Secretary of State Philander Cs Knox said.

    "Gentlemen, the Chinese have not joined the war yet, but I can feel that their attack is coming soon. There is no doubt that we will be the first target of the Chinese attack. So,  What should we do?" President Taft asked.  China poses too great a threat to the United States. It can threaten the west coast of the United States from the Hawaiian Islands, and it can also attack the heart of the United States from Mexico.  China¡¯s naval bases in Colombia and Ecuador will pose a serious threat to the U.S-controlled Panama Canal, and China¡¯s strongholds in the Lesser Antilles will harm U.S. interests in the Caribbean.  If the United States wants to expand outward, it must first break the blockade set up by the Chinese around the United States!

    "Your Excellency, the Navy believes that we cannot wait for the Chinese to attack us first, but should take the initiative! First, the Chinese military base on Guadeloupe must be destroyed. Our battleships have tried to pass Panama several times  The canal entered the Pacific Ocean, but was discovered by Chinese warships, and was intercepted by the main force of the Chinese Pacific Fleet. These warships were stationed in Guadeloupe. In addition, the Chinese military bases in Colombia and Ecuador also had to  Destroy it, so that the threat of the Panama Canal can be guaranteed. Only if the main force of the navy enters the Pacific Ocean through the Panama Canal can it defend the west coast!" said Navy Minister George von Lengelke Meyer.

    "You mean, we want to provoke a war with the Chinese first? But, is the navy capable of defeating the Chinese navy? The Chinese's Tang-class battleships are already in service, and our Pennsylvania-class battleships are still on the slipway.  !" President Taft asked!
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