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Volume Three Far East Stories Chapter 248 The German Spring Offensive

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    Great military strategists can always seize fleeting opportunities. In early April 1918, as the Soviet Union used the Kolchak coup to overthrow the Socialist Revolutionaries and the Constituent Assembly in the Siberian Provisional Army in Ufa.  After the autonomous government regained its footing and took a breath, the German commander Ludendorff finally swung down the hammer he had been holding for a long time.

    On April 10, 1918, on the same day that Kolchak was announced as the Supreme Consul of Russia, the German army launched a comprehensive offensive against the Allied Powers on the Western Front.

    Through mobilization throughout February and March, German commander Ludendorff deployed 178 divisions on the Western Front, although it was not more numerous than the 173 divisions on the Allied defense line.  The German troops in Belgium and France included 1,232,000 infantry, 24,000 cavalry, 5,500 heavy field artillery and 8,800 light field artillery.

    Competing against it on the opposite side of the front is the Allied Powers' 1.48 million infantry, 74,000 cavalry, 6,800 heavy artillery and 8,900 light artillery.

    The number of German troops was nearly 250,000 fewer, but the German army had an advantage in infantry weapons per division: heavy and medium machine guns, Germany had 350, the Allies had 64; mortars, Germany had 50  Gate, the Allies have thirty-six gates.

    In turn, the Allied air force was nearly three times stronger than Germany's - in the British sector it was 1,255 aircraft compared to 1,020 German aircraft; in the French sector it was approximately 2,000 aircraft compared to 470 aircraft  .  However, Germany's operational philosophy of concentrating superior forces allowed them to concentrate their aircraft where needed, thus partially offsetting the Allies' air superiority.

    More than 125 miles of the Entente's front was assigned to four British armies - from north to south, the Second, First, Third and Fifth - including the reserve corps and two Portuguese divisions.  A total of fifty-nine divisions.

    At least ninety-seven French divisions were deployed on a three-hundred-mile-long front, with ten Belgian and five American divisions supplementing the Allied strength.

    This is an unprecedented war. The Allies have the numerical advantage and are the defenders. Germany has the advantage of artillery and machine guns, but lacks air power. For the Allies, if they can delay the delayed German attack, they will gain an advantage.  As for Germany, before 2 million American troops arrive on the European battlefield, they must deal with France and seek a victorious armistice.

    Ludendorff¡¯s first offensive in 1918 can be regarded as an outstanding example of local warfare technology.  The German army crossed forty miles of territory in eight days, a record in the history of trench warfare.  Unfortunately, the British army bore the brunt of the battle, suffering approximately 165,500 casualties. The British Fifth Army was almost completely wiped out.

    The casualties on the French side were much better, but they were as high as 77,000. The British and French captured a total of 70,000 people, and more than 1,100 field guns were captured by the Germans. When the rapidly advancing Germans captured two of their  Even the usually taciturn British were shocked when they drank a million bottles of whiskey!

    Of course, from a strategic perspective, although Ludendorff's German army won, it failed to achieve its strategic goal. The German army lost 239,000 troops, but it still failed to get close to Paris, nor could it truly separate and destroy the British and French defense lines.  The losses of German veterans are irreparable in the short term.

    Many of these soldiers were highly trained in assault force infiltration tactics, but now they were lying on the ground forever. Germany was seriously short of manpower, while American troops continued to reinforce the Allies.  On April 25, General Pershing placed at P¨¦tain's disposal four American divisions equal in manpower to eight French or British divisions.

    Due to the lack of combat experience of the US military, the French commander sent them to a quiet defense zone to replace the French division and go to the main front to participate in the battle. The result of this attack was that the German army gave up the offensive and switched to defense 15 days later. It can be said that it was a futile effort.  But both the Allies and the Central Powers claimed a huge victory.

    The Germans are certainly qualified to say this. As the attacking side, they suffered fewer casualties than the other side, and captured many more prisoners than the other side. In fact, they broke through the British defense line to a depth of forty miles, and endured nearly 20 days of blood and fire.  The casualties on both sides during the fight were as high as 500,000, which made the whole world take a breath. If this battle continues like this, all the men in Europe will die!

    Of course, the British and French Allied Powers are also qualified to claim that they have won the battle, because it was the Germans who retreated in front of the position in the end. The last line of defense of the British and French troops remained motionless. Moreover, the U.S. military officially set foot on the battlefield for the first time, and there were more behind them.  1.8 million US troops are waiting for cross-ocean reinforcements. Behind the Germans are completely unreliable emerging countries such as Finland, Poland, and Lithuania that are experiencing civil strife.

    Of course, when the battle just started, especially after the British Fifth Army was defeated by the Germans within 24 hours, the Allies' nerves were also very tight. Zhu Erdian and Kant, who were far away in China, dragged the American Minister RayShi Shi directly broke into Wang Geng's headquarters in Nanyuan and strongly demanded that China reinforce the European Western Front, or directly dispatch from the Eastern Front and go straight to Moscow!

    As the saying goes, you have to jump over the wall when you are in a hurry. The Allies were really panicked at the beginning of the German Operation Michael. They knew that even if China or Japan could reinforce Europe, they would take a train to Siberia to help the East.  In order to contain the front line, we should take the sea route and go directly to France to support the Western Front. We could not reach the battlefield for a month and a half.

    Based on the German offensive momentum at that time, let alone one and a half months, the Western Front may not be able to support it for another half month.

    The answer Wang Geng gave was obviously beyond the expectations of the ministers from the United States, Britain and France. Shi Shiran said,

    "Japan's industrial economy and military strength are much stronger than China's. Even the towns and population in the West Siberian Plain are much larger than those in China's Northern Federal Autonomous Region. Moreover, the Japanese army in West Siberia is at least closer to Europe than the Chinese participating armies.  3,000 kilometers away, Japan¡¯s navy is the first in Asia and the fourth in the world. If we want to send troops, Japan should send troops first!¡±

    "Gun, that's not what you said. The Japanese dispatched troops were in a hurry just to deal with the Soviet guerrillas in the Western Siberian plains. Moreover, Japan currently has less than twenty standing divisions. How can we expect Japan at this time?  It¡¯s better to send out your combat troops!¡± French Minister Kant shouted anxiously.

    "I don't agree with this. Why didn't Minister Lin Quan and Minister Lin come with you today? He must have a guilty conscience and dare not come and tell me clearly in person. This guy owes me too many favors. Without me, Japan would be  By using the Trans-Siberian Railway to transport troops, arms and supplies, can Japan stand firm in the Western Siberian Plain? "

    Wang Geng took out a cigar and lit it, puffed away the smoke and said lazily.

    "Gun, Ludendorff is coming with great force this time. To tell you the truth, the British army's front has almost collapsed, the Fifth Army has almost completely collapsed, and the troops have withdrawn across the Somme. If China and Japan do not take action at this time,  It will be too late by then!" The British Minister Zhu Erdian has a lot of white hair, and he doesn't mind the family scandal at this time. He even reported the scandal of the defeat of the Fifth Army to his family.

    "My dear John, it is really beyond our reach at the moment. To put it harshly, China itself is not unified at the moment. Various forces are competing for the election of the House of Representatives. They are just waiting for August to decide the outcome. Can the military participating in the war  It is not easy to maintain land reform and stability in the provinces north of the Yellow River. If you are not careful, the civil war in China may start again before the civil war in Russia subsides! "

    Wang Geng talked about his helplessness and worries in an understatement. In short, he was unable to help.

    "Gun, the U.S. government has decided to urgently reinforce the French front. Expeditionary Force Commander Pershing has handed over the command of five U.S. divisions to French General Foch, and every day nearly 10,000 U.S. troops board ships to cross the ocean for reinforcements.  On the French battlefield, President Wilson asked me to bring you a message. It¡¯s time for China, the sleeping lion, to show its value and strength!¡±

    The American minister doesn't talk much, but it is crucial. As an important partner of China-US strategic cooperation, the United States plays a pivotal role in China's diplomacy. In other words, the Chinese Participating Army and the many large enterprises established by Wang Geng in China are all behind it.  It would not be possible without the huge support of the United States.
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