Chapter 199

Vienna

In the Austrian General Staff, Marshal Radesky is gathering a group of officers to analyze the actual combat case, the object of which is this Balkan battle.

Based on the information in hand, everyone analyzed the gains and losses of both sides in this battle, and learned lessons from it.

The mystery of the authorities is clear to bystanders.

As a bystander, the Austrian General Staff, a bunch of philistine guys, attacked both sides of the war for nothing.

The Russians: They made a strategic decision and did not choose to break through from the weak Ottoman army. Instead, they fought to the death with the French. Evaluation: The commander has insufficient military literacy and does not know how to adapt.

Coalition forces: ambiguous command authority, endless infighting, mutually holding back each other, and did not play the role of military superiority. Evaluation: The inevitable result of multinational cooperation, which cannot be solved by human beings.

What they have in common: heavy bureaucracy, chaotic command, and rubbish logistics system.

Military comprehensive combat effectiveness assessment:

French: 9.4

British: 9.6

Russians: 7.8

Principality of Montenegro: 10.5

Ottomans: 5

Sardinian: 5

Looking at this evaluation report, Franz's expression was very interesting. The combat effectiveness of the British Army is actually higher than that of France. It is estimated that few people can accept this statement.

The combat effectiveness of the even more bizarre Montenegrin army has actually exploded, and it is still above the major powers.

The rest are relatively normal. The Ottoman army and the Sardinian army are all scum with a combat power of only 5. This statement is widely recognized by the Austrian military.

The Greeks had not yet participated in the war, so an accurate assessment could not be made, and the Bulgarian partisans were not regular troops and were ignored by the staff.

As if aware of Franz's doubts, Marshal Radesky explained: "Your Majesty, the fighting will of the Montenegrin army is the strongest in any country. Every Montenegrin has been trained since childhood, and the training is no worse than that of the armies of other countries. . Coupled with the weapons and equipment we provide, the combat power they can burst is amazing."

If people are not afraid of death, their combat effectiveness will not be too bad. If coupled with the well-trained soldiers and advanced weapons and equipment, it is not surprising that the combat effectiveness is over the top.

However, this kind of explosion also has to be divided into places. Now the Montenegrins are taking revenge and fighting for themselves, and their morale is high, and their combat effectiveness naturally explodes.

If the time and place were changed, this Montenegrin army might not have the fighting power.

Similarly, if the British and French troops fought on the mainland and resisted the invasion of foreign enemies, their combat effectiveness might also explode.

Now they are fighting on behalf of the Ottomans on the Balkans. Apart from factors such as possible geographical environment and acclimatization, the morale alone cannot reach the peak, and the ten-point combat effectiveness can show eight or nine points, even if it is well-trained.

This comprehensive assessment, which changes at any time, is still reliable in Franz's view.

The combat effectiveness of any army is not constant. Only in the most suitable environment can it exert its maximum combat effectiveness.

Franz asked suspiciously: "Your Excellency Marshal, the Montenegrin army is strong in combat, I can accept it.

But how did the British army come to the conclusion that the combat effectiveness of the British army was higher than that of the French army?

From the analysis of the record, the French are obviously better than the British, and these lobster soldiers have almost no record of shooting. "

Marshal Radesky explained: "Your Majesty, the British Army has always been small, but their training is no worse than that of any other country.

Of course, this factor can only prove that the British army is well-trained, and it cannot be said that the British army is stronger than the French army.

The fundamental reason is that Napoleon III was removing dissidents and taking advantage of the opportunity of war to replace some high-level officers.

This kind of personnel transfer will inevitably affect the morale in the short term. It takes time for new officers to take office, and the combat effectiveness of the French army will be reduced in the short term.

On the Balkans, the morale of this French expeditionary force was not high, and its combat effectiveness was therefore reduced.

Based on these factors, the General Staff believes that their combat effectiveness is now inferior to that of the British.

This is not absolute. If these French generals have stronger command ability, they can also make up for this gap. After all, the commanders of the British army are all rookies. "

Franz nodded, this combat evaluation can only be used as a reference. If you take it seriously, prepare to be slapped in the face. The battlefield is ever-changing, and there has always been a saying in the military - the weak wins the strong.

Franz smiled and said: "In this way, the two sides in this battle are still evenly matched, and the winner cannot be determined in the short term.

If the Greeks suddenly broke out and attacked the logistics of the coalition forces, if the coalition forces were caught off guard, would the Russians have a better chance of winning? "

Foreign Minister Metternich explained: "Your Majesty, the Greeks may not be able to count on them.

Although they chose to form an alliance with the Russians for their own benefit, the Greek government did not want to be enemies with Britain and France.

They wanted to be like us, just to go to war with the Ottoman Empire and remain neutral in the battle between the British, French and Russians.

In this battle, the Greeks were afraid that they would not have the courage to attack the British and French logistics lines. Even if they participated in the war, they would only attack the surrounding land, which would not help the overall situation. "

In addition to sighing a pig teammate, Franz could do nothing.

Austria did not send troops and British and French pk, that is, the number of large armies that can support the battle on the Balkans is limited, and the soldiers of Maoxiong are full. After increasing the number of troops, the logistics is finished

.

And the distribution of benefits after the war. Now Austria's main contribution is logistics, so it is reasonable to distribute the benefits according to the prior agreement after the war.

If Austria acts as the main force, the interests that the Russians want now cannot be swallowed up, which is unacceptable to the tsarist government.

In addition to these special circumstances, there is also a crucial condition, that is, Austria has the strength to be neutral, and no matter how upset Britain and France are, they cannot help Austria.

It's different with the Greeks. The British don't mind teaching this disobedient little brother a lesson. Once small countries stand in line, there is no room for manoeuvre. Don't expect Britain and France to listen to their explanations.

The correct way for the Greeks is: either do not do it, or do it absolutely. Both ends of the snake and rat, no matter what the final result is, they will not have good fruit to eat.

After pondering for a while, Franz said: "Then let's wait a little longer, the railway from Vienna to Salzburg has already begun to lay tracks and will be able to open to traffic by the end of the year.

The railway between Munich and Salzburg has also completed the subgrade construction. Technically, most of this section of the railway can be laid with temporary tracks.

Even if the enemy is dead and the net is broken, blocking the Danube and the Rhine, the logistical problems can also be solved. "

Franz is not worried about the military strength of the southern German state. No matter how hard these state governments try, they can't stand the fact that there are many leading parties underneath.

The topic of unification has become hot. In this era, everyone still does not know a word - public opinion kidnapping. But in fact, most of the people of the middle and lower classes in these small states were influenced by public opinion.

When the Austrian army came over, this notion would disintegrate the army's will to fight. Those who surrender can confidently say: We are not surrendering, we are doing our part for the unity of the country.

The only risk is logistics. The Bavarian government chose to die, directly blocking the Danube and the Rhine, and the Austrian army could only transport logistics supplies by land, which would be a headache.

It's too late to wait for the railway in Bavaria to open to traffic, but it doesn't matter, you can also work around and lay temporary tracks on the already completed roadbed.

Because of the terrain, this kind of short-distance railway may only be a small section of tens of kilometers, ten kilometers, or even a few kilometers, which cannot be connected. But Franz couldn't care less, it was better than nothing.

No matter how troublesome it is to dump the materials on the way, it is faster than carrying them on the shoulders by manpower. Every minute on the battlefield is precious, and Austria can follow the example of the relay race transportation mode of the Principality of Montenegro.

...

Balkans

The war has entered a stalemate, the Russians cannot defeat the coalition forces, and the coalition forces cannot help the Russians.

It is embarrassing for both sides of the war: the two most prominent armies on the battlefield are actually the Bulgarian guerrillas and the army of the Principality of Montenegro.

On October 1, 1852, the Montenegrin army conquered the Ottoman fortress heavily guarded by the Ottomans, and the door of Albania was opened.

In the following month, the Montenegrin army swept all the way, and half of Albania fell into their hands. Fortunately, fighting in these places is not the core key point and cannot affect the overall situation.

The performance of the Bulgarian partisans was also very impressive. In the Sliven area, they pressed the Ottoman army to fight, and from time to time they went deep into the rear to do things, which brought great trouble to the logistics and transportation of the coalition forces.

In the Sofia area, the Bulgarian guerrillas smashed the Sardinian army's defenses frontally and penetrated into the rear of the coalition.

If it wasn't for the quick response of the British this time, they quickly mobilized heavy troops to organize a counter-offensive and defeated them, and the coalition forces in Sofia would have been dumped.

If the regular army is dispersed, it becomes a rout. But they were originally guerrillas. After being defeated, they naturally swam, and the coalition commander Montes was about to collapse.

There was no way, the Ottomans were not strong enough to fight on the mainland, but instead they fell into the vast ocean of people's war.

After the collapse of these Bulgarian guerrillas, they went deep into the Bulgarian area, using the support of the local people, to give them a shot from time to time.

Up to now, Montes, the logistical transport of the coalition forces, dared not be escorted by the Ottomans. If there is no British escort of more than 2,000, it is to provide support to the enemy.

Not long ago, 5,000 Ottoman troops escorted strategic supplies, which were directly robbed by the guerrillas on the way. If it weren't for Sofia's abundant reserves, the coalition would be starving.

Even if heavy troops were sent to escort them, every time the supplies were successfully transported, 180 British soldiers fell on the battlefield.

Of course, the enemy died more, but in exchange for British soldiers and guerrillas, Montes felt that he was at a disadvantage.

Montes said angrily: "Let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs send a note to the Sudanese government and ask them to encircle and suppress the guerrillas as soon as possible. We cannot let these people affect our logistical transportation."

It's not that he doesn't want to send troops to encircle and suppress the guerrillas. The problem is that the Russian army on the front line is still watching. As long as he dares to send out the main force of the British army, the Russians will immediately pounce.

But the guerrillas can't just let it go. If they continue to loot like this, the logistics of the coalition forces will collapse sooner or later.

Materials that could have arrived in a week now have to travel for at least ten days. The casualties and material losses continue to increase each time the supplies are delivered.

Then the task of encircling and suppressing the guerrillas can only be handed over to the Ottoman government. They are local snakes, and this job is just right.

Unfortunately, this is only theoretical, the reality is very cruel.

British Major General Eberron said disdainfully: "Your Excellency Commander, the Ottomans may not be able to count on them.

In order to encircle and suppress this guerrilla force, the Ottomans have invested 50,000 troops one after another, and now there are about half of them left.

This group of rice buckets is not material for war at all. When they hear the gunshots, they are scared to pee. Relying on them to surround and suppress the guerrillas is a fool's dream. "

This is an exaggeration, and the Ottoman army was not that scrappy either. The combat effectiveness of these armies is so low, the fundamental reason is that the main forces of the Ottoman Empire are thrown into the battlefield.

The Caucasus has invested 400,000 troops before and after, and the Balkan Peninsula has lost more than 100,000 troops. Now there are more than 400,000 Ottoman troops fighting bloody battles on the battlefield.

Do they have an army there? Now that the war is going on, the Ottoman Empire has all its strength, and this is the greatest force that the Sudanese government can mobilize.

Now, in order to encircle and suppress the guerrillas, they have temporarily assembled an army of 50,000 people, saying that this is the army, and they are looking down on them.

Most of the people here are strong men who have been captured, and the morale of the military is completely lacking. After learning how to shoot, even if the training is completed, it is sent directly to the battlefield.

The weapons and equipment are also old antiques that have been eliminated earlier, and many weapons are older than the soldiers in the previous round.

The firepower of this regular army is on the same level as that of the guerrillas, not even comparable to some guerrillas.

Montes said angrily: "Trash! How could the British Empire find such an ally, it's a shame.

Urge the French, let them fight the Russians as soon as possible, what do they want to do, do they still want to stay in the Balkans for Christmas? "

...