Chapter 905 Battle for the Canal

Cannonballs fell from the sky and fell into the water to make a roaring explosion, which caused huge waves.

The raft, which had just been thrown into the river and had not yet had time to function, was smashed into pieces by the huge waves.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Colonel Boardman has lost hope for the next attack.

No way, the Suez Canal is too narrow. Standing by the river, you can see the opposite side with the naked eye, and no river crossing tools can be kept secret.

You must know that the Suez Canal has been regarded as a top strategic priority by France and Austria since its opening to navigation. In order to ensure the safety of the canal, the two countries have deployed a large number of artillery along the coast.

Without any accident, the French artillery was deployed in Egypt and the Austrian artillery was deployed in the Sinai Peninsula. The two countries occupy each side to protect their own right to speak.

Originally, these artillery pieces and fortresses were to guard against the British, but they did not expect to hit their former allies in the end.

After the outbreak of the war, in order to fully occupy the Suez Canal, both France and Austria invested heavily in the struggle.

However, the defenses of both sides were very perverted, and there was no way for anyone to complete the landing without destroying the canal.

"Powered the headquarters, the enemy was already prepared, the raft we prepared was bombarded by the enemy, and the plan to attack the port of Suez went bankrupt!

In view of the current situation, it is recommended that the headquarters approve the bombing of the Suez Canal and fill in a passage. "

Colonel Boardman said helplessly.

This is not the first time he proposed to blow up the canal. However, the Suez Canal is of great strategic significance, and the technology of dredging this year is not good.

Once a canal is damaged, even in a localized area, it takes a long time to repair it.

In times of war, time is life. Winning a canal that cannot play a strategic role will not be able to form a strategic advantage over the enemy at all.

From the battle between the French and Austrian armies, it can also be seen that everyone is still trying to close the canal as much as possible.

Of course, this has nothing to do with the shareholders behind the Canal Company. After all, the shares of the Suez Canal have long been divided among the elites of the two countries.

Looking at the Buddha's face without looking at the monk's face, even in times of war, one cannot escape interpersonal relationships. Maybe the boss in the headquarters is one of the shareholders of the Canal Company.

No one can make up their minds to destroy the canal unless it is a last resort.

The army is relatively simple. These complex issues are not something Colonel Boardman needs to consider. As a front-line commander, he only needs to consider military issues.

...

After receiving the telegram from Colonel Boardman, the wrinkles on Admiral Feslav's forehead became more and more dense.

In order to facilitate colonial expansion, starting from the establishment of colonies, the colonial governors appointed by Austria are military attachés, mainly responsible for colonial security and foreign wars.

As the governor of the Middle East, from the outbreak of the war, Admiral Feslav automatically became the commander of the Middle East theater, responsible for the capture of the Suez Canal.

Behind the high weight is also accompanied by heavy pressure. Unlike previous enemies, this time the enemy was the French.

If you open the history book, you will know that in the history of war in Europe, the French are a big boss. They are the most powerful country in Europe most of the time, and the French army is recognized as the number one in the world.

In the face of such an enemy, no amount of caution can be overstated.

In fact, it's not just Feslav who thinks so. When the war just broke out, the generals of the anti-French alliance were basically timid.

But all this is in the past tense. With the outbreak of the war, everyone's awe for the French army quickly subsided.

Yes, the elite of the French army is indeed powerful, but there are too few such troops, and more are ordinary troops with poor combat effectiveness.

This is still the case in the European battlefield, not to mention the Egyptian region. Apart from the elite local divisions, the remaining colonial troops were simply not enough to watch.

Because of the obstruction of the canal, although the Middle East theater has not achieved much victory, the brothers in East Africa, West Africa, and North Africa are making great progress.

There is no way, the border line that Fao borders is too long. Although most areas are blocked by deserts, there are many areas without deserts.

The borderline stretched for thousands of miles. Even if the French government wanted to deploy heavy troops for defense, there were not so many troops to fill it. The task of defense naturally fell on the colonial government.

There is no doubt that one side is the feudal nobles who fight for themselves, and the other side is the indigenous army who works for the French.

Victory is always the most morale booster. Admiral Feslav, who was still worried about whether the French would cross the river, is now just thinking about how to fight it.

...

Inside the headquarters, Chief of Staff von Frank said with a smile: "This is already the thirty-sixth telegram suggesting to blow up the Suez Canal. Your Excellency, my commander, it's time to make up your mind."

Admiral Feslav glared at him angrily, rolled his eyes and said, "You think I don't want to, but the impact of blowing up the Suez Canal is too great.

We can't use it ourselves. Anyway, we have already prepared it in China, and we don't expect it to be used normally during the war.

The problem is that when the Suez Canal was opened to navigation, we issued the Canal Eternal Neutrality Announcement, clearly announcing that the canal will be free to navigate at any time.

Now because of the war, the canal is temporarily closed, and the country has shouldered a very large foreign burden.

Pay pressure.

If it is reported at this time that we have blown up the canal, the international public opinion that was originally in our favor will probably be reversed in an instant. "

Whether you like to admit it or not, war is in the service of politics. As a top commander, Admiral Feslav had to consider the political implications.

Don't look at the closure of the Suez Canal now, in fact, neither France nor Austria has publicly announced it, and some are just a proposal from the Footbinding Canal Company.

In theory, the Suez Canal is still open to navigation, and neither France nor Austria can block it.

Of course, as long as you listen to the roaring artillery fire on both sides of the strait, no one dares to pass through the canal at this time.

Dare and can't are completely different concepts. Now Faao is shouldering the international pressure together, because the war was provoked by the French, and everyone's grievances are mostly directed at the French.

If the Austrian army blew up the canal, it would be different, and it would not be the French who cut people's money, but the Austrian government.

It seems that being scolded is just a small problem, but it is deeply analyzed. That means that the international credibility that the government has painstakingly accumulated will be destroyed directly.

The loss of international credibility will inevitably affect the re-establishment of the international order in Austria after the war, and the interests involved are great.

Von Frank nodded, agreeing to this explanation, but the next words directly made Feslav half-dead.

"This is your problem. Who made you the commander? The staff is only responsible for formulating combat plans, and the political influence has nothing to do with us."

Looking at the chief of staff gloating at the misfortune, Admiral Feslav just wanted to punch him, but he could only think about it.

Rules are rules, and the Austrian staff system, from its inception, forbade them to mix politics.

If you really go to think about the problem from a political level, then you will not be far away from getting out.

This is part of the checks and balances of power. It mainly draws on the lessons of the former German army staff in World War I, which is a taboo that cannot be touched.

In fact, Admiral Feslav, the commander, is also restricted from mixing politics, but his special status determines that he must consider issues politically.

Issues that cannot be decided will naturally be reported. Any decisions that might affect the future strategy of the Empire were made only by the Vienna government.

...

In the evening, rows of rafts were quietly launched, and Colonel Boardman went to the front line to do the final mobilization work for the sneak attack.

Looking at the youthful young men, Colonel Boardman neglected to feel that he was full of guilt.

To risk their lives knowing there is little hope is murder in a sense.

But war is so cruel, in order to win the final victory, no opportunity can be missed.

Colonel Boardman's remorse, which did not last long, was quickly broken by a voice.

"Colonel, it's time for action. The enemy searchlights have just swept through, and we only have fifteen minutes."

The advent of the age of electricity has naturally also been applied to the military, such as searchlights on the battlefield.

The width of the Suez Canal is limited, and the lights can be directly illuminated on the opposite side, which naturally becomes a weapon to prevent the enemy from sneak attack at night.

"attack!"

...