Chapter 446 Preparation for Attack

Amidst the war and diplomacy, 1916 also passed quickly.

Looking back at the whole year of 1916, the situation in Europe was chaotic. The Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme were launched successively, and 1916 was stained with blood.

These two battles alone caused more than 5 million casualties and more than 2 million deaths in the British, French and German armies. They were two absolute super wars.

For the vast majority of the participating countries, this war was more of a loss. The loss of manpower, economic losses, material losses, territorial losses, etc., cast a negative color on this war in the eyes of most European civilians.

If there were sufficiently advanced polling organizations to poll the civilians of all European participating countries at this time, the support of the European people for this war would definitely not exceed one-third.

After the former French commander-in-chief Joffre was dismissed, the new French commander-in-chief was General Nivelle.

Unlike the conservative and stubborn Joffre, Nivelle had a terrible impulse and passion in his heart.

The Somme Campaign, carefully planned by France, did not achieve the expected excellent results, and the new commander-in-chief Nivelle had different plans.

Throughout 1916, France and Germany were engaged in a terrible war of attrition, which made Nivelle very taboo about such a battle.

After Nivelle took office as the commander-in-chief of France, the French people generally hoped that he could bring a glorious victory to end the war.

It was precisely because of the people's expectations of Nivelle that after entering 1917, Nivelle decided to plan a new campaign and named it the Spring Offensive.

The main core of the Spring Offensive was actually a replica and amplification of Nivelle's winning experience in the Verdun area.

Nivelle chose a German salient protruding from east to west on the Aisne River. The British army was in the north of this salient and the French army was in the south.

Nivelle planned that the British would take the lead in launching a fierce attack, just like the Battle of Verdun at the time, to lure the Germans out of their holes, and then France would attack the German flank and tear a gap in the German trench system, thereby achieving a victory that would determine the war.

Of course, in order to expand the results of the war and even promote the arrival of peace, Nivelle also asked Italy and the Balkan coalition forces on the southern front to speed up the attack on the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

At present, apart from Russia, the weakest powerful country should be the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As of now, the casualties of the Austro-Hungarian Empire have exceeded 3 million, and the number of deaths alone is as high as more than 1.2 million.

At present, the remaining combat force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is less than 1.2 million, and it has to be dispersed to the southwestern border and the southern border. Under the attack of the Italian and Balkan coalition forces, the border is already in danger.

If the Germans had not sent an army group to help the Austro-Hungarian Empire defend the border, I am afraid that the Austro-Hungarian Empire would have been discussing where to set up the temporary capital.

This does not mean that the current situation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is better. The logistics of the front-line troops, the treatment of a large number of casualties, the shortage of supplies, and the rise of the strike wave all give the Austro-Hungarian Empire a headache.

The revolution of the neighbors made the Austro-Hungarian Empire sweat, because the possibility of civil unrest in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was even higher than that of Russia.

As a multi-ethnic country, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had a gap in status and wealth among the ethnic groups.

The long war exhausted the empire, and the death of Franz I at the end of last year made it even more difficult for the empire to move forward.

The successor to the Austro-Hungarian Emperor was Franz I's great-nephew, Karl I. After the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Karl was appointed as the crown prince of the empire and became the successor of the old emperor.

But it is obvious that Karl I does not have the ability of the old emperor. In the more than one month since he took the throne, he has not received strong support from the imperial government and the Hungarian government.

If it were not for the old emperor's residual power, I am afraid that the Austro-Hungarian Empire would have erupted in an anti-war demonstration like Tsarist Russia in an instant.

After receiving the request from France, Italy agreed first and agreed to launch a large-scale offensive on the border with the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Since the outbreak of the war, Italy is the country with the least results. If it were not for the Italian navy's contribution to the blockade of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, Italy's presence in this war would be close to zero.

So far, the fronts of Italy and Austria-Hungary have been advancing slowly, and after the Austro-Hungarian Empire increased its troops, there is a sense of stalemate.

If the Balkan front had not shared at least 800,000 combat troops of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, I am afraid that Italy would have considered what kind of peace terms it would have.

This is not to belittle Italy, but the combat effectiveness of the Italian army is disappointing, and the results of several battles are even more surprising.

If it were any normal powerful country, I am afraid that the Austro-Hungarian Empire would have surrendered at this time.

Not only did Italy not put too much pressure on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but it also provided a batch of weapons and equipment to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and trained new soldiers.

The French telegram requesting joint operations was naturally sent to Thomas, the commander-in-chief of the Australasian Expeditionary Force and the commander of the 1st Guards Division.

As Thomas reported this telegram to the country, after careful consideration by Arthur and the Ministry of Defense, it was decided to cooperate with the French in this battle and strive to end the war as much as possible.

Although Arthur remembered that the spring battle in history did not achieve much results, and even the French suffered heavy casualties.

But Australasia's mission in this battle is to contain the Austro-Hungarian Empire and hold back the German army in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and will not engage in a head-on confrontation with the main force of the German army.

In this way, whether this battle can be won or not, it is acceptable to Australasia.

Anyway, the Australasia Expeditionary Force has been fighting in the Balkans, which is itself restraining the Australasia army.

In fact, it is not unacceptable for Australasia to end this war now. Anyway, Australasia has gained a lot of benefits from the Allies and has already secured the throne of the top five powers.

In terms of land, what should be taken has been taken, and it is only a matter of absorbing a large number of German talents and population after the war to completely improve the country's potential.

In any case, Australasia can get a good distribution of benefits after the war. Whether it is the attitude of the British to win over Australasia or the strength that Australasia has developed, it can ensure that Australasia obtains enough benefits.

On the other hand, Russia and Austria-Hungary, which suffered the most in this war, especially Austria-Hungary, are likely to lose their status as great powers.

Italy's strength has also been seen by all countries. Even if Italy can still maintain its status as a great power after the war, it is definitely the weakest one.

A country that can be completely dragged down by a small number of troops of the remnant Austria-Hungary is no wonder that other countries despise it.

For Arthur, the purpose of this war has been largely achieved, and European countries have been severely weakened.

Judging from the results achieved so far, it has been in line with Arthur's expectations for this war, and there is no need to continue to consume it.

If Arthur remembers correctly, the United States in history will intervene in this war this year and join in to share a piece of the pie.

Britain and France will naturally not refuse the United States to join, after all, the Americans can also provide a large number of troops, thereby reducing the casualties of the British and French troops.

The large amount of American supplies can also ease the domestic pressure of Britain and France, allowing Britain and France to have enough patience to consume Germany.

But this is not a good thing for Australasia. The United States will definitely get a share of the pie, and it will definitely be a lot.

According to Arthur's strategic plan, Australasia after the war seeks the position of the Pacific hegemon.

This also means that Australasia is bound to conflict with the United States on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, and even have some friction with the island countries in the north.

The stronger the ally, the better, and the weaker the enemy, the better. Arthur does not want to see the United States get a big share of the war, so the best result is to end the war before the United States joins the war.

You know, the real rise of the United States began with World War I. Americans absorbed a large number of European talents in the two world wars, which led to a great explosion of American technology in a short period of time and also made the United States move towards the position of world hegemony.

Considering the national conditions of Australasia and the United States, if both sides are determined to compete for talents, Australasia may not be able to compete with the United States.

After all, the United States is a real power, and its economic and industrial strength ranks first in the world, and it has a unique advantage in financial resources.

In terms of the level of development of the United States alone, there is no doubt that it has more advantages than Australasia. If both sides spend a lot of money to attract talents, Australasia will basically not be a rival of the United States.

If the United States absorbs European talents, the gap between Australasia and the United States will become larger and larger, and competing with the United States for hegemony will be like throwing an egg at a stone.

Only by weakening the United States as much as possible can Australasia have the hope of defeating the United States in the Pacific hegemony.

The benefits gained by Americans in the First World War in history are not few, and more importantly, the federal government’s influence on the local area has been strengthened, and its military strength has been improved.

Before joining the war, the United States could only be said to be an economic power and an industrial power. Its military strength was a mess, and its army was at the bottom of the powers.

After joining the war, the United States has made considerable progress in both the army and the navy, and the size and strength of the army are even above the medium-sized powers.

It also means that the United States used the First World War to achieve the transition from an economic power to a military power, and successfully got rid of the control of European capital over the domestic economy of the United States.

Before the First World War, the United States was a debtor country, and after the First World War, the United States became a creditor country. Through aid and loans to Europe and various economic means, it completed the penetration of the European continent.

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