Holy Roman Empire

Not exactly "once", but already happened.At the same time that Switzerland joined the war, an Austrian army had set off from the Principality of Liechstein and entered Switzerland, obviously aimed at France.

Unlike the anti-French alliance with its large numbers of people, France's war mobilization has reached its limit.The war has progressed to the present, and the French army has lost more than 200 million troops.Including the 90 million lost on the African continent, and more than one million lost on the European battlefield.

Although not all of these people were killed in battle, and a large number of officers and soldiers were disabled and captured on the battlefield, they were essentially the same and could not go to the battlefield again.

However, this is just the beginning.Since the Paris government decided to make a quick decision, the French army has suffered tens of thousands of casualties every day.

No matter how big the family is, it can't stand such a toss.In the face of the brutal casualties, the officers and soldiers on the front line have long complained.

As for the situation of the officers and soldiers at the grassroots level, McMahon had no skills at all, so he could only rely on the senior officers to do ideological work level by level to stimulate the fighting spirit of the soldiers as much as possible.

Before McMahon could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a young officer who broke in suddenly: "Marshal, the Austrians have launched an attack.

According to the telegram sent from the front line, the Austrian army's attack is very powerful. There are iron monsters all over the mountains and plains. They are so powerful that there is no way to deal with them.

Our first line of defense has been breached, and the front-line Seventh Division, No.16 Division, No.20 Third Division, No.40 Second Division and other troops have sent telegrams for help. "

Hearing the "iron lump" monster, McMahon's face darkened. It seemed that the document that someone had reported to him before had mentioned that it was among the secret weapons of the Austrians.

It's a pity that Austria has too many secret weapons, most of which are smoke bombs released. Before it is put into the battlefield, no one knows what this thing can do.In addition to the incomplete information, it was directly ignored by McMahon.

Of course, even knowing in advance is useless.Before seeing the power of armored troops, in everyone's concept, they are heavy cavalry, nothing more than the outer armor is a little weaker.

Following Franz's order, a torrent of steel that had been hidden for many days spewed out, and there were tanks and armored vehicles from southern Europe to central Europe.

Since the outbreak of the war, the Armageddon between France and Austria has broken out.On the one hand, there was the French army who wanted a quick battle, and on the other hand, the Austrian army with a torrent of steel, and the most exciting scene was staged on the European continent.

fighting?

No, to be precise, it should be a massacre.

The confrontation between flesh and blood and the torrent of steel is unfair in itself.In addition, the French army had always been the offensive side before, and its own fortifications were not very strong, and the result was tragic.

……

Chapter 2 Depressed Frederick

The sound of roaring artillery fire, the sound of the engine spinning, and the screams of soldiers from time to time, all played a hell march together.

At the French command, the well-informed Marshal Patrice McMahon couldn't help trembling as he watched the increasing casualty reports.

After sorting out his thoughts, McMahon forced himself to calm down.He knew he couldn't panic now, if he couldn't deal with it calmly, France would be doomed.

As one of the founders of the Second French Empire, McMahon's feelings for this country even surpassed his own life.

"You all know what happened on the front line. The most urgent task now is to find a way to deal with the enemy's armored forces. Only by solving them can the great France have a future.

From now on, the fate of the Empire rests in our hands.There is home behind us, and now we have nowhere to go.

If you don’t want the flames of war to reach our hometown, and if you don’t want to see your wives and children displaced, then keep the enemy out of the country!

Time waits for me, the international situation is getting worse and worse, and there is not much time left for France.You are the elite of the French Army, and now it falls to you to deal with the enemy's armor. "

Not accepting the old will not work, the cruel reality taught McMahon a deep lesson.Today, with the ever-changing military technology, traditional tactics and tactics have been swept into the garbage dump, and they are increasingly out of date.

For example, the Austrian armored forces that just came out, McMahon used the method of dealing with cavalry, and the result was naturally terrible.

To deal with cavalry, you can shoot people or horses; when you encounter armored tanks, ordinary bullets can only tickle them, and there is no threat at all.

Past experience was unreliable, and McMahon had to brainstorm and find countermeasures.

"Marshal, after these days of fighting, we found that the enemy's armored units are not afraid of bullets, and to destroy them they must use artillery.

Ordinary artillery has a low hit rate due to the elevation angle, so it is best to specialize in the production of an artillery that can shoot flat.

In addition to destroying by force, tunnels and mountains can stop the enemy's armored troops from advancing.Generally speaking, the worse the road, the more it can delay the action of the enemy's armored forces. "

To be precise, this should be regarded as battlefield experience, not a countermeasure.On the surface, it seems to be good, but in fact it is not feasible at all.

The soldiers on the battlefield are extremely fast, and before the flat-firing artillery is produced in China, the war is probably over.

Mountains are nature's uncanny workmanship, and it is impossible for the French army to withdraw its main force to the mountains unless it is changed by human will.

Digging tunnels and destroying roads seems to be the most effective response. In fact, the biggest problem is that they cannot be dug.

The French army expelled most of the people in Belgium and the Rhineland area, and the rest were either traitors or traitors. The Allied forces can do it freely. If the road is destroyed, then go through the farmland.

I am not sure about other areas. Anyway, the coastal plains of Flanders can be directly passed by armored troops.No matter how hard the French army tried, it was impossible to dig hundreds of kilometers of trenches in a short period of time.

Even if it is dug out, it is useless.Along with the armored forces, there are also infantry, and it is entirely possible to send people up to fill them.

Of course, delaying time can still be done.It's just that this is not what the French army wants. There is no way to win the war just by delaying time.

Especially based on the premise that Russia, Spain, and Switzerland may send troops to join the war at any time, the French dare not delay the time.

"Is there any other way? These measures alone are not enough to make us turn things around."

asked McMahon, frowning.Now he only has victory in his eyes, as long as he can win this battle, everything else is easy to talk about.

The middle-aged officer added: "The enemy's armored forces are divided into two categories, one is slow and has high defense, and the other is fast but thin-skinned, just like putting a layer of armor on the outside of a car. .

The former must be destroyed by artillery with a caliber of 120mm or more; the latter can be destroyed only by light artillery with a caliber of 60mm. "

The speed of the tank is slow, and the moving speed of the heavy artillery is also slow. No one is much better than the other, so the hit rate can't be counted on.

Armored vehicles seem to be easy to destroy, but they move fast and it is very difficult to aim.Aiming is difficult, and the hit rate is of course impressive.

……

A series of opinions were similar, but no satisfactory answer was obtained. The elderly McMahon waved his hands and said, "Try your own methods first, and see the effect."

If it weren't for political pressure, McMahon really wanted to withdraw his troops back to the country in one breath and fight a homeland defense battle.

However, this can only be imagined.If he really did this, the spittle stars of the Chinese people could kill him.

The French people do not allow the government to fail, especially in this kind of war related to the fate of the country, let alone lose.

……

The Central European battlefield is still struggling, and the Southern European battlefield is completely defeated.Affected by the favorable international situation, the Italian national independence movement entered a new climax.

Not only Vittorio Emanuele III came out every day to call on the Italian people to resist the tyranny of France, but the royal families of several other states also came out every now and then to show their presence.

Italian nobles and capitalists also sent representatives to contact the Anti-French Alliance to discuss the future of Italy.

It can be seen that everyone's political sensitivity is still very high. Knowing that it is time to stand in line at this time, they decisively leaned over.

Based on the principle that the more allies the better, Austria will naturally not reject the surrender of these local snakes.

With the addition of a group of leading parties, the good days of the French in Italy are gone forever.Not only do you have to fight the Austrian army on the front line, but you also have to deal with the endless uprisings in the rear.

If it weren't for the limitation of geographical conditions, which restricted the full play of the armored forces, perhaps the Anti-French Coalition had already paraded in Turin.

In fact, the Austrian army was not far from the Turin military parade, and there were only a few dozen kilometers left, and the French army was stubbornly resisting.

Outside the city of Turin, it was already under heavy artillery fire. Looking at the billowing smoke rising in the distance, Crown Prince Frederick sighed.

Austria has inherited the traditions of the German region, with a strong sense of martial arts, and every soldier has a battlefield plot.Frederick, who grew up in this environment, was no exception.

After a lot of hard work, he barely persuaded his father and got a chance to go to the front line.It's a pity that no commander has the guts to put the crown prince on the front line.

Not to mention the shroud of horse leather, even if it is knocked or touched on the battlefield, it will be a political disaster.

In this context, whether Frederick wanted it or not, he became an honorable logistics officer, responsible for road maintenance from Milan to Turin.

No matter how passionate the front line was, Frederick could only watch from a distance, and the battlefield was within twenty miles of his forbidden area.

For this reason, Frederick often protested to his superiors, but there was no other way. It was the bounden duty of soldiers to obey orders, even as the crown prince.

Then, Frederick became the most special existence on the southern battlefield, and he could be called the number one seed player in the gilding world. His main job was to organize civilians to repair roads and transport supplies.

"Your Highness, a new batch of supplies has arrived, and you need to sign for it."

After speaking, the young officer took out a document and handed it over.

Frederick, who came back to his senses, glanced at the document after taking it, and said slowly: "Wait a minute, I'll go and check it before signing."

According to the regulations of the Austrian army, during the material transfer process, the responsible officer must conduct inspections, and once signed, he will be responsible for it.

Of course, the inspection is also carried out by a special person, and it is impossible for the person in charge to do it all by himself, so it is impossible for one person to be busy with so many materials.

It is impossible to check all the materials, and spot checks from time to time are still possible.But if there is a problem with the material, it must be fully held accountable.

The security of strategic materials is very important and directly related to the outcome of the war.Frederick's work may seem inconspicuous, but in fact it is a typical example of a humble position.

Such personnel appointments are obviously intentional by the commanders.Others can be bought, but Frederick, the crown prince, cannot be bought.

Not only can't buy it, but you have to deal with it carefully.If something goes wrong, no matter how powerful the relationship is, it will be useless here.

Since Frederick came to power, bulls, snakes, ghosts and gods have retreated one after another, and grass has grown on the graves without eyes.Not only is he unlucky, but also the backstage behind him is also finished.

Now is the age of war, and the Vienna government has zero tolerance for those who stretch out their hands.Those who shoddy - kill, those who smuggle and embezzle - kill, those who resell goods - kill...

There is no such thing as the seriousness of the plot, if you commit a crime, you will lose your head.In addition to these direct charges, there is also a treason charge.Regardless of whether there was collusion with the French, these actions were tacitly done anyway.

After such a strong blow, those who dare to play tricks on the logistics are the real desperadoes, and the owner of the family and business is absolutely unwilling to take risks with his head.

There were fewer problems, and Frederick seldom inspected them himself, but he was bored now, so he naturally wanted to find something to do.

Chapter 2 Turin Attack and Defense

"charge……"

Amidst the shouts of killing, the offensive and defensive battle of Turin started.As a key node in the battle on the southern front, both France and Austria have devoted [-] points of energy.

The ownership of Turin not only determines the ownership of the Kingdom of Sardinia, but also affects the ownership of the Italian region.

The leading parties are all ready, it depends on the result of the battle of Turin.If the Austrian army successfully takes Turin, then everyone will work together to drive away the French, otherwise everyone will think twice.

In order to show their sincerity, these guys have instigated many armed uprisings in Italy, restraining at least 20 French troops.

For the convenience of command, Morkes, the southern commander, has moved his headquarters to the front.

Don't pay attention to it, street fighting may be the French army's best chance to come back, and the French will definitely not give up this opportunity.

In the field, the armored forces can face each other across the sand field, but it is different in the city. Just a little obstacle can block the way forward.

The armored unit that has broken down, the meat on the chopping board, as long as the French are willing to fight with their lives, a pack of explosives will do it.

As a product of a cross-age period, Austria's armored forces are just one word-expensive. For this reason, they were also nicknamed "Land Cruisers" by the Austrian military.

This is not bragging, the production cost of a state-of-the-art tank is almost the same as that of the cheapest cruiser.

The cheapest armored vehicles cost tens of thousands of Aegis, and the most advanced tanks cost more than [-] Aegis.

With Austria's family background, there are only four tank divisions and eight armored divisions up to now, which is enough to explain all the problems.

In fact, even these twelve divisions were not enough.Because air defense is not needed for the time being, the anti-aircraft artillery regiment was omitted, and the motorized mechanized infantry regiment was even missing.

The number of tanks is also seriously insufficient. The number of tanks in each division is between 150 and 260; the armored division is better, and the number of armored vehicles in each division is almost between 220 and 300.

This is only in theory. In fact, there will be fewer tanks and armored vehicles that can be used by each division. After all, there are also damages on the battlefield.

However, tanks and armored vehicles have a high failure rate these days. Many times after a battle, one-third of the armored tanks are down, and the rest must be overhauled.

This is why the French were able to gather their troops and re-establish their defenses.It's not that the Austrian army didn't want to take advantage of the victory to pursue it. The key is that the armored troops, which are the killer's trump card, don't have the ability to carry out blitzkrieg.

The current status of the Austrian Armored Forces is: a division in name, the number of troops that can be drawn out to fight, often has only one regiment, and the rest are undergoing equipment maintenance.

The French were confused by the torrent of steel, which did not mean that their combat effectiveness was gone.In fact, the fighting power and fighting will shown by the French army are still the top of this era.

Of course, the French were able to regain their strength, which is also directly related to the orders of the Vienna government.To weaken the French as much as possible on the battlefield, it is natural to give them hope.

If the main force of the French army is defeated at once, at most hundreds of thousands of French troops will be killed, and then there will be no more.

With no hope of winning, even if Napoleon IV didn't want to surrender, someone would make the decision for him.

Voluntary surrender and surrender after being beaten are completely two concepts.The former didn’t get anything, and the problem had to be resolved at the negotiating table; the latter, however, had already created an established fact, and only needed a contract to clarify the legal principles.

There are many countries that don't want the French to die. If Austria wants to achieve its own strategic goals, it must break into the French mainland before the French surrender.

……

What kind of enemy should be used to deal with, and Austria is obviously qualified to be valued by the French.After the outbreak of the European War, Adrian, the commander of the French army, immediately ordered to strengthen the city defense.

As an important place with multiple attributes including strategy, transportation, politics, and economy, Turin is naturally the focus of attention.Fortresses rose from the ground one after another, and with the buildings in the city, they seemed to be war monsters.

Under the roaring artillery fire, Captain Adler was leading his third company to charge.No, it should be said to be creeping forward.

The bullet flew right above Adler's head, and an unlucky guy raised his head too high, just happened to be hit by the flying bullet, only had time to utter a scream, and went to see God.

Dead people on the battlefield couldn't be more normal. Up to now, the third company has replaced three quarters of its soldiers, and Adler, the company commander, is the fifth.

Of course, it doesn't mean that the four guys in front of him all received their lunch boxes.Except for one unlucky guy who saw God, the other three are alive and well, one of them was promoted, and the other two are recuperating in the hospital.