Wild North America 1846

At this time, Britain, France and other countries have not yet established an air force. The French battlefield is called the Air Service or the International Volunteer Air Force, and some wealthy people or aviation enthusiasts voluntarily participate.

An airplane is worth tens of thousands of pounds, which will be worth hundreds of millions in later generations. It is not something that ordinary people can afford.

Therefore, the aviation fleets of both warring parties were filled with nobles and rich men. Every aviation volunteer brought his own aircraft and volunteered to participate in the battle.

Among the International Volunteer Air Force on the Verdun front, Chinese from the Tang Empire accounted for more than half.

There is no way, the Chinese aristocrats and wealthy businessmen are too rich.

Witnessing two German aircraft being knocked over and crashed by a flock of birds, almost all the pilots of the International Air Force present came to greet them.

Especially the French guys, who excitedly lifted up Richard who had just gotten off the plane and threw him into the sky again and again.

Since the beginning of the war

Seven German aircraft crashed due to various malfunctions, but none were actually shot down. Today truly set a precedent.

Although it was knocked down by a flying bird, so what?
A moment later
Richard then returned to the camp surrounded by everyone. At this time, Colonel Jean-François of the French military in charge of camp management was already standing at the dining table with a smile.

Not to mention, you have to admire the French’s sense of ceremony.

The dining table that was brought out in a hurry was covered with white cloth, with a pot of temporarily picked flowers, dozens of champagne glasses, some bread and cheese, and more than 10 cans that had just been opened, forming a very ceremonial welcome buffet. .

After the French Republic, the original old aristocracy was no longer officially recognized by the government.

However, in French society, the deep-rooted aristocratic complex has not disappeared, but has become stronger. The upper class also follows the etiquette of aristocrats in communication.

The International Volunteer Air Corps camp was exactly where the nobles gathered.

"Your Excellency, on behalf of the French military, I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude and warmest congratulations to you. This is a textbook perfect aerial attack. It is so beautiful." Jean-Francois went up and down. Said with praise.

The waiter next to him opened the champagne bottle with a bang and poured bright yellow liquid into the glass. The crowd around him applauded enthusiastically.

Richard bowed slightly and saluted, with a decent smile on his face, and said to everyone; "Everything is for the great France, and victory will belong to the strong alliance."

"Everything is for the great France, and victory will belong to the strong alliance." Everyone couldn't help but shouted in unison, and the atmosphere became more and more enthusiastic.

After receiving the champagne glass, Richard chatted happily with the international volunteers who gathered around him, exchanging flying skills, and bursts of laughter broke out from time to time.

In the aviation force, there are pilots from the United Kingdom, China, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain and other countries. They do not have military positions and all of them volunteer to join the aviation force.

Of course, there are no restrictions when you want to leave.

Among these international volunteers, some want to make contributions, while others are just having fun. Richard undoubtedly belongs to the latter category.

His Albatross II is one of the more advanced and expensive aircraft in the entire international aviation fleet, with a regular model priced at as high as 12 pounds.

The Albatross II aircraft produced in Datang is the leader among aircrafts at that time. It not only has strong carrying capacity, but also is fast. It is equipped with a new engine with strong horsepower, but it is worth a lot of money.

This is a typical "powerful flying brick". The Albatross II biplane can carry 500 pounds and fly at a speed of 230 kilometers per hour. This is definitely a sports car with super performance in the face of aircraft that generally travel at 170 to 180 kilometers per hour.

Ordinary aircraft are usually covered with canvas, but the Albatross II biplane has a steel-framed wooden skin, which becomes even taller after being painted.

After a period of excitement, Colonel Jean-François came forward. Next to him was the British Lieutenant Colonel Henry. The two of them winked and signaled the others to leave first. They had important matters to discuss.

Richard raised the champagne glass in his hand and said, "Two officers, if you have anything to say, just ask."

Colonel Jean-François said with a smile on his face;
"My Lord, what happened today is incredible.

In view of the needs of the current war situation, the Allied Forces Headquarters hopes that the air force can achieve full-time monitoring of the battlefield, that is, 12 hours of battlefield reconnaissance during the day.

This helps us discover new trends of the German army, new targets to focus on, and take timely countermeasures.

This difficult task falls to the United Nations Air Force, and we hope for your full support, Your Lordships.

God bless France, we will win this war. "

Full-time battlefield surveillance and reconnaissance?

After hearing this request, Richard found it very difficult. The International Air Force now only has 47 aircraft, and the longest endurance of the Albatross 2 is only 50 minutes.

Subtracting the time spent traveling to and from the battlefield, the actual time for reconnaissance and monitoring over the battlefield is no more than half an hour.

Most of the aircraft are more crude, and many are handmade versions by aviation enthusiasts. There are more than 47 types of 30 aircraft, many of which are one-two pieces.

The reliability of this kind of crude aircraft is very poor. Normally, only 2/3 of the aircraft can fly into the sky. The others are either broken here or there, and they spend most of their time lying in the airport.

Realistic conditions are like this, which requires the Albatross II aircraft with better performance and more reliability to take off and land multiple times a day and undertake more battlefield monitoring tasks.

Richard brought two Albatross II aircraft this time, all of which were specially modified versions.The bathtub-shaped cockpit that strengthens the driver's defense is also a single-person version.

considered
Richard nodded and replied, "We will do our best, gentlemen. The two planes arriving this time are equipped with three pilots. Plus me, there are four people, who can undertake as many battlefield monitoring tasks as possible."

"Great, I can only express my sincere thanks to you. This is the help the coalition needs most."

"You're welcome, even if we leave, we will give the aircraft to the International Air Force." "Your Excellency, your Excellency, I will apply for the French Order of Honor for you in recognition of your outstanding achievements."

"Forgive me, I cannot refuse such an honor."

Richard raised the champagne glass in his hand, saluted the two officers from afar, then brought it to his lips and took an elegant sip.

at this time

The sky above Verdun was still very safe. Both warring parties lacked the means of aviation strike, and machine guns could not be set up on the aircraft to fire because this would damage the propeller in front.

At best, pilots from both sides would fire at each other with their sidearms in the air, and then throw grenades down from the plane to cause a little harassment to the ground troops.

Beyond that, there's not much that can be done.

For aircraft pilots, the greatest dangers come from unreliable aircraft design and failures, which are the largest causes of aircraft losses.

Even the Albatros II aircraft, which is said to be perfect, does not have a single instrument on the aircraft. You can only rely on your own watch to measure the remaining fuel level.

It's almost time, so land quickly.

Some pilots got lost on the front lines, chasing German planes and lost track of time. As a result, they ran out of fuel and fell down. This situation was not uncommon.

Richard brought a complete team, including mechanics, aircraft engineers, pilots and Chinese chefs, as well as servants and secretarial assistants.

When you want to fly, fly in a circle, and when you don't want to fly, let your subordinates perform tasks.

This kind of luxurious configuration is definitely top-of-the-line even among the international volunteer air force where rich people gather.

Coupled with the fact that Richard's demeanor is extremely appealing, he has naturally become a big boss in the International Volunteer Air Force and is sought after by everyone.

He agreed immediately, and it was much easier to call on other volunteers to participate in this comprehensive monitoring of the battlefield task.

This group of international volunteers are not real soldiers. They can often be seen partying all night long in airport camps and nearby towns. Many of them are too drunk to get up the next day.

To expect them to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the battlefield monitoring mission, in addition to providing wine and women, Colonel Jean-François also needs to put some more thought into it.

under the shade

Richard was drowsy as he sat on the recliner, with coffee and exquisite snacks placed on the small table next to him. This was another day spent as usual.

The rumbling sound of artillery in the distance continued all night, and the armies of both sides were fighting bloody battles on the front. On the road, there was an endless queue of reinforcements, as well as cars and carriages, heading towards Verdun.

Today's Verdun is a huge meat grinder, devouring the lives of thousands of officers and soldiers every day and consuming countless supplies.

Both Germany and France were accumulating troops on the front line. Both sides invested more than 100 divisions on the Verdun front, with more than 250 million men and millions of ammunition consumed.

In this unprecedented and tragic battle, the French army showed the style of the world's top army. Facing the crazy German attack, it refused to give an inch and was stuck in the Verdun area like nails.

This is like a naked fight between two giant men, with fists hitting the flesh and blood flying. Each time they were knocked down, they quickly got up and fought risking their lives.

At its peak, the French Third Army commanded by General Eyre had 69 French divisions with nearly 130 million men under its command, and half a division was lost on the front line every day.

The Battle of Verdun was not only a competition of wills, but also a competition of national strength. It was also a comprehensive contest between the two nations of Germany and France, which was thrilling to watch.

Richard lay in the shade of a tree and fell asleep, but he didn't actually fall asleep.

He stood at the strategic height of the collision of civilizations and the rise and fall of nations, and carefully understood the huge impact of World War I on the entire world.

World War 1 was more of a total war in Europe. Except for a few European countries except Switzerland and Spain, most other European countries were involved in the war.

This was an unprecedented catastrophe in the white world, and it was also a great internal conflict of European power. The rise of the Tang Empire throughout the Americas was unstoppable, and it was more powerful than the beautiful country in its original history.

The imperial family and government of the Tang Dynasty used various channels to explore the possibility of the empire participating in World War I.

There are some hardliners and militants within the empire who want to join the war. Some do it out of considerations of showing the glory of the empire, some talk extravagantly about international friendship, and some do it more from the perspective of their own interests.

These different voices were all rejected by Richard, and his reply was only one sentence;

The current war is a war for Europeans and a war to re-establish the European territory and has nothing to do with the Tang Empire.

in the original history

Americans participated in the war at the end of World War I, trying to occupy a favorable position in the postwar rearrangement of the international landscape.

How is the result?

Britain and France jointly fought back, causing a huge loss of face and face, and for a time became the joke of the whole world.

In today's historical time and space, Richard has no intention of letting the Tang Empire get involved, so there is no need to make such opportunistic calculations.

Europeans are not stupid either. Why should they get a share of the victory achieved by others relying on mountains of corpses and seas of blood?