Wild North America 1846

Chapter 818 New Battlefield
At the beginning of the European War

In order to win over Italy, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Britain, France, and Russia are all promising a lot of benefits.

Britain and France were able to induce the Kingdom of Italy to change course, betray the Allied camp, and write a blank check that made the Kingdom of Italy excited.

British and French commitments
After switching to the Allied camp and winning the war, the Kingdom of Italy will receive the Bolzano region, Trento and Grizia regions, parts of Transnisca and Dalmatia that were originally part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and will also Gained control of the port of Valona, ​​in addition to the Ottoman Empire's Antalya.

How big are these areas combined?

The five pieces of fragmented land, totaling approximately 5 square kilometers, are located in the east, northeast, west and southwest of the Apennine Peninsula.

Most of these originally belonged to the territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as well as Antalya of the Ottoman Empire, which were European territories that the Central Powers camp would never grant.

No one would cut off their own flesh and feed it to their allies. The Austro-Hungarian Empire could not do it, nor the Ottoman Empire, nor any other country.

Germany and Austria-Hungary promised the Kingdom of Italy on the condition that after victory, Trento and East Friuli would be ceded to Italy, as well as the French protectorate of Tunisia.

French Tunisia alone covers an area of ​​16.2 square kilometers and is also a North African colony that Italy is jealous of.

But compared with the European areas promised by Britain and France, it is not worth mentioning.

I would rather have a bed in Puxi than a house in Pudong.

This concept is not only deeply ingrained in the minds of old Shanghai people, but also an unbreakable golden commandment in the values ​​of Europeans in the early 20th century.

Of course, Italy was overjoyed that Britain and France offered such generous conditions, and they soon happily embraced the British and French camps.

On April 1915, 4, Italy officially joined the Allied Powers.

One year has passed
The Kingdom of Italy has proved with its strength that its allies, which exist as a joke, have brought endless troubles to the Allied Powers group and can be called the king of hindrances.

On the 800-kilometer-long border between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire only deployed 10 garrison troops to block the attack of the Kingdom of Italy's 75-strong army.

In the Carpathian Mountains

The Kingdom of Italy, which had an absolute military advantage, launched 11 consecutive battles of Isonzo, but none of them were able to shake the defense line of the Austro-Hungarian soldiers.

1917年10月24日开始的第12次伊松佐战役中，在东线击败俄军的德军得以抽出6个师兵力，会同8个奥匈帝国师在正面战场击败意大利军队，打得其全线崩溃。

It was not until the support of 11 divisions of the British and French troops (5 British divisions and 6 French divisions) arrived that they withstood further attacks by the Austro-German coalition.

In this battle, the total strength of the Italian army was as high as 140 million. The final count of the Austro-German coalition casualties was more than 2. The Italian army suffered 3 casualties, and as many as 26.5 were captured, with a total loss of nearly 30 soldiers. .

Therefore, Richard was not interested in the southern battlefield opened by the Kingdom of Italy at all, and even scorned the combat effectiveness of the "European swingman" of the Kingdom of Italy.

The real collision of the strongest in the entire First World War was on the Western Front battlefield. Both the German and French armies showed the style of the world's top armies. The representative one was the Meat Grinding Battle of Verdun.

In this battle, the French army almost alone resisted the German attack and won the final victory, holding the Verdun defense line.

In order to repel the German attack, the British and French forces actively planned the Battle of the Somme after entering 1916.

By May, when the Battle of Verdun was in full swing, preparations for the Battle of the Somme had entered the final stage.

babom town
Countless British Expeditionary Forces gathered here, and the densely packed camps in the fields around the town were as far as the eye could see. The invisible atmosphere of chilling before the war filled the air.

In a decent house in a small town
When Richard got up in the morning, he was wearing long riding boots and a light sheepskin flight jacket. He was sitting at the dining table enjoying a sumptuous breakfast.

Next to the dining table, Sevilla sat with a slightly swollen belly. Her figure was slightly rounder than before, and her face exuded a warm maternal glow.

Richard and his party had also just arrived in Bamboo Town. He had spent more than two months of leisurely vacation in the UK and had a very uncomfortable life.

This time we came to the Somme front line as members of the International Volunteer Air Force. Britain and France assembled more than 400 fighter planes for this major battle, about half of which were International Volunteer Air Force.

This time, Richard brought five Albatross II aircraft to form an aviation detachment, all of which were equipped with machine guns and new machine gun shooting coordinators at the driver's position.

This coordinator consists of a cam lever combination that links the propeller shaft with the trigger of the machine gun. It fires during the rotation of the propeller, and the propeller triggers the firing of the machine gun.

In this way, machine gun bullets are prevented from damaging the propeller, making it a true biplane fighter.

As the war progressed, various new technologies and inventions were born, which also made the sky more dangerous.

On the table

Richard had a good appetite today and enjoyed two tender black pepper tomahawk steaks, each weighing two pounds.

There are also some fruits and burgers smeared with thick cheese, vegetable steaks, and a large glass of milk.

Seeing his good appetite, Servilia also ate more.The food and non-staple food supplies of the Allied Powers relied on the Tang Empire. Although the prices were higher, they had always been relatively stable.

In Marseille and Bordeaux, multiple [-]-ton ships loaded with cargo docked at the port every day, transporting a steady stream of massive supplies to maintain the needs of the front line and France.

There are many good things to see in the market, and of course the prices are very impressive.

"Master, are you going to the airport today?" Servilia asked worriedly at the table.

Richard put down the knife and fork in his hand, picked up a white napkin and wiped his mouth. He knew what Sevilla was worried about?
With the rapid development of weapons, the sky is no longer as peaceful as it was a few months ago.In the past two months, as the enemy and we have gathered forces in the Somme area, the battle in the air has become increasingly fierce.

The Battle of the Somme has not yet begun, and the aviation fleet has already shot down 17 fighters.

Richard reached out and patted Servilia's white arm gently, and said warmly;
"Don't worry, the performance of the German fighter planes is much worse than ours. As long as there is no deliberate dogfight, the sky is as safe now as it was a few months ago.

We were just scouting for the British, not going into battle for them.

As long as we want to leave, the German fighter planes cannot catch up. "

His words are not false. The power machinery industry from North America is at the top level in the world, a typical example of "powerful and flying bricks".

The Albatross II aircraft is not only heavy and has strong carrying capacity, but also flies at a high speed, reaching a high speed of 230 kilometers per hour.

All this stems from its powerful radial propeller engine, which is a generation ahead of the German Fokker aircraft.

in North America

A new, more powerful propeller engine has been developed and will soon be equipped on the Albatross III aircraft.

Good engines bring superior aircraft performance. Today, the North American aviation industry has gradually formed a scale to adapt to the needs of war. It is expected that the output of Albatross III aircraft will reach 3 to 4.

The Allied Powers have ordered 1600 aircraft, which will be delivered one after another starting in July, thus forming a strong air superiority over the German army.

Today's aircraft are equipped with heavy machine guns and have participated in strafing and bombing missions against ground targets.

The Albatross III aircraft can be equipped with four 4-pound small iron bombs for ground bombing missions, and is also equipped with a Colt 20 air-cooled heavy machine gun for air combat and ground strafing.

Of course, such an advanced aircraft is not cheap.

An Albatross III aircraft can buy 2.6 German-made Fokker biplane fighters, which is still worth the money because the former has more advanced performance.

Most British-made and French-made aircraft are now hand-made versions, which cannot be industrialized on a large scale, and their performance is difficult to guarantee, so they are cheaper for North American aviation companies.

Normally, even if there is even a slight possibility, countries such as Britain and France will support their own aviation companies.

The problem is that the frontline war waits for no one. In this cruel war with tens of thousands of casualties every day, there is no time to wait for the growth of British and French aviation companies.

Servilia felt very heartwarming by Richard's response. She put her hand around Richard's arm, leaned her head over and said;

“Master, I will only feel at ease when you are here.

I don't know why there must be a war?

But this situation is so terrible. Too many people have lost their lives. It's like the end of the world is coming, leaving only deep helplessness and fear.

Now that I have a baby, I hope I can get away from it all, or that we can go back to North America.

We cannot save others, we just hope that our loved ones will not be harmed. "

"I understand your worries, Sevilla. Don't worry, we won't stay until the end of the war." Richard stretched out his hand to hold Sevilla in his arms. He could feel her delicate body trembling and patted her gently. Her back.

"That's great, Master, let us leave this terrible place." Servilia burst into tears as she spoke, burying her head deeply into Richard's broad chest.

She was just a woman. Facing the great changes that had taken place in France and the current cruel war, she had no choice but to tremble and pray.

This war was an unprecedented catastrophe. Countless French families lost their husbands and children. The age of conscription was increased from 26 to 40, and now all men under the age of 46 are included in the conscription.

On the battlefield of Verdun
The French army alone is able to withstand the German offensive wave. It has to fill in more than half of the French division every day. This situation has lasted for four and a half months. I don’t know how long it will last in the future?
In order to relieve the huge pressure on the Verdun battlefield, the British and French forces planned to open a new Somme battlefield.

In this new battlefield, the British Expeditionary Force assumes the main offensive pressure. To this end, it has assembled 26 British divisions, 3 Belgian divisions, and 12 French divisions, preparing to launch a full-scale attack in late June.

The endless war brings endless fear, a large number of fields are abandoned, the national economy is in decline, and the profound heritage of hundreds of years of colonization is quickly drained away.

Today, the Allies are supported by a large amount of war loans, and the main source of loans is the wealthy Tang Empire on the other side of the Atlantic.

(End of this chapter)