Chapter 386 The Tricked French
The most obvious decline in the current European war is not Russia, which Arthur had expected before, but France, which has resisted the main force of the German army.
After the defeat in the border war, France fell into a passive state and could only rely on temporarily constructed defense lines for defense.
This has also led to the fact that although the current number of French soldiers has been mobilized to more than 1 million, it still cannot tilt the balance of the war at all.
The average number of French soldiers killed and injured on the front every day was more than 11,000, and the highest number of casualties even exceeded 30,000 that day.
Of course, that day was the second day of positional warfare. The Germans mobilized a large number of artillery, heavy weapons, and even many airships, which caused such huge casualties to France.
At the French Army Headquarters, Joffre was in a bad mood at this time.
"Mr. President, when will follow-up assistance from the United Kingdom and Australasia arrive? If we follow this trend, our soldiers will not be able to withstand the German offensive for another three months." French Commander-in-Chief Joffre said somewhat asked eagerly.
By chance, President Poincaré came to inspect the headquarters, and Xiafei quickly asked his own question, which was also related to the situation on the French front.
"It's coming soon. According to the British, the second batch of reinforcements will arrive next week, with about 6 divisions of soldiers. In the next month, there will be 15 to 20 divisions arriving on the battlefield." President Poincaré said Said somewhat helplessly.
Although Britain and France were closely united in the war, the British army still had the right to act independently, and France could only urge the British army to move faster.
Hearing this, Xiafei nodded and said with some surprise: "The British were so generous and sent so many reinforcements at once?"
If we also count the five British divisions that have arrived, in two months, Britain is about to send more than 20 divisions of combat troops to France. This is not like the British usual style.
"If my guess is correct, these troops should be British colonial troops. Their main divisions are not willing to be released. These colonial troops can be used as cannon fodder at most. The real battle must rely on our soldiers." President Poincaré was quite angry when the British sent reinforcements.
The reinforcements of more than 20 divisions with more than 300,000 men, except for the first five divisions to arrive, including two divisions of British regular troops, the others are most likely British colonial divisions.
If it is the main force of the British, it can also share some troubles for the French. But these colonial troops could only serve as cannon fodder at best. They played a good role in defense and had almost no effect in offensive warfare.
"As for the Australasian troops, they have dispatched the Fourth Division and 15 Colonial Divisions, which are expected to arrive around the end of next month."
Regarding the Australasian troops, President Poincaré only mentioned a few words.
After all, the troops sent by Australasia were the same as those of Britain, consisting of a small number of regular troops and a large number of colonial troops.
Moreover, the size of Australasia's army is only so large. It should be Australasia's largest military support in this war. The follow-up will be a small fight of one or two divisions at most.
Xiafei nodded with a headache. At present, neither the United Kingdom nor Australasia are reliable allies.
Fortunately for Australasia, the 300,000-strong colonial force fulfilled the agreement. After all, the size of Australasia's army was only that large. It also dispatched a navy to cooperate with the operation, so it was considered a qualified ally.
As for the UK, after the war broke out, the British navy did not make much contribution other than maintaining order and patrolling.
As for the army, the size and structure of the army sent by the British is not much different from that of Australasia. Judging from the huge size gap between the two countries, the British are obviously even less reliable.
"What about Russia? Can you ask them to launch a large-scale war to relieve the pressure on our Western Front?" Joffre continued to ask.
Germany directly adopted a two-front fighting method, which also meant that one of the two fronts was destined to have weaker troops.
Judging from the current attacks on France, France is responsible for at least 70% of the main force of the German army. This means that the German Eastern Front battlefield is very empty. This is not only an opportunity for the Russians, but also an opportunity for the Allied Powers.
"You also know the situation of the Russians. So far, their war mobilization has not been completed. According to our intelligence, they only have about 700,000 troops on the frontline battlefield, compared with only more than 100,000 German troops. The fighting was quite effective." Speaking of another ally, Poincaré's wry smile became even more serious and he said helplessly.
The internal decay in Russia was very serious, which also caused this ancient empire to become dull and sluggish.
While France and Germany had completed more than half of their general mobilization, Russia's general mobilization was less than half completed, and the troops transferred to the front were even less than half of the French and German troops.
Even if the Russians are willing to launch a large-scale battle, they must at least wait until Russia can gather enough troops and accumulate enough military equipment. And this time must be at least more than a month.
This also means that within a month, except for a few British divisions, France has basically no other assistance and can only rely on itself to temporarily contend with Germany.
Before the war, Xiafei, who had full confidence in the war, only felt a toothache at this time.
The three allies, who seemed to be very reliable, did not perform well in the war.
We must win over more countries to join the Allies! This was Xiafei's only thought at this time.
Not only that, but also urge Britain and Russia to do their best to win this war.
Let’s not talk about Australasia for the moment. After all, it has fulfilled its obligations, and Australasia’s biggest role is as a supplier of materials in the war.
But Britain and Russia are different. In Xiafei's eyes, Britain and Russia are also the main forces in this war. If they do not fully respond to this war, the Allied Powers' chances of winning will be greatly reduced.
"Mr. President, please tell the British and Russians that this war is not just a war between France and Germany, but also a war between the Allies and the Central Powers. If France fails, Britain and Russia will face a full-scale German attack. . I hope to see more assistance from the UK as soon as possible, especially the British main force." After a moment of silence, Joffre asked President Poincaré.
Poincaré nodded, looked at Joffre, who had red eyes and was very tired, and said: "Don't worry, I will convey your original words to Britain and Russia, and do my best to ask them for more support. If the British don't send the main force as soon as possible, I will personally go to London to lobby."
After receiving very firm support from President Poincaré, Joffre nodded with satisfaction and proposed to President Poincaré: "Mr. President, I think we cannot place all our hopes on the support given to us by Britain and Russia. In addition to the current inherent allies, we should also vigorously win over neutral countries such as Italy and Bulgaria, as well as many countries in the Balkans. The more countries join the Entente, the more Our chances of winning will be greater. As for the distribution of benefits after the war, we can make slight concessions to meet the requirements of these small countries." The three major European powers of the Entente, Britain, France, and Russia, all have their own little brothers. These little
brothers They are not currently joining the war, and they must be drawn into the arms of the Allies as soon as possible.
If the Allies do not win over, the Germans will sooner or later. If Germany had more allies to support it, no one is sure how the war would develop.
"I know what you are saying, Your Excellency Commander. Contact with Italy and other countries is already underway, but it may not be possible in a short time. I hope that you can stop the Germans on the current defense line, and the government will do its best to support the army. Achieve victory in this war." President Poincaré nodded and said to Joffre.
During the war, President Poincaré knew deeply that only when the French government and the French army stood firmly together could there be any hope of winning the war.
As for all Joffre's requirements, President Poincaré just said, "Satisfy!"
On the British side, there is indeed a certain degree of slackness.
In fact, for the British, they have no plans to respond too early and with all their strength.
The current war involves all the powerful countries in Europe. The more brutal these countries fight, the better it is for the British Empire.
The United States, the only country that poses a threat after the war, has Australasia, which will not be harmed by this war, to deal with it.
For the British, this situation is completely like sitting on a mountain and watching the fight between tigers and tigers. The British can accept whatever the war in Europe looks like.
Of course, Germany is the biggest competitor after all and poses the greatest threat to the British. The British are naturally willing for Germany to lose this war, but the number of casualties the British will pay depends on the mood of the British government.
Allies are meant to be deceived. This truth has been practiced by the British Empire for many years.
At present, the Western Front battlefield is carried by the French, and the Eastern Front battlefield is carried by the Russians. The British only need to send the navy to block Germany's supply lines.
In this case, why should the British go to all the trouble, risk heavy military casualties, and work so hard to reduce casualties for the French?
In fact, in the original history, the British Empire played a soy sauce role in most of the war.
If millions of British troops and France had fought against Germany early in the war, the Germans would never have been so relaxed.
Even if you imagine boldly, this war will not last four years at all. Under the attrition of Britain and France, it was impossible for the Germans to win this war of attrition.
The amount of British effort actually determines when Germany will be defeated. As long as the British did not count casualties, there might be no need for civil strife in Russia in history, and the war would be won directly.
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(End of chapter)