The Rise of the Empire

The German delegation composed of Earl Schlieffen, Little Moltke, and Hindenburg covered almost all the items of the entire German Army from the formulation of the highest strategy, the implementation of the campaign, and the basic tactics. The three were not mediocre. The Kaiser believed that after these three people made a trip to Bavaria, they could fully understand the military base of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

"This, isn't it a bit of a mobilization?" After the Kaiser gave the task, Earl Schlieffen first put forward his opinion. The chief of the Prussian General Staff led the team to go around. The movement was too loud, and he didn't think Bavaria had any Things are worth seeing as the chief of the general staff.

The German Army has a total of more than 20 armies and nearly a hundred cavalry regiments. Schlieffen believes that as the chief of staff, he needs to focus on the overall strategy, rather than a certain point. No matter how strong Bavaria is, it is only the size of three armies, which is at most at the battle level among the national wars of European powers. There is no need to pay attention to yourself.

See how many cannons the Bavarian army has? How many machine guns are there? Is the formation in good order? Is the level of training high? Please, just leave this matter to Hindenburg. I am a big shot, how can I take care of these things?

"But don't you think, as the chief of the general staff of the empire, it's a kind of dereliction of duty if you don't even know the army of the second largest state under the empire?" The Kaiser disliked others contradicting him very much. Recht, due to the identity and relationship of the other party, some words are difficult to say. But facing the chief of staff in front of him is different. The former is a partner of Deutsche Group Co., Ltd., while the latter is just an executive.

"Little Moltke, tell me your opinion. It is said that you have a close relationship with the military attache of the Kingdom of Bavaria in Berlin." The Kaiser didn't mean to ask for the earl's thoughts at all, but said directly to Little Moltke.

"Well, it is said that the Bavarian First Army is preparing for a replacement. They plan to replace a large number of 75MM rapid-fire guns with 105MM light field guns. From the weight point of view, the latter is slightly larger in neutral, but the trajectory is more curved, and it is increasing After the elevation angle, the range is also good, this kind of artillery that can shoot curved and has a larger projection is very suitable for indirect fire, and it is suitable for fighting in the hilly areas of northeastern France."

"However, one thing I don't understand is that Bavaria seems to be cutting off its military horses. Their number of military horses has not increased in recent years, or even slightly decreased. If they want to use new artillery, then the logistical pressure will increase. After all, the 105MM howitzer The ammunition is heavier, and after equipping a large number of machine guns and semi-automatic rifles, the Bavarians have reduced the number of carriages, which is incomprehensible." Little Maoqi expressed his doubts.

"They are trying to use steam cars or tractors to transport weapons and supplies. It is said that they have achieved obvious results." Hindenburg said. As the commander of the Fourth Army, what annoyed Hindenburg the most? The logistics and speed of the army! You don't know if you don't lead soldiers, but after you lead soldiers, you know that logistics is the number one problem in the military, and the second biggest enemy!

The two sides opened up their posture, artillery conquered, soldiers occupied, and broke through the opponent's surface positions. These are the simplest things in war. What is the real difficulty? How to send these troops from home to the front line, and then ensure the supply of the front line and the support of the offensive troops at any time is the most critical!

Take the current Hindenburg Fourth Army as an example. An army has nearly 40,000 troops and 12,000 horses. On average, less than 4 people have a horse. These horses march forward with nearly a hundred artillery pieces of various types and luggage that can last no more than 5 days.

If you don't rely on the railway. Even if there is no war, the daily marching distance should not exceed 25 kilometers!

As a good soldier, he is always looking for a solution. However, no matter whether it is optimizing the organization or enhancing management, he found that the army's marching speed and supply difficulty are still two insurmountable mountains. The German Empire is not a country that can fight a protracted war. If it cannot quickly solve its opponents, Germany, which is caught in a war of attrition, will eventually be dragged down. And what the Bavarians did gave him a little inspiration.

"Hehe, that prince may wish to use these things to replace military horses? But in fact, it is not a driver who can operate these vehicles, but a pilot! They are too prone to failure." Schlieffen said with a smile.

"But this is the only thing we can rely on after leaving the railway. Military horses have been proven unable to maintain the army's marching speed, so we have to find other ways." Hindenburg said after a moment of thought.

The difference in cognition between the two sides is not only due to differences in military views, but also has something to do with class positions. Hindenburg was born from grass roots. He has reached his current position step by step, but Schlieffen is different. He is a Junker aristocrat, and the biggest characteristic of the Junker aristocracy is the military landlord class. They control military power and land. This is the foundation of their livelihood.

For this reason, the German military even opposed military expansion before 1900, because many new positions will be added after the expansion, and the number of Junker nobles is valid, and these new positions can only be reserved for others. This is undoubtedly detrimental to the Junkers' control over the army.

For this reason, they will never give up horse politics, and will hold negative views on all things that have an impact on horse politics. Let's say cars.... Bavaria can do it because the local aristocracy is very weak, and there are even fewer land owners. But not Prussia. For these reasons. Schlieffen was unconsciously skeptical of some of Bavaria's practices.

"Now is not the time to draw conclusions, use your eyes to see, use your ears to listen, and then pass your brain carefully, instead of guessing here!" His Majesty said slightly dissatisfied, and then signaled them to leave, Get ready now and go to Bavaria.

"This group of guys is really worrying." Looking at the three of them going away, William II laughed. Could it be that the whole reason for making such a big battle this time is to touch the family background of the little brother! It's not that simple at all! The Kaiser has endured the Prussian General Staff for a long time since he came to power!

The position of the Army General Staff in the German army is simply the same. The plan they made was a wartime plan, and even if the emperor wanted to change it, it was impossible. It didn’t mean that the emperor didn’t have the right to do so, but because military affairs couldn’t be tampered with directly by personal rights, and the Kaiser was not a professional soldier after all. If he didn't have a group of staff, he really didn't have the confidence to make a decision...

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