Chapter 1,404 Parting Ways
Chapter 1404 Parting ways
Mackensen generally believed what the prince said, because not long ago, before the Riga landing battle broke out, Prince Leopold selected 6 elite divisions from the Bavarian Army to enter Bulgaria. Four of the divisions were deployed on the border between Bulgaria and Turkey, while the other two divisions and their heavy equipment were transported to Asia Minor by ship! From this perspective, it can be seen that the prince still attaches great importance to the Balkan theater! Although Mackensen didn’t understand what strength this theater had that was worthy of the Bavarian Army deploying six divisions in the first phase!
"On the southern front, we have captured Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The entire Serbian Army has been compressed by us to the vicinity of Macedonia. Albania has also occupied most of it. Even with the bad factor of Greece surrendering to the Allies, we have reduced our opponents to a very small range. Inside, I even think that simply relying on the Austro-Hungarian Legion, the Turks, and the Bulgarians can at least stabilize the front. It is even possible to kill Greece. After all, even if the British and French legions arrive, they do not have enough front to expand. After all, it is too It's too small." Mackensen asked with some confusion.
"Narrowness is not a problem. We have to consider the problem from the British perspective. First of all, do you think Britain and France will make a breakthrough on the Western Front?" the prince asked.
"There will be no breakthrough that overturns the war situation, because when we were conducting the Polish Pocket Battle, Britain and France also launched several attacks on the Western Front, but the effects were not very good. As some German troops on the Eastern Front mobilized westward, they did not Opportunity." Mackensen said after thinking about it.
"Well, do you think we can make a breakthrough on the Western Front?" the prince then asked.
"Probably not. This year's strategy is generally inclined to fight on the eastern front. Therefore, we should focus on defense on the western front." Mackensen said.
"Well, here's the problem. Since the situation on the Western Front is that neither side can fight, it means that the Western Front has been solidified. In this case, we beat the Russians half to death on the Eastern Front. If Britain and France are not willing to sit still and wait for death, they must start on other fronts in order to leverage the entire war situation. It is impossible on the east and west fronts, so where do you think Britain and France will start?" the prince asked rhetorically.
"Okay, no need to guess, I will tell you my deduction. Britain and France have only one purpose, and that is to kill Turkey and establish a communication channel with Russia. The most direct way is to choose to pass through the Dardanelles Strait, but at the same time It is also the most unreliable method. So the British became smart after research, and they decided to bring Greece together. However, you can see that even if Greece joins the Allies, it still has some limited hands and feet to carry out operations in the Balkans. Therefore, I think Britain and France will expand their front!"
The prince said as he walked to the map, drew a circle in the western part of Asia Minor, which is adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea, and then pointed heavily with his finger.
“If Britain and France simply seek a breakthrough from the Balkans and the Dardanelles,
Well, I'm not worried at all. My only worry is that they choose to land in a port city in western Turkey, and then launch an attack directly on Istanbul with a serious fighting attitude. You know very well what level Turkey is. If they start a fight like this, If so, I don’t think highly of them! Even if there are only 150,000 Allied armies carrying heavy equipment deployed on a flat terrain, it would be very difficult for Turkey to defeat this opponent purely by relying on its own strength! "
"So, you deployed your divisions in Asia Minor in advance just to prevent unexpected events?!" Mackensen said.
"Yes, just to prevent unexpected events." Generally speaking, the Allied Powers still have a huge military advantage. Not only do they have the dual advantages of troops and equipment on the Western Front, but historically, the British can still take action in the Middle East and capture Baghdad, capture Mosul, capture Jerusalem. The Battle of the Dardanelles can also be launched. (Although there may have been defeats in which tens of thousands of people were surrounded and annihilated)
Therefore, the prince believes that, generally speaking, when the Western Front reaches saturation and cannot shake the entire war situation, Britain and France will naturally invest their excess troops in the Middle East in order to completely defeat Turkey and save Russia. Turkey's influence on the entire war situation is definitely not only cutting off Russia's foreign aid channels, but also being a supplier of food and various materials to Germany and Austria. Not to mention anything else, oil alone is enough for Germany to send ten divisions of troops to ensure safety. According to the agreement between the prince and the Kaiser, the prince's help is naturally needed here. Of course, in return, it is your own business to sign any treaty between Bavaria and Turkey. Prussia will not care!
"So, you are saying that in the future, the East Prussian Army and the Bavarian Army, which were originally clenched into one fist, will be forced to disperse to deal with attacks from all directions? Is that so?" Although Mackensen agreed with the prince's plan, he still had some doubts. Not willing to give in. After all, in his opinion, if the Bavarian Army and the East Prussian Army concentrated their forces and advanced northward, they could completely capture St. Petersburg.
"Can't we have another two months? Together, we can once again recreate the glory of the Polish pocket in St. Petersburg and let the Russians completely withdraw from the war!" Mackensen said.
"However, St. Petersburg has been captured, and the Russians also have Kiev, Volgograd, Moscow, and Smolensk. Why do you guarantee that the Russians will surrender?!" the prince asked. "For the current Germany, it is in our interests that Russia collapses this morning, but the way of collapse should not be forced by external forces, because that is unrealistic, and even if we can do it, the price will be very high! Therefore, His Highness the Kaiser and I have prepared a backup plan, remember one sentence, the fortress is always breached from the inside!"
The subtext of the prince's words was to tell Mackensen that your plan has been rejected, because this back-up plan was arranged by the Kaiser and the prince together, and even the General Staff could not veto it. So, Mackensen just needs to do his own thing. The task given to Mackensen by the Kaiser and the prince was also very simple. The three Baltic countries in the future must be captured, and then try to push as far north and east as possible. Expand the occupied area.
"Markenson, to be honest, my pressure is much greater than yours! Because in the future, we may no longer face a short Balkan front, the entire eastern Mediterranean coast will become a killing battlefield. And if If we can win, then next year, the war may end!" the prince finally said.
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