There Is No Schlieffen in the German Empire - Chapter 87



87 – Episode 87 Middle East Campaign (2)

Alexander von Kluck, who had experienced the huge Russian campaign, was not pleased with the order to handle a small army.

Still, he thought that if he decided to do something, he would do it thoroughly.

The day Kluck arrived in Syria, a German division arrived, stuffed like bean sprouts into a freight train in Anatolia.

Unfortunately, the two divisions in Mesopotamia were troops that could not be used immediately, so the only actual available force was the one division that arrived with him.

Kluk first grasped the local situation.

‘The available troops are one division.’

The war situation was also bad.

Unfortunately, at the time of his arrival, the Great Arab Rebellion broke out and the Ottoman army was cut in half. The atmosphere of the staff at the Middle East Expeditionary Force headquarters there was extremely dark. They only expressed negative views.

“Your Excellency. Even defense will be difficult with these troops. “It would be better to retreat to the interior of Anatolia and open a defensive line.”

First of all, it was necessary to change this gloomy atmosphere.

“As long as you defend, yes.”

“Yes? “So you’re saying we’re going on the offensive?”

The staff could not believe their ears, but Kluk answered yes.

“At least I will assert that our military does not need a defense plan.”

“Are there more reinforcements than that one division?”

“Me.”

Although his staff were dumbfounded by K. Luke’s confident attitude, they felt that the atmosphere had become much lighter.

Kluck explained to his staff what he thought.

“From now on, hire a large number of local residents. “We will build a camp in the distance where our troops will march and leave it to them to carry the luggage.”

“If you do that, information will leak to the enemy.”

British spies were everywhere in the Middle East.

“That’s what I hope.”

Kluk also ordered that radio communication be conducted 10 times, changing unit numbers. He told me not to worry about radio wiretapping.

“The commander must have something in mind.”

Soon after, German troops entered Aleppo in northern Syria. The inclusion of large numbers of workers, camels, and horses created the illusion that the size of the German army was more than a few divisions.

Kluk requested his home country for extra military uniforms ahead of the offensive.

“I heard that a large German army is preparing an offensive. Isn’t MI6 deceived?”

The British military command did not believe that the enemy was small. I thought at least 4 or 5 divisions were preparing for the offensive. I never imagined that an army no bigger than one division would dare attack first.

“If the German army has 5 divisions, we need more than 6 divisions. However, we do not have a sufficient reserve force at hand.”

The combat efficiency of the German army calculated by the British army was 120% of that of the Commonwealth army division, so this calculation method was not entirely wrong. Moreover, the British Commonwealth army also included Allied troops with relatively low combat capabilities.

“If the German army is so powerful, you have to be careful. Don’t they also have an Ottoman army?”

Although it was defeated in Arabia, the strength of the Ottoman army was still alive.

Izet Pasha’s army alone had 150,000 remaining, and including the reinforcements coming from inland, the number was well over 200,000.

“Let’s just watch the situation for now.”

Instead of advancing into northern Syria, the British army decided to regroup and take a breather.

But Germany did not stand still.

The German army launched a large-scale offensive into central Syria. The British army was taken aback by the attack, which mobilized all possible weapons, from poison gas to airplanes.

“This is clearly an all-out offensive. “There must be a large enemy here.”

“As expected, it would be better to retreat.”

Major General Phraya Pichai Charnyarit, commander of the Thai Expeditionary Force, also supported the retreat. Lieutenant General Kamio Mitsuomi, commander of the Japanese Expeditionary Force, also expressed the same opinion.

Anyway, this war was someone else’s war, and they had nothing to gain by shedding blood. Their thinking was that since they sided with Britain, they would help in the war, but they would not actively fight.

As Asian allies expressed their opinion on retreat, Marshal Hague was not willing to put any effort into interception.

“If the yellow dogs come out like that, a head-on battle will be difficult.”

“It would be better to withdraw.”

As the staff’s mantra also tilted towards withdrawal, Marshal Hague decided to withdraw.

“There is no need to retreat too far. “It is enough to retreat to the Golan Heights in southern Syria.”

The Golan Heights was not only a geographically highland area but also rich in water resources, making it a good place for a large army to stay.

The Lord of Saud, Abdul Aziz, felt annoyed by Marshal Hague’s decision to withdraw.

‘Those who claim to be the world’s strongest are acting like sissies.’

Despite having sufficient troops, the method of dragging the enemy by giving the initiative to the enemy did not suit his inclination.

“If we have to withdraw, it is not our responsibility to defend the Levant. “We are going back to Arabia.”

Even so, Saud had many enemies to deal with.

The target was countless emirates that were seen as prey regardless of whether they were pro-British or not.

At this time, Saud decided to conquer the emirs of South Arabia and expand his territory to Yemen.

When Saud’s army left, Mecca’s Sharif and Hussein did not sit still.

“Who knows what that evil bastard will do when he returns? “I will also return to Mecca.”

Immediately, the two Islamic monarchs who had added close to 100,000 troops to the negotiation army broke away from the battle lines.

It was believed to be an Arab uprising, but they were irregular troops, not regular troops.

“No, we only talked about a retreat, but 100,000 people evaporated?”

It was absurd, but it was true.

Although the Ottoman-German army did not intend to do so, they significantly caught up with the gap in their inferior forces.

Kluk did not slow down the reins of the offensive.

The German army, which occupied Damascus within a week, suddenly changed direction to the coast of Lebanon and began advancing along the Beirut-＞Haifa-＞Tel Aviv axis.

Guarding this area were the Japanese troops in charge of flank defense. The Japanese military command had planned to withdraw after a moderate fight, but they still could not withdraw in one day. This was a matter of pride.

When the German army poured poison gas, the Japanese army fought back bravely.

“It’s grit! His Majesty the Emperor’s Imperial Army must have Gonjo. “Hold on with the spirit of Yamato!”

“Hi!”

The Japanese army wore gas masks and responded firmly to the attack. Even after receiving an anti-vomiting agent, he did not take off his gas mask and stood like an iron fortress. I could do as much as I could to buy myself some time to build up my pride.

The problem was the weather.

The only reason people can survive in the extremely hot desert is because there is no ‘humidity,’ but if you wear a gas mask, the humidity is so high that it is difficult to breathe.

The Japanese soldiers could not hold out for even two hours and collapsed. Even Yamato’s spirit could not use his strength in the face of the heat, which felt close to 50 degrees Celsius.

“Charge!”

The German army waited for the enemy to retreat and then made a sudden raid.

If the Japanese army had a fault, it was that they did not have the ability to use gas to dry and wear out like their enemies.

The Japanese army could not withstand a single charge and was defeated.

The negotiating forces were shocked when the German army dug into their flank at once.

“We need to retreat further and reorganize our defense lines. “Suez is in danger.”

Marshal Haig could not do anything about the generals’ cries.

The main force in the Golan Heights began a hasty retreat to the west.

Boldly, the German army continued to maneuver as if they were going to surround the negotiating force.

“How on earth do they have so many troops that they are doing something like that?”

The British troops were on the verge of going crazy, but the staff of the attacking German troops were also on the verge of fainting.

“Your Excellency! No more. It has to stop now. “Hasn’t our side already been revealed to the negotiating forces?”

“So we have to push harder. “If we give them the space to think, how are we going to win?”

The staff spent a hectic day worrying about what might happen if the enemy counterattacked each day due to Kluke’s reckless offensive.

But Kluk didn’t have any thoughts either.

Izzet Pasha’s Ottoman army was following behind them.

As the Ottoman army followed up wearing German uniforms, the British army was confident that the German army would launch another large-scale offensive.

The German offensive shown so far is just a taste, but the real truth lies behind it.

After checking aerial reconnaissance photos, the British decided to withdraw to the Sinai Peninsula.

“There is no doubt that they are trying to kill our main force. “Prepare for withdrawal.”

“Then, the connection between Mecca, Saud, and the rebels in Syria will be lost.”

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“It’s something that can’t be helped.”

As the negotiation forces began to withdraw, the Arab rebels were immediately left floating in the air.

“It was good when we rebelled against the empire, right? “Now is the time to rummage.”

The Ottoman army swung its mace with joy.

The Ottoman Army fully demonstrated its ability to harass the Armenians in 1915. The village’s wells were filled, the fields were sprinkled with salt, and the houses were burned. All livestock were taken away and slaughtered. They didn’t just kill people, but that wasn’t because they were humane.

To set an example, we had to slowly starve to death.

“You f*cking bastards.”

The Arabs were angry but trembled with fear.

If I joined the rebels, my village would be destroyed, so I couldn’t even think of resisting.

Ottoman set several villages as examples and then proposed an amnesty.

“If you swear allegiance to the empire, I will forgive you for what happened before. There will be no punishment. But those who continue to resist will pay a heavy price.”

The Arabs had no choice.

Numerous rebels in the Levant and Syria fell to their knees.

The war situation returned to square one.

As the German-Ottoman army advanced to the entrance of the Sinai Peninsula and confronted the Negotiations, the British government felt pressured.

“We were pushed back to the Sinai Peninsula by the allied forces. “If more reinforcements arrive, isn’t it only a matter of time before Suez is pushed back?”

“No, you shouldn’t make such a leap in logic. Even if Germany sends 10 divisions, there is no way to reach Suez.”

“Then is the Abadan oil field safe? Let’s negotiate before it causes more headaches. “Let’s focus on what is more useful than that damn reputation.”

Negotiation talk began to boil over in the British Parliament.

People had a lot of hope and then had it taken away, so people are inclined to early reinforcement.

Belfour felt deeply disappointed.

I thought it was a pretty good picture, but it’s the starting point.

No, it was worse than that.

Because it was an offensive that even gave up the occupied territories of Italy.

Belfour thought another breakthrough was needed.

Of course, there was no intention of finding the breakthrough in Churchill.

Being swayed by that guy once was enough.

“This side also needs to land a punch that has impact.”

With the voices of negotiations boiling over, Secretary of the Navy Edward Carson proposed a winning strategy of his own.

“Gallipoli, Italy, and the Middle East failed. Is there a way?”

“We must seek the understanding of the United States and completely block trade with Germany by neutral countries.”

“That’s it.”

It was a huge diplomatic burden.

I didn’t leave the neutral country with roundabout trade called the UK because it was pretty. I was afraid that if I tightened their leashes, there would be a backlash, so it was almost like I left them enough room to breathe.

But now it feels good. Carson thought it was a mixed bag.

“Even if you strangle them for just six months, Germany will feel its throat burning.”

“You’re swallowing sea water to quench your thirst.”

Belfour was not unaware of the ramifications this would bring.

However, in order to properly conclude peace in a situation where all victory plans had collapsed, Germany had to suffer more.

“It is time for your Excellency to make a decision.”

Belfour reluctantly nodded his head at the lethal drug prescribed by the Navy.