The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 557: Chapter 436: The Great Naval Battle

Under the circumstances of the water blockade, the fate of the officers and soldiers who held out in the Fergus Battery could be imagined.

Before his death, Major Ronald, the commander of the battery, left these words for his soldiers: "Comrades, our blood is running out. Life is given to each of us by God, it is the hateful war that has robbed us of our only life, and in order to eliminate this war, we have failed in our life, long live peace!"

Although the Fergus Battery was eventually occupied by the Germans, the unwavering will of Major Ronald and the French soldiers defending the battery touched not only the British media who came to report the latest news but also the French soldiers and people who learned about it.

After the fall of Fergus Battery, the German army faced unprecedented resistance in its subsequent attacks, unable to advance the front line any further and even at risk of losing the areas it had occupied.

The French army, seemingly unafraid of death, fiercely attacked the occupied strongholds, including Fergus Battery.

In just three days, France suffered as many as 40,000 casualties, but in return, it regained a large number of fortresses and batteries, including Fergus Battery, and advanced the front line several kilometers.

By April 15th, 1916, the German army had not only failed to accomplish the order issued by William II but also suffered heavy casualties and lost many previously occupied positions.

Clearly, there is already disagreement within the German military about launching the Battle of Verdun. Many officers and soldiers, both high-ranking and low-ranking in the German army, were dissatisfied with the orders of German Chief of General Staff Fajinhan.

It was Fajinhan's stubborn insistence on launching the Battle of Verdun that led to hundreds of thousands of casualties for the Germans, with little to show for it in the Verdun region.

As the British and French forces were about to launch a new battle in the Somme region, a large number of German troops were trapped in the Verdun region, unable to mobilize, making the German Westline precarious.

Finally, around April 16th, a major upheaval occurred in the German high command.

German Chief of General Staff Fajinhan, who pushed for the Battle of Verdun despite opposition, was impeached by high-ranking German military figures, including Hindenburg and Rudolf, and was ultimately dismissed from his position as Chief of General Staff on April 20th.

Taking Fajinhan's place as the new Chief of General Staff was Hindenburg, of Junker nobility origin and former Commander of the German Eastern Front.

It didn't stop there; on the second day after Fajinhan's dismissal, high-ranking government officials such as the German Chancellor, Finance Minister, Logistics Minister, and Minister of the Interior resigned before William II. Many military officials transformed into important government officers.

This was not good news for Germany. A large-scale political struggle erupted between the government and the military, with the military winning out in the end.

Although William II remained neutral in this conflict, the military had no intention of respecting him.

As early as six months ago, Hindenburg had openly defied the plans of William II and Chief of General Staff Fajinhan, leading to an incomplete victory for Germany on the Eastern Front.

At present, with the Junker nobility led by Hindenburg, even William II was unable to suppress this immense military organization.

It was evident that William II had missed the opportunity to suppress the Junker nobility. He had been overshadowed by the military government led by Hindenburg, becoming a rubber-stamp emperor in name only.

Speaking of Germany's Junker nobility, it must be acknowledged that a large part of the German army's strength is due to the Junker nobility.

Moreover, once the naval battle fails, the German High Seas Fleet will no longer have any opportunities to make a comeback. It is not an exaggeration to say that after the naval battle fails, the German High Seas Fleet will no longer have any influence or help on the war.

This also means that Germany has decided to go all out. Either hit the Royal Navy hard and change the current decline from the sea, or be hit hard by the Royal Navy and the whole country will suffer a miserable defeat.

However, the possibility of the German High Seas Fleet defeating the Royal Navy is low. The navy is different from the army, and the chance of winning with fewer numbers is small.

Unless there is an overwhelming advantage in warship performance, there is not such a huge gap between the German and British naval warship combat capabilities.

So far, the British Empire Royal Navy Home Fleet has 37 battleships, including 29 dreadnoughts and 8 super dreadnoughts.

The German High Seas Fleet has a total of 24 battleships, including 17 dreadnoughts and 7 super dreadnoughts.

There is a significant numerical gap in main battleships between the High Seas Fleet and the Royal Navy Home Fleet. This numerical gap is impossible for small and medium-sized warships to make up, and it is a fatal flaw for the High Seas Fleet compared to the Royal Navy Home Fleet.

At this point, the positioning of the British and German navies was even more intense, and under the stimulation of Australasia, the British built even more dreadnoughts.

In addition, Australasia undertook a significant portion of the defense of the Indian Ocean, allowing the British to transfer some of their fleets in the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic, join the Home Fleet, and increase their advantage over the High Seas Fleet.

What's even more deadly is that the difference in numbers of main battleships may not be so great when taken on their own.

However, if the total number of warships in both fleets is calculated, the German High Seas Fleet has only over 400 warships of all sizes, while the Royal Navy Home Fleet has more than 700 warships of all sizes, and the total tonnage of warships is much higher than that of the German High Seas Fleet.

This makes the likelihood of the High Seas Fleet defeating the Royal Navy Home Fleet minimal, as there are significant gaps in the numbers of large, medium, and small warships that cannot be made up by tactics alone.

There are only two choices for General Rheinhardt, the commander of the High Seas Fleet: either fight to the death against the Royal Fleet's main battleships or remain inactive in the Harbor.

Neither of these choices is good. Choosing the first one would at best replace the same number of British main warships, but the High Seas Fleet would definitely suffer heavy losses.

In this case, although the casualties of the High Seas Fleet could be avoided, it would violate the orders of the military government and the Supreme Command, and Rheinhardt would have to face accountability from all three parties.

Since receiving the order from the home country to carry out the great naval battle, General Rheinhardt's mood has never been better.

As the commander-in-chief of the only fleet in Germany, General Rheinhardt was well aware of the gap between the German Navy and the British Navy.

Bear in mind that the British fleet facing the German High Seas Fleet is the Royal Navy, even just a small Home Fleet is enough to give General Rheinhardt a headache.

The British Empire has fleets in various oceans, and if the total number were combined, it would be a massive fleet that no two German Empires could match.

Now the enemy of the German High Seas Fleet is the Royal Navy, and even just a small Home Fleet is enough to make General Rheinhardt miserable.