Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 426 The Siege of Gibraltar 2.0
On the night of July 21, 1904, under the angry gaze of British Prime Minister Arthur James Balfour, the Spanish ambassador to London, William, formally submitted a declaration of war to the British government.

In its declaration of war, the Spanish government condemned the British fleet's act of firing on the Spanish navy as a barbaric act of undeclared war, and declared that Spain would respond to the British government with strong measures.

Prime Minister Arthur James Balfour never expected that the Spanish would turn the tables and blame the war entirely on the British government. In their declaration of war, the Spanish placed all the responsibility for the war on the British government.

It was the British Navy that initiated the conflict by firing on the Spanish Navy, with Spain becoming the avenger and Britain, the victim, becoming the culprit.

Prime Minister Balfour nearly coughed up blood, but managed to hold it in. He was shocked by the shamelessness of the Spanish diplomatic representatives and outraged by the Spanish government's disgraceful behavior.

He vowed to make the Spanish government pay the price, even if it meant heavy casualties and financial losses for the British government.

Shortly after the Spanish ambassador to the UK submitted a declaration of war to the British government, the British ambassador to Spain also submitted a declaration of war to the Spanish government.

The content of the declaration of war was largely the same as that of Spain. Britain also condemned Spain's undeclared attack on its fleet and stated that the British government would definitely retaliate and make Spain pay a bloody price.

Regardless of how the two governments reacted to the declarations of war, the news of Britain and Spain declaring war on each other shocked the whole of Europe at an extremely fast pace.

Before both sides submitted their declarations of war, no country would have thought that a war could break out between Britain and Spain.

Even though the two countries had already had some conflicts due to Portugal's civil war, this was a war between two superpowers, and it broke out so easily.

European politicians should be thankful they aren't Black, otherwise their expressions would be the classic "Black guy with a question mark" look.

They preferred to believe that a war had broken out between Germany and France or between Britain and France, rather than that it was Spain that had gone to war with Britain.

But the facts were right in front of them, and even though they were shocked, they had to accept that Britain and Spain were already at war.

After both sides declared a state of war, the war instantly attracted the attention of the whole of Europe and even the whole world.

Numerous media outlets rushed to London and Madrid, eager to interview the governments of both countries, hoping to uncover the truth behind the outbreak of war and create a major news story for themselves.

In response to interviews from these newspaper reporters, the Spanish side presented some photographic evidence. These photos vaguely revealed several damaged Spanish warships and images of Spanish rescue operations for soldiers who had fallen into the sea.

Holding these photos, Spanish Foreign Minister William angrily said: "Just hours ago, the British fleet shamelessly attacked our navy."

The attack damaged two of our battleships, sank one cruiser, and forced hundreds of sailors to jump into the sea to save their lives.

Although we conducted a timely rescue of the soldiers who fell into the sea, more than ten soldiers still perished at sea. Spain absolutely cannot tolerate such provocation. No matter how powerful the enemy, the Spanish army will bravely take up arms to protect itself, protect Spain, and protect all Spanish people.

We will reclaim Gibraltar in this war. The British have no right to occupy Spanish territory, and they will pay a bloody price for their previous aggression!
We will not accept any form of peace negotiation until we have achieved our objectives. From this moment forward, Britain is no longer a part of Europe, and its control over the continent is over.

This country, which constantly stirs up trouble in its relations with other nations and attempts to establish a balance of power, is the culprit behind the turmoil in Europe over the past few decades.

To avenge the fallen naval soldiers, and for the future peace and stability of Spain and Europe, we should, and must, defeat Britain.

You can relay my words to British Prime Minister Balfour: these clowns won't be able to keep up their antics for much longer. God is always on the side of justice, and the British people are facing their doom.”

At the same moment it delivered the declaration of war, Spain decisively mobilized all its troops stationed throughout the country, and also partially mobilized its reserve forces.

Carlo did not intend to launch a nationwide mobilization in Spain, because the British army was not strong enough to force Spain to go all out.

Currently, the Royal Army stationed in Spain has around 17.5 personnel, plus 1.5 Guardsmen, bringing the total military strength to just over 19.

With the addition of some reserve forces, Spain can mobilize more than 30 troops, which is more than enough for defense.

It's not that the British army should be underestimated; given the need to cross the sea and land, even a million British troops might not be able to break through the defenses of 300,000 Spanish soldiers.

In this war between Britain and Spain, the outcome of the land battles was actually not important. Whoever won the subsequent naval battles would gain the upper hand in the war.

Carlos was quite confident in his navy, after all, just a few dreadnoughts were enough to give Spain the capital to be invincible.

Unless the British could also obtain the data on the Dreadnought in advance like we have, and then devote the entire nation's resources and a large amount of money and time to developing the Dreadnought.

If they couldn't do that, they couldn't withstand the Spanish dreadnoughts. Before the dreadnoughts, all the previous battleships were like scrap metal.

While not entirely without combat capability, under normal circumstances, the role of a single Dreadnought-class battleship is comparable to that of several ordinary battleships.

Although both sides are aware that naval warfare is the most important battlefield, a large-scale naval battle is unlikely to break out in the short term.

The British weren't fools; the Mediterranean Fleet, trapped in the Mediterranean, wouldn't act on its own before the support fleet arrived.

Although the Mediterranean Fleet was also a very powerful naval fleet, it was still somewhat inferior to the Spanish mainland fleet in terms of both the number of battleships and cruisers.

If the two sides were to meet, the Mediterranean Fleet would most likely be no match for the Spanish Home Fleet. The British did not want to suffer heavy losses in the Mediterranean Fleet before a real naval battle broke out; preserving its strength was of utmost importance at the moment.

For this reason, the first battle after the two sides issued their declarations of war broke out on land in Gibraltar.

Because Spain had been prepared, the Spanish army launched a massive offensive against Gibraltar shortly after the formal declaration of war.

In order to capture Gibraltar in a timely manner, Spain deployed three infantry divisions and one artillery division, with a total force of nearly 4 men.

The garrison in Gibraltar numbered only a few thousand, meaning the difference in numbers between the two sides was nearly tenfold.

However, this does not mean that Spain can easily conquer Gibraltar, because Gibraltar is only connected to a very small area of ​​the Iberian Peninsula, less than 1 kilometer wide.

This width greatly limited the size of the Spanish army that could be deployed to the battlefield; the actual number of troops that could be put into combat was probably only a few thousand.

The good news is that Gibraltar is only 7 kilometers long, and except for the part that connects to the Iberian Peninsula in the north, the rest of the area is surrounded by the sea.

There were no Spanish inhabitants in Gibraltar, so the Spanish army naturally wouldn't be lenient with them. Such a fortified stronghold wouldn't be conquered by manpower alone; before deploying soldiers, they would certainly use artillery to devastate the fortress first.

From the early morning of July 22 to 8 a.m., an entire artillery division with more than 7 guns unleashed a barrage of tens of thousands of shells north of Gibraltar.

Most of these shells landed precisely on the fortress and the British troops' living quarters behind it, causing great chaos to the British troops on Gibraltar.

The commander in charge of this attack was Carmen Esposito, who was also an old acquaintance of Carlo.

Carlo met him at the Royal Military Academy in Turin, Italy, and came to Spain with him. He worked diligently and steadily to accumulate his achievements.

As the Spanish army grows larger, veterans like Carmen Esposito are getting more opportunities to showcase their abilities.

During Spain's second military expansion, Carmen Esposito was appointed commander of the 3rd Artillery Division and awarded the rank of major general.

Two years ago, Carlo had just promoted him to lieutenant general and appointed him as deputy commander of the Royal Army.

This attack on Gibraltar was a test from Carlo. If he could succeed, he would have a very good chance of being promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Army, Deputy Minister of Defence, or Chief of the General Staff.

If he cannot complete the task, he will have no choice but to retire as the deputy commander of the army. After all, these positions in the Ministry of Defense are all filled by specific individuals, and even if Carman Esposito is his absolute confidant, Carlo would not have appointed him to a high-ranking position in the Ministry of Defense if he were not capable enough.

After an eight-hour bombardment, Carmen Esposito finally ordered his army to launch an attack to probe the situation of the British soldiers in Gibraltar.

At first, the British soldiers in the fortress did not react. They had become numb to the long-term bombardment by the Spanish artillery and had even gotten used to the constant explosions in their ears.

When the bombing suddenly stopped, most of the British soldiers were stunned. They had no idea what had happened on the battlefield or even their own condition. They were completely bewildered by the bombing.

When a few British soldiers noticed the Spanish soldiers approaching from afar, their exclamations jolted the others out of their daze.

"The Spanish have attacked! Counterattack! Counterattack! Don't let them near our fortress, drive them back!" Only then did the British commander hurriedly issue the order, and messengers relayed the commander's commands to every soldier. The garrison in Gibraltar quickly counterattacked the attacking Spanish army. Because they were on the defensive, they had a certain advantage over the attacking Spanish forces.

During the half-hour battle, the British army suffered very few casualties, while the Spanish army suffered many.

Despite the attack lasting only half an hour, the Spanish soldiers still suffered more than a hundred casualties, including dozens who were killed in action.

This action deeply distressed Carmen Esposito, who immediately ordered the soldiers at the front to retreat.

As it turned out, even after being bombarded by artillery, the Gibraltar fortress could not be breached by brute force. A direct assault might have been possible, but Spain could not afford the casualties it would have resulted in.

"Bring out our big guys, and let these damned Englishmen stay holed up in the fortress! Let this be their graveyard, and I will bury them with my own hands!" Carmen Esposito ordered.

In order to conquer the formidable fortress of Gibraltar, Spain prepared large-caliber artillery.

Following Carmen Esposito's order, several enormous machines were slowly pushed to the front lines.

These cannons were salvaged from decommissioned warships, with calibers ranging from 10 to 12 inches, or 254 to 305 millimeters.

The disadvantage of these artillery pieces is that they are extremely difficult to transport, requiring trains or other larger vehicles to move them, and each shot takes several minutes to reload.

However, it was still very suitable to use it in Gibraltar at this time. Firstly, Spain's transportation system was relatively developed, and artillery could be transported to a location relatively close to Gibraltar by train.

Secondly, what they lacked to deal with the fortress of Gibraltar was such large-caliber artillery.

It's important to understand that the cannons on warships are designed to deal with warships covered in thick steel armor, so dealing with Gibraltar's reinforced concrete structures would be much easier.

The British were naturally familiar with the main guns on warships. When they saw that Spain had actually deployed such large-caliber cannons, the British commander's expression immediately became serious.

The fortification of Gibraltar is undoubtedly formidable. The British managed the area for over a century, making it virtually impregnable.

The entire Gibraltar is a huge limestone peninsula, and on top of Gibraltar stands a protruding limestone rock.

The British made excellent use of this massive rock, building a sturdy fortress on its summit. In addition to this main fortress, the British constructed numerous fortresses and defensive structures along the border and around Gibraltar. Beneath these fortresses lay a dense and complex network of tunnels, which not only connected the various fortresses but also stored vital strategic resources such as weapons, ammunition, medical supplies, and food.

As long as there were no large-caliber artillery pieces, the British were confident that they could hold Gibraltar for several months or even half a year.

Whether Spain could hold out for several months if it deployed large-caliber artillery depended on God's favor.

"Damn it, they've actually deployed large-caliber artillery. Prioritize attacking the Spanish large-caliber artillery; only these can pose a threat to our fortress."

"Once these cannons are destroyed, the Spanish will have no way to attack our fortress." The British commander immediately issued an order requiring the artillery positions inside the fortress to shift their targets to the Spanish large-caliber cannons.

On the Spanish side, knowing the importance of large-caliber artillery to this offensive, Carmen Esposito did not intend to place these artillery pieces too close to the front lines.

In addition to their large caliber, warship guns also boast long ranges. Main guns on warships with 10-inch or larger calibers can fire at distances of several kilometers.

In particular, the 305mm guns equipped on the Spanish Dreadnought-class battleships had a maximum range of about 15 kilometers, which is longer than the combined length of two Gibraltars.

Of course, with a range of 15 kilometers, the hit rate is simply not guaranteed. Although such a range can be achieved, the hit rate of artillery is pitiful. Under God's grace, perhaps only one or two out of a hundred shots will hit the target.

More often than not, you won't hit the target even once out of a hundred shots. If you manage to land within a few hundred meters of the target, that's already a stroke of luck.

Only within a range of 10 kilometers can the guns on the dreadnought ensure a certain level of accuracy.

After all, warships are meant to attack enemy warships, whether battleships or cruisers, which are small fry compared to land-based fortresses.

The main purpose of these large-caliber cannons was to attack British fortresses, which were spread over an area of ​​several kilometers. Gibraltar was only 1 kilometer wide, making them much easier to aim at than warships.

Basically, as long as you calculate the firing distance accurately, you can hit the British fortress with almost any shot.

For this reason, Carmen Esposito specifically ordered that these cannons be placed within a range of about 8 kilometers from the British fortress.

This range ensured that the artillery had a certain level of accuracy while also preventing these large pieces of artillery from being affected by British artillery fire.

This feeling of being able to hit the other side while the other side can't hit you is what Carmen Esposito likes the most.

As for the thoughts of some of the British in the fortress, that was not of concern to Carmen Esposito.

For him, the most important thing was to capture the Gibraltar fortress in time and reclaim Gibraltar for Carlo and Spain.

The artillery deployment took a full half hour, during which time the Spanish army was not idle either, and the artillery division began a new round of bombardment.

With Spanish territory right behind them, the Spanish army had no intention of conserving ammunition. Even if they consumed tens or hundreds of thousands of shells a day, or even a million, it would be perfectly acceptable for Spain as long as they could recapture Gibraltar.

Moreover, heavy bombing would reduce casualties from a direct assault, which was what Carlo wanted. The recapture of Gibraltar was fantastic news for Carlo and the Spanish, but if it came at the cost of heavy casualties, it would inevitably be a minor flaw.

It took half an hour to set up several large-caliber cannons, and then it was time for these large-caliber cannons to show their prowess.

It must be admitted that these large-caliber artillery pieces are far more impressive than smaller-caliber artillery pieces in terms of firing range, power, and even the sound of firing and exploding shells.

The same was true of the destruction of the Gibraltar fortress; worry and fear finally appeared on the faces of the British soldiers.

Although a single bombing run could not directly destroy the Gibraltar fortress, the weaker sections of the fortress's concrete had already been damaged, leaving pits and cracks.

Even if these small wounds are insignificant to the fortress as a whole, what if the bombing continues? Won't the accumulated stress eventually cause the fortress to collapse?

Seeing that these large-caliber cannons were effective against the Gibraltar fortress, Carmen Esposito breathed a sigh of relief.

He immediately ordered the army troops to remain stationed in place, and the artillery units, along with these large-caliber cannons, to demonstrate Spain's wealth to the British.

Shells were fired one after another at the Gibraltar fortress, playing a requiem for the British soldiers.

British soldiers could only watch helplessly through the firing ports inside the fortress. They had no way to deal with the large-caliber Spanish artillery located a full 8 kilometers away, and the artillery inside the fortress was insufficient to completely suppress the Spanish artillery forces.

The muskets the soldiers were carrying had become mere sticks for burning. The Spanish army wasn't even launching an attack. Surely the rifles couldn't hit the Spanish troops several kilometers away, could they? Could they possibly hit their own comrades?

Spain resumed its bombing raids, plunging the British forces into renewed confusion.

After confirming that the Spanish army would not launch an attack for the time being, the British soldiers carefully took cover, fearing that shells fired by the Spanish large-caliber artillery would suddenly hit them on the head.

Although the fortress built by the British was sturdy enough, these soldiers were not foolish enough to entrust their lives entirely to it.

The Spanish siege of Gibraltar failed more than a century ago because the British fleet repeatedly broke through the encirclement, transporting large amounts of supplies and support troops to the defenders of Gibraltar.

On the other hand, at that time, it was still the era of sailing warships, and there were no large-caliber cannons of 10 inches or more, so it was naturally impossible to cause much damage to the sturdy fortress.

Without artillery, the difficulty of conquering a fortress by manpower alone is unimaginable, which is also the reason why the historical siege of Gibraltar ultimately failed.

Now, with Spain deploying large-caliber artillery extensively, the Gibraltar fortress is not truly impregnable.

The bombing lasted for a day, and Spain used countless shells, but the results were also visible to the naked eye.

The Gibraltar fortress no longer appears intact; the main structure is riddled with cracks and damage of varying sizes. The smaller outer fortresses, some fortunate enough to survive, have been completely destroyed, leaving only scattered concrete blocks, exposed steel bars and wires, smoke, and bloodstains—a testament to the horrific fate of the British soldiers within.

(End of this chapter)