Holy Roman Empire

Just at this time, the British were willing to pay a lot of money to introduce "talent", and the two hit it off.

Chapter 151 Battle of the English Channel

Accompanied by the roar of the plane, the British offensive and defensive war that shocked the world officially kicked off.

The fierce air battle was naturally the first to start, and the respective naval fleets were below, and now there is no room for both sides to back down.

The planes in the sky are fighting fiercely, and the warships below are also engaged in a life-and-death duel.The United Continental Fleet and the Royal Navy have been fighting together, and the battle that will determine the fate of the two camps has begun.

The chief of staff of the Holy Roman Empire, Morkes, has already visited the front line, commanding the multinational coalition forces to fight, and Crown Prince Frederick himself served as the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces.

Just by looking at the specifications, we can tell that this is a war where only victory is allowed and no defeat is allowed.

In fact, such a personnel appointment is forced and helpless.Not everyone can be the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces. The ability is second. The key is that the identity or prestige must be high enough to coordinate the relationship between allies.

Of course there is no such person in Shenluo, but after considering the "high-skilled master", there is not much room for choice.

In theory, Franz is naturally the best candidate.With the prestige accumulated over the years, as long as Franz stood there, everyone would be obedient, and no one would dare to jump out and stab him.

It is a pity that the reality does not allow it. During the war, there are more places that need to be coordinated in the country, and the emperor is inseparable.

In this context, the position of commander-in-chief of the coalition forces naturally fell to Frederick.

Anyway, the most important job of the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces is to coordinate the relationship between the coalition forces of various countries. Professionals are in charge of the specific military command.

If you carefully study the personnel appointments in various battlefields of Shinra, you will find that in the main battlefields of Southeast Asia, Central America, and the Near East, the highest military commanders are all royal families.

From this point of view, this war is also the Shinra royal family's strengthening of its control over the army.

There was no trouble, the main reason was that Franz was on top, and the deeper reason was that the emperor was generous enough to buy people's hearts and even take care of the low-level officers and soldiers.

Now everyone wants to win the war as soon as possible, so that they can share the spoils as soon as possible. Those who have power but not power have no fiefdom.

The general trend is like this, even if some people have other ideas, they can only hold them in their hearts.

The object of the empire's allegiance was originally the emperor, a tradition that has lasted for thousands of years, and it cannot be crushed by new ideas in a short time.Especially in the Holy Roman Empire, where the aristocratic system is still at its peak, the influence is even smaller.

The military has no objections, let alone the government.In the Holy Roman Empire, the separation of military and government is not a joke. Politicians who dare to extend their hands to the army have long been cold.

It was the first time that he commanded an army of one million to fight. Although he was only responsible for coordinating the relationship between all parties, Frederick also felt the pressure.

Unlike the gilding last time, there are things to do now.The armies of more than a dozen countries gathered together, and it was very difficult to smooth out the relationship, let alone fight together.

If you simply calculate the combat power, 1+1 at this time is no longer equal to 2, and 1.6 is considered a good cooperation.

And the more countries that participate in the coalition forces, the more weakened the coalition forces' combat effectiveness will be.Essentially speaking, this attack on the British Isles is to fight with a bunch of pig teammates.

Regardless of the pitfalls of the pig teammates, the coalition forces are still necessary.Even Monaco, a tiny country, sent a company to make up the numbers.

In addition to the need for cannon fodder on the battlefield, there are more political needs.

In the long run, the more countries are bound now, the greater the power to suppress backlash will be in the future, the more stable the newly established international system after the war will be, and the hegemony of the Holy Roman Empire will naturally be more consolidated.

Calais coalition headquarters, looking at the combat staff shuttle back and forth, listening to the "dididi" telegram, Frederick, who is full of energy, feels agitated for no reason.

Anxious waiting is the most excruciating thing, it is better to watch the battle in person.It's just that the concept of "the son of a daughter can't sit still" has taken root in Frederick's mind, and he can't help himself.

Time passed by, and the confrontation on the battlefield became more and more intense. The English Channel was shrouded in gunpowder smoke, and the sea water changed color.

The sound of gunfire overwhelmed the sound of the tide and was deafening.From time to time, planes crashed and slapped the sea surface, stirring up waves.

The fighting on the sea was even more brutal.The roaring explosion tells the glory of the giant cannon ship, and the tumbling waves tell the afterglow of the setting sun.

This is the most glorious era of the cannon giant ship, and it is also the beginning of the cannon giant ship's turn from prosperity to decline.The emergence of aircraft carriers has changed the mode of naval warfare.

The wind and waves in the Atlantic Ocean can only continue the last wave of life for the giant cannon ship.The Battle of the English Channel is destined to become the swan song of the cannon giant ship.

There are more than [-] warships on both sides, and they directly set up their positions to bombard each other, as if they were two dueling knights.

No matter how exhausted the spirit is, and no matter how serious the injuries are, for the glory of the knight, both sides are fighting endlessly to the death.

In the fierce melee, the fleets on both sides lost their formation.It's a child's play to be bombarded, and the battle has gone on until now, and it is almost impossible to find a warship that is not injured.

Some unlucky destroyers and cruisers were accidentally involved in the battleship battle, and that scene was a miserable one.Even the warship possessed by the mildew god was directly cut into two sections.

In the blood and fire, both sides were red-eyed.Everyone's thinking has stagnated, and there is only one goal in their minds - to kill the enemy.

Some violent ones even drove the warship directly into it after the hull was seriously damaged. The scene was extremely tragic.

With the passage of time, the number of sunk warships on both sides is increasing, and the true story of "one general succeeds in sinking a hundred ships" is true.

It's a close fight.Although the Royal Navy has the highest literacy and more warships, it has fewer dreadnoughts than the Allied Forces.

In the era of giant cannon ships, whoever had the bigger warship and the sharper artillery would have the upper hand.

In order to entangle the extra dreadnoughts in the Shinra Navy, the Royal Navy can only fight with three or five ordinary battleships, risking being sunk.

Relying on the skillful tactical cooperation, the two sides also played vigorously.The number of dreadnoughts of the Continental Allied Forces has not really been brought into play.

There is no way to bring the navies of various countries to the battlefield together. The number of warships has increased, but the tactical cooperation is unsustainable.

It seems to be uniting, but in fact everyone is still fighting on their own.The cooperation of the country's fleet is not bad, but once it cooperates with allies, it becomes very clumsy.

Judging from the confrontation on the sea alone, they are evenly matched on the whole, and no one can tell at a glance which side will become the final winner of this naval battle.

Compared with the anxiety on the sea, air combat is much clearer.Judging from the number of fighter planes that fell in a single cluster, everyone knows who has the upper hand.

A gap is always a gap, and it cannot be made up by a few slogans or a few words of flickering.

However, compared with the previous London air battle, the current British Air Force is obviously much more mature.As soon as the battle broke out, they swarmed up, almost relying on the sudden outbreak of numerical superiority, pushing back the Shinra Air Force.

It's a pity that they were still short of the last loss. With the arrival of follow-up fighters, this advantage was quickly reversed.

The initial opportunity obtained was quickly wiped out.At the end of the battle, he could only rely on his blood to hold him back.

Dumplings are made in the sea, there are airplane stuffing, there are warship stuffing, and there are a variety of subdivided flavors, which makes the ocean appetite.

The weather gradually dimmed, and it was already difficult to clearly locate the target on the battlefield, so the two sides had no choice but to withdraw their troops.

At this moment, the sea is already in a mess, and the night has saved the warring parties.But what will happen tomorrow, no one can tell.

After the ceasefire, the two sides each sent a search and rescue ship to rescue officers and soldiers who fell into the water with searchlights.There is no distinction between the enemy and the enemy, as long as they are alive, they will be caught.

At this moment, everyone has no intention of fighting. Even if they encounter it, they will pretend not to see it, and then walk away.

Of course, the most important thing is that the search and rescue ship is not armed, so they can't go up and collide, right?

At midnight, Crown Prince Frederick, who was still waiting at the headquarters, finally got the daytime battle report.

The naval battle was not lost. For the Continental Alliance, this is definitely exciting news.That's right, everyone's requirements are so high.

For the Continental Alliance, it doesn't matter whether the naval battle is won or not, as long as it can maintain its unbeaten position, or not lose too badly, it is a strategic victory.

Only after reading the battle report, Frederick couldn't be happier.

It would have been good news for both sides to suffer. The Continental Alliance has stronger industrial strength and faster replenishment of warships. There is absolutely no problem in fighting consumption.

But some allies were wiped out by the regiment, and not just one family.

During the daytime battles, the navies of Montenegro, Sardinia, the Two Sicilies, and Belgium were wiped out; the Greek Navy had only one destroyer left, and the Nordic Federation Navy also suffered more than half of its casualties.

The navies of the above-mentioned countries do not have many ships.Even if the regiment is destroyed together, it will have little military impact, but the political impact will be great.

As the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, Frederick now needs to give the sufferers a plausible explanation.

Greece and the Nordic Federation, which suffered heavy losses, are nothing more than that. The shells on the battlefield have no eyes. If you want to blame, you can only blame your bad luck.At worst, when the spoils are divided after the war, it is enough to compensate a few more warships.

But for the countries that have been wiped out, they can't be so perfunctory.Annihilation of the entire army without defeat, it is difficult not to let the allies think too much.

If you want everyone to accept the reality, you must at least prove that they were not used as cannon fodder during the daytime battle, and that annihilation of the entire army is also a normal battle loss.

It's a pity that this stuff can't be explained at all.Even if there are survivors and other navies who can prove it, the sufferer will selectively ignore it.

Politics is often similar to children. Most of the time, children who cry will get milk, and good children who don’t cry and make trouble are often the ones who are ignored.

Now such a good opportunity, if you don't sell miserably and have to make up for it, you are simply sorry for the sacrifices made by the Navy.

If nothing else, this is just the beginning.In the ensuing battle, more and more similar troubles happened.

For example, Monaco, which sent a company of troops, and Montenegro, which sent a battalion of troops, are the masters who may be wiped out in minutes on the battlefield.

In fact, the land battle is okay, the big deal is to put them behind as logistics troops, or send them to maintain order in the occupied area.

In the past years, the Vienna government has also organized groups to brush dungeons many times, and there has never been a group destruction, and it has rich experience in dealing with them.

The situation is different this time. The army can be put back, but the warship can't be hidden in the snow and not go into battle.

One more ship in a naval battle means one more hope of victory.Even just a thousand-ton destroyer may become the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

If the navy continues to maintain a tie, the air force gradually gains the upper hand, and the landing operation is fully launched, the enemy will definitely attack the troop carrier.

Small countries have a limited number of troops to send, and they can be packed in one ship.If you are unlucky and you happen to catch up with the enemy attack, you may go directly into the sea to feed the fish.

There is no way to do this. To maintain an alliance, at least on the surface, there must be a bowl of water. The care for small countries is also limited.

No matter how many troops are dispatched, it is necessary to go to the battlefield in the end.Otherwise, not only other allies will have opinions, but even the officers and soldiers of the country will have opinions.

Where the responsibility lies, no matter how troublesome it is, it must be done.In addition to these issues, the logistical supplies of the troops of various countries, the cooperation during the war, the fire support provided at critical moments, etc., all need to be coordinated.

The commander-in-chief of the coalition forces is actually a comprehensive post that combines politics, military affairs, and diplomacy.

Because of the special reasons of the war, the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces was given the right to act arbitrarily.

High-ranking positions have never been easy to do.Now it can only be regarded as the beginning of trouble, far from reaching the peak.

After closing the battle report, Frederick frowned even tighter, and asked with some hesitation: "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, in the daytime battle, our army suffered such heavy losses. What are the results?"

The losses were really huge. According to incomplete statistics, in daytime battles, 37 warships were sunk, including three conventional battleships. Almost all warships suffered damage to varying degrees.

Fortunately, the super battleship had a thick skin, and the worst part was hemiplegia. It didn't sink directly, and it could be rescued.

318 fighter planes were shot down by the enemy, and thousands of fighter planes were damaged. Almost all the aircraft participating in the battle needed major repairs, and the loss of the air force was the highest since the war began.

As for the specific loss of personnel, there are too many countries involved, and it is impossible to summarize it for a while.Preliminary estimates of the number of casualties will not be less than 1, and the number of wounded will not be less than 1.5.

Morkes waved his hand and said: "It hasn't been counted yet, and it must be a big deal. From the analysis of the situation on the battlefield, we can be sure that the number of fallen fighter planes and sunk warships of the enemy is even greater.

However, this cannot be generalized.We have an advantage in the Air Force and should have taken advantage of it.

The navy is not sure. After all, we have more new battleships. It is normal for the enemy to fight with old warships and sink more warships.

Comprehensive calculation of damaged and repaired warships, and the current naval combat power in the short term, it is still unknown who will have the upper hand. "

Chapter 152

When the coalition forces were suffering from heavy losses, the London government was even more gloomy.

The Royal Navy, which had high hopes, not only failed to achieve the victory like the autumn wind sweeping the fallen leaves, but even failed to win.

For Britain, the win-win outcome was failure.In daytime battles, the Air Force has tried its best to create opportunities for the Navy, but they have failed to achieve their strategic goals. It will be even more difficult to find such opportunities later.

Without mastery of the air and the inability to suppress the enemy's navy, the next battle to defend the British Isles will be inevitable.

Looking at the battle report in his hand, Campbell was speechless for a long time.It can be seen from the set of cold numbers above that the Royal Navy is really desperate.

The failure to win was not because the Royal Navy did not work hard, but because the enemy was too powerful.

Looking at the data on paper, even a military novice knows who is strong and who is weak.That's right, the Royal Navy does have an advantage in conventional warships, but there are 7 fewer dreadnoughts as combat power.

Being able to achieve a win-lose record with a weak attack and a strong attack, the Royal Navy is already worthy of the name of the overlord.It's just that this is not enough. What Britain needs is victory, a hearty victory.

"Everyone has read the battle report. Whether it is the air force or the navy, they all suffered heavy losses in daytime battles.The number of casualties alone was as high as 1.4, setting a record since the start of the war.

The loss of weapons and equipment was even more severe. It will be difficult for us to organize a second such battle for a long time to come.

At such a high price, we have also achieved amazing results and severely damaged the enemy's navy.It's just that this is not enough, the enemy's strength is stronger than we expected.

Whether you want to admit it or not, the plan to rely on the navy to intercept the enemy's landing has failed.The next battle to defend the British Isles will become more brutal and bloody. '

There is no blame, no accountability, it's all about the facts.It's not that Campbell's integrity is so high, it's really meaningless to talk about it now.

The voices criticizing the government from the outside world have soared into the sky, and the status of the cabinet government in the hearts of the people has long since fallen to the bottom.

Campbell's own reputation has also taken a sharp turn for the worse. If it weren't for political correctness and the domestic media's mercy, he would be the worst leader in the history of the British Empire.

But the worst prime minister has already been crowned.Lord North, Spencer Percival, Duke of Wellington, none of these predecessors could stop him from reaching the summit.

After all, it is a monarchy, and the worst leader must be a "regicide".The media must also talk about political correctness, and Campbell, who is recognized as "incompetent", can only follow closely behind.

Of course, this is based on the premise that the war has not yet ended; if the war is defeated, everyone will not be so easy to talk about.

What is interesting is that the Campbell cabinet, whose reputation has fallen to the bottom, was not removed by the parliament.Especially in recent times, even impeachment proposals have disappeared.

As if overnight, the competitors all disappeared.The ready-made handles delivered to the door are useless.