Germany does not seek survival

Queen Mother Josephine kept smiling, and said lightly:

"If your Majesty is determined, go ahead and do it. You won't go wrong. But remember, even though the Russians have retreated, Italy is still eyeing us covetously. Russia can only threaten Galicia, while Italy is like a bayonet pointed at the heart of Austria. If the Italians succeed, Austria will lose South Tyrol, which belongs to Austria itself, and we will also lose our few remaining seaports."

The Queen Mother was right. The Italians were ambitious. Not only did they want to seize the two port cities of Trieste and Fiume, but they were also preparing to claim the entire Dalmatia region based on the history of the Venetian Republic's rule over the Croatian coastal areas in the Middle Ages.

If Italy had succeeded, Austria-Hungary would have become a completely landlocked country.

Karl I hesitated and said, "Mother, what should I do?"

Queen Mother Josephine pointed out: "We should continue to use Germany. We must first defeat Italy before discussing peace. At least we must deal a severe blow to Italy so that Italy will reduce her appetite in the peace talks."

After this was made clear, the Queen Mother spoke up for Faust: "The German army plans to launch a large-scale offensive on the north bank of the Po River. If the attack succeeds, Italy will be completely destroyed. If we then make peace with the Allies, we will have the upper hand."

Charles I pondered, "The longer this drags on, the worse it will be for Austria-Hungary. Every aspect of the country is almost collapsing. We must urge Germany to launch an attack as soon as possible."

The Queen Mother chuckled and said, "The Germans are also urging Austria! They also hope that we will invest more capital before they are willing to take action. Otherwise, like the 11th Army in Tyrol, an army with only five divisions, the Germans will naturally not trust us."

"How can an army group have only five divisions!" Karl I was also a little surprised.

Queen Dowager Josephine said, "The 11th Army Group is Conrad's Army Group, because the War Office does not want Conrad to have an easy life."

Karl I shook his head. "We shouldn't do this. It will shake morale. I will immediately arrange for at least two more divisions to be added to the 11th Army."

Queen Mother Josephine smiled and said, "Your Majesty, as long as you make up your mind, whatever you do will be right."

After Queen Dowager Josephine stepped in, she easily took care of the situation in Vienna.

Berlin had no problems to begin with, and Tyrol soon received reinforcements from two Austrian divisions and one German division, and Faust's trump cards increased sharply.

Faust was also busy during this period. He did not wait for reinforcements, but instead used the time to train the troops, arrange for National Socialists to be stationed in key positions in cities across Tyrol, and establish Party branches down to the regimental level in every division of the Austrian 11th Army...

Although the National Socialist Party did not establish party branches in companies as it did within the German army, it was a major success that each regiment of the 11th Army secretly established an underground National Socialist party branch.

The seeds of influence have been quietly planted.

Next, all Faust has to wait for is for it to blossom and bear fruit.

Operation Po went through many revisions, and Guderian's Plan No. 17 was also revised several times before it became fully mature.

Faust himself also led the National Socialist officers across the Tyrol Mountains several times to inspect the front line.

He ascertained the status of the Italian army in front of the Tyrol Pass. The Italian garrison in Arsiero was very small and its defense was indeed very lax. This gave him more confidence in Guderian's plan.

Time slowly came to the early winter of 1917. On the mountains at the southern foot of the Alps, the wind and snow gradually spread, and the snow was white. Petrograd, far away in Russia, must have had a similar scenery.

The German army has launched an attack on Petrograd, and what Faust feared most has happened. Kerensky's Provisional Government is unable to resist the German army, and the Russian army is retreating on all fronts.

On November 3, 1917, the October Revolution broke out in history, but Faust did not hear any news of the second revolution in Russia from newspapers or radio.

Did the October Revolution fail?

The difference is whether the October Revolution was a permanent abortion or a temporary abortion.

The next day, November 4, 1917, Faust finally saw a piece of useful news in the war report circulated within the German army.

In view of the serious unfavorable war situation in the areas around Petrograd, the Russian Provisional Government led by Kerensky has announced that the Russian government will move its capital from Petrograd to Moscow inland.

Moscow is still far away from the front line. Even if the provisional government is incompetent, the German army will not be able to reach Moscow in a short period of time.

This also meant that the Russian army fled Petrograd without a fight, the prestige of Kerensky's Provisional Government suffered a serious blow, and the legitimacy of the new government became a candle in the wind. The German army occupied Petrograd, the largest city in Russia at the time, without much cost.

William II and Ludendorff were probably so excited about opening champagne that they were about to get drunk, but they could not have imagined that opening champagne at halftime would be a big taboo.

Faust put away the newspaper. There was little mention of news about Lenin in the German war reports. He asked Sorge to collect some Russian newspapers through the Eastern General Planning Group.

Judging from the news published in Russian newspapers, Lenin was not affected by the fall of Petrograd. While the reputation of the Provisional Government was ruined, the reputation of the Bolsheviks was growing day by day. More and more Russians began to recognize the peace proposals put forward by Lenin in the April Program.

Lenin himself should be fine. Several Russian newspapers still frequently publish Lenin's articles, and the names of Trotsky and Stalin also appear occasionally.

Judging from the content of the article, most of the Bolshevik Party members should have been unaffected and successfully followed the Provisional Government to Moscow.

Rommel and Guderian also brought the order from General von Bülow, commander of the German Army Group in Austria. Ludendorff of the General Staff and General von Bülow, commander-in-chief of the German Army stationed in Austria-Hungary, both agreed with Guderian's revised Po Plan.

Guderian was very excited: "General von Bülow supports us. The 14th Army will first launch a strong attack from the direction of Trieste to draw the Italians' attention to the Isonzo River. In this way, the Italian defense south of the Piave River will be relaxed and their forces will be much smaller, which will greatly facilitate our operations."

With the support of General von Bülow, Faust was convinced that all conditions for the Po River operation were ripe and that the German-Austrian coalition was capable of winning a major victory over Italy here.

But Faust was also thinking that he had done a lot for the German Emperor's empire and helped the German Empire win more tactical victories than in history.

This certainly increased Faust's status within the German army and allowed the National Socialist Party to develop greatly with the help of Faust's reputation and status.

However, Faust does not want to protect the monarchy.

After the Battle of the Po River in Italy, Faust no longer wanted to fight for the German Emperor's empire. In the last year of World War I, he had to concentrate on the future and the revolution.

The October Revolution has not been aborted, it has only been postponed, but Faust also has to make a backup plan. If the October Revolution really changes drastically because of the flapping of the butterfly's wings, Faust will have to bear more historical responsibilities.

Chapter 110 Agreement with Lenin

"Operation Po River—Codename: Imperial Frontier."

In front of Mount Tyrol on the southern foot of the Alps, a row of flash bombs flashed across the sky, drawing a light that slowly fell like a meteor in the quiet night.

Millions of candles shone brilliantly, turning darkness into daylight. Faust, standing on the top of the mountain, picked up a Zeiss telescope and watched intently as the German-Austrian coalition forces crossed the Tyrol Mountains.

After the reinforcement of the Austrian 11th Army, it had seven complete divisions, plus the 40th Infantry Division of the German Army transferred from Trieste, a total of eight complete divisions. Its strength was doubled compared to the 11th Army under Conrad's command not long ago, and was incomparable.

More than 200 artillery pieces from Krupp and Skoda factories began firing rapidly. All the artillery pieces were under the unified command of the German army, which still adopted the Hutier tactics that were so effective on the Eastern Front. The artillery fire method imitated the new paradigm pioneered by the breaker Muller.

The extremely high firing rate of eight rounds per minute quickly overturned the trenches of the Italian Arsiero defenders. Every time after the dull sound of artillery shells spewing, the Italian positions would be hit by a heavy hammer.

Countless shells drew parabolas in the dark night, accurately hitting the Italian trenches, and then stirred up large amounts of smoke and soil.

Paulus, the chief of staff of the Great German Regiment, who was also the chief of staff of the German General Training Office in Tyrol, explained to Faust:

"According to the new artillery doctrine formulated by Hutier and Muller, we will organize mortars, light artillery, and heavy artillery into three groups under unified command. The artillery will be deployed in positions where the inferior Italian artillery can't reach. Then, we will use a drumbeat rhythm, dense and rapid, to destroy the Italian defenses in one fell swoop."

The new artillery tactics pioneered by Muller are very complicated in details, but the principle is actually the key point: reduce the duration of firepower and increase the density of firepower.

Simply put, the German artillery bombardment did not seek to strike the enemy for a long time, but to bombard the enemy in one go within a short, limited time frame, directly suppressing the enemy and making them unable to move.

The main targets of the artillery attacks, in addition to the front-line trenches, are mainly the communication trenches and telephone lines in the rear. The artillery is not to kill the enemy, but to shock and suppress the enemy, making it difficult for the enemy to carry out large-scale mobilization during our artillery bombardment time, so as to create a good opportunity for infantry assault.

Paulus looked at Faust again. Faust was observing the battlefield very attentively with a telescope. He was not moved at all even though the snow was flying on his face.

In addition to the German troops, some Austrian generals also came to the top of the Tyrol Mountains to observe the battlefield together.

But the Austrian commander-in-chief, Marshal Conrad, was not there, and other senior commanders of the 11th Army Headquarters and the commanders of each division did not come to the front either.

"That's the Austrian way!"

After Faust reorganized the 11th Army, he promoted a large number of soldiers from the middle and lower levels to become officers, but above the division level, most of the Austrian officers still retained the original structure.

Faust actually has a good impression of Conrad. At least Faust does not think that Marshal Conrad is a fool. He just thinks that Marshal Conrad's military talents are not suitable for the Austrian army, but only for an army with strong execution capabilities like the German army.

But in terms of style, Conrad is a typical example of a crooked leader leading to crooked subordinates. In 1915, during the most difficult period for the Austrian army, Marshal Conrad's son was killed by the Russian army in the Battle of Galicia, but he was busy arranging a wedding with his mistress.

With Marshal Conrad taking the lead, all Austrian officers followed suit, bringing their wives and lovers to the front lines and renovating their homes and entertainment facilities.

Except for a group of soldiers and officers who were promoted after the Cheka purge, almost no Austrian officers were willing to go to the front line to fight in person. After the battle started, officers above the regimental level all hid in the rear to look at maps, talking about military strategy on paper, and could only mark the maps one by one and talk big.

At the foot of the mountain, the German-Austrian coalition forces had already rushed out of the mountain pass. The Italian army in Arciero had only two divisions and was suddenly bombarded by army-level artillery fire and fell into panic.

Under the cover of artillery fire, the National Socialist Party members of the Great German Regiment led the charge and first fired signal flares in the direction of the Italian trenches. All the artillery immediately followed the signal flares and began extended firing.

The barrage of German artillery fire was like an iron fence, slowly advancing forward and suppressing the two Italian divisions, making it impossible for them to move. The regiments and battalions could only huddle in their own trenches, making it difficult for them to support each other.

"All of you are heroes, brave souls who survived the battles in the mountains, fighting to defend your country. You are all heroes, warriors, for your lives, for the people of the Empire—"

Hitler was already the party representative of a German hunting regiment, but in terms of military rank, Captain Hitler was still a company commander who needed to go to the front line to participate in battle.

Hitler himself was also very keen to go to the front line. He raised his pistol high, as if he was afraid that the enemy would not know that he was an officer, and shouted loudly, his face flushed red as he shouted at the top of his lungs:

This morning I saw an eagle soaring over the mountaintops. I couldn't help but think it was the eagle of our Empire, showing us the true height of our ambitions and ideals—how lofty, how glorious! From its height, the eagle must be able to see the Italian army, and like an eagle spotting its prey, we will pick them off one by one!

Following Hitler's call, the German soldiers were the first to be divided into three echelons in an orderly manner, and rushed forward, breaking through the first trench of the Italian army where there were not many people resisting.

The German hunters moved quickly and agilely, and in the blink of an eye, they reached the second trench.

The Italian troops here were slightly more in number. Some German soldiers set up machine guns and fired at the first trench, while others threw grenades for cover. With several deafening explosions, the second trench of the Italian army quickly shook again.

Not long after, the German black, white and red Kaiser flag was quickly raised in the middle of the Italian army's second trench.

Faust opened his field-gray officer's winter coat, shook off the snow on his shoulders, and revealed the poppy-red lining underneath. He also temporarily put down the telescope in his hand and said with satisfaction:

"Nearly a hundred days of training have been very effective! Our German forces have certainly performed very well, and the Austrian advance has also been satisfactory. The artillery barrage and the infantry's infiltrating assaults have been seamlessly integrated. Taking Arsero should be no problem."

Paulus followed Faust closely and even helped him brush off the snow on his coat, showing his loyalty to his boss:

"Eight divisions attacking Arsiero, which is defended by only two Italian infantry divisions, is definitely a sure win. However, the Po River operation only officially begins after the capture of Arsiero. The key is whether we can quickly advance to Vicenza and Padua."

Faust smiled. In order to blitz to the north bank of the Po River, he had spent a lot of time and effort to arrange transportation for the German army. Various means of transportation were already available. Faust also considered that the Corbin Fortress near Vicenza might block the German army, so he prepared a commando team specifically for this fortress.

The German army was fully prepared and determined to win.

Paulus reminded Faust: "Lieutenant Colonel Manstein has just arrived in Tyrol. He has made an appointment to meet you before dawn today."

The German offensive in Petrograd on the Eastern Front was a great success, and the Eastern General Planning Group led by Manstein was also considered meritorious, so he was promoted from major to lieutenant colonel, the same rank as Faust, and he was also a lieutenant colonel combat staff officer.

After the German army captured Petrograd, it needed a temporary rest. Manstein should have returned to Berlin to report on his work, but on his way back to Berlin, he made a special trip to Tyrol to visit Faust.

Faust pulled a pocket watch from his coat and checked the time. "It's still early for dawn. When will Manstein's car arrive? I'll see him first, then have breakfast."

Paulus quickly arranged a meeting between Faust and Manstein. The German army occupied Petrograd and Manstein was in high spirits. As soon as he saw Faust, he hugged Faust in the heavy snow.

"Witt, Werther, long time no see! Look, we are now of the same rank again. God always likes to have us stand in the same row!"

Faust didn't think he and Manstein were being so affectionate again. He put his hand on Manstein's shoulder and said, "Why, you came all the way to see me? This isn't like you."

Manstein smiled slyly: "I can't hide it from you. I'm here to inform you of the progress of the Eastern Master Plan."

Faust said "Oh" first, then said: "You sent Lenin back to Russia. After such a long time, Russia still hasn't had a second revolution. You are in a hurry to capture Petrograd, which may cause trouble."

Manstein put one hand on Faust's shoulder and the two walked side by side. When they arrived at the shelter, Paulus had already quickly arranged a breakfast, which included battlefield coffee, sliced ​​black bread and smoked sausages. Although the taste was simple, it was nutritious.

Outside the shelter, the snow continued to blow in the night. Manstein raised his tin cup and clinked it with Faust's.

“Before the occupation of Petrograd, the German army had already provided the Bolsheviks with a number of conveniences. The Eastern General Planning Group was responsible for arranging and helping Lenin and his comrades evacuate Petrograd.”

"So what other progress have you made?"

Manstein replied, "The contradiction between Lenin and the Provisional Government has reached its peak. If nothing unexpected happens, within the next two days, news from all sides indicates that Lenin is preparing to launch a second revolution in Moscow!"

Manstein said confidently, "We have an agreement with Lenin. If he succeeds, he will move all the Volga Germans to Courland and hand them over to us. Ludendorff also hopes that Lenin will hand over the Tsar's family and the gold in the Kazan treasury to us as well."

Faust said with a hint of sarcasm: "Lenin is not an agent of the German General Staff..."

Manstein also laughed out loud: "Ludendorff's request is too outrageous. Lenin will definitely not agree to it, but he basically agrees to move all the Volga Germans to our side."

"How is the Polish Legion doing?"

Like Faust, Manstein was the most determined defeatist within the German army. They both believed that Germany was doomed to fail.

However, Faust was preparing for the post-war revolution, while all of Manstein's efforts in Eastern Europe were intended to retain certain fruits of victory in the East for Germany after its defeat.

Chapter 111 Faust is the Card

Mentioning Poland, Manstein's eyes were filled with worry. "Piłsudski is a very capable man! I'm worried that the General Staff has underestimated him. You don't know how quickly he's won the hearts of people from all walks of life in Warsaw. He has a tremendous influence among the Poles. The Polish Legion's three divisions have recently expanded to four. I'm really worried that Piłsudski will become a major threat to Germany in the East."

Faust thought to himself, I buried this big bomb just for you...

We can't really allow the German army to retain a strong presence in the East.

"The German army has captured Petrograd, Manstein. You don't think Germany will win the entire war, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Manstein said sternly, "A tactical victory cannot change a strategic defeat. As long as the United States joins the war, Germany will undoubtedly lose. My view is the same as yours, and it has never changed."

Manstein added: "But we have indeed gained much from our victory in Petrograd."

"Did you seize anything?"

"Yes, in addition to weapons, ammunition and food, we also seized a batch of ships!"

"Oh!" Faust began to get interested. "After the Russians lost Petrograd, their Baltic Fleet had nowhere to go but to Finland."

Manstein said happily: "That's right. While we are attacking Petrograd, the navy has also prepared a squadron to attack Finland as a support."

"The squadron consisted of the dreadnoughts Posen, Rheinland, and Westfalen. We encountered no serious resistance either at sea or on land in Finland, with the only accidental loss being the loss of one dreadnought, which ran aground on a reef near the Åland Islands."

After the Russian army lost all the territory on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, the only ports left on the Baltic Sea were Helsinki and Hanko in Finland. The German Navy then easily occupied the Hanko Peninsula. The hundreds of ships of the Russian Baltic Fleet had nowhere to go and could only flee to Helsinki.

Not to mention that the morale of Russian naval officers and soldiers was low and the ships were in poor repair at the time, it was the middle of winter in Finland and the coastal areas were frozen. It is easy to imagine how difficult it would be to get these hundreds of ships across the frozen ocean.

During the entire escape process, the Russian Navy needed to use icebreakers as the lead, and various ships had difficulty crossing the thick ice layer, and the movement was extremely slow.