Chapter 1172 The Unfair Treatment of the 54th Division
It is easy to understand why East Africa is separated from the so-called New Dalmatian Kingdom. Although East Africa intends to support a mixed-race German region in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, it does not mean that This means that the interests of East Africa and the local area are completely consistent, and the local mixed-race Germans may not completely obey the instructions of the East African government after understanding the rules of the European game.
This is fundamentally different from the overseas territories directly managed by East Africa, so the original Neretwa region was originally a pro-East African force supported by East Africa, not a complete puppet.
And due to the uncertainty about the final fate of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it is impossible for East Africa to further intervene in the local situation. If the Austro-Hungarian Empire disappears like in its previous life, there is a high probability that the Allies will liquidate the area after the war, so Only a flexible foreign policy can ensure that East Africa remains invincible.
This is the same as Europe and the United States' support for Ukraine in previous lives. Everything is the Ukrainian people's own choice, and they will never admit their "insignificant" help.
Therefore, the New Dalmatian Kingdom is doomed to have a bad fate, and whether it can gain a foothold in Europe depends on its own resilience. East Africa will never admit that it is the backer, even if all countries know it.
……
Belgrade.
At this time, Belgrade became the front line of the battle between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Serbia. After briefly capturing Belgrade last year, due to Potiorek's incompetence, the Austro-Hungarian Army fully retreated into the territory. The Austrian Army did not stop until the end of the year. Decline.
At the beginning of the year, the reorganized Austrian army once again entered the land on the outskirts of Belgrade, and the Serbs were forced to start another battle to defend the capital.
Southwest bank of the Sava River.
The newly formed 54th Division based on the Neretva regional army is stationed here to rest and recuperate.
This time, the 54th Division followed the Austro-Hungarian Empire's large forces, starting from Mostar and advancing eastward for nearly three hundred kilometers. In the past three months, there has been almost no pause.
Division Headquarters.
"Reporting to the division commander, General von Frank called. He asked us to fully cooperate with the task of attacking the 523rd position in the west of Belgrade tomorrow." The signal corps sent the telegram to Division Commander Clyde to report.
Division Commander Clyde said impatiently: "Call back to the general headquarters. Our division has not yet finished its rest. The troops have suffered serious attrition, weapons and ammunition are seriously insufficient, and they are unable to undertake the main combat mission."
Wait for the communications troops to go out. Finally, Clyde slapped the branch in his hand on the edge of the sand table and said to his subordinates: "These bastards are really trying to drag our division to death. Our division had a lot of people before departure. There are more than 3,000 people, but now the number is less than 9,000, and the material supply is also a stepmother. We still expect our division to continue to work hard. "
The 54th Division is the two formed in the Neretva area. One of the divisions, the other is the 59th Division, which is currently heading to the Russian battlefield.
The fundamental reason for this result is that the Neretva region performed very well on the battlefield.
The 54th Division was established before the 59th Division. It was the first division-level unit in the Neretva area. It was organized from the 2nd Infantry Battalion of Neretva that originally retreated to Neretva. .
Commander Clyde, the former commander of the 2nd Infantry Battalion, was quickly appointed as the commander of the new 54th Division. This span is not a big one.
But Clyde is obviously no small person. Although commanding a battalion is completely different from commanding a division, Clyde performed with ease on the battlefield.
This was mainly due to the fact that his father was a grassroots military commander in East Africa. Later, because of the "0" document in East Africa, his father joined the Austro-Hungarian Army and became a guard company in the Neretva region. long. With the influence of his father and the support of East Africa's allocation to the Neretwa region, the young Clyde not only graduated from the Trieste Military School, but also got the opportunity to study at the Hechingen Military Academy in East Africa. .
It can be said that Clyde's life was arranged by the mastermind in East Africa from the beginning, so Clyde received a complete and systematic military education.
Of course, East Africa could only infiltrate the grassroots army of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and it was never expected that Clyde could become a member of the senior ranks of the Austro-Hungarian Army. This shows that war is indeed an opportunity for rapid class advancement.
According to general logic, Clyde could not reach the position of battalion commander within a few years before the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia. However, as soon as the war started and the Neretva area expanded, Clyde He directly became the battalion commander, and now he went a few steps further and directly became the division commander. For Clyde, who did not have rich connections within the Austro-Hungarian Army, it was simply magical.
Faced with Clyde's anger, many people in the headquarters were convinced. Carrington, the subordinate brigade commander, said: "Our brigade suffered the largest casualties in the war. In the past three months, we have carried out Many fortification missions, generally speaking, this should be completed by the main force of the empire."
"Our artillery shells have basically been exhausted, but we have not received new supplies, but the 46th Division next to us is here. three days We just took over a batch of ammunition, food, and medicine... It is obvious that the superiors did not level the bowl of water. Are we going to attack Serbia's strong military fortress head-on with rifles? "
As. The Serbian capital, the fortifications built by Serbia near Belgrade can be said to be iron walls without heavy artillery coverage and support. Suppressing the Serbian firepower output is not much different from dying.
As Carrington spoke, others also started a grievance meeting. Anyway, by now, war weariness is basically spreading within the 54th Division.
“Dingle bell…”
The phone in the command center suddenly rang.
"Division commander, it's General von Frank's call!"
Clyde came to the phone and took the receiver, only to hear General von Frank yell angrily: "Clyde, Do you want to disobey? ”
Clyde was unfazed by General von Frank's anger. He asked confidently: "Your Excellency, General, our 54th Division is not a steel giant, but also a mortal body. If the basic personnel and supplies are not replenished, it will be... I will accept the military court."
"If the domestic situation is difficult, we will admit it, but now the material supply is obviously very sufficient. The 46th Division and the 28th Division next to us have obtained them in the last round. Material personnel replenishment can be They have only carried out so many combat missions. You are treating our soldiers in the Neretva region as disrespectful. Therefore, our division resolutely refuses to carry out this mission and will withdraw to Mostar. At that time, everyone will be embarrassed together... "
Clyde is confident. At worst, he will rely on his old father's organizational connections to return to East Africa. The official of the Austro-Hungarian Empire will take whoever he likes. When he thinks of the unfairness suffered by the 54th Division The treatment is worse than being a basic military personnel in East Africa.
At this time, General von Frank was directly stunned by Clyde's words. What is going on?
Disobey orders on the battlefield and go to court-martial. Who gave Clyde the courage! And what is the situation with the 54th Division?
General von Frank was also a veteran of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was the top commander at least in the last war against Serbia, but Potiorek took most of the blame.
On the contrary, General von Frank and some others were not punished too much. After all, the Austro-Hungarian army was defeated too quickly before, so these people were needed to stabilize the morale of the army. This time the combat mission against Belgrade was General von Frank. If he fails again when he has the chance to make a crime, Crown Prince Rudolf will not let him go again.
The 54th Division is now a trump card under General von Frank. Although the 54th Division is a scratch creation, the residents of Neretva who have received military training since childhood are full of martial virtue. Relying on the strength of the previous few months The performance directly became the main local force that was not inferior to the elite of the empire.
At least General von Frank has regarded the 54th Division as a trump card force under his control, and relying on the 54th Division’s previous outstanding achievements, the 59th Division, which was just established, will be dispatched by the Empire. To the Russian battlefield.
(End of this chapter)