My Italy - Chapter 688 Western Front

The defeat in the Battle of Paris was a shock to the German top brass.

First of all, Moltke, who was the Chief of the Army General Staff, had an unshirkable responsibility and was fired by the Kaiser. General Erich von Falkenhayn, the Minister of War (equivalent to the Minister of Defense), was appointed to become the new Chief of the General Staff.

The newly appointed chief of general staff advocated giving priority to the Western Front. He believed that the depth of France on the Western Front was small, and if the German and Italian troops attacked with all their strength, France could surrender. By that time, both Germany and Italy can solve the problem on the Western Front, and then they only need to deal with the British Navy and the Russian Army on the Eastern Front.

To this end, on the one hand, he increased troops and equipment for the Western Front. To this end, not only new troops were mobilized from the country to supplement the Western Front, but also troops were mobilized from the Eastern Front. He mobilized troops from five divisions.

The Eastern Front commanders headed by Hindenburg, Ludendorff and others were quite dissatisfied with this.

For this reason, Hindenburg and others wrote a letter to express their dissatisfaction, and on the other hand they tried to persuade General Falkenhayn. But it was a pity that it was useless. Falkenhayn still insisted on his own idea and wanted to open a breakthrough from the western front.

And his ideas are different from others. He does not focus on siege of cities and territories, but pays more attention to killing the enemy.

In his view, instead of attacking a solid position held by the enemy, it is better to choose a location where the enemy must be rescued, concentrate superior firepower and troops, attack it, attract enemy reinforcements and then kill them. It must be said that his idea was quite advanced. He used one or two major battles to consume the enemy’s forces, and then took advantage of the enemy’s shortage of forces to launch an attack to seize the enemy’s strongholds and force the enemy to surrender.

In the original history, his idea was too naive, and he lost troops and generals in the Battle of Verdun, but it boosted the morale of the French army.

But now, with the help of its ally Italy, and the fact that Britain and France have suffered greater losses, this idea has a chance of success. Although the chance of success is less than half, it is still much better than the original time and space.

Of course, if you want to complete this plan, you will also need the help of Italy, Germany’s most important ally. Yes, after Italy’s series of victories, Italy’s status in the hearts of Germans has skyrocketed. It goes without saying who is more important in this battle that concerns one’s own survival, the allies who cannot win the war on their own and the allies who need help.

However, it is not an easy task for Italy to put its main force on the western front to cooperate with itself. Therefore, General Falkenhayn must seek the help of the Kaiser. Without the Kaiser’s consent, there is no possibility of success.

So after making some preparations, General Falkenhayn met with the Kaiser.

After listening to the request of General Falkenhayn, Chief of General Staff, William II said with some embarrassment.

“What you said makes sense, but it is not easy to convince Carlo. Now Italy is focused on the Mediterranean. They are now preparing for the Egyptian campaign. It is impossible for them to give up. Even my personal persuasion will be useless. “

Faced with the Kaiser’s rejection, Falkenhayn, who had long been familiar with the Emperor’s temperament, saw him speak. “Your Majesty, actually this is also good for Italy. And we need to make full preparations. We can wait until the Egyptian campaign is over before we start preparations. In addition, we can also state to Italy the benefits of attacking France, at least using France’s interests. Seducing them.”

At this time, the Kaiser spoke pointedly. “What do you mean?”

At this time, Admiral Falkenhayn stated his reasons. “I think France should be dismembered.”

“Dismember France?”

Faced with the shocking idea uttered by his chief of general staff, the bold Kaiser was shocked. As early as the French Revolution, the French nation had been formed far earlier than other countries in Europe, and it was not that difficult to split France.

As for General Falkenhayn, when faced with the surprised expression on the Kaiser’s face, he immediately explained. “There are many differences between other regions in France, especially the difference between the north and the south. I once served as a military attaché in France and have carefully studied the differences between the north and the south of France. There are huge differences in climate, life, architecture, language and other aspects. Especially in terms of language, the differences between the north and the south are even greater. One is more Germanic and the other is more Latin. Sometimes when both sides are talking, they can’t understand what the other is saying…”

After listening to the explanation of the Chief of General Staff, William II had an understanding of it. At this time, he was a little moved.

“What you said makes sense. I think we can talk to Carlo about it.”

“The entire army will be grateful to His Majesty for your help.”

The emperor was willing to take action, which made Falkenhan very happy. It’s good news that the emperor is willing to help. The emperor has taken action. Will the government sit there and watch? They will definitely participate. Not to mention their military, they will definitely do their best. With concerted efforts from all aspects, how can the Italians refuse?

When Falkenhayn, the chief of general staff, was delighted, William II suddenly had an idea.

“You say, how about we convene all countries to hold a coordination meeting?”

Facing the Kaiser’s sudden idea, Admiral Falkenhayn was stunned for a moment, but then he thought about it and immediately felt that this idea was very good. Let the Allies come together to discuss the difficulties faced by each country, and then find ways to coordinate and resolve them. This can not only solve military problems, but also all aspects of economic, intelligence and other issues can be negotiated.

“Your Majesty, your idea is very good. Convening various countries for consultation will not only discuss military issues, but also political, economic and other issues.”

The Kaiser was slightly startled by General Falkenhayn’s words. He didn’t just say it casually, but the Chief of General Staff gave him a thorough analysis, making him feel that I am so powerful.

General Falkenhayn then discussed with William II some issues that required coordination of the army, and General Falkenhayn did not leave until the sun was about to set.

After the chief of general staff left, William called a guard. “In order to find a professor who studies folklore from various parts of France, I need to consult with him on some matters.”

It is obvious that William Er Quanxinshi does not fully believe in Falkenhayn’s words, and he needs to understand it himself before speaking.

It’s easy for me to say it, but if Italy wants to concentrate its main force on the Western Front, it will be difficult for me to convince Carlo without a sufficient reason.

That’s right, having known Carlo for decades, William II knew that he was very shrewd. If he wanted to convince him, it would be impossible to agree without paying some price.

Soon afterwards, Berlin extended invitations to Rome, Vienna, Sofia, and Istanbul. Invite them to Munich to attend a coordination meeting to resolve differences among countries and expand cooperation.

Faced with the German invitation, all parties in the alliance camp responded one after another, promising to send their respective leaders, and the countdown to the second Munich Conference entered.