German Red Prince

Page 165

Tirpitz shook his head. 1929 was not far off, and his eightieth birthday was fast approaching. In fact, Tirpitz had long been due to retire. If he were to write a resignation letter now and go to the countryside to live out his days, Wilhelm II would definitely have all of Germany send him off with joy.

However, he dared not back down. This was not as people speculated. Tirpitz was not obsessed with power. Otherwise, when he overthrew Ludendorff's dictatorship, he would not have needed to hand over power to Wilhelm II and could have become the next dictator himself.

Tirpitz's sense of crisis is growing stronger every year. He doesn't know if it's because of his health, but he always feels that a major crisis is about to erupt.

Since there was enough time, Thorne took Ludendorff for a leisurely stroll. Although he was a naval officer, Tirpitz had a great understanding of the other branches of the military. Tirpitz was a naval admiral who had won the naval battle against Britain, and almost all the naval commanders admired him.

Of course, the Kingdom of Rhine also has many, but he can't take him to the seaside to see big ships. One reason is that it's too far away, and another is that the Kingdom of Rhine's naval development is not very outstanding, only at an average level. Building warships would be a real money-devouring beast, so Thorne is temporarily focusing on the army.

As for the navy, Prussia has a good navy; it's not too late to build warships after integrating Germany.

Besides, he had placed quite a few people in the Prussian Navy, so these ships wouldn't all just follow William.

Unlike Prussia, the Kingdom of the Rhine seems to be the one in Germany that best embodies the Prussian spirit. Its military spending has been increasing year by year, and the reason they give is very simple: there is a large buffer state to the east of Prussia, so they have nothing to worry about.

To the west of the Kingdom of the Rhine lies the French Commune, which has openly broken the Treaty of Versailles, increasing the danger. Their military development is therefore understandable. Prussia might even provide aid. The Kingdom of the Rhine is Germany's western wall; as long as it is defended, everything will be fine.

Looking at the development of the Rhine Kingdom's army, Tirpitz nodded repeatedly. After years of reorganization, the Rhine Kingdom's army has become increasingly sophisticated. Thorne even showed Tirpitz a paratrooper performance, which can be considered the most advanced combat method at present.

The Rhine Kingdom's army is developing very well. Its military strength has now surpassed that of Prussia. In terms of tanks alone, the Rhine Kingdom's are much more advanced than Prussia's, and it is also equipped with various new types of equipment.

The kingdom also has two overseas legions, which Tirpitz has not yet shown to him, but he has already seen the gap and also the future of Germany.

"Your Excellency, these are our defensive fortifications on the Franco-German front. With these fortifications, it will be much more troublesome for the French to attack."

Thorne, with Tirpitz at the front, was directing the defenses. Of course, these lines were built with funds allocated by Wilhelm II, and naturally, Thorne used most of those funds elsewhere.

These are all deceptive vanity projects; they simply involve carefully constructing fortifications in a few key locations. However, in the future, mobile warfare will be the norm, and these fortifications and bunkers are outdated.

"This defensive line is well built, but Your Highness Thorne, shouldn't France be the Rhine Kingdom's greatest enemy?"

Tirpitz ignored Thorne's somewhat surprised expression and continued talking to himself.

"Germany's problems are becoming increasingly irreconcilable. I know this better than anyone else. What we should be most worried about is a civil war in Germany, rather than another war between Germany and France."

"The war between the three kingdoms could easily allow outsiders to take advantage of the situation, and then our entire nation would be plunged into crisis, and our world hegemony would disappear in an instant."

“Your Highness Thorne, you need not worry. I am a supporter of German reunification, but I am not very concerned about who unifies Germany. I am only concerned about how long this war will last.”

"I do not want the wealth accumulated through decades of hard work to be wasted in meaningless struggles. I support reunification, but whoever it is, must have the power to quickly resolve the war."

Tirpitz's trip to the Rhine had given him a pretty good idea of ​​the military strength of the Kingdom of the Rhine. He didn't even consider Bavaria. Even if Bavaria were to be unified, things would obviously go wrong in Austria-Hungary. The next war would be a decisive battle between Prussia and the Kingdom of the Rhine.

He only hoped that one side could gain an absolute advantage so that the war could end quickly. If it became a war of attrition, then what awaited Germany would not be reunification.

"Your Highness Thorne, I wish you success."

After leaving those words, Tirpitz's trip was nearing its end. The reason he had served as Chancellor for over a decade, doing his utmost to maintain the stability of the empire, was that he wanted the war to break out later. Now he knew he had succeeded, and he had already seen the victor of this war.

"By the way, His Majesty William wants to unite with the Kingdom of the Rhine to deal with Austria-Hungary. That's the purpose of my visit, but I also know that this is just an unrealistic pipe dream."

Everything went smoothly except for failing to reach an agreement with William on his plans. Watching Tirpitz leave, Thorne knew that the prime minister's time was running out, and that his own time was also running out.

The German Civil War has entered its final countdown.

356.Third Reich

Before leaving, Thorne told Tirpitz about his concerns regarding the Nazi Party and the National Workers' Party. Tirpitz knew that Thorne's concerns were entirely valid, but he could no longer make any decisions on these matters; everyone knew Wilhelm II's temperament.

Shortly after his visit to the Rhine, news spread from Berlin that the Reich Chancellor Tirpitz had officially announced his retirement and would leave Berlin to return to his hometown of Brandenburg to live out his days. No one knew what Tirpitz was thinking, but he soon submitted his resignation to Wilhelm II.

This time, Tirpitz wasn't playing along with William's act as before; he was genuinely leaving the Imperial government. He also didn't recommend any successor to William, which surprised William. William asked him several times who he hoped would take over his position, but Tirpitz's answer was always the same: let William decide.

Although somewhat unexpected, Wilhelm approved Tirpitz's resignation. As previously mentioned, Tirpitz's departure from Berlin was met with an unprecedentedly grand send-off, with almost all of Berlin's citizens taking to the streets to bid farewell to the legendary chancellor and this symbolic figure of the golden age.

Seeing this scene, many newspapers lamented that the departure of a giant marked the end of an era.

Indeed, Tirpitz's departure marked the end of an era, the official end of the golden age of the German Empire.

Modern Germany faces numerous threats in Western Europe, including the French Commune, Italy, and the alliance with Britain. In Eastern Europe, it is plagued by frequent terrorist attacks. Corruption in Central Africa, a gradual global economic downturn, and Japan's challenge to Germany's Asian hegemony further complicate matters.

These factors all threaten Germany's hegemonic system. Under Tirpitz's painstaking efforts, no major problems have arisen, but it remains to be seen whether his successor can maintain it.

Tirpitz's departure gave William more power, which is why he personally saw Tirpitz off. Now he could wield absolute power without any constraints.

Tirpitz's sudden departure seemed to be impromptu, without any prior warning, which caused chaos among political parties in parliament. Under Tirpitz's influence, the political alliances in parliament were able to unite, but now that Tirpitz is gone, the alliance has instantly collapsed.

The power struggle led to the collapse of this massive coalition party. Hasel, who was seen as Tirpitz's successor, lost the struggle. In the turbulent summer of 1917, he helped establish the Fatherland Party and was a key member of the young, conservative, national revolutionary faction within the Fatherland Party.

Following Tirpitz's tradition of foreign political vision, Hasel is committed to building a truly "organic" corporatist state, dominated by young right-wingers who are not inherently anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic, or anti-socialist like most of the older generation of party elites.

However, in this era, such a neutral and traditional party was destined to fail to attract attention. With economic stagnation and most Germans yearning for more radical policies, Hassel lost the struggle against the right-wing conservative party. Hugenberg's conservative party won the final victory, and the Fatherland Party instantly went from one of the three major parties in parliament to a marginalized group, no longer having any substantial influence on the country.

However, Hugenberg did not become the Chancellor of the Empire after his victory in the struggle. His influence was too great, and he was too radical and extreme. William did not like his personality and chose Vestape, who was more moderate in the Conservative Party, as Chancellor. His views were more moderate and easier to control.

Upon becoming the new Imperial Chancellor, Vestap immediately launched a completely new and redesigned political program for his party, which in many ways imitated the Old Fatherland Party alliance under Tirpitz.

Vestap wants to form a large coalition, a coalition of conservative forces, uniting parties with the same platform.

Tirpitz's achievements were too dazzling, and Vestap continued many of his old policies, further expanding the social welfare system. In order to gain the support of parties such as the Centre Party, he also supported and emphasized the suggestion of slightly reducing military spending to combat inflation.

Cutting military spending will inevitably provoke opposition from the old Junkers, but Vestap can't care about that now. In order to gain control of parliament as quickly as possible, he has to offend some people.

In this major parliamentary reshuffle, the National Workers' Party and the National Socialist Party successfully merged to form the new National National Party. This election gave them more seats in parliament, making them an important member of the new conservative coalition. Vestap's actions can be said to have completely broken the political landscape of Tirpitz, and the post-Tirpitz era in parliament came to an end.

Although the new alliance was called the Conservative Party Alliance, it was more radical than the Fatherland Party, with a large number of radical right-wing elements. It emphasized the need for a complete overhaul of society and to reshape Germany in terms of economy, politics and military. While such ideas appealed to the masses who longed for change, they were very dangerous for the country.

In the short few months since Tirpitz retired, the government has undergone a series of changes. The party coalition that had been painstakingly built to maintain stability in Germany has disintegrated, the Fatherland Party has been marginalized, and the new conservative coalition has taken a series of radical measures to stimulate the economy.

According to Tirpitz, the people are now going crazy, frantically accelerating on their way to ruin.

Vestap's prestige and seniority were simply insufficient to control Wilhelm II. The Imperial Chancellor was a mere figurehead, becoming nothing more than Wilhelm II's yes-man. This allowed Wilhelm to realize many ideas that were previously impossible, while simultaneously pushing the entire country further into ruin.

Anti-Semitic sentiment is rising in society, as is anti-socialist sentiment. Public hatred towards France is deepening, and there is also a fervent belief in the Third Reich.

During this period, an author named Arturo Müller van den Brob also wrote a book called "The Third Reich," in which he advocated the establishment of a completely new empire that was traditionally in line with the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire established by Prussia.

This country, as he described it, was the Third Reich, encompassing the entire German Empire, the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Low Countries, half of the French Commune, and half of Italy.

It is obvious that there is a driving force behind the book's bestseller status. The conservative alliance is also using the book as a talking point, saying that the German Empire now has a new goal, a real opportunity to become a thousand-year empire, which is to prepare for the next war and establish a third empire that can truly last for a thousand years.

357. Anti-tank

The shockwaves caused by Tirpitz's retirement announcement in the German Empire extended far beyond Prussia. Immediately after Tirpitz's retirement, the defense level of the Kingdom of the Rhine was adjusted, and no one knew what kind of trouble might follow.

Especially with the recent commotion, Thorne felt that the Rhine Kingdom's decision to adjust its defense level was absolutely correct. What is Germany doing now? They've already created the Third Reich. Will they be able to create Nazi Germany soon as well?

Thorne did not think highly of the newly appointed Imperial Chancellor, Vestap. He lacked prestige and experience, was not a core member of the Conservative Party, and did not possess any powerful means. William's choice of him was clearly to create a pretty but ineffective figurehead. Vestap was also a pure politician with no real power base in the military, which prevented him from exerting any significant influence within the army.

Some time ago, he wanted to continue cutting military spending, but the other side ignored him and immediately protested. The proposal eventually fizzled out. The new prime minister clearly doesn't understand the rules. When Tirpitz was in charge, he would consult with the military. Now, he dares to interfere in military spending matters so casually.

Especially after Wilhelm recognized the military strength of the Kingdom of the Rhine, training of the Prussian army began. Prussia is now strengthening its training and reorganization. Cutting military spending at this time could lead to the army being outmatched by the Kingdom of the Rhine. Wilhelm II is a man who cares a lot about his image. Will Vestap be able to withstand his wrath?

In terms of ability, Vestager was far inferior to Tirpitz. In terms of general direction, he could only try to imitate the policies of the Tirpitz era. If he continued like this, there would not be any problems. However, the problem was that he did not have enough prestige. A bill that could be vetoed at will in the Tirpitz era could be passed directly under him. Political chaos leads to economic chaos. The economy of the German Empire has been declining. Perhaps just a random small event would plunge Germany into endless chaos.

In response to potential attacks, the Kingdom of the Rhine has raised its defense level, deploying troops along the borders of the French Commune and Prussia and Bavaria. The kingdom is also currently in a state of level two mobilization, with leave canceled, troops deployed to the front lines, undergoing training, and strengthening combat readiness and communication support.

Although the main force was officially deployed to the Franco-German border, the vast majority of the newly reorganized troops of the Kingdom of the Rhine were sent to the border region with Prussia.

The Rhine Kingdom's exercises are becoming more and more frequent. The key point is that no one expected things to happen so suddenly. Tirpitz's sudden retirement also disrupted Thorne's plans to some extent. After all, this admiral only died in 1930. Thorne also predicted that the war would last until around 1931 to 1932.

It now seems that war is likely to break out in 1929, which makes Thorne feel vaguely uneasy. Although the kingdom has many new troops, most of these troops are still in the initial stage of formation, as are the equipment produced. Some equipment has not yet been widely replaced in the army. If war breaks out suddenly, his side does not have much of an advantage.

We cannot fight a war unprepared, but things are unpredictable, so we can only take it one step at a time and see what level our army is at now.

We have many famous German generals on our side, including two of the three great generals. Manstein is not well-regarded in Prussia. Overall, the advantage is still on our side.

The Rhine Kingdom's military focus is now on mobile warfare, so they frequently conduct exercises in this area. Especially recently, with the sense of crisis growing stronger, Thorne has accelerated the integration of armored grenadiers and tank legions.

In the previous era, Rommel and Guderian did not have a good relationship. The two often argued because of their differences in military matters. Thorne thought that it might be possible to help the two build a friendship through tactical cooperation. After all, it would be a headache if they were always arguing on the battlefield.

Both sides cooperated very well in the exercise. Although the best battlefield for tanks is the open plains, urban warfare must also be simulated. Thorne now attaches great importance to various combat scenarios in simulated cities. Urban warfare is a meat grinder, and often ten soldiers in a building can hold back the movement of a company.

Although I really don't want to fight in urban warfare, most of the heavy casualties in the future will probably happen in cities. It's better to sweat more in peacetime and bleed less in wartime. During the exercise, three grenadiers worked together to blow up a tank at very close range with anti-tank grenades, which won everyone's cheers. After all, not everyone can overcome their fear when facing such a metal behemoth.

Tanks are war machines, and for these people to be able to take one down unscathed at such close range is nothing short of heroic on the battlefield. The three of them worked together very well. After the exercise, Thorne and a group of generals personally went to see them.

"You are very brave. It takes great courage for infantry to face tanks. You are the best of the Rhine Army."

The soldiers were quite agitated and didn't know what to say for a moment.

“Tell His Highness about your tricks for dealing with tanks. How did you deal with this big guy?” Rommel, standing to the side, helped his soldiers out of the predicament.

"Your Highness, dealing with tanks is actually quite simple. The first thing is to overcome your fear. Although tanks are very powerful on the battlefield, they are not omnipotent, especially in urban warfare, where various obstacles can severely affect their movement."

Furthermore, tanks are often deaf and blind. Their observation ports are very small, limiting their field of vision to only a portion of the scene ahead. The noise from their powerful engines also makes it difficult for tanks to judge external movements.

We are safe as long as we are not directly in front of the tank. The machine gun directly in front is our biggest threat because the turret needs to rotate, which takes time. The tank's elevation and depression angles have limits, and within these limits, the tank cannot attack us at close range.

Destroying a tank also requires a step-by-step approach. If direct destruction is not possible, prioritize damaging the tracks, then the rotating parts of the turret. By attacking from the tank's blind spots, it can be easily destroyed.

The soldiers briefly explained to everyone how to deal with tanks. In addition to these methods, they also mentioned many tips and tricks, which were their accumulated experience. These methods could easily destroy most tanks.

"Did you hear that, guys? You'd better be more careful when you're driving tanks from now on."

Guderian smiled and said to the tank crew behind him, "The training experience of these grenadiers is also their experience. Let them know what they should pay attention to when driving tanks in the future."

Their perfect teamwork was key to their success, but the risk was still too great. Thorne realized that he hadn't developed anti-tank weapons yet. Since the tanks were relatively primitive, the anti-tank weapons in the army could still handle them. Moreover, no one expected the crisis to come so quickly, so Thorne didn't prioritize it for the time being.

With war looming, it's time to develop an effective infantry anti-tank weapon. Thinking of the RPGs of later generations that could take on everything, we can start researching based on that.

358. Individual Anti-Tank

The concept of anti-tank warfare was born alongside tanks. In the world, Germany was the first to develop tanks, so the country with the most advanced anti-tank warfare research was Germany's good neighbor, France.

After the German Empire first developed the tank, this thing wreaked havoc on the Western Front, leaving the French army with psychological trauma. As soon as the tank appeared on the battlefield, France immediately began corresponding research. Technological development largely depends on such "spear and shield".

Although tanks were not a key force on the battlefield during major wars, these iron lumps were feared on the battlefield, and their thick armor made them difficult for most weapons to penetrate. Therefore, the technology and tactics for destroying tanks became an urgent need, and anti-tank warfare, as a tactical form, emerged accordingly.

During the war, the French devised numerous tactics to counter the German tank forces, as tanks were far from being a mature weapon at the time.

Although it could inflict significant psychological damage on infantry, it was relatively easy for other branches of the military to deal with. It was a larger target on the battlefield, moved slowly, and its armor was not as thick as it is now. Therefore, there was no better weapon than a field gun.

In the face of artillery, slow-moving tanks become sitting ducks. After the infantry overcame their fear, the French also developed a corresponding tactic: a volley of artillery fire would destroy about 80% of the tanks.

However, this tactic also has its drawbacks. Anti-aircraft guns are too cumbersome and have poor mobility. Although the field guns of the artillery have excellent killing effects on German tanks, putting aside whether the artillery agrees to be transferred to infantry units, the artillery is limited. If they are all given to the infantry, what will the artillery use? Fire sticks?

At the same time, the weight of field guns meant that they could not accompany infantry to provide direct anti-tank fire support. Initially, due to the high failure rate, it was usually a group of tanks that moved together, breaking through a point in the trench and then breaking through the front line.

If you can hit the target with just one shot, you've basically succeeded. However, as the game progresses, the tanks become more and more spread out, which means you need to pick them off one by one, thus reducing the effectiveness of artillery.

This led to the development of individual anti-tank weapons. Infantry urgently needed an anti-tank weapon that could be obtained within their own unit and used in combat. To put it bluntly, it was something that could be available whenever needed and used anywhere.

During the years of the war, the situation of the war developed rapidly, and weapons also developed rapidly. As the latest weapon, tanks were updated at a rate that was basically measured in months during the war. The tank research and development of Britain, France and Germany were basically in a frenzy.

As tanks become more and more capable and tactics are constantly being updated, ordinary soldiers are also given the ability to fight tanks.

At this time, German infantry discovered in actual combat that the specially designed "K" bullets they were equipped with for long-range sniping could penetrate the thin armor of early tanks, and these tungsten carbide core bullets could be fired from ordinary Mauser rifles or Maxim machine guns.

Thus, the earliest anti-tank weapon for individual soldiers was created. Starting with the spring offensive of 1917, each infantryman fighting on the Western Front was equipped with 5 K rounds, while machine gunners were equipped with a whole belt of K rounds. However, this bullet had very limited damage to tanks and caused great damage to weapons. After firing a round, the rifling of a machine gun would be worn down.

Towards the end of the war, at the request of the German High Command, Mauser also produced a dedicated anti-tank rifle with better armor-piercing capabilities, which was the world's first dedicated infantry anti-tank weapon.

This infantry anti-tank weapon is effective against both tanks and infantry; one shot on the left shoulder, one shot on the right shoulder, and a medal awarded to a field hospital.

Anti-tank rifles are heavy, have limited damage, and require highly skilled users, so they obviously cannot become the mainstream anti-tank weapon.

Currently, the individual anti-tank weapons used by soldiers in the Kingdom of the Rhine are generally anti-tank grenades, modified ordinary stick grenades bundled together, and anti-tank mines. There is a clear lack of effective long-range anti-tank weapons. How far can such heavy grenades be thrown? This requires a high level of psychological fortitude from the soldiers.

However, the slow development of individual anti-tank weapons is understandable. After all, tanks have only been developed for a little over a decade, and the technology and tactics of tanks have not yet been fully explored. How could anti-tank technology catch up so quickly?

The Panzerfaust rocket launcher wasn't developed until the 1940s, so it's understandable that there's a current lack of man-portable anti-tank weapons. As a recoilless gun, the Panzerfaust can fire shaped charge at a speed of 45-60 meters per second. Its range varies from 60 to 100 meters, depending on the model. When the ammunition hits a tank, the shaped charge at the tip of the warhead explodes, spraying a stream of hot metal into the tank's compartment. This usually results in the death of the crew and may detonate the fuel or ammunition reserves inside the vehicle.

During World War I, rocket development was relatively slow, but World War II saw a proliferation of different types. Famous examples include the Panzerfaust and Bazooka, which were cheap and durable, making them perfect for the battlefield. After the rockets were used up, you could still use sticks for close combat.

Compared to the Iron Fist and Bazooka, Thorne still couldn't forget the famous RPGs of later generations. Wherever there was war, there were RPGs. Black men in Africa, Arabs in robes, the performance of RPGs has withstood the test of countless wars.

At the same time, the "Bazooka" and "Panzerfaust" also represent two disputes: which is better, a reusable rocket launcher or a disposable rocket launcher?

The American "Bazooka" uses a breech-loading method, and its tube can be reused. However, it is relatively long and bulky, making it inconvenient to carry. Moreover, the diameter of the tube also limits the projectile diameter, because the penetrating power of armor-piercing projectiles is almost proportional to the diameter of the warhead. If the diameter is too large, it is not easy to carry, which reduces the power of the rocket.

Germany's "Panzerfaust" took a different approach, emphasizing power. The Panzerfaust was small, easy to carry, and a disposable weapon that could be used and then discarded, making it very convenient. Moreover, it could be used by a civilian with minimal training. Later, Germany also distributed this weapon in large quantities to the Volkssturm (People's Stormtroopers).

The bullet of the Iron Fist is exposed at the front of the barrel, so the bullet diameter is larger than the barrel diameter, making it very powerful. However, this also has disadvantages, namely poor range and accuracy. It is difficult to hit the target with one shot when the range exceeds 100 meters.

This has sparked a debate about whether to prioritize power or accuracy, or whether there is a weapon that can balance both.

It wasn't until the advent of the RPG that people discovered another way to solve the problem. Soviet engineers combined the strengths of the American and German systems, adopting an exposed large-caliber projectile, but strengthening the launch tube and sight to improve the stability of firing control, and it could be reloaded.

There are many models of RPGs, such as RPG-1, RPG-2, RPG-4, and RPG-7. The most famous one is the RPG-7, which is also the most frequently seen in later films and television shows. However, people didn't equip themselves with this kind of rocket launcher until the 1960s. We are only in the 1930s now, and there are still many technical problems.

Moreover, Thorne urgently needs it now, as the crisis has come rather quickly. The sooner we research and equip it, the better. We should start with the second generation, which should be enough to deal with current tanks. We could also make a modified, simplified version. After all, we shouldn't underestimate the Germans' ability to develop equipment. Even with such scarce resources at the end of World War II, they were still able to create quite a few pieces of equipment. If we use our brains now, we should be able to copy something.