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712 Face the gap

 The scariest August in history is not over yet, and every month in the next four years will become the scariest month in history.

On August 31, a patrol of the 102nd Division captured four Africans trying to sabotage the Walvis Bay Railway near Windhoek. Their tools were not explosives, but shovels and hammers. It is estimated that they wanted to

Use a shovel to dig out the railroad.

"Fortunately, this place is more than ten miles away from Windhoek, otherwise even the residents of Windhoek would be sent to the concentration camp." Lieutenant Sean, commander of the first company of the third battalion of the Graleka Infantry Regiment, just graduated from the Army Academy last year.

He is a Chinese from Nyasaland. He immigrated to Port Edward with his family ten years ago and received education in Nyasaland.

"All Germans should be put into concentration camps, or thrown to Shark Island to fend for themselves. All Germans deserve to die!" Deputy Company Commander Cotton is of French descent. His home country is being invaded by Germany and he hates the Germans.

It penetrates into the bones.

As time went by, the brutal side of the war finally emerged. Although the Fortress of the Burning Sun was breached and Brussels fell, the Belgians did not surrender, and resistance emerged one after another in the German-occupied areas.

In order to suppress the resistance of the Belgians, the German army adopted high-pressure rule. They used Maxim to massacre women and children, and even priests were not spared.

During the Franco-Prussian War, French priests persuaded people to join the guerrillas, causing huge casualties to the German army. The German army did not want to see a similar situation happen in Belgium.

Compared with the brutal Germans, Southern Africa pays great attention to this aspect in its attacks on Southwest Africa and Tanganyika. As long as the German residents of Southwest Africa and Tanganyika do not take the initiative to attack the Southern African army,

Then the military in southern Africa would not use violence against the German residents.

Of course, Britain is not much better than Germany in this regard. The concentration camps during the Second Boer War have reappeared in Southwest Africa and Tanganyika. As long as the troops in southern Africa are attacked, they will be attacked.

With the point as the center, all residents within ten miles will be thrown into concentration camps. Although they will not be massacred, they still need to work in exchange for food.

"Cotton, calm down." Sean does not hate Germans. Even because of the Nyasaland government's propaganda, Sean has a favorable impression of Germans, at least better than the Irish who get drunk every day.

During the previous conflict between Nyasaland and Tanganyika, the Nyasaland state government had already noticed this problem. Germans are the largest group in Nyasaland after the Chinese. The Southern African Army

There are also ethnic Germans serving in the army. After the outbreak of the world war, the Nyasaland state government once again stated that ethnic Germans in Nyasaland would not receive special treatment. The Ministry of National Defense also made adjustments to try not to send ethnic German officers and soldiers to Europe.

Even if the war is to be sent abroad, it will be sent to the Sinai Peninsula.

Before the outbreak of the World War, an infantry division composed of conscripts went to Egypt for duty, and two regiments of the Northern Rhodesian Division and the 1st Cavalry Division had been reorganized.

"Sorry Sean, I shouldn't have said that. I led a team to arrest the farmers behind the scenes and escorted them to Whale Bay." Cotton's apology was a bit perfunctory, which is understandable. The so-called "peaceful coexistence" is just

In the most ideal situation, after the outbreak of the world war, there have been many violent crimes against Germans in southern Africa. These cases will not be reported in newspapers. The news that appears in newspapers is that people love each other and are like a family.

"I guess you can't find anyone. The farmer must have run away." Sean thought it was impossible for the farmer to stay on the farm and wait to die. The four Herero people who came to dig the railway were all farm workers, and he didn't know them.

How did they escape the German massacre of the Herero people a few years ago?

It can also be seen from this point that Africans today are really obedient. If it were Africans in the 21st century who were asked to perform such a fatal task, it is estimated that not many Africans would carry out it seriously.

As a result, these Herero people came to dig the railway with shovels so honestly, which really makes people question their IQ.

"What are we going to do with these people?" The smile on Cotton's lips was a bit creepy, and the look he looked at the four Herero men was full of cruelty.

"How to deal with it, how to deal with it." Sean will not be merciful. This is the case during war. Crimes that are not worthy of the death penalty in peacetime will be severely punished during the war, not to mention destroying railways, which is worthy of the death penalty in peacetime.

crime.

"Understood!" Cotton sneered and called on several soldiers to form a firing squad. Sean didn't want to see those bloody scenes, so he turned the horse's head and walked towards Windhoek.

On the railway not far away, a train was roaring past at a speed of thirty miles an hour. The windows were crowded with soldiers wearing crooked hats. These were the troops heading to Walvis Bay to take a boat to fight in Europe. Some soldiers shouted and cheered.

Sean said hello, Sean waved to the train and shouted "Bon voyage" several times.

Finally, a neat gunshot was heard, and Sean's expression stiffened for a moment, but he immediately regained his composure.

In distant Pretoria, Roque also knew about the situation in Southwest Africa and Tanganyika, but Roque had more important things to deal with and had no time to worry about what happened to the Germans in Southwest Africa and Tanganyika.

According to the General Staff's plan, Martin was the commander-in-chief of the Southern African Expeditionary Force in the first phase of supporting Europe in Southern Africa. On the eve of Martin's departure, Roque also had something to tell Martin.

"Don't be stupid when you arrive in Europe. Remember your identity. You are the Deputy Minister of Defense of Southern Africa and the Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force. Now you are also a field marshal. You have the same military rank as Joffre and Frenzi, so you

There is no need to accept the restraints of Joffre and Forenzi. Everything must be based on preserving strength. If the momentum is not right, run away -" Roque said seriously. Martin had just been promoted to field marshal, just to fight with Joffre and Forenzi.

Qi's military ranks are equal.

The current British and French coalition forces are still fighting on their own. To put it bluntly, they all have their own agendas. The defeat in the past few days fully proved the problems between the British and French coalition forces. Joffre is a famous "slow general", and French has Kitchener.

If Martin cannot figure out the situation, the troops in southern Africa supporting Europe will really become cannon fodder.

The key is still worthless cannon fodder.

"I will do it. When it's time to run, I will be the first to run -" Martin is now on the rise. He was awarded the title of baron when he was wholesale knighthood in London. The fiefdom is in Muscat, but it is only 150 square kilometers.

The gold content is evident compared to before. When Roque was granted the title of Baron of Nyasaland, the fiefdom covered a full 200,000 square kilometers.

"Don't run so fast. If the troops are lost, I will replenish them for you. Don't let Xiafei and Frenzi get the handle." This is what Roque is worried about. He needs to improve his record, earn military honors, and preserve his strength. This

It’s hard to control the degree. Regardless of the poor performance of the German troops in Southwest Africa and Tanganyika, in Europe, anyone who dares to go head-to-head with the German troops is mentally ill.

Martin nodded silently, and Rock also knew that his request was a bit overwhelming, but he still had to say what needed to be said.

"If you have any requests, ask them quickly. If I can't do it, I'll ask the Ministry of War." Roque has such high demands, so he always has to give some benefits.

"Lord, can you give me more troops?" Martin was in high spirits, and the expression on his face was very pitiful. He was a dignified commander of the expeditionary force, but he only had one division under his command. Speaking of which, it would make people laugh.

There are still five divisions left.

It’s no wonder that both Germany and France despised the British Army. Kaiser Wilhelm II contemptuously called the British Army a “poor little army”, and British soldiers mocked themselves as “poor old men”.

"I have transferred one division each from Fort Glory and the Kingdom of Mozambique to you, and these two divisions will go to France with you." Roque has more chips, and now Fort Glory and the Kingdom of Mozambique no longer hide their relationship with southern Africa.

The troops of Fort Glory and the Kingdom of Mozambique, similar to the servant army of the Southern African Army, are fighting in Tanganyika with the Northern Rhodesian Division and the 1st Cavalry Division.

The Kingdom of Congo and the Republic of Congo also have the same status. However, these two countries have just been established and there are not enough troops to mobilize. It will take time for them to fully mobilize.

"That's no problem!" Martin was satisfied. The army of the Kingdom of Mozambique was a bit weak, but the quality of the troops of Fort Glory was still good. After all, the troops of Fort Glory were in a state of war preparation all year round, and their imaginary enemy was the German army.

What neither Roque nor Martin expected was that just after Martin set out for Walvis Bay, bad news came from France.

The 105th Division, which successfully arrived in France, was sent to the battlefield without enough time to rest. Their enemy was the Fifth Army that had just defeated France.

Facing the fierce German offensive, the 105th Division was caught off guard and suffered heavy losses. Of the 121 officers and 3,000 soldiers who participated in the battle, only 5 officers and 750 soldiers withdrew from the battlefield.

When the news reached southern Africa, both Roque and Ade were speechless.

"The 105th Division has been established for more than two years, right?" Ade is not sure about the formation process of the 105th Division. This is Roque's job scope, and Ade never interferes.

"Yes, but most of the current 105th Division are new recruits. Most of the soldiers when it was first formed have retired, and the troops are not equipped with artillery, so it is normal that they cannot defeat the Germans." Rock had already been mentally prepared for the war some time ago.

The ministry sent telegrams every day asking Southern Africa to send troops to France as soon as possible. Roque always disagreed, and Ade also complained.

Now Ade finally sees the gap between southern Africa and the German regular army, but this does not mean anything. The African division sent to fight in France cannot represent the strength of the southern African army. If the 105th Division is replaced by the Northern Rhodesian Division or

The 1st Cavalry Division, even if it cannot defeat the German Fifth Army due to the strength gap, at least it can achieve a better battle loss ratio.

While the 105th Division suffered heavy casualties, the Fifth Army was not much better. The German losses were also over 2,000.


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