What makes Rock unbelievable is that when Rock was appointed commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, the British War Department did not have any plan for the Dardanelles Campaign, and had only one clear goal, to capture Constantinople.
But there is also a Sea of Marmara with an area of square kilometers between Constantinople and the Dardanelles. Even if the Sea of Marmara is the smallest sea in the world, it is still a sea, not a lake. The Sea of Marmara
It is 170 miles long and 50 miles wide. After the Sea of Marmara is the Bosporus, where Constantinople is located. The British War Department only determined that the purpose of the campaign was to capture Constantinople. As for Cali,
The Ministry of War did not have any clear plans on where to land on the Baldy Peninsula, how to occupy the Dardanelles Strait, how to control the Sea of Marmara, or even how to attack the Bosporus.
The reason for such a strange situation is not only the hasty launch of the Dardanelles Campaign, but also the lack of attention to the staff department. The British War Department currently has only a few hundred professional staff officers. Rock's
There are more than 300 staff members in the headquarters, divided into twelve war rooms, responsible for all aspects of the entire Dardanelles campaign.
Sand table production is one of the tasks of the General Staff Department, and the person who was most touched by this was Ian Hamilton. Think about it, Ian Hamilton’s knowledge of the Dardanelles was limited to a travel brochure, not to mention the sand table, even about the
There are no photos of the Dardanelles garrison positions.
Photos related to the military are unlikely to appear in travel brochures.
The staff of the Southern African Expeditionary Force are still very rigorous. Every road, every river, every bridge, and even the mountain paths on the sand table are made very carefully.
As Roark's chief of staff, Ian Hamilton introduced to John Fisher the combat plan that all staff members had worked hard to design for nearly a month.
This work has already begun from the day Roque was appointed commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.
"Achilles' Heel! This plan is great!" John Fisher admired Rock's plan very much. According to British tradition, Rock named the entire plan "Achilles' Heel".
Achilles' heel means Achilles' heel. Legend has it that Achilles' heel is the only part of Achilles' body that has not been soaked in the water of the Styx, so it is the only part of Achilles' body that has not been soaked in the water of the Styx.
Weakness: During the Trojan War, Achilles was shot in the ankle by a poisonous arrow and died.
Interestingly, the Trojan War took place in the Dardanelles, and the ruins of the city of Troy are on the south side of the Dardanelles.
In Rock's plan, the weakness of the Ottoman Empire's Fifth Army lay in the Ottoman Empire's poor logistics, so he drew the Fifth Army to the south of the Garibaldi Peninsula, and then landed from behind the Fifth Army, cutting off the Fifth Army's logistics.
, becoming the top priority of the entire campaign.
To complete this huge plan, close cooperation between the Mediterranean Fleet and the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force is required. If the Mediterranean Fleet cannot control the Dardanelles, then Roque's plan will not be carried out.
"It is not easy to control the Dardanelles Strait, but it is very simple to cut off the Ottoman Empire's support to the Fifth Army through the Dardanelles Strait. Just sink all the Ottoman Empire's ships! No matter how many shells there are in the fort,
There will always be a time when everything is exhausted!" Although John Fisher was old, his thinking was still quick and he immediately grasped the key to the problem.
"Yes, we want to sink all the Ottoman ships near the Dardanelles. We cannot let any ship leave the port. The Fifth Army has less than 90,000 people. We now have 200,000 people, and there will be more
Troops are arriving one after another. As long as the Fifth Army is annihilated, we will have a smooth road to Constantinople." Rock was still very proud. He was just like the battle of the Dardanelles in another time and space, "A
"Chiles' Heel" is obviously more complete, more reasonable, and larger.
When Rock was domineering, Ian Hamilton was in a bitter mood.
When he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force had less than 100,000 members and nothing else. The navy, which was supposed to be the biggest advantage, was also invincible before the war. As soon as the war started, "
Led by a general who "resigned due to illness", the future is gloomy.
Now that Roque is the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, the ragtag troops are being integrated. Elite troops from southern Africa are continuously coming in. The southern African expeditionary force is now recognized as the most elite force of the Allied Powers. Kitchener has already sent a telegram to French
, without the cooperation of the Southern African Expeditionary Force, the British Expeditionary Force will not be allowed to launch any attack.
During the attack launched by Haig in March, the British Expeditionary Force lost 40,000 men in one week. Not only did it fail to capture Ghent, but it caused the front to retreat to Ypres. French was already on the verge of dismissal.
Roque had a vague premonition that the reason why Francois has not dismissed get out of class yet is because there has been no result on the Dardanelles Strait. If Roque can lead the Mediterranean expeditionary force to win the Battle of the Dardanelles, Then it won't be long before France's get out of class ends.
As for whether Rock will be able to serve as Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, it will take time. Whether the expeditionary force that determines the fate of Britain will be handed over to a colonial soldier or a colonial soldier who is not white depends on London's determination to win.
How big.
In other words, how much pressure the German army put on London.
That night, Rock hosted a banquet for John Fisher at the expeditionary force headquarters, accompanied by Chief of Staff Ian Hamilton and Chief of Logistics Sidney Milner.
Chefs from southern Africa and France and Italy carefully prepared dishes for John Fisher. John Fisher was obviously not in the mood for the dishes. Now John Fisher and Roque are more familiar with each other, and the two people communicate more deeply.
.
"The oil in Port Elizabeth is very important to us, so we must ensure the smooth flow of the oil pipeline! The French are eyeing Damascus and want to prevent France's ambitions from Damascus!" John Fisher has a clear understanding of the role of oil.
The understanding is that when John Fisher was in charge of the British Navy, the internal combustion engine powered by oil gradually replaced the steam engine powered by coal.
Like southern Africa, France's ambitions for Damascus are well known.
After the end of the world war in another time and space, the British overturned McMahon's promise to the Hashemite family and tried to establish a brand new country in Damascus, but this idea was destroyed by the French.
In 1920, just after the World War, France invaded Damascus, drove away King Emil Faisal who had just been in power for a month, and forcibly occupied Damascus. Later, through the League of Nations established after the World War, Damascus was recognized as a League of Nations mandate.
ruled area.
From John Fisher's point of view, it is not in British interest to control Damascus in the hands of southern Africa. However, compared with France occupying Damascus, southern Africa's occupation of Damascus becomes a better option.
"The French have no chance. They are too busy taking care of themselves now to take care of Damascus." Roque's dissatisfaction with France deepened. When Haig launched the attack, Joffre was not idle either. He also ordered French troops to attack the German positions.
As a result, the French army suffered more heavy losses, losing nearly 90,000 people in one month. It was precisely because compared with the French army, the casualties of the British Expeditionary Force seemed acceptable, so Francesco could still survive.
In the position of commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force.
"The only question now is whether your troops can complete this huge plan!" John Fisher emphasized, with more exclamation points than periods.
Britain is a traditional maritime power. Even though it has the largest colony in the world, it has never been a continental country. The title of "the world's largest army" is like a moving little red flag. After France takes Germany, it has nothing to do with Britain.
In the "Achilles Heel" plan, Rock had to use more than 250,000 troops, so John Fisher was really worried about whether Rock had the ability to command an army of 250,000.
Before the outbreak of the World War, the total strength of the Royal Navy was only 191,000. The millions of troops that Kitchener later recruited had nothing to do with John Fisher.
"No problem. Victory in the landing operation requires brave and skilled soldiers, perfect and timely logistical support, and the cover and cooperation of a strong navy. We have all of these. The only hidden danger lies in the cooperation between the various forces -" Luo
Roque's confidence is not that high. If the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force is composed entirely of southern African troops, then Roque will not be worried at all. The situation is very complicated now. Coordinating the cooperation between the various forces is the most important thing for Roque during this period.
task.
"In the face of victory, we must unify all our thoughts!" John Fisher was determined. He will leave Cyprus tomorrow, join the Mediterranean Fleet, and start his work.
In order to coordinate the connection between the Mediterranean Fleet and the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, John Fisher left his adjutant William Eisenhower with Rock. Rock also asked Patton, who had a more calm personality, to follow John Fisher to the Mediterranean Fleet. They
The two will establish a solid communication channel, which will be more conducive to cooperation between the fleet and ground forces.
On April 5th, after nearly two months of preparations, the Battle of the Dardanelles finally began. Six divisions of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force landed at five different places, all on the Garibaldi Peninsula.
Rock abandoned the other side of the Dardanelles and placed all his main attack targets on the Garibaldi Peninsula.
This is also an adjustment based on the deployment of the Dardanelles Strait garrison. To defend the Dardanelles Strait, the Fifth Army cannot only defend one side of the Dardanelles Strait, but must evenly distribute its forces across the Dardanelles Strait.
On both sides of the Darnell Strait, at most more troops should be deployed on the Garibaldi Peninsula.
Now that Rock has completely abandoned the southern side of the Dardanelles Strait and concentrated its efforts on launching an attack on the Garibaldi Peninsula, the defensive forces arranged by the Fifth Army on the southern side of the Dardanelles Strait have been wasted and cannot provide any support to the Garibaldi Peninsula.
help.
What Roque didn't expect was that although the staff had produced as detailed a battle plan as possible and although Roque had issued detailed orders to every unit, problems still arose just after the battle began.