After the establishment of the new cabinet, Lloyd George served as Minister of the newly established Ministry of Munitions.
After taking office, Lloyd George began drastic reforms. He first used his influence in Congress to push Congress to promote the Munitions Act, and then announced that workers in the arsenal would not be allowed to strike, and he drastically increased the number of heavy artillery and artillery shells.
production, and restrict the profiteering behavior of arms suppliers.
Well, Lloyd George hadn't dealt with Roark yet, so he didn't know what kind of person Roark was.
Soon Lloyd George found out.
Southern Africa is now the arms supplier to the United Kingdom and even the entire Allied Powers. After Lloyd George became Minister of Munitions, in accordance with the Munitions Act, he required all suppliers of the War Department to reduce the prices of all military-related materials and fully comply with the requirements.
The Ministry of Munitions arranged for production, and at the same time asked the British largest domestic steel supplier Favalt Steel Company to reduce the price of special steel to the level before the outbreak of the World War in 1913.
Before the Nyasaland Military Industrial Group could say anything, Favalt Steel Company directly announced that the price of all steel, including special steel, would increase by 50% due to rising costs.
Like to buy or not.
Forty percent of the steel required for local factory production in the UK comes from Favalt Steel, and more than 70% of the special steel related to the military industry comes from Favalt Steel.
Therefore, after the Farwalt Steel Company announced a price increase, Lloyd George was immediately dumbfounded. Only then did he realize that using political methods to deal with colonial industrial bosses did not seem to have much effect. Locke and Henry, colonial officials, were not gentle.
Stone, Kitchener and other local officials were obedient.
After the establishment of the new cabinet, Kitchener's rights were also greatly restricted. Asquith required the War Department to regularly submit reports on the work completed and work plans for the next period of time. This actually greatly restricted Kitchener's power.
Na's freedom and the power to choose the battlefield were also transferred to the Chief of General Staff of the Royal Forces. Kitchen Na lost most of his rights and lost control of the war.
Like Favart Steel, Nyasaland Military Industrial Group also announced later in the day that prices for all military-related products would increase due to rising costs.
The reaction of South African companies was slightly slower. It was announced the next day that the agricultural products exported by South African companies to Europe had been greatly reduced due to insufficient rainfall in this year's rainy season, and prices had increased by 50%.
Compared with Henry Stoudemire, Rock is quite restrained and the price only increased by 30%.
Lloyd George refused to admit defeat. He also had a response plan. In response to the price increases of Fawalt Steel Company and Nyasaland Military Industrial Group, Lloyd George claimed in Congress that he would look for new product suppliers around the world.
The only country in the world that can replace Southern Africa in industry, or have stronger industrial capabilities than Southern Africa, is the United States, which has not yet entered the war.
This move was definitely a mistake. The Americans, who had been trying to get more orders, were certainly overjoyed with Lloyd George's decision. Almost all British people except Lloyd George opposed this decision.
Even if Favalt Steel Company and Nyasaland Military Industrial Group increase their prices, they are still British companies.
Even though companies in their own country were capable of supplying products, they sought American products to enter the British market. The British media, led by The Times, published numerous articles attacking Lloyd George. Lloyd George was described as a traitor and a traitor to the United States.
Not only were newspapers and magazines going all out to criticize Lloyd George, but British companies were also scolding Lloyd George. American products were pouring into the UK, and it was not just Favalt Steel and Steel Company that were harmed.
Nyasaland Military Industrial Group.
Compared with the turbulent public opinion, the opposition to Lloyd George within the Liberal Party is also increasing. The Liberal Party, represented by the interests of the emerging bourgeoisie, also opposes Lloyd George's decision. The financial industry represented by Rand Bank and Imperial Bank
In a final stab at Lloyd George, the banking industry jointly announced that it would increase the basic interest rate on loans by 5%.
Although five percent may not seem like much, but given the ongoing world war and loan interest rates that have already overwhelmed enterprises, it is the straw that breaks the camel's back.
Most of the shareholders of the Imperial Bank are traditional British aristocrats. They don't like Lloyd George. Politicians with aristocratic backgrounds like Winston are the natural representatives of their interests.
Although Winston has always been rebellious, his position can be changed, but his origin cannot be changed.
While the undercurrent was turbulent in London, the Battle of the Dardanelles was ongoing. The 402nd Division that attacked the Ottoman Empire's Second Army was crippled. Roque continued to recruit the 403rd Division, but the 403rd Division was crippled again within three days.
Roque had to send out the 13th Division, which barely withstood the crazy attack of the Ottoman Empire's Second Army.
The 13th Division is a unit composed mainly of officers and soldiers from the Transvaal. More than 70% of the officers and soldiers are Chinese, and its equipment is second to none in the entire Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.
In the rugged Garibaldi Peninsula, heavy artillery is difficult to move in the high mountains, so it is of no use at all. The mortars and grenade launchers equipped by the 13th Division are very powerful. Compared with heavy artillery, mortars and grenades
The launcher is more convenient to move. After it is disassembled, three people can carry it and go. It does not have high environmental requirements when used, but its power is not small at all. Especially the grenade launcher, which is a powerful weapon against the poorly equipped Ottoman Empire troops.
Killer weapons, more than 60% of the casualties of the Ottoman Empire's Second Army were caused by grenade launchers.
At the same time as the sniper battle started, 501502, together with the British 29th Division ANZAC that had landed on the island earlier, launched an attack on the Fifth Army of the Ottoman Empire in the southern part of the Garibaldi Peninsula.
The British 29th Division and the Anzac Army made little progress. They faced the heavily defended and solid positions of the Fifth Army. Among the steep cliffs and rugged mountains, every step forward was difficult.
The support of the Fifth Army has been cut off, and the forts on the north side of the Dardanelles Strait are ineffective due to lack of artillery shells. Roque sent troops to land from the coast of the Dardanelles Strait under the cover of the Mediterranean Fleet, blowing up all the forts on both sides of the Strait.
, all the Ottoman Empire ships in the Sea of Marmara were also sunk, and the Mediterranean Fleet attacked in an orderly manner. While conducting a search of the Sea of Marmara, they also shelled the ports and forts along the coast one by one.
Compared with the struggling British 29th Division and the ANZAC Corps who were still trapped on the beach, the 501st and 502nd Divisions were making rapid progress.
These two units are composed of East Indians who are used to fighting in the mountains. The officers are basically Chinese. The complex terrain of the Garibaldi Peninsula is an insurmountable barrier for the British 29th Division and the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. For the 501st
This is a daily routine for the officers and soldiers of the two armies, the Division and the 502nd Division.
Compared with the Ottoman troops, who were in an increasingly difficult situation and could not even guarantee their bullets, the 501st and 502nd Divisions were well-equipped, had complete logistics, and the cooperation of close ground support aircraft and the Mediterranean fleet made the attack go smoothly.
On May 3rd, on the 23rd day of the Borlayel landing, the last unit of the Fifth Army surrendered in Yalova. There may still be scattered remnants of the Fifth Army in the mountains, but the plan for the Dardanelles Strait has already been completed.
There was no threat, and the Battle of the Dardanelles achieved a staged victory.
On May 2, just before the annihilation of the Fifth Army, the German-Austrian Allied Forces launched an attack on Görceli's Third Army of the Russian Empire. The German-Austrian Allied Forces mobilized 1,500 artillery pieces and launched an attack on the Third Army of the Russian Empire within four hours.
The group army's positions fired 700,000 artillery shells. The types of artillery shells were very complex, including high-explosive shells, shrapnel shells, and poison gas bombs.
After the bombardment, the German-Austrian Allied Forces launched 18 divisions to attack the Russian Empire's Third Army, which had only five and a half divisions left. The Third Army collapsed across the board. Within a week, 140,000 Russian troops were captured, and the German-Austrian Allied Forces captured 200
Cannon.
The captain of the transportation team really deserves his reputation.
On May 9, the Second Battle of Artois broke out. After Smith Dolin resigned, Haig became the commander-in-chief of the First Army of the British Expeditionary Force. Haig mobilized six divisions to attack the German position defended by only two regiments.
When the attack was launched, it seemed that there was a huge gap in strength between the offensive and defensive sides. In fact, the performance of both sides on the battlefield was almost one-sided. Because the First Army lacked artillery shells, the artillery only bombarded the German positions for 46 minutes before the attack.
After a winter, the German army, whose positions had been gradually improved, was almost scratching the surface. On the first day of the offensive, the First Army lost 30 officers and soldiers, including 450 officers.
Haig launched two more consecutive attacks on May 16th and May 18th. The casualties of the British Expeditionary Force increased by 17,000 people. The German positions remained unbreakable. What is incredible is that Haig, who had suffered consecutive defeats, had almost no
receive any punishment.
The attack of the First Army was part of the Second Battle of Artois. At the same time as the British Expeditionary Force attacked, the French troops also launched an attack on the German positions. Unlike the British Expeditionary Force, which was short of troops and had few troops to run, Joffre fought for the Second Artois.
It took four months to prepare for the Battle of Tuva, which he called the Spring Offensive.
Before the attack was launched, Xiafei mobilized 1,200 artillery pieces and bombarded the positions of the German Sixth Army led by Crown Prince Ruprecht of Bavaria for six full days. Each yard of the German position dropped 18 shells. After the attack began,
The French briefly gained the upper hand and advanced three miles.
Ruprecht resisted tenaciously and withstood the French attack. On May 7, heavy rain poured down. The attacking French troops struggled in the mud and were unable to launch a larger attack. The occupation fell into a stalemate. By June 18
At the end of the battle, the French lost 120,000 men and the Germans less than 50,000.
Joffre and Haig were not frightened by the huge casualty figures. Just after the Second Battle of Artois, Joffre began planning the Third Battle of Artois. The new plan could not be implemented until the autumn. Joffre put it into effect
It was called the "Autumn Offensive."
When Rock saw the battle report, he could only sigh, they are really a group of butchers.