The reason why Germany named its latest fast warship Moltke to commemorate the famous general Bernhardt von Moltke who died in 1891, that is, the "Old Moltke" who had outstanding achievements in the history of the Prussian-German Empire. In the 1866 Prussian-Austrian War, the old Moltke commanded the Prussian army to win, ending Austria's traditional leadership in the German world; after the outbreak of the French-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-Prussian-

The achievements of Lao Mokchi not only lie in the field of military command, but also created the world-famous Prussian General Staff system, turning the General Staff from a military staff to a military command and decision-making body, and followed by other countries. It is commendable that Lao Mokchi's military thought inherited Clausewitz's theoretical viewpoint, emphasized that war is the continuation of politics, attached importance to the important role of the General Staff and staff in organizing and improving military combat command, and emphasized that the military should be fully understood and used railways.

He and telegraphies advocate mobilization first, attack in a split, attack in a joint manner, breakthrough in a fast and quick battle. In military construction, he has discussed and made contributions to war mobilization, military organization, combat command, weapons and equipment, etc. His military theory laid the foundation for the future "blitzkrieg" that dominated the continent. Therefore, together with Bismarck, he was respected by people as a "century-year gift" given to Germany by God. The two of them made irreplaceable contributions to the unification of Germany.

The old Moltke, who had outstanding achievements, lived to the age of 91. Although he had a very enviable romantic marriage, he had no children. Therefore, he loved his nephew very much and regarded it as his own. This was the army general who threw a bottle at the launch ceremony of the Moltke battle cruiser, Helmut von Moltke, known as the "Little Moltke".

In the concepts of most later generations, Moltke was synonymous with indecisiveness and moderation. He was very likely to defeat the Schliffen plan of France in one fell swoop. With his repeated modifications, the German army fell into the quagmire of trench warfare in the Western Front and eventually dragged down the emerging empire. If heroes are judged by success or failure, Moltke was indeed a failed commander, but it is inevitable that it is unfair to evaluate his ability by this. In fact, this German general born in 1848 was a typical Prussian soldier. He served in the Prussian Guards and General Staff. Since 1882, he has served as his uncle's adjutant and learned a lot of military counselors.

He recognized and accepted a lot of military practice. He praised the idea of ​​quick battle and quick decision that his uncle always advocated, and repeatedly stated that no matter what, he must strive to implement mobile warfare, and must engage in battles, and must not develop into positional warfare. In the operation of certain things, Moltke is more correct and rational than Schliffen. In addition, Moltke also worked hard to coordinate land and sea combat plans with the Navy Command, and restored his connection with the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its chief of staff, Marshal Franz Conrad von Hetsendorf, which gave the Austro-Hungarian Empire a more understanding of the German combat strategies, which was of extraordinary significance for military allies to fight side by side.

Unlike Schlieffen, Moltke was strong and tall, with broad shoulders. He treated people kindly, dignifiedly, and had a wide range of interests and hobbies. With his "great military image", he was favored by the emperor. Therefore, when appointing Moltke as the chief of staff of the Army, the emperor claimed that the German General Staff, led by the second "Moltke", would make all enemies afraid.

He was able to rise to the military and succeed Wadesi and Schlieffen as the enviable chief of staff. Moltke relied on his uncle's reputation alone. In his interactions with the German emperor, he was much smarter than his predecessors. He was not a simple and blindly obedient soldier, nor was he a court servant in the ordinary sense. Before accepting the appointment of the chief of staff, he proposed a prerequisite to the emperor, which made the emperor and his servants stunned. Since he took office, the emperor must not intervene in any military command issues, including large-scale map operations or royal exercises of the General Staff.

To people's surprise, William II, who had always been arrogant, accepted the request of Moltke.

Although he received the full support of the emperor, the position of Chief of Staff was a heavy burden for Xiao Moltke, because he felt ashamed of himself in the face of the rich heritage of his great ancestors. In the work of cultivating officers of the General Staff, he did not want anyone who was unfamiliar with the military situation to intervene. Perhaps he had seen that the emperor could win people's respect in terms of character, but he was a layman in the military. If the emperor was already a person with a complex personality and a sensitive nerve, then Xiao Moltke's personality was even more complex and sensitive. He took over as the General Secretary.

Before the position of Chief of Staff, he made a request to the emperor, that is, to independently lead the large-scale autumn exercise in 1905 as the military chief, which contained some meaning of verifying oneself. According to Schlieffen's evaluation, the results of the exercise were naturally outstanding. After encountering some difficulties at the beginning of his term, Moltke became familiar with the complicated work he shouldered at an astonishing speed, and his status increased day by day. The reason why this was possible was because he inherited a unique Army General Staff with the imprint of Schlieffen.

...

At the celebration dinner on the day the "Moltch" was launched, Tirpitz talked about the European situation with Xiao Moltch, and Xia Shu was listening. The heads of the army and navy were both worried about Germany's strategic situation. When talking about the possibility of war, Tirpitz was obviously very concerned about the land war situation, because it was directly related to the combat strategy of the German Navy. However, Xiao Moltch obviously believed that the German army had an absolute confidence in winning when facing the French team alone, and the key was the Russian mobilization time and the military role of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As long as the eastern front was safe, the German army would achieve a decisive victory on the western front, and then rush to advance eastward to include Russian Poland into Germany's territory, "liberate" Belarus and Ukraine, making it a buffer zone between Germany and Russia.

"We don't think the British will be involved in this war. They are happy to see mainland countries fighting each other. Even if they can't think about it and insist on intervening, the war will end before their sea blockade works. If Britain sends their poor army troops to France, our powerful right-wing corps will crush them like wheels and ants." Moltke said confidently.

As a later generation, Natsuki knew how bad the judgment was. He kindly reminded: "God General, I heard that the French were helping Russia build the railway lines in the central and southern regions, which seemed to mean that the Russians could mobilize and gather troops at a faster rate. Are you not worried about this?"

"Ha!" Xiao Moltch replied disapprovingly, "With the sincerity of the French and the efficiency of the Russians, those railways will not know when they will be completed! Let's take a step back, even if the railway is completed, it will take a long time for the Russian troops, mainly peasants, to complete the assembly. When they go along the railway and then take a train to the south, our victorious army is already waiting for them in East Prussia!"

Tirpitz, who was beside him, smiled in vain.

Little Moltke looked at Tirpitz and probably felt that there was something wrong with what he said just now. He frowned and thought for a moment, and suddenly realized: "Because the English Channel is not conducive to the main fleet's combat, during the Western Front, I suggest that the naval fleet firmly guard the local coastline and block the Baltic Sea, and divide the maritime connection between France and Russia. When we rush our troops to advance eastward, we will definitely need the cooperation and help of the navy to drive the Russian team away from the east coast of the Baltic Sea."

Tirpitz seemed not very interested in this comforting discourse. The creator of the high seas fleet always focused on the vast ocean. Xia Shu remembered the historical operation Albion in late 1917. In order to get rid of the troubles of fighting on both sides and completely defeat the weaker Russian team, the German Navy launched an amphibious landing operation in the Baltic Sea, attempting to capture St. Petersburg. The German Navy was fully equipped with elite troops, but in the Gulf of Finland, where mines were covered, they did not perform as expected. Instead, many main battleships were injured in the mines. The amphibious landing of the navy also achieved little success due to insufficient preparation and lack of experience.

When the two heads of the Navy landed, Natsuki tentatively said: "If landing operations are needed on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea in the future, I think it is necessary for us to form a larger scale of marine forces."

"What Your Highness said is very true." Tirpitz gave an seemingly certain and actually very vague answer.

Tirpitz is sophisticated and sophisticated. The little Moltke, who came from a famous family, was certainly not bad at becoming the Chief of Staff of the Army. He also said ambiguously: "The Marine Corps is a traditional navy and played an important role in the colonial era. I believe that diligent and professional training will give them combat effectiveness that is no less than that of the regular army, and is very suitable for landing and offensive operations within the range of naval guns."

Before World War I, the Marines of various countries were mainly equipped with combatants on ships. Their existence can be traced back to the era of cold weapons. In the period of sail gunboats, warships were still carrying melee soldiers prepared for the Jump Gang operation. In modern times, although they no longer participated in naval warfare, they were vanguards in colonial invasion operations of powerful countries. They could basically be seen in colonial warfare. Usually, a cruiser-level warship can carry dozens or even hundreds of marines. If necessary, some trained crew members will also participate in land combat operations, and their combat effectiveness cannot be combined with

A regular army is comparable, and lacks heavy weapons and supplies. It is only suitable for combat with naval gun cover, army cooperation or extremely weak opponents. Due to the constraints of strategic geography, the German main fleet does not have the need for ocean-going combat. Usually only cruisers performing colonial cruise missions are equipped with land warfare personnel. The remaining warships, such as a battleship with 500 members, are often equipped with only one Marine with forty or fifty people, and these people often also serve other positions on the ship. Although the remaining crew members can be temporarily transferred when performing landing missions, if they are not specially trained, they are purely "amateur" for land warfare, and the actual combat effectiveness can be imagined.

Of course, Natsuki didn't want to get a ha ha ha answer from the head of the army. He asked clearly: "The performance of the Marine Corps must be worthy of its long history, but modern landing operations are different from before. Marines relying solely on a single warship can hardly complete combat tasks alone. In view of this, we hope to adjust the training and exercise mode, and strengthen land combat training for the Marine Corps with the specifications of battalions, regiments or brigades, and appropriately enhance their weapons and equipment. I wonder what the Chief of Staff thinks?"

If Tirpitz or Natsuki are Hermann Goring-like figures, it is easy for the German Navy to form a division-level marine force, but the prestige and influence of the two are limited to the naval field, and the navy's status in Germany is far from being on par with the army. The reorganization of the Marine Corps must be recognized by the army at least not opposed. In fact, the reason why the German Navy has been able to expand at an astonishing speed in recent years is to "

The attitude of recognition is inseparable, and the German army allows the German navy to expand its scale and occupy more military resources, which is actually to maintain the "purity" of the officers. In the view of the senior military leaders, if the army expands its members significantly, some civilian soldiers will inevitably enter the ranks of officers, and it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no revolutionaries among them. In this way, the army loyal to the royal family may become the cradle of the revolution and thus threaten the safety of the empire.

Moltke finally replied seriously: "As Your Highness said, the form of modern warfare is different from the past. The Marine Corps expands its scale and enhances its equipment. As long as it is maintained within a reasonable limit, I personally have no objection, and the Army should also provide technical support. As for the formation of the Marine Corps, I think it depends on the quality and ability of the officer team... I am frankly speaking, the Navy currently lacks a group of officers and generals who truly have the ability to command the land."

Natsuki further asked: "So, can the Navy introduce some experienced commanders from the Army through normal personnel channels without affecting the strength of the Army?"

Little Moltke smiled and said, "If you take this as a prerequisite, your prince can only choose from the list of reserve officers."

Natsuki looked at Tirpitz, both of them were thinking about the true thoughts of the Chief of Staff of the Army. Immediately afterwards, Moltke added: "His Royal Highness had an exchange with me before regarding the expansion plan of the Marine Corps. At present, there are indeed a group of officers within the Army who are eager to advance but not so qualified. Most of them are competent and meet the requirements of low-level command positions, but it is not ruled out that some of them are too radical. Considering these factors, if the Navy still decides to accept these personnel, we will cooperate unconditionally after His Majesty's consent."

With the promise of Moltke, the subsequent work will be much easier. Xia Shu smiled politely: "His Excellency Chief of Staff, thank you very much for your support for the work of the navy. We will report to Your Majesty in detail on this matter."
Chapter completed!