Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 230

Chapter 230: Chapter 117, Good Idea = Bad Idea

Translator: 549690339

The Crimea Peninsula was ablaze with conflict between the United Kingdom, France, and Russia, more precisely, an offensive by the British and French while Russia was desperately defending.

Their disadvantage in weaponry and equipment was a critical issue, unlike the Russian Army in the Balkan Peninsula, which had completely upgraded to Austrian equipment, achieving parity with the British and French.

The Russian forces on the Crimea Peninsula, however, were not so lucky. Originally consisting of second-line troops and hurriedly thrown into battle, coupled with the bureaucratic corruption within the Tsarist Government, multiple factors contributed to their tragedy.

By this time, Nicholas I had already decided to fully upgrade to Austrian military equipment. However, due to the domestic introduction of production lines, bureaucrats who were out of touch gave the orders to local military enterprises.

Production lines take time to adjust, retraining workers takes time too, which wouldn’t be a problem in peacetime. But now it was wartime, and the Russian forces in the field couldn’t afford to wait!

Up until now, the Russians hadn’t been able to ramp up to full production capacity. According to their pace, it would take at least a couple of years before the Russian Army on the Crimea Peninsula could be fully re-equipped.

General Fitzroy Somerset, who had just been appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Crimea Peninsula, was furious. During the conflicts in the Balkans, whatever was lacking could be simply purchased from Austria.

Only here did he realize just how dreadful Russian logistics were, not only with the tardiness in upgrading to new weapons, but even basic logistical supplies often went awry.

Fortunately, the Allied Forces facing him weren’t as strong as those in the Balkans. The siege of Constantinople was still meaningful, as it at least tied down the elite forces of the French.

Fitzroy Somerset thought for a moment and said, “Send a telegram to St. Petersburg explaining our situation, demanding an immediate replenishment of our supplies.

If logistical supply cannot be ensured, we can only abandon the Crimea Peninsula and withdraw to the Ukraine Coastal Region.”

Lack of medicine was one thing—after all, gray horses weren’t valuable, and he wouldn’t grieve their loss. But lack of guns and cannons? That was intolerable. What kind of battle could he fight without the necessary tools?

As for the consequences of offending someone, Fitzroy Somerset couldn’t care less at this point. If he lost the battle, his career was over, and the consequences couldn’t be more severe than that.

As a high-ranking officer of the Russian Army, winning this war meant he could handle the pressure, even if he offended domestic interest groups.

The main mode of transport for the Russian Army in Crimea was ox carts, which was actually quite adequate for the time. The Russians were relatively well-prepared, having stockpiled supplies in coastal areas, with plenty on the Crimea Peninsula itself.

Even if bureaucrats skimmed off the top, those profiting from these resources had no use for them. Eventually, they still had to resell them to the Tsarist Government, so Fitzroy Somerset didn’t have to worry about food supplies.

As for weapons and equipment, that was out of his hands. Since the Tsarist Government had decided on an upgrade, who knew where the old junk was discarded.

The same weapons and equipment, when produced by Russian factories, inevitably ended up slightly heavier and with a slightly higher failure rate, but were definitely durable.

Fitzroy Somerset wasn’t picky, he just needed something to work with. Now, by pressuring the St. Petersburg Government, he aimed to expedite the supply process. If domestic production couldn’t keep up, they should hurry up and buy what was needed!

At any rate, the Russians couldn’t afford to give up the Crimea Peninsula. If the British and French solidified their position there, the Black Sea would have nothing to do with them.

To undermine their greatest competitor, the British wouldn’t mind underwriting the annual military expenses. By blocking the Crimea Peninsula, Russia wouldn’t just lose its Near East strategic position, but half of its trade would also fall into their hands.

It didn’t need to last too long, perhaps just three to five years, and the hegemony of the Russian Empire in Europe would collapse. Then, with Poland’s independence incited, the British strategy would succeed.

Of course, such a windfall was not so easy to come by, certainly not for Franz, who was now preparing to cause some trouble for the British.

Russia couldn’t fall, at least not before the New Holy Roman Empire completed its internal consolidation, otherwise, they’d be forced to act with their tails between their legs.

Concerned, Franz asked, “Marshal, is there any way for the Russians to take Constantinople?”

From Franz’s perspective, the easiest breakthrough in the Near East battlefield was Constantinople. If the Russians captured it, the war would grind to a halt.

The Bosphorus Strait, at its narrowest, measures only 750 meters, and at its widest, approximately 3.7 kilometers. Providing the Russians with a batch of coastal guns to set up along the shore would cut off the maritime channel between the Black Sea and the outside world.

Without maritime routes, the Ottoman Empire’s transport capacity was on par with the Russians. If the Allies in Crimea were forced to transport supplies by land across the Asia Minor Peninsula, logistical supply for the Anglo-French forces would inevitably face issues, and retreat would be their only option.

Marshal Radetzky analyzed, “Your Majesty, Constantinople is a fortress city that’s easy to defend but hard to attack, and it’s guarded by the elite forces of the French Army, with naval fire support as well.

To take it by frontal assault, one must rely on strength and attrition. Only by pushing the French to their limits could the city possibly be taken.

The most sensible move for the Russians now would be to assemble a large number of cannons and mercilessly bombard Constantinople. Even the sturdiest fortress has limits.

The Ottoman Empire has long been in decay. Constantinople hasn’t been threatened for a century and they’ve eased off on upgrading and refurbishing its fortifications.

On the outbreak of the Near East war, the Ottoman Government only managed some hasty repairs and reinforcements, which still didn’t allow enough time. That is Russia’s opportunity.

The majority of these defensive constructions are incapable of withstanding heavy artillery attacks. If the Russians are willing to invest, procure a few hundred heavy cannons, and pound away, even that turtle shell can be cracked.”

This method was crude and simply relied on brute force, but it was the only viable option at the moment.

The problem is that England and France can also bring in a large number of cannons, and it will end up being a bombardment duel with the Russians. Unless there are tens of thousands of casualties, Constantinople is unlikely to fall.

In this era, the accuracy of cannons was very low. The Russian Army only needed to disperse the artillery positions and bombard the city of Constantinople. With such a large target, they could always manage to get the shells inside. It would be difficult for England and France to destroy the Russian artillery positions.

Franz felt that casualties wouldn’t deter the Russians; perhaps the military expenditure would bankrupt them first. Just for several hundred heavy cannons, it would cost tens of millions of rubles, and a full volley would use tens of tons of ammunition.

Since they aim for a devastating bombardment, firing thousands of tons of ammunition a day is just standard procedure. To flatten Constantinople, heaven knows how much ammunition will ultimately be consumed.

But without such a bombardment, given the current Russian method of attack, with a casualty exchange ratio of four to one, even if grey livestock are of little value, they couldn’t withstand such a drain, could they?

Given the current situation, Franz could assert that if they persist for at most another year or so, the Tsarist Government would be forced to give up due to excessive casualties.

Franz thought for a moment and said, “Have the staff prepare a plan and transfer it to the Tsarist Government, whether they use it or not, it’s up to them!”

He didn’t believe there were no wise men in the Russian Government who could see that mindlessly sacrificing lives to fill the massive hole that is Constantinople was a suicidal act, without artillery superiority.

According to the intelligence received by Franz, since the outbreak of the Battle of Constantinople, the casualties of the Russian Army had already approached the total of the two Bulgarian battles.

St. Petersburg was preparing to replace Menshikov; under this “genius” commander’s leadership, Russian casualties have always been high.

This plan was not for the St. Petersburg Government, but for General Menshikov, the overall commander of the Russian forces in the Balkans. If he didn’t want to return to St. Petersburg in disgrace, he would surely consider Austria’s suggestions.

As a high-ranking general of the Russian Army, no one could resist the temptation of capturing Constantinople. Completing this great achievement would secure a place in Russian history as a “national hero” of Russia.

It’s not just Russians who are interested; in fact, Franz also wanted to complete this great achievement. The Habsburg dynasty and the Ottoman Empire were also arch enemies, and capturing Constantinople could bring them a great deal of political prestige as well.

Most European countries have a special attachment to this city. Now with the French defending Constantinople on behalf of the Ottomans, Franz was sure that if an opportunity arose, Napoleon III wouldn’t mind taking the city.

Accomplishing this great achievement would bring no less prestige than defeating the Russians. If the Crimea Peninsula campaign failed, Napoleon III would likely swallow Constantinople directly to salvage the political disaster caused by the failure of the war.

The London Government would most likely condone all of this as having Constantinople in French hands is better than in Russian hands. A bitter struggle between the French and the Russians would definitely be welcomed by the British.

If possible, Franz wouldn’t mind giving a push to deepen the hatred between France and Russia.

Unfortunately, the Russians were not competitive; the bureaucracy of the Tsarist Government was dragging its feet, making the hope of Russian victory in Crimea extremely slim.

He couldn’t achieve that, so Franz could only hope that the Russians would launch an attack on Constantinople, driving up England and France’s hatred to the maximum.

Marshal Radetzky’s method, while undoubtedly the most effective from the standpoint of the Vienna Government, was a bad idea for the Russians from start to finish.

The reason is straightforward: the war was too costly and not suitable for a predominantly agrarian country like Russia.

This approach could easily surpass the limits of what the Russian Empire could endure. Even if they captured Constantinople, they would be unable to follow through with the next strategic step due to financial exhaustion.

After all, there’s the Dardanelles Strait. Just securing the Bosphorus Strait is not enough for the Russians to control the Black Sea Strait, and even if they took Constantinople, they would only have control over half of the Bosphorus Strait.

Strategically speaking, now they could divide their forces and take the Gallipoli Peninsula to blockade the Dardanelles Strait, which would also end the war.

Not every place has a Constantinople; defending the Gallipoli Peninsula is far more challenging than defending Constantinople.

Even if they couldn’t take it, dividing their forces to attack would force England and France to station significant troops to defend, reducing the pressure on the Russian forces in Crimea.

It can only be said that the allure of Constantinople is too great, and the Russians are unable to resist this temptation, choosing instead to rashly charge forward.

Naturally, Franz wouldn’t remind the Russians that an early end to the Near East war, without maximizing the depletion of England, France, and Russia’s strength, is against the interests of the New Holy Roman Empire.

Moreover, even the best strategy needs people to execute it and Franz didn’t think the Russians were capable of it, at least General Menshikov wasn’t.

Given Russian efficiency, the idea of staging a surprise attack on England and France is nothing but a fantasy. Now the Gallipoli Peninsula could be easily breached by just a few Ottoman garrison battalions.

Once England and France react, the Allied Forces attacking Greece could immediately reinforce the Gallipoli Peninsula, leading to a major battle.

England and France have robust national strength, and even if another front is opened, they can hold out by gritting their teeth. Not so with the Russians; their domestic organizational capabilities are already stretched thin.

If they open another front, the Russians might feel what it’s like to be understaffed. Of course, this isn’t to say they lack soldiers, but that they can’t deploy troops to the frontlines quickly enough.

As for logistics, there’s no need to mention; even if they could get supplies from Austria, by the time they’re transported to the frontlines, the opportunity has passed.

A mishandled operation might do more harm than good. If logistical support fails and the Russians lose the war, Franz will only have to weep alongside Nicholas I.