The reason why Germany named its latest fast warship Moltke class is to commemorate the famous general Bernhardt von Moltke, who died in 1891, that is, the "old Moltke" who made outstanding achievements in the history of the Prussian-German Empire. In the Austro-Prussian War www.biquge.info of 1866, Moltke the Elder commanded the Prussian army to victory, ending Austria's traditional leadership in the German world, and after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in July 1870, Moltke the Elder commanded three legions to face the French army, and won a decisive victory in the Battle of Sedan, ending the power of the French continent and the royal power of Napoleon III, directly contributing to the unification of Germany, for which he was made a count and promoted to marshal the following year.

Moltke the Elder's achievements were not only in the field of military command, but he also created the world-famous Prussian General Staff system, which transformed the General Staff from a military staff organization into a military command and decision-making body, and was imitated by other countries. What is commendable is that Moltke Sr.'s military thinking inherited Clausewitz's theoretical viewpoint, emphasized that war is a continuation of politics, attached importance to the important role of the General Staff and staff officers in organizing and perfecting the army's operational command, stressed the need to fully understand and apply the latest technologies such as railways and telegraphs in military affairs, and advocated mobilizing the enemy first, attacking in a separate and joint attack, making a rapid breakthrough, fighting on the outside line, and achieving a quick victory. In military construction, he has expounded and made achievements on such issues as war mobilization, army establishment, operational command, weaponry, and so on, and his military theory has laid the foundation for the "blitzkrieg warfare" that will dominate the European continent in the future. Therefore, together with Bismarck, he was revered as a "centennial gift" from God to Germany, and the two of them made an irreplaceable contribution to the unification of Germany.

The highly decorated old Moltke lived to the age of 91, and although he had a very enviable romantic marriage, he had no children under his knees, so he loved his nephew as his own, and this was the army general who threw a bottle at the launching ceremony of the battlecruiser Moltke, known as "Little Moltke", Helmut von Moltke.

In the minds of most later generations, Moltke was simply synonymous with indecision and incompetence, and it was very likely that the French Schlieffen plan would be defeated in one fell swoop, but his repeated revisions eventually became unrecognizable, so that the German army fell into the quagmire of trenching on the Western Front, and finally dragged down the nascent empire. If heroes are judged by success or failure, Moltke Jr. is indeed a failed commander, but it is inevitably unfair to judge his ability by this. In fact, this German general, born in 1848, was a typical Prussian soldier, he served in the Prussian Guards and the General Staff, and since 1882 he served as his uncle's aide-de-camp, learned a great deal of military staff knowledge, received a lot of military practice, he admired his uncle's idea of quick battles and quick solutions, and repeatedly said that in any case it is necessary to strive for the implementation of mobile warfare, and it is necessary to conduct battles, and must not develop into positional warfare. In the operation of certain things, Moltke Jr. was more correct and rational than Schlieffen. In addition, Moltke Jr. made efforts to coordinate land and sea operations with the naval command, and resumed contact with the Austro-Constitutional General Staff in Vienna and its chief of the General Staff, Field Marshal Franz Konrad von Herzendorf, which gave the Austro-Hungarian side a better understanding of the German army's combat strategy, which was of great significance for the military allies to fight side by side.

Unlike Schlieffen, Moltke was tall and muscular, with broad shoulders, a kind and dignified manner, and a wide range of interests. With his "dignified military image", he was favored by the emperor. Therefore, when appointing Moltke Jr. as Chief of the Army General Staff, the Emperor claimed that the German General Staff, headed by a second "Moltke", would be intimidating to all enemies.

was able to rise to the top in the military circles, and finally ascended to the enviable position of chief of the general staff after Wadsey and Schlieffen, and Moltke Jr. relied not only on his uncle's prestige. He was much more shrewd than his predecessors in his dealings with the German Emperor, and he was not a simple and obedient soldier, nor was he a courtier in the ordinary sense of the word. Before accepting the appointment of the Chief of the General Staff, he made a precondition to the Emperor that would surprise the Emperor and his courtiers - from the moment he took office, the Emperor would not intervene in any matter of army command, including large map operations or royal maneuvers of the General Staff.

To people's surprise, Wilhelm II, who had always been arrogant, accepted Moltke's request happily.

Despite the full support of the Emperor, the post of Chief of the General Staff was a heavy burden for Moltke the Younger, who was ashamed of himself in the face of the rich legacy of his great ancestors. In the work of training officers of the General Staff, he did not want to involve anyone who was not familiar with the military situation. Perhaps he had seen that the emperor could win the respect of the people in terms of character, but he was a layman in military affairs. If the emperor was already a man with a complex personality and sensitive nerves, then Moltke Jr.'s personality was even more complex and sensitive. Before taking over the post of Chief of the General Staff, he made a request to the Emperor to independently lead the large-scale autumn exercises of 1905 as Quartermaster General, which had a sense of self-validation. According to Schlieffen's assessment, the results of the exercises were naturally outstanding. After encountering some difficulties at the beginning of his tenure, Moltke became familiar with the complex work he was tasked with at an astonishing speed, and his status grew day by day. This was possible because he inherited a superior Army General Staff branded by Schlieffen.

……

At the celebratory dinner on the day of Moltke's launch, Tirpitz talked with Moltke Jr. about the situation in Europe, and Natsuki listened from the side. When it came to the possibility of war, Tirpitz was obviously concerned about the pattern of land warfare, because it was directly related to the German Navy's combat strategy. However, Moltke Jr. apparently believed that the German Army had an absolute certainty of victory against the French army alone, and the key was the mobilization time of the Russian army and the military role of Austria-Hungary. As long as the Eastern Front is unharmed, the Germans will achieve a decisive victory on the Western Front, and then move eastward, bringing Russian Poland into German territory and "liberating" Belarus and Ukraine as a buffer zone between Germany and Russia.

"We don't think the British will get involved in this war, they are happy to see the continental nations fighting each other, and even if they can't think of it, the war will end before their naval blockade is effective. If the British had sent their meagre army units to land in France, our mighty right-wing corps would have crushed them like ants on wheels. Moltke said confidently.

As a latecomer, Natsuki knew how flawed this assertion was, and he kindly reminded: "Your Excellency, I have heard that the French are helping Russia to build railway lines in the central and southern regions, which seems to mean that the Russians can mobilize and gather troops at a faster rate, don't you worry about this?" ”

"Hah!" Moltke replied disapprovingly, "With the sincerity of the French and the efficiency of the Russians, I don't know when the railways will be completed!" Taking a step back, even if the railway is completed, it will take a long time for the mobilized troops of the Russian army, mainly peasants, to complete the assembly, and by the time they go along the railway line and then take the train south, our victorious division is already waiting for them in East Prussia! ”

Tirpitz smiled indifferently.

Moltke looked at Tirpitz, probably thinking that there was something omission in what he had just said, he frowned and thought for a moment, and suddenly realized: "Since the English Channel is not conducive to the operation of the main fleet, during the operation on the Western Front, I suggest that the naval fleet firmly guard the coastline of the homeland and block the Baltic Sea, cutting off the maritime connection between France and Russia. By the time we march eastward, we will need the help of the navy to drive the Russian army away from the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. ”

Tirpitz was not very interested in such comforting words, the founder of the High Seas Fleet was always looking at the wider oceans, while Natsuki was reminded of the historical Operation Albion, in late 1917, in order to get rid of the problem of fighting on two fronts and completely crush the weaker Russian army, the German Navy and Army launched an amphibious landing operation in the Baltic Sea in an attempt to capture St. Petersburg. The German navy was at its best, but in the mine-strewn Gulf of Finland, they did not perform as expected, but many of their capital ships were damaged by mines, and the amphibious landing of the naval forces was also ineffective due to poor preparation and inexperience.

When the two heads of the landing navy landed, Natsuki tentatively said: "If we need to conduct landing operations on the east coast of the Baltic Sea in the future, I think it is necessary for us to form a larger marine force." ”

"What Your Highness said is very true." Tirpitz gave a seemingly affirmative but vague answer.

Tirpitz was sophisticated and sophisticated, and Moltke Jr. from a well-known family could become the chief of the army's general staff, which must have been no worse in this respect, and he said equally ambiguously: "The Marine Corps is a traditional branch of the navy, which played a very important role in the colonial era, and I believe that diligent and professional training will make them capable of fighting as well as the regular army, and are very suitable for landing offensive operations within the range of naval guns." ”

Before the First World War, the marines of various countries were mainly equipped with combat personnel with ships, their existence can be traced back to the era of cold weapons, to the period of sail gunboats, warships are still carrying melee soldiers prepared for gang fighting, in modern times, although they no longer participate in naval warfare, but in the colonial aggression of the great powers, they can basically see their figure. Normally, a cruiser-class warship can carry dozens or even hundreds of marines, and if necessary, some trained crew members will also participate in land combat operations, and their combat effectiveness cannot be compared with that of a regular army, and they lack heavy weapons and baggage, so they are only suitable for fighting when there is naval gun cover, land cooperation, or the opponent is extremely weak. Due to the constraints of strategic geography, the main German fleet did not yet have the need for ocean-going operations, and usually only those cruisers that carried out colonial patrol missions were equipped with sufficient marines, and the rest of the warships, such as a battleship with a crew of 500 people, were often equipped with only forty or fifty marines, and these people often held other positions on the ship. Although the rest of the crew can be temporarily transferred when carrying out landing missions, if they are not specially trained, they will be purely "amateur" in land warfare, and the actual combat effect can be imagined.

Of course, Natsuki didn't want to get a haha answer from the head of the army, and he asked clearly: "The performance of the Marine Corps must be worthy of its long history, but the modern landing operation is different from the past, and it is difficult for the Marine Corps to complete the combat mission alone by relying on a single warship." In view of this, we hope to adjust the mode of training and drills to strengthen the training of Marine units in land combat according to the specifications of battalions, regiments or brigades, and appropriately enhance their weapons and equipment. I wonder what His Excellency the Chief of the General Staff thinks? ”

If Tirpitz or Natsuki were Hermann-Goering-esque figures, it would have been easy for the German Navy to form a division-sized Marine force, but their prestige and influence were limited to the naval realm, and the Navy's position in Germany was far from being equal to that of the Army, and the reorganization of the Marine Corps would inevitably 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 rate in recent years is inseparable from the "approval" attitude of the army, and the German army's position to allow the German navy to expand in size and occupy more military resources is actually to maintain the "purity" of the officer corps. In the eyes of the top brass of the army, if the army greatly expands its strength, it is inevitable that some soldiers of civilian origin will 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 could become the cradle of the revolution and threaten the safety of the empire.

Moltke replied in a serious manner: "As Your Highness said, the form of modern warfare is not what it used to be. I have no objection to the expansion and enhancement of the Marine Corps, as long as it is kept within reasonable limits, and the Army deserves technical support. As for the formation of the Marine Corps, I think it depends on the quality and capabilities of the officer corps...... With all due respect, at present the Navy lacks a number of officers and generals who are truly capable of commanding land operations. ”

Natsuki further asked: "So, can the navy bring in some experienced commanders from the army through normal personnel channels without affecting the strength of the army?" ”

Moltke smiled and said, "If this is the premise, Your Royal Highness, then you can only choose from the list of reserve officers." ”

Natsuki looked at Tirpitz, both of whom were trying to figure out what the Chief of the Army General Staff really thought, and then Moltke Jr. added: "Regarding the expansion plan of the Marine Corps, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has communicated with me once before. At present, there are indeed a number of officers within the army who are eager to advance but are not so qualified, and most of them are competent and meet the requirements of low-level command posts, but it cannot be ruled out that some of them are too radical in their thinking. In consideration of these factors, if the Navy nevertheless decides to admit these personnel, with the consent of His Majesty, we will cooperate unconditionally. ”

With Moltke's answer, the rest of the work is much easier. Natsuki smiled politely: "Your Excellency Chief of the General Staff, thank you very much for your support for the work of the Navy, and we will report this matter to Your Majesty in detail at a later date." ”

Moltke nodded politely, and then said: "Based on the characteristics of land operations, before training a group of qualified senior commanders." Personally, I suggest that the Marine Corps temporarily conduct training in battalion units. ”

(End of chapter)