"If war had broken out in a year's time, we would have had four regular fleet aircraft carriers, one of which would be the 18,000-ton Silesian aircraft carrier, (its sibling, Bohemia, had been sunk in the Mediterranean. The other three are Lord Loudon-class aircraft carriers. They are Lord Laud, Austria and Hungary. In terms of battleships, we will have three new battleships, all of which are Combined Forces-class battleships, namely the United Forces, the Prinz Eugen and the Taghoff. There were four aviation cruisers, namely the Aegean, the Adriatic, the Ionian and the Mediterranean. These forces would form the backbone of the power of the Austro-Hungarian fleet. Holdie respectfully reported to the Emperor.

Although the Austro-Crarian navy suffered two defeats in the Italian War. An aircraft carrier was sunk, but fortunately, another battered aircraft carrier, the Lord Loudon, survived, showing the strong vitality of the armored aircraft carrier, and the battleship rejoined the Austro-Hungarian fleet after spending five months in the dockyard and continued to play the role of flagship. Another battleship was even more legendary, the air cruiser Aegean, the hapless boy who was beaten by two Italian heavy cruisers in the night battle of Bayda and suffered heavy losses, and the heavy artillery fire even ignited the ship's aviation fuel. The fire in the hangar got out of control for a while, and many places were burned to empty shelves, but no one expected that in this case the battleship would finally be saved! After being pulled to the shipyard, it was re-commissioned after about 1 year of repairs and improvements. People can't help but admire the luck of this ship!

The Austro-Hungarian Navy has not developed much in recent years, and leaving aside the aircraft carrier Austria, which had been outfitted in the war, only one new fleet aircraft carrier has been started in recent years. Battleships and aviation cruisers also increased by only 1 each. Compared to Germany. Austria-Hungary was a purely land power, and they did not have the ability or intention to expend much energy at sea. So much so that now the Austro-Hungarian maritime power feels a little stretched! Taking into account maintenance and other circumstances, it would be nice to be able to ensure that half of the warships were cruising at sea during a long war. That is, Austria-Hungary maintained at most the size of a two-carrier battle group in the Indian Ocean.

Although it seems that the current Austro-Hungarian Empire can maintain half of the capital ships of the German Navy, the size is already very good. This is true purely from the immediate point of view, but unlike Germany, at the moment Austria-Hungary does not have new aircraft carriers and capital ships to build on the slipway, unlike Germany, at the moment German shipyards are not idle, after the completion of two Europa-class aircraft carriers, the Germans began to prepare for the construction of new aircraft carriers, and Austria-Hungary did not even have plans for new aircraft carriers! That is, at the moment is when the gap between the navies of the two countries is the smallest, over time. The gap between the two sides will widen. So Austria-Hungary planned to take advantage of this point in time to make a good deal with the Germans.

"Tell us about your views on the future of the war in Iran, and your plans for the future." Ferdinand said.

"On the whole, it is unlikely that the Entente and the Huaxia Fleet will be directly involved in this war. Iran is still too weak compared to Italy. Italy can provide all kinds of supplies for the fleets of various countries, has good military ports and defense facilities, and has a relatively strong air force. Iran does not possess these factors. Without bases and strong industrial support, it is simply impossible for the opposing fleet to maintain combat effectiveness for a long time. ”

"As for the British, India could have ports and supplies for the Grand Fleet to fight for a long time, but unfortunately the British were very negative this time, and they would not risk a full-scale war to help Iran. Therefore, even if the other side has a fleet to participate in the war, the scale will definitely not be large. The only thing we need to be afraid of is the fleet that the Entente and China have prepared for Iran. The opposing side has two aircraft carriers. It already has a certain ability to fight a decisive battle at sea. Jordi thought for a moment and said.

"Just now you mentioned the issue of the supply of the Grand Fleet, and this fleet flying the Iranian flag is no small in size. So how can their supply problems be solved? Ferdinand said with a frown.

"Well, the size of this fleet is not very large, and by large fleet I mean having more than a third of the size of the German high seas fleet." Haldy wiped a cold sweat and said. "Although the other side has two aircraft carriers, the number of other warships is very small. In a way, it was an uneven fleet that focused on daytime attacks, they did not have battleships to provide reliable night combat capabilities, and the number of cruisers was only three. Destroyers are only enough to maintain the minimum standards of air defense and anti-submarine of the fleet. There are only 5 capital ships when it is fully counted. In terms of tonnage, it was nothing more than a detachment of the High Seas Fleet in those years. ”

"When Huaxia designed these warships, their range would have exceeded the needs of ordinary operations in the Indian Ocean, and the fuel consumption of such a small fleet could be maintained. A maximum of 3 high-speed cruise ships is enough, and it is impossible for us to control the entire Indian Ocean. The main task of the German Navy was to attack land targets on the southern coast of Iran, and I am afraid that at first I would not pay too much attention to this fleet, after all, although this fleet bears the name of the Iranian Navy, it is uncertain when it will be completed and delivered to the Iranian Navy, and it is not impossible that this fleet will be taken over by the other side like the Italian Navy. After all, they're still outfitting. It's uncertain when it will be completed. Holdie replied.

"If this fleet appears at sea, will the Turkish navy be able to destroy it? Can our fleet destroy it? Ferdinand thought for a moment and said suddenly. Attacking land targets with the German Navy was not a very important thing in his opinion. After all, relying on the huge numerical superiority of the German air forces could sooner or later wipe out the air power of the Entente in Iran. But it's not the same for those aircraft carriers cruising in the sea. Their maneuverability was so terrible that the Turkish Navy failed to destroy the two cruisers of the Italian Navy and eventually drove them out of the war zone. If Austria-Hungary can solve this trouble, then there is no doubt that there is a piece of the pie in the Iranian problem!

"Three Lord Loudon-class aircraft carriers and at least two aviation cruisers! There are also ocean-going reconnaissance aircraft, submarines, and camouflaged reconnaissance vessels. With these forces, we can at least guarantee that the other side will be excluded from the main lines of communication. Holdie said with a frown. And the king opposite him was not satisfied with this.

"That is, we need to concentrate the entire fleet to be able to destroy it completely? The other side is just two aircraft carriers of the medium fleet. The carrying capacity is also around 150 aircraft. And the three aircraft carriers and the same number of aviation cruisers together have about 310 aircraft. Isn't that too much to ask? The dissatisfaction in Ferdinand's tone was palpable.

"The other side also has an aviation cruiser, Your Majesty." Holdie reminded the other party first. "The key to fighting an opponent in the ocean is not in the offensive phase. It's a search. THE TASK OF THE TWO AVIATION CRUISERS WAS TO SPREAD A CORDON ABOUT 100 KM OUTSIDE THE FLEET, AND THEN SEND PLANES TO SEARCH. And try to prevent the opponent's fleet from crossing the blockade line to find out the location of our main fleet. ”

"And in the subsequent phase of the attack. The 270 or so aircraft on our three aircraft carriers can only release about half of them at a time, and 120 aircraft seems like a lot of numbers, but considering that the pilots on both new aircraft carriers are newcomers. Moreover, our attack aircraft have not yet begun to be updated, so the attack effect will definitely be greatly reduced. If the other side defends with all its might, using British pilots and aircraft, it will be a great threat to our low-speed attack aircraft. If we lose this opportunity, given the range of the aircraft, they may quickly withdraw in the opposite direction, and it will be difficult for us to catch up with them again. If they escaped. The worst outcome for them is nothing more than to be stationed in the Entente colonies, then disarmed, and then taken over by Iran's allies. ”

"So, in order to avoid this happening, we must completely destroy them in the first encounter with them, 3 aircraft carriers and 2 aviation cruisers are already the minimum standard, if we can, after determining the position of the other party, it is best for us to sneak up on it first, and then act together with the allied fleet." Holdie thought for a moment and added. As the original of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. He is one of the few who can not take care of the emperor's face. Jordi's plan is still conservative, first invincible, and then find the opportunity to solve the problem once and for all.

"Okay, that's it for now." Ferdinand was not on the back of his mind about Jordi's plans. Instead, he signaled that the other party could go down first. Deep down, though. He was still disappointed. But it doesn't matter, in addition to the navy, the land forces of Austria-Hungary can also be relied on in his opinion. According to what he said in private. Even if the Austro-Hungarian Army is again, it will always be much stronger than the Turks.

For the Navy, Austria-Hungary was not put in the first place. But for the army, Austria-Hungary, which prides itself on being a first-class army power, must not relax. Especially in the Italian Civil War. The collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Army on the Northern Front deeply stimulated the ambitious and talented king. And after the end of the war, there was also a deep reflection on the defeat of this war within Austria-Hungary. After several years of preparation and operation, the Austro-Hungarian Army internally believed that it was capable of WW1, and that the Iran War would be a litmus test to prove their capabilities. Compared to the more conservative navy, the army plan is more aggressive!

For Austria-Hungary, the Italian fiasco was a double-edged sword, although the Imperial Army suffered certain losses, and the face was even more embarrassing, but it is undeniable that Austria-Hungary learned a lot of lessons from this fiasco, at least they put themselves in the right position, knowing that under the current national strength and physique, what kind of army should Austria-Hungary should have to be efficient, it is more realistic.

Austria-Hungary knew that its own industry and financial resources would not be able to support it in building a strong army similar to that of Germany. If the strength of the German Army is the strong armoured forces, powerful long-range artillery, and a large number of machine guns. Then the Austro-Hungarian army purchased a limited number of armored forces, a certain number of long-range artillery and a large number of mortars, plus infantry equipment that could only be considered improvised.

As a new weapon born in World War I, the tank's status in the army has been significantly improved with the advancement of technology. The battle between the tanks of the two sides in the Italian battlefield made people realize the strength of this weapon, but unfortunately, Austria-Hungary had a certain gap with the armored corps in terms of technology and financial resources! First of all, the technology, not that Austria-Hungary could not provide powerful artillery and armor, the biggest problem was the power system. Austria-Hungary did not have German Maybach engines. Although they tried to develop a new engine, the performance and stability were difficult to satisfy the army. And in terms of financial resources. Even more so. Even the cost of construction and maintenance of the German tank No. 4 was a relatively high figure for Austria-Hungary. Not to mention the Tiger tank, which the Germans were designing in private.

For Austria-Hungary. Germany was still very generous, after all, it was the second-in-command among the Allies. In a private meeting, Hindenburg made it clear that it could transfer the production technology of tank No. 4 to Austria-Hungary. However, after some research, the Austro-Hungarian Empire still decided that the simple tank No. 4 was not suitable for Austria-Hungary. The reason is simple, in the eyes of the Germans, a tank of this level of No. 4 will gradually turn into a big road cargo in a future war. If you encounter a hard nut to crack, you will naturally have the Tiger and its derivatives to fight against. So for a medium tank, the Germans emphasized a balance between firepower, defense and mobility.

But Austria-Hungary was different, and the 30-ton class of tanks was close to the limits of what Austria-Hungary could technically and economically afford. That is, in the foreseeable future, Austria-Hungary is unlikely to be armed with heavier tanks. So. Regardless of whether the Austro-Hungarian armored forces encountered medium or heavy tanks, they could only use 30-ton tanks to fight to the death. So the requirements of Austria-Hungary were simple, not how high mobility was, nor how balanced the protection. But at least you can pierce the tank on the other side!

Logically speaking, it is enough for Austria-Hungary to produce tank destroyers, but in fact, this kind of defense expertise, the attack is more miserable, and the role of tanks in armored forces cannot be replaced. The armored forces themselves are meant to be brave enough to attack, and not just to act as firefighters. So, Austria-Hungary decided to start anew. Make your own tank that suits the needs of the Austro-Hungarian troops. Until then, Austria-Hungary had to survive this transition period with the German Tank No. 3 and its variants, plus a small number of Tank No. 4.

So far, the drawing of this tank has been set, and the layout is a relatively rare power front-facing layout, with a large turret in the middle and rear of the hull. Larger caliber artillery can be accommodated. Considering this layout, there can be some issues in terms of heat dissipation. So his motivation is not high. Mobility is also poor. But as compensation, in addition to strong firepower, its frontal protection can be described as good. The front protection of the side of the body is also good. But the defense of the rear half and the rear and lower parts of the body can only be described as poor. The tank, named Fritz, became the future tank of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as to whether the design was successful or not. That can only be tested by war.

In addition to the difference in tank composition, the most important aspect of the difference between the Austro-Hungarian and German armored forces was that Austria-Hungary did not have enough financial resources to equip the tanks with various auxiliary combat vehicles. The situation was much worse than that of the Soviet Union in history, and the Germans could equip tanks with infantry fighting vehicles and half-track carriers to carry infantry. Although the Soviet Union used tanks to transport personnel, it was at least able to put together enough ISU and SU to support the battlefield. Austria-Hungary was a little worse, not only did it not have plans to equip tanks with infantry fighting vehicles, but even the number of support vehicles was relatively scarce. Therefore, in the eyes of the Germans, the composition of the armored forces of Austria-Hungary was very deformed.

As for the question of supporting fire. The Austro-Hungarian Empire in this plane is far inferior to the historical Soviet Union in terms of national strength, so their support firepower must be mainly mortars and howitzers. Only in this way can the most basic amount of firepower projection be guaranteed, and some people may ask, what if the opponent's long-range artillery suppresses. Then there are only two answers, one is to suppress the opponent's smaller caliber cannon with a larger caliber and longer range, and the other answer is to find a way to shift positions or make artillery bunkers stronger! IF THIS UNIT IS LUCKY, IT CAN BE EQUIPPED WITH SOME 105MM CANNONS, BUT IT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO COMPARE THE RANGE OF THIS THING WITH LONG-RANGE ARTILLERY, AND IT IS EASIER TO FIGHT TANKS.

In the direction of small arms, the Austro-Plenum soldiers were still very satisfied with the Manlisa rifle in their hands, as a straight-pull rifle, the rate of fire of this rifle was quite good, and it could compete with the rate of fire of the Lee Enfield rifle. Taking into account the problems of close combat, Austria-Hungary was also armed with submachine guns. It can be seen as the Austro-Hungarian version of MP44. As for machine guns, Austria-Hungary did not use the MG series machine guns of the Germans, but the historically famous Czech machine guns.

"Although our national strength and military strength have made great progress in the more than ten years since the end of World War I, we still cannot compare with the world's first-class army power, and even compared with France, we have a big gap, we have a sufficient number of soldiers, but we do not have enough weapons and funds to arm this force. Especially in terms of logistics, we have a huge gap with our opponents. Until now, our mode of transportation has been dominated by mules and horses. This logistical supply method greatly limits the length of the battle line and is more susceptible to environmental influences. When fighting in Europe and North Africa, this is not yet very obvious, but if you want to throw your forces into the far Middle East, I am afraid that a lot of problems will arise. ”

"The Germans were not so much able to transport by land. Iran and Turkey have almost no direct rail connections, only roads. So it's very difficult to get German cars to help us solve our transportation problems. So in order to ensure that our forces in the Middle East are not crushed by fragile logistics. We must limit the size of the force. According to the calculations of the Army, we should not send more than 100,000 troops in the Middle East. Schrager said.

"100,000 people? That's a little bit, isn't it? Can combat effectiveness be guaranteed? Ferdinand said hesitantly. This number is a bit far from the estimate in his mind.

"In Iran, apart from a few points, it is impossible for the two sides to build a system of trenches and fortifications that stretches as they did on the battlefields of Europe. Because Iran is too large, and the forces invested by both sides are relatively small. The combat mode of the two sides will be mainly mobile warfare. A small number of highly mobile troops can play a greater role, and in order to ensure mobility, a large number of transport vehicles are required to provide supplies, and heavy weapons must also be self-propelled and, at the very least, must be equipped with sufficient tractors. We need to supply the Middle East Expeditionary Force with a variety of vehicles that are far more than the normal amount by several times. And taking into account the losses in ocean transportation, we also have to make a certain margin. Simply to make this army have enough mobility and firepower, we have to draw equipment from other troops. A mechanized force of 100,000 people is almost already our current limit. Schrager said.

In the minds of the top brass of the Austro-Hungarian Army, this war wanted to change the outside world's perception of Austria-Hungary's backward equipment and poor mobility. In the eyes of the other powers, the Austro-Hungarian Army was nothing more than a stupid bear, with a large number of troops, but slow to react and low in effectiveness. When they defended in the trenches, they were relatively effective, but when they left the trenches to attack, the Austro-Hungarian Army's poor logistics and various equipment were their second most important enemy.

In this operation, the Austro-Hungarian Army used as much new equipment as possible, and equipped as many supply and transport vehicles as possible for the troops. In addition, they learned from the advanced experience of the Germans and established a set of wartime logistics support system. In addition, Schrager's former comrade-in-arms, Major General Hube, who had participated in the Italian Civil War, served as his chief of staff in order to improve the mobility of the Austro-Hungarian Army.

After Austria-Hungary cleaned up a number of funds and finally came up with a decent army and navy, Germany and Austria began to negotiate cooperation between the two sides, for this ally who rushed to pick up the bargain, the Germans were very complicated, on the one hand, Germany knew that Austria-Hungary would definitely share part of its own interests with Turkey after joining. But on the other hand, it was difficult for the Germans to refuse this construction, the fighting power of the Turks was really worrying, and the German power was indeed not so redundant. Under the entanglement, the Germans agreed to the Austro-Hungarian Empire's German military base in the two river valleys, but whether to let them go into battle depends on the situation, if Germany and Turkey can solve the problem on their own, naturally there will be no need for Austria-Hungary, if not, let the Austro-Hungarian Army as a reserve.

Thanks to the book friend zhouyu1976 for the tip~~~. As well as the monthly pass support of book friend ranky ~~~. (To be continued......)