At the beginning of the European War

In order to win over Italy, Germany, Austria-Hungary, England, France, and Russia were all promising a lot of benefits.

Britain and France were able to induce the Kingdom of Italy to change course, betray the Central Powers, and write empty promises that would make the Kingdom of Italy very happy.

Anglo-French commitments

After switching to the Entente and winning the war, the Kingdom of Italy would receive the regions of Bolzano, Trento and Grizia, parts of Tranisca and Dalmatia, as well as control of the port of Wallonna, in addition to Antalya, which belonged to the Ottoman Empire.

How big are these areas combined?

Five fragments of land, all of which add up to a total of about 17,300 square kilometers, are located in the eastern, northeastern, western, and southwestern parts of the Apennine Peninsula.

Most of these were originally part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as well as Antalya of the Ottoman Empire, a European possessions that the Allied bloc would never have granted.

No one will cut off their flesh and feed it to their allies, Austria-Hungary can't do it, the Ottoman Empire can't do it, no country can do it.

Germany, Austria-Hungary promised the Kingdom of Italy on the condition that after the victory, the Trento and East Friuli regions would be ceded to Italy, in addition to the French protectorate Tunisia.

French Tunisia alone, with an area of 162,000 square kilometers, is also a North African colony that Italy is keen on.

But compared to the European region promised by Britain and France, it is not worth mentioning.

I'd rather have a bed in Puxi than a house in Pudong.

Such a concept is not only deeply ingrained in the minds of the old Huhai people, but also an unbreakable golden precept in the values of Europeans in the early 20th century.

Britain and France offered such generous conditions, of course, Italy was overjoyed, and soon smiled and threw themselves into the camp of Britain and France.

On April 26, 1915, Italy officially joined the Entente.

It's been a year

The Kingdom of Italy, with its strength, proved that its allies existed as a joke, and that it had brought endless troubles to the Entente bloc, and that it could be called the king of dragging.

On the 800-kilometer-long border between the Kingdom of Italy and Austria-Hungary, the Austro-Hungarian Empire only discharged 100,000 defenders to block the attack of the 750,000-strong army of the Kingdom of Italy.

In the Carpathians

The Kingdom of Italy, which had absolute superiority in numbers, launched 11 successive battles of Isonzo, but none of them were able to shake the defenses of the Austro-Hungarian soldiers.

In the 12th Battle of Isonzo, which began on October 24, 1917, the Germans, who had defeated the Russian army on the Eastern Front, were able to draw six divisions and defeat the Italian army in a frontal battle with eight Austro-Hungarian divisions, and the entire line collapsed.

It was not until the arrival of 11 divisions of the Anglo-French army (5 British divisions, 6 French divisions) that they withstood the further attack of the Austro-German army.

In this battle, the total strength of the Italian army was as high as 1.4 million, and the final statistics were more than 20,000 casualties of the Austro-German army, and the Italian army paid 30,000 casualties, as many as 265,000 were captured, and the total loss of soldiers was nearly 300,000.

Therefore, Richard was not interested in the southern front opened up by the Kingdom of Italy at all, and even more sneered at the combat effectiveness of the Kingdom of Italy, the "swingman of Europe".

The real collision of the strong in the entire first world war was on the Western Front, and the German and French armies both showed the demeanor of the world's top armies, and the representative one was the Battle of Verdun.

The battle was almost a one-man battle in which the French army resisted the German attack and won the final victory, holding the Verdun Line.

In order to repel the German attack, the Anglo-French forces actively planned the Battle of the Somme after entering 1916.

By the time the Battle of Verdun was in full swing in May, preparations for the Battle of the Somme were in their final stages.

The town of Babom

Countless British expeditionary forces gathered here, and the dense tents in the fields around the town could not be seen at a glance, and the invisible atmosphere of slaughter before the war permeated the air.

In a decent home in a small town

Richard woke up in the morning, wearing long riding boots and a light sheepskin flight jacket, sitting at the table and enjoying a hearty breakfast.

Next to the dining table, sat Severia, whose belly was already slightly bulging, her figure a little rounder than before, and her face exuded a warm maternal glow.

Richard and his entourage had just arrived in the town of Babom, and he had spent more than two months of leisurely vacation in England, and his life was very comfortable.

This time he came to the Somme front, still as an international volunteer air force, and Britain and France gathered more than 400 warplanes for this major battle, about half of which were international volunteer air forces.

Richard brought five Albatross II planes to form an air detachment, all of which were equipped with machine guns and a new machine gun firing coordinator in the pilot's position.

This coordinator consists of a cam-lever combination that links the propeller shaft to the trigger of the machine gun, and fires between the rotation of the propeller, which triggers the machine-gun fire.

In this way, damage to the propeller by machine-gun bullets was avoided, making it a real biplane fighter.

As the war progressed, various new technologies and inventions were born, which also made the skies more dangerous.

on the dining table

Richard had a good appetite today, enjoying two tender black pepper tomahawk grilled steaks, each weighing two pounds.

There are also some fruits and burgers spread with thick cheese, mixed with vegetable steaks, a large glass of milk.

Seeing his good appetite, Sevillea also ate more.

The supply of grain and non-staple food to the Entente countries was backed by the Tang Empire, and although the prices were higher, they had always been relatively stable.

In Marseille and Bordeaux, a number of 10,000-ton ships full of cargo docked at the port every day, bringing in a steady stream of supplies to maintain the needs of the front line and France.

There are a lot of good things to see in the market, and of course the prices are also very touching.

"Master, are you still going to the airport today?" Sevelia asked with some concern on the table.

Richard put down the knife and fork in his hand, picked up the white napkin and wiped his mouth, he knew what Seville was worried about?

With the rapid development of weapons, the skies are not as peaceful as they were a few months ago. In the past two months, with the build-up of forces in the Somme area, the fighting in the air has become more and more intense.

Before the Battle of the Somme began, the air force had already shot down 17 fighters.

Richard stretched out his hand and patted Severia's white arm gently, and said softly;

"Don't worry, the Germans are a lot worse than us, as long as it's not a deliberate struggle, the skies are as safe now as they were a few months ago.

We only scouted for the British, not for them.

As long as we wanted to leave, the Germans would not be able to catch up at all. ”

His words are not false, the power machinery industry from North America belongs to the world's top level, a typical "Lida flying brick".

The Albatross II aircraft not only weighs itself and has a strong carrying capacity, but also flies at a high speed, reaching a high speed of 230 kilometers per hour.

All of this is due to its powerful star propeller engine, which is a generation ahead of the German Fokker aircraft.

In North America

A new, more powerful propeller engine has been developed and will soon be installed on the Albatross III.

Good engines bring better aircraft performance, today's North American aviation industry has gradually formed a scale, to meet the needs of the war, is expected to Albatross III aircraft production will reach 3~4,000 units.

The Entente had already ordered 1,600 aircraft, which would be delivered from July, thus creating a strong air superiority over the Germans.

Today's aircraft are armed with heavy machine guns and have been involved in strafing and bombing missions against ground targets.

The Albatross III can be armed with four small 20-pound iron bombs for ground bombing missions, and is also equipped with a Colt Type 1911 air-cooled heavy machine gun for air combat and ground strafing.

Of course, such a state-of-the-art aircraft is also expensive.

An Albatross III can buy 2.6 German-made Fokker biplanes, and it is still worth the money, because the former is more advanced.

Most of the British and French aircraft are now hand-rubbed versions, which can neither be produced on a large scale and are difficult to guarantee performance, so they are cheaper than North American aviation companies.

Normally, even if there is even the slightest possibility, countries such as Britain and France will support their own aviation companies.

The problem is that the war on the front does not wait for anyone, and in this brutal war with tens of thousands of casualties per day, there is no time to wait for the growth of the Anglo-French aviation enterprise.

Sevillaa was very heartwarming by Richard's response, she stretched out her hand around Richard's arm, leaned her head over and said;

"Sir, I will only feel at ease when you are there.

I don't know why there has to be a war?

But this situation is so terrible, so many people have lost their lives, it is as if the end of the world is coming, leaving only deep helplessness and fear.

Now that I have a baby, I hope to be able to get away from it all, or we can go back to North America.

We can't save others, we just want our loved ones not to be harmed. ”

"I understand your concerns, Sevillaa, rest assured, we won't stay until the war is over." Richard reached out and took Seville in his arms, and could feel her delicate body tremble and tapped her on the back.

"That's great, sir, let's get out of this horrible place." Severia burst into tears as she spoke, burying her head deep into Richard's broad chest.

She is just a woman, and in the face of the great changes that have taken place in France and the current brutal war, there is nothing she can do but tremble and pray.

The war was an unprecedented catastrophe, with countless French families losing their husbands and children, and the age of conscription increased from 26 to 40, and now all men under the age of 46 are conscripted.

On the battlefield of Verdun

It was the French army that carried the offensive frenzy of the German army alone, and every day it had to fill in most of the French divisions, and such days have lasted for 4 and a half months, and I don't know how long it will last in the future?

In order to relieve the enormous pressure on the battlefield of Verdun, the Anglo-French forces planned to open a new battlefield on the Somme.

In this new battlefield, the British Expeditionary Force took the lead in the main attack, and for this purpose 26 British divisions, 3 Belgian divisions, and 12 French divisions were assembled for a full-scale attack in late June.

With endless wars comes endless fear, vast fields are deserted, national economies wither, and centuries of colonization are rapidly being emptied.

Now the Entente is supported by a large number of war loans, and the main source of loans is the rich Tang Empire on the other side of the Atlantic.

(End of chapter)