Chapter 1,377 The Russians’ Reaction 1
Chapter 1377 Russian reaction 1
"Do you know? Just yesterday, a German fleet consisting of only 4 light cruisers entered the empire's second largest military port in the Baltic Sea as if they were wandering in the back garden of their own home!" Tsar Nicholas II knocked with his hand Knocked on the table.
"They easily broke through the shore artillery defense line, passed through the mine field, and then, at our doorstep, sank our transport ships one by one! Finally, they took the captured ships to the outside of Riga Port and sank them. Dozens of tons of artillery shells hit our homes! Don't you all feel a little ashamed? The Germans, a very small German fleet, dare to be so arrogant. While their main force is still cruising in the Black Sea, they Just dare to do this! Then, what is the significance of the funds we give to the navy every year and the warships we build?" The tsar's roar echoed throughout the conference hall.
This was not just because Major General Hopman's actions slapped the Russians hard in the face. More importantly, this action itself made the Russians feel a crisis! If nothing happens, who will send a small fleet to the absolute inside line of the opponent's navy to cause trouble? Now that the Germans have done this, the Air Force has also begun bombing various important facilities in the Gulf of Riga. Then it illustrates a problem. After completing the Polish Pocket Battle, the Germans will definitely continue to advance, and the goal of the advance is most likely Riga!
Haha, if Riga is over. I'm afraid the next target is St. Petersburg, right? If we talk about the Napoleonic period, the Russians could even burn Moscow and not give it to the other side. So during the reign of Nicholas II, let alone burning down St. Petersburg, even if it was lost, there would probably be internal strife in Russia! There are many people who want to control the power of this country! It is a matter of life and death for a country. Nicholas II was naturally extremely furious!
"We have mobilized troops from Ukraine and Transcaucasus. Now that it is spring, our coal supply pressure is much less, and we can free up part of our transportation capacity to transport troops and equipment. At least 10 divisions of troops are already mobilizing." Russia The Prime Minister bowed and said.
"Although we can move our troops to the St. Petersburg area by railway or march to Riga by road, if we want to transport a large amount of supplies and weapons to Riga, we must rely on the help of sea transportation. But now... ..." General Konstantin van der Vliet, commander of the Sixth Army responsible for guarding the Russian capital, looked at Admiral Essen, commander of the Baltic Fleet next to him. The next words were not spoken. After all, now, no one dares to enter the Gulf of Riga without the escort of a capital ship.
the reason is simple. The defense of the entire Gulf of Riga is ineffective. First of all, the minefields cannot be restored. In yesterday's battle, the Russian Baltic Fleet lost more than a dozen destroyers and several minelayers. Without these warships and the mines carried on them, there would be almost no redundant mines in the Gulf of Riga. Secondly, the fleet and batteries were severely damaged, and three cruisers were lost. The fort responsible for guarding the Irbe Strait was also severely damaged.
The current German fleet can come almost at will,
To describe it, you can leave as soon as you want. If you want to continue transporting supplies to the Port of Riga, you must have a capital ship escort. Otherwise, even if you transport it to the Port of Riga, people can slowly blow up the materials piled at the port from a distance of more than ten kilometers!
"If we want sea transportation to continue to function, then we must deploy the main fleet in the harbor. From the Gulf of Finland into the Gulf of Riga, we can walk at night. We can rely on the cover of the minefield, but in the Gulf of Riga, We can only rely on the main fleet. So I hope to listen to General Essen’s opinion.” After General Constantine finished speaking, the eyes of the entire venue were focused on Admiral Essen.
Admiral von Essen couldn't help but smile bitterly. He knew that this was the empire's center asking him to take the initiative. (Yes, you read that right, there is "Fon" in front of Essen, which means it is related to the German aristocracy, and the German in the General Constantine is the symbol of the French aristocracy. Among the Russian aristocrats, it comes from the blood of Germany and France. A lot of.)
"General Essen has always advocated taking the initiative before this. You are currently the most experienced person in the entire Russian Navy. We believe that you can definitely solve this problem." Nicholas II said.
"Haha." Essen couldn't help but sneered in his heart. Yes, he was ambitious and ready to attack last year. That's because the situation was suitable for taking the initiative. What was the situation at that time? The British Royal Navy has an absolute advantage and has tightly entangled the main force of the German High Seas Fleet in the North Sea. The German fleet had only a small number of Dreadnoughts in the Baltic region. Although the Izmail-class fast battleship was not yet fully operational at that time, it relied on three dreadnoughts and super-dreadnoughts. As well as a large number of destroyers, it is still no problem to suppress the German fleet.
Essen had a very good idea at that time. He used the Gulf of Finland as the rear and the Gulf of Riga as the forward position. He deployed multiple mines and used submarines and offensive mines to gradually weaken the opponent. Then, when the main force of the German High Seas Fleet was absent, he took the time to use the main fleet to carry out the attack. A big thing.
The idea is great, but what about reality? Russian high-level officials restricted the movement of capital ships, and the movement of the Baltic Fleet required the consent of the army general. And the mobilization of capital ships requires the permission of the Tsar! This fucking hurts... As a result, before the German fleet could look eastward, the Russian fleet's period of great advantage was wasted!
However, you said that offense is not possible, but defense is always possible, right? In fact, the defense is not very good either. The reason is simple. It is believed that the land campaign is tight, a large number of resources are tilted towards the army, and the Russian Navy cannot guarantee the deployment of mines needed for defense. The ships and destroyers lost due to the German offensive mine laying could not be replaced. In fact, at the beginning, the results of the two sides' offensive mine laying were similar, and both sides suffered losses. However, if the Germans lose, they can make up for it. If the Russians lose, then it is a loss... Under the circumstances, the Russians are becoming more and more miserable.
But now, the Russian high-level officials finally plan to let the Russian Baltic Fleet attack. However, Essen secretly feels that the window period is gone. If he attacks again, I am afraid that it will not be an advantage, but a kick in the iron plate. On.
The German fleet has already taken action against the Port of Riga. They cannot just attack and leave with nothing to do. Because there is no point in doing so. Then combined with the current situation on land, there is only one possibility. The German Eastern Front troops plan to join the navy to launch a massive offensive against the Gulf of Riga at the same time!
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