Vol 4 Chapter 57: Horrible guess

If the world war that broke out in 1914 shattered the world economic order and destroyed the European continent; then 1913 was the last carnival before the destruction!
There is no doubt that the theme of 1913 was still an arms race. If the Allies were still considering financial affordability, the Allies would be crazy!
Germany's fiscal deficit has even surpassed its fiscal revenue. Ferdinand is frightened, and Austria-Hungary and Italy are not far behind, and their fiscal deficits have broken historical records.
Well, in fact, the Allied countries are not much better. At least Bulgaria’s fiscal deficit is as high as 50% of fiscal revenue. At this time, it is no longer time to consider fiscal affordability.
After the investment regardless of the cost, the military strength of various countries has been greatly improved. First, the Germans started construction of six battleships and four battlecruisers in one go, and the British started construction of eight battleships and six battlecruisers.
Oh, and now even the British have not defended the 3:2 ratio. It can be seen that the Germans are crazy and the British bottom line is getting lower and lower.
Followed by the French, four battleships and six battlecruisers were launched in one go. Who can tell the French to react slowly?
When the era of dreadnoughts arrived, France did not catch up in the first time. In 1912, French talents started to build two dreadnoughts. Facing the aggressive Italian navy, it is impossible to keep the Mediterranean Sea without working hard!
However, the Italians performed hard enough this time, probably due to the sequelae of the Ferdinand Butterfly Effect. Britain and France did not offer them a price that satisfies them, and it meant to follow the Allies to the dark.
The main reason is that the French should have given loans to the Italians, but Ferdinand was cut off. Against the backdrop of French nationalism, it takes courage to dare to grant loans to the Allies, especially with Ferdinand staring at it!
As soon as the negotiations between the two sides begin, radical groups in France will receive news. In an era when the whole people are clamoring for revenge, the capitalists dare not rise up.
No way, the funds of the French are not unlimited. If Bulgaria wants to take more, someone must take less! Vice versa, in order to get more loans and pay less, Ferdinand had to kill some competitors first.
Without the loans from the Allies and the promised benefits are not large enough, of course Italy will not be so easy to reverse!
In 1913, the Italians started the construction of 3 dreadnoughts and two battlecruisers. It is very likely that the five-year shipbuilding plan was completed at one time. In addition, they had already started construction of two dreadnoughts before completion. After completion, there will be five dreadnoughts. Ship!
The two dreadnoughts announced by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1912 have now been launched and are expected to be in service in early 1914.
This time the Vienna government once again decided to increase investment and started construction of two dreadnoughts and two battlecruisers. It seems that the Austro-Hungarian Empire will become a naval power!
And the two dreadnoughts ordered by the Ottomans from Germany are about to be completed and are expected to be delivered by the end of this year.
Against this background, what did Ferdinand do?
At present, the Bulgarian Navy has only one dreadnought ship in service. In the arms race in 1912, construction of two dreadnought ships was started in accordance with the times, and it should be completed by the end of the year.
But obviously, in the era of large-scale army expansion, this is obviously not enough. In order to save money, even the battlecruiser plan Ferdinand has been cut off.
The current Bulgarian navy is still a conservative navy, and its requirements for ocean-going decisive battles are not high, and even the planned combat range is only a large bathhouse in the Mediterranean.
Secretary of the Navy Petrov said anxiously: "Your Majesty, all countries are building ships. If we do not follow up immediately, we will be very disadvantaged in the future!
If left unchecked, the naval superiority of the Allies in the Mediterranean will be gradually lost in the future, and we will be in danger at that time!
By 1915, we had only three dreadnought ships. Even if we add the six French ships, there are only nine ships. However, there are two Ottoman ships, five Italian ships, and four Austrian-Hungarian ships. Very obvious! "
Ferdinand nodded, he knew all this. More importantly, Bulgaria’s geographical location is sandwiched by the Ottoman Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Romania, the Kingdom of Montenegro, and Italy. Once the war breaks out, it will be a real enemy on all sides!
Oh, Romania can be ignored. When the war breaks out, Romania must first learn about the power of the Russians' gray animals, and probably nothing will happen to them!
Out of strategic security considerations, it is best for Bulgaria to land on the Asia Minor peninsula as soon as possible without giving the Ottomans any chance.
At the same time, the Otranto Strait must be blocked to prevent the Austro-Hungarian navy from coming out, so as to ensure the Allied Powers' dominant position in the Mediterranean region.
Create opportunities for the French to attack Italy. Once France defeats the Italian navy, the Italians are likely to turn their backs, and then the entire Mediterranean battlefield of the Allies will be alive.
Is it possible to block the Otranto Strait? Ferdinand didn’t know this. After all, the Italians on this plane fell to the Allied Powers. The combat effectiveness of the Air Force has yet to be tested!
In Ferdinand's view, the best way is to land directly in Italy under the cover of the navy and air force. Anyway, it is only forty nautical miles. It is safest to deploy shore artillery on both sides of the strait, drop more torpedoes, and deploy more air forces!
Of course, this is actually very difficult to do. The Italians are not stupid. How can they fight the French navy stupidly?
Before defeating the Italian navy, let the Bulgarian army launch a landing war. This is a very crazy thing. If the Italian navy rushes over regardless of the loss, the Austro-Hungarian navy will kill again, and the Bulgarian army will feed the sharks!
Unless the entire fleet of the Allied Powers in the Mediterranean is concentrated, it is possible to achieve it! After all, the combat effectiveness of aircraft in this era is not as sharp as later generations.
At present, the Bulgarian air force can only carry light torpedo attacks, and it is okay to deal with cruisers. It is a bit choking to deal with battleships. Ten or eight may not be able to sink, and the hit rate of torpedoes in actual combat is still very low!
No matter how cheap the plane is, it is impossible for Ferdinand to use hundreds of planes against a battleship, right? Then, don't you need to use thousands of aircraft to deal with a fleet?
Ferdinand thought for a while and said: "Communicate with the French, our strength is limited, this year we will start construction of two dreadnought ships at most, the rest is their problem!"
Of course, Ferdinand was not for the French to expand their naval shipbuilding plan, but to urge the French to make progress. In fact, as early as 1912, the French government had formulated a plan for the construction of 12 super dreadnought ships. Let's start!
In the naval arms race, Bulgaria absolutely cannot participate in unrestricted participation. This is not a problem of one or two dreadnoughts. Each battleship must have a series of supporting ships, and the combined cost is not much lower than that of battleships!
According to the current situation, Bulgaria's military expenditure in 1913 exceeded 30 million pounds is just around the corner.
Ferdinand now understands why a world war must break out. The arms race is too costly. As long as someone can't hold on, then it can only start!
Bulgaria has come to this point, and it can only be said that loans from the powers are not so easy to take. Bulgaria has relied on the support of the French to come to the present, and naturally it has to pay a price.
Of course, even if there is no military loan, Ferdinand will expand his army. He dare not dare to persuade him in this regard!
Bulgaria got a low-interest military loan of 1.8 billion levs provided by Britain and France. Ferdinand felt the pressure now, let alone the Allies.
Because it is a two-front battle, the military expenditures of the Austro-Hungarian Empire have to far exceed the same period in history. The Germans cannot help them in this regard. After all, the Germans are not rich now.
Everyone is preparing for the war with the money of domestic capitalists. After all, for them, the main purpose of this war is to grab resources and markets for domestic industry and commerce!
Benefits are always the best motivation!
In this naval arms race, the major European powers have been very crazy, even the Russians are now ambitiously starting three dreadnought ships, but Ferdinand is not optimistic about them.
The main reason is that the efficiency of the Tsarist government is really too low. Starting in 1909, the Russians were preparing to build their own dreadnought ships, and it was delayed until 1913 to start construction. Ferdinand doubted whether Nicholas II had a chance to take it. The news to the completion of the warship!
For Ferdinand, these are not problems, anyway, the Allies still have an advantage in the Mediterranean in a short time. UU reading www. uukanshu.com
Although the number of dreadnoughts of the Allies in the Mediterranean is not enough, but the quality is not enough, the quantity can be collected!
Although the French dreadnoughts have not yet been completed, they still have a dozen old-fashioned warships, and they can kill their opponents with their numbers!
No, the dreadnoughts of the Allies have not had time to serve. At present, only the Bulgarian Sofia is swaying in the Mediterranean, but the first Italian dreadnoughts will be in service at the end of this year.
By 1914, another Italian dreadnought ship was about to be in service, and two dreadnought ships of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were also in service. Together with the two dreadnought ships purchased by the Ottoman Empire from Germany, the Allied Powers will be in the Mediterranean. Six dreadnought ships.
As for the Allies: the French will have two dreadnoughts in service in the second half of this year, and Bulgaria will also have two dreadnoughts in service in May and June 1914. The remaining warships will not be possible until the end of 1914 or early 1915 at the earliest. Finished.
During this period, there is at least a half-year gap period, and the number of dreadnoughts of the Allies will be twice that of the Allies. To some extent, this period is the time when the Allies’ navies are weakest in the Mediterranean.
If the Allied powers concentrated their forces and attacked the main force of the French navy in the first half of 1914, what would happen in the future?
Thinking of this, Ferdinand was taken aback. This situation is really likely to happen. As long as the main force of the French navy is severely damaged, the Allied power's naval advantage in the Mediterranean will no longer exist.
So is the British going to divide the Mediterranean? If the troops are divided, can the British continue to suppress the German high seas fleet?
If there is no division of forces, can the Allied countries be able to sustain it without the Mediterranean Sea Route?
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