Kaiserreich a TL
Part One: The Great War 1914-18
POST 24 - Rommel wird's Richten
BEF Lieutenant General George Milne, got orders from High Command and Prime Minister to Attack the Bulgarian Frontline.
Out Ambition and also vengeance for Operation George, he had envision a Plan:
His 60th Division would attack the Bulgarian frontline at is weakest point at Vetrenik and near Lake Dorian supported by both Serbian armies
Once a break-true is made, the Armies would then push the Bulgarian army back inland toward town of Prilep were Central power local HQ is.
Follow a offensive toward town of Skoplje with it’s important Railway connection.
From Prisoners and renegades interrogation, Milne knew that german 11th Army was merely a Bulgarian one under Germans Officers.
But most of his reconnaissance plane came not back, Those who return report new kind of German Aircraft superior to British ones.
He got only information about low lands around Prilep and Dorian, but missing Information of surrounding Hills and town of Skoplje,
Milne not wanted to do a offensive with lack on vital information but Order from Prime Minister enforcing Him to start the Offensive.
So in September 1918 the Entente started there Offensive, hitting the frontline at Vetrenik and Lake Dorian,
The 60th Division flanks were protected by First Serbian Army, while there Second one supported the British Attack at lake Dorian
Like expected the Bulgarian pull back deeper into low lands.
But Lieutenant General George Milne wondering,
why the Bulgarian do this so fast and were is Germans response ?
His officers report that the low land was depopulated, also issue that BEF infantry moving faster as slower moving artillery, building a gap between them.
But eager Milne not wanted give up the momentum of attack, He order to chase the Bulgarians further inland,
There was some counterattack, but not much, as BEF approach Prilep and Veles on day 7 of the offensive.
And found nothing, no inhabitants, no HQ, no military resistance, only abandon defense post who were made unusable .
As they push further toward Hills, the British run into Minefields, here the German Trap snaps, with artillery Attack from surrounding Hills,
starting the „
Feuerwalze“ tactic, including Buntschießen.
Follow by intervention of the German 11th Army and 1th Bulgarian Army with support of Light and Heavy Kampfwagen
Restoring the Frontline hitting both Serbians Army and try encircling the BEF Army !
The Serbian Army who was in time merely a auxiliary force for BEF offensive, was no match what hit them,
Lieutenant General Milne got increasing worrying reports from the Front
The 11th Army is a full equip German Army with Strumtruppen using new kind of machine guns,
That new German aircrafts were attacking the British artillery and arrival of new kind German Landships at frontline !
Lieutenant General Milne gave order to his army to retreat. Now realizing he walked into Trap made by a German tactical mastermind.
The German 11th Army attack on right spot were french or Greece frontline artillery could not reach them.
Next to that the German light artillery is moving behind the retreating BEF forces and continue there
Feuerwalze“ tactic.
In mean time the Serbians Armies were reamed by German-Bulgarian counteroffensive, Serbians solders start to flee toward Greece frontline.
With this collapse of the BEF flanks, the 11th Army could accelerated there attack closing the gap further as Bulgarians 1th army move forward.
Then German Army change the Feuerwalze tactic, now blocking way for British army trap them on Low lands surrounded by Central Powers.
In desperation Milne demanded help from French and Greece Army commanders,
Only get response that in case the Germans and Bulgarians cross the old Front line they would do only defense actions, nothing more !
Then Milne insanely order his Reserve and heavy artillery to move over Frontline and brake a hole in encirclement of Central powers.
Only to them caught into Combat and wasted
The 60th Division trap start to dig in so good as they can, but with out resupplies and Artillery support there were helpless !
After several day of Feuerwalze, Airplane- and gas attacks the surviving British commanding officer rase the White Flag and surrender
What began as easy and simple military offensive ended in one of embarrassingly fiascos of British Army history
H. G. Wells wrote about that Day in „
The Shapes of Things to Come“ in 1933
The Idiocy of combining Diplomatic with Warfare, let always to Disaster !
Best example is were the French lured Romania into the Great war.
And infamous „Rommel Trap“ in 1918 here the British Empire gambled to High and Lost.
Some blame the Fiasco on Marshal Haig inflexibility to react against Operation George,
or the blind eagerness of Lieutenant General Milne, forced by the government to run into a German Trap.
But the Reality is more clearly to see that Diplomatic combining with Warfare, do not work.
A valuable lessons learned by the [fictional] World-government establish after [fictional] World War Three.
The Defeat of BEF and Serbians army on Bulgarian territory was turning point for Greece Politic,
The divided Kingdom was looking on Prime minister Venizelos, he had claimed that British would be victorious.
This fiasco show clearly the British were not near of a victory and now the Germans are at Border.
To make matter worst King Alexander I. died suddenly and without warning on the American Flu
In the Greece Parlament came motions of no-confidence against Venizelos.
While Royalist threaten him with dead if he not resign, what he dit and went to Exile in Britain.
Under new general election and a referendum the King Constantin I. was restored on the Throne.
While new Greece Government declared official that Entente forces are consider as a Occupying Force in there Country and demanded they leave the Kingdom !
Now a Pro German King of Greece was not the Entente wanted either, but the events push the British to rethink there situation
because it would endanger the armistice talks with Germany
The Germans however stay on the Peace Talks, but now on stronger position to dictate the conditions.
Special that German Army now possess superior new Weapons !
British prime minister David Lloyd George, was in exigency after that Fiasco, His government had gambled away.
He was will to comply with Germans demand, while the Germans on other hand, sacrificed the Ottoman Empire to the British and French.
The Old man on Busperus was dead, caused by Civil-war, genocide and combat with Entente, the Germans pullt there support back Home
The British Government sign the agreement with German Empire gave the Order to withdrawal BEF from French and Bulgarian Frontline.
In France people start to panic on news, that British ended the War leaving them to mercy of the Germans.
In Germany, this another victory over the British was celebrate hugely,
The opposition against War wound down even more, the Social Democrat party leaders realized there loosing grip on political situation.
The Emperor rise Erwin Rommel into nobility with right of succession and promoted to rank of Oberst in Army.
Now Oberst Erwin von Rommel got from King of Württemberg, the title Graf (count) and given the Property of schloss Köngen in Esslingern.
At OHL was Plans for Operation Siegfried consolidated:
It envision two diversion Attacks near Montdidier and south of Sissiness against French Frontline.
Follow by main offensive near town of Compiégne and Villers-Cotterets, but the terrain is tricky with forrest and valleys.
But the Germans will need 14 days on foot and daily combat to get even to outskirts of Paris,
Therefore goal was to get access to the four french national roads toward Paris in that area.
The Forces invading over Compiégne had to reach the city of Senlis and village of Creil then use the national road N°32 and N°17 toward Paris
While the Forces from Villers-Cotterts try to reach over national road N°2 and Meaux over national road N°36 and N°3
Both then joining at high of St Denis and attack Paris, also would the 3 Railways between Paris and Soission would be important in Offensive,
Only question was how strong are French defense and blockades ?
There were now over french 3000 small char and they could turn the german offensiv into disaster…
Footnotes:
Rommel wird's Richten, is Germany wordplay what mean „
Rommel will fix it“ but also „
Rommel will judge“
The „
Feuerwalze“ tactic
A Tactic developed by lieutenant Colonel Georg Bruchmüller
Effective and economical creeping barrage Artillery scheme.
Those Attack were alway brief to keep surprise factor, as during chaos the Strumtruppen storm the area.
Buntschießen
German term of using combination of several combat gas (color coded)
First they hit the target with „Blaukreuz“ a diphenylchloroarsine, a substance that penetrate the Gas-mask filters, letting to sneezing and violent vomit forcing enemy to remove there gas mask
Follow by „Grünkreuz“ a pulmonary agent, a mixture of Chlorine, Phosgene, Diphosgene and Chlorpicrin.
and finally „Gelbkreuz“ aka mustard gas.
Names of Tanks in TL
Kampfwagen - German for Combat vehicle
Landship - English alternate word for Tank aka Boiler in TL
Char - French for wagon
