Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 381: Turning Point

On May 1, 1865, the Russian Navy launched a surprise attack in East Prussia, and Baltiysk quickly fell, marking a turning point in the Russo-Prussian War.

In Berlin, there was widespread lamentation within the Prussian government, prompting William I to urgently convene a military council.

The Minister of the Army and the Navy, Roon, analyzed, With the fall of Baltiysk, our strategy of keeping out our enemies from our borders has failed. To avoid being flanked from behind, we have no choice but to withdraw our troops to West Prussia.

Before the outbreak of war, to maintain stability in the colonies, we did not recall the fleet from the Far East. Now, our domestic fleet lacks the strength to confront the Russian Navy, so coastal defense must be strengthened.

This was just an excuse. Even if the entire Prussian Navy was concentrated, it would essentially be useless.

The Danish Navy could already rival them, not to mention the more powerful Russian Navy.

Just because the Russian Navy made a fool of itself, one should not ignore its strength.

From the start, Roon had not pinned any hopes on the navy. Facts proved that his assessment of Prussian naval strength was very accurate.

After the war broke out, the Prussian fleet skirmished a few times with the Danish Navy and then was blocked in the harbor. Its greatest contribution to the war was tying down the main Danish naval forces.

Even if the Far East fleet was recalled, at most it could contend with the Danish Navy. If there was a decisive battle, whether they could win was unknown.

The Kingdom of Prussia has developed its navy for too short a time. Whether it was shipbuilding technology, naval training, or officer commanding ability, it lagged behind the naval powers.

For now, they could use insufficient strength as an excuse for the domestic fleet to remain in port. But if the Far East fleet returned and they were forced into a decisive battle with the Danish Navy, it would be disastrous.

Even if they were to defeat the Danish Navy, they would absolutely be no match for the Russians. The total tonnage of the Tsars Baltic Fleet is 2.7 times theirs.

The navy was not the army. In the face of such a clear disparity in strength, hoping for a comeback was futile unless they resorted to ironclads against sailing ships. Otherwise, there was no chance.

The loss of Baltiysk was a mistake by the General Staff. They underestimated the Russians ability to attack fortifications and overestimated the defending forces combat capability.

The navy and the army are different. Just in terms of artillery, the two sides are not on the same level.

After the outbreak of the war, the Prussians placed great emphasis on the defense of Baltiysk and deployed three regiments of troops there.

According to the estimates of the General Staff, even if they were attacked by the Russian army, relying on the pre-built fortress fortifications, they could at least hold out for a week.

However, the empirical approach of the army staff led to fatal losses for the defenders. The fact that these fortresses could withstand artillery attacks from the land army did not mean they could resist attacks from naval artillery.

If it were regular Prussian troops, even if the fortress were damaged, with the strength of three regiments, they could still hold off the Russian army for 2-3 days.

Unfortunately, these were all newly recruited recruits, and after being hit by artillery fire, many soldiers morale was already shaken.

After engaging with the landing Russian troops, they quickly realized that the enemy was much stronger than the Russian army portrayed in propaganda. With casualties increasing continuously, the newly recruited units responsible for defense quickly collapsed.

William I said irritably, Regardless, you must quickly reverse the current unfavorable situation. Youve already experienced the consequences of abandoning East Prussia. If this continues, a revolution will erupt in the country.

Assign blame? Right now, William I still need the military to fight! Being able to gain the upper hand in combat against the Russian army and drive them out of Warsaw is enough to prove their capability.

If someone was replaced after one mistake, who could guarantee the replacements ability would definitely be stronger?

Anyway, if they eventually win the war, everything will be fine, and all problems can be resolved. However, if they lose the war, then the top military brass will be made scapegoats.

But if they were removed prematurely, wouldnt the blame fall on William himself in the end?

The Chief of the General Staff, Moltke, hesitated and said, At this point, our original strategic plan cannot be implemented. If we continue to delay, the Russians will use their naval advantage to continuously attack our coastal areas.

The Russian government is not short of soldiers; these conscripts are of little value, only needing a rifle and a few months of basic training before they can be deployed to the battlefield.

Once a large number of Russian troops land in Prussia, our homeland will inevitably suffer severe destruction. In such a scenario, we will be the first to collapse in this war.

Even strengthening coastal defenses would be futile. Currently, we simply cannot muster enough troops for defense. Everyone is aware of the combat capability of these newly formed units; they are essentially unreliable.

At this stage, we have no choice but to engage in a decisive battle with the Russians, as there is no room for other options.

A decisive battle this is exactly what the Berlin government had initially sought to avoid at all costs. What was a matter of life and death for them was just a regional conflict for the Russians.

The Russian government could afford to lose once, twice, three times... as long as they won once, they could crush Prussia into dust.

Given this situation, why bother with a decisive battle? Are they still hoping to win the war by simply killing Russian soldiers?

War is no game; there are 500,000 Russian troops on the front lines. While defeating them might be achievable, wiping them out entirely is just wishful thinking.

The most ideal outcome would be the victor sustaining 40,000-50,000 casualties, defeating the enemys main force, and then annihilating a hundred thousand or so of them.

After all, with Prussia and the Polish rebels joining forces, the total forces on both sides are roughly equal. Even if they are confident, no one believes that the Polish insurgents possess the same combat power as the Prussian troops.

In a situation where their allies are not performing well, the strengths of both sides in combat are now brought to the same level. This decisive battle with the Russians not only tests strength but also the commanding abilities and luck of the officers from both sides.

How likely are we to win? inquired William I with concern.

After some thought, Moltke replied, Seventy percent!

This was just for this one decisive battle, not the Russo-Prussian War. Russia still had the ability to continue the war the only question was how much money they had.

The sudden turning point in the war immediately attracted the attention of the whole of Europe. Many people pessimistically believed that Prussian defeat was only a matter of time.

In St. Petersburg, the Russian government had already set up a victory banquet, as if they had won the war.

However, the situation on the battlefield was indeed tilting in favor of the Russian government.

The performance of the Russian navy in this battle was commendable; they quickly captured Baltiysk, proving to the outside world that they were not incompetent.

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