Re: Blood and Iron

Chapter 228: Internally Debating the Pros and Cons of Greece Versus Bulgaria



The Greek entry into the war brought many benefits to the Imperial Powers, but as many drawbacks. The largest benefit was the fact that the Ottomans now found themselves being invaded on two fronts. On their westernmost borders, they were now being attacked by the Hellenic Army.

Whereas from Armenia, the Russians and Austro-Hungarians, along with a small contingent of German troops, pushed through into Anatolia. At the same time, the Hellenic Navy began to patrol the Mediterranean alongside the k.u.k. Kriegsmarine, or in other words the Austro- Hungarian Navy, giving the Imperial Powers significantly more firepower to combat British, French, and Ottoman attempts to aid Serbia.

This was an asset Germany would not gain with Bulgaria, whose entire Navy consisted of a single Gunboat, and six torpedo boats. Whereas the Hellenic Navy was by no means a maritime powerhouse, but at the very least they had a decent sized fleet of battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines.

All of which could be used in conjunction with Austro-Hungarian naval assets to coordinate strikes against Allied shipping and transportation of troops. In addition to these, these two naval forces could work together with the Russian Baltic fleet to seize control of the Bosphorus strait and allow free movement of the Russian naval forces in the region.

Combining them all into a force capable of challenging the Allies for control over the Mediterranean Sea. While the German Reich had one of the most advanced and powerful navies in the world, its current focus was geared towards ensuring German hegemony over the Baltic, the North Sea, and the English Channel where they were constantly contested by the British Royal Navy.

Because of this, there were few assets they could send to the Mediterranean to aid their allies. This was, of course, Bruno's biggest complaint about the Habsburgs. Their sense of pride as the former Holy Roman Emperors had more or less prevented Austria from unifying with the German Reich.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

In doing so, Austria prevented Germany from having access to the Mediterranean, which was both economically and strategically significant. After all, the Archduchy of Austria held territory in the Austrian Littoral, had ports within the Adriatic Sea. A smaller body of water which fed into the Mediterranean.

Had the Archdukes of Austria unified with Germany in 1871 and bowed their heads before the House of Hohenzollern, who had already defeated them a few years prior in 1866, then Germany would have access to critical trade routes and major zones of strategic importance.

This also would have allowed the Germans to maintain a far more advanced naval force in the region, as the K.u.K. Kriegsmarine was woefully obsolete and undertrained in comparison to their counterparts in the German Kaiserliche Marine, and that was still the case in Germany's past life.

With the introduction of Bruno's inventions and innovations in this life, it was truly a sad state of affairs that a second fleet of submarines and destroyers could not have been built in the Austrian Littoral.

Ultimately, however, the largest downside of Greece entering the war on behalf of the Imperial Powers, having perceived almost certain German victory, and wanting to take advantage of that fact to combat the Ottomans and seize disputed territories. Was the fact that the Hellenic Army was far fewer than the Bulgarian Army and much less competent? Because of this, Bruno had to sit for some time and consider what was more important to Germany at the moment, additional bodies in the meat grinder that was trench warfare? Or naval assets, of which took significantly more time to build than it did to train a soldier how to shoot a rifle.

As much as he personally did not want to admit to it, the fact of the matter was the introduction of the Hellenic Fleet onto the German side in this war was a much larger boon. Especially since the German Army already had such an overwhelming technological advantage over their enemies that it more than made up for the numbers the Bulgarian Army would send to aid their cause.

Ultimately, it was a sacrifice Bruno would have to make. One he was surely conflicted about, as fighting the Bulgarians despite the loyalty and competence they showed towards Germany in his past life was something that was entirely out of his control.

After all, Bruno may be among the highest-ranking military commanders in the German Reich, but he was currently deployed into Serbia. Meaning that he had no means of negotiating a peace agreement between Greece and Bulgaria.

Nor would Bruno be able to make such a compromise as the disputed regions between the two nations were lands which he personally felt rightfully belonged to Greece. To hand any of the disputed lands over to Bulgaria-based upon the legitimacy of the two nations' claims, was simply absurd to Bruno.

Epirus, Macedon, Thrace, Ionia, Crete, and Cyprus were Greek lands since time immemorial, and had been under Ottoman control for far, far too long. Since the Ottomans had joined the Allies in this timeline, there was no reason these lands should not end up under Greek authority, assuming Bruno was able to succeed in his endeavors of reversing the course of history.

And as much as Bruno respected Bulgaria, any compromise would more or less be exchanging one of these rightful Greek claims for another. Something Bruno could not agree to in accordance with his conscience.

Hence why Bruno ultimately put his paper away and finished his coffee, concluding that history was moving in the right direction, even if it was an unintentional correction made by the butterfly effect.

Because of this, he sighed heavily, after speaking at length about how he prioritized the accomplishments of his family above his own, and admitted the truth about why he seemed to unusually lost in thought.

"If you two must know, why I seemed so conflicted it was because I was internally debating whether or not the King of Greece announcing his entry into the war on behalf of our alliance was ultimately a positive or a negative..."

Heinrich and Erich looked at one another in silent, after the rather emotional revelation that Bruno cared very little for his personal achievements, and was instead focused on the wellbeing and legacy of his family, they honestly thought that him being so conflicted over what they thought was a relatively small matter seemed out of place.

Erich, however, always keen on trying to understand what complex geo-political maneuvers Bruno was scheming within his own head, was quick to ask why Bruno had thought so long about such a petty topic.

"I apologize, but I am a bit confused. Why would such a matter have you acting so distraught? These are mere minor powers seeking to make little territorial advances off of the sweat and blood that we primarily shed in this war. Does it really matter which of these nations side with us, and which don't?"

As per usual, Erich revealed why he would always be a Field Officer and would never make his way into the General Staff. His lack of understanding towards grand strategy and geo-politics ensured that, at best, he would command a small group of elite forces into battle.

But then again, the man's tenacity and blood-thirsty nature made him perfect for such tasks. Even so, Bruno and Heinrich could not help but shake their heads at their friend, while Bruno simply answered in a way that only further confused Erich.

"Though it may not seem like it, whether Greece or Bulgaria aligns themselves with the German Reich and the Imperial Powers has the potential to permanently affect the course of history. But then again, Erich, I believe your abilities are better suited towards leading men into combat than playing chess on a global stage....."

This was, of course, not intended as an insult, nor was it perceived by Erich in such a manner. As he too believed, he was ill suited towards leading campaigns. Thus he simply nodded his head, and agreed to Bruno's statement, deciding to ignore the greater implications of Greece entering the war, and instead continue to serve in his official capacity.