Expedition to Europe

The war in 1916 almost drained the blood of the Germans.

In that year, the agricultural harvest in Germany was very poor. Even after conquering Romania, Germany still did not have enough food. The poor harvest led to a food crisis in Germany. The winter of 1916 to 1917 in Germany was called the "Cabbage Winter" because the Germans had to rely on cabbage, a vegetable that was unpalatable, ugly, and usually despised.

During Christmas, the chief physician of a major hospital in Berlin reported that about 80,000 children died of hunger throughout the winter, and this was only the data of this hospital.

The situation in Britain and France was much better. Britain and France had vast colonies, which gave them almost unlimited human resources compared to the Germans. With the support of the Americans, Britain and France were generally able to remain stable.

The United States did not participate in the war at this time. As a neutral country, the support of the Americans was not only for Britain and France, but also for Germany.

But the Germans could not afford it. They had no money. The only war reserves they had had were consumed in 1916.

So it seems that the Germans' disadvantages are becoming more and more obvious.

If the maritime support from Britain and France is not cut off, the Germans will be defeated sooner or later. In fact, even if it is cut off, the Germans will be defeated sooner or later, but for now, no one is willing to admit it.

Against such a dark background, the Germans held a meeting on submarine warfare in January 1917. The meeting was of a high level. Kaiser Wilhelm II, Hindenburg, and Ludendorff all attended the meeting. At the same time, the Chief of the Navy General Staff Henning von Holchendorff also attended the meeting. The last to arrive was Prime Minister Bethmann Hollweg.

"We must remove restrictions on submarine warfare. Only in this way can we cut off the British maritime supply lines and force the British to give up the war." Because it was a meeting hosted by the navy, Holchendorff spoke first, and he was always energetic.

Navy Chief Holchendorff was a supporter of submarine warfare. He was passionate about submarine warfare and insisted that only unrestricted submarine warfare could make the British surrender.

"I don't think so. If we remove the restrictions on submarine warfare, we may be able to reduce the British advantage in some aspects and put us on the same level in some aspects. But in that case, we will also face pressure from the Americans. I think Germany today cannot afford the consequences of the Americans joining the war." Bateman opposed it.

Although Bateman partially agreed with Holchendorff's views, he was more worried about the intervention of the Americans. Because of this, most military generals opposed Bateman, whether it was the navy or the army.

As a civilian, Bateman had his own considerations. Once unrestricted submarine warfare begins, there will be no distinction between nationalities. In 1914, the Germans did this, but were strongly opposed by the Americans. Later, under pressure from the Americans, the Germans stopped submarine warfare in September 1915.

"The Americans will not join the war! They just want to do business and make money. Businessmen control this country. As for the American army, I don't think they have the ability to change the situation. Imagine, does the American army have any famous achievements? None at all! They are not even as good as the Chinese who have become famous recently. As for the American navy, whether they join the war or not, we are at a disadvantage, so we must launch submarine warfare, submarine warfare without any restrictions." Holchendorf insisted.

"Chinese? Didn't they not join the war?" William II was confused.

"Your Majesty, the war has been declared, just three days ago." Bethman's expression was heavy. The population of the Chinese put a lot of pressure on him: "Before that, they had sent troops to France. Although they were in the name of the Foreign Legion, they did participate in the war."

"Is that so?" William II was very angry.

The Chinese did not leave a good impression on William II. William II himself was a stubborn racist. He discriminated against all people of color, including the Chinese.

"That's right, Your Majesty." Ludendorff had just returned to Berlin from the Western Front. He was now the commander of the German army on the Western Front and had the most say in this matter: "The Chinese army was led by a general named Qin Zhiyuan. They participated in the war, had strong combat effectiveness, and had a flexible fighting style. Your Majesty may have an impression of Qin Zhiyuan. He was the angel promoted by the Vatican some time ago."

"Oh... I remembered him. He adopted several Germans living in France." William II did have an impression of Qin Zhiyuan. The humanity shown in the war was more worthy of respect.

"Now the number is more than a thousand, and it is continuing to increase." Ludendorff said painfully. The larger the number, the worse the living environment of Germans living in France.

If possible, Ludendorff hoped that the number would be "0".

"Well..." William II lowered his head and had no expression on his face. No one knew what he was thinking.

"Please get back to the topic. If we start an unrestricted submarine war, we will force the British to surrender within six months. This is the fastest way to end the war." Holchendorff made a promise.

"It's terrible. Two years ago, the Admiralty promised six weeks, but now it has become six months. During this period, your military spending has tripled and the number of submarines has doubled. Why does it take longer?" Bateman was puzzled.

In early 1915, the admirals demanded the removal of restrictions on submarine warfare and were convinced that they would subdue Britain within six weeks. Two years had passed, and the submarine force had expanded a lot, but it seemed that its combat effectiveness was declining, which puzzled Bethman.

"Compared with the British Navy two years ago, the British Navy is now more powerful. And if the Americans are allowed to transport supplies recklessly, the gap will become larger and larger." Holchendorff was also full of complaints.

"A new line of defense is being built on the Western Front, which requires more supplies and more support." Ludendorff also had complaints.

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After Ludendorff took office, he changed the way of fighting on the Western Front. He wanted to build a solid line of defense to resist the planned counterattack by the British and French coalition forces. At the arms conference in Paris, Nivelle thought he had a plan and proposed a battle plan to launch a counterattack in April.

This battle plan is now in Ludendorff's drawer.

"The situation on the Eastern Front is not optimistic either. Although Russia seems to be showing signs of collapse, we must beware of their desperate attempt." Hindenburg also asked for support.

"Okay, now, give me an answer. If unrestricted submarine warfare is launched, how likely is it that the Americans will join the war?" William II decided to cut the Gordian knot.

"As an officer, I can promise you, Your Majesty, no American will land in France." Holchendorff vowed.

"Very good, then let's go!" William II had enough.

Unrestricted submarine warfare was the fuse for the Americans to join the war.