It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 179 | This is Dekong! What? You're not convinced?
"Damn it! Even the Italians are joining in! It's utterly ridiculous..."

Looking at the four tanks covered with anti-aircraft camouflage netting, Shank couldn't help but complain angrily.

The British have been sabotaging us, both openly and covertly, more than once or twice.

As Ivanrods' unsung allies, the Britons provided almost every form of support except for direct combat.

The current situation is gradually becoming clear. Although the London Union Jacks have always wanted to 'dignify' their handling of this European competition, they have been unable to resist the persistent pleading and cajoling from St. Petersburg.

Now that the Mariannes have officially intervened, it's probably not far off that the Britons will roll up their sleeves and get involved themselves.

What puzzled Shang Ke was the underlying interests involved.

As is well known, the British, who have long occupied the British Isles, have adopted a balance of power policy. A monolithic Europe is not in their interest. Therefore, theoretically, even though the Ivan Rus' are currently their allies, the British could turn against them immediately should there be any sign of a unified Europe.

Perhaps the Britons' strategic goal was simply to crush the Varlanders? That's why they allied with the Ivanros?
Shank had previously discussed this issue with several diplomats from the embassy, ​​and they all believed that the main threat posed by the Valland Empire was too great, to the point that the Britons were racking their brains to suppress its potential.

The Varland region had a native population of over 70 million. After annexing Austria, it gained over 7 million more, and after annexing Slovenia, it gained another 1 million, bringing the total to approximately 80 million.

If the last European war failed to crush the Varland Empire, and if it is not stopped now, there may never be another good opportunity.

In fact, what the Britons regretted most was that the strategy of "allying with Russia and Germany" gradually drove the Mariannes to their opposite side. The initial idea was for the three countries to gang up on each other, but the Mariannes were not happy at all because they were well aware of the consequences.

If the Varlanders were defeated by the Ivanros, the Ivanros would certainly not stop there. Just look at their population growth rate and the speed of their industrial and agricultural development.

In Shank's view, if the United Kingdom joins the war, Varland, which is besieged on both sides, may not be able to hold out, unless the Marianna people are willing to stop hiding behind the Maginot Line and send troops to support and jointly defend the Ruhr region.

However, that's a story for another time. Right now, Shang Ke's immediate problem is how to get back to China.

He gently tapped the cold, sticky steel plates of the tank hull and fell into deep thought.

With the Mediterranean Sea blocked, the only way to bring these spoils home was to cross the border from Varland to Marianne, and then find a port there to catch a ship, such as Brest or Bordeaux.

While waiting for the embassy to negotiate with the Republic of Mariana, Shank was not idle.

To be on the safe side, he first contacted the military attaché at the embassy, ​​and then invited two engineers from the Jeer Automobile Manufacturing Plant to work together to survey the tank and create a reference file.

This way, even if unexpected troubles arise in the future and the actual T-34 vehicle cannot be brought back to China, at least there will be relatively detailed paper reference documents for the T-34.

Several other members of the advisory group who had not yet returned home also came, braving the cold to look at the tanks inside and out with great interest.

Su Jiye had been following the Xiongnu army in battles across various regions. Last month, he was slightly wounded and has remained in Jer ever since, without going on any missions.

"...It's somewhat unbelievable that the Valland side has fought like this, especially since the area west of the Elbe is all flat. If this continues, Ivanros's army could advance all the way to the Weser River, which is only a little over a hundred kilometers away, directly threatening the Ruhr industrial region," he said.

Shang Ke wanted to offer him a cigarette, but after taking it out, he remembered that he didn't smoke or drink, so he took it back.

"The consequences of not gaining air superiority are severe," Shank said, pointing to several tanks ahead. "Although the Russians have such powerful weapons, in a proper ground confrontation involving large troop groups, they are still at a disadvantage. The quality of their soldiers and officers is inferior, and their technology and equipment are also outdated." "Indeed, the impact of the air raids on our rear transportation has been devastating. We must learn from the lessons of the Varlanders," Su Ji nodded in agreement.

"The core forces in modern warfare are air force and artillery, with air force disrupting the enemy's strategic deployment and artillery killing the enemy," Shang Ke said.

This brings us to the general's famous quote: "The essence of modern warfare is artillery warfare."

When attacking ground forces, tactical air power is not very effective in killing, and its cost-effectiveness is very low, even in the later stages of the Cold War.

The primary role of tactical aviation is to delay enemy ground forces, providing battlefield interdiction by bombing bridges, highways, and railway stations, thus hindering the enemy's assembly, march, and maneuver.

Compared to its air force, the Ivanros Empire's air force maintained a larger fleet, but it was inferior in other aspects, resulting in a poor air combat exchange ratio.

The Valland Empire Air Force is small in size but highly skilled—possessing advantages in both fighter jet performance and pilot quality, making it virtually invincible in aerial combat.

Three months into the war, Walland has produced double-digit ace pilots.

However, the repeated defeats in the Battle of Varland were all directly related to the paralysis of transportation routes caused by repeated air raids on the rear transportation hubs.

This is a classic example of 'picking up sesame seeds but losing watermelons'.

Shang Ke thought of similar situations in the history of the original plane.

On the Eastern Front, a situation frequently occurred, which can be roughly described as follows:

German fighters encountered a Soviet air force formation consisting of escort fighters and attack aircraft. The German pilots excitedly went on a killing spree, shooting down many of the escort fighters, but they ran out of ammunition and returned victorious, celebrating the promotion of another ace.

Then, the remaining Il-76 attack aircraft flew over the German mainland, strafing and bombing anti-aircraft guns, and bombarding supply depots and tank assembly areas. The German mainland suffered a great misfortune.

Then, a large number of Soviet tanks launched an attack, and several German dive bombers came to support them, destroying some tanks, but many tanks remained. The remaining Soviet tanks, along with a large group of infantry, overwhelmed the unfortunate German tanks, and the battle was lost.

Finally, the German Air Force turned the tables and accused the German Army of failing in battle by pointing out their own shortcomings.
This kind of example of winning air battles but losing ground battles vividly illustrates the Eastern Front and is a characteristic of the German Air Force.

It seems that the Valland army has not escaped this vicious cycle either.

Anyway, Shank doesn't understand why the Valland pilots are so obsessed with fighter duels. It's quite irresponsible. If you lose the ground battle, having more ace pilots is meaningless.

Currently, Ivanros's army is advancing rapidly, and the excellent infrastructure within Varland is actually facilitating the rapid advance of Ivanros's tank forces.

The Minsk Front was advancing directly towards Hamburg, while the Brest Front launched an attack on Polin from the north and northeast.

“The Varlanders still have two armored corps of strategic reserves, which should be enough to hold Hamburg. They might even be able to launch a counterattack and wipe out Hamburg. Let’s hope nothing unexpected happens…” Shank said worriedly, pointing to the map. “I think we’d better set off as soon as possible.”

(End of this chapter)