If you want to ask which country had the highest proportion of main battleship losses in World War I, France and the Austro-Hungarian Empire are definitely on the list. The former once built as many as eight dreadnoughts and super-dreadnoughts, but in the end they were defeated.

There are only 2 ships left, and this is not over yet. Even the pre-dreadnoughts that have been accumulated so hard for decades have been lost. So much so that after the end of World War I, the French Navy was ridiculed as having only two ships.

Navy! And as a colonial

As a great nation, the French could not sit idly by and watch the decline of the navy, both emotionally and practically. Although its strength was greatly reduced after the war, as a large country with colonies all over Africa and Southeast Asia, and at the same time, in order to fight against the increasingly powerful German and Austrian fleets, France

People must bite the bullet and rebuild their own navy. "The Mediterranean may not belong to France, but it certainly cannot belong to the Allies!" George Legge said eloquently in a parliamentary meeting.

What kind of navy does France need to build? This question has always puzzled George Legault, Darlan and other senior leaders of the French navy. The French have always liked innovation, but it seems that these innovations are sometimes not easy to use. And in the first place

The Mediterranean battle in World War I almost interrupted the French navy since Napoleon's "Top" and "Point" novels

The confidence and ambition accumulated over the past 100 years have been transformed from generation to generation. As a traditional naval power, it doesn't matter if you can't defeat Britain. Later, because its industry and national strength were not as good as Germany's, China and the United States tolerated it, but even

It would be so embarrassing to be unable to defeat Italy, which was founded less than 100 years ago, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which had never focused on the navy! Although Italy and Austria had the element of surprise attack, the defeat was indeed a bit sporadic.

The cruel reality forces the French to learn from the experiences and lessons of other successful countries. France cannot learn from the Germans. After all, the strategies and national strength of the two sides are very different. At the same time, the Germans will not communicate with the French. And the rest

The countries with more successful naval strategies are China and Italy. With the easing of relations between China and the Allies after the war,

, there are more and more exchanges between the navies of France and China, which have almost no overlap. As a country with the most conflict of interests with China, the exchanges between France and China are deeper and broader than those with Britain and the United States.

The exchanges between the two countries are much stronger. The former has begun to discuss naval strategic issues, while the latter is more of a technical cooperation.

"In fact, before the end of World War 1, the French Navy had become a second-rate navy in terms of size and strength. The fierce naval battles in World War 1 accelerated the decline of the French Navy. Now, although your country is

Try your best to build and support the navy. But it is obviously impossible to return to the status of the late 19th century, so your country needs to find its own position, that is, the French

"What is the status of the Chinese Navy in the future Allied Powers?" In a meeting between Chinese and French naval delegations. As China's most outstanding naval general, he was also one of the behind-the-scenes observers who led to the failure of the Allied Powers' comeback plan in the Mediterranean.

Now he actually started to help the French build their fleet, which has to be said to be a very ironic thing.

"Although the following words are unpleasant, I think what I said will be the closest to the truth. In the future Mediterranean, unless a certain Allied country turns to the Allied Powers, otherwise, your navy and even the Allied Powers' navy will have no control over the Mediterranean.

There is no place to stand. The process of the German High Seas Fleet going south has begun. And in the Mediterranean Sea, Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire,

The naval forces of Turkey and Spain have an absolute advantage in strength. The naval deployment in this closed sea area has no meaning. They will not have any role except to park in the port under the cover of the air force, and they have not been able to leave.

The fleet in the port will be of very limited significance and will also be a drag on France's already small air force."

"In my opinion, the main combat areas of the French Navy in the future are in two directions, one is the Atlantic Ocean, and the other is here." Lin Yongsheng pointed to an island in southwest Africa, Madagascar, with the pencil in his hand, and then said

This draws a circle for the center of the circle.

"I can understand the North Atlantic, but why do you still suggest that the French Navy deploy a fleet on the island of Madagascar in southwest Africa? From the perspective of breaking diplomatic relations, the effect will not be obvious, because the direction of German attacks in the future will be

It is Persia and the South Asian subcontinent, their fleets and transport ships travel

Navigation must also be close to the mainland in order to be under the joint protection of the fleet and air force, not to mention that Madagascar is too far away? The efficiency of breaking diplomatic relations may be very low, if the French squadron chooses to use Indian ports together with the British

Would it be better to deploy?" George Legg said with some confusion.

"It is safe because it is far away, has a vast area, and has enough depth. In any battle, your own safety must be the first priority. It is better to have a remote but safe base than to have a base that is closer to the battlefield and will die faster.

The base is much better. As for the German maritime defense system? I don’t think it is as good as you imagined.

So strong!" Lin Yongsheng then drew a pencil on the Arabian Peninsula and said: "First of all, the southern countries of the Arabian Peninsula are not members of the Allies, and the environment is harsh, and even the most basic water sources are difficult to guarantee. It is difficult for me to imagine that the Germans are

A large number of air forces will be deployed here. Not to mention the logistics and maintenance pressure, the pressure is already huge."

"In Italy's East African colonies, not to mention that the threat range based here is very limited. At the same time, Italy's attitude is likely to make Germany and Austria's plans fail. Therefore, there is actually a relatively large vulnerable area in the western Indian Ocean. More

The important thing is that almost all Allied transport ships and warships will sail to South Asia from here. This is an area of ​​great potential, both in terms of strategic and tactical feasibility."

"If the Allied navy engages in a head-on battle with the British South Asia Fleet and the U.S. Fleet, then there is indeed a weak area here. The Germans must offset the British air force in Persia and South Asia by strengthening the air force in the Persian Gulf. Therefore, the German deployment focus

It will definitely be an area close to Persia and India, and will not be chosen

Arabian Peninsula." After careful consideration, George Legg agreed with Lin Yongsheng's statement. "But I think it would be better if our fleet could use the British Diego Garcia Island? It is closer to the battlefield, and

It is also relatively far away from the core of the German deployment of power." Then George Legg made a counter-proposal.

"Pay attention to what I said. In addition to distance, the reason why Madagascar is safe is also its depth. Madagascar is an island with an area of ​​600,000 square kilometers. And there are many ports on it. If the Allies pay attention to this island,

How much will they cost?

How many troops are needed to control the entire island? How many troops are needed to deal with the guerrillas on the island? How many fleets are needed to stop your ships transporting supplies from Africa across the water? I don’t know the specific number, but it must be a

Astronomical figures!" Lin Yongsheng said with a smile.

"The navy needs a base. If the other party can destroy the base, then our fleet will not be able to station here for a long time. Moreover, Madagascar lacks infrastructure and has almost no recovery capabilities." George Legg still responded to what Lin Yongsheng said.

Suspect.

"Mr. Admiral, the depth I am talking about is not just Madagascar. Don't forget that France has an ally called Britain, and Britain has a colony in southern Africa called South Africa, and South Africa has almost the largest industry and infrastructure in Africa.

Developed areas." Lin Yongsheng was already a little unhappy. Back then, few people in the Chinese Navy or the Italian Navy dared to do so.

If you argue with yourself, if the other party is right, then forget it, but it is obvious that George Legg is caused by his lack of vision. No wonder the French Navy was beaten violently in World War 1. From a level point of view, this

The boss of the French Navy is indeed not as good as Tycho. Although Tycho is not a genius, he can at least explain a little bit. As for George Legg? You must explain everything clearly to him.

"To take a step back, even if the base on Madagascar was attacked, and even if the Germans destroyed all the ports on Madagascar, so what? Your fleet can completely withdraw to South Africa, and if Germany

If the navy moves north again, it can fight back. And if the Germans plan to continue a war of attrition with France around Madagascar, then their South Asia strategy will have to be abandoned. I think one

No sensible German high-level executive would throw away the watermelon to pick up sesame seeds? If an area that is difficult to attack can be solved once and for all through a forceful attack, then the Allies may still take risks, but if the problem cannot be solved in a short time,

, and if it conflicts with the strategic objectives, then I think the Allies would rather choose passive defense than actively disperse their own forces!" Lin Yongsheng explained to the opponent patiently.

"Diego Garcia belongs to the former. The Germans only need a few weeks to completely solve this problem. The latter is just an iron pillar in the eyes of the Germans. If they want to completely solve this problem, then congratulations!

Fang, the Germans’ plan to advance south has failed!” Regarding how to organize

China has also discussed within China how to control the pace of Germany's advancement. In line with the principle of not doing it if it can't do it, and not doing things that can be done by the Allies, Xu Jie and the top brass of the navy specifically helped the French Navy formulate this plan.

Plant a nail behind the German navy and see how the Germans respond.

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Chapter completed!