Chapter 878： Winter Offensive and Guerrilla (1/2)
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The winter in Afghanistan is very cold, but the severe cold has not blocked the pace of the war. I don't know if the British are too incompetent or the Russians are too powerful.
In the last month of 1889, the Russian army was as if it had been hung up. It had won Magyar Sharif, Kunduz, Chakhcharan, and one fifth of the territories in Afghanistan.
Even the Wakhan Corridor and Herat, where the British army was crowded, were crumbling and could be captured at any time.
Open the window and the cold wind roared past. Looking at the flying snowflakes, Lieutenant General Patrick shivered.
The ghost weather of minus ten degrees is too unfriendly to the British army. Britain has never had such a cold day.
Don't say to go out to fight, even if staying in the burning headquarters, Lieutenant General Patrick felt the cold wind biting.
The bureaucrats in China miscalculated the situation. The prepared cold-prepared cotton coats were configured according to the domestic temperature, and they did not do anything at all.
Fortunately, the bureaucrats of the logistics department carried forward the fine tradition and prepared cotton coats according to the previous number.
Naturally, the soldiers who died and disappeared are no longer needed. Officers and soldiers who go out on missions can put on two layers of cotton coats.
Even so, the non-combat downsizing of the British army has increased sharply since winter. The number of non-combat downsizing in some areas also exceeded the number of casualties fighting the Russian army.
The defeat on the front is not so much a Russian army as it is a winter in Afghanistan.
Especially for some Indian soldiers living in the tropics, the winter in Afghanistan is **** on earth.
Hands, feet, ears, face ... As long as the whole body is exposed outside, no one is good.
In contrast, the Russian army on the opposite side is much better. Although there are non-combat downsizing, that is only a handful.
With the exception of certain regions, the winter in Afghanistan can be called a warm winter compared to the Russian Empire.
As a result, it goes without saying that the Russian soldiers are like a fish here, and the British army is here to live like a year.
The roar of artillery continued, Herat's offensive and defensive battle began again, and Lieutenant General Patrick, who was in front of the front line and commanded, was already panicked.
He finally understood why the Russians dared to wage war before the winter came.
”When will the domestic reinforcements arrive?”
Indian reinforcements cannot be expected. The war has been going on for three months. The Indian Governor has sent him 150,000 reinforcements.
The number seems to be quite a lot, but unfortunately the fighting power is really touching. Relying on fortification defense is also okay, to participate in the field is to give people a head.
Especially after the advent of winter, many Indian soldiers who have lived in the tropics for many years have suffered frostbite, and nearly one-tenth of them lost their combat effectiveness.
In contrast, British native soldiers are much better, not only are they more effective in combat, but they are even more resistant to frost.
There are also winters in the British Isles, although it is not so cold, but there are still a few degrees below zero.
In this context, the general adaptability of British soldiers is much stronger than that of Indian soldiers who have never seen snowflakes.
The middle-aged officer behind him replied: ”If nothing goes wrong, the first batch of reinforcements in the country will arrive in a month and a half.”
From the outbreak of fighting to the arrival of reinforcements, it only took four and a half months. For the British Empire, this was also a qualitative improvement.
According to past practice, it is possible for the domestic bureaucracy to be able to dispatch reinforcements within half a year.
Of course, this time the high efficiency was forced out. The enemy is an inexhaustible Russian, and he is rushing towards India. It is difficult for the British government to feel nervous.
Although the efficiency is not low, Lieutenant General Patrick is still not satisfied. The situation on the front line cannot be delayed. The longer it is dragged on, the harder it will be to fight back.
”Send someone to urge them again, and inform them that they are ready to keep warm. The winter in Afghanistan will not be easy.”
Although it may be too late to say this now, Lieutenant General Patrick chose to remind.
The commander of the Expeditionary Force is not easy to do. The casualties of the Indian Colonial Army do not matter, but once the main casualties of the British army are heavy, Lieutenant General Patrick will suffer bad luck.
Domestic short-term can not be expected. Although the situation encountered by the expeditionary army was reported, but when the gang of lords in the country made a decision, and then organized production and transportation, the winter was almost over.
Allowing the reinforcements to prepare for the cold actually actually allows the officers and men to find a way.
The British army had to pass through many areas along the way. In theory, it was able to purchase a part of the warm materials.
Anyway, it is your own life. Do you want to throw money to increase the chance of survival on the battlefield-at will.
...
In the cold wind, a transportation convoy slowly drove out of German City. Judging from the direction of the convoy, it can be roughly determined that this is to the Afghan region.
”All cheered me up, and I am about to enter the Afghan region. It is not very peaceful over there, and I will see God in advance if I am not careful.”
The loud voices of the middle-aged officers spread throughout the convoy, and all the people looked serious.
The Afghan region may not be very flat, with Russian troops outside the border, internal guerrillas looting, and even the peasants who look honest and capable, may attack the transport team at any time.
In less than a year, British transport convoys were attacked 476 times, of which 46 suffered heavy losses and five times were annihilated by the whole army.
A total of 1,371 guards and soldiers were killed and 3,476 were killed. The loss of materials is beyond statistics.
High risk also means high returns. Although escorted materials are threatening, they are also rewarding.
Generally speaking, material transportation is allowed to be wasted. This is everyone's financial resources, as long as it does not exceed the prescribed upper limit, the above will not be questioned.
If you encounter a guerrilla attack, you can also report the loss and make a fortune.
As long as you don't overdo it, you can open your eyes and close your eyes. Of course, the one that should be distributed must be given.
If it were not for the guerrillas in Afghanistan to be too rampant, the delivery of supplies would actually be a US difference.
There is a lot of oil and water, and the danger is small. The front line has won, and the contribution of the transportation fleet is not small; losing the war has nothing to do with them. It is usually the first choice for gilded officers.
Unfortunately, the Afghan region is an exception. From the pure casualty ratio, the casualty rate of the transport team is not less than that of the frontline troops.
Expeditionary forces with backgrounds in relations are all responsible for the transportation of materials in India, and those sent to Afghanistan to carry out transportation tasks are all those with insufficient background.