Chapter 298: Consolidating Gains From Victory in the Balkans
The victory in the Balkans, despite the losses sustained in the theater by the Central Powers served to strengthen their position on the global stage, and the war effort as a whole rather than derail it. And this was because of two reasons in particular.
Now that Constantinople had been reclaimed for Christendom, the path for the Russian Black Sea fleet was finally clear. Until now, the Russian contributions to the war had been entirely on land, as they were a nation lacking in the ability to contribute much in terms of naval supremacy.
Russia, having lacked warm water ports for the majority of its history as a nation, had little means to deploy naval assets so long as Constantinople remained in control of the Turks. But today was different, for the time being the Greeks were an ally, and they now held the city for the first time in nearly 500 years.
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Meaning the waterways in and out of the black sea were totally under the command of the central powers. Hence, the moment Constantinople was claimed, the Russian Navy ordered the deployment of the Black Sea Fleet to the Mediterranean.
Currently speaking, the German Kaiserliche Marine was maintaining control over the Baltic, North Sea, and Atlantic. Providing only a few submarines and destroyers to Suez Canal in order to aid in its defense.
Maintaining control over colonial supply routes was a huge importance. Especially since oil flooded the fatherland, and by extension its allies as a result of Bruno’s investments into German Kamerun.
In addition to this, the Lion of Africa was holding down half a million British and French soldiers in German East Africa, and though his prowess in the art of Guerilla warfare was so exceptional that he did not need resupply as he simply stole those from the enemies he killed, it was still a welcomed sight when German aid arrived to his forces.
Because of this, the Black Sea Fleet, being a major contribution to the K.u.K Kriegsmarine, and the Hellenic Navy had changed the position in the Mediterranean from one of eternal contest, to overwhelmingly in the central powers’ favor.
The secondary reason that the end of collapse of the Ottoman Empire favored the Central Powers, was because whatever military assets they had remaining, that being water-cooled machine guns, field artillery, or even aircraft shipped to them by the western allies could be retrofitted and sent as aid to the Hellenic Army who were the most under-manned nation within the current lineup of the Central Powers.
But there was actually a third reason, and that was with the collapse of the Allied Powers and their Balkan front, as well as the seizure of the Suez Canal, more and more nations that were not officially entered into the war began considering entry.
One of which was actually in South-East Asia. And Bruno’s eldest brother Franz, who had been best known for managing the family business after their father’s retirement from the position, had extensive ties to the east.
Currently, he was sitting in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Thailand, meeting with the Thai King, Vajiravudh.