Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 948 - 211: The Earliest Radio

Chapter 948: Chapter 211: The Earliest Radio

Outside Turin City, hundreds of heavy cannons had already gathered by now. Even the smallest of these had a caliber exceeding 150mm, not to mention the barrels, ranging from a few meters to as long as twenty meters, making their power formidable to imagine.

Among them, two massive cannons were especially unique. Whether it was the barrels stretching 24.7 meters, the 380mm caliber, or the 600 kg shells, all these features made them the most eye-catching on the field.

Undoubtedly, these powerful cannons all shared one common disadvantage—they were inconvenient. Not only were they troublesome to transport, but they were also difficult to operate.

However, compared to the power of the cannons, these minor flaws were hardly worth mentioning. After all, these cannons were not originally intended for army use; their true purpose was to serve as coastal defense artillery.

To quickly conquer Turin, Mörck had brought these behemoths here, specifically to target the French fortresses.

“Fire!”

Following the commander’s order, the booming sound of cannon fire rang out again. However, this time it was different; the sound of collapsing buildings accompanied the gunfire.

Time had been too rushed. A few short months were hardly enough to build a fortress city.

Perhaps it was due to rushed deadlines; perhaps because the Italian workers did not cooperate, adding substandard materials during construction; or perhaps a combination of both.

At the outbreak of the war, the French government was quite optimistic, never believing that Turin would be threatened by war. Fortifying the city defenses and building fortresses were merely means for bureaucrats to make money.

In such a context, one could hardly expect capitalists to maintain integrity. After all, if the French Army won, Turin wouldn’t need to endure warfare; if the French lost, the government could hardly protect itself, let alone hold anyone accountable.

Cutting corners was one thing, but the construction was specifically handled by Italians, who would be remiss not to cause some sabotage as per the propaganda of the Independence Organization.

By the time the frontline battle failed and the military began to focus on city defenses, it was already too late, and subordinates could only desperately try to cover up the mess.

Well-built city defenses could not withstand the attack of the massive cannons, so hurriedly assembled shoddy constructions were even less likely to survive. Especially those hit by the 600 kg specialized bombs, which were virtually reduced to rubble.

At the French Command, hearing the loud collapse of buildings, Marshal Adrien, who personally oversaw the command, quickly asked, “Send someone to see what is happening outside.”

After a moment, the adjutant replied, “Marshal, the enemy has used heavy artillery. The buildings within the city couldn’t withstand the attack and have collapsed, including some of the fortresses.”

Clearly, the young officer tried his best to soften the impact, but the final result was still difficult for Marshal Adrien to accept.

The collapse of buildings was one thing; after all, ordinary buildings were not designed to be bulletproof and could not endure the enemy’s artillery fire, which was to be expected.

“Fortress works,” on the other hand, were completely different. These were the weapons Marshal Adrien expected to bleed the Austrians dry with, but the plan had ended before it even began.

After all, siege warfare was different from others. The Austrian army didn’t need to overcome all of the city defenses, just create a breach and storm through.

According to the original plan, the French Army intended to use these fortresses to delay the enemy for at least a month and deplete a significant amount of enemy forces.

From the current situation, not to mention a month, it was questionable if they could last until tomorrow.

Looking at the map, Marshal Adrien sighed resignedly, “Send orders to command all troops to enter urban warfare mode ahead of schedule. Also, send someone to investigate the reasons behind the collapse of the fortress works.”

Plans change faster than the situation. Since the city defenses couldn’t delay as expected, urban warfare had to begin earlier.

War affects everything. The early onset of urban warfare also means it would end sooner. If a million French soldiers couldn’t stop the enemy, Marshal Adrien didn’t believe Turin alone could defy fate.

Anyone clear-eyed could see that, as the war progressed, a French defeat was merely a matter of time, and Adrien also had no confidence in winning the war.

Choosing to stand firm in Turin was not only a strategic necessity, but more importantly, it was about buying time. It was about buying time not just for France, but for himself as well.

A failed war always requires someone to take responsibility, and it’s not enough just to blame the Emperor and the government; the military also needs significant figures to bear the brunt.

No one wants to bear the infamy of being incompetent or useless, and Marshal Adrien was no exception. The current situation was clear; whichever front line collapsed first, the commanding officer would be the first one held responsible.

He wasn’t aiming to turn defeat into victory, just to outlast the allied forces for a bit longer. Ideally, he could hold out until the negotiations began. That would be perfect.

As for investigating the reasons behind the fortress’s collapse, that was just a routine matter. The French Army also had a thorough system; if there were problems, they definitely needed to find the reasons, and accountability was essential.

…

The essence of war is that some rejoice while others despair. Inside the city, the French forces were shrouded in gloom, whereas the allied forces outside were naturally buoyant.

The French defensive line was not limited to a single one, but that didn’t matter, as the outer fortress structures couldn’t withstand artillery fire, and the subsequent lines of defense couldn’t either.

In modern warfare, the impact of “street fighting” had been greatly diminished. Unless it was a city specifically designed for fortification, any regular city could be taken down with enough artillery fire.

Buildings are the best cover in street fighting, but unfortunately, they are not effective against artillery. In terms of effectiveness, they might even be less useful than trenches.

The most suitable scenarios for street fighting are either cities that were designed for war, where buildings can withstand artillery, or due to political reasons, the attacking side couldn’t fully exert their strength.

However, there are exceptions. For example: the original Battle of Stalingrad broke this common sense, proving with facts that even if a city turned into ruins, it could still be defended vigorously as long as there were enough lives to sacrifice.

Without a doubt, Turin lacked these qualities. Although Turin held significant political, economic, and cultural historical importance, these elements had nothing to do with Austria.

It was unlikely to even restrict the Italians, since driving out the French was the top priority, and as for the damaged buildings, they could simply be repaired after the war.

The only uncertainty was whether the French Army was willing to sacrifice more lives. But this was no longer significant for the Austrian army, which already had a large amount of cannon fodder.

To closely observe the battlefield, Mörck had already boarded a zeppelin and was now using binoculars to appreciate the artillery’s craftsmanship.

Seeing fortress after fortress collapse, Mörck revealed a satisfied smile, “Send a telegram to the Italian Corps, launch the attack in one hour.”

Wireless telegraphy, this is another dark technology in European warfare. Of course, the practical value of wireless telegraphy in those days was not high. It was not just the unstable signal that was the problem, but the transmission distance was also extremely limited.

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If it hadn’t been for a spur-of-the-moment idea to watch the battle from a zeppelin, wireless telegraphy might not have appeared in the military so soon.

The lag in the development of wireless telegraphy also had something to do with Franz’s poor understanding in his studies. He knew that wireless telegraphs used electromagnetic waves for signal transmission, yet he had no clue what electromagnetic waves were.

Being completely befuddled himself, he could only specify what was needed. How to actually achieve wireless communication would just have to be figured out slowly.

The progress merely proved that many methods didn’t work until 1883 when a guy named Hertz in the Royal Academy of Sciences discovered electromagnetic waves, changing the situation.

With the medium of propagation found, wireless technology truly started to take off. From an initial communication distance of just over two hundred meters to now a hundred kilometers, it could be said there was a qualitative change.

Regrettably, this hundred kilometer communication distance was merely theoretical. Obstacles, harsh weather, electromagnetic interference, and other factors could all affect the transmission of information.

With so many issues present, the value of wireless communication technology was naturally greatly reduced, and widespread adoption was still far off.