Chapter 1240: The New Battle of Jena
Chapter 1240: The New Battle of Jena
“Your Highness,” Berthier said, gesturing for a staff officer to unroll the map, “I believe the safest approach right now is to hold the Rhine defensive line along Baden and Cologne, await the arrival of new recruits from home, and then seize an opportunity for a counterattack.”
“The General Staff Headquarters estimates that, at the current rate of mobilization, within a month at most, we can amass 260,000 troops along the Rhine defensive line. This is a conservative estimate; it could even reach 300,000.”
“This way, our army will have a force comparable to the Coalition Forces and can transition to a counteroffensive.”
“Currently, only the last thirty-odd kilometers of the railway line from Paris to Strasbourg remain to be completed. Our logistical supply capabilities far exceed those of the Coalition Forces. The decisive battle will undoubtedly result in a complete victory for our army.”
Joseph nodded slightly as he looked at the detailed operational plan in his hand.
The Coalition Forces had largely exhausted their mobilization capabilities; at most, Austria could still conscript another forty or fifty thousand new recruits. Thus, a month from now, the most significant disparity in troop numbers would be 260,000 French troops against 350,000 Coalition Forces.
Given the combat strength of the French army and France's logistical capacity, defeating the Coalition Forces should not be an issue.
Moreover, there were still 70,000 French troops in Switzerland. After Masséna annihilated Blücher's army, they could reach the Rhine battlefield from Switzerland in less than two months.
“Ahem.” Moreau, who was standing nearby, suddenly cleared his throat.
Berthier said with a hint of resignation, “Your Highness, General Moreau has proposed an alternative plan.”
He pointed to the area from Amberg to Straubing in northern Bavaria. “He suggests employing the Outflanking and Interpenetration Tactic, advancing the front northwards to the border between Bavaria and Saxony.”
“Our army would use rapid maneuvers to cut between the various Coalition Forces, looking for opportunities to fight localized battles of annihilation.”
“If the Coalition Forces maintain a tight formation, our army would threaten Vienna to the east, forcing the enemy to retreat and defend.”
“During this time, our new recruits would gradually reinforce the front lines, ultimately seeking a decisive battle in Saxony or western Austria.”
Moreau quickly added, “Even in the worst-case scenario, if our army fails to find a breakthrough, we can still withdraw to Baden and redeploy our defenses.”
Berthier immediately countered, “But this operational plan would have to rely on Bavaria for logistical support. Frankly, I doubt they can handle the logistics for 150,000 troops.”
“Moreover, once our army begins to withdraw to Baden, Bavaria would be completely exposed to the Coalition Forces. We would lose an important ally as a result.”
“But only this way can we most effectively annihilate the enemy,” Moreau remained adamant. He had gained considerable experience with Outflanking and Interpenetration tactics during his campaign in Venice and was eager to replicate that success on the German battlefield.
Joseph felt that Moreau's argument also made a lot of sense.
If they engaged in trench warfare along the Rhine, even if the French army defeated the enemy, the latter could retreat in an orderly fashion. The vast German states between the Rhine and Austria served as a strategic buffer zone for the Coalition Forces.
Ultimately, the war would likely devolve into a protracted war of attrition.
However, Moreau's plan also had problems, primarily due to its high degree of uncertainty.
He had reviewed the reports previously submitted by the General Staff Headquarters, which indicated that the exact location and movements of the main Coalition Forces were still unknown.
Under these circumstances, rashly executing corps-level outflanking maneuvers—a single mistake could lead to irreversible consequences.
And as Berthier had mentioned, outflanking operations demand extremely high logistical support. Supply convoys would constantly need to follow the outflanking troops deep behind enemy lines. Bavaria was unlikely to possess such capabilities.
Joseph flipped through Moreau's operational plan. His gaze swept over cities like Coburg and Jena, then he saw the arrows indicating troop movement directions, and a name suddenly came to mind—the Battle of Jena.
He hastily turned back a few pages, found the schematic of the current military deployments of both sides, and his heart stirred once more.
This situation truly resembled an amplified version of the original Battle of Jena.
To the west, there was a Prussian army, specifically the Duke of Brunswick's corps stationed in Cologne. Meanwhile, the main Coalition Forces were en route from the east, their exact location unknown.
The French army was positioned in Baden, between the two.
Therefore, they could entirely replicate Napoleon's rapid advance tactics!
Historically, Napoleon had departed from south-central Germany, advancing northward in three columns, aiming directly for Prussian territory.
Davout's left wing was responsible for severing the Prussian forces near Thuringia. Napoleon led the main central force through Bamberg-Saalfeld-Jena, pushing directly towards Potsdam. Soult's right wing advanced into Saxony, tying down other Coalition units.
Such a deployment allowed the three French columns to support each other, while simultaneously severing communications between the Prussian army and the rest of the Coalition Forces.
And what seemed like the most dangerous heartland of Germany was actually vast plains, where, with sufficient marching speed, the Coalition Forces would not have enough time to organize a defensive line.
Finally, Napoleon defeated Prince Ferdinand's forces at Jena, while Davout unexpectedly encountered the main Prussian army.
This battle also marked Davout's rise to fame. Commanding 25,000 French troops, he routed 55,000 Prussian soldiers at Auerstedt in just one day, and shot the Duke of Brunswick.
After the victory at Jena, there were no organized Coalition Forces left on the French army's route to Potsdam. Napoleon occupied Berlin in less than a month. William III was forced to surrender.
At present, the weakest link among the Coalition Forces also happened to be Prussia.
Joseph silently mused, 'If the scope of the battlefield were expanded—'
'Send an army from the west to pin down the Duke of Brunswick's corps in Cologne. The central column would still advance through Jena, heading straight for Potsdam and Berlin, while the eastern flank would launch a feint attack on Saxony, drawing the attention of the main Coalition Forces.'
Currently, the Coalition Forces had not yet left Saxony. So, with the marching speed of the French army, they would certainly be able to reach the Coburg and Jena area before the Coalition Forces.
Then, their vanguard would strike directly at Berlin!
At the same time, this plan avoided a protracted war. If all went well, the French army could occupy Jena in half a month. During this period, the troops could carry canned rations for supplies, freeing them from reliance on Bavaria's logistical capabilities.
Once Prussia surrendered, the French army could procure logistical supplies from Prussia itself.
With this thought in mind, he looked at the generals before him. “We can make adjustments to General Moreau's plan.”
“Simply put, instead of targeting the main Coalition Forces, we will directly penetrate to Berlin!”
Once he finished outlining the general deployment, Berthier and the others were stunned.
'His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is truly audacious!'
But after careful consideration, they realized the tactic was highly feasible. The Coalition Forces had always viewed central Germany as their hinterland, yet its defenses were actually very weak.
Furthermore, by proactively attacking Berlin, they wouldn't need to worry about the location of the main Coalition Forces anymore—'they would actively seek out the French army themselves.'
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