Chapter 204: How Deserters are Born
After the Battle of Sofia ended, FitzRoy Somerset, who had escaped the disaster, was summoned back to London by the British government where a military tribunal awaited him. This time, the British had lost face badly.
Despite FitzRoy Somerset’s repeated explanations that the war was lost due to the betrayal of some traitors, it was of no use.
Defeat is defeat. Even though tactically they had inflicted greater casualties on the Russians, everyone knew that the allied forces had lost this battle.
The main culprit for the defeat was that the British army had failed to hold the line and allowed the Russians to break through. The fact that they were then caught between a pincer attack by guerrilla forces from both front and back was conveniently ignored — the British were too embarrassed to even mention this.
For his meritorious rescue efforts, Oliver was promoted to be the commander of the British forces. Although a promotion would typically be a cause for joy, Major General Oliver had no trace of happiness.
He was self-aware enough to know that the so-called meritorious rescue efforts were just an excuse. If not for his deep background, he would also have had to shoulder some of the blame for the failure of this war.
He had intended to wipe out the guerrilla forces in one stroke by stationing reinforcements at key locations in advance. His plan backfired when the guerrillas used it as an opportunity to gather together and launch a surprise attack from the rear. In actual fact, this battle was lost because he had sabotaged FitzRoy Somerset.
While such tricks may fool the bureaucrats at home and the soldiers who fought, it was impossible to pull the wool over the eyes of frontline commanders who had fought in the battles.
Under such circumstances, could he gain the trust of everyone as the commander of the expeditionary force?
“Have our casualties been counted?” Oliver asked.
A middle-aged officer with a beard replied: “We’ve only tallied up part of it so far. For the 3rd Army Corps of the Expeditionary Force, the total casualties, including those killed in action, missing, or captured, amount to 6,876, with 2,847 injured.
For the 1st and 2nd Army Corps of the Expeditionary Force, the casualties are still being counted. So far we have rounded up 11,621 stragglers, including 924 wounded. It is said that some of the stragglers, along with the Sardinians, have retreated to Macedonia.”
This was no longer just heavy losses. The expeditionary force had basically been crippled. With half a month having passed and still not returning to base, the odds of them regrouping were already very low.
There was no helping it, after suffering defeat they had fled in a hurry for their lives, with no one caring which direction they were running to.
With the defeat in the Battle of Sofia, the entire southwestern part of Bulgaria was now Russian territory. How many managed to escape the pursuit of the Russians and Bulgarian guerrilla forces was unknown.
In this era of poor communication, and the soldiers unable to understand the local languages, even if they escaped, it would be very difficult for them to find their way back.
If their sense of direction was weak, it was not impossible they might have fled in the complete opposite direction.
Oliver knocked his head and sighed. Of the 80,000 strong British expeditionary force, he now had just over 30,000 men left. Even adding those who had fled to Macedonia with the Sardinians, it would not exceed 40,000.
More crucially, the morale of the troops was completely shattered. After prolonged and arduous fighting, these soldiers were filled with war-weariness, even the recently arrived Third Corps was no exception.
If the combat effectiveness of the British forces was a 10 before, now it was reduced to a mere 5. Without at least six months of recuperation, there was simply no way to restore their combat capabilities.
Yet, the war must go on. The French had already requested that they build defensive lines to block the enemy from attacking from the west.
If possible, Oliver did not mind retreating all the way to fight a defensive battle in Constantinople. Fighting in coastal regions would allow them to obtain naval fire support, making it easier for them to gain the advantage.
However, this was clearly impossible. Not to mention the opinions of the Ottoman Empire, the allied forces were still fiercely battling with the Russians in Sliven, making a retreat practically impossible.
Blindly retreating could easily turn into a rout, and the consequences would be severe.
Oliver said solemnly: “In any case, we must now stop the Russians at Kazanlak and Stara Zagora, otherwise the allied forces would lose this war.
The British government has ordered us to fight to the last man. We absolutely cannot cause the war to fail because of us.
I have already requested reinforcements from the homeland, and the Cabinet has guaranteed that at least fifty thousand troops will arrive within the next two months.
After the Battle of Sofia, Russian casualties were also extremely heavy. They will also need time to recuperate, and should not launch any major offenses in the next two months.”
A young officer raised a question, “Commander, forgive my frankness, even if the Russians launch a probing attack, I doubt we can withstand it. During the retreat, we lost all of our artillery, and one-third of the soldiers currently don’t even have a rifle. Without proper reorganization, the troops have virtually no combat capability.”
This was no exaggeration. If the Russians sent a main force division over at this time, these 30,000 plus British soldiers would have to continue fleeing.
Oliver glared at him and said: “Colonel Frew, you’re overthinking this. Weapon and equipment losses have already been supplemented by the homeland. At most it will take half a month for them to arrive.
As for the morale issue, we’ll have to rely on everyone’s efforts. Right now, we won’t have any new combat missions. Just focus on defense and wait for the reinforcements to arrive.”
Whether it was passive or not, Oliver couldn’t afford to consider too much at this point. He knows that if they rely on fortress defenses, the soldiers can still exert some combat capability. If they take the initiative to attack, they might end up writing a book titled “How Deserters Are Born.”
……
Kraljevo, Serbia
Lieutenant Colonel Haydn of the 3rd Battalion of the 4th Regiment of the newly formed 7th Division of the Austrian army encountered a major problem: a large number of retreating soldiers appeared in his defense sector.
A young officer, around 22 to 23 years old, spoke softly: “Lieutenant Colonel, a representative from the British have arrived.”
Haydn responded calmly, “Invite him in.”
The current situation was somewhat special. Austria maintained neutrality in the war between Britain and Russia, but Austria was also an ally of Russia. Furthermore, Austria was at war with the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Britain.
These complex international relations put Lieutenant Colonel Haydn in a difficult spot. If this was Austrian territory, as a neutral nation, disarming the British soldiers and repatriating them after the war would be simple.
Unfortunately, Serbia was still Ottoman territory at present. If the British were uncooperative, Lieutenant Colonel Haydn did not know if he should forcibly disarm them, or expel them from the area.
Shortly after, a somewhat disheveled British officer walked in. Lieutenant Colonel Haydn said: “Nice to meet you, Colonel Daniel. Would you like something to drink?”
Daniel politely replied: “Thank you, some coffee would be nice. Best if there are some pastries too.”
It was obvious his stomach was protesting again. “Grumbling” noises could be heard, reminding him it was time to eat.
Lieutenant Colonel Haydn shrugged and said: “Sorry, I don’t have any pastries here. But there’s still bread, canned food and beef jerky. Would you like some?”
This was the battlefield, the Austrian army could not afford the luxury of supplying pastries even in Kraljevo City.
Colonel Daniel straightforwardly said: “Bread and canned food will do.”
During their escape, they carried only the most basic beef jerky, and now they were nauseated from consuming it. At this point, having some bread would be nice.
Lieutenant Colonel Haydn ordered, “Guard, make a cup of coffee for Colonel Daniel, and bring some bread and two cans of food.”
Both men were soldiers, and communication between soldiers was always straightforward.
After a brief pause, Lieutenant Colonel Haydn stated the conditions, “Colonel Daniel, you have two choices:
Either, following international conventions, we, as a neutral third party, will disarm your troops. Subsequent issues will be addressed through communication between the British government and Vienna. After the war, you will be repatriated.
Or, you can leave immediately now. For the sake of the friendship between our nations, I can pretend I haven’t seen anything. If you leave through Kosovo now, you might still make it to Macedonia.”
He did not want conflict with the British at this time. Currently, there were quite a lot of British soldiers entering Kraljevo. If the situation wasn’t handled promptly, it could lead to trouble.
Colonel Daniel answered without hesitation: “We choose the first option. The Russians have already occupied Kosovo, and our retreat route has been cut off.
We agree to be disarmed, but you must provide us with treatment matching our status and guarantee that we will only be repatriated after the war.”
Upon hearing Daniel’s blatant lies, Lieutenant Colonel Haydn did not know whether to laugh or cry. He finally understood why these people had strayed into Kraljevo.
They had not strayed here at all. They had intentionally come here.
The war had gone on for nearly a year, with Britain participating for over half a year. Without any rotation of troops after fighting for so long, some war-weariness was only natural.
In this era, the treatment of British Army soldiers wasn’t high, as evident from the logistical supplies. If they had status, the bureaucratic officials in the logistics department wouldn’t dare to be so careless.
Compared to the navy, they were treated like stepchildren, receiving only one-third of the treatment given to navy soldiers. This differential treatment naturally fueled their dissatisfaction.
Now with morale low, they naturally sought ways to evade the war. Becoming a deserter was not advisable as it would lead to military punishment.
With the defeat in the Battle of Sofia, their opportunity came. This time, facing a complete defeat, they certainly had to flee for their lives.
If they returned, they would inevitably have to go back to the battlefield. Surrendering to the Russians was not appealing either, given the bad reputation of the “Russkies” at the time, and they feared being massacred by them.
Moreover, becoming a prisoner of war was not honorable, especially since the Russians were their enemies. Surrendering to them would not even give them a chance to negotiate for better treatment.
At this time, some clever individuals thought of a solution: run to a neutral country, get disarmed, and then wait to be repatriated after the war.
This way, they could avoid the war and not worry about repercussions back home. It was normal to be confused on the battlefield, and who knew that the Austrians had occupied Serbia?
Since the British government didn’t send documents notifying them, everyone could feign ignorance. They could claim it was a normal retreat and then accidentally entered Austrian territory.
The bureaucrats of the British government had to admit that this was in accordance with regulations. They operated based on these mechanical rules to uphold their own interests and naturally wouldn’t easily break them.
In fact, it wasn’t only the British who did this; even some soldiers from the Sardinian army followed suit. However, due to their enmity with Austria, there were fewer of them who ran over.
As for whether this would cause trouble for the British government or affect Anglo-Austrian relations, that was not within their consideration.
Anyway, the Austrians had to treat them well with good food and drinks, which could be a bargaining chip with the British government.
To make their argument more convincing, they even found a pretext, insisting that the Russians had already occupied the Kosovo region, cutting off their route home.
Lieutenant Colonel Haydn thought for a moment and said: “Okay, but all British soldiers must sign the agreement confirming you accidentally strayed into Kraljevo, and due to the Russians cutting off your path of retreat, you lost access to logistical support and had to seek our aid.”
By changing the wording a bit, everyone’s dignity was taken care of. The alternative phrasing for disarmament also avoided potential conflicts between Britain and Austria over this issue.
Colonel Daniel complained, “No problem. Lieutenant Colonel Haydn, please provide us with supplies as soon as possible. On this journey, we haven’t had a decent meal for several days.”
Lieutenant Colonel Haydn asked: “Alright, how many people do you have? I’ll immediately send someone to deliver a batch of supplies to you.”
Colonel Daniel replied: “There’s a total of 1,531 people, including 426 Sardinian troops who must enjoy equal treatment. There are also 62 injured in need of medical aid. There should be some more troops coming later, and this number may continue to increase in the future. It would be best for you to prepare more supplies.”
This was not some individuals deserting, it was officers leading whole units to flee together, and fleeing so openly at that.
Lieutenant Colonel Haydn nodded and ordered his men to prepare supplies. In any case, they had to settle down these British soldiers first before anything else.
He had no issues with Daniel’s insistence they uphold solidarity. After all, the British government would foot the bill.
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