Chapter 1173: Forging a Difference
The main reason for the combat effectiveness of the Neretva region's army, in addition to the strong folk customs of the Neretva region, also has a lot to do with the composition of the troops.
Due to the unfavorable conditions in the early stages of the war, the Austro-Hungarian Empire lost most of its officer corps and standing army that had been carefully cultivated for many years. Although emergency replacements were made, the composition of the troops was complex, including Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Ukrainians, Slovenians, Croatians, etc. , it is simply difficult to form combat effectiveness.
The 54th and 59th Divisions do not have this problem, so compared to the main non-imperial armies, the 54th and 59th Divisions can efficiently execute war orders.
Therefore, even if they had not received military training, the 54th Division and the 59th Division could not perform worse than other miscellaneous troops in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
So after being scolded by Clyde, General Frank realized the seriousness of the problem.
He changed his tone and said in a low voice: "Commander Clyde, don't get excited first. Please report to me the situation of your division in detail. I will verify it clearly and I will never let you be wronged!"
With Frank's guarantee, Clyde naturally expressed his bitterness: "Now our troops have been reduced by nearly 30%, with less than 8,000 troops, and more than 4,000 troops have been lost. So far, we have not received any replenishment of troops. , and that’s not counting the casualties.”
"There are less than 90 artillery shells left, and there is a huge gap in rifle bullets. There are also shortages of medicine, horses, and artillery."
"The most terrifying thing is that the ration supply of our department is much lower than that of other troops. Even wheat flour is in short supply and the quality is poor. Not to mention other items such as tobacco, alcohol, and meat..."
As Clyde spoke, Frank's face began to turn darker and darker. He stopped and said: "Okay, stop talking, make a list of the gaps in your division, and I will give you whatever is missing in two days." Just make up for it. You don’t need to participate in tomorrow’s combat mission. I will send someone to investigate and give you a satisfactory answer.”
After hanging up the phone, Frank punched the table and said, "Call the quartermaster in charge of the material supply of the 54th Division!"
Soon, a thin quartermaster wearing glasses was led to General Frank.
"You are the quartermaster responsible for the material supply of the 54th Division! Do you know why I called you here?"
The quartermaster was already lacking in confidence, but under the tremendous pressure from Frank, he collapsed directly to the ground.
The guards on both sides helped him up, but Frank's face looked gloomy and terrifying. In the late winter, a layer of mist rushed over.
"General, I was ordered by my superiors to do this as a last resort! Director Abtil ordered me to do this!"
"Abtil's quartermaster is a Bosnian. He looked down on the 54th Division, so he intercepted the 54th Division's supplies and distributed them to other Bosnian troops. We dare not speak out!"
With the information revealed by this quartermaster, the reason why the 54th Division was treated differently was finally revealed.
Frank asked: "Who is this Abtil? Why is he so brave!"
The quartermaster replied: "Director Abtil is a Serb born and raised in Bosnia. His father was ennobled as a viscount by the empire because of his contribution to the empire."
Sensing the element, Frank asked: "Is it possible that Abtil is colluding with the Serbs?"
If this Abtilli has connections with foreign countries and has collusion with Serbia, then everything will naturally make sense.
Of course, the quartermaster naturally did not dare to think so. He concluded: "We dare not make such speculations about Director Abtil. After all, he is still very powerful. His family has been operating in Bosnia for a long time. Basically, many Bosnian troops have good relations with their families. This is also the main reason why he can deceive others. Many officers participated in this activity against the 54th Division..." Naturally, we can't talk nonsense without evidence, but as Abtil's subordinate, he is also a participant, so in the face of He did not hide anything from Frank, a high-ranking imperial official.
From this incident, Frank also realized a lot of fishiness. After all, the 54th Division not only offended the Serbs, but the more outstanding their performance was, the more they posed a threat to their colleagues.
General Frank threatened: "Tell me everything you know, and I can guarantee your safety. If you hide anything, I believe you will know the consequences!"
Frank will naturally not be afraid of the family behind Abtil. After all, Frank has greater energy. Otherwise, he would not have been able to get the opportunity to make meritorious service. You must know that last year's war against Serbia was unfavorable, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire lost hundreds of thousands. Man, this loss is definitely not something Potiorek can bear alone.
The important reason why Frank was able to survive alone lay in the activities of the family behind him in Vienna. With the outstanding performance of the 54th Division and other units in the previous three months, Frank regained the trust of the empire's senior officials.
So whoever touches the 54th Division now is touching Frank's military exploits, and that is his enemy. Therefore, Frank will definitely not let go of this bold Abtil, including those officers who cooperated with him to deceive superiors and subordinates. Frank also beat him the focus.
Three days later.
The results of the investigation finally came out. Although Abtil was not a Serbian traitor, he was also a full supporter of "Greater Serbia".
Therefore, Abtil used destructive methods against the powerful army of the 54th Division, and the most important thing was that the 54th Division had no backing in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
After all, its division commander Clyde was just a small battalion commander before, and it was impossible to have contact with other senior military officials of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. What's more, the 54th Division was only a local force, and now the Neretva area has been transferred from Bosnia to The region seceded and joined the Kingdom of New Dalmatia.
Therefore, Abtil regarded the 54th Division as a soft persimmon that could be manipulated at will, and with the help of family connections and other troops who envied the 54th Division, he stole most of the 54th Division's supplies.
This made Frank and the senior leaders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire very angry. After all, a hidden "Greater Serbia" element did this to troops who contributed to the empire, which simply disgraced the imperial army.
Abtil and the Austro-Hungarian officers who cooperated with him were naturally liquidated. Rudolf personally ordered that his family's title and property be deprived, and the participating officers were dealt with accordingly.
The 54th Division also joined the siege of Belgrade after receiving new personnel and material supplies.
The 54th Division, knowing that it was plotted by the "Greater Serbia" elements, directed its anger at the defenders of Belgrade, showing extremely strong combat effectiveness.
March 4, 1915.
The 54th Division was the first to break through the urban area of Belgrade, breaking Belgrade's defense system and becoming the first team to enter Belgrade during the Second Battle of Belgrade.
The 54th Division became a thorn in the side of the Serbs and a thorn in their flesh. This also meant that there would no longer be any relaxation between the Kingdom of New Dalmatia and Serbia in the future, and the hatred between the two sides quickly accumulated during the war.
Of course, the Kingdom of New Dalmatia not only offended the Serbs, but also the Croats. When the 54th Division was making great progress, the new conscription bill revised by the Kingdom of New Dalmatia indeed caused some Croats to The resistance was suppressed by the government of the new Kingdom of Dalmatia, which aroused dissatisfaction with the Croatian government.
The two major Yugoslav ethnic groups in the Balkan Peninsula, Serbs and Croats, are at odds with New Dalmatia, which will also become a new factor in future unrest in the Balkan Peninsula.
(End of chapter)