The Rise Of Australasia - Chapter 346

Chapter 346: Chapter 299: Major Military Expansion of Various Countries (Request for monthly votes!)

According to the Naval Act announced by William II, Germany will build three battleships and one battlecruiser every year from 1912 to 1914, striving to have more than 17 dreadnought and super-dreadnought battleships, 5 battlecruisers, 22 pre-dreadnoughts, 32 cruisers, 114 destroyers, and 30 submarines in the German Navy by the end of 1914.

This Naval Act includes as many as four more battleships than it did historically, which means that during the following three years, Germany will build 1.33 more battleships per year compared to the history.

The naval supplement act that the Germans announced, which will officially begin at the beginning of 1912, quickly caught the attention of the British who pay great attention to German affairs.

On October 25, 1911, shortly after the Germans announced their naval expansion act, Winston Schmidt, who had just exchanged jobs with Navy Secretary McKenna, became the new Navy Secretary of the British Empire.

This politician, who once hindered the increase in navy budgets as commerce secretary, now faces the German naval supplement act and proposes in response: for every main battleship built by the Germans, the British will build two.

In fact, Churchill did so in history, which led to a terrifying £44.08 million naval budget for the UK in the 1912-1913 fiscal year, twice that of Germany.

Churchill openly stated that if the Germans build three main battleships each year, the British Empire will build four main battleships and two battlecruisers to maintain a comprehensive advantage over the German Navy.

The competition in the navy field between the two strongest countries in the world has brought European naval arms race to its hottest state.

France, Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire successively announced their naval expansion plans, and together with the Russian Empire, which had already placed warship orders with Australasia, the European powers acted, and warships were launched like dumplings.

Besides these major European powers, there are actually two other powers that are also developing dreadnoughts.

The Island Nation’s dreadnought has already taken shape, and their first dreadnought design is named Hanoi-class dreadnought.

However, even the earliest Hanoi-class battleship would not be completed until early 1913 at the earliest.

In fact, the Island Nation’s delay in having its own dreadnought has also caused the country, which once gained power status through the Russo-Japanese War, to give up its position.

Even many Europeans are more inclined to view Australasia as a power, as, after all, it is a Western country with three dreadnoughts.

Of course, Australasia’s current military strength is not yet worthy of the status of a major power. Some Europeans say this only because of the racial and national discrimination of the European people.

But it cannot be denied that the current naval power of Australasia has reached the level of major powers. Main battleships have surpassed trailing Italy, and the number of dreadnoughts is second only to Britain and Germany.

In the corner of Europe, where many countries pay little attention, the American development of dreadnoughts has also taken shape.

The American South Carolina-class Battleship is a warship design of the same era as the Dreadnought-class battleship.

However, due to the delay in finalizing the design plan for a long time, the two South Carolina-class battleships were launched three years later than the Dreadnought.

The American South Carolina and Michigan-class battleships were completed in January and March last year, respectively, and have already officially joined the United States Navy this year.

However, the design of the South Carolina-class battleship is not as impressive as that of the Dreadnought-class battleship.

The South Carolina-class battleship has a power of only 16,000 horsepower, resulting in a speed of just over 18 knots for the class, far below the 20 to 21 knots of the Dreadnought-class battleship.

Therefore, the South Carolina-class battleship can also be regarded as an old-style battleship with strengthened firepower and armor. There is still a considerable distance between its speed and that of the true dreadnought battleship.

American second dreadnought design, the Delaware-class battleship, is the true dreadnought of America and the first battleship to receive a budget without specifying displacement in the United States Navy.

The Delaware and North Dakota-class battleships were both completed in April last year and have already joined the United States Navy.

The speed of the Delaware-class battleship can reach 21 knots, which is the standard speed of current dreadnoughts.

Of course, American dreadnought designs are not limited to these.

The Florida-class battleship is a powerful battleship improved from the Delaware-class battleship by the United States.

The United States plans to build two of them, and the Florida-class battleship and Utah-class battleship were both completed in early September this year and have now entered the sea navigation test stage.

Naturally, America’s plans for building battleships also include the latest Wyoming-class battleship.

There are two ships planned for the Wyoming-class battleship construction, namely the Wyoming and the Arkansas.

The completion of these two battleships will have to wait until around September next year, and barring accidents, this should be the last dreadnought design in the United States.

American warship construction plans also reveal that America’s current ambition is not small.

Including the South Carolina-class battleships, the United States currently has a total of six completed dreadnoughts and two planned dreadnoughts, making it undoubtedly the third-largest navy in the world.

If it were not for the fact that Germany is too close to the United Kingdom and the United States is too far away, the main conflict of World War I might have been between the United Kingdom and the United States.

At present, the potential shown by the United States is even more significant than the threat posed by Germany to the United Kingdom.

However, compared with the United States, which is far away across the Atlantic Ocean, Germany, which is right under the noses of the British, is considered their greatest concern.

By the time the British realize the ambitions and potential of the Americans, the United States will have become unstoppable for a Britain wounded by two world wars.

This led to the colonial order maintained by the British and the French for hundreds of years, being easily eliminated by the United States in alliance with a newly born country.

Under the influence of the ideas of freedom and democracy, the colonial order collapsed instantly, and various ethnic groups in the colonies demanded independence one after another. As a result, Britain and France were instantly reduced to their original state.

For Arthur, the enemy of Australasia is not the current powerful British Empire and German Empire.

Arthur has always been clear that, although European countries are powerful, their decline is inevitable with the development of time and the two world wars in Europe.

And the potential shown by the United States, as well as its favorable geographical location, is bound to make it the greatest enemy of Australasia.

Not to mention the American concept of freedom and democracy that undermines the British and French colonial system, which also has a certain negative impact on Australasia.

No matter how fierce the European countries fight, after all, they are relatives and, to put it plainly, they are all family.

But the Americans are different; they are not a monarchy, and their relations with the major European royal families are not very good.

It is not good news for the European royal families to let such a country become the world’s hegemon.

When necessary, a monarchical alliance can be formed with the post-war European monarchies to counter the United States, which would limit the development of the United States and at least slow down the collapse of the colonial system.

In early October 1911, at the request of the officials of the Cabinet, the Cabinet meeting of Australasia was officially convened.

What was actually discussed at this meeting was the more intense competition among European countries for warships and military equipment that erupted in late September.

To put it bluntly, the military equipment competition of European countries is already preparing for war.

Everyone understands that war has become inevitable, which is why they are still insisting on the arms race despite the huge costs.

“Your Majesty, should we also launch a new round of naval expansion?” At the conference table, Minister of Defence Raul asked with anticipation.

Although the previous request of the Ministry of Defence for naval expansion was rejected by Arthur, the military has recently expanded, and the Ministry of Defence believes that the opportunity has come. Now is the time for Australasia’s military strength to rise to the major power level and seek to be recognized as such in the international community.

“First, tell me about the situation in Europe! Apart from the naval expansion plans of each country, have there been any reports on the army expansion plans of each country?” Arthur did not refuse Minister Raul’s proposal directly but changed the subject and asked.

As a monarch of a country, there are some things that Arthur could say, but it is better to avoid saying them directly.

If he refuses the proposal for naval expansion directly in front of Minister Raul, it will dampen the enthusiasm of the military radicals and aggressors.

Although there is no temporary plan for a large-scale expansion of naval power, it would be counterproductive if it led the Australasian government towards isolation and pacifism.

After all, for Australasia to achieve a true rise, there must be significant conflicts with the pseudo-imperial island nations and their greatest enemy, the United States.

Therefore, the zeal of the government is very necessary. Let the other members of the cabinet government reject the proposals made by the Cabinet Ministers!

“Your Majesty, according to the news released by other countries, at present, the major European countries are already secretly planning to expand their military equipment. Russia has openly declared its intention to expand its army by 500,000. Although the progress of Russia has always been slow, if we take into account their existing army of millions, their military force will reach a terrifying figure of more than 1.5 million, which I am afraid the Germans will find difficult to bear,” Foreign Minister Andrews reported respectfully.

Arthur marveled at and envied the Russian action.

When Australasia expanded its army by 100,000, it had to carefully calculate the capacity and financial situation of its domestic population, as well as the reserves of officers and weapons and equipment.

On the other hand, Russia, which already had a standing army of millions, would directly increase its army by another 500,000, bringing its total force to even more than the combined forces of England, France, and Germany.

Based on the number of land forces alone, Russia is indeed the undisputed number one in Europe at present.