Chapter 407: Military Reform
Constantine's brief visit to the Third Town, located close to the First Town, ended in half a day, allowing him to return to the First Town that evening without significant time wasted.
Around the same time, Ernst returned from his trip to America, where he had made a substantial fortune. This newfound wealth prompted Ernst to plan an upgrade for the East African Army.
The first step of this upgrade involved phasing out the outdated Dresser rifles currently in use by the army. These rifles had proven to be inferior during the Franco-Prussian War, prompting Prussia to seek newer, more effective firearms. Following historical parallels, the Mauser rifle was selected through comparative testing and trials, alongside other competitors.
On December 2, 1871, Prussia ordered 2,500 Mauser rifles for testing, and on March 22, 1872, King William I approved mass production of the M1871 rifle. In this case, though, the order wasn't placed with Mauser but with manufacturers capable of handling it. To meet the East African Army's immediate needs, Ernst planned to establish a new production line in East Africa.
The second part of Ernst's reform agenda involved a reduction in military personnel. With no immediate plans for external military engagements, there was no need to maintain the current troop levels.
The East African Army, currently numbering more than 200,000 personnel, would be downsized to around 150,000. This reduction would allow the kingdom to swiftly respond to various situations, including sudden conflicts and the prevention of disturbances throughout the kingdom.
Before Ernst's arrival in East Africa, the expansion of the East African Army had already taken place, primarily to accommodate graduates of the Hechingen Military Academy and overhaul the military system.
The rapid expansion had rendered the existing military regions inadequate for East Africa's needs. After annexing the Zimbabwe region, East Africa was divided into five new military regions, each dedicated to potential threats from different land directions:
1. Central Military Region:
- 101 Guards Division: 30,000 (stationed in Central Province, division headquarters in the First Town)
- 111 Division: 12,000 (division headquarters in Mbeya City)
- 112 Division: 12,000 (deployed along the Rufuma River to deal with Portuguese forces in Mozambique, division headquarters in Songea City)
- 121 Cavalry Division: 5,000 (division headquarters in the First Town)
- 122 Cavalry Division: 5,000 (division headquarters in Dodoma City)
- 123 Cavalry Division: 5,000 (division headquarters in Mbeya City)
2. Northern Military District:
- 211 Division: 12,000 (Turkana Province, guarding against the Abyssinian Empire and Italians in the southeastern part of the Abyssinian Empire)
- 212 Division: 12,000 (Northern Province, dealing mainly with British, French, and Italian colonies in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait)
3. Nile Military District:
- 311 Division: 8,000 (Nile Basin, mainly handling the Sudanese region of Egypt)
- 331 Mountain Division: 12,000 (Azande Plateau, controlling the gateway from West Africa to East Africa, preventing West African forces and colonists from entering East Africa)
4. Western Military Region:
- 411 Division: 5,000 (Hesse and Mitumba Province)
- 412 Division: 5,000 (Zambia area)
- 413 Division: 8,000 (southern Congo Basin, guarding against Portuguese Angola colony and the Kingdom of Congo)
- 414 Division: 8,000 (eastern Angola, guarding against the Portuguese colony of Angola)
- 415 Division: 5,000 (Okavango River Basin, northeastern territory of Namibia in the previous life)
5. Southern Military District:
- 511 Division: 8,000 (Transvaal Republic, guarding against Orange Free State, Cape Colony, Kingdom of Lesotho)
- 512 Division: 8,000 (Kingdom of Zulu, defending against the British Taal Colony, Kingdom of Lesotho)
- 513 Division: 5,000 (Zimbabwe area)
- 514 Division: 5,000 (former British Bechuanaland Colony, defending against Orange Free State, Cape Town Colony)
With these changes, the total East African Army strength would be reduced to approximately 170,000 personnel.
The divisions within the East African Army were categorized into three levels: first-level divisions with a full strength of 12,000 and deployed in high-pressure defense areas or Tanzania; second-level divisions with a total strength of 8,000, deployed in border regions with relatively lower defense pressure; and third-level divisions with a full strength of 5,000, generally assigned to less critical or lower-pressure areas.
Cavalry divisions, each with 5,000 personnel, were also considered first-level divisions. These three cavalry divisions were located in the Tanganyika area. The 111th Division was unique; it wasn't positioned in an area with high national defense pressure but rather served as a mobile unit, capable of rapid deployment to support other regions as needed.
After these restructuring efforts, the East African Army would account for approximately 2% of the total population, a relatively high level of militarization compared to contemporary Germany, which maintained a standing army of around 1.6% of its population.
Following the disarmament, Ernst planned to modernize the equipment of the East African Army, including various artillery pieces and machine guns, aiming for complete Prussianization of the army's equipment.
Additionally, Ernst intended to bolster the East African defense industry, ensuring that military logistics could be produced and supplied within the kingdom. This entailed a two-step approach: first, recruiting experts from Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and other countries and enhancing the manufacturing technology of existing East African arsenals; and second, expanding the scale of the kingdom's arsenals, increasing production capacity, and ultimately achieving the production of autonomous weapons and equipment, which could potentially be exported.
Regarding the Dresser rifle production line slated for elimination, Ernst planned to retain a portion and seek buyers for the rest. Given the potential value, outright abandonment seemed wasteful.
Ernst's initial plan was to sell the production line to the Far East, where independent production capacity was lacking, making it reliant on purchases. The presence of iron plants and coal mines invested by East Africa in the Huaihai Economic Zone provided a foundation to support this production line.
(End of this chapter)