Chapter 607: Stalingrad(3)
Chapter 607: Stalingrad(3)
When the Battle of Stalingrad first broke out, it drew a fair amount of attention, but people weren't particularly shocked.
Most viewed it as little more than a political clash and a battle of egos between Hitler and Stalin; no one predicted it would transform into a living hell.
They likely expected a repeat of the Battle of Moscow—Nazi Germany pushing forward with great momentum, followed by a Soviet counteroffensive.
In truth, that made sense. Up until then, the trajectory of the German-Soviet War had been defined by Nazi German attacks and Soviet defense.
Even with the United States providing supplies through Lend-Lease, the Soviet Union had fought so poorly that they suffered far more defeats than victories.
[Stalingrad will ultimately end with a Soviet defense.]
Thus, many predicted that Stalingrad would conclude with the Soviet Union barely holding the line. Others agreed.
Since it was the most critical battle, both powers would surely exert every ounce of strength, but eventually, Nazi Germany would hit its logistical limits.
Above all, Nazi Germany was unable to utilize its primary strengths in this environment, so the Soviet Union was bound to hold its ground.
[Casualties in Stalingrad have already exceeded 100,000. Quite a high number.]
However, as time passed—rather than as the battle progressed—the atmosphere began to shift.
When casualties surpassed 100,000, the general reaction was simply, That’s quite a lot.
Even now, far more Jews were dying in the Holocaust. Consequently, there wasn't much interest in the casualty count itself.
[The casualty count for the Battle of Stalingrad is being updated constantly.]
As time marched on, the casualty figures were refreshed at every turn.
For example, it went like this:
[Day X of the Battle of Stalingrad.]
[Nazi Germany: X killed and wounded.]
[Soviet Union: X killed and wounded.]
While casualties had been recorded for every minor and major battle thus far, Stalingrad was a battle that dragged on for a staggering six months.
Naturally, the casualties in a single battle were bound to skyrocket, and as time passed, the readers' sentiments began to change.
At first, they thought it was just a large-scale battle, but the city of Stalingrad was closer in scale to a small industrial town.
Despite that, the casualties were increasing exponentially, leaving everyone wide-eyed in shock.
[Two months have passed. North Africa concludes with a Nazi German retreat, and the United States holds the upper hand in the Pacific War. And today, ten thousand people died in Stalingrad.]
[There are no soldiers in Stalingrad. Only survivors.]
[A battle that began over the pride of two nations has devolved into a struggle for their very survival.]
When casualties reached approximately 300,000, people were aghast, claiming it was unbelievable. As everyone knew, the armies of this world were quite small in scale.
Administrative power was underdeveloped, meaning conscription systems weren't properly established, and even maintaining a standing army was an arduous task.
Since raising a single Knight required an immense amount of capital, even the Minerva Empire did not possess a large standing army.
Of course, by the standards of this world, their numbers were staggering, but that was only because they were committing to massive expenditures.
Yet, with casualties in Stalingrad reaching 300,000, the public couldn't help but be horrified.
[Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union are shoveling their soldiers into Stalingrad.]
[The average life expectancy of a recruit is 24 hours. Every seven seconds, a soldier returns to the embrace of nature.]
[When will this hell finally end?]
Even the Battle of Moscow had ended within three months, but the Battle of Stalingrad was sinking deeper into a quagmire.
Due to the nature of urban warfare, there was no solution unless every single building was perfectly occupied, and even civilians had taken up arms.
In a situation where one never knew when, where, or who might jump out, it was only natural to lose one's mind. And that was exactly what was happening.
Occasionally, some readers asked if this even made sense—if it wasn't perhaps a bit too unrealistic.
[The ones shoving soldiers into that place are kings. Would you dare refuse your king’s command?]
Of course, they all fell silent at one critic's rebuttal. Since Hitler and Stalin reigned as kings of totalitarianism, the statement wasn't wrong.
Historically, there were many records of large armies being annihilated due to a king's erroneous orders. If not that, they would turn their armies around and start a rebellion.
However, Hitler and Stalin had eliminated all political rivals and were wielding absolute, unrivaled power.
In essence, they held more practical power than an Emperor. No one could disobey their orders.
[I closed my eyes and opened them again. My comrade’s head bears the mark of a bullet wound. I survived today.]
[The bombs fell today. A recruit’s body was blown to pieces. His organs splashed onto my face. I survived today as well. Will I survive tomorrow?]
[Before I die, let me kill more of those damn fascists. I’ll take their heads and boast to my comrades when I join them. Long live Mother Russia!]
The Battle of Stalingrad was the definition of "hardcore," but one eventually gets used to it if they keep consuming it. That was why I introduced a 'protagonist.'
He was more of a survivor than a hero, but I planned to set him as a character who survives the Battle of Stalingrad until the very end.
And once the battle ended, he would march forward, expressing infinite hatred toward Nazi Germany. The descriptions above were the foundation for that.
[The survival diary of the survivor Dmitri is stoic, which makes it even more terrifying. It vividly depicts the process of a human gradually falling into hatred.]
[How long will Dmitri survive? And how long will he fight?]
[What’s even more tragic is that we can’t let ourselves get attached to him. The moment we do, he might disappear.]
The inspiration—or rather, the model—for Dmitri was, naturally, my father. I had asked for his advice with his permission, and he had readily agreed.
His past trauma had already been largely healed through visits to the Temple of Mora with the family, and he believed it was better to leave the past in the past.
I asked him several times if it might trigger his PTSD, but my father gave his cool-headed consent.
He said that such things needed to be spread far and wide so people would know the horrors of war.
At any rate, my father shared his experiences of serving in the Northern Region with me.
"It really was on the level of Stalingrad."
Because of the era, the scale was much smaller and the average survival time of a recruit was longer, but the brutality was comparable.
The Barbarians raided the Navy Knights' base whenever they had the chance, and the Navy Knights fought back desperately.
And as I listened to my father's stories, I began to learn surprising facts one by one.
"The Navy Knights were essentially a penal battalion. It’s only because the Emperor has packaged it so honorably now, but back then, there were quite a few criminals who joined because they were promised freedom."
"They were actually a penal battalion?"
"I suppose you suspected as much?"
Just as my father said, I had suspected it to some degree. They were touted as the strongest order of knights, but their treatment prior to that had been the absolute worst.
If they were truly the strongest, the empire would have provided every possible support to ensure the knights didn't die.
But when my father served, far from receiving supplies, they often had to make do with nothing but their own bodies.
Furthermore, hadn't Berit mentioned that my father had been forcibly transferred there?
It was a classic case of silencing the witnesses; nothing keeps a secret better than killing those who know the truth.
"Yes. They’re being rewarded in a way that fits their honor now, but that wasn't the case in the past."
"That’s right."
"Are there actually any criminals who were released and given their freedom?"
"There are probably two or three. I’m still in touch with one of them. From what I heard, most were fallen nobles or men who had been wrongfully arrested."
Could there have been Demon Worshippers mixed in among them? While I was thinking that, my father added an explanation.
"For the record, those with more serious crimes were executed long ago, so don't worry."
"Ah."
Truly the Middle Ages. A world where serious criminals were executed without mercy.
Regardless, you could consider Dmitri a protagonist heavily based on my father.
A protagonist who survives until the end and, based on that experience, goes on to achieve tremendous feats in the future.
In many ways, his background was similar to a character from a game back on Earth, but the difference was that the inspiration was my father.
It should be fine if I change the actual history a little bit, right?
If Dmitri became popular enough, he might be the one to plant the Soviet flag on the Reichstag Building.
I just needed to keep building up toward that. Even now, the reaction was quite good.
"If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll stop immediately."
"How would you stop?"
"Uh... I’d have to kill him off, right?"
"..."
At my thoughtless, blunt answer, my father’s expression turned strange.
He scratched his chin, covered in a red beard, and spoke quietly.
"Just let him live. It would feel unpleasant otherwise."
"Yes, sir."
If that’s what my father wanted, then so be it. It seemed best to keep Dmitri alive until the end.
If not that, he could make an impactful appearance like Patton or Model. For the record, Patton was still incredibly popular.
It was likely because his personality was more suited to a general of the Middle Ages than the modern era. Plus, he was competent, so the response was positive.
Though his mouth was a bit of a problem, most people brushed it off as him being boisterous and refreshing.
In particular, his legendary speech—the one about 'that son-of-a-bitch Patton'—remained a classic.
Mussolini is the mainstay of the Axis Powers, and Patton is likely the mainstay of the Allied Powers.
And the general who would handle Nazi Germany's "struggle against all odds" was set to gradually shift from Rommel to Model.
Both shared the commonality of stubbornly holding out despite Nazi Germany's desperate supply situation and dwindling military strength.
In this manner, the Battle of Stalingrad continued, constantly updating its massive casualty count.
People read the next volume, wondering just how many more soldiers would die or be wounded.
[A new card appears in Call of Duty! It’s Stalingrad.]
[It possesses an effect that triggers an extreme war of attrition for both sides, a card that forces a decisive showdown.]
[People are worried that most major battlefields will now be chosen as Stalingrad...]
Along the way, the Stalingrad card, which would create the new term 'Meta,' appeared in Call of Duty.
Since the battle was essentially a war of attrition itself, it seemed they had given it a similar effect in Call of Duty.
The problem was that the war of attrition was too extreme. Even though it was a card that captured the historical accuracy well, it was a gamble of a card that could completely overturn a disadvantageous situation.
Well, Musk would handle the balance issues better than I could. I spent my day without worrying about it.
[The prophet North, who had been quiet for a while, speaks. The casualties of the Battle of Stalingrad will be 2 million!]
But then, this man North made another prophecy. My eyes widened as I looked at the newspaper.
I was starting to seriously wonder if he really was a prophet. I had already figured out that his media play was meant to draw me in.
But it was an attack I couldn't block even though I saw it coming; just like the Six Weeks in France, he had accurately predicted the casualties of the Battle of Stalingrad.
It might not be a bad idea to meet him once.
I truly wanted to see his face.