Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Buildup
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Russian Imperial 1st Army Headquarters.
"What's the status of the 8th Army?"
"They're quiet."
1st Army Commander Pavel von Rennenkampf was in a state of extreme tension.
The French who had once threatened Moscow itself.
And Germany, which had crushed those French in the Franco-Prussian War, had shown terrifying power from the very first skirmishes.
The Battle of Stallupönen had been more than enough to deflate Rennenkampf, who had grown overconfident from his numerical superiority.
Even as mobilization continued, losing 10,000 out of a 400,000-strong force in the blink of an eye had dealt a massive shock to the Russian army.
Rennenkampf concluded that the root cause of all this was ultimately insufficient mobilization.
Because mobilization was lacking, supplies—from weapons and ammunition to communication equipment—were in short supply, making even advances difficult.
"East Prussia's railways aren't compatible with our broad gauge, and the hasty mobilization order has created a vast qualitative gap between the enemy and our forces."
"So what should we do?"
"Fortunately, we have a decent stock of shells, so let's deploy the artillery and observe the situation for a bit."
From a grand strategic perspective, Germany was clearly at a disadvantage compared to Russia.
A nation that dug up Ivan from the fields like potatoes, Russia planned to exponentially increase its forces, while Germany couldn't do the same.
The current qualitative edge would eventually be filled by experience, so time was the key issue.
"In any case, with the 2nd Army advancing north, the 8th Army has no choice but to withdraw. Gumbinnen will soon be ours too. Once we take Gumbinnen, we'll maintain a defensive posture until supply issues are resolved."
Pavel von Rennenkampf—as his name suggested—was a Baltic German noble.
The fuel of the war machine flowed in his veins, and the culture he grew up in was similar to that of the German Empire. So, he did have a military temperament.
However, what he overlooked was...
The Russian army was even more incompetent than he imagined.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
German Empire 8th Army Headquarters.
Beep— beep-beep-beep— beep-beep— beep—
"..."
The mechanical signals broadcast by the Russian army spread everywhere.
And soon reached the ears of the German army as well.
Scratch— rustle— flap— A soldier monitoring the radio scribbled the contents on paper and jumped to his feet.
That document passed from hand to hand until it finally reached Max Hoffmann's grasp.
"They're occupying Gumbinnen and the 1st Army is digging in? And this was sent in plaintext? No encryption?"
"Yes, sir."
As Max Hoffmann furrowed his brow, one staff officer cautiously spoke up.
"This seems like it could be disinformation, don't you think?"
But that opinion was quickly rebutted.
"The Russians haven't used encryption even once so far. We have to assume this is just their level."
"And everything we thought was disinformation before turned out to be accurate..."
"In that case."
Hoffmann slowly set down the document with a sigh.
"Our biggest problem has resolved itself. Ha, the timing is impeccable."
Withdraw the 8th Army and clash with the 2nd Army at Tannenberg.
It was a good plan, but the 1st Army left in the east was a huge variable. If they pursued the 8th Army without a second thought, it would be trouble.
Especially since Königsberg, a major city, was just a short distance beyond Gumbinnen. If the 1st Army pushed through Gumbinnen toward there, it could spark serious political issues.
But... for them to dig in like this on their own? Nothing could be more welcome.
"...Still, let's keep the cavalry division in place as originally planned."
"Hm, holding off a field army with just one division. That novel-like story is becoming reality."
"Then we'll sequentially withdraw the rest of the army, excluding that cavalry division."
The acting commander and staff made their decision, and orders were soon sent via encrypted messages to the entire army.
Thus, the 8th Army ebbed away from the front like the tide, and the Russian 1st Army occupied Gumbinnen.
While Russia celebrated its minor victory, history proceeded as fated.
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General François whined to Moltke about all sorts of threats, but they succeeded in ousting Prittwitz.
There wasn't as big a backlash as imagined. Only a tiny few knew about General François's tattling.
Moltke himself had no desire to mention an incident that bruised his own pride, so 'officially,' it just passed.
Though beneath the surface, it seemed Moltke had spewed fire at General François via letter.
"In any case, we slipped out of Gumbinnen without incident."
"Indeed. They had us in full combat formation like we were about to attack any second, and then they withdraw in a flash."
"There's a rumor that plans changed after Commander Prittwitz was sacked. Is that true?"
As I muttered without much thought, my subordinates sidled over and chattered away.
Thanks to the Schlieffen Program revamping East Prussia's railways, we were moving to the rear by train.
"By the way, we were the stars of Stallupönen, but no word on medals."
"They're all busy. I got letters from everywhere, and nowhere without wailing."
I was exchanging periodic letters with Manstein, Senior Cadet Student, Manfred, and various seniors and juniors.
The Eastern Front was touch-and-go, but the Western Front was apparently putting on quite the show.
"Tch."
My adjutant looked disappointed at my response. Probably eager for that medal.
But I thought differently. I had a hunch that if we made achievements in the upcoming Battle of Tannenberg, we'd get even better medals.
The scale of Tannenberg was so massive that a single battalion making a mark wouldn't be easy... but we'd see when we got there.
"In that case... the only one who profited from Stallupönen is the battalion commander."
"Huh? What?"
"Well, the 'temporary' label in front of battalion commander got peeled off after this battle..."
My adjutant grinned wickedly.
"Heh heh, and you got that cool moniker, the Red Fox."
"Grünerknack."
I played along half-heartedly, and they giggled among themselves again.
They were reliable enough in combat despite their usual antics, so I let it slide.
Well, they annoyed me enough that I soon shooed them off to play among themselves.
"Anyway, the stage is set."
The letter from Major Max Hoffmann indicated they were following the original historical Tannenberg operation closely.
I worried the butterfly effect from skipping Gumbinnen might derail things.
But with the 1st Army halting and Prittwitz removed, it seemed back on track.
In the end, we gained benefits without the Gumbinnen defeat.
And so, we headed toward Tannenberg.
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Around that time, another train bound for Tannenberg carried a special passenger.
"Hm."
It was Paul von Hindenburg, newly appointed as 8th Army commander.
He wasn't entirely free of complaints about being pulled from his leisurely farm life to breathe dust again.
But when his homeland called for his aged body, he donned his uniform without protest.
Thus, he was en route to headquarters as the 8th Army commander.
...Accompanied by the newly appointed stellar chief of staff.
"...Would you like something to drink?"
"I'm fine."
The hero of the Western Front, Liège Fortress siege, Erich Ludendorff kept approaching Hindenburg with a stony yet somehow awkward expression.
"Hm, then something to eat?"
"You're more bothersome than I thought."
"..."
"I'm fine. Just tell my adjutant if anything comes up. You focus on your work."
Hindenburg lightly furrowed his brow at the repetitive exchanges.
Between Hindenburg and Ludendorff lay an operations map marked with various revisions, mostly penned by Ludendorff.
Hindenburg, long considering himself an old-era soldier, had fully handed off the work to him.
Ludendorff, feeling the sting of being a figurehead, was trying awkwardly to flatter him.
"Do your work."
"...Understood."
To Hindenburg, Ludendorff's behavior was just annoying and stifling.
The two had fairly similar personalities, and Hindenburg occasionally understood why people called him frustrating.
"..."
'Hmm.'
Pretending to watch the scenery out the window, Hindenburg sneaked a sideways glance at how Ludendorff was planning.
'Defeat in detail after all. Strike the 2nd Army before they link up across Masurian Lakes.'
"..."
'But that won't be easy.'
The battlefield: Tannenberg.
Deploy the 2nd Corps in a semicircle beforehand, envelop the 8th Army from both wings once it enters—that seemed to be the plan.
However, Hindenburg quickly spotted the issue the staff had raised.
'How do we block the 1st Army? With a single cavalry division?'
Ludendorff followed the staff's proposed solution and revised the operations map.
Though unaware of each other, Hoffmann and Ludendorff's plans began converging as if in resonance.
"Phew."
By the time the plan was complete, they arrived at 8th Army headquarters.
And... they learned the 8th Army was already moving exactly as Ludendorff had planned.