Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Tannenberg Battle (1)
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Rudendorff, the Chief of Staff, raised an eyebrow.
"The 8th Army is currently being operated under this plan."
Max Hoffmann cautiously pointed to the operational map spread out on the desk.
With the commander and chief of staff absent, moving the entire army like this bordered on overstepping his authority, but Ludendorff did not reprimand him.
On the contrary, he praised him.
"Well done."
"Thank you, sir."
It was because the plan drafted by Hoffmann and the staff matched almost exactly with the one Ludendorff had sketched on the train ride over.
This saved them a considerable amount of time, so rather than overreach, it was seen as initiative.
Following the Germanic mindset that everything is fine as long as the results are good, Ludendorff decided to let it slide.
"Then, we can assume the entire 8th Army is at Tannenberg?"
"...Actually, the deployment of the 1st Corps is delayed."
Ludendorff examined the operational map again as Hoffmann hesitated in his response.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The 1st Corps was responsible for the right flank of the encirclement.
"The 1st Corps... isn't that the one commanded by that arrogant general?"
"..."
Hoffmann fell silent at the chief of staff's barbed remark.
Rumors were circulating that General François had demanded Prittwitz's dismissal directly from the Kaiser... and judging by Ludendorff's attitude, it seemed to be true.
"What's the reason for the delay this time?"
"There's a delay in transporting the artillery and ammunition. It will take a few days..."
"His mouth is big, but his body seems quite heavy."
Hoffmann swallowed hard as the chief of staff ruthlessly tore into General François.
The chief of staff, who had been staring intently at the map with a serious expression, finally cracked a faint smile.
"The situation isn't as bad as I thought. In fact, the absence of the 1st Corps might loosen our lines, prompting the enemy to press their attack even harder."
"Yes, sir. We can hold until the offensive culminates."
"Once the 1st Corps joins, we launch the counterattack. Encircle the enemy through rapid maneuvers on the left and right flanks."
"Understood."
"Reports on the enemy's status will come in soon, so adapt flexibly. Now, I'll go meet the commander."
"Safe travels, sir."
Ludendorff returned Hoffmann's salute and strode out, his coat billowing behind him.
"Oh."
As if something had just occurred to him, he turned back and said stiffly,
"About General François. I heard that fellow doesn't listen well."
"..."
"Tell him plainly that I won't tolerate such recklessness under my command. Remind him I know all about the Prittwitz incident, and he won't have any objections."
Ludendorff's eyes gleamed coldly as he left the room.
"...Phew."
Hoffmann let out a breath.
The new chief of staff's personality was a bit hard for him to handle.
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Russian 2nd Army Headquarters.
2nd Army Commander Alexander Samsonov was extremely anxious.
"The 36th Infantry Division has engaged the enemy."
"The 15th Corps has also made contact with the enemy."
"General Rennenkampf has notified us that the 1st Army will not advance."
"Damn it."
It was because the 8th Army, which should have been facing off against their 1st Army, had somehow teleported right in front of them.
Supply lines were already a mess, and the terrain—forests, swamps, hills—had exhausted the troops severely.
The 8th Army, renowned as elite... no, having already proven its combat prowess at Stallupönen, stood firmly before them.
But there was no way to avoid it.
"The greatest clash on the Eastern Front, between two armies, is about to begin!"
The staff turned their heads as Samsonov bellowed.
"We must break through that 8th Army to seize East Prussia! We must carve a path to survive! Steel your resolve!"
"Yes, sir!"
Seeing the staff still full of fighting spirit, Samsonov hardened his own resolve.
Thud! Clack! He turned back to the operational map and watched as the staff repositioned the pieces based on reports.
As the pieces were placed one by one, the situation became clear.
Grind—
"...We've been had."
Over the spot marked Tannenberg.
The 8th Army had spread a pocket to absorb the 2nd Army's assault.
How had they secretly formed this encirclement...?
'No, it's because we neglected reconnaissance. The worst possible situation.'
They had discarded scouting in their rush to cut off the roads and advance.
The paths were mud, supplies were chaos, and they hadn't advanced far.
'What... what should we do?'
The Russian army's intelligence was inadequate, and with the pieces laid out like this.
Whether these pieces truly represented the forces present, or if there were far more, was unknown.
The enemy's overwhelming intelligence superiority meant too many variables to consider.
After much deliberation, Samsonov gritted his teeth and spoke.
"The 13th and 15th Corps will continue their breakthrough attempts. The 6th Corps will use Masurian Lake to guard the right flank as much as possible."
Thud! Thud! The pieces moved to new positions at Samsonov's command.
"The 23rd and 1st Corps will halt maneuvers immediately and intercept the enemy's counterattack."
"This will stretch our lines too thin. Our flanks could be pierced."
"They're already stretched! The only way is for the 15th and 13th Corps to break the center and split the 8th Army in two!"
"But...!"
Even so far, the advance had been sluggish; how could they proceed with the enemy there?
The staff member's unspoken defeatist words seemed to echo in the commander's ears, but he couldn't voice them for fear of rebuke.
Retreat was impossible. The moment they fell back, the 8th Army would overrun the immobile 2nd Army's rear, sealing defeat.
"Please... God..."
Of course, that would have been better than the catastrophe to come.
Anything would be better than the entire field army evaporating.
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"Men."
Our battalion had arrived at the edge of the Tannenberg battlefield.
"Heroes of Stallupönen."
With a brief moment of respite, I gathered the troops to explain why this battle was crucial.
But seeing their eyes quietly burning with resolve and fighting spirit, it seemed unnecessary.
"Warriors of the fatherland."
It was still too early to call them fully elite, but they had certainly risen to that rank.
"We stand before a historic battle."
The already solemn atmosphere grew colder.
They had enlisted with romantic notions of war and the era, but now they knew the reality.
The battlefield was where men died.
They had seen how men died and, having killed themselves, realized reality differed from novels.
"Artillery deployment isn't complete yet, but High Command has placed us infantry on the front lines first."
They were shedding their green status, becoming cautious hunters.
They would fully awaken after Tannenberg. Along with all the 8th Army's soldiers.
"But are we the type to leisurely wait for artillery?"
"No, sir!!"
"Good. Fortunately, the higher-ups seem to know well how blood-mad we are."
I smiled at their thunderous response.
"Our battalion's, our division's, nay, our corps' objective is clear and simple: smash the inferior enemy, advance, and complete the encirclement."
I clenched my fist demonstratively as I continued.
"You men are the spearhead of this grand plan. The higher-ups have recognized our elite status and assigned us this vital vanguard role."
"..."
"We must smash the enemy with superior combat power and mobility alone, without artillery support. Leave cleanup to follow-up units; we focus solely on combat."
For a moment, worry and anxiety flickered in some soldiers' eyes.
Breaking trenches without bombardment was no small feat, after all.
"The enemy is exhausted from long marches and poor supplies. This area has many hills, so we'll bypass and ambush them."
My throat was starting to hurt from raising my voice for the large crowd.
Time to wrap it up.
"For those still anxious, I've requested a special gift from division. Bring it out."
My adjutant carefully brought something forward.
"Huh, what's that?"
"Is that the 'Lieutenant's Period Cramps'? The 'Dance of Death'?"
What? How do they know those nicknames?
I quickly turned my head but couldn't spot the speaker.
...Anyway, yes.
"This is the MP40 submachine gun, specialized for close combat."
I held up the shiny, well-polished MP40.
It was the first combat deployment of my invention, to show the skeptical high command what it could do.