Chapter 164

January 15, 1941

Königsberg, East Prussia, Northeastern Germany – Army Group North Headquarters

Colonel General Günther von Kluge, commander of Army Group North, was glaring at the operation map.

On the map, red flags representing the Soviet Army formed a shape pushing into East Prussia from all sides.

“Hmm, they're being cautious.”

Kluge's chief of staff, Paulus, agreed with his quiet remark.

“Indeed. It seems the enemy commander intends to push forward step by step.”

Army Group North, with 700,000 troops, was the largest of the German Army's three army groups, but it had to defend East Prussia alone, without the Polish Army.

Instead, he was establishing a solid defense line and forcing friendly losses through incessant artillery bombardments.

The area stretching from southeastern East Prussia to northern Poland is dense with massive forests.

During Rundstedt's last offensive, we launched a surprise attack, broke through the sparse enemy forces, and advanced through the forests to the plains, but that is now difficult with the enemy having established a front line at the border, far outnumbering our own forces.

The dense forests naturally meant that air support couldn't achieve a satisfactory effect, and due to the characteristics of this terrain, the German Army, unable to effectively utilize its air superiority, was feeling a considerable burden from the Soviet artillery barrages, which used many heavy artillery pieces.

The Soviet Army's military force itself was nearly double in size, and since Stalin was someone who extremely favored artillery, the Soviet Army's artillery power surpassed the German Army's in numbers alone.

If this pattern of head-to-head counter-battery fire duels and a gradual push with overwhelming numbers of infantry continued, we would be dragged into a war of attrition.

“Ha, how arrogant. I like it.”

The situation was difficult, but the highly competitive Kluge actually twisted the corner of his mouth into a smile.

“Chief of Staff, is an artillery battle fought with the number of guns alone?”

It was a rather sudden question, but Paulus, who was a first-rate chief of staff even if not a front-line commander, answered immediately after a moment's thought.

“What’s important in an artillery battle is not the number of guns, but the means to fire when and where you want. As it happens, we have just the thing for that.”

Kluge nodded upon hearing Chief of Staff Paulus's words.

“Form a separate unit with the Wespe and Freiheit and have them conduct mobile bombardment on the enemy lines.

When the enemy engages in counter-battery fire, the self-propelled guns will relocate, and once we've pinpointed the enemy artillery's position, we'll wipe them out with our field guns!”

“Yes, sir! I will issue the orders to the front!”

These proper self-propelled guns, produced faster than in the original history at Dietrich Schacht's demand, gave the German Army more options to choose from.

With the Wespe, which used a Panzer II chassis, and the Freiheit Self-Propelled Gun, which used a Panzer IV chassis, they could lay down a barrage and by the time the enemy initiated counter-battery fire, they would already be firing again from a different location.

“I’ll make them regret daring to challenge us, the inheritors of Frederick the Great’s legacy, to an artillery duel.”

The tactic used 200 years ago by Prussia’s Frederick the Great when he introduced horse artillery was about to unfold again, in the hands of a later generation, as steel horse artillery.

---

January 16, 1941

Southern Poland Front, Katowice – Allied Southern Army Headquarters

The German-Polish Southern Army and Boris Shaposhnikov’s Soviet Army were engaged in combat along the Vistula River between Kraków and Tarnów.

Both armies were naturally bombarding each other, and Kraków, which had become one of the fiercest battlefields of this war, had suffered considerable damage to the eastern outskirts of the city, unlike in the original history.

At least the Luftwaffe was doing a good job of maintaining air superiority even while concentrating its forces on the Western Front, so bombings and artillery strikes were being suppressed, but it was impossible to block them all completely.

With the historic and crucial city, a former capital of Poland before Warsaw, being destroyed, General Kazimierz Sosnkowski, who was already an anti-communist and the commander of the Polish Southern Army, was growing impatient.

“We must somehow counterattack and push back those damned commies!”

Colonel General Johannes Blaskowitz, commander of the German Army Group South, had a troubled expression after his interpreter relayed General Sosnkowski’s words.

It was understandable that Poland was in a hurry with its city under attack, but it was difficult to rashly launch an offensive when they were at a numerical disadvantage.

“To prevent artillery from hitting the city, we have extended the front line as far as possible and have placed our artillery away from the city. For now, our plan is to hold our ground.”

When the interpreter relayed the answer from Chief of Staff Kurt Zeitzler, who had spoken instead of Blaskowitz, General Sosnkowski furrowed his brow and spoke with a sigh.

“It feels strange to say this to people who came to help, but I had hoped that with the German Army finally here, we could launch a counterattack, but not much has changed.”

Upon hearing Sosnkowski’s comment from the interpreter, General Blaskowitz spoke up.

“If we succeed in the counterattack from the central region according to the operation plan and secure Warsaw's safety, we can then look for an opportunity to counterattack in the south as well.

We are well aware of the Poles' hardships, so let’s hold on for just a little longer for now.”

Sosnkowski, after hearing the translation, stared intently at Colonel General Blaskowitz and opened his mouth.

“It’s strange to say this now, but this situation is truly an irony. Until September 1939, we were anxious about whether Britain and France would help us if Germany attacked, but instead, we attacked your country, and now your country is helping us.”

Blaskowitz also gave a bitter smile.

“We have all had changes in government, and our stances have changed.

In any case, what's important is that we are now allies against this red threat.”

“…We have always thought that Germany detested Poland and would one day become a great threat, but seeing a general like you helping us, it seems our thinking was wrong.”

Blaskowitz simply grinned after the interpreter relayed Sosnkowski’s words.

In fact, his thoughts were not wrong; there were quite a few in the German Army who held animosity or contempt for Poland.

It was just that in the process of weeding out the 3rd Army's coup d'état following the expulsion of the Nazis, most of those who were too extreme had either lost their military authority or, if they remained, had been transferred to the Western Front at the government's request.

On top of that, the Vice-Chancellor's initiative to continuously educate and repeatedly urge them not to cause conflict with Poland was also proving to be effective in its own way.

It was likely intentional that he and Bock, who was one of the few high-ranking generals at the army group commander level with no interest in Germanic supremacism, were assigned to fronts where they would directly cooperate with the Polish Army.

I didn't know for sure, but perhaps because Poland had also gone to great lengths to emphasize this to its subordinates, the initially feared conflicts between the German and Polish armies were limited to rare, minor incidents.

As a result, the two nations, which had once been at war, were able to fight together without having to worry about friendly fire, thanks to a sense of camaraderie as common comrades against the Soviet Union and the fact that Germany had arrived as reinforcements at Poland's most difficult moment.

---

January 17, 1941

Warsaw, the capital of Poland – Allied Central Army Headquarters

The 900,000-strong Allied Forces led by Fedor von Bock and Władysław Sikorski were being slowly pushed back by the 1.

5 million Soviet troops led by Marshal Grigory Kulik.

Just as had happened on the Western Front, Germany and Poland were paying a significant price in sacrifice to lure in the Soviet Army.

Despite all that, Władysław Sikorski, the Inspector General of the Armed Forces of the Polish Army, who was commanding all those sacrifices, maintained a cold-headedness that belied his injured body.

“The enemy is pushing forward without a shred of doubt that they are being lured in.

But if we draw them in any further, we risk exposing Warsaw to their artillery range.”

Colonel General Fedor von Bock, who heard Sikorski's words through an interpreter, also nodded.

“It's about time to commit them. Our armored units are ready, Inspector General.

The problem is the timing and direction of the commitment. According to the operation plan…”

Major Roger Michael was staring blankly at the meeting, where arguably the highest-ranking officers of the three army groups on the Eastern Front had gathered.

'Why am I here…'

He had been confused and struggled to adapt when Manstein had suddenly dragged him down to Italy from the Berlin General Staff and assigned him as General Guderian's chief of staff, but that was nothing compared to the current situation.

Although it wasn't that he had no interest in career advancement like Clemens and had his own ambitions, to become an army group staff officer right after becoming a General Staff Officer was…

Isn't this too sudden?

Ah, I miss Sabrina.

That bright and cheerful Italian girl I met in Milan was nice.

As he was lost in thought, Major General Hans Krebs, the Chief of Staff of Army Group Centre, approached him and spoke.

“What are you thinking so hard about, Major Michael? You don't seem to be concentrating on the meeting.”

“Ah, about my lover— Hup! My apologies!”

'Damn it, I'm not that bastard Clemens!'

Roger, who had been dazed, blurted out the words without thinking and clapped a hand over his mouth, then immediately removed it and apologized loudly.

And at the same time, the gazes of all the higher-ups in the meeting room turned to him.

'Ah, my life…'

Roger felt a wave of vertigo, as if all the moisture in his body was turning into a cold sweat.

“Oh my. My apologies, Commander.

I had something I asked this friend to do and forgot about it, so I'll just take him outside for a moment.”

“Hmm, go ahead.”

As soon as he heard Bock's reply, Chief of Staff Krebs grabbed Roger and left the meeting room. Only after being freed from the gazes of the higher-ups did Roger come to his senses.

The problem was that in front of him stood a man with a star on his collar and a monocle, who somehow reminded him of General Model.

Instinctively reminded of the harsh General Model, Roger stiffened and apologized.

“My, my apologies, Major General!”

'To get on the bad side of the army group's chief of staff right after becoming an army group staff officer, it can't get any worse than this!'

But Hans Krebs just smiled warmly and patted Roger's shoulder.

“Haha, everyone's like that at your age.

What can you do if you miss your lover while you're apart? Still, be more careful from now on.”

'We broke up, though.

'

As he always did with his lovers, he had had an intense time by mutual agreement and then coolly parted ways when he left Italy.

Love freely.

Don't stop those who come, don't stop those who go, but maintain the manners of not touching someone else's lover and only having one at a time. That was his style.

Of course, Roger wasn't stupid enough to voice that and correct the Chief of Staff's favorable misunderstanding.

He feigned a melancholic gaze and consciously replied in the polite manner of a German officer.

“My apologies, Major General! I will be careful not to let it affect future operations!”

“Mm, a good attitude. Still, if things get tough, you can come to me for counseling sometimes.”

“Thank you!”

'He looks like General Model's type, so I was worried, but he seems like a better person than I thought?'

Just as a favorable impression of Chief of Staff Krebs was beginning to form in Roger's mind, Krebs added with a smile.

“I heard from the Chief of the General Staff that you're one of Vice-Chancellor Schacht's two close friends? I'll be sure to remember that and keep an eye on you.

Your time as an army group staff officer will be a good experience for your future military career.”

“…”

Enduring the dizzying shock for a moment, Roger put on an impeccably handsome smile befitting a popular man and saluted.

“It is an honor, Major General!”

'Damn it all, I'm in no position to pity Clemens.'

---

January 18, 1941

Near Siedlce, Central Poland – Encampment of the Soviet 'Spaniard' Corps

The Soviet Army's foreigner, General Enrique Líster, was inspecting the positions being constructed as he toured the front line.

The Soviet soldiers, now accustomed to seeing him inspect the front, saluted, and he gave them a casual acknowledgment as he kept walking.

After their victory in the last battle, his unit was expanded to an army corps, and Líster requested not only armored units but also infantry and artillery units, and Zhukov granted his requests as asked.

Considering he had to go through hell just to get anything in Spain despite being treated as a master general of the Republican faction, it was an utterly dumbfounding affair.

And now, while Marshal Grigory Kulik's army was merrily advancing toward Warsaw, Líster's unit was building a defense line on the road to Siedlce, far from the front line.

“But why are we going through all this hardship here?”

“If the higher-ups say so, we do it, huh! General!”

As the soldiers who were diligently preparing the defense line saw Líster and saluted in fright, Líster stopped the political officer who was about to step forward and grinned at them.

“If my prediction is right, you'll save your lives.

If my prediction is wrong, you'll just have gone through some hardship for nothing.”

Líster left the bewildered soldiers and turned his back.

“Comrade Líster. The political education of soldiers with lax discipline is my responsibility.”

The political officer complained to Líster with a hint of dissatisfaction, but Líster replied lightly.

“Of course it is, comrade.

But we are in the middle of an operation, so I'm just suggesting we postpone it a bit. We need to prepare our defenses diligently so those fellows are still alive to receive their political education, don't we?”

“Hmm.

Well, comrade, the superiors have a great interest in you, so please be mindful.”

“I understand, comrade.”

When he had just crossed over to the Soviet Union and was out of his mind, the political officers were still running wild, and he almost got purged by bad luck, but Zhukov saved him.

“By the way, comrade.

I try not to interfere in military affairs, but what is the reason for building a defense line here, and not at the front?”

Hearing the political officer's question, Líster answered simply.

“Because if I were a German general, I would take this route to flank, comrade.”

“Pardon?”

“Comrade Colonel General Zhukov has also approved it.”

The political officer looked puzzled, but upon hearing that Zhukov had approved it, he didn't question it further.

The man who had been acting like a madman for a while had finally come to his senses, and the political officer, being human, didn't want to poke the bear.

Líster glanced at the captured German 8.

8 cm FlaK gun that the soldiers had installed in the defense line.

The auditory hallucination rang in his ears again, but he ignored it.

This was not Spain. The Republican faction soldiers he failed to protect were already gone.

This was a Soviet battlefield, and he was now a Soviet general.

The defense line he had ordered to be built was filled not only with captured 88 anti-aircraft guns but also with the Soviet Army's 52-K 85mm anti-aircraft guns.

At first, the Soviet Army questioned Líster's strange use of anti-aircraft guns, but they were immediately convinced when he showed them that they could destroy a Panzer IV from a long distance, which their own anti-tank gun, the 53-K, couldn't penetrate unless at close range.

Líster narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze to the distant horizon.

If it was the German Army he knew, they would definitely attempt a flanking strike.

Líster intended to return the favor of the method the German Army had shown in Spain—annihilating tanks with anti-aircraft guns.

“I'm looking forward to it.”

They break through the front and flank, but what if they run into an unexpected anti-tank defense line built in their path? How would the enemy's armored commander react?