Codegease: Air and Land Warfare 1946

Page 123

Chapter 128, Section 191: Beyond the Battlefield

The earth under the night sky undulated like breathing between intermittent flashes of light on the horizon. For many, this battle line pieced together by Britannian and Soviet troops had become solidified—forged in the crucible of flames, it had become a steel bond, firmly embedded here, impossible for anyone to break or twist.

But this didn't mean anyone was complacent; at least Marshal Zhukov was. He had just received news that radio fluctuations in western Berlin were unusually frequent. Could it be that the enemy in the city had some plans?

As a precaution, a large number of Soviet troops received the order to "be on high alert and strengthen defenses".

Of course, soldiers are not machines, and the wheel of war will not rest until it reaches its destination, but people need rest.

Now, in a trench built at a point behind the front line, two familiar lieutenants are sitting here chatting.

"Hey! You!" Lemilia, sitting on the left, was even bringing the wine jug to his nose to smell it. "I've never seen you drink wine before. Aren't you going to give me some today?"

“Drinking leads to trouble, comrade.” The other one was very serious, Anton. “Let me finish writing in my diary first, and it’s not time for me to rest yet.”

"Hey, I really don't understand you intellectuals." Lemilia waved his hand. "Never mind you. Anyway, since our company is resting at the back, we should relax and lie down comfortably on the ground."

Anton ignored him, but there was no need to criticize this comrade with questionable ideology and conduct—if he was slacking off in battle, why would he hang his PPSh submachine gun on his chest before lying down? Vodka alone meant indulging in a life of luxury and pleasure, but vodka plus a PPSh meant being excited in the heat of battle!

At this moment, Anton glanced at a page of his diary written nearly twenty days ago, when he was living on the outskirts of Berlin…

"...We will soon take Berlin and reclaim the peace that is rightfully ours..."

And now, the place where he writes his diary is more than 20 kilometers east of that place...

He sighed, looking helplessly at the last line of his diary entry, "We may never be able to go back to Berlin," and then put a period to it.

……

Suddenly, Lemilia, who was lying on the ground, sat up abruptly, staring wide-eyed and looking around.

"What's wrong with you?" Anton looked at him in surprise, and just as their eyes met, the earth began to stir...

The two hurriedly looked towards the front of the trench, and the western horizon, flashing like boiling water from the artillery fire, gradually became fiery and colorful!

"Oh no, my dear comrade... Looks like I won't even get a quiet midnight snack of black bread..."

……

Meanwhile, in the Tokyo City Hall of that other world, Schneizel was still busy listening to a report from a general who had just returned from Berlin to report on matters to him.

"So, you're now using two legions that have suffered heavy losses and three army groups to try and retake the territory you occupied about twenty days ago?"

"Yes, Your Highness. According to our summary, the Soviet troops besieging the city are now exhausted."

The general handed over a report, which the duke had asked him to deliver. What he didn't know was that the true architect of this plan was actually the lieutenant colonel the duke had been secretly working with. His name? No need to elaborate.

"Our plan is to have two army groups responsible for the flank from the east of the city..."

"Wait, General, wait..."

Seeing the prince wave his hand, the general had no choice but to stop talking.

Did you listen carefully to the question I asked you at the beginning?

"You mean, 'there are many Soviet troops outside Berlin,' then I certainly need to present our plan for this matter..."

Don't you think I've said this a few times before?

"This……"

Seeing that the general didn't understand, Schneizel had no choice but to put his hand down from his head.

"I heard this phrase again when Marendor first promised an army group to hold Berlin; then when you submitted your airborne assault plan for Berlin, you also said that there were many enemies and that the occupied area would be difficult to secure; and now you are saying the same thing again, requesting other armies and corps to speed up their preparations for the expedition."

"Your Highness..."

“I’m getting a little fed up, General. His Majesty the Emperor has said countless times that the law of survival of the fittest doesn’t apply to a bunch of useless people huddling together for warmth. Going back on your word and using the same excuse to ask for help, I’d like to know, is the enemy really that unbearable for you, or do you simply not understand your opponent? Or are you about to be defeated in the survival competition with the people of District 45?”

"Cough..." The general was speechless; he had no idea how to answer.

"Tell Duke Sassler and the other generals that if this offensive fails to achieve the desired results, the labels of 'ruining the Empire's sacred expedition' and 'incompetence' may become their mark of elimination."

"Yes……"

"Oh, by the way, I have two younger sisters. How are things going with them?"

……

Meanwhile, more than ten kilometers outside the city hall, a group of people huddled against a wall on the roadside were looking up at the sky—large numbers of aircraft, helicopters, and transport planes were roaring across the sky and flying off in unknown directions.

Only two people were relatively far from the crowd. Clark, with the former Japanese man named Yamashita, leaned against the side of the billboard, seemingly intentionally.

“Hmm, the Holy Britannian Empire…” Yamashita stared intently at the red and blue navigation lights. “What are these guys up to now? For the past month, all I’ve heard is these troops bustling around here, making a racket…”

“You care a lot about this culprit that conquered your country, son.” Clark took the cigarette from his mouth and flicked off the ash. “Have you ever had any dreams about it?”

"I just hope that one day it will fade away from here. I never want to see that national flag with a lion and a snake flying over the capital of my motherland again. I hope that one day I can still see that white flag with a red sun proudly flying on the flagpole..."

"Cough cough... White background with red sun, holy crap..."

"Huh? What did you say, sir?"

"Nothing, nothing, I just remembered a comic I saw a few days ago." Clark had to keep it a secret—in his hometown, the white sun with a red background was a piece of dog shit that the whole of America and even the world wanted to throw into a sewer and then pour gasoline on it to burn for a lifetime, including that red rising sun.

"You seem very dissatisfied with the current situation, son. Do you know what it takes to win a victory?"

"Victory? What victory?"

"From a small battle to a war between two countries, or even between a dozen or twenty countries, do you know what it takes to defeat your opponent?"

Seeing that Yamashita remained silent, Clark simply spoke up.

"Information. Information on where the enemy is, what weapons they are using, and how they are using them. If you have this information, it means you have won half the battle, half the war."

"What do you mean?"

"Would you believe me if I told you that Britannia is busy sending these troops somewhere, busy doing what with them, what kind of enemies they will face, what language they speak, and what kind of flag they will be flying?"

Yamashita was stunned.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, sir. When we first met, were you a policeman or a soldier? At least I feel that you are closer to those heavily guarded places and understand them better than I do.”

"Ha, pretty smart, buddy. I wouldn't mind telling you these things later, but for now..."

Clark turned around and threw his cigarette butt away.

"Let's start with the thing we're going to do tonight."

As he spoke, he led his men down the mountain.

"Are you all ready, kids?"

"Come on, sir!" A young man fiddled with a few pistol bullets, twirling them between his palms before grabbing them and deftly loading them one by one into the magazine.

"Oh! Look! Why are you so skilled!" Clark laughed. "Come on!"

They turned and slowly walked toward a billiards room on the street, where the doorman was pushed aside in fright.

"Who are you looking for?"

They couldn't be stopped at all. They rushed straight towards the large group of men and women who were still huddled around a table playing ball. Then, Clark grabbed the light switch on the wall next to him, instantly sending his group, who had just drawn their guns, into the darkness.

Clark leisurely pulled out his revolver and aimed it at the people who had just offended him and whom he considered his targets.

Run!

Chapter 129, Section 192: Insight That Cannot Be Called Gambling

"Hurry up and load the ammunition belt, comrade!"

"It's done!"

The Soviet soldier standing next to the DShK heavy machine gun covered the bolt with the cover plate, pressed down the ammunition belt, and the moment he stepped back, the comrade behind the machine gun pushed the gun flat and pulled the trigger again.

The machine gun's ammunition belts flew over the sandbag bunkers beneath the barrels, out of the positions around the comrades, and into the open ground ahead, clattering and sparking against those steel giants.

Lemilia huddled in a trench, watching as the warheads slowly took effect—ripping off the giant's head, then severing its arms, forcing flames to erupt from the cockpit on its back, and carrying the pilot away into the distance.

The large black iron box flew over the devastated battlefield—below, on the ground, there were combat weapons that had turned into molten iron and spewed flames, resembling humanoid figures, as well as crippled assault guns and infantry fighting vehicles. Thick black smoke rose up, flying alongside the cockpit that was retreating from the air.

It flew far away, and the last assault gun left on the ground, after firing one last time and burying a group of green helmets, was finally brought to a complete stop by the approaching infantrymen who threw Molotov cocktails onto its roof.

……

"This is the last one, comrades."

Lemilia stood up again, stretched his arms, and looked at the hard-won victory he had achieved with the other soldiers in front of the man who had fled in panic from the assault gun, covered in flames.

The trench was smeared with a large patch of blood and flesh, the remains of comrades. The freshest among them were those killed closest to the trench, some even falling directly into the faces of KMF machine gunners. Next were those knocked down or wounded by larger caliber high-explosive shells; their injuries were clearly less severe, but that didn't mean they could participate in the next battle.

There was no other way; these infantrymen were no longer facing German soldiers coordinated with a small number of tanks and armored vehicles, but fully armored vehicles. They could only try to breach their armor with heavy machine guns and anti-tank rifles when they were close enough, and if they were lucky, they might even get a bazooka. As for rifles and PPSh-45s, those were simply futile.

As for enemy tanks, they had to be dealt with by anti-tank guns. 45mm guns could turn infantry fighting vehicles into garbage cans and then throw the giant tanks in as well. However, assault guns couldn't handle them. In the end, it was the 76mm field guns that finally managed to take them down after several twists and turns.

Of course, there were also comrades who risked their lives with anti-tank grenades.

“The casualties aren’t looking good, Lieutenant,” a young man shook his head. “It’s going to be hard for us to hold out next time, if we don’t get reinforcements.”

Just then, the telephone behind Lemilia rang.

……

"What did the major say?"

"Just as you said in your heart." The lieutenant put down the receiver. "We're going to abandon this position."

"what?!"

"Comrades! Listen up! Orders have come from above, there's no need to defend this place any longer! Grab your weapons, the wounded, and supplies, and retreat eastward! Quickly!"

"Should we bring heavy machine guns and anti-tank guns too, Lieutenant? If so, we might not have much time!"

"There should still be time." As soon as he finished speaking, they heard a series of shells flying over their heads from the direction the enemy was coming from in the west, landing on the dark steel skin that might have been faintly stained by the explosions.

"Don't waste the artillery's cover, comrades! Speed ​​up!"

……

"Your Grace! The 31st Army on the left flank of the front is advancing smoothly! They will soon reach the second target area!"

"Good! Tell them to put in extra effort! Also remind the central front to keep the Soviet forces engaged! The 33rd Army on the right flank should also speed up its advance!"

Duke Sassler stood quietly in the Capitol, a satisfied smile on his face. The other generals and officers watched in disbelief as this unfolded.

With the belief that the Soviet army would continue to be driven out of the outskirts of Berlin, the Duke took the lead in making the decision to put aside all ideas of purely defensive warfare.

His own 45th Army, along with the grueling survivors of the 41st Army in Malendona, went west of the city to continue expanding their occupied territory. Since there were no more Soviet troops there, it was safe, and they could slowly stroll around, search for the enemy, and perhaps capture some Germans who hadn't escaped to bring back to District 11.

As for the salient in the east of the city that had been captured by the Soviet army, the Duke had basically put all his cards on the line: in an area more than 20 kilometers wide from north to south, apart from the two newly arrived army groups mentioned earlier that were responsible for the flanks, the middle was handed over to the two corps that had not yet fully recovered their strength, and he also gave some of the 37th Army Group, which was guarding the city, to them.

No one knew why the Duke was so confident about this large-scale offensive, and according to reports from the front-line troops, the enemy was even prepared? It seemed like there had been a leak from the beginning. What if the Soviet army launched a sudden counterattack and doubled the number of the demoralized troops? How could they possibly fight that battle?

However, the Duke did not appear to be making a huge gamble. The calmness and confidence on his face came entirely from the long note left on a roll of paper by the lieutenant colonel he had summoned not long ago.

……

“I have always understood your pressure, Your Grace. On the one hand, His Highness Schneizel has put considerable pressure on the expeditionary force, albeit verbally, but it is no less than any actual punishment; on the other hand, it seems that the fear of the enemy in the army has not been dispelled for a long time, and the strategy implemented by Lieutenant Colonel Eddhill some time ago has been so deeply ingrained that no one dares to mention the attack now.”

"So, if you also want to be timid and pessimistic in the face of a so-called powerful enemy, then the words I'm about to leave you here may only be as useful as a napkin."

"First of all, the enemy is only about 20 kilometers away from the eastern outskirts of the city. What does that mean? It means that if they fire their artillery at maximum range without regard for accuracy, they can send shells into Berlin. This will not only further worsen the situation in the city, but also cause morale to plummet. As I said before, no war has ever been won by simply defending and retreating."

"Secondly, I believe the attack is successful. I will explain the intelligence you gave me, and the conclusions I reached from my analysis."

"First, the Soviet army has always been accustomed to artillery bombardment, even during the siege of Berlin. According to previous reports, the enemy's artillery usage has decreased significantly in the encirclement and annihilation battles in which the Soviet army recaptured the salient; as for the area where we are currently entangled more than 20 kilometers away, the frequency and density of their artillery strikes against the rear of the front line are decreasing. If you were a Soviet general, knowing that we have a much larger and stronger enemy deployed in front of the salient than during the original siege, would you let your artillery rest a few more rounds? They have no reason to do so, unless there is one reason: they have consumed too much ammunition."

"This makes it clear that the initial airborne operation to destroy the bridge over the Oder River has already proven valuable. The Soviet army is likely no longer able to sustain its previous high attrition rate, at least not in the short term. Therefore, it is essential to act decisively and take advantage of the situation. In my view, if we do not launch an attack, the Soviet army has a greater than 0% chance of recovering. However, once we launch an attack, the greater the results, the more difficulties the Soviet army will face, and this number will get closer and closer to zero."

"Secondly, you and I were worried before that once we attacked, the Soviet army would definitely launch a counterattack. The large number of troops lost to the salient and two corps is an example. But there are a few details to note during this period: when the Soviet army was wedging into our occupied area and when they finally closed the encirclement, they were repeatedly stuck in a stalemate when they engaged us head-on, and there were many instances of them launching uninterrupted all-out attacks for more than 20 hours."

"From beginning to end, they were fully committed without the slightest slackening, and they didn't employ any tricks. So I'm more curious, if the Soviet army could unleash an even more formidable counter-offensive force, why were they always tripped up by us when they were closing in, and why are they currently unable to break through the defenses of two demoralized corps?"

"Waiting for reinforcements? I don't think the Soviets can send more troops over without contradicting my earlier argument that their supply situation is declining. Depleting their supply reserves while their transport capacity is already saturated would be tantamount to suicide. Are they waiting for our attack? What's their purpose? Are they worried about another airborne operation? I don't want to play that game. And do they have any key transportation routes in their eastern rear area worth defending? If so, why haven't they solved their artillery ammunition problem? Unless they have a teleportation portal like us, but that's clearly a joke."

"Finally, there's something that happened at the very beginning of the airborne operation. Our two legions, or even just one legion directly involved in the airborne operation, were facing a much larger enemy force. Why did many units claim during the operation that the enemy wasn't interested in engaging us in close combat, but instead intended to regroup, preferring to stick together again rather than fight alone, and preferring to abandon towns and retreat far away rather than hold their ground to the death?"

"Perhaps they really understood that lightly armed infantry facing paratroopers from the KMF were simply rich enough to only afford their own coffins. But I think there's another very likely possibility: the Soviet army was very concerned about its troops, especially large, organized units being scattered and falling into various encirclements, ultimately perishing on the battlefield. Forgive my arrogance, but when I first brought the vanguard, I strictly ordered high-ranking officers not to go to dangerous battlefields unless absolutely necessary. In the end, I preserved the core of my troops, which is why I can now train the new recruits of the Tokyo Concession Armed Security Corps with such ease."

"If training new recruits is like this, how much more so is the tactics and proficiency required for combat? The Soviet army's tactics are so meticulous that, apart from the hardware facilities, there is nothing we can criticize about the entire army. This is absolutely inseparable from their elite and skilled veterans and their well-trained command. In the world, as long as a unit has veterans and good officers, and fresh blood is added, it can quickly recover from its wounds and return to combat effectiveness. But what if the former two are not present? Even an elite corps cannot withstand such a turmoil and will not be able to match its former glory."