Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Chapter 162 Promises Must Be Kept: Pacta sunt servanda (16)

When trench assaults begin, machine gunners rarely survive more than 2 minutes, and front-line trench mortars are usually detected and counterattacked within 5 minutes.

Yet back then, we didn't even have the will to counterattack against Russian heavy artillery.

Because the enemy wasn't just aiming and firing, or stopping after a few shots, but trying to devastate the area with overwhelming artillery power.

So Hindenburg prepared.

While the original plan called for a maximum of 1,700 heavy artillery pieces, he boldly increased this to 2,178.

Meanwhile, the enemy still had around 500 pieces. Considering destroyed gun barrels and ammunition shortages, they couldn't utilize even 400 pieces in the artillery battle.

"Those idiots think offense and defense are separate in this primitive battlefield of slaughter."

If they want to defend quietly, artillery bombardment.

If they want to counterattack, infantry battle just the same.

Roman and Hindenburg fought like this on that Eastern Front.

Victory? Defeat? No, no.

Such concepts were vague on that Eastern Front.

Only enduring. Not knowing whether currently winning or losing, just enduring and enduring until the enemy drops first.

They lived day by day through such battlefields.

Compared to that, this place...

"Just cowards. At least I didn't run away like this."

"If we had had sufficient troops and military supplies, we would have won against the Northwest Army Group."

"Maybe so."

Once you give up the front line, defeat is already predetermined. If they truly intended to block, they should have refused to retreat even if it meant throwing in all 20 divisions.

After days of freely bombarding the fortress with pre-prepared artillery.

Finally, Fort Verdun fell into Hindenburg's hands.

The central front's salient connecting Fleury, Douaumont, and Fort Verdun.

Before July arrived, France's central defense line collapsed.

Hindenburg fulfilled what Falkenhayn wanted in less than two months after his appointment.

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"General Rawlinson's advance force has been annihilated. The commander appears to be dead!"

"All 7 tanks destroyed! Canadian... 5th Division. All died holding their position."

When they opened their own attrition warfare, they finally realized.

"We need 40 divisions right now. No, 50!"

"With constant engagement, the front-line units are melting away! If we don't reinforce immediately, it'll be a worthless death!"

This battlefield.

Demands a tremendous amount of blood.

Endlessly at that.

Making the Asquith cabinet's third amendment to increase conscription seem meaningless, 58,000 died on the first day of engagement.

The new weapon, tanks, all broke down and weren't worth more than cover, while both sides' barbed wire, mines, trenches, and existing common sense were being destroyed by large-scale bombardment.

The two offensive-oriented commanders of France and Britain, Foch and Haig, couldn't even guess internally how this situation would unfold.

'How many divisions are needed? Since we need to break through more than the enemy can reinforce, 90? 100?'

'The attacker is the fool. The one who leaves the trench dies first. I know. I know too well... But we still must go out.'

Is it right to burn through 100,000, 150,000 troops for a 1km advance?

Is this kind of battle really the path to victory?

Even Haig, who tried to replace his own superiors for being indecisive.

Even Foch, who had twisted Germany's grand strategy alone as a mere corps commander.

Neither could be certain.

They were just attacking out of obligation, because they had to for Verdun.

These front-line concerns transformed into different questions in the rear.

'So what is Russia doing now?'

With both Verdun and the Somme, two massive battlefields had opened on the Western Front, but what on earth was Russia doing?

[Parliament Decides on Public Auction of Salt Companies.]

[End of the Era of Bank Dominance over Companies.]

[Fall of the Russian Bourgeoisie.]

[Progressive Party's Mass Resignation.]

Russia was busy in its own way.