by Carlo Zen
When Rudersdorf reached the distressing conclusion that they needed to rethink their plan, Zettour responded that he wasn’t completely out of ideas.
“This is just a thought, but…perhaps we should consider diverting the reinforcements meant for Dacia to the east instead. The way I see it, we can stand to reassign two or three heavy divisions.”
“Yeah. It’d be nice if we could have the fourteen occupying divisions do something. From my perspective, even if we defend Dacia in depth, losses to the homeland will be minimal.”
Hmm. Zettour wrote the friendly units and potential routes of Federation unit attacks on the map and considered them in silence.
The eastern front was too big to defend in depth with trenches—they didn’t have enough soldiers. And even if they could dig the trenches, they didn’t have enough men to defend them.
In which case, the only option for the eastern armies was to fight a retreating battle with a focus on delaying. The point was to be in the right place at the right time to intercept.
“General von Rudersdorf, before I get your opinion on this, I want to review where we’re at. Broadly speaking, we’re up against three groups of attacking enemy forces. Group A is en route to Norden in the north, Group B is preparing to break through the eastern border and attack us at home, and Group C is heading south to Dacia.”
“I agree with your diagnosis.”
“Which do you think is the main attack?”
“In numerical terms, B is the overwhelming focus. It must be around a hundred divisions. Considering the territory they need to cover, it’s probably an appropriate number, but it’s still more than the combined seventy divisions of A and C.”
Zettour nodded gravely in response to Rudersdorf’s groaned comment. Putting together the photos from reconnaissance planes, reports from the front lines, and SIGINT, they were forced to conclude that a sickening number of Federation troops were surging toward them.
The possibility of taking out each unit via the Imperial Army’s forte, interior lines strategy, was there, but even if they could get units separated, the enemy army could put up numbers that the General Staff was right to fear as a nightmare.
“…Could be a multifront attack with their matériel superiority or human wave tactics by matériel saturation—at some point they’ll overwhelm the Imperial Army’s limited fighting power and brute force our lines back. It’s quite the practical strategy.” Smoking his cigar, Zettour leaned slowly back in his chair and noted calmly that it was only natural the Federation adopt a strategy that took the difference in raw power between the two nations into account. “In theory, I should probably add,” he couldn’t help but murmur as he offered Rudersdorf a cigar.
If the Federation Army was trained and equipped equally to the Imperial Army, the Empire’s lines would probably collapse that very day. But though they grumbled about the surplus of enemies, the troops were fighting an organized defensive battle as they retreated.
The situation strongly suggested—and this was another surprise for the Imperial Army—that Federation troops were even more inferior in terms of training and equipment than assumed. Even if the numbers were a giant to threaten the Imperial Army…it wasn’t fatal.
“How can you say that, General von Zettour?”
“Surely you have an idea, General von Rudersdorf.”
The pair of friends smirked deviously at each other. The confidence and certainty that they could do it filled the air between them. Officers of the General Staff have the nastiest personalities—there’s no helping it. It’s the typical outcome of a staff education system that seeks only genius.
“Now then, to discuss things a bit more seriously… In a way, this will be a collection of assumptions we’re familiar with. As envisioned by interior lines strategy, we’ll neutralize the attacking enemy groups one by one.”
But Rudersdorf’s confident pronouncement rather irritated Zettour. His tone was so reassuring, and that’s precisely what caused Zettour to frown. He was only dimly aware of it, but the heads of Operations in the General Staff had this tendency to…be obsessed with solving everything in one push. It wasn’t as if he didn’t understand at all, but he worried that they focused too much on operational license and the long view.
“First, we’ll annihilate Group A up in Norden. From there, we’ll hit what we can, moving on to B. I want to nail Group C in part to keep the Dacian region in check as well.”
“I agree. First, we’ll crush A with the Great Army; then, in the same swooping motion, they’ll annihilate B along with the eastern armies. But shouldn’t we leave C alone and move those troops up to join with the Eastern Army Group? Consolidating troops is one of the basic principles.”
“Are you out of your mind, Zettour? In terms of comparative fighting power, that would be asking the impossible of the forces in Dacia. Asking them to make do with half their numbers is one thing, but pull any more soldiers out from under them and the Dacian front will surely stagnate.
“If it were just transferring some reinforcements, that would be fine,” Rudersdorf commented negatively. Zettour was still on about defeating the enemy in one blow. Rudersdorf refused to accept a plan that would take time and delay progress in one area.
“I understand what you’re trying to say, but we don’t even have the wherewithal to mount an offensive in Dacia right now. I’m sure it’s fine if we leave it alone.”
“The Imperial Army proved how mobile it can be in Dacia, even with limited railroads, when it gained control of the country in the first place, didn’t it?”
“Most of the horses we used for that were lost somewhere in the Republic.”
“You know we don’t have horses,” Zettour pressed. It was the same thing he had told him anytime they were executing an offensive on the Rhine.
He had only just barely been able to secure supplies by requisitioning horses from every region and running them into the ground. You could look all you wanted, but you wouldn’t find any extra horses around.
“…So then…?”
“We only have very limited infrastructure on the Dacian front. It doesn’t compare to home. I agree that given the circumstances, we should be fighting a mobile battle of interception on the eastern border, but what about sticking with mainly delaying combat in Dacia? We should be able to buy time if we defend our positions and draw them into a trench battle.”
For the Imperial Army, designed as it was with interior line strategy in mind, a long-range attacking battle would be a huge burden. It was already too hard for them to move in regions where the railroads weren’t properly maintained.
That’s why he had to say these things that the heads of Operations wouldn’t like.
“Zettour, are you serious?”
“Of course.”
It’s the only way.
He continued assertively, choosing words that accurately conveyed his intentions. “Delaying combat, attritional containment, and solid lines—I believe this is our only realistic option in Dacia.”
“I beg to differ. In fact, as someone working in Operations, I won’t even beg. For starters, the one in charge of the operation would never accept an option like that.”
“…The reason being?” He spoke slowly and turned to look at Rudersdorf with a sigh, waiting for the counterargument he knew was coming.
“Zettour, I’ll be frank, since this is you and me talking here!”
“All right.”
“The key to interior lines strategy is the strategic leeway to move manpower as flexibly as possible! Should we continue to leave enough troops down there to pin down a mere portion of the Federation Army? The answer is no, no, no! We can’t allow men to be wasted like that!”
Though he nodded at “You understand that, don’t you?” Zettour was nonetheless compelled to voice his argument.
He himself had once been part of the Operations organization. He understood where Rudersdorf was coming from—the fear that troops might be stationed inefficiently,
the necessity of securing the initiative.
Interior lines strategy is, in the end, a craft that involves working out every trick in the book to run as safely as possible over thin ice. Optimization by eliminating even the slightest uncertainties or waste. These basic principles had been thoroughly beaten into all staff officers’ heads, so Zettour understood so much it hurt—they were a part of him.
But he also understood logistics.
“You’re not taking the infrastructure deficiencies seriously enough. The Railroad Department is going crazy about how badly maintained the rails are. If we assume a scorched-earth policy using air and mage units, we won’t need that many.”
“You want us to allocate air forces to a scorched-earth battle? Absolutely not. I want to focus our usage of the fleet—on pinning down Group B in the east, especially. Taking into account the differences in fighting power, we should be able to crush the Federation’s eastern defenses instantly if we consolidate our air forces there.”
“Having air forces in Dacia would not be a waste. I’m not taking defense of the eastern front lightly, but can’t you even spare the aerial strength to escort a bomber unit?”
Protecting the east vs. burning Dacia down to stagnate the lines. The key to either plan was air forces, and the General Staff had a hard time deciding how to allocate them because all the fronts were so desperate to have them.
What made it more difficult was that it wasn’t a simple debate of how many soldiers to deploy. In any time and place, military men worry about new weapons. That is, there are always meandering discussions about how to use them.
Just as Zettour and Rudersdorf couldn’t agree on how the air forces should be used, it was a troublesome debate in general.
“I’m not averse to considering the Service Corps’ requests, but do you have any idea how much our entire situation will suffer if we put in the effort to knock them out one by one? Time, Zettour. We don’t have time.”
“We already have the depth on the eastern border to fight a delaying battle, don’t we? That’s why we have a national defense plan and border control. It’s certainly not impossible to use air forces to slow the enemy down.”
“Zettour, I don’t deny your view. But from mine in Operations, it would be hard. The entire army along the border has shifted to delaying combat, but the matériel disparity is huge. It’s too big.”
Rudersdorf’s opinion that air forces should be allocated for air defense missions and gaining command of the sky to support swiftly operating ground forces was correct in terms of attempting to optimize a definitive battle.
But Zettour’s rebuttal wasn’t wrong. Air forces could cooperate with ground forces, but they were also plenty capable of achieving things on their own, especially when it came to putting a halt on an advancing enemy army.
Their discussion was going nowhere, but that was where their discussions usually went. That was why when Rudersdorf muttered, “Good grief,” it represented the true feelings of the heads of Operations.
“I keep thinking, Well, if half the ones in Dacia were amateurs… If they were imbeciles, we could probably route them from head-on…”
“That would be impossible. True, the Federation Army isn’t highly trained, but they still rank as a leading power. We won’t be able to repel them with border security–level personnel and equipment.”
“I know. I guess our only option is to draw troops from the Great Army and other groups to surround and annihilate them, render them powerless. That’s why I want ready fighting power. I’ll be blunt. I don’t care where you get it, but I want more troops.”
“I’m pretty sure I already sent you the list of what’s available.”
Zettour emphasized that he couldn’t give him any more. But Rudersdorf ignored him and barreled on, describing his own circumstances.
“I need you to squeeze harder. General von Zettour, you have a pool of units and reserves in your jurisdiction, don’t you?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me! That’s the instructor unit and the evaluation unit! I don’t even want to use those to defend the capital if I don’t have to! Are you saying we should throw units engaged in training and research onto the front lines?! Or did you mean someone else? The only other units we have are cadets! Are you telling me to accelerate children through their unfinished training and send them to the front?!”
“Homeland defense should take priority. I believe we should get as many reinforcements for the eastern front as possible.”
“Rudersdorf, I don’t disagree that homeland security should be our top priority, but—! If you’ll allow me to be frank, you’re putting too much emphasis on driving out our enemies. The homeland is going to lose its strategic flexibility. There’s still the possibility of a Commonwealth counterattack in the west!” Zettour continued with the same severe expression, I know you know that, compelled to relay the changes occurring on the western front. “The Commonwealth Army isn’t just a papier-mâché tiger anymore! Those numbskulls in Intelligence barely catch anything, and even counting just what they found, there are already fifty divisions conscripted and trained! If you add the remnants of the Republican Army, the Commonwealth’s colonial forces, plus voluntary soldiers from self-governing territories, that’s another twenty!”
It was too dangerous to disregard the Commonwealth’s rapidly growing fighting power. The troops garrisoned in the west were fierce Rhine front vets, but their strength couldn’t be guaranteed given reorgs and reinforcements being sent east. They weren’t in a position to be sleeping easy.
Add to that the disparity in naval power in the west, and the Imperial Army needed to assume an attitude of passive defense. Under those circumstances, it was only natural to hesitate about sending their full strength east.
“I understand the situation with our manpower in the west. We can leave the bare minimum. But the bare minimum we need is what’s already there now.”
“That’s out of the question!”
Zettour elaborated on his argument, but Rudersdorf repeated his views from the ground up.
Extreme differences of opinion began to factor into their argument. Rudersdorf from Operations sought the fastest victory on the front lines, while Zettour from the Service Corps wanted to keep their options open in the rear.
They understood each other’s views, but the debate was going on forever, and Rudersdorf finally snapped, “General von Zettour, it seems you’re forgetting one thing.”
“And that is?”
It’s that… Rudersdorf stood, pointed at the window next to him, then balled up his fist and struck the glass.
Even strong glass is still glass.
“…This is how you fight a war!”
The window shattered with a rhythmic tinkling.
Paying no mind to the shards injuring his hand, he thrust it at Zettour and declared, “This! Impact! Can you win if you’re worried about hurting your fist?!”
“I’m not about to get my arm broken that way. The Imperial Army is already as much of a mess as your hand.”
Zettour was as matter-of-fact as ever, but Rudersdorf sniffed at him.
“Ha, then what’s the problem? I’m plenty capable of boxing with this arm.”
“Sheesh, thinking like a barbarian as usual, I see.”
“And Professor von Zettour is still around, too, isn’t he? Why don’t you resign and hole up in a research office somewhere?”
Rudersdorf didn’t hesitate to press Zettour, who had been mercilessly teased for his self-possession and sober honesty, telling him their only option was to act. They had known each other for a long time, which was why they understood each other so well.
“Old friends are the most troublesome kind, huh? Well, if you go that far, it’s hard for me to argue back.” If Rudersdorf was going to make those kind of remarks, Zettour would have to remove his helmet. “But Rudersdorf, it’s still my duty to warn you.”
Prefacing with an offer of cooperation, Zettour reestablished what exactl
y the unpleasant situation with logistics was.
“I understand what you’re intending with this operation, but there are limits. I’m speaking from the logistics perspective, so I need you to hear me out on this. If we can’t secure air supremacy, supply lines to Dacia will be unreliable. If the Federation Army finds a weak spot, like the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion did, they could take out our supply depots!”
“The Federation’s air power hasn’t changed. They’ve been functioning particularly poorly ever since officers of the previous rule, including aerial mages, were purged.”
“Are you mixing up supply depots and fortresses? They’re piles of flammables like ammo and fuel—incredibly vulnerable to air strikes!”
Rudersdorf’s look said, I understand, but can’t you do something about it? To which Zettour replied, “I get it,” and continued, “We’re doing everything we can, and this is the result. Listen, General von Rudersdorf, I understand what Operations is trying to do. I will do everything I can to build a system to support it, just like I have before. So please just let me say one thing: that we are bending over backward.”
With regard to maintaining supply lines, the Imperial Army had been optimized from the beginning for a domestic interior lines doctrine. To put it another way, as long as the defensive lines were in their own territory, a foundation that could handle a large burden had been maintained for years.
But that went for the east where they had invested a lot of time and money in building a border—it had that infrastructure. The infrastructure in Dacia hadn’t been maintained at all.
The Imperial Army, by its nature, relied too heavily on railroads. The one who felt that most keenly was the one responsible for them, Zettour. Even if he wanted to improve that, the only alternative land transportation options were trucks and horses.
They didn’t have enough oil for trucks, and rubber for tires was scarce.
Even if he tried to get horses, he’d be competing with other industries like agriculture. How was he supposed to fix anything under those circumstances? It made him want to scream more than anything.
