by Carlo Zen
When the limited number of mages was taken away, a breaking point had been reached. The rumor that someone had finally protested to be allowed their few units wasn’t a rumor after all.
Sadly, things were far worse than the rumors said. The man who objected had been taken away, and a new political officer was probably being briefed with unrealistic reports as his replacement.
“…Oh, I see.”
His sigh was a lament for their world, where a man with common sense was crushed the moment he mustered the courage to bring up reality.
These were professional soldiers with a modern education. Though ideological education11 is biased, anyone who fought on the front lines could see their gear was inferior to their enemy’s—they understood it so well it made them sick. The only problem was one that could be grasped with a glance at the atmosphere in the meeting room.
They couldn’t object to the party’s decisions… Not only that, but they couldn’t even express any doubt about the party’s perceptions. To the officers having restricted conversations here and there around the room, wary of the observing political officers, it was extremely frustrating…but that’s what it was like in the Federation Army.
“Do the political officers who are left understand the situation?”
“Of course. They may adhere idiotically to the ideology, but how much of an ignoramus would you have to be to not grasp what’s going on?”
“…If they would just tell us to pull back. If they would just tell us not to chase too far and hold instead.”
The Imperial Army’s retreat, like when they beat the Republic, should probably be viewed as a tactical retreat. On that point, all the generals agreed.
To them, one look at the map made it clear.
The Federation Army was flooding into a pretty half-moon dent in the center, but the Imperial Army defensive line units, the left and right edges, were putting up an oddly strong resistance—especially in Tiegenhoff, which at one time was completely surrounded but then received a fresh mage unit as reinforcements.
Even now they were attacking…but they had started to feel a chill, like they were gradually charging farther and farther into the Imperial Army’s encirclement.
As soldiers, what they really wanted was to halt immediately and rearrange their defenses. But. They all hesitated to say so. They couldn’t help it.
Because they knew that the first person to open their mouth, to call for a halt, would be deemed an unforgivable traitor by the Communist Party!
And this was after Moskva had been raided by a mage unit. The party elites had to be eager for a scapegoat. None of these men wanted to be the one to fall under their gaze—they were instinctively scared.
Hence, the desperate glances at the political officers.
One word from them, the party will incarnate, and we’d be saved.
And as one side has one thing on their minds, the other side is thinking the same.
Humans are, on the whole, similar creatures, and their thought processes often resemble one another’s. To the political officers, who had been on the receiving end of silent looks for a while now, the military officers’ intentions were crystal clear.
“…What’s our status?”
“Utter crisis. The front lines keep sending us spirited reports, but it’s obvious if you actually go on inspection. The Imperial Army isn’t collapsing… I’m fairly certain they’re simply falling back to lure us in while waiting for reinforcements.”
Contrary to the reports being sent to Moskva, the situation on the front lines was far from what they wanted to see.
The political officers had some military education, too.
If they walked around the actual battleground and talked to the soldiers, even if they were detested…there was no way to misunderstand the situation the Federation Army was in.
“I guess it’s obvious from a look at the map. There’s a stubborn defense in the direction we want to go. The enemy is herding us where they want.”
The remarks were bitter, and the drags on their cigarettes were silent. In this room swirling with indescribable irritation and smoke, the hopeless situation found the men wanting to cradle their heads in despair.
“…If the generals would tell us to fall back…”
“Whether they’ll be able to convince Moskva is unknown. But if we could make it a fait accompli…”
“That’d be difficult. The damned generals want to make us bring it up again.”
Who would take responsibility for reporting the defeat to Moskva?
What was tearing apart Main Attack Group headquarters, in the end, was everyone’s true feelings and fear—no one wanted Moskva’s eyes on them. If they made a report, Moskva might rethink things. But the enemy was on a rampage with the insolence to trample Moskva, and they were failing to stop them.
“Political Officer Chobarkov already tried it, right? Next, it’s the army’s turn to handle it. Military strategy is their problem to begin with, isn’t it?”
Under the circumstances, even just objecting to the party transferring mage units to defend Moskva was doing the most a political officer could do for the front lines… At least, they had sacrificed one of theirs.
Now it’s your turn.
In their positions, it was taboo to say as much, but that was the political officers’ keenly felt opinion on the matter.
The inadvertent groans spoke volumes as to how uncomfortable their situation was.
To the political officers, the danger of opening one’s mouth at this point was clear. But they were also scared of looking like they had no plan.
What would happen if the Federation Army continued with these reckless attacks?
If the Commissariat for Internal Affairs gave them the evil eye, they were finished. Anyone who could envision the punishment waiting for them if they were defeated had an extraordinarily hard time being proactive. They knew how the apparatchiks and the presidium thought, which left them with no choice but fear.
They writhed and struggled, and then finally, they found a way.
“There is one bit of good news. The unit in Tiegenhoff reports directly to their General Staff.”
One of the men going through documents, groping for a plan, discovered a positive report. They found a way to use the information in a report about the enemy chain of command.
“Directly to the General Staff?”
“Yes. You’d probably understand if I say it’s the unit that did you-know-what.”
It was the mage unit that had struck Moskva and made a grand show of obliterating the Federation and the Communist Party’s dignity and authority. Upon hearing the culprits were in Tiegenhoff, they had their excuse.
“…Let’s suggest attacking Tiegenhoff. If we do it right, we’ll avoid the encirclement crisis and prove to the army that it needs us.”
THE SAME DAY IN TIEGENHOFF
“M-Major!”
Tanya is literally smacked awake by Lieutenant Serebryakov, who is staying in the same billet as her in Tiegenhoff.
“Lieutenant Serebryakov? What is it?”
“An offensive! The Federation Army is on the move!”
Judging from how pale she is, it’s obvious this is no small move.
Sensing the crisis, Tanya hurls off her blanket and jumps out of bed. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, there were no children’s pajamas anywhere to be found, so she sleeps in her uniform. Her low blood pressure upon waking is annoying, but she has no time to fret about things like that now.
Swallowing her cold coffee, Tanya asks some quick questions to get a sense of their situation.
“How many?”
“…According to the air fleet, it’s eight divisions at minimum.”
“What? Eight at minimum?”
It’s an offensive of, with the most optimistic estimate, four times their own two divisions. Tanya was sure their offensive would be carried out with some degree of numbers, but even she has to parrot back that amount in disbelief. T
hat’s way too many. She doubts the veracity of the reconnaissance plane’s report for a moment but then shakes her head. No.
“A major offensive? If they send that many troops our way at this point, they can certainly protect their flanks, but…have they seen through our maneuver plans?”
If the enemy is changing up their movements, there must be a reason for it. As far as Tanya knows, the rigidity of Communist thought and command chain is legendary.
That they would abandon their reckless breakthrough on the central lines and mount a major offensive on Tiegenhoff, off to the side, is completely unexpected.
“This will leave their central offensive dead in the water… Should we assume if they are transferring this many forces around, there’s been an intelligence leak? Well, but they’re going so slowly. They must have figured out what we’re doing and are moving in response.”
Anyone can guess that the Imperial Army’s aim to surround and annihilate the Federation Army is a maneuver battle. Traditionally, the General Staff can be considered believers in Cannae—that is, disciples of the double envelopment. It’s only reasonable, then, that the Federation Army is on guard against it.
Even if there was a leak, Tanya’s suggestion of maneuvers with Tiegenhoff as the base was only just adopted.
…They must have sensed they were in danger of being surrounded.
Man, underestimating the Federation Army as a bunch of good-for-nothings who move in adherence to their inflexible command structure like the Red Army was a total mistake.
If Communists can react on the fly…this war won’t be so straightforward.
“Ngh, no time to think about that. How do the rest of the troops see the enemy situation?”
“Both divisions’ headquarters have concluded there are signs of a major offensive. Captain Weiss is waiting outside…”
“…How thoughtful of him.”
That my warmonger12 subordinates have the delicacy to mind sex differences comes as a bit of a surprise. That said, it’s important to act when the time comes.
“Sorry I’m late!”
Jumping out of her room and seeing Weiss fully outfitted, Tanya grasps her role completely.
“I’ve been informed of the situation. For now, I’m going to joint divisional headquarters. Under the circumstances, I need to confirm what the division commanders’ plans are.”
Tanya and her troops are reinforcements that just arrived. Originally, Tanya’s battalion had been planning on supporting only the two divisions in Tiegenhoff until further reinforcements showed up.
So if she doesn’t figure out what everyone’s moves are, this war won’t happen. It’s irritating, but it was Tanya’s mistake to think the enemy army wouldn’t act this quickly. She can only grind her teeth at her naivete, laughing at the Communists’ tendency to be fools.
“Captain Weiss, while I do that, I’m leaving the unit up to you! Prepare to sortie immediately and be ready to get a jump on the enemy vanguard in the sky!”
“Yes, ma’am. We’ll shift into scramble prep on the double.”
“If you feel it’s necessary, you can attack without waiting for my instructions. But keep defense of the city in mind when judging how far to go. We’re aiming for command of the sky, but don’t do any more than intercept. I don’t want the battalion taking any pointless losses.”
“Understood, Major!”
Leaving him with an “I’m counting on you,” Tanya rushes over to the joint divisional headquarters of the Third and Thirty-Second Divisions and is stuck being shocked again the moment she arrives.
Aerial recon shows multiple enemy units made up of infantry divisions on the approach. Astonishingly, the Federation hasn’t even bothered with heavy equipment and dares to raid the city with light units.
The serious issue, however, is that the defending side has only two divisions. Two undermanned divisions mid-retreat, that is. Considering they were practically cut off until the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion arrived, circumstances are awfully severe.
For one, it will be impossible to expect them to have the concentration of force to prevent approaches from all directions.
At this rate, we’ll be defending from within the city. The majority of civilians have evacuated, but even so, it will be a huge hassle to weather the Federation Army’s wave attacks while protecting the remnants.
On top of that, the Federation isn’t a signatory on several international treaties. The law of war doesn’t apply.
“…So our battalion is advancing to defend the city. We’ll lure the enemy and engage in delaying combat on the outskirts of Tiegenhoff.”
Thus, upon returning to her battalion, though frustrated, Tanya is explaining the unavoidable interception plan to Weiss, Serebryakov, and Grantz. Of course, it isn’t as if they grasp their enemy’s situation well enough to do terribly complicated maneuvers.
They’ll advance and buy time as they get a handle on things. The modern mage battalion is taking on the role of the traditional light cavalry—seems about right.
“Are you sure? The General Staff instructed us to be the vanguard in the mobile battle. If we use up our energy on delaying combat here, the original plan will fall apart.”
“We’re not just talking about a breach—the whole advance base on our flank is about to get swallowed up. We have no choice but to intercept. I think the General Staff will understand.” Not to mention. Tanya puts on a defiant smile. “We can also read this as the enemy sending in the rest of their reserves. If we get through this, all that’s left will be to make short work of the Federation Army minus their backup.”
“You’ve got grit, but this plan seems too intense.”
“Whoa, whoa, Lieutenant Grantz. Have you forgotten the Rhine front? You cut loose against an entire corps, forget divisions! This isn’t impossible. If you’re going to try to get out of it by saying it’s too intense, I don’t mind sending you out against them on your own—how about it?”
“Commander, if you could please stop messing with me…”
“Sheesh, Lieutenant Grantz. Be a pain in the ass somewhere else, not on the battlefield. You need to learn some work ethic.”
She pats dejected Grantz on the shoulder. Thanks to him, the rest of the unit finds some humor to chuckle at despite the fact that they’re about to face the overwhelmingly huge Federation Army. It’s good to have that bit of emotional wiggle room. Especially for a difficult job, it’s best to have the proper degree of tension paired with the proper degree of calm.
Panic will always cause mistakes.
“All right, battalion. As usual, we’re going to get in the enemy’s way. You learned this at school—the part about aggressively doing things your opponent hates.” After all. Tanya grins before continuing, “I’m a good girl, you know. Naturally, I take the initiative to do what others hate.”
“Ha-ha-ha-ha. You’ve hit the nail on the head, ma’am.”
“Right? Okay, Captain Weiss. This operation is go. Our opponents in the Federation Army are more flexible than we thought. Now then, shall we see what they can do?”
The Communists are outstanding opponents.
So no carelessness, no extraneous thoughts—we’ve got to kill them, in order to never be bothered again and to make it safely to tomorrow morning.
These guys kill for their ideology. We can’t lose to idiots who don’t know the harm principle.
With renewed enthusiasm, the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion takes off and advances to meet the approaching Federation units. Before long, a unit that seems to be the vanguard comes into sight, but Tanya is incredibly confused.
“What the—? We’re this close, and they still haven’t sent up their aerial mage units?”
Her grumble sums up the reason.
When she turns to her adjutant, Serebryakov, who is on lookout duty, she gets a head shake in answer.
“Lieutenant, we aren’t over Dacia, you know!”
“I understand what you mean, but Major…I’m not detect
ing anything. Are you picking anything up?”
“No,” she replies, but she’s so taken aback that the word lacks strength.
Still, Serebryakov, with an equally mystified look on her face, must feel the same way. Regardless of how it would go if they were invading the enemy’s rear areas, they’re coming at them head-on with the added objective of recon-in-force.
Since it’s recon-in-force, and the whole point is to see how the enemy handles them, they were prepared to battle Federation aerial mages, but this is what they get. Even Tanya didn’t imagine there would be no one to meet them.
“We still have to be on guard against an ambush, but…are they trying to draw us in? This is the Federation Army! Are they really going to just take anti-surface attacks undefended like Dacia and its lack of air or mage forces?”
And they’re the ones attacking. Tanya figured that given their meager heavy artillery, they would throw in all the air and mage forces they had to make up for it. That’s how you would usually do it, and without control of the skies, this fight would be a one-sided massacre.
The whole reason Tanya decided to engage and sound out their strength was to figure out the scale and determination of their forces. But this is a waste. Even if they were to try to discern how the enemy is thinking, or if Tanya were to make her own judgments, no contact with enemy mages is potentially fatal to either objective.
There’s no way to predict their tactics.
“We’re flying here right out in the open! If we’re not being intercepted, then…stay on your guard for ambushes and ready anti-surface attacks. Let’s rule out the possibility of any enemies lying in wait.”
All we can do is strike, cautiously but unhesitatingly.
Tanya considers a number of ways to deal with potential enemies and prepares herself to respond whether they’re present or not.
“This is Fairy 01 with a notice for the battalion! Ready anti-surface attacks by company! Don’t forget to watch your flanks. Support one another and keep a sharp eye on the air around you!”
This is sort of like playing dual-hammer Whack-a-Mole with one hand tied behind your back. Here we go! Tanya shouts and waves the hand holding her rifle to signal everyone to be ready to charge.
