Chapter 113: First, Wrap Up A Small Dumpling
May 12th, 5:30 a.m.
After an hour and a half of rapid fire preparation, daylight finally broke completely.
In the dawn light, one could see that the front of the defense line in Gorlice town and several kilometers north and south, as well as within five kilometers depth, was almost devoid of any living things.
Over 200 heavy cannons had densely plowed this area. Perhaps some Lusha Army soldiers originally stationed in this region were still alive, but they could no longer stay in place and had all retreated to positions further back, attempting to reorganize their defense.
In the past hour and a half, thousands of Lusha soldiers had ultimately escaped the positions in ragged, disheveled clothes, returning to the rear and reorganizing simple defenses.
This approach was actually quite correct.
Because this era had no self-propelled artillery, the attacking side’s heavy artillery units required at least half a day from maneuvering to deployment—last night the Germanian people had spent nearly the entire night pulling the artillery regiments under William Keitel’s oversight to the front line and deploying them.
Now, after bombarding for an hour and a half and clearing the outermost five kilometers of Lusha Army positions, extending the bombardment would require another full day to move the artillery positions forward five kilometers before firing again.
The Lusha Army was not foolish; upon discovering the enemy’s “extremely fierce but limited-range fire,” the smartest move was to immediately withdraw out of enemy artillery range, pulling both sides back to a fair state with no artillery available.
These actions by the Lusha Army, of course, did not escape the eyes of the Germania side’s artillery observers and reconnaissance aircraft.
“What a pity—if we had brought up 150s and 105s cannons last night, not a single one of those thousands could have withdrawn and reestablished their footing. But we only have field guns; escaping a few kilometers back and abandoning the foremost few kilometers of positions puts them out of our strike range.”
As William Keitel moved his eyes away from the artillery periscope, he couldn’t help but sigh with regret.
But he also knew there was no way around it. Long-range cannons were great, but they were also heavy.
A 10-ton object, on muddy ground no less—how could it possibly be transported by the newly developed half-track tractors? Having 2-3 ton short-barreled field guns was already good; without these half-track vehicles, even the short-barreled field guns couldn’t have been dragged to their current positions.
So, the subsequent performance would depend on the infantry brothers.
Fortunately, the Lushans had been forced to abandon a full five kilometers of their foremost defense line. Their follow-up second-line positions were definitely not very sturdy, and the withdrawing soldiers had surely lost much equipment; the assault battalion brothers should be sufficient.
……
As William Keitel’s performance time just ended, Colonel Fedler von Bock led four assault battalions onto the stage.
Assault battalions, as the name implies, were combat units operating on a “battalion” scale, rarely assembling upward into “regiments.”
But today’s situation was exceptionally special, forcing Marshal Leopold to take the risk of bundling together a full four assault battalions for use.
And Colonel Lelouch von Hunter, temporarily guest-starring as his staff officer, also endorsed this expedient measure for such extraordinary times.
Under traditional circumstances, assault battalions were not favored for dense employment, mainly to better call in artillery support.
Each platoon in an assault battalion carried a radio set; once frontline enemy resistance changed, each platoon could send a signal calling for rear artillery fire.
So deploying multiple assault battalions at once would cause redundancy and waste; as artillery callers, one battalion dispersed across a five-kilometer front was sufficient.
Adding three or four times more wouldn’t call in more artillery fire. If the enemy had heavy firepower coverage, too high a density of assault battalions would instead increase unnecessary casualties.
But today’s situation was very different. Near the Gorlice town battlefield, there was no Germania Army long-range heavy cannon support, only those short-barreled field guns with ranges under eight kilometers; the assault battalions’ greatest advantage of “precise artillery calls” was nullified.
But at the same time, fortunately, the opposing Lusha Army also lacked heavy cannon firepower. The few original artillery pieces had been taken out by the Germanian people in the previous sneak attack. The Lushans hastily withdrawing to reorganize their defense line might not have even managed to evacuate all their heavy machine guns.
Since that was the case, the drawback of “dense assault battalion use leading to needless increased casualties under heavy firepower coverage” was almost nonexistent.
To accelerate the assault, temporarily violating military strategy norms was hardly surprising.
Military strategy inherently had no fixed form; the best military strategy was the one that fit the current actual situation.
Four assault battalions: approximately 3000 submachine guns, 260 MG15 light machine guns, 260 grenade launchers.
With such powerful firepower attacking the remnants of the Lusha 57th Division, already severely battered by heavy cannons, Colonel von Bock was brimming with confidence.
Assault battalion soldiers in khaki-green Eastern Front camouflage, everyone wearing steel helmets and work safety shoes with steel plate toe liners, carrying submachine guns and large quantities of grenades, charged forward fiercely.
The first five kilometers were almost as easy as a victory lap, with only a very few survivors who had stayed put and not fled, resisting with Mosin-Nagants.
Such resistance was, of course, suppressed by MG15 light machine guns and then mercilessly eliminated from various directions, without raising the slightest ripple.
“Rat-tat-tat~” Sweeping machine gun bullets pinned every exposed Lusha soldier in the trenches, unable to raise their heads. After Germania assault troops closed in stealthily from various angles, they tossed in grenades, completely finishing them off.
Resistance only intensified slightly after pushing forward about six kilometers into the enemy’s preset positions. These areas had previously been out of Germania heavy cannon range due to distance, so the positions were relatively intact.
However, these original second- and third-line reserve positions might not even have a single complete 1.2-meter trench, mostly just foxholes.
……
“Division Commander! The Germanian people are charging up!”
On the eastern edge of Gorlice town, beside a collapsed building, in a cellar, Major General Dubinov of the Lusha 57th Division was still shaken.
His original division headquarters had been abandoned during the earlier Germania bombardment and shifted rearward here.
Unexpectedly, less than two hours after relocating, the enemy charged up again.
“Are these Germanian people mad? Advancing five kilometers in a day isn’t enough—they’re actually continuously impacting our depth positions without artillery barrage cover? Have each regiment and battalion tally surviving heavy machine gun crews, build a crossfire network, and hold the final defense line at all costs!
Our defense sector only has 2-3 kilometers depth left—if completely breached, letting the enemy into open ground, they’ll encircle and cut behind our railway line!”
Major General Dubinov couldn’t help cursing while issuing orders.
Normally, building heavy machine gun positions and fire networks wasn’t something a division commander should concern himself with.
But now, with the entire division’s artillery nearly all lost, they could only rely on light weapons and machine guns to hold and buy time; he had nothing else to do but step down to that level.
The Lusha 57th Division at full strength should have 21,000 men; pre-battle this morning it had over 15,000, but now after the bombardment, only over 7,000 were still defending, many lightly wounded, and the defense positions very unsecured.
Many of the escaped soldiers were unarmed; the whole division had only over 4,000 Mosin-Nagants left.
As von Bock opposite led several assault battalions into the range of the Lusha 57th Division’s dense defense positions, Mosin-Nagants began crackling like bursting beans.
The Germania charge slowed slightly, soldiers seeking cover and providing mutual cover by bounds. But this slowdown lasted only 5 to 10 minutes, after which Germania MG15 light machine gun teams began counter-suppressing in succession, pinning waves of Mosin-Nagant soldiers unable to lift their heads.
Lusha M1910 Maxim heavy machine guns also began exposing their fire in succession, engaging the enemy in firefights.
Relying on the heavy machine guns’ sustained spraying, the opposing Germania light machine gun teams were forced to go low-profile again, but they quickly found a new solution. Numerous light machine gun teams rapidly maneuvered along trenches or using field ridges and small groves.
In any direction not covered by enemy heavy machine guns, Germania light machine gun teams immediately laid down fire lines and took angles. The several battalions under Bock had over 200 light machine guns total, far exceeding the entire Lusha 57th Division’s heavy machine gun count under Dubinov.
A Lusha division theoretically had only over 30 heavy machine guns; after the earlier rout, some were lost, leaving only 20 now.
The Germanian people had nearly ten-to-one against each; with skilled tactics and reliable maneuvering, they could easily lay fire lines and find dead angles.
This was something anyone who had played battle royale games would easily understand.
Soon, the Germanian people used cross-harassment tactics—several ganging up on one—to suppress the Lusha heavy machine guns in return. Whenever a Lusha heavy machine gun focused suppression in one direction, a firepower point would suddenly emerge on its flank, unleashing fierce fire. The Germania light machine gun team targeted by the heavy machine gun would quickly withdraw and relocate.
Lusha Army officers, up to the division commander general, watching the enemy’s orderly advance through telescopes, all felt a chill of fear.
“What kind of elite troops are these? Have the Germanian people become this terrifying? We fought them last year too—we lost then, but the enemy wasn’t this strong!”
Major General Dubinov could no longer suppress his inner fear.
The Lusha Army could easily defeat the Austrian Army, but faced repeated thrashings by the Germania Army—a situation Lusha Army generals were familiar with.
Last year’s Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes campaigns: Hindenburg with over 200,000 men fought over 600,000 Lusha Army（ deployed across two campaigns）, ultimately counter-killing 400,000 Lusha troops while Germania lost only 50,000.
Lushans 3-to-1 still getting two counter-killed, an 8-to-1 exchange ratio, was normal in Germania-Lusha engagements.
But today’s enemy breakthrough speed, tactical proficiency, and orderly conduct likely far exceeded even a 1-to-8 exchange ratio.
History wouldn’t give Major General Dubinov much time for fear and reflection.
As he panicked, von Bock’s several assault battalions employed newer breakthrough tactics.
Dozens of grenade launcher teams, under cover of their own cross light machine gun fire, crept forward slowly using field ridges, road verges, shallow ditches, and foxholes, finally reaching assault positions in succession.
“Didn’t expect the Lusha Army’s defense line to be this broken, with trenches not even forming a network, actually causing our advance a bit of trouble.” Colonel von Bock, seeing through his telescope that many of his grenade launcher teams had entered firing positions, murmured with slight satisfaction.
If on the Western Front, in a more mature trench network sector, once infiltrated into the enemy’s trench network, submachine gunners and grenades could clear sequentially. Grenade launcher teams could also advance safely in the trenches until in range.
Effective ranges for light and heavy machine guns were generally over 800 meters; beyond that, bullets still had lethality, just without accuracy.
Even hit by a stray bullet from 1500 meters away, it could still kill.
Grenade launchers’ effective range was mainly 100 to 500 meters; beyond that, accuracy dropped sharply, but in any case, range was definitely shorter than heavy machine guns—if grenade launchers outranged heavy machine guns, what use would mortars have?
Thus, grenade launchers could only hard-counter heavy machine guns in relatively complex terrain conducive to approach. Today’s open battlefield with few covers actually gave the Lusha Army some convenience, but fortunately it was overcome.
“Bang-bang-bang~” “Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh~”
As grenades arced high into the sky toward Lusha Army heavy machine gun fire points, the Lusha 57th Division’s final defense core was gradually dismantled by this close-range precise strikes.
Moreover, soon the grenades were not only landing near heavy machine gun points but also smashing into Lusha infantry-clustered trench dense areas.
Within three to five hundred meters, all targets could be precisely observed, leisurely aimed, and then fired accurately.
Even if off-target, recalibrate range and distance, fire a few more—everything seemed very relaxed and elegant, showing no trace of war’s cruelty.
At least from the killers’ perspective, no cruelty was apparent.
As for the killed side, that went without saying.
Sprays of blood and minced flesh exploded in Lusha soldiers’ trenches and foxholes, fiercely battering their nerves.
“Rat-tat-tat” submachine gun fire grew louder, closer, denser—like a dirge of death, driving countless Lusha soldiers mad, roaring insanely as they dropped weapons to flee rearward.
“No fleeing, hold, hold!” Officers including Division Commander Major General Dubinov tried to salvage the already collapsed morale and military discipline, but the soldiers were uncontrollable.
Major General Dubinov drew his pistol and shot the most frenzied shouting deserter, but this ignited the fragile nerves of the others.
Driven by primal will to survive, as a group of deserters passed Major General Dubinov, several bayoneted Mosin-Nagants suddenly stabbed out, catching him off guard.
He looked in astonishment at the large holes stabbed in his chest and abdomen, wanting to curse, but a gush of blood foam with lung fragments surged from his mouth, and he toppled straight over.
From 4 a.m. bombardment, 5:30 a.m. ground assault, 8 a.m. forced to abandon original front line for five kilometers rear second-line dead defense—now just 10 a.m., the entire Lusha 57th Division’s sector was completely shattered.
Remaining soldiers all uncontrollably routed, pursued by “rat-tat-tat” submachine guns and light machine guns. Ultimately, perhaps only three or four thousand escaped alive; the rest all killed or wounded on this battlefield.
After smoothly shattering the Lusha 57th Division remnants, Colonel Fedler von Bock dared not rest, continuing to urge soldiers to accelerate forward, taking advantage of no enemies ahead to penetrate further into enemy rear.
Behind Bock’s several assault battalions were several divisions’ worth of 10th Army Group main force troops, beginning to infiltrate and encircle through this breakthrough, aiming to swing behind the three Lusha divisions dead-guarding the railway, then turn to cut the railway.
Lusha 8th Army Group Commander General Brusilov’s reinforcing cavalry division was still en route.
They had no idea that friendly 57th Division was eliminated by the enemy by 10 a.m. this morning, and Gorlice town’s positions completely lost.
At 11:30 a.m., eleven kilometers behind the Gorlice defense line, when the arriving 12th Cossack Cavalry Division saw infantry troops rapidly marching in the distance, they at first thought they were their own routed soldiers.
“What’s going on? Isn’t it only 11 a.m.? Just seven hours since enemy bombardment began, and the 57th Division already has so many deserters? Fleeing that far behind the line? Quickly divide and surround them, grab those deserters!” Some leading cavalry officers, seeing this, independently ordered subordinates to round them up.
However, as the distance closed, they soon realized they were mistaken.
Too late by then.
“Rat-tat-tat” light machine gun sweeps rang incessantly, felling swathes of vanguard Cossack cavalry once strutting forward into the mud.
“It’s Germanian people! Pull back distance, deploy field guns!”
“Damn! How did Germanian people reach here? Did the 57th Division guarding Gorlice get completely wiped out? How did they get wiped out without even sending a lost-position telegram!”
“Too terrifying! Was the Germania offensive so swift that the lost-position telegram wasn’t even finished before it was lost? Why didn’t those idiots anticipate the fall earlier and send the report sooner!”
Though the 12th Cossack Cavalry Division’s command echelons had some clear-headed ones issuing correct orders like “deploy artillery.”
But the whole cavalry division couldn’t switch from marching to combat instantly amid chaos, requiring at least half an hour.
Germania light machine guns continued madly sweeping, downing cavalry too close.
Some cavalry officers, enraged by heavy losses, tried charging to break the enemy’s thin line, but soon proved with their lives how delusional that was.
After over one to two thousand casualties, the 12th Cossack Cavalry Division finally steadied, pulled distance, and began deploying cavalry guns.
“Don’t fear! The opposite Germanian people just arrived too, force-marching—no way they brought heavy cannons! Cavalry guns more mobile than infantry guns—hold positions, seek cover, artillery covers first, then cavalry charges!” Cavalry officers at all levels shouted hoarse commands.
However, just as the 12th Cossack Cavalry Division thought they weathered the storm, the opposite Germanian people gave no breathing room.
“Enemy cavalry division pulled back after so few casualties? Hm, they must want to deploy cavalry guns! Don’t give them the chance—all units proactively charge and close in! Light machine gun teams provide fire cover, grenade launcher teams follow submachine gun squads in the charge!”
Colonel von Bock, clearly seeing enemy movements through his telescope, countered with targeted orders.
Thousands of submachine gun-wielding assault troopers thus charged fiercely at the enemy cavalry positions.
Opposite Cossack cavalry were stunned.
Having fought so long, trained in cavalry for years, they’d seen infantry set up waiting for cavalry charges at most—never infantry charging cavalry.
Cossack cavalrymen from horseback fired back with Mosin-Nagants and shorter single-shot carbines crackling.
Dense opposite MG15 light machine guns forced them to seek cover, disperse, multitask, greatly reducing rifle accuracy.
This era’s bolt-action rifles had effective ranges over 800 meters generally, but beyond 500, aiming was very hard. Once distracted, or in complex battlefield under suppression unable to raise heads, even beyond 300 meters you couldn’t hit.
Scattered cavalry counterfire occasionally downed charging assault troopers. But assault troopers pressed on bravely, heedless of comrades falling beside, closing to under 300 meters, then spraying submachine guns at enemies—accuracy and lethality irrelevant, scaring and suppressing was good.
And if blindly hit in vitals by submachine gun bullets from 300 meters, it could still wound.
Cossack cavalry were actually suppressed by this unstoppable momentum, short-range distance closing to under 200 meters—submachine guns’ time to shine finally arrived.
“Rat-tat-tat~” Countless fire tongues crisscrossed, sweeping down huge-target cavalry one by one. The entire charge took under 10 minutes; Lusha cavalry field guns were just unloading, not even fully deployed, when Germanian people turned it into melee.
“Mad! These Germanian people are all mad! Since ancient times, infantry charging cavalry?!”
Cavalry wanting distance and artillery deployment got face-charged by infantry for not retreating far enough!
Where to even reason!
Under von Bock’s resolute offensive, the hastily reinforcing 12th Cossack Cavalry Division was quickly shattered too.
Fortunately, this cavalry division’s casualties weren’t too heavy, ultimately only over 2000 killed or wounded. But their just-unloaded cavalry guns were soon overrun by assault teams; Lusha artillerymen gunned down or hands-up surrendered captured.
A cavalry division’s total 24 75mm field guns were almost entirely captured by assault troops. Without the burdensome field guns, the cavalry spurred horses in mad retreat back toward Przemysl Fortress.
Von Bock scored another big victory, quite elated: “Immediately report rear: Our army not only shattered Lusha 57th Division’s line but routed the reinforcing cavalry division.
Now we’ve penetrated deep enough behind enemy lines—immediately turn south, cut the railway! Encircle those three divisions deployed on the railway front into dumplings!
After eating this dumpling filling, lure main force to counterattack Przemysl Fortress!”
——
PS: 6000-word big chapter, more coming soon, total still daily 10k words. Keep begging for votes.
