210 – Stockholm Attack Operation (1)
“Yes, Commander Keitel.”
“Okay, please understand even if I act a bit harsh. “It’s because my personality is like this.”
Captain Keitel, who is sitting in front of me right now, is a person with the most unique career in the history of the Imperial Army.
After being born as the heir of a duke’s family, one of which there are few families in the empire, after graduating from the academy and completing his mandatory term as a platoon commander, he became a battalion supply staff member.
Compared to other peers, he demonstrated superior administrative capabilities, or rather, capabilities related to supply and support that could be said to be unprecedented in the history of the empire.
As a result, he has never been able to hold a position as a commander of a combat unit, such as company commander, battalion commander, or regiment commander, which graduates of other academies must undergo.
Yet he is a monster among monsters who was recognized solely for his ability to handle administrative tasks and rose to the rank of captain.
“No. “It is an honor to be able to have someone like Captain Keitel as commander-in-chief.”
“I also wanted to have someone like you under me, and I am so glad that my wish came true. By the way. “I reviewed the march route and material supply route you submitted, and there were some regrets.”
“……Could you tell me where you regretted it?”
Captain Keitel put on the desk a heavy report that could only be found at a staff college with an evil smile, like a white farm owner manning black slaves.
“It’s not much. First of all, today is the first day we see each other face to face, and we have to talk thoroughly about our strategy for conquering the Kingdom of Stockholm over the next three months. “Let’s discuss it casually and without pressure.”
“Yes, sir.”
“First of all, you chose to land on the coast near Visby Castle in the south of Stockholm, attack Visby Castle, and march north. From my perspective, that route seems to be the best, but the problem is…”
The captain sighed and pointed to the northern part of the Reich Empire and the city of Berlin.
“The method you proposed was to move food and soldiers from the north all at once to the coast near Visby Castle. “That is a very inefficient method of dissemination.”
“But wouldn’t the worst thing happen if we moved the soldiers and food separately instead of transporting them together? “Isn’t there a possibility of being plundered by the Stockholm Kingdom Navy?”
“It is only a half-day boat ride from the city of Lübeck to Visby, so the possibility of being looted is very low. So much so that I don’t even have to consider it. So, in order not to take that risk, if we transport the necessary food and soldiers at the same time as you suggested, the cost alone would amount to a whopping 30,000 gold.”
From noble mtl dot com
Even in modern times when there are land vehicles such as trucks and railways that can transport goods exceeding tens of tons at once, ships are unconditionally preferred when transporting goods over long distances.
Moreover, in this world where there is no other means of land transportation except horse or ox-drawn carriages…
Although it may seem like it travels tens of kilometers compared to the land transport distance, transporting supplies by boat allows you to transport more and faster with less manpower and cost.
So, when learning about supply and transportation in the first year of the academy, I was taught that if I had to choose between a ship and land, I should definitely choose the ship.
Still, it was an operation planned with safe transportation of materials in mind, keeping in mind the possibility of losing all of the materials, and as the captain said, when we weighed the risks and costs.
It seems that the draft I proposed turned out to be an ineffective plan.
“But the rest of the plan just needs to be modified a little, so I don’t need to say more about it. Yes, the march route is to land in Visby, occupy Visby Castle, and then move northwest along the coastline, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. This is because only then can we protect the maritime supply route that runs straight from the north to Stockholm. “I thought it would be best to hold this position and advance east while expanding the supply line.”
“In line with our departure next spring, we decided to use the amount of taxes collected in the north in kind (grain) as military rations instead of signing sales contracts with merchants. With that, there was no need to pay 2-3 times more money from merchants. “This is great.”
When I heard those words, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief that I had overcome the hardest hurdle.
Because the most difficult and complicated thing for a commander in charge of a war is to coordinate the supply schedule and make a plan.
Although it is limited to a rough plan, the plan related to military supplies and weapons supply has been approved, so the risk of major criticism has now been overcome.
“But you used deception during the last invasion of Austria, so is there a reason why you decided to attack head-on this time? “You may be using this strategy because you have an idea, but if you move so honestly in enemy territory, wouldn’t it be very easy to be taken by surprise?”
In the southern part of Stockholm, which will be the battlefield for this time, there are no mountains or valleys that are good for an enemy to ambush. At best, there is a forest densely populated with huge trees that have lived for hundreds of years.
So, looking at it objectively, the Reich Imperial Army will only be marching on plain terrain that is difficult to surprise, so we can relax a little.
A battlefield is a place where you never know what will happen, when and how, and if you are unlucky, no matter how hard you keep your guard up, you could be ambushed and annihilated on an empty plain.
In that sense, Captain Keitel’s point is very reasonable when viewed from a common sense perspective.
“As Captain Keitel said, if we march along a too predictable route, the likelihood of being raided increases. However, the place we are marching on is flat ground, and the imperial army has northern soldiers who can be said to be the best scouts on Europa. So, if we find the enemy first, we will find it, but it will be difficult for the enemy to find us first.”
Actually, since the Stockholm guys also have Northern ethnic cavalry attached to them, it may not make much of a difference.
The important thing is that there will not be a situation where the enemy is watching us right through the palm of his hand, and our troops do not even know where the enemy is.
In such a situation, it is better to just push forward honestly and compete head-on than to make complicated plans and make false figures to deceive the enemy.
The captain seemed to understand this logic as he nodded and answered.
“That’s definitely true. There is no need to move unnecessary troops to deceive the enemy or reveal weaknesses by taking unreasonable moves. Besides, the march route you planned has no terrain for the enemy to ambush, so it would be more efficient to simply go.”
“Thank you for your understanding, Captain.”
“There are many other operations related to meeting and engaging the enemy, but strategic-level operations are also changing all the time, so how can we predict tactical-level battles now? “If you can predict all of that, you should be a prophet, not a general.”
As Captain Keitel said, as long as I am a human being, if I were to predict where our troops would fight and what the operation would be like before the war starts, I would be wrong by more than 95%.
Because even if we try hard to imagine the battle our army will have to fight now, once the expedition begins, the situation is often completely different from moment to moment.
So, wise generals and commanders do not discuss tactical-level operations in a very complicated way from the initial stage.
After that, I explained to Captain Keitel the main points and key parts of this operation in as much detail as possible for about an hour.
Most of the time, it was passed safely without any major criticism.
“Before concluding the report, is there anything you would like to point out regarding supply, administration, tactics, or operations?”
“There is nothing at the moment. However, I will analyze the report based on what you explained and if I find any parts that seem problematic, I will ask questions tomorrow.”
In front of Captain Kaitel who said that, there was a report containing what I had explained so far.
I was so busy answering the questions that I couldn’t pay attention, but it seems like this person was organizing every single thing I said in his own way.
To be honest, I got goosebumps before I even admired how thorough it was.
The captain didn’t seem to care much whether I thought so or not, and since he was done with his business, he got up and was about to leave.
Then he suddenly turned around and said to me.
“I don’t know if I’m lucky or unlucky, but among the many generals in the empire, he’s the only one who has no experience in serving as a field commander except for a platoon commander. So, even if you have less experience in the military and a lower rank than me, you can say that your ability to plan and execute battles is much better than me. Therefore, as the commander of the Stockholm Kingdom Expeditionary Force, I will focus on rear support and supply-related missions, which I am good at. So, let Lieutenant General Jaeger take my place and become the leading figure in leading this war to victory.”
……. When you become commander-in-chief, it is natural to want to play a leading role in victory.
Because if you make the greatest achievements as commander-in-chief, you will have a path to becoming a marshal or minister of military affairs, which are the most honorable positions as a soldier.
But you’re leaving the most important role to me.
“There is absolutely no need to feel sorry for me because I said this. “Because, as the head of the Duke Keitel family and the commander of this expeditionary force, I only place the national interests of the Reich Empire above my own position and intentions.”