German Red Prince

Page 175

Hearing someone call his name, Blitzt quickly ran over and saw that it was his old boss.

"The armored vehicle's gun barrels aren't pointed at our own people, they're pointed at the enemy, understand?"

"Understood, Colonel Guderian. We will definitely drive the Prussians out of the Rhine completely!"

Blitzkrieg felt guilty because he had caused trouble last time, which led to Guderian's demotion. Their old leader had been running around for the development of the armored forces, and now he had to clean up their messes.

"Are you all ready? This time we're going to give the Prussians a good kick in the ass!"

Looking at the assembled armored troops, many of whom were his students, he wondered how many would survive this battle. After all, this was the first practical application of Guderian's tactics, and he was somewhat worried.

As the weather gradually cleared and the tanks roared to life, the counter-offensive began. Troops from all four directions charged toward Kassel. The revenge of the Kingdom of the Rhine had begun, and the general counter-offensive had commenced. Every soldier now held only one belief: the Prussian army would be halted here. This was the furthest they could advance. The tank tracks would measure the distance from Frankfurt to Berlin.

It has to be said that Prussia's intelligence was practically garbage. The Rhine Kingdom's army had been gathering more than 20 kilometers away for a long time, and they didn't react at all. It was as if they were operating right under their noses and they weren't discovered. Or perhaps their successive victories made them completely lower their guard.

Now, the command post in Kassel is in complete chaos. Intelligence is coming in from all directions. In an instant, it seems that all the troops of the Kingdom of Rhine have gathered in Kassel. All the troops are reporting that they have been attacked, but by the time they send the information back, there is no response.

One after another, the troops at the front lost contact. The speed was too fast. Within a few tens of minutes, they could no longer contact the troops stationed in Edelmünde, which is only twelve kilometers away from Kassel.

Not just in the Kassel direction, this was just one force of the Frankfurt Front's offensive. Thorne had begun mobilization early on, sending a sufficient number of troops from the Rhineland to the front. The Southern Attack Group had eleven divisions, and Thorne believed they could completely defeat this old-fashioned Prussian army, both in terms of equipment and tactics.

380. You have been captured.

"Emergency assembly! Emergency assembly!"

The alarm bells blared throughout the military camp, and the soldiers rushed out of their barracks, looking completely bewildered. What was going on? Why were the alarm bells ringing in the middle of the night?

After hurriedly putting on their clothes and hats, the soldiers finally assembled, but they couldn't find their officers. The entire camp was plunged into a strange situation of order mixed with chaos.

At this time, they naturally wouldn't see their superiors. The superiors were also extremely busy, having just received intelligence that the Rhine Kingdom's army had attacked. Upon hearing this news, no one reacted. Wasn't the Rhine Kingdom currently at war with Prussia? And wasn't the Prussian army about to reach Frankfurt? How come they're fighting them now?

King Rupprecht mobilized troops to launch a probing attack on the Rhine. This was originally a trivial probing attack; if it succeeded, great, but if not, they could simply retreat. He believed that the Kingdom of the Rhine would not start a war against Bavaria at this time. They were already being beaten by Prussia and had lost their way. Why would they want to create another enemy for themselves?

Rupprecht had no idea that the Kingdom of the Rhine had been waiting for Bavaria to make a move. The Bavarian garrison had not moved at all, and the troops stationed near Frankfurt were ready to support the front line at any time. The firing of guns was a big deal, but it was a very big deal for the Kingdom of the Rhine.

The Rhine Kingdom broadcast the news of the border clashes. Bavaria, at this moment, abandoned its peace with the Rhine Kingdom and chose to launch an unjust war of aggression against the Rhine Kingdom, just like Prussia. Therefore, the kingdom was going to retaliate. The Rhine ambassador in Bavaria also delivered documents, declaring war on Bavaria for the border attack.

The war broke out suddenly. Although Rupprecht had been laughing at the Rhine Kingdom for being completely unprepared, he realized that his own kingdom was also completely unprepared when the Rhine Kingdom launched its attack. Moreover, the king realized that it was all a trap, and the Rhine Kingdom was just waiting for him to take the initiative to attack.

The fierce offensive in the border region didn't seem like they were unprepared at all. It was only then that the king realized that he was an excellent commander, but times had changed, and the tactics had changed.

The Bavarian army was urgently mobilized, otherwise the enemy would have reached Munich. The frontline commanders received the notification in a daze: the Kingdom of the Rhine had actually started a war with them, and had already attacked. It was like a dream. The Kingdom of the Rhine dared to fight two against one. Were they crazy?

Despite this thought, the situation at the front lines did not lie. The Rhine Kingdom's battle lines were advancing rapidly, and officers at all levels had only just received instructions to hold off the enemy before leading their troops to the front lines.

The soldiers were also very confused about what was happening. They were inexplicably assembled and given guns. Bavaria had just been mobilized and basic supplies were not yet prepared. Some people only received ten bullets and boarded the train in a daze. It wasn't until the train kept moving forward and they could vaguely hear the sound of artillery that they realized they were going to the front line and that there was a war!

The Rhine have invaded?!

The border city of Würzburg in the Kingdom of the Rhine is 90 kilometers away from Nuremberg in Bavaria as the crow flies, and Stuttgart is 195 kilometers away from Munich. Compared with the Kingdom of Prussia, the Kingdom of the Rhine clearly has a greater advantage in fighting against Bavaria.

Kesselring looked at the assembled airborne troops, a brand-new branch of the military. They were once the pride of the Kingdom of Rhine. The two lightning bolts on their collar insignia were their past and present honors. These people should have been the next generation of airborne troops' officers or captains, but now the situation was urgent, and they had to be put into actual combat. Only actual combat could test such an elite force.

"You are the rulers of the earth, and so are you of the sky!"

The Kingdom of Rhine has not yet begun to equip itself with formal transport aircraft. The planes currently carrying these soldiers are all temporary modifications of various models. The better ones allow passengers to sit inside the cabin, while others take off with bombers and can only lie on the wings.

War never breaks out when people are ready. The paratroopers could only make do with the aircraft they had. The planes towed the gliders to take off. Göring’s squadron volunteered to escort the paratroopers. Although they did not have advanced fighter jets, these old-fashioned aircraft were enough to deal with the Bavarian Air Force.

In terms of size, the Kingdom of the Rhine is far larger than Bavaria, with far more resources and population. In particular, the Rhine's army has undergone military reforms, making Bavaria's chances of winning even smaller.

Fighter jets took off, and paratroopers, aboard various types of aircraft, began their first combat mission: to capture Ulm.

It wasn't until they boarded the train that the soldiers learned they were at war with the Kingdom of the Rhine. Each of them was filled with unease, clutching their rifles and praying to God that they could live to see the war end. The train was in chaos. They hurriedly boarded, but the soldiers couldn't find their squad leaders, and the squad leaders couldn't find their platoon leaders. The carriages were noisy, but everyone could hear the distant, low rumble of artillery fire. The sound was very close, and they had no idea where the Rhine Kingdom's army had reached.

Even as the train slowly pulled into the station, the soldiers still didn't understand the situation. Officers at all levels hadn't even received their orders and had no idea what to do next.

A group of soldiers came down from the platform in a noisy commotion. The officers shouted at the soldiers, who weaved through the crowd to find their units. The scene was chaotic.

"You lot, how long will it take for the troops to regroup! By the time you're done, the Rhine army will have already attacked!"

As the troops were making chaotic arrangements upon entering the station, an officer walked over and led a group of soldiers to the train station.

"How long are you going to take to finish this? Where is the highest-ranking officer in this unit? Bring him here to see me right now!"

It seems this officer is in charge of this region. The Rhine Kingdom's army is right in front of them, yet these people are not flustered at all. It seems to be an elite unit stationed on the front line.

"I am the commander of this unit. May I ask who you are?" An officer ran over, saluted, and showed his identification.

"Quickly reorganize your troops. The Rhine Kingdom's army has already advanced to Tekshaim, and they are only five kilometers away from here. Do you want to be surrounded?"

The shout startled the officer. His entire regiment had been hastily summoned to support the front lines, completely unaware of what was happening. The Rhine Kingdom's army was right in front of them, and his troops were not even ready for battle.

"Your troops are in complete disarray. Is this your first day as a regimental commander? Sending troops like this to the front lines would be too weak to even be cannon fodder! If it weren't for our elite troops still holding the line, I wouldn't even bother with you!"

The officer's tone was fierce, but the regimental commander also had his own difficulties. They had only just received the notification, so how could they possibly be ready immediately?

The officer didn't say anything more, but instead led the soldiers to maintain order and help the regimental commander quickly get the troops ready. With their help, the troops were soon prepared.

"Sir, are we heading to support the front lines now?"

"Support the front lines? How long can your troops hold out there?"

The commander was speechless. Indeed, without even replenishing their equipment, how long could they hold out on the front lines?

"Holtzmadon has enough ammunition. Lead your troops to the designated location for resupply."

"Understood, sir!"

The regimental commander happily relayed the order. This officer was really kind; he even left them supplies. However, it was clear that there was no such thing as a free lunch, and the regimental commander would soon understand this principle.

There were many soldiers on guard along the road, which was understandable. However, the troops who had just arrived at the front line saw a lot of new things. They had never seen these armored vehicles before, and some of the guns that the soldiers were carrying were of a type they had never seen before.

For some reason, the atmosphere seemed very tense. Reinforcements were coming from behind; shouldn't they be relaxing a bit? These people all had such tense faces, as if they were about to start a fight. Maybe it was because the fighting at the front was too urgent?

The soldiers were led to a designated location, a large square. In front of the square were many large boxes, which looked like supplies of ammunition. However, the officer who had led them there was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, the rumble of engines sounded nearby, and more than a dozen armored vehicles and tanks drove in from all directions. Nearly a hundred soldiers aimed their guns at the assembled soldiers, and countless gun barrels also emerged from nearby buildings.

Before the soldiers could react, a huge Rhine flag was raised on the building, and the officer's voice rang out again.

"I apologize, gentlemen. I am Erwin Rommel, the commander of the 1st Armored Grenadier Division of the Kingdom of Rhine. You have been captured by us."

During the Great War, when Rommel first participated in battle, he led three soldiers to defeat an attack by about 20 French soldiers. In a battle in the Carpathian Mountains, Rommel led his troops along a little-known mountain road for 50 hours, capturing more than 5000 enemy soldiers and 30 artillery pieces.

This time, Rommel led a force of less than three hundred men in a surprise attack on Holtzmarten, capturing the town without losing a single soldier and taking a whole enemy regiment prisoner.

381. Airborne

This was absolutely the world's earliest airborne operation, even earlier than the Soviet Union's timeline, and it was far more dangerous; it was a legitimate real-world combat operation.

There are fewer obstacles in the air than on the ground, and Ulm is also much closer. It would take several days to successfully advance more than 70 kilometers on the ground, but in the air, there are no obstacles. If Goering drives a little faster, he can reach it in less than an hour.

Göring was on edge. The transport planes he was escorting were full of people, and if even one of them crashed, the combat capability at the destination would be greatly reduced. So he had to be careful. Göring was also praying that they would not encounter the Bavarian Air Force.

In reality, they didn't encounter any such situation. Bavaria was in complete chaos, and the military was overwhelmed with dealing with all sorts of contradictory documents. One minute the Rhine Kingdom's army was in the east, the next it was in the west; one minute an army was wiped out in its entirety, and the next minute that army kept requesting reinforcements.

King Rupprecht was the more composed one. He still wanted to use micromanagement to change the course of the battle, but the reality was that he could not do so, because he could not even muster a complete army, let alone micromanage. He had a lot of skills but could not use them.

What is now certain is that the two armies of the Kingdom of the Rhine are advancing towards Nuremberg from Würzburg, and towards Munich from Stuttgart. According to reports from the front-line troops, it is also certain that the Kingdom of the Rhine's army is getting closer and closer, because the troops that sent back telegrams said that the cities they are stationed and defending are getting closer and closer to Munich.

"We've all been deceived by the Kingdom of the Rhine! We've been deceived by them! Those damned swindlers, they stole the lands of the Confederation of the Rhine from us in the past, and now they're deceiving us again! A bunch of cunning villains!"

King Rupprecht began to rage in a fit of impotence. They had been deceived by the Kingdom of the Rhine. The Rhine had pretended to be weak to lure Bavaria into a trap, and Bavaria had been thoroughly fooled. They were already at a disadvantage in terms of population and military strength, and with the Rhine Kingdom already prepared, they had no chance.

Rupprecht also realized that the Rhine Kingdom's army was too fast, and his own army couldn't keep up at all. Before the troops could even assemble, they were wiped out. His side was bearing the brunt of the pressure. What about Prussia? They should be saved! At least the two kingdoms are now on the same side.

"That's what the Prussian envoy said? What are their troops doing? We've already drawn the vast majority of the Rhine Kingdom's forces, what are they doing on the front lines? Are they on vacation? Why has the Prussian army's advance slowed so much since Bavaria launched its attack?"

King Rupprecht was very curious. He had only joined the fray because of Prussia's rapid initial progress, but what was happening now? What were the Prussian troops doing? Why were they completely silent? Were they attacking? Were they encircling and annihilating them? So, after he entered the fray, they just started watching the show?

This can only be attributed to the timing of the king's provocation. Prussia's offensive was already at its limit, having reached Kassel, and they were just preparing to rest when the Rhine Kingdom launched its counterattack. They were badly hurt, and several of their frontline troops were surrounded, cutting off half of their offensive momentum. However, Prussia concealed this information, so Bavaria had no idea that Prussia's frontline had suffered a setback.

Just as Bavaria and the Kingdom of the Rhine declared war, Prussia was able to take a good rest. The troops at the front temporarily halted their offensive. Once they stopped, the main force of the Rhine's attack was directed towards Bavaria, which was in accordance with their original plan. Bavaria's volatile nature made it unpredictable, so the goal was to take it quickly and then attack Prussia from two directions. This was the Rhine Kingdom's overall offensive plan.

The Kingdom of the Rhine kept increasing its strength in Bavaria. The sooner they took over Bavaria, the sooner they could liberate Germany. The Communist Party of Germany also had a party organization in Bavaria. Thorne didn't mind replicating the Bavarian Soviet here. Once the red flag was raised, the people would welcome it wholeheartedly.

The journey was uneventful. Goring looked at the map and saw that they had arrived over Ulm. Perhaps they had not expected the Kingdom of the Rhine to adopt such a combat method. After receiving the order, the paratroopers began to parachute.

How can we maximize the effectiveness of airborne troops? Should they be dispersed for short-range tactical operations, or concentrated for use in the enemy's strategic heartland?

One view holds that airborne troops should be deployed in locations where they can quickly join forces with the main force. This would not only effectively support the ground offensive but also reduce the risk of the airborne troops being annihilated by the enemy due to their weaker position.

Another view holds that airborne troops should be concentrated on poorly defended deep targets and strategically important areas in order to achieve significant results.

This operation, while ostensibly the first option, is actually correct; while ostensibly the second option, is also correct. The airborne forces are still in their early stages of development and not yet fully mature. Even the supporting transport aircraft have not been fully produced. Therefore, this operation is a short-range airborne operation to occupy rear areas and complete the encirclement of the frontline troops.

Similarly, an airborne assault on Ulm would also be a strike against a strategically valuable area for the enemy. Ulm is just ahead of Augsburg, and Augsburg is just ahead of Munich. Occupying this strategic location would make Ruprecht extremely uneasy.

Airborne troops are an armed force that relies entirely on surprise to win. Surprise is absolutely essential for airborne operations. Without surprise, the value of airborne operations is lost. In order to achieve surprise, the Kingdom of the Rhine has also taken a series of measures.

Before officially using the airborne troops, Thorne kept this branch of the military strictly secret. After the establishment of the Rhine Airborne Forces, its composition, training, exercises and so on were kept secret from the outside world. Kesselring's airborne corps was internally known as the transport aviation regiment used to support airborne operations, and externally as the "special mission bombing aviation regiment". The Kingdom of Rhine kept a high level of secrecy for such a highly advanced military branch.

The airborne landing in Ulm was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather a well-planned operation. The Kingdom of the Rhine was preparing for the airborne operation in absolute secrecy. Before Thorne fell into a coma and while the three kingdoms were still in normal condition, the Kingdom of the Rhine's army formed a commando regiment at the Stuttgart airbase, cutting off all contact with the outside world. All officers and soldiers were not allowed to take leave or go out, and all correspondence was subject to strict inspection. Anyone found to have leaked information about the troops through letters or other means would be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

It was precisely because of these preparations that the Rhine Kingdom's first airborne mission went so smoothly. No one had ever seen such a force before; living people actually fell from the sky. The troops stationed in Ulm didn't even have time to react and just watched helplessly as the Rhine Kingdom's paratroopers landed and launched an attack. By the time they thought of counterattacking, the paratroopers' powerful firepower had already overwhelmed them.

This was a completely new way of fighting; the Kingdom of the Rhine was conducting its first airborne assault, and 1500 airborne troops captured Ulm, a major military town in Bavaria.

382. Dictator

The situation on the front lines is unclear to the people of Prussia, the Kingdom of the Rhine, and Bavaria. Not only are ordinary people unaware of the details, but even the military is not entirely clear on the situation.

What Prussia can confirm is that, in the Kassel direction, their frontline troops suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Kingdom of the Rhine. During the retreat, at least four divisions were wiped out by the Rhine, and the vanguard of Army Group B was directly cut off by the Kingdom of the Rhine.

This dealt a heavy blow to Prussia. More importantly, the Kingdom of the Rhine occupied the Minden region, the only passage to Kassel. By blocking it, the Prussian army was unable to advance an inch.

No one knows how the Rhine Kingdom's army recovered so quickly. The advantages that Prussia had just gained have now been taken back by the enemy. The Prussian army needs to make appropriate adjustments to its operations.

There is good news: Bavaria has also declared war on the Kingdom of the Rhine. This reduces the pressure on the Prussian front and allows them to make some adjustments during this time. Judging from the Rhine Kingdom's offensive against Bavaria, even though the upper political system has been severely damaged, the Rhine Kingdom's troops still have considerable fighting power.

It seems they underestimated them, but Hess doesn't admit it. He only wants victory; only continuous victories can allow him to maintain control over all of Prussia.

We don't know the exact situation in the Kingdom of the Rhine yet, but the situation in Prussia is not good either. After Wilhelm II fell into a coma, Crown Prince Wilhelm is now the representative of the royal family. It would be best if Wilhelm II didn't wake up at this time, otherwise, if he saw the German civil war, his blood pressure would probably spike and he would die.

Wilhelm II also wanted to unify Germany, but war was the last priority. He preferred to control the two kingdoms through marriage, although this might take a long time. Moreover, he was nominally the emperor of the German Empire, so fighting internally would cause a lot of trouble even if unification was achieved.

Even if Wilhelm II did not want war, unification was the desire of all Germans. Moreover, he was still unconscious, so he had no choice in the matter. The Kingdom of the Rhine had clearly shifted from defense to offense, but the Prussian army still maintained a certain advantage, at least preventing the Kingdom of the Rhine from pushing back into Prussian-controlled territory.

"We must formulate a plan as soon as possible. We cannot allow the Rhine people to invade, or we will be sinners against the German nation."

Hess was resolute in his stance, determined to retake Kassel at all costs and by any means necessary, so that the Prussian army could penetrate deep into the Rhineland and advance towards Frankfurt.

However, the situation at the front was clearly not something that Hess could change with just a few words. Prussia had suffered its biggest blow since the start of the war in Kassel, and it was not something that could be organized to launch a counterattack in a short time. Moreover, Prussia was not prepared at the moment. There were too many new recruits in the troops fighting at the front. Prussia was not ready to start the war at all. This war was about who could react and mobilize the fastest.

Judging from the current situation, it is clear that the Kingdom of Rhine was the first to react. Faced with the attacks of the two kingdoms, and with the western border troops not yet withdrawn, they even have the ability to launch a counterattack and win.

“Your Excellency, launching an attack now would be extremely unwise. Our rear troops are not yet ready, and the frontline troops have just withdrawn. The Rhine army in the Kassel direction has already set up a defensive line. If we attack now, we will likely pay a heavy price.”

"If the Rhine army advances even one more step, Prussia will be destroyed. We must launch a counterattack!"

Hess didn't want to hear any of that; he only wanted victory, the same kind of victory he had at the beginning, because his rule was already somewhat shaken in Prussia due to the situation at the front.

“If the army is no good, then I will send the stormtroopers to the front. Our country does not need a useless army.”

The size of the stormtroopers is constantly growing. As a paramilitary organization, they can indeed go to the battlefield. Although their professional skills may not be good, influenced by the Nationalist Party, their combat effectiveness can be quite strong. Hess is already preparing to send stormtroopers to the front lines.

These men were more fanatical and more ruthless in battle than regular soldiers, especially those who joined the stormtroopers earlier; their fighting spirit might even be higher than that of regular soldiers.

This group has a very high fighting spirit. It's not right for them to stay in the back. They might as well go to the front line. They're willing to go anyway. We can send a few large detachments over.

Then there's Prussia's new army. After that military parade, Prussia also formed an armored force similar to that of the Kingdom of the Rhine. It would be a waste not to send this force to the front lines. Schtroheim had long wanted to try breaking through Minden, recapture Kassel, and open up the road to Frankfurt.

There was something else that infuriated Hess: the German Civil War had begun, yet East Prussia hadn't responded at all. Where were their equipment? Where were their reinforcements?

After Wilhelm II fell into a coma, Ludendorff effectively controlled East Prussia. Based on his prestige on the Eastern Front, he could now directly influence Baltic politics. Ludendorff began cultivating his connections in Eastern Europe during the German Civil War, and he was now the de facto ruler of the Baltic region, controlling the East Prussian army and most of the armed forces in the Baltic region.

Many of these troops were directly under his command and arrangement, so Ludendorff was one of the more powerful forces among the many powers in Germany at that time.

Before Hess began preparing for the German Civil War, Ludendorff had promised to provide assistance. In other words, the entire civil war was orchestrated by Ludendorff. Whether it was the Unifying Party in Röhm within the Kingdom of the Rhine or the National Socialist Party in Prussia, Ludendorff's shadow was behind it all.

Hess's success in becoming the Imperial Chancellor was largely due to Ludendorff's efforts behind the scenes. Logically, everything that was developing was proceeding according to Ludendorff's plan. However, when Hess asked Ludendorff to send reinforcements to support the Rhine battlefield, he did not give a reasonable answer.

Ludendorff did not send reinforcements to Prussia as previously promised, even though he had at least 100,000 troops under his command. This was to put pressure on Hess.

For a period of time after Hess became the Imperial Chancellor, he did try to turn things around, wanting to break free from Ludendorff's control, seize his military power, and take control of the East Prussian army. However, given his limited influence, he was clearly unable to shake Ludendorff's deep-rooted foundation, and after several unsuccessful attempts, he gave up.

Hess saw Ludendorff's current reactions as retaliation, but this had actually been part of Ludendorff's plan all along. Germany needed a savior, and he had been standing behind the scenes for too long. Hess's arrogance prevented him from achieving final victory, and that was his judgment.

All that's needed is for Hess to suffer another major defeat on the front lines, then it would be perfectly reasonable for him, a war hero from the Great War era, to appear and turn the tide. Power would then naturally transfer to Ludendorff, who would this time be an elected dictator.