Cannon Fire Arc-Chapter 681 - 19 General Gorky Attacks

Chapter 681: Chapter 19 General Gorky Attacks

June 20th, Western Front Army Headquarters.

General Gorky glanced at the time, nodded at the Chief of Staff, “Begin.”

The Chief of Staff picked up the phone, “Fire.”

General Gorky stood in front of the map, looking at the densely packed troops on it.

The Front Army Chief of Staff confirmed that the orders had all been correctly delivered and also approached the map, “Now we can only wait. Frankly, I think this is the most tormenting part.”

General Gorky, “Yes. After all, we’re not like Rocosov, who could be sure of victory before counterattacking. Rocosov especially admires a book of ancient military tactics by Ceres, so I found a copy to read. This military book states in its preamble that the more one calculates before battle begins, the greater the likelihood of victory.

“Rocosov is the type who plans meticulously before an attack, which is why his offensives are irresistible once launched.”

The Chief of Staff, “It does sound convincing. So General Rocosov had determined from the beginning that we could win, due to this?”

General Gorky, “Possibly, as his pamphlet is logically unassailable. I even don’t know how to refute it. I’ve seen at His Highness Belinsky’s how the Tribunal confiscated and tried to refute the pamphlets of the surrender faction. They just stressed the nonsense part but ended up making Rocosov’s theories seem even more credible.”

The Chief of Staff, “When I was in Yeburg, I even heard rumors that Rocosov and the Crown Prince—the former Crown Prince—had already calculated all of this. The Prince’s sacrifice was to create an opportunity for Rocosov.”

General Gorky waved dismissively, “We can’t take such tavern tales seriously; let’s not talk about this anymore.”

The Chief of Staff closed his mouth.

General Gorky redirected the conversation back to the battlefield situation, “Now that we have attacked, let’s see how our old nemesis responds.”

————

Empire of Prosen, Central Army Group Command.

The Army Group Chief of Staff, holding the receiver, soothed General Mendel on the other end of the line, “Don’t panic. We saw such a full-front artillery barrage last year and it will probably be another large-scale drenching like before. We held off last year, so there’s no reason we can’t this year.”

Mendel, “How can it not be a problem? Last year my troops were all seasoned veterans; new recruits only accounted for about ten percent. This year, new recruits make up over thirty-five percent of my forces!

“The veterans who should have returned from convalescence were all siphoned off by you to form new units!”

The Army Group Chief of Staff, “After all, the country has started mobilization, and a large number of new units are being formed. Yet, these units can’t all consist of new recruits—then their fighting capability would be too unreliable, turning out as rubbish as Antean mobilized divisions. A number of veterans must act as the core of battle strength.”

Mendel, “So what about these newly formed divisions? Give me a few to fill up the lines!”

“They are being positioned elsewhere that I can’t disclose to you, rest assured they will partake in the impending offensive campaign.”

“So my being breached is of no consequence? If I am breached, how many troops is the Army Group prepared to use for containment?” Mendel asked loudly.

“Stay calm. You now have our meticulously constructed fortifications.”

Mendel, “Constructed my ass! The fortifications are only fifty percent complete! Did you see fifty percent and think that was decent? Let me tell you, that fifty percent means half of the defensive work is fully complete, and the other half hasn’t been touched!

“What if the enemy breaks through where nothing’s been built? I need reinforcements! I need reinforcements! Without them, the Anteans will truly achieve their wish, and hello Plowsonia!”

With that, the line went dead.

The Army Group Chief of Staff stared at the receiver for a few seconds, shook his head.

At this moment, the entire Army Group Command was filled with the incessant ringing of telephones, a clear indicator of the vast number of troops the Anteans had committed to their offensive.

The Army Group Chief of Staff sighed, murmured, “And just our luck, Marshal Von Bock is at the Eagle’s Nest giving his report!”

After a moment’s thought, he picked up the phone, “Connect me to the Eagle’s Nest! Don’t worry about it, I’ll take responsibility!”

————

The heart of Prosen, Eagle’s Nest.

Marshal Von Bock, holding a map stick, gesticulated over the sand table, “We’ve made some specific adjustments to counter the Antean large-scale flooding offensive they used last year. First is the increased density of support points. The Anteans tend to bypass our solid footholds without engaging, suggesting this tactic has been effective, but in fact…”

The Marshal hadn’t finished speaking when the Emperor’s confidential secretary hurriedly entered the conference room, nodded slightly to the Marshal, and went straight to the Emperor, whispering a few words into his ear.

The Emperor looked at Von Bock, “Marshal, Ante’s Western Front Army has just, along with the flanking Antean Front Armies on both sides, launched an attack on your troops.”

Marshal Von Bock appeared unsurprised, “As just mentioned, we have long been aware, based on aerial reconnaissance and confessions from prisoners captured at the front, that the enemy was preparing a large-scale assault. We have contingency plans for this, my Chief of Staff should be able to handle it with ease.”

The Emperor said, “But he called Eagle’s Nest.”

After talking, the Emperor picked up the receiver of the phone in front of him and said, “Transfer the call,” then handed the receiver to Marshal Von Bock.

The Marshal, skeptical, took the receiver, just in time to hear the Chief of Staff’s voice, “Marshal, the enemy has just launched a full-scale offensive, a literal full-scale offensive, the entire line is under artillery fire.”

Von Bock Marshal, “Just like last time, such an offensive by the enemy could only result in breakthroughs where our forces are weakest, and that definitely won’t be at any critical nodes. Once we confirm the points of breakthrough, we just need to deploy our Armored Troops for a counterstrike.”

Chief of Staff, “However, General Mendel of the 9th Army Group says that the total mobilization and expansion of forces have drawn away too many combat veterans, and there are too many new recruits in the units. Plus, half of the sectors haven’t had time to construct permanent concrete fortifications, and he’s worried about a complete breakout.”

Marshal Von Bock, “How could there be a complete breakout? Last year, at most, the enemy had four points of breakout, and we sealed them all up in the end, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy’s viable forces.

“Just respond according to the combat plan, this time our reserve forces are double that of last year’s, capable of handling more than twice the number of breaches! Alright, I need to continue reporting to His Majesty.”

Having said that, the Marshal directly hung up the phone.

The Emperor, however, said, “You’d better return to the front line. Additionally, Celtic Marshal, do we have any forces that we can immediately dispatch to Marshal Von Bock?”

Celtic Marshal, “Yes, we have just completed the organization of the 15th wave Infantry Divisions, and we can provide Marshal Von Bock with six newly formed Infantry Divisions.”

Von Bock Marshal’s brow furrowed deeply, “The fifteenth wave? Infantry Divisions of the eighth wave were already using captured Carolingian artillery from the Carolyn Battle. Could it be that the Infantry Divisions of the fifteenth wave are all equipped with Maxim guns? Do you know how rubbish those guns are?”

Army Commander Rundstedt spoke up, “It’s not all that bad, the machine guns are still MG34s and MG42s, mostly with a few Maxims, but we wouldn’t use the trash Shosha. It’s just that the fifteenth wave has… slightly fewer cannons, that’s all.”

Marshal Von Bock, “How much fewer? I mean, to what extent?”

Celtic Marshal, “Some divisions only have one Artillery Battalion, and those are all 105 caliber howitzers.”

Marshal Von Bock frowned, “Some? Knowing High Command as I do, Celtic Marshal, what you’re saying is definitely not about the worst-off division, so how few cannons does the division with the least cannons have?”

Celtic Marshal, “Four 150mm heavy howitzers. But this is all temporary, expansion of production has already been partially completed, and cannon output is increasing every month. Soon, we will be able to equip all 15th wave Infantry Divisions with the standard number of cannons, meaning four fully-equipped Artillery Battalions.”

Marshal Von Bock shook his head, “Never mind, can you supply me with some extra Armored Divisions? Two years ago, my Armored Divisions had at least two Armored Battalions each, last year some divisions were down to one Armored Battalion, and this year all divisions have only one Armored Battalion! Where have all the withdrawn battalions gone?”

“They’ve been used to form new Armored Divisions,” answered the Celtic Marshal.

Von Bock, “And the Divisions? The Armored Divisions? Now you can only give me 15th wave Infantry Divisions to make do; what if I’m broken through?”

“Enough!” the Emperor slammed the table, attracting everyone’s attention, “You fellows are always clamoring for more troops in my presence, begging for reinforcements! Why don’t you look at General Erwin? Without asking for reinforcements, he took the forces initially given to him and achieved so many splendid victories!”

Actually, Erwin had asked for reinforcements, but with the Emperor not mentioning it, nobody else dared to comment.

After the initial burst of anger, the Emperor sighed and said to Von Bock, “High Command will do everything in its power to support you, ensuring that you withstand the enemy’s assault. But you must also understand, we’re about to launch a large-scale offensive, a great offensive that can end this war! Your defensive operations must not affect the progress of this great offensive!”

Marshal Von Bock repeatedly nodded, “Rest assured, Your Majesty. General Gorky has already been defeated by General Mendel and me, and we can defeat him once more.”

The Emperor nodded, “Hurry back to the front and hold the line.”

————

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

At 0100 hours on June 21st, Marshal Von Bock finally returned to Central Army Group Headquarters.

As soon as the Chief of Staff saw him come in, he quickly approached, “Marshal! The enemy has achieved breakthroughs in multiple sectors, and we have verified seven points of breakthrough so far. Moreover, there are reports that the enemy’s Cavalry are pouring into our controlled areas through these seven openings.”

“Cavalry!” Marshal Von Bock cursed, “Ever since Rocosov gained an advantage with Cavalry, the Anteans have rediscovered the benefits of this ancient type of troop. But our defense area doesn’t have that many grasslands, can the Cavalry really maneuver?”

The Chief of Staff wiped sweat from his brow, “The Cavalry can ford some small rivers that the Armored Troops can’t cross, and the Antean populace in the occupied zones supports them, allowing them to come and go without a trace.”

Von Bock thought for a moment, “Then shoot the civilians who support them, keep killing until no one dares to support them anymore. And our Armored reserve forces? Get them moving now, striving to launch a counterattack by tomorrow morning!”