-Operation Suvorov-

Three months after Emperor Nicholas II took complete control of the country...

　Finally, in a last resort, the revived Russian Imperial Army launched the largest-scale counterattack ever.

This operation is sprinkled throughout with elements of the "deep attack" technique, the pinnacle of mobile warfare and firepower that was perfected in the Soviet Union during the lifetime of Nicholas II, aka Stalin.

　No matter how much knowledge he had from his previous life, Stalin would not have been able to complete it on his own.

　In fact, Nicholas II, aka Stalin, provided a lot of advice on the theorization of the new Imperial Russian Army doctrine, but he only had vague memories of it and his knowledge was quite haphazard in some areas, and to be honest, much of what he said seemed like nothing more than unnecessary interference from the General Staff.

　However, there were some parts of the ideas that could be used as reference, and when a debate arose within the General Staff over theory, the Emperor provided a rough outline of the direction (suppressing the supporters of cavalry warfare and insisting on the effectiveness of tanks, while at the same time being cautious about bold mobile warfare and placing emphasis on artillery firepower, etc.), and he solidified the overall direction through discussions with Brusilov and others.

　The first thing that Brusilov and other members of the Russian General Staff aimed to do was to find a way to neutralize the "infiltration tactics" that were the source of the German army's strength, and its improved version, the "Panzerkail."

　Brusilov and other generals summarize the Soviet Union's weaknesses into three points:

1) Because a small number of troops are concentrated at one point and spread out in a thin, linear formation, if the enemy holds both sides of the breakthrough, the breakthrough will be blocked from there, dividing the troops into front and back, and if things go wrong, the troops that have charged in will be surrounded and annihilated.

② The "assault forces" used for breaking through, including tanks, and the infantry units used for suppressing the following are operated separately, and due to the difference in speed, it is difficult for them to coordinate.

3) Because it involves control of points rather than an area, if an isolated enemy puts up a stubborn resistance, you will eventually be drawn into a war of attrition.

　Of course, the German military was also aware of these weaknesses.

　However, the answer to question ① would be a multiple-point breakthrough, but this would be counterproductive, as it would mean that without concentrating troops and firepower it would be impossible to break through the front line in the first place.

　Regarding ②, as long as the mobility of infantry cannot be increased, if coordination is emphasized, the mobile forces will have no choice but to adjust to the infantry units, which will result in the sacrifice of their essential mobility.

　Regarding ③, this is merely an afterthought, since the infiltration tactics are based on the premise that "Russian troops have low morale," which was not so far off the mark until recently.

"These problems were not unique to the recent battle for the capital; they arose in my own offensive as well, but it was a second-best solution to maximize effectiveness under restrictive conditions."

　In front of the assembled commanders, Brusilov carefully analyzes the weaknesses of the enemy's new tactic, "Panzerkail," which had been used in the recent battle of Petrograd.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to change the premise."

　Brusilov answered Nikolai's question immediately.

"Fortunately, we have two advantages that our opponents don't have."

　Saying this, Brusilov placed a photograph in front of Nikolai.

"A rocket attack!!"

　The photo placed before Nikolai showed the Katyusha rocket troops that had been deployed in large numbers in the recent battle firing a spectacular volley of shots.

"Exactly. The key is the concentration of multiple rocket launchers. They can be deployed in five times the numbers of field artillery, fire five times faster, and are one-fifth as light. Of course, they have many drawbacks, but for short periods of time they provide 25 times more artillery support in any terrain than conventional artillery."

"In other words?"

"Our forces will have, for a limited time, 20 times the firepower of the German forces."

　Artillery tactics in World War I can be broadly divided into the British and French style and the German and Russian style. The former aimed to solve problems with hardware, known as "technology," while the latter aimed to solve problems with software, known as "tactics."

　The apotheosis of the former is "moving barrage fire," a tactic in which infantry and artillery are closely coordinated in line with developments in communications technology, and the infantry charges under the support of a barrage.

　The basic aim was to "annihilate" enemy positions, and by physically crushing the enemy forces, they literally intended to "plow with artillery and occupy with infantry."

　In contrast, the German and Russian armies, which tended to be short on supplies, aimed to "neutralize" enemy positions rather than "annihilate" them. They placed emphasis on the surprise effect and sent their infantry charging in immediately after a short artillery barrage.

　Brusilov combined this with the latest weaponry, rocket artillery, and added advice from Nicholas II (which was actually interference based on vague knowledge of a past life) to refine the design.

　Furthermore, by appointing Major General Alexander Svetin and Vladimir Triandafillov, teachers at the Military Academy whom Nicholas II had trusted based on his knowledge from his previous life, as his staff officers, he was able to develop new tactics from both hard and soft aspects.

"Now, I will now explain our counterattack plan, Operation Suvorov."

　When the name of the operation was finally made public, a murmur of excitement erupted from the generals.

　After all, it bears the name of Alexander Suvorov, a rare and undefeated commander in military history, which shows the high expectations the Russian military general staff had for it.

"First, in the first phase of the operation, we will launch a saturation attack with multiple rocket launchers. These rocket launchers are low-cost, simple to build and easy to transport, and we will use them to launch a saturation attack on the German front lines where their defenses are weak, thereby seizing control of the area."

"Even if it is only temporary… if we can control the entire defense line, rather than just a single point, then we can make a multiple-point breakthrough."

　Kornilov nods approvingly, fiddling with his beard.

"But won't there be interference from the enemy? If we gather that many, they'll be detected by enemy reconnaissance planes."

"Yes, that's why we're building the rocket artillery positions at night. Unlike cannons, rocket artillery is light and has a simple structure, so I think we've already proven that there are no problems working in the dark at the capital's defense line."

"Hmm..."

"I have also requested that the few remaining Russian air forces be deployed to disrupt enemy aircraft. In any case, with the accuracy of rocket artillery, spotting impacts is pointless, and with firepower 20 times greater than that of artillery, even if only temporarily, airstrikes will be unnecessary."

　Such a high density of artillery fire would prevent the enemy from even raising their heads in their trenches, let alone retreating. Stifled and confined to their frontline trenches, the ensuing multi-point assault would cut them off and isolate them.

"And here's where our army differs from the German 'Panzerkaiel'... First, our army creates a huge breakthrough by connecting multiple breakthroughs horizontally. We repeatedly carry out saturation attacks using human wave tactics, literally drowning the enemy forces in a sea of ​​Russian soldiers from multiple directions, both in front and on the sides of the breakthrough."

Brusilov's aim was to create a huge breakthrough, ten times larger than a normal one, 20-30 km in length, which would provide a strong enough defense in depth to withstand any German attempts to flank and close the breakthrough.

"From here, we will move on to the second phase. First, we will probably run out of rockets, so we will switch to supporting artillery fire with conventional artillery to hit the remaining enemy positions together with the infantry. Then we will send in armored forces into the breach. This is no different from the traditional Brusilov offensive and infiltration tactics."

　Perhaps embarrassed to mention the tactic named after himself, Brusilov coughed and gathered his mind.

"But armored forces such as tanks, armored cars and automobiles will not be enough. So we will send in cavalry, Cossacks and tachankas (horse-drawn carts equipped with machine guns)."

"Cavalry! Cossacks! Tachanka!"

　Kornilov exclaimed with joy once again. Originally a Cossack cavalryman, this was a branch of the military he had deep feelings for. With the advancement of science and technology, the role of the cavalry had been gradually diminishing due to the increase in firepower, but he never expected to see the light of day in a place like this.

"Excuse me, but I understand that cavalry's mobility allows them to accompany tanks, but what do you plan to do if the enemy attacks from the flank?"

　Kuropatkin, ever the cautious person, pointed out the following question, but it was one that Brusilov had also anticipated.

"It's true that there is a possibility of enemy flank attacks on both sides of the breakthrough. That's why we'll increase the proportion of armored units there, but if we open a 20-30km breakthrough, there should only be isolated infantry units remaining in the central 15-25km area, so there's no need to worry about flank attacks by enemy mobile reserves."

　Brusilov also made it a rule that cavalry units should not mount charges into enemy positions.

"Rather than being cavalry, they will be used as 'mounted infantry.' They will use their horses solely as a means of quick transportation, and will attack positions on foot, supported by light machine guns and light mortars, just like regular infantry."

"And if it still doesn't die?"

"We won't forcefully suppress them, but it's dangerous to just leave them there and move on. So we'll stay here and hold the enemy in check while we wait for reinforcements."

　On the flip side, this also meant that some of the Russian cavalry would be tied up, but the Russian Empire still had plenty of cavalry power, especially the famous Don Cossack army, which numbered 1.5 million.

"Fortunately, we have opened the breach wide, so there is no risk of the enemy separating us from the front or rear. So in the end, the second wave of infantry troops will crush the enemy like a steamroller, breaking through and suppressing them at the same time."

"Are we going to launch a frontal assault?"

"No, that would only result in heavy losses, as was proven on the Western Front. We will utilize our superiority in terms of military strength and aim for encirclement and annihilation even at the tactical level."

　Encirclement and annihilation is a classic tactic that dates back to the time of Clausewitz and is still in use today. It requires more troops or firepower than the enemy, but fortunately, we have more troops and, due to logistics, we should be able to match or even surpass the enemy in firepower.

"Half of each unit will act as a 'constraint force' to block enemy movements through attacks. The objective is to prevent the diversion or extraction of enemy forces, so we will not aim for a breakthrough. The remaining brigade will act as a 'strike force' to get around to the enemy's flank and rear, repeatedly surrounding and annihilating them, with the ultimate aim of annihilation of the enemy forces themselves."

"That's why they have a mechanized unit."

"Yes. For that reason, the mechanized units will not be divided into separate corps, but will be operated separately as a 'Mobile Strike Group' under the direct control of headquarters."

　According to Brusilov's plan, the forces taking part in the operation would be divided into three echelons.

　The first echelon would focus on punching holes in the enemy's defenses, the second echelon would launch wave attacks from the breach to expand the force, and finally the third echelon, a mechanized "operational mobile strike group," would use its mobility to cut off the enemy's retreat and ultimately encircle and annihilate the entire enemy army.

In addition to these successive attacks at the operational level, at the tactical level each unit is divided into a "detention force" and a "strike force," with the former attacking to stall the enemy's movements while the latter gets behind the enemy and aims to encircle and annihilate them.

　Each unit is given clear objectives and goals at both the tactical and operational levels, and they faithfully carry out military operations in accordance with those objectives, regardless of the damage they incur, so there is no need to wait for instructions from the headquarters on the ground. Even low-trained units can attack quickly with a density and speed that exceeds the enemy's ability to respond.

　However, the problem was military strength.

"I understand the logic, but we don't have enough troops. Our country may be a populous country, but our industrial power is still weak. Our mobilized military forces are not that different from Germany's, so we want to avoid wasting our troops as much as possible."

　The cautious Kuropatkin checks it carefully.

　--This is a common misconception, but it is not as if Russia can produce soldiers from the fields as people say.

　That may be true in terms of pure population, but in reality, population = military power, not population = military power x industrial power. Russia has twice the population of Germany, but only half the industrial power.

　To take an extreme example, if an army of 20,000 soldiers with 10,000 bullets were to fight against an army of 10,000 soldiers with 20,000 bullets, it would be obvious that the latter would win. This is the very reason why the populous nations of India and Qing fell behind the West, and how valuable firepower can be concentrated at the final point determines the outcome of the battle.

"And that is why we must take the initiative - isn't that right, Brusilov?"

　At Kuropatkin's words, the fierce general Kornilov gave a malicious grin.

"The Battle of Petrograd has robbed the Germans of their offensive capability, and we have the initiative. And the initiative means we can choose the battlefield wherever and whenever we want."

"So you're planning a Schlieffen Plan-style internal operations?"

In response to Kuropatkin's question, Brusilov nodded silently.

　Typically, "interior operations," which combine the concentration of forces with delaying tactics, are thought to be carried out by the side with fewer troops, but history shows that this is not always the case.

　It is true that Napoleon, for example, was skilled in interior battles, such as fighting on four battlefields simultaneously, defending three battlefields with a small number of troops while buying time, concentrating his forces on one battlefield and attacking, defeating each enemy one by one, like playing whack-a-mole.

　Also, in the Sengoku period in Eastern Japan, there was a famous general named Oda Nobunaga, who, despite having overwhelming material resources, preferred "internal operations" rather than "external operations" which aimed to surround and annihilate his enemy, which is usually used by the side with the larger military force.

　There are three key points: 1) how quickly can we settle the main attack front, 2) how long can we hold out on other fronts with fewer forces, and 3) how quickly can we redeploy forces on each front to the main attack front.

　The Imperial Russian Army's response to this was (1) the extensive use of rockets and mechanized assaults, as explained by Brusilov.

"In terms of defence, in addition to improving on the traditional trench positions by forming linear trenches, we will also be establishing several 'pack fronts', which are separate circular perimeter defensive positions at battalion level."

　This "pack front" is one of the countermeasures against infiltration tactics, and even if the enemy infiltrates into the rear through a weak point of defense or becomes isolated, it allows for strong resistance at the battalion level, which is the answer to question ②.

　And third, he adopted the new concept of "operational art" invented by Alexander Svetin and Vladimir Triandafillov, who were recommended to Nicholas II as staff officers based on their previous knowledge.

　This rejects the conventional idea that "if you achieve a series of tactical victories, you will naturally achieve strategic victory," and is based on the idea that "you must first draw out an overall grand design for strategic victory, and then make adjustments so that tactical victories can lead to strategic victory."

　In other words, the concept of "operational tactics" was the idea of ​​effectively coordinating and linking micro-level "tactical victory" in one area with "tactical victory" in another area, aiming for a "strategic victory" on a more macro level.

In other words, while the Western nations were still preoccupied with tactical victory on the immediate front, the Imperial Russian Army had already developed software to adapt to a new era of warfare, one that took into account the entire vast battlefield consisting of multiple fronts.

　Conserving forces on other fronts (for example, the Belarusian front, the Ukrainian front) in order to concentrate forces on the final front (for example, the Baltic front), and on fronts other than the final front, compensating for a disadvantage in forces by taking advantage of defensive advantages and buying time by "delaying" rather than "defending".

　Meanwhile, in the final battle area, they would attack with overwhelming force to achieve a swift victory, and then divide their forces into multiple echelons and launch relentless successive attacks to expand their success.

　In Operation Suvorov, the Russian military designed all military actions to coordinate and link with each other to create synergy.

"--- This is the full story of Operation Suvorov. With this major operation, we will retake the Baltic region and push the German army back to Poland in one fell swoop."

　When Brusilov finished his explanation, there were several sighs of exasperation, and then a deep silence descended.

　and--.

"Amazing! So amazing! This is what Russia wanted!"

　Tsar Nicholas's thunderous laughter echoed throughout the room.