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21-28/September/1914
I quickly placed my hand over the sleeping Russian's mouth and slit his throat, blood spraying everywhere.
The Russian jerked violently, his eyes snapping open as he struggled for a few seconds before bleeding out and losing all strength.
The same scene repeated itself several times across the Russian camp hidden in the forest, where every sleeping Russian had earned the same prize, a piece of steel across the throat.
''Done,'' said Friedrich as he wiped his dagger on the Russian's clothes.
''Same here,'' said Hans, breathing heavily after what he had done.
The others nodded, and I saw that every Russian was bleeding out, their necks pouring blood.
''That's why you always sleep with sentries,'' I said as the rest of our group moved quietly, taking over the still-burning fire to warm their food while looting whatever the Russians had in their packs.
''Alright, rest in shifts. Tomorrow we strike,'' I said as I leaned against a tree trunk and closed my eyes.
We had pushed deep into Russian territory, and so far we hadn't fired a single shot. At first, that had been the hardest part. After the disaster the Russians suffered with the loss of their armies, they moved a force north of Warsaw. We realized it while watching tens of thousands of soldiers deploying along the frontier.
But German attacks had distracted them enough to let us move at night, when patrols were more relaxed and visibility was limited.
So we crossed the border without much trouble, moving under cover of darkness until we left the front behind and entered the next forest we found. One thing that defined Polish terrain was the number of forests. They weren't endless, but they were dense enough to hide a group of sixty men in camouflage.
More than once, we had to lie completely still on the ground while Russian patrols moved through the area. They pissed against trees and talked among themselves about things I couldn't understand. We waited for them to leave, moved a little, and repeated the process. Even away from the front, Russian presence was still significant, with patrols spread across the region.
We had crossed the Bug River the night before, and finally found a good area to operate. We were close to the three railway lines feeding Warsaw from the east, the most important ones. We had seen trains moving frequently while waiting for the right moment to cross the river.
That's where the plan came together.
We had to plant explosives across multiple sections of the railway lines to delay repairs as much as possible, so I had several targets I wanted to fill with charges.
But all of that would be tomorrow.
With the horses we had recently stolen, the plan was to move around the area quickly
We slept in short shifts, and while it was still dark, we moved.
The first railway we rigged with explosives was the Dęblin–Warsaw line. We worked quickly, placing charges across ten different sections, prioritizing maximum damage to the tracks while avoiding occasional Russian patrols. I left a group led by Friedrich with orders to detonate the explosives at 00:30 and immediately move out.
Once we finished placing the explosives, we buried them and covered the detonation wires with dirt and leaves, running them toward the nearest forest.
After that, we moved to the Brest–Warsaw line, focusing on a section where three railway connections met to cause as much damage as possible and disable those lines. I left Ernst and nine men with orders to detonate at 01:00 and then move to regroup with Friedrich as soon as possible.
Then the entire group focused on the most important part of the plan.
Białystok–Warsaw.
It was the most used railway route from Russia, and patrol presence was heavier. Acting in stealth alone wouldn't be easy, and we would need to act with force to destroy the bridge. If the bridge fell, it would take months to repair, making it the hardest blow. We also aimed to cut as many telegraph lines as possible, since wireless telegraphy could be intercepted by German intelligence, making that another advantage.
By destroying that railway, the bridge, and the secondary line, the mission would be complete. After that, we would hide in the forests, wait for the Russians to react to the previous sabotage, and then wait for German offensives to begin so we could return to friendly lines.
With the remaining forty men, we stayed in the nearest forest by the Bug River, waiting for the plan to unfold.
Night fell again as we watched Russian patrols moving along the railway. It was an important route, heavily guarded, with constant movement. Supplies were also transported by horses and wagons, so there was always activity.
We repeated the same pattern, sleeping in short shifts to stay alert until my watch hit 06:00.
I immediately moved my men closer to the bridge, placing them in proper firing positions.
At 07:00, I gave the order.
All the snipers in position opened fire, targeting Russian patrols moving through the area.
I personally took down five Russians on the far side of the bridge as we began advancing toward our objective.
Half the group moved forward while the other half covered us. Rifle shots echoed as we advanced, watching Russian figures drop to the ground.
As we pushed forward, we found dead and wounded Russians rolling on the ground, shouting insults, their eyes filled with terror when they saw us approaching.
''Finish them,'' I said as I kept moving toward the bridge.
I watched as my men drew their knives and finished the job, cutting throats or driving blades between ribs straight into the heart.
We quickly took positions on both the railway bridge and the road bridge, opening fire again on the scattered Russian forces on the other side while the rest of the men advanced.
''Quick, place the charges under the bridge and secure them,'' I said as I worked the bolt on my rifle after firing.
It didn't take more than a couple of minutes before every Russian in the area was either dead or wounded, bullets lodged in their bodies.
We stayed alert, watching the approaches for any possible Russian counterattack, but for the moment there was nothing.
We quickly packed both bridges with explosives and pulled back to a safe distance.
Then we waited.
After several minutes, Friedrich's and Ernst's groups finally emerged from the forest after the long trek they had to make in horses,two men on the horse, since not everyone knew how to ride
We cut the telegraph wires on this side of the river, then crossed the bridge. Once on the other side, we prepared to detonate when I felt a vibration along the rails.
A train was approaching.
We decided to wait. Destroying a train would be far more valuable.
With all my men across the Bug River, we listened as the train drew closer, waiting until it began crossing the bridge.
''Now,'' I said.
My subordinate triggered the detonator.
Massive explosions tore through the structure. I watched both bridges collapse into the river as the train plunged straight down, dragging all its cars with it. They were passenger cars. The impact echoed across the entire area.
''Shit… that was loud,'' Hans said, leaning forward to look.
''One less train. Move, we still have one more railway to destroy,'' Friedrich said as the group started moving toward the secondary line.
We cut telegraph wires along several points in the sector and kept moving.
We barely stopped, except to eliminate Russian patrols. It didn't matter anymore if we were detected. We had to finish the mission before word reached their high command and the area filled with troops.
After a forced march, we reached the secondary railway. We planted explosives along multiple sections since, without a bridge, it could be repaired much faster.
After clearing the area of Russians and detonating the last charges, we moved north and disappeared into the forests.
Before that, we made a stop at a nearby Polish village.
I fired my rifle, dropping a Russian, while my men entered the village, shooting any armed Russians. Some ran in panic the moment they saw us.
We quickly entered a storage building where Russian army horses were kept. Without hesitation, we took the food stored there. The operation had taken longer than expected, and our supplies were running low. We might have to stay in the forests for several more days.
As civilians screamed and fled or hid inside the church, we left the village with our packs full of food and water, heading back into the forest.
The game of cat and mouse began again.
Except this time, we were more the cat than anything else.
At any moment, we could choose which Russian groups to crush, but we relied on camouflage. It was working perfectly. More than once, Russian patrols passed just meters from my men, searching in the wrong direction.
Nothing happened.
Keeping a low profile mattered more than increasing our kill count. At least two hundred men had already died to my platoon during the last operation. That was enough for now.
We spent four days moving from forest to forest while the Russians continued searching, though in decreasing numbers. It seemed they were following a false trail elsewhere.
We kept moving north, heading back toward German territory, maintaining a low profile.
Then, as we moved through another sector and observed the terrain, we realized we were directly behind the artillery positions of a large Russian force firing without pause.
''This is the problem with having no way to communicate with our own,'' I said, thinking it through.
''What do we do?'' Hans asked.
''We act. Worst case, we disappear back into the forest and repeat. But those are valuable targets. If we silence that artillery, we save a lot of our own,'' I said as I dropped prone.
From here, we could hit them.
Everyone quickly took position, and within seconds, shots rang out. The crack of rifles and the sharp sound of bolts cycling filled the air as we fired into the Russian positions.
Chaos followed.
Most of the Russians there were ammunition carriers. They weren't expecting an attack.
We held position for several minutes, silencing the artillery. Our bullets kept cutting through the air, taking Russian lives as packs were opened and more ammunition was passed around. That, at least, we had plenty of. I had made sure of it.
Then we saw movement,more Russian soldiers were arriving at the artillery camp.but not reinforcements,they were running...Fleeing from the front.
Moments later, German cavalry appeared, chasing them down with sabers, cutting down those who ran. Behind them came German infantry, keeping pace with the riders.
Silencing the artillery had opened the way for the German attack.
We immediately began firing at the fleeing soldiers. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, scattering across the fields with cavalry in pursuit.
We kept shooting for a long time.
Then, finally, we stood and began moving toward the German forces.
The first to spot us were the cavalry. They looked both surprised and tense at the sight of us.
''We're from the XX Korps… returning from a mission behind enemy lines,'' I said, pulling back my hood.
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