Well, I kindly ask you to leave your reviews, being as honest as possible, since these are vital for improvement, in addition to helping others get to know the story and at the same time give feedback.
-----------------------------
16-21-December/1914
Pov of Fahnenjunker Ferdinand
"...shit… it's so cold… so damn cold…" I muttered, my jaw trembling as I followed the group of Jägerkommandos.
The Hauptmann raised his hand and everyone dropped into the snow, slipping into the bushes. I did the same immediately; I didn't really know what to do, but I wasn't about to stay standing.
I sank into the snow and heard footsteps. It didn't take long before I heard Russian troops.
"I can't feel my fingers… how am I supposed to shoot if I can barely close my hand?" one Russian soldier said.
"That's if you can even shoot… I've got five rounds. Don't know how many they gave you," another replied.
"And meanwhile the idiot who sent us here is sitting warm, eating meat soup… we're stuck with this hard bread… had to use a rock to break it… and I even broke the rock," another complained.
"Damn Germans and their winter offensive… who even thinks of fighting in these conditions?" the first voice added.
My face was buried in the snow, covered by the gear the Jägerkommandos had given me, when I started hearing screams.
But they weren't battle cries. They were screams of terrified men, shouting as if they were seeing something they didn't understand.
When I looked up, I saw the commandos everywhere. They had already surrounded them. The Russians were pinned against the snow, immobilized, their mouths being covered by force so they wouldn't make noise. There were commandos all around. In a matter of seconds, they were completely subdued.
"Ferdinand" said Hauptmann Karl, his knee pressing down on a Russian's neck. "Ask him where their officers are."
"At your orders, Hauptmann" I replied, stepping closer to the prisoners and repeating his question in Russian.
My name is Ferdinand. Like the Hauptmann, I am a junker by birth, from the city of Königsberg. I was undergoing field training to be promoted to Leutnant once I ceased being a cadet officer.
I hadn't seen much combat, but I had taken part in several reconnaissance operations tracking Russian movements. Not long ago, several officers arrived asking if anyone spoke fluent Russian. Since my mother is Russian, I had full command of the language. I learned it from childhood, alongside German.
They offered me the chance to join a special operation under Karl von Poznan himself,the Devil of Masuria. I saw a clear opportunity for promotion. It was no secret that those who served under him ended up decorated with multiple medals for bravery, and many rose quickly through the ranks. It was the perfect opportunity.
They gave me one of those white shrub suits. The operation would take place behind Russian lines, and I dont know exactly what I was getting into.
We crossed the Russian lines with relative ease. The First Polish Army launched a strong attack in another sector, creating enough distraction for us to pass through an area with fewer trenches. Without much trouble, we were in Russian territory. We moved at night, avoiding villages and keeping silent.
But the real enemy was the cold.
We had spent two nights in the snow, and I already felt like I was going to die. We could only use fire to heat food. The rest of the time, we heated stones just to retain some warmth. Lighting a fire was almost a luxury. Even so, the clothing I wore was good,it blocked the wind, so the cold was constant, but at least it didn't hit directly.
And now we were facing our first Russian patrol.
"Where is your operations center?" I asked in Russian, translating what the Hauptmann had told me.
"Don't talk. Say nothing" one of the Russians shouted.
"He's telling the others not to speak" I translated.
Karl simply ran two fingers across his throat.
One of his men understood immediately. He pulled out his knife and drove it into the man's throat, slicing it open completely. A jet of warm blood burst out and began staining the snow before being absorbed by it.
"Anyone else want to be next? Answer my question" Karl said.
I swallowed and began translating.
The Russians stared in horror at their companion, bleeding out as he clutched his throat.
"Kovno… Kovno… our headquarters is there" one finally said.
"Kovno" I repeated, looking at the Hauptmann.
"Kovno…" Karl murmured, pulling out a map and a compass. "It should be north of here… a couple of kilometers. Ask him how long ago they left."
"How long ago did you leave your headquarters?" I asked.
"I don't know… we were just ordered" the Russian replied, his voice shaking as he looked at the figures surrounding him.
"He doesn't know" I said.
"He's a peasant, like most of the Russian army… might not even know how a clock works" Karl replied calmly. "Ask him if there's any important officer in Kovno."
"Besides your officer, is there anyone else? Any noble, someone of higher rank?" I asked.
"Yes… someone else… it was… it was… Kapitan" the soldier replied.
"There's a Russian captain in Kovno" I reported.
"There's likely someone of higher rank, but we need confirmation before moving. We have to capture that man alive. We need useful information," said the Hauptmann.
"What do we do with the prisoners?" one of the Leutnants asked, hand already on his knife.
Karl didn't hesitate.
"They're an operational risk. They've seen how we're dressed and will report it if released. We can't take them with us either. Kill them."
The order didn't need repeating.
The men drove their knives into the Russians' ribs. The bodies tensed in a final spasm before going still. Within seconds, all five were dead.
"Cover them with snow. If it keeps snowing, they'll stay hidden and that will buy us time before they're found," Karl ordered as he began moving in the direction he had marked on the map.
I crouched down and helped cover the bodies. As I did, I saw the Jägerkommandos collecting ammunition and taking the Russian rifles.
"They carry so little ammunition… five rounds. No trust at all in their own soldiers" one of the men said, tossing me one of the rifles.
"And this?" I asked, looking at it.
"Don't waste your rounds. Every bullet we brought is worth gold. We'll be here for a long time. Any you get, give them to Hans. He carries a prototype weapon that uses Russian ammunition" another replied, pointing to one of the Leutnants, who had a long rifle slung over his shoulder, wrapped in white burlap.
We started moving again until we reached a road. Almost everyone dropped flat to the ground, and only one man from the group moved forward, crawling like a lizard. He raised his head just enough to look both ways, then began signaling with his hand.
Quickly, groups of twenty men crossed the road and disappeared into the forest on the other side. We kept doing the same, moving in small groups, until the scout raised his hand again, signaling us to stop.
We all pressed our faces into the snow.
Shortly after, several Russian vehicles passed along the road. No one moved until they were completely gone. Then we repeated the process, crossing in groups until the last of the company made it across, and we continued advancing.
We moved through the forest until we finally reached an elevated position from which the city could be clearly seen.
"That must be Kovno. It matches the topographic map. We should find high-ranking officers here… the question is where and how" Karl said, looking between the map and the terrain again and again.
"If we attack the city from here, we have a good view of some streets. We could take down many of them and try to surprise wherever their officers are," one of the Leutnants suggested.
Karl shook his head.
"No. Too risky. We're not losing men in the first days of the operation. We do this properly. Even if we have to stay here for several days, we'll study their movements. Armies follow routines, even their officers. Once we find the pattern, we act."
After that, he gathered his officers and began issuing orders. His men spread out in different directions, surrounding the city. We were assigned to observation.
The days passed like that.
We watched Russian patrols leave the city and enter the forests. We didn't attack them. With the constant snowfall, the Russians barely checked their surroundings. Even I, who didn't fully know what I was doing, could hide without difficulty.
We spent four days like that. We only lit fires for one hour a day to avoid drawing attention. We even built small snow ovens to conceal the smoke as much as possible.
Until we finally moved.
We headed toward a specific area.
I remained hidden, holding the Russian rifle, my fingers numb. We waited for what felt like hours, until we heard the sound of an engine.
When I raised my head, I saw five vehicles and several horse-drawn carts.
All the Jägerkommandos prepared.
When they were right in front of us, everything happened in an instant.
A rain of bullets tore through the drivers. The vehicles lost control, veering off the road or crashing into each other and into trees. The horses panicked as their riders fell dead.
"Shout for them to raise their hands and surrender," Karl ordered, aiming his rifle.
"Raise your hands and surrender! Raise your hands and surrender!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.
The commandos emerged from all directions, surrounding the Russians. Some surrendered, others tried to draw their revolvers and were shot immediately.
A group stumbled out of one of the vehicles with their hands raised, completely disoriented.
"Ask their ranks" Karl said as he disarmed one of them.
"What are your ranks?" I asked in Russian.
"Ryadovoy."
"Ryadovoy."
"Yefreitor."
"Starshiy Unter-ofitser."
"Poruchik."
"Ryadovoy."
"Ryadovoy."
"Ryadovoy."
"Podpolkovnik" said the oldest one, hands raised.
"That's a lieutenant colonel," I reported.
Karl allowed himself a faint smile.
"We hit the jackpot. Tie them up. We need to get out of here before someone investigates the shots."
His men moved immediately. They bound the prisoners while others looted the bodies and searched the vehicles.
"There's dried meat here!" one shouted.
"I think medicine" said another, pulling out a crate.
"Ammunition," added another, holding up a box full of Russian rounds.
Within minutes, everything useful was in our hands. We moved into the forest, heading north, taking the prisoners with us.
We walked for hours until night fell.
Then the interrogations began.
We lit a fire and gathered the Russian officers.
"Who is your general?" Karl asked the lieutenant colonel.
"Pavel Plehve," he replied, licking his lips as he struggled to breathe. "Please… don't hurt me… I have children and—"
Karl grabbed his face, cutting him off. "Where is he?" he asked coldly.
I translated immediately.
"Vilnius… he's at the winter quarters…," the man said, while the other officers looked at him with contempt.
"He's cooperating. The general is in Vilnius," I reported.
"What is he doing there? What do you know about his plans?" Karl continued.
The man hesitated. "I don't know… I…"
Karl brought the knife to his neck, pressing the tip lightly into his skin. "He's lying," he said.
I translated that.
The lieutenant colonel began to cry.
"I don't know… I swear I don't… the general is preparing plans for an offensive… with other generals… in Vilna… I don't know his schedule…"
"Vilnius… preparing an offensive," I repeated.
"Good. What else do you know?" Karl continued.
We spent the entire night interrogating him. He gave us information about patrols, schedules, supply movements, and guard rotations.
When Karl decided he had everything he needed, he drew his knife and drove it into the lieutenant colonel's throat.
His men executed the rest of the prisoners. They were no longer useful, only a burden. Their bodies were hidden beneath the snow.
We slept for a few hours.
Then we began moving toward Vilnius, taking everything important with us: maps, notebooks, and anything that might be useful.
As we advanced, Karl shot a deer we found deep in the forest, and for the first time we ate something that wasn't reheated rations, but fresh meat. The taste was strong, but no one cared. We tore into the animal, enjoying a proper hot meal for once, keeping the fire going for several hours since we were deep in the woods.
It was going to be a long day.
We intended to reach Vilnius as soon as possible.
-----------------------------
If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
-------------------------------