5-May-1916
''This is simply ridiculous, the Russian offensive was a complete failure'' I said with a smile while paying close attention to the information arriving from the front.
''It was expected that events would unfold this way, mein Major… the Russians, despite having gathered far more troops, have not reflected that on the battlefield. On the contrary, even with all the recruitment reports, they have not fielded more men… many report themselves sick, desert, inflict wounds on themselves, even kill their own officers'' said one of Walter Nicolai's men from Abteilung IIIb.
''Here intelligence actually worked… not like the attempt in Ireland, which was a disaster'' I said, staring at him while observing the map showing the recent shifts on the front lines.
''Hey… we did what we could… with the resources assigned, orders were fulfilled, it is not our fault we arrived a day early and the Irish were not there to receive the shipment'' the intelligence officer replied.
''Meh… the plan was flawed from the start, using a German ship transported by a submarine to deliver weapons… why not smuggle instead of something so direct, the British probably knew everything that was happening'' I said, crossing my arms.
''British ports were heavily secured, and the Irish talked too much without knowing'' the officer replied.
I was about to comment on smuggling methods, but that would have sounded far too suspicious, so I simply nodded as we continued receiving reports from the front.
I had been asked to move some troops as reserve units to contain any Russian breakthrough attempts. With much of their offensive plan leaked and their objectives understood, those sectors had been heavily fortified with trenches and machine gun nests, making the Russian assault almost certain to fail.
And that was exactly what happened.
Beginning on April 15, the offensive led by Alexander Kerensky lasted only fourteen days before his army began to collapse under the weight of its own problems.
At first, they launched heavy artillery bombardments on peripheral defensive sectors, but it quickly became clear their observers were not surviving, our snipers were eliminating them constantly, preventing accurate fire. Without proper targeting, Russian artillery devolved into blind barrages.
Then came the assaults on fortified positions, trying to overwhelm with numbers. That phase failed as well. The soldiers still loyal to their generals or the state carried out their orders and charged into slaughter, managing to take some positions and push our forces back in certain areas, even reclaiming some ground lost during the Tsar's winter offensive.
But that momentum collapsed.
Soldier councils refused to continue advancing into machine gun fire. Entire units stopped obeying orders, halting the offensive completely.
That was the turning point.
German, Polish, and Austro-Hungarian forces prepared their counteroffensive as chaos spread through Russian ranks. The rapid advances the Russians had achieved became their weakness. They had overextended without securing their flanks or controlling key railways, and internal revolts ensured they could not consolidate gains.
Encirclements followed. Russian spearheads broke quickly, and the offensive ended as their forces shifted entirely to defense.
That did not last either.
With discipline shattered, cohesion gone, and the death penalty abolished, soldiers had the power to decide whether to fight, and most chose not to. The front collapsed.
The Baltic fell within a week. Russian troops barely resisted, retreating or surrendering. The Eighth Army spent more time capturing prisoners than fighting.
In Ukraine, the result was decisive.
The Russians were finally expelled from the Donbass. After halting their offensive, the German counterattack drove them back beyond the Don River, securing most of the region and surpassing earlier territorial gains.
We now held the south.
And with it, everything that mattered.
The regent was pleased. For the first time, all Ukrainian territory was effectively under our control, including the coal and iron regions needed to build a functional industrial base.
That was the real prize.
The Donbass.
With that, Ukraine could move toward something resembling economic independence. What remained was development, industry, agriculture, and eventually chemical production. But things like synthetic rubber or advanced materials were beyond immediate reach without proper facilities.
Now, at least, we had the foundation.
''Well… I need to move, there is industry to nationalize and mobilize for the war'' I said, brushing off my uniform after reading another decoded telegram.
''I have information on Russian generals in the area… do you not want to earn a medal trying to eliminate one of them'' the intelligence officer said, tapping his briefcase.
''What for, they could have an Alexander the Great or a Napoleon Bonaparte leading them, but if no one listens to them, they are nothing more than beggars shouting for attention… killing them would be doing them a favor'' I replied with a faint smile.
''Well, in any case we have a lot… a lot of information… if anything comes up let me know and these documents are yours'' said the intelligence officer.
''I understand… but for now my job is to make sure we have bread by autumn'' I said with a shrug, stepping out of the tent where the telegraph operators continued their work.
Without wasting time, and knowing that time was literally money, and that I had to finance Ukrainian agriculture out of my own pocket, I needed to get the steel industry running to produce cheap steel and reduce costs for tractors and eventually trucks.
My first stop was Yuzovka, where most of the region's steel industry was located. The best part, and what truly added insult to the Entente, was that the owners were British and Russian investors, joint partners who had controlled the steel complex.
The nationalization was swift. The owners had disappeared, and all that was needed was a decree to take control of the facilities.
The complex was enormous, stretching across much of the city. It was clear even from a distance that this was the only area that had been industrialized and centralized like Western European cities. Rail lines connected the mines to the steelworks and the steelworks to factories in other cities, forming a massive industrial heart that we had taken with minimal losses. The local population remained intact, all that was needed was organization.
''Who the hell designed this…'' I said, observing the interior of the plant.
''What is it'' Ferdinand asked, looking around, trying to see what I was seeing.
''Those platforms have no barriers… one slip and someone ends up cooked… the building is poorly ventilated, toxic fumes must accumulate everywhere… I do not like the pouring system either, molten steel must be splashing everywhere… no…'' I said, noticing exposed mechanisms on several machines.
''Is it really that bad'' Ferdinand asked, writing everything down quickly.
''Yes… one hit and that machine could fail… or explode… I do not see any emergency shutoff systems, that is a serious hazard… and that crane carrying the ladle does not look very reliable… if the entire factory is like this… is there any record of accidents'' I asked.
''Give me a moment'' Ferdinand said, running to one of the foremen's offices and returning with several books. ''It says there were frequent accidents… but production rarely stopped.''
I shook my head, eyes widening slightly''Do you know the worst part, Ferdinand'' I said, placing my hands behind my back.
''What'' the Hauptmann asked.
''That we would need millions of marks to rebuild this place from scratch… and we do not have them…'' I said with a dry laugh. ''We do not have them, so we will have to send people to work knowing that safety was never considered… damn it…'' I muttered, clenching my jaw.
There was little I could do to improve conditions. I could suggest protective uniforms against burns, but they would be suffocating to wear, recommend gas masks for fumes, but those were scarce. In the end, there was no real solution.
So with a bitter taste, I went to inspect the nearby mines.
The massive shafts where the ore was extracted offered no room for improvement. Workers filled their lungs with coal dust, always at risk of collapse, as shaft mining was used, and there was nothing within my knowledge that could be changed in the short or long term.
The ore was too deep for open-pit mining, unless we had massive amounts of explosives, excavators, and transport trucks to carve out huge pits. So the reality remained, men sent underground for miserable pay, dying young.
The iron mines were no different.
All I could do was organize the workforce and get production running as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, the German advance had been so rapid that the Russians had not managed to evacuate the granaries. There was enough food to supply the workers without threatening our rationing system.
My final destination was the locomotive factory in Lugansk. It lacked the sophistication of my own facilities, but there was room for improvement, and trains were always essential, especially now that rail lines were expanding and coal reserves were secure.
As I moved through the area, coordinating garrisons, transporting food, and reorganizing the local economy, the industry slowly came back to life.
Steel production resumed, adjusted as closely as possible to the specifications required for tractors.
We began creating molds for essential components, producing chassis parts that would later be riveted together and sent to our factories.
By the time night fell, after a long day of work, there was still more to do.
I went to the yard where Russian motor equipment had been gathered, most of it damaged. Our soldiers were already cutting the wheels off vehicles to salvage rubber, stripping everything that could be reused.
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