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6-23-june-1920
What I feared most was happening.
While we remained focused on restoring economic stability to our governments, increasing both exports and imports and keeping the furnaces of industry roaring with force, the Russian Civil War had come to an end.
We had been expecting it for some time. During the last few days, thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of Russians, had begun crossing our borders en masse.
Most of them were workers and peasants who had joined the revolution and were now fleeing the reprisals of the new Tsar. It was known that many of the high-ranking Menshevik and Bolshevik commanders captured at the front or during the defense of the cities ended up brutalized in the streets and then hanged as a warning to the rest of the population.
That had caused immense panic among the lower classes. Many feared Romanov reprisals for the supposed death of his brother and nephews, so they fled upon realizing that the punishment for their failed rebellion was beginning to catch up with them.
I was forced to activate several regiments to patrol Pskov, since that was where many Russian families were crossing en masse. I also reinforced the border with Ruthenia, where there was a considerable Russian presence.
We not only had to control the refugees. We also had to locate the Menshevik and Bolshevik leaders attempting to hide among them and send them immediately to prison.
Those men were too dangerous to leave free.
Nothing prevented them from trying to provoke new problems and then presenting themselves as the only possible solution. It was better to keep them under watch before they began organizing unions, revolutionary cells or armed groups inside our territories.
At that moment, the administrative system we had built began to prove its usefulness.
All our citizens possessed identification documents, and we began demanding them at stations, roads, workplaces and public buildings. In that way, we could quickly distinguish legitimate inhabitants from the newly arrived and discover whether any revolutionary leader had managed to slip through our fingers.
We also needed to keep them located because one of the first Russian demands would probably be the surrender of all revolutionaries who had taken refuge in our territories.
We could refuse or accept, but first we needed to know exactly whom we had under our control.
And, for the moment, it was convenient to please the Russians in everything reasonable.
According to our spies, the new Tsar had an army close to one and a half million men.
Fifteen times more soldiers than I kept mobilized at that moment.
I could quickly raise the police forces of Ukraine, which in practice remained occupation troops, and do the same with those of Ruthenia. With an enormous effort, we could gather close to half a million men in a short time.
However, by doing so, we would leave our rear practically unprotected against possible rebellions.
For that reason, we were adopting numerous deterrent measures to make any Russian advance more difficult and prevent them from attempting a rapid invasion, overwhelming us through their numerical superiority. It fell to us to take measures that would complicate the movement of troops and supplies.
''How is the work progressing?'' I asked while observing Manstein, who stood on a hill watching several hundred soldiers dismantle the railway lines leading toward Russia and recovering the rails and wood.
''It is progressing well. At this rate, only the tracks we use to trade with the Russians will remain. However, we should leave several demolition teams prepared to blow them up if necessary'' Manstein replied, watching the work while continuing to review the plans from his command post on the hill.
''And what about the defenses being built? I still do not see too much progress'' I said while contemplating the terrain. Apart from the dismantling of the tracks, there did not seem to be many other works underway.
''We are clearing the area, leveling some irregularities in the terrain and preparing everything to install large quantities of barbed wire. That will hinder enemy movement and allow us to establish several systems of machine-gun nests capable of covering these open areas. If the Russians attack southward, they will almost certainly have to cross them'' Manstein explained, pointing toward the rear, where numerous trucks were unloading enormous rolls of barbed wire.
''And what about the mud? The spring rasputitsa could considerably hinder the movement of trucks if the ground is too soft'' I said, pointing toward the wide stretches of field and the nearby forests.
''That is precisely the problem. Mud and more mud. There is not much else I can say. Even carrying out this work is difficult for that reason. The ground is only just beginning to harden with the arrival of summer, but it continues to complicate everything''.
Manstein pointed toward part of the field.
''Look at this place. It would be perfect for building a fortification with bunkers, machine-gun nests and fixed artillery positions. However, we would have to dig very deep until finding solid rock in order to build properly'' he explained while moving his boot.
His foot sank slightly into the mud around us.
''Then we will have problems. We have been receiving Russian refugees for two weeks now, fleeing the chaos left by the former Provisional Government. No one knows how long it will take the Tsar to fully consolidate his authority now that he has taken the last great Menshevik and Bolshevik stronghold'' I said while observing the map Manstein held.
''He still has to finish off some minor fortifications and isolated pockets of resistance. However, if we divert more resources from the civil projects, we could have a considerable part of the border fortified by the middle of the year'' Manstein replied, looking at the terrain with concern.
''Would one hundred thousand men temporarily withdrawn from the construction of cities and roads be enough for you?'' I asked while walking and listening to the wet sound of mud and water beneath my boots.
''I could do quite a lot with that number. However, the border is too extensive to stop an attack at every point. They could launch an avalanche against Ukraine, the Duchy or Ruthenia. They could even attack along the entire border at the same time. That is the true dilemma''.
Manstein looked back at the map.
''Our spies are not helping too much either. Now that the Tsar's forces are the victorious side, his men have almost completely stopped selling information. Fewer and fewer reports are arriving from Russia''.
''Build several minor landing strips. We will deploy reconnaissance aircraft to patrol the Russian border. If they detect any significant concentration of troops, we will be able to discover where they intend to strike. That is the most important thing, because it will allow us to concentrate our forces there'' I replied.
I moved a hand over the map and pointed to Ukraine, specifically the Donbass region.
''Although I think I already know where they will attack''.
''The largest concentration of iron and coal, as well as the steelworks that feed the entire industry of our territories'' Manstein said.
''Yes. Nor should you forget the extraction areas for fertilizer raw materials, something even more important for an empire with such a numerous population. Concentrate the defenses here. If they attack somewhere else, we will resort to guerrilla warfare and mobile defense. Ukraine must hold, so prioritize construction in this region'' I ordered while pointing at the terrain on the map.
''Understood. I will alert the Ukrainian police forces so they can prepare and cooperate with the defense in the event of a Russian offensive'' Manstein replied.
''Do that. I will inform Manfred so they can begin carrying out reconnaissance flights over Russian territory. An offensive should begin with the accumulation of supplies and equipment somewhere along the border, so our pilots should be able to detect it with enough warning'' I said while heading toward another work area.
Fortifying a border was complicated, especially when the neighbor you were trying to defend yourself against shared the entire east with you. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of kilometers that we had to prepare against a possible Russian attack, and we did not have the time or money necessary to build all the defenses that were needed.
I had considered manufacturing anti-personnel mines. They did not require too many modifications compared to the explosives we already possessed, but placing them was still too dangerous. Improvements were still lacking in the safety systems to prevent the very men in charge of installing them from ending up blown into the air because of a mistake.
They would probably be one of the best ways to compensate for Russian numerical superiority, but redesigning them, producing them and planting millions of them would take months.
Besides, if we later managed to sign a non-aggression pact, we would have to remove all those mines to prevent some idiot trying to cross the border on foot from ending up without legs.
That was why only the more traditional methods remained to us.
We had to fortify the most obvious routes the Russians could use and take advantage of the terrain itself. Using the forests, marshes and the few hills in the region, we began raising trenches, barbed-wire barriers and numerous machine-gun nests.
Meanwhile, the arrival of Russian refugees reached its peak. The last Bolshevik and Menshevik strongholds were being eliminated by the Tsar's forces through increasingly bloody sieges.
''I think this could hold quite well'' I said while observing a bunker that dominated one of the wide meadows of northwestern Ukraine. From that position, one could see several kilometers into the distance.
''From here, any force that approaches within less than a kilometer can be fired upon. We can control the entire area, and the reinforced concrete should withstand light or medium artillery impacts, although its protection remains limited'' Alexander explained while we inspected the fortifications built during the little time we had available.
''Only a few towers for our snipers would be missing. From them, we could cause enormous havoc in the Russian lines. During much of the civil war, they used mass infantry charges. If we eliminate their officers, we could deal them very hard blows'' Alexander added while we inspected the interior of the bunker.
''With these positions, we can protect about twenty kilometers of border. If construction continues at this pace, the Ostwall could be finished within eight months. It is an expense I would have preferred to avoid, but it seems we have no other choice'' I said while inspecting the rooms intended for the soldiers inside the fortification.
''I suppose we could divert part of the profits from oil sales. We could also invest more in its extraction. The international price continues to rise, and there are still deposits in Galicia that could be exploited to quickly increase our income without requiring too large an additional investment'' Alexander proposed while following me closely.
''Mein Herzog, a telegram has arrived from one of the aerial reconnaissance groups. A concentration of Russian forces has been detected to the east, near Kiev, and another farther north, close to the Donbass. The buildup of troops is expected to continue. It seems a Russian offensive is approaching'' reported a soldier who came running into the bunker.
''Damn it… Good, the Donbass area is fortified for the most part, but Kiev is another story. They could advance directly from the east, ignoring the marshes and swamps to the north, and head toward the city'' I said, clenching my teeth while walking toward the bunker exit.
''Shall I give the order to mobilize the Ukrainian police forces?'' Alexander asked.
''Yes, there is no other alternative. The Russians must have arrived recently. There are reconnaissance flights over the area every three hours, so they have been there for at least two hours. Mobilizing their forces will take them several hours or even days, depending on how prepared the offensive is. I want confirmation that they are not also accumulating troops in the north. If they are, we will have to abandon some positions to concentrate against the main advance'' I replied while continuing to walk.
''At your orders'' Alexander said before running off with the rest of the men to transmit the instructions.
It did not take me long to reach my vehicle. We immediately began moving toward a more central area from which I could establish my command post and coordinate the defense of Ukraine.
Of all our territories, that was the region that could not fall under any circumstances.
Without wasting time, I began reorganizing the divisions that were still in the process of formation. Just as we had anticipated, many of the Ukrainian police forces were already preparing for a situation like this.
Within hours, several provisional divisions were formed and began occupying defensive positions meant to slow the Russian advance.
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