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2-July-1920
''Sometimes I think we have too much luck, honestly'' Manstein said with a frown and crossed arms while watching the prototype tanks that had returned from the front being unloaded from the train.
''You think so?'' I asked while walking around one of the vehicles to observe more closely the damage it had suffered during its clash against the French tanks used by the Russians.
''Of course. Not long ago, we managed to resist the English in a situation that seemed suicidal and came out relatively well. Now we have faced the Russians again, this time under a new command, and once more we managed to come through by means of a treaty that will keep them calm while we continue breathing under the pressure of half of Europe'' Manstein replied before looking at me fixedly. ''Besides, how the hell did you have the former Tsar alive?''
''Those were the Kaiser's orders. He asked me to get his cousin out of danger. It was a suicidal mission, extremely complex, and the fact that it went well is already a miracle. At several moments I seriously thought about shooting myself before allowing myself to be captured, but here we are''.
I smiled while passing a hand near one of the holes opened in the tank's armor.
''Who would have imagined that accepting that mission would end up causing the Russians to withdraw without forcing us to continue the war? Facing them would have been far more complicated than fighting the British. However poor Russian logistics were, they did not have to land or build bases from scratch to keep their troops supplied''.
''The Panzer held up quite well. The shell did not penetrate the armor and the whole crew survived, although several men were stunned by the impact. Besides, the report states that they destroyed two French tanks. We could consider the development successful'' Manstein said while passing his hand over the damaged part of the vehicle.
''Although we would have to carry out more tests of that kind. It is a pity that, during the entire conflict, only one tank engagement took place''.
''The most important thing now is the radio. Nothing but the radio'' I replied while continuing to inspect the prototype. ''We suffered complications again during the battle because we depended on the telegraph. We lacked real-time information about what was happening at the front''.
I stopped in front of the tank and looked at Manstein.
''There were many things we could have done better and several opportunities we could have exploited thanks to the enemy's incompetence. They also depended on the telegraph, just like us. With a faster communications system, we could have reacted sooner, concentrated our forces with greater precision and exploited every one of their mistakes''.
''Yes, but to achieve that we will have to attract scientists and engineers'' Manstein replied. ''Our research teams have funds, but they lack the people necessary to advance at the pace you demand''.
Manstein smiled broadly before continuing.
''We will have to look for specialists in the German universities and ask the professors for references. The recession has surely reduced the budgets devoted to research considerably, so many academics must be looking for work. If you build universities and offer them good laboratories, you could attract them here''.
''We are short on money, Manstein. As much as I would like to pay for everything, we do not have the funds. Between preparing the equipment necessary to defend ourselves from the Russians and the expenses associated with the development of the Panzer, we barely have any budget left. We have to return to normality as soon as possible in order to collect taxes and receive the profits from the sale of oil and grain. The harvest will arrive in August and then we will have somewhat more economic breathing room, though not as much as I would like, because I have to spend a fortune on a wedding…'' I said, somewhat annoyed as I remembered the cost of all the preparations necessary to marry a Romanov.
''You are getting married?'' Manstein asked, raising an eyebrow.
''Yes, to a Romanov. I cannot keep the former Tsar locked up forever. The Kaiser himself would end up pressuring me, along with the British and the Russians. It is better to celebrate a marriage that guarantees the Russians do not have so much freedom to attack us. Nicholas will make sure his brother does not do something stupid'' I replied while beginning to walk toward the airfield.
''And are you going to invite me?'' Manstein asked while following me.
''You can come if you want. It will mainly be a long and tedious ceremony, but important for the security of our country. Do you need anything else?'' I asked without stopping.
''Yes. Do you remember those anti-personnel explosive prototypes you proposed and then discarded? Would it be possible to produce a few units to theoretically study their use?'' Manstein asked.
''Hum… Manufacturing a few is possible. They are not too complicated. The problem appears when we have to remove or deactivate them without anyone stepping on them. So do not bury too many either, because otherwise we will have to spend money designing a system that allows them to be neutralized safely'' I replied, looking at Manstein.
''Then I will send an order for one thousand units to the explosives factories in Ukraine'' Manstein said before ceasing to follow me and taking his leave with a military salute.
''Good… But do not ask for more than that'' I warned.
Finally, I reached the airfield, where several of our Jastas were gathered.
Our air force had been the one that stood out the most during the combat against the Russians. By the end of the conflict, we had shot down fifty-two enemy aircraft, while we had suffered barely three aircraft damaged and one shot down.
The latter had fallen on our side of the border and the pilot managed to jump with a parachute. He had been extraordinarily lucky, since German parachutes were still not too reliable. He had only broken a leg, but considering that he should have died, it was a magnificent result.
The Russian pilots, on the other hand, were not so lucky.
They continued following the British doctrine of not giving them parachutes because, according to their commanders, that encouraged cowardice during combat. As a consequence, all the pilots of the aircraft we shot down died.
In a certain way, we had recovered the entire investment made in our air force through those results.
''Here are our knights of the air. I must congratulate you for such an impressive display of skill against the Russians. I hope all of you submit your opinions on the prototypes used in combat. That is the best way we have to continue improving our new aircraft'' I said while observing the group of pilots gathered there.
''Oh, Karl… We were precisely speaking about the results of the combats and explaining what must be done and what must be avoided during an aerial engagement'' Manfred replied while showing a notebook to the other pilots.
''Fantastic. Losing only one aircraft and suffering only one wounded pilot is an excellent result, especially when we consider the economic cost we inflicted on the Russians'' I said before focusing my gaze on a person I recognized almost immediately.
Göring looked completely different from what I remembered.
It was strange to see him young, thin and in good physical condition, compared to the figure he would become after spending years in power and developing his addiction to morphine.
''Yes, and you arrive just in time to meet the newest member of my Jasta: Göring. He only personally shot down two aircraft during these combats, but that was mainly because we used cooperation tactics to surround the Russian aircraft and force them to fight at a numerical disadvantage. He participated in more than thirty shootdowns… although my brother took twelve of them'' Manfred said while placing an arm around Göring's neck and looking toward Lothar.
Lothar remained with his arms crossed and a satisfied smile.
''Excellent. The Baron has spoken well of you. I hope my aircraft were to your liking'' I said, looking at him fixedly.
''I share the general complaint that the aircraft lack power and that we need a stronger engine. However, I suppose that is due to the increased weight of the new aircraft, since the engine used is much more powerful than the one installed in the Fokkers'' Göring replied, nodding his head. ''Beyond that, the improvements are enormous. Let us hope the engineers in your factories can soon develop a better engine''.
''Yes, we are working on it. I only came to make sure you remember to gather all your evaluations: what must be improved, changed or removed. Your opinion is important, since the cost of the aircraft is high and we cannot waste money manufacturing them without thinking'' I said with a pleased smile.
''Mein Herzog, could you grant me a minute of your time?'' Göring asked, with Manfred at his side.
''Of course. What is it?'' I replied while moving away from the group, which continued reviewing the tactics used during the latest combats.
''I do not know the technical viability of what I am about to propose, but while I was on the ground, I saw your men using radios to communicate over short distances. They still suffered interference and other problems, but I spoke with Manfred and we wondered whether it would be possible to install a radio inside the aircraft''.
Göring moved his hands while trying to explain his idea.
''Coordinating in the air is complicated. We depend too much on establishing each pilot's role on the ground before taking off. Having some form of communication during flight would give us an enormous advantage over our enemies''.
''That would require placing batteries somewhere in the aircraft… Acid batteries. It is technically possible, but first we must keep improving the radios. They are still too large and heavy. Adding fifty kilograms to an aircraft is not exactly ideal, especially when your main complaint is the lack of power'' I replied.
''But that would be our recommendation, Karl a more powerful engine and a radio'' Manfred intervened with a broad smile. ''If we manage to incorporate both things, we would have one of the best aircraft of the moment. We could surely obtain contracts to sell them to Germany and take orders away from Fokker or the other companies producing aircraft for the army''.
''I doubt Germany will want to buy many aircraft with the economic crisis it is going through, inflation and unemployment. Nor are we going to sell them to our enemies or rivals, so I do not think it would be especially profitable, unless Germany organizes some military competition. In that case, I completely agree with you''.
I smiled slightly before continuing.
''But we can always use those advances in civil aviation. More powerful engines will eventually be used mainly in passenger or transport aircraft, and those we can sell''.
''I am glad to hear it. Ah, right… Göring can keep the same rank here that he had before, can he not?'' Manfred asked.
''Yes. That is what we promised, as long as there is no shortage of officers in the lower ranks'' I replied, nodding my head.
''Good, then now I will be able to adjust your pay'' Manfred said while taking Göring away with him.
For my part, I continued inspecting our weapons and gathering every criticism that could help us improve them.
Apparently, the semi-automatic rifle was presenting problems in humid and swampy areas, especially failures during the extraction and ejection of cartridges.
We had also suffered numerous failures in the engines of our self-propelled artillery. Although most could be repaired easily, they still caused serious problems when the guns had to withdraw quickly from a position near the front.
The ballistic helmets, on the other hand, were proving to be a success.
Many soldiers who had received shots or shrapnel impacts to the head had survived. The survival rate was considerably higher than with the Stahlhelm we had used until then.
The body armor had also reached very high levels of protection when we combined the Kevlar-like polymer with a steel plate over the chest. Among the infantry equipped with those bulletproof vests, survival after receiving hits to the torso exceeded ninety percent in some cases.
The main problem remained the arms and legs.
The chest and head were beginning to be reasonably protected, but wounds to the limbs continued causing a large number of casualties, amputations and soldiers unable to return to combat.
Even so, it was an enormous improvement. Now we had to find some way to protect the limbs as well without adding so much weight that the soldiers could barely move.
Clearly, we had to continue producing and perfecting personal protective equipment, but that would have to wait until we had more money.
The recent mobilization of troops in Ukraine had represented an enormous operational expense and now we would have to cut back a good part of our projects to recover everything we had spent.
But, in the same way, we had to keep spending and see whether we could attract scientists, since military advances could later become civil improvements from which we would find a way to generate income.
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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.
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