18-22-June/1915
"Tell me if you hear anything" I said as I aimed the submachine gun fitted with an integrated suppressor, firing low-caliber 9×19mm Parabellum rounds.
"You can hear it, but barely" Friedrich replied from about fifty meters away.
"That's good. Means the suppressor works properly" I said, watching the large cylinder I had designed to contain the weapon's gases, combined with the low-caliber ammunition to reduce noise as much as possible.
"Good. I'll need around three hundred of these as secondary weapons for our missions. We'll be able to fire without worrying about being heard. Perfect for infiltration" I added while removing the magazine.
"Still no orders from high command?" Ferdinand asked while adjusting his rifle scope, continuing his practice.
"Not yet. Either they haven't decided or they're not telling me much. I assume they're figuring out where to use us best, so all we can do is wait" I replied while checking how much ammunition I had left.
This was nothing more than a submachine gun, but clearly limited by the technology and materials of the time. It had a body similar to an MP5, with a slightly curved front magazine and a short stock. Even so, the entire frame was made of stamped metal, except for certain components that had to be made from different materials to function properly.
It wasn't light. Heavier than I would have preferred, but my goal wasn't rate of fire. It was silence. Using pistol ammunition was the best option since it was common and plentiful, and the large suppressor allowed me to eliminate targets without generating much noise. Even a suppressed Gewehr 98, using supersonic ammunition, would draw attention over a wide area, while this weapon kept sound within roughly sixty to seventy meters. Against isolated patrols, it would be extremely effective.
Using some of the machine gun production parts, we were now able to produce two or three per day. I couldn't divert too many workers since we still had to fulfill the army contract. Breaking those agreements could lead the state to take control of my company, which would be disastrous.
What I had done, much to the anger of the local junkers, was reduce working hours to eight per day, split shifts, and hire around three hundred additional workers. Now there was a morning shift, an afternoon shift, and a night shift where only engineers maintained the machines.
This increased production by roughly fifty percent. Not double, since costs also went up, but it was more efficient and sustainable, avoiding long hours that only led to mistakes and accidents.
It also caused several local junkers to openly insult me, since I was forcing them to raise wages or match working conditions if they wanted to keep their workers.
It wasn't unusual anymore for people to show up at the factory or even the training grounds asking for work. Young men with no experience, factory workers, even farmers. It earned me plenty of enemies among the local nobility, who now had to compete with me. I had government contracts that paid well and allowed me to fund all this. They either couldn't, or wouldn't without sacrificing their profits.
Still, I preferred satisfied workers over strikes. And worse, if socialist parties turned openly anti-war and called for production shutdowns.
"They called me again to see what I'm going to do with you Karl" father said after wiping his mouth.
"Let me guess… they don't want to raise wages and their workers are complaining?" I replied without much interest while reviewing notes brought by farmers from my lands.
"Yes. They asked for another meeting so I can make you come to your senses" he said, setting his utensils down.
"I'm not changing anything. The system works better than ever and I need production to keep going like this. This is the first truly important contract. Not just coins from modifying rifles or selling optics… producing machine guns for the army will fill our pockets" I said, pointing at notes about rising food prices.
"But not everyone can afford that… and with eight-hour shifts you're making things harder for smaller junkers. That also puts our position as nobles at risk" father replied more seriously.
"I'll keep it in mind… but for now I can afford it. As long as profits hold, it stays this way. I still have loans to pay, but we generate enough. I see no reason not to guarantee decent conditions to skilled workers" I said with a slight smile.
Father nodded and went back to eating, though I caught a faint smile on his face.
While we were still eating, someone entered the room.
"Major… message from General Scholz. He requests your presence at the Eighth Army camp in Gomel" one of my subordinates said, handing me the telegram.
"So Ukraine then… I thought it would be Italy" I said, taking the message. There weren't many instructions beyond mobilizing my unit to the Eastern Front as soon as possible.
"Be careful" father said, opening the newspaper.
"I will… but first, I'll enjoy this" I replied while finishing the steak. Who knew when I'd eat like this again at the front.
After eating, I left clear instructions for father to continue supervising the factory construction, ensure machinery deliveries, and use his contacts to speed things up if possible. He was also to keep buying land in Poland to expand the greenhouses. Once natural fertilizer production was ready, we would move beyond just mushrooms.
I gathered my men and began preparing for the Eastern Front. We adjusted our camouflage suits, though without full modifications yet. First we needed to study the terrain and local foliage before adapting them properly.
We took several machine guns, including some of the new submachine guns, and boarded the train, taking the most direct route toward the front.
This time we carried the best possible equipment for both close-quarters and long-range combat. Against the Russians, we should have the advantage, unless they had already begun adapting to our infiltration tactics.
The train ride was fast. The work of Russian prisoners of war had allowed the construction of multiple rail lines connecting the territory, so we were dropped relatively close to the front.
The German advance in the area had been solid, but they had failed to penetrate the most critical regions, the large Ukrainian estates. Denying those resources to the Russians would have been a devastating blow, possibly enough to trigger an uprising against the Tsar and force them out of the war.
Unfortunately, Italy had ruined that plan.
After transferring to a horse-drawn wagon, we arrived at the camp where the Eighth Army was stationed.
I quickly reported to the officers, who directed me to the generals. They were planning the offensive, paying little attention to the Austro-Hungarian forces.
Upon entering the command room, which appeared to be a cleared-out warehouse from the train station, I found several generals gathered around a large map. They used compasses and pencils to draw plans while constant murmurs and hand movements pointed across different areas.
I stood at attention and observed the generals from the various armies.
But one of them was already staring at me.
Paul von Hindenburg looked at me with clear displeasure.
"Major Karl…" Hindenburg said, moistening his lips slightly, his voice tense.
"At your orders, my Generalfeldmarschall" I replied, standing straight.
"I assume you have made the most of the time the Duke of Württemberg gave you to… make money… instead of helping the war effort" he said, staring at me.
"The time was well used. I applied my experience to improve machine guns based on what I learned on the Western Front, especially after saturation bombardments in the trenches. It is now viable to keep them inside shelters and deploy them only when necessary" I answered, raising my voice slightly.
"Major Karl" Erich Ludendorff intervened, clearing his throat, "the reason we called you is because our advance against the Russians has stalled. Casualties have been high, though partially absorbed by our Polish contingents. Our objective reach Kiev before July or August. That is when the grain is harvested… and a large portion is needed to feed the Russians".
Ludendorff pointed at Kiev on the map.
"If we take the city and secure the region, we take the bread out of their mouths" he added.
"We were on the right track" said Maximilian von Scholz "but with Italy entering the war and Serbia still unresolved, Austro-Hungarian forces can no longer continue their diversion offensive. We need to cut Russian supply lines".
I leaned over the map. It was a detailed scheme of Russian railways in the area.
"The Kiev–Kursk line is the key… here" I said, pointing. "If we cut it, we eliminate any connection to the north and east. Then the Kiev–Poltava line. If we hit trains in Alexandrovsk and Ekaterinoslav, the Russians lose railway transport across the entire Kiev front".
I moved my hand north.
"The other option is cutting northern lines. It's more work and would take longer, but it would be safer for my men. In return, it would collapse the entire southern Russian front. Their trains wouldn't reach Ukraine… we could force a massive encirclement… though I doubt we could achieve it within the timeframe you gave me".
"Starving the Russians matters more than filling our camps with prisoners. It doesn't matter how many soldiers Russia has in the field. If they cannot feed them, they become a burden and collapse" Hindenburg said.
"Understood… then the more dangerous mission" I replied while studying the map. "Five… no, six days to reach the Kiev–Kursk line. Three more… and another five. Optimal time to position my men would be thirteen days. At most, twenty-five, depending on Russian troop concentration. They must already be aware after two previous sabotage attempts. If they have reinforced train security, those twenty-five days might not be enough".
"In fact, Abteilung IIIB left this for you" Scholz said, pointing to a chained briefcase.
"We coordinated with Austro-Hungarian spies in Ukraine. Many are natives from territories under their control and are willing to help in exchange for liberation from Russian rule. You will find several useful contacts" Ludendorff added.
I took the briefcase. They handed me the key and I opened it.
"Finally, good quality intelligence" I said while reviewing the contents.
There were photographs of Russian generals, data on where high-ranking officers usually stayed in the rear, train schedules, training camp locations, and an extensive list of Ukrainian collaborators willing to support the operation.
"You have your orders, Major. Carry them out exactly and do not try to earn a medal by killing a general" Hindenburg said, tapping the table repeatedly with a finger.
"I will keep that in mind. We will act quickly to prevent the Russians from evacuating the harvest. We will obtain information as always. We will intercept Russian telegrams and know when everything is ready" I replied, lowering my head slightly.
"Good luck" Ludendorff said.
Meanwhile, the other generals continued planning the offensive, taking into account the lack of Austro-Hungarian support and the impact of cutting Russian rail lines, leaving the front without ammunition or reinforcements.
With the information from Abteilung IIIB in hand, I gathered my men and began explaining the plan. How we would move, how we would divide forces, and most importantly, what objectives each unit had to accomplish.
A large group was not viable, no matter how good we were at camouflage. We had to split into smaller teams.
We had four main objectives. Each captain would take one. I would move with a small group of selected marksmen, dedicated to eliminating high-ranking officers in the area. I had the faces of several Russian generals… and that was enough.
Machine guns and submachine guns would be ideal for this mission.
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