NationStates Jolt Archive

General Rennenkampf stood impatiently in his Headquarters. The czar had ordered him to keep his position, and to be a roadblock. What an undignified position for him to be in.

At that moment Russian soldiers of the First Army were throwing dirt in front of them, their crude trench looking more like a ditch from the last century than any modern concrete emplacement. But this trench wasn't meant to be held at all costs. And with the machine gunners setting up in little nests with each infantry unit, they didn't have to be. Guards stood watch on completed trenches, and most soldiers wished the government had given them some barbed wire to put in front. But this would do nicely to show any army that tried to invade.

Artillery officers set their guns in the rear, able to put a large amount of fire should a German Army attempt to cross the border. Unlike their infantry counterparts, RUssian Artillery was actually very advanced for it's time, and the artillerymen themselves proved much more than the rabble that the regular infantry complimented.

Rennenkampf looked at a note from General Samsonov. The Second Army seemed to be mobilizing rather well. The RUssian mobilization effort, despite it's rather limited railroad resources, seemed to be going much faster than the rest of the world had planned. The Second Army was still not up to it's full compliment, but at 2/3rds, it still remained a rather nice reserve should trouble arise. Other notes recieved seemed to state that the Fourth and Fifth Armies were about where the Second had been two weeks earlier. THey'd be useless for the time being. Personally Rennenkampf wished they'd picked someone else to lead the Second. But the harshness that the czar seemed to show these days told them both if they made any mistakes here, they'd be bumped down to Captain. No choice really.

Russian morale seemed at least, if not high, tolerable as the soldiers continued to dig. Cavalry screened their flanks, making sure no surprises happened. And from what they heard, every soldier on this part of the front seemed to be doing just as good. Maybe Germany would give up when they saw Austria Hungary collapse. After all Russia and Germany really weren't THAT mad at eachother were they? Germany must think of the war in France.

First Army: 200,000 men.
Second Army: ?

Rennennkampf grinned from ear to ear as he looked at the new orders. The fourth and Fifth Armies had finished mobilizing, and he'd been ordered to advance. Finally....

His smile turned into a frown as he led further. Dammit. From Suvalki to the Neiman river and no further? That was it? He couldn't advance forward and crush to horrible invaders. And he couldn't even attack if attacked. WHat bullshit was this? As he read further, he got more and more angry. THis was a cowards order. ANd yet he knew the czar would kick him out if he took too much liberty. Damn him.

200,000 men marched forward, dragging their feet. They stopped right at the river, the river in front of them as they laid their shovels into the wet dirt in front of them. Another day of slugging out their minds. At least they'd been promised a show.

The show itself happened to be the artillery. They saw little hamlets and towns in front of them. Each of the little hamlets and towns filled with Germans of all types. To get to a major city would have meant crossing the border. This was just to flush the German's out anyways. Not to actually attack them.

Soon the digging infantry had a show to watch, as Russian artillery started to fire shells into small towns that had less people in them than a regiment of RUssians. It didn't matter. THey were killing all those they could, and making refuggees of the others. The German Army would show up for sure now. And the game would be afoot.

OOC: umm... Suwalki is on the German side of the Neman River...

(OOC: Not according to the map I am using. And after looking further, it's actually a Polish city, and therefore a Russian city in this game. So I am still on my side of the Neims. Even further investigation shows where you are confused. A sewalki East Prussia does exist. But I said it with a V, which is a polish city. THerefore the thing is correct. THank you.)

OOC: Will Respond Today It's 5:16 EST on 2/8. I'll bbl.

OOC: Waiting for responce. And of course each week that passes is another village and town I level into the ground. After all the German border does have a lot of nice little centers of population for me to destroy.

OOC: I hope this is ok, I've tried to make time to respond to this Front, but everytime I try to, something comes up. That, paired with the difficulties we're having on the Western Front... It won't happen again, so I hope this is ok.

IC: October 14, 1914

The German Poland was in chaos. The Russian armies had executed a carefully thought out plan, in which their advance would be slow and damaging enough to cause mayhem despite their slow mobilization process. German High Command, however, took this to their advantage. As the Russian artillery destroyed a half dozen Polish hamlets, the Seventh German Army, split in three, and crossed over into Russian held Poland. Reports had come in that, though the Russians were advancing but their morale was less than high. The two German forces would perform a rear flanking manuever with two divisions each, and then drive them into the remaining divisions across the river. This would effectively surround the Russians and, as High Command hoped, force perhaps that army to surrender.

A message was given to the German General in charge:

To The Russian People:

Should you be reading this, your army is considering either mutiny or surrender. I pray this offer will prevent the former. I am aware of the valient fighting prowess of the Russian army, but I am also aware that our great nations were once friends. We never wanted to fight the Russian people, so if you so desire, we will spare any and all who lay down their arms and embrace peace. If there are any among you that wish to fight with German might, then we will embrace that as well, High Command is more than willing to accept new recruits. We pray that needless bloodshed can be stopped and we hope to see your men live to old age.

High Command


The note was signed by various officers and the General of the Seventh put his own signiture on the bottom with a small post script attached:

"God Bless"

OOC: WOrks for me.

The RUssian Army saw dozen's if not thousands of soldiers on all fronts as they did exactly what they'd been ordered to do. THey ran. THe First Army didn't attack, it broke into seperate points, and slipped past the German flanks, back into Poland.

It seemed rather odd, though sometimes the Russian artillery had to find German attacks, and fire point blank with canister as they still remained hitched to their horses.

All in all it seemed like a perfect victory, the RUssian Army was falling across the border in pandemonium, except the Army itself was truthfully still intact. It'd fallen apart, making it all that much easier to slip through the German grasp. A huge army can be encircled alot easier than one in large chunks. And the Russians were doing exactly as they were told, the instant a German advances, fall back to Suvalki.

And so thousands did, falling right into their old entrenchments as Rennenkampf tried to peice together his faltered command. An entire week wasted in his eyes, though he knew something was up the central command's sleeve. They'd ordered him to meet the enemy, and then run like hell away. He'd escaped a tentative rout by not charging into their guns.

The reason that the German's were stalled were the sacrificial brigades. THese were brigades of Russian soldiers who'd seen combat against the Japanese. And they were not going to give up ground. THeir honor in proving they could fight was on the line. THey died, but their machine gun nests took countless hours to take out. THeir infantry dug itself in, fighting with each life to take that much longer. Over 10,000 men were spread out in little lines that made sure the German's knew their fliers were even more insultry, and only a handful surrendered when the German Army went in around them.

During the retreat:
Russian Casualties: 11,476
Russian Killed: 8,000
RUssian WOunded: 1430
Russian POW: 220
RUssian MIA: 1,826

The Second Army grinned as they saw their men retreat. The Germans had forced them out of Germany, but now they'd need to invade. And that's when the trap would be sprung. As the German's realized their prize happened to be much smaller than it wanted, it would march into Russia again. ANd their the hidden Second Army, and the peiced together First would make them meet disaester. THey simply had no choice. THe Fourth would be flanking them, and leaving the First there wouldn't be capable. THe Germans must take out the First or the FOurth would take them out. Time wasn't on the German's side.

(Ehh I thought you posted a responce?)