NationStates Jolt Archive

General Brusilov stood with his arms behind his back. He'd sold this attack to the czar, and felt his own minute detail made it possible. Thankfully he'd been able to get the finicy Ivanov into his plan as well.

Artillery seemed the norm as the RUssian piled more and more artillery in front of the Austrian Second Army. They'd seem to come with more and more as they're infantry prepared minor entrenchments to provide them cover from counter artillery fire. They relaxed inside, preparing for their attack. Machine gunners seemed to line the new trenches, each man seeming to wait as more and more material arrived. Trucks, horses, and the handful of trains that went through barren country kept bringing it in, day by day. Soon they'd be prepared.

A plane flew overhead, it's engines running as it flew towards the Second Army of the Austrian Hungarian Army. It's back dropped, forcing a dozen leaflets to fall over the heads of the enemy army. It quickly turned to escape any ground fire. Hopefully it would reach it's target.

Leaflets dropped down each of them prepared by intelligence for this proper call.

Leaflet:

Brave Slavic soldiers of the Austrian Army. Russia commends your loyalty and courage in face of such trying times. But we must question to whose loyalty you give. Currently your brothers are fighting a desperate battle to push the Austrian horde from their homelands. THey wish not to be enslaved by an overbearing empire. Russia feels their pain, as well as yours.

Brave Slavic soldiers, do you wish to continue under the shackles of an empire that does not share your blood, or do you wish to join a honorable call to your brothers by blood. Where does your loyalty lie? With the monarchy that conquered you, or with those whose heart pumps the same blood as yours.

Brothers, when a Russian soldier comes forward, do not fire upon him, but instead throw your arms in the air so that he may honor you. Our soldiers are under direct orders to not shoot or harm any man who comes to us in good conscience. ANd once you have come to our side, you may join our just cause. Onward brothers to justice for all against the oppressive Austrians.

August 26th 1914

Dear Mother;

It is raining outside. I don't like this thick humid summer rain. You get sweaty and sticky and its not much fun. The Russians dropped Leaflets near the outskirts of camp today. they were written in Slavic and obviously I could not understand them. Some of Bosnian men translated it for us, It was trying to persuade them to desert and flee to Russia, or worse take up arms with them. They are not a terrible amount of Slavs here with us, but enought to make it very uncomfortable. It is not as bad you may picture it. The military is rough, and we gain a sort of respect for one another, its not like out side were petty diffrences get in the way of logic. here, we all are grunts. pawns in a chess game played from thrones in Vienna and Berlin and other places. We will fight, sleep, eat drink and die together and petty diffrences don't stop that. Still... it was akward. but please Mother, stay strong. Give Father and Gretchen my love.

Your Son,
Waren

"Captain Sendervitch." The messenger stated as he rode up to the sweaty, shirtless man as he tried to help his crew push a howitzer up a few more inches. Sandbags helped shore up a wall of mud that made everyone here miserable. And it definetly didn't help that mud usually made artillery shells power damped.

"Yes." He stated as the messenger handed him a slip of paper. Within came the order they'd been preparing a week for. And his battery was the first of the first. The first actual shell launched in anger by the RUssian Army. "Alright" He saluted the messenger as the man on horseback started to ride away.

"Get that damn thing up now." He lifted his watch from his pants pocket. An hour. In an hour the planes would have landed, and their targets have been given. He let in one large sucking of breath as he prepared.

"LOAD!!" THe howitzer wasn't as well placed as he wanted, the hour having passed way too quickly for his tastes. THe breech opened, the shell and powder going in. THank god for casings that didn't let the weather in. That would ahve been a pain.

A Company came from the Poland. Most of it's company including the captain were Jews. Not the best in RUssian Society. ANd yet they came to the call, feeling the earth shake as the first gun fired. Then another and another as the entire ground seemed to shake from the percussion of the artillery. THey didn't want to think what kind of hate was falling on top of the Austrian heads, or what kind of hate they'd have falling on their heads. Most hoped they could sleep for the 4 days that artillery would be falling on the enemy.
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"Move quietly men quietly." The RUssian soldiers moved through the mud. This had taken them slightly longer than they thought. Making that loop around Zhmerinka had taken time, and in the rain that battered down on them, it made their lives that much more miserable.

Sergeant Terentekov smoke his cigarette as the rain battered down on his face. His rifle firmly in his grasp as his boot squellched in the mud. It may have forced them to a slower movement, but that didn't mean that the rain was all bad. The sound made their movement that much more hidden. THe mist forcing others to see the Eighth Army as simplye a gaggle of geese or some other mystical thing. Each man carried his ammunition, and a few aminities. Everything else made of metal had been left with the artillery. The cavalry was supposed to be screening them, but only a few were actually ahead to get rid of any posts.

That didn't seem to matter to any of them as they slogged forward. They'd been in Austria for a day now. Well behind enemy territory, and every single man remained silent. THis manuever was extremelly risky, and they new that only a few miles from their location was Taropol, and the Austrian Second Army.

SUddenly the sound of artillery could be heard ahead. The shells sounded hallow, as if they were used to the extreme. Their delay meant that the shelling had occured for about three days, and would end tommorow. Each of them prepared to move forward the next day. Soon the attack, from the flank and the front. THe Austrians would fall, and then they'd have one less army to worry about. Sometimes the men of the Eighth wished they'd brought more than infantry and a collection of cavalry for this mission.

September 30th 1914

"EVERYBODY! PLEASE MOVE IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!"

The entire town of Taropol was in a frenzy. The smoke from burning buildings unlucky enough to be caught by shells that landed in the town inself was thick and engulfed the chaos of civillians packing there belongings. The Infantry men garrisoned in the acually town tried to keep order. The men tented up outside the town broke camp and begain to organize.

"Captain, the towns people are packing there things, what will you have us do next."

"The Russians are approaching from the east, and from the north around Zhmerinka. We will retreat South west, to avoid being flanked and force the Russians to either take the time to swing even FURTHER west before decending on us or merge there forces and present us with only one front, either way helps us out."

"But sire, what about the Town?"

"Burn it, leave nothing for the Russians..."

(Was starting to worry about you man.)

"Move at the double quick." THe muddy men of the Eigth Army heard theif officers repeat as they marched quickly towards Tornopol, running into a burnt and destroyed town. All of the men looked tired, sitting down on the remains of steps as the run through mud and everything else seemed extremelly bothersome.

More men of the Eighth continued to stream into the remains of town, surprised at the limited resistance that came against them. Brusilov hated when victory meant not catching the enemy army with their drawers down. It did leave him a small advantage though. RIght to the North of him remained Lemburg and Brody, where the Austrian Third Army stood. With the removal of the Second Austrian Army, he could turn his Third Army that was marching slowly towards the location of the Eighth, and attack their rear. He realized that the Eigth wasn't moving with him, as they were exhausted.

Brusilov Orders to the Combined Armies.

The Eigth Army will dig in around the remains of Tarnopol, moving their artillery behind them along with the supply train. The THird Army will move upwards towards the rear of the Austrian Army in a quick march. They will move quickly, and after a nights rest, attack full foward into the enemies rear.

The men of the Eigth Army looked tired as they trudged in front of the city, preparing to block the Second Army if it attempted to attack them to get to the THird. Digging made sore limbs even more sore, but they at least could get a rudimentary defense. And their artillery had already fired upon Austrian troops in front.

THe Third now had to go at a run, it's artillery moving quicker than it expected with horses breathing heavily as they wished to turn a three day journey into one. They proved Brusilov proud as they charged forward, waiting as darkness paused. It wouldn't be a week's preperation this time. THe THird would fire artillery into their rear as it's men charged straight into the backs of the AUstrians in order to rout them.

Dawn brought the crash of artillery, as 50,000 Russians charged against the left rear of the enemy. ANother 50,000 attacked the right rear. With another 50,000 attacking straight up the middle of what Brusilov had seen as their back. Reports from his observers hadn't brought any change in the Austrian line. He hoped that the Eigth could hold against any odds. 50,000 more men hung in the rear for reenforcements or to breach the rear. Artillery moved advancing fire.

Casualties from Skirmish around Tarnonpool:

Russian Casualties: 576
Russian Killed: 192
Russian Wounded: 380
Russian MIA: 4

Austrian Casualties: Unknown.

The Austrian rider's sending news of the Second's retreat ran right into Russian sentries as the rest of the army smashed right into the Austrian rear. The Third Army seemed to have no idea that their Russian counterparts were even there. No orders came, and so they'd been completely breached. Thousands of RUssians ran through the Austrian lines, yelling Slavic as they went.

Some Slav soldiers on the other side were taken prisoner, but it seemed that the rest simply wanted to run away. The RUssians collected prisoners, making sure to shoot all the massive routing Austrians. Artillery rained down on any units attempting resistance. Brusilov rode his horse, urging soldiers to keep moving forward, to make the entire annihlation of the AUstrian Army complete. By the end of the day it seemed that dozens of Austrians were in their hands, while other lay dead on the ground. One Austrian Army may have escaped their grasped, but it seemed this one didn't as he looked around.

RUssian soldiers marched slowly, trying to root out any resistance. It didn't seem like they needed to. The Austrian THird Army didn't seem to remain as a real force. The RUssians slowly grabbed onto their dead and wounded. It'd been a good day for Russia.

RUssian Casualties: 3,492
Russian Killed: 1,164
RUssian WOunded: 2,328