Chapter 43: Annihilation at Mukden
Bruno stood at the edge of the battlefield. He was smoking a cigarette while Heinrich gazed through the binoculars at the decimated Russian Forces. It had been nearly ten days since the battle of Mukden began, and as in the previous timeline in which Bruno lived during his past life, the scale of the battle was unprecedented in world history.
In less than a fortnight of fighting, the amount of munitions and ordnance that had been exchanged between the two armies was already greater than that of the 191 day Franco Prussian War, which took place in 1870-1871.
And yet, after ten days of conflict, the battle was over. Casualties were no doubt heavy on the Japanese side. Suffering 25,000 or so WIA, KIA, or MIA. Which was still considerably less than Japan sustained in the past timeline.
But as for the Russian Army, they had been obliterated to the last man. 292,000 Russian soldiers lie dead in the ruins of the battlefield located just south of the city of Mukden, which would one day be known as Shenyang.
The Russians had made a mistake, taking the bait Bruno sent towards them at their eastern flank via a diversionary assault. Once the Russians were misled into believing the Japanese numbers were greater than they actually were, they shifted forces from the west and the south to assist in the defense.
Unfortunately, this was exactly what Bruno was anticipating, advising the Japanese Generals in charge of the First, Fourth, Second, and Third Armies to take advantage of the diversion and encircle the Russian position.
Sustained fire from machine guns and artillery alike battered the Russian position for ten days straight until all that remained were the ghosts of the dead. Of course, just to make sure the enemy was truly annihilated the Japanese Generals sent in the rest of their forces to take care of those poor and unfortunate souls who were lying wounded in the craters that were all which remained of their previous fortifications.
Heinrich and Erich stood by Bruno's side. Their mouths agape as they gazed upon the devastation that had resulted from the advice that their friend and commanding officer had given to the Japanese Generals.
Total annihilation of the enemy, that was what was achieved here. And thankfully without significant civilian casualties, as the Russians had taken up their defense south of the city. Rather than within it. Either way, Bruno's tactics would have been the same. But it was nice to know that the native Manchurians were spared such unnecessary bloodshed.
But these were Bruno's thoughts as he smoked silently in the background, gazing upon the death and despair which he had caused to the enemy. Utterly lifeless, that was what the battlefield could be described as, now that the Imperial Japanese Army had swept through the area and put whatever miserable Russian bastard who was still breathing out of his misery. As for Heinrich and Erich, they did not have words to describe what they were looking at. I mean, they witnessed the ten days of shelling and sustained machine gun fire. Which pounded the Russian position ceaselessly.