Chapter 56: Formation of the Iron Brigade Part I
Following the discussion between Bruno and the rest of the German High Command. A correspondence was made between the Kaiser and the Tsar. Where the German Reich presented an unexpected offer to send rifles, munitions, and artillery to the Russian Empire and its forces. One that the Tsar was quick to accept as a token of friendship.
After all, the war was not going as well for him as he had wanted the rest of the world to believe. In the months since Mukden, the Bolsheviks had grown in numbers, from initially a few thousand rioters to tens of thousands of revolutionaries.
With the disaster at Mukden, causing the loss of roughly 300,000 Russian soldiers. The remaining 400,000 or so soldiers who had been stationed in the east were immediately transferred west for the purpose of combating the Bolshevik revolution.
But the Marxists were bold. Choosing to fight not in the field, but in the streets where they could blend in with ordinary civilians. All the while Loyalist Militias patrolled the same streets, taking the brunt of the casualties which the Marxists inflicted upon the Tsarist forces via ambushing tactics.
Considering the Tsar couldn't very well shell his own towns, which the rebels inhabited. The result was that the Russian Army had to force their way into the homes of private citizens in an attempt to gather evidence of revolutionary activity where those apprehended would be executed publically via firing squads.
Of course, this created even more problems than it solved. Not only did this cause further resentment to the Tsar and his loyalists from the Russian people. But also spurred many of the Soldiers in the Russian Army to defect to the Red Army.
No doubt these men were already disgruntled by their poor performance in Manchuria, and upset over the Tsar's inability to avenge their fallen brothers at Mukden. But this? This was the final straw.
Because of this, the German Army and the rest of the world were watching Russia with great interest as the war continued to devolve into further chaos. Currently, Bruno was standing in the Central Division of German High Command, where he was commenting on the progression of the conflict.
Despite intial efforts over the past month to ship weapons to the Tsar and his forces. Many of the weapons delivered had ended up in the hands of the Red Army rather than their intended targets.
Whether this happened via traitors in the ranks of the Russian Army's logistics network, or was simply caused by defectors who accepted the stockpiles of German weapons before outright abandoning their posts to join the enemy. It didn't really matter. At the end of the day, only a fraction of the equipment shipped to Russia was now in the hands of the Tsarist Forces.