Chapter 57: Formation of the Iron Brigade Part II
The organization, equipment, and deployment of the Iron Brigade was something that would take several months to organize. Which Bruno had anticipated well in advance. After all, there was a reason he proposed its creation in October of 1904, rather than waiting for the following spring when the Bolsheviks would have already occupied Saint Petersburg and its port.
As for the Tsar, he was quickly alerted to the formation of the Iron Brigade, and that roughly 6,000 German Volunteers, consisting of an Infantry Brigade, and an attached Artillery Regiment would be sent to Russia to aid in the war effort.
The numbers seemed rather lacking as far as the Tsar was concerned. Especially when the enemy's numbers were quickly approaching the 100,000 mark. And showed no signs of slowing down, but at the end of the day any help was welcome.
In addition to this, the Kaiser also promised to send more "volunteers" should the enemy continue to grow in size and scale. It was unknown exactly the extent to which the German Reich was willing to help the Tsar retain his throne. But from the sound of it, the Germans were willing to send far more than they were initially deploying to the Russian Motherland.
However, a matter of contention appeared when the Kaiser announced who was going to be leading the so called Iron Brigade. With the Tsar questioning the sanity of his cousin for sending the man who had caused these problems to begin with.
Nevertheless, the Tsar received the Kaiser's guarantee that Bruno would make up for his actions in China and Manchuria. And that he would prove to be a valuable asset in the field. One which the Tsar could use as he pleased.
Ultimately, considering Bruno's fearsome reputation, the Tsar relented, making a promise to the Kaiser hat he may end up regretting. Insofar as stating that should Bruno actually play a significant role in his victory, then the man would not just pardon the German general for past crimes against the Russian Empire, but also would reward him handsomely.
As for Bruno, he wasted no time. Making a list of the soldiers, officers, and equipment he desired for use in the ongoing Bolshevik Revolution. He also drafted a uniform for his volunteer brigade. In the 19th century, during the Napoleonic wars, there was a Prussian Unit of Freikorps with a uniform that had the colors of black, red, and silver.
Which coincided with another infamous unit from German History, one that if Bruno had his way would not come into existence within this timeline. Even so, Bruno had taken inspiration from these two units for his new uniforms.
Ones which borrowed this color scheme, and some symbolism from the two of them, while applying it to the uniforms used by German soldiers in the early years of the Great War.