Chapter 78: Uncovering A Sinister Truth
The Red Army had in the days following their defeat Tsaritsyn entered a state of hiding. They tried their best to recruit new members to replace their losses suffered in the Volga Region. While the Tsarist forces secured the areas outside Tsaritsyn, arresting, interrogating, and executing anyone with sufficient evidence of supporting the Red Army or the Bolshevik Party. Meanwhile, Bruno had begun to petition the Kaiser for a very specific request. To put it simply with the number of foreign volunteers who had joined the Iron Division, all of which were active soldiers in the German Armed Forces, Bruno felt a medal should be created specifically for their participation in the Russian Civil War.
Because of this, Bruno drafted a design for this Medal which he felt was appropriate. It was interestingly enough based upon a medal issued to Wagner Group Mercenaries during his previous life. Little information existed about this medal, or its requirements for being awarded. At least as far as western sources went.
Nor did Bruno know the official name of the medal. All he knew was that on several posts to the internet it had been referred to as the Wagner Cross. The design of the Cross itself was ironically enough similar to the German Iron Cross, however, unlike the Iron Cross whose ends were squared, the Wagner Cross had rounded ends.
In addition to this, there was a circle in the center, with a Russian five-pointed star inside. The circle itself had golden edges, as did the cross, and had two gold swords going through it. Bruno essentially copied this design but made the edges and swords silver.
While at the same time, swapping out the Russian Five-Pointed Star and replacing it with a Freikorps era Totenkopf symbol. The same one adopted by his Iron Division, which was not identical to the one later adopted for use by the Nazi Schutzstaffel.
The ribbon which this medal was attached to was nearly identical to the one issued to Wagner Mercenaries, with a black center, along with a slim lining on the edges. Instead of this lining being gold like on the Wagner Cross, it was white, as was commonly found on German Medals and their ribbons of the era.
Naturally, Bruno wanted to call it the Cross of the Iron Division, and upon petitioning the German Kaiser for the creation of this medal. He received word soon enough that his request was indeed approved. After all, the man had commissioned a medal for the East Asia Corps efforts in China, and they only numbered 15,000 men.
It would be inappropriate not to issue medals for the brave soldiers who took up arms to fight the Marxist Revolutionaries in Russia. Of course, he would only do so after the war was over. And would award them to every man who participated in the war effort. Including posthumously to those who died in the conflict.
The reason for this was simple, as it stood, the Kaiser could not agree to make such a reward to issue to soldiers of the German Armed Forces who were now officially acting as a foreign volunteer force, and not as an active service members of the German Army and Navy.
To do so would be admitting to sending his own soldiers to Russia without proper authorization form the Tsar. And in doing so undermining the authority and sovereignty of the Russian Empire as a whole.