Chapter 109: Introducing Stormtrooper Tactics
Stormtroopers, a term used to apply to specialized units during the Great War who had mastered the art of trench raiding. So effectively, that they were generally able to traverse the distance between the two trench lines with little to no exposure in no-man's-land.
It was an entirely alien concept that made use of small, specialized teams, which were highly mobile, and equipped with the most modern of weapons. Realistically, the submachine guns, semi-automatic rifles, and general-purpose machine guns that were currently being produced to replace the older weapon platforms would be ideal for this conflict.
But these weapons were state secrets of the German Reich. And because of this, Bruno chose to make use of older equipment that he had already displayed in the Russian Civil War. Such as the Mauser C96 "Trench Carbine" which was based upon the 1917 prototype that was beaten by the MP 18 during military trials. Albeit with an added select fire capability.
It fed from 20 round, or thirty round detachable magazines, and basically fulfilled the operational purpose of a submachine gun, even if it was inferior in this regard to the actual guns that would be employed en masse in the coming years by German soldiers.
Along with these 1917 Trench carbines, semi-automatic Browning Auto-5 12-gauge shotguns were used by these stormtroopers, having been initially procured in small batches for the purpose of the Iron Division's use in Russia by the American Browning firearms corporation. The Reich recently received the licensing, tooling, and blueprints required to manufacture them domestically for service in the German Army. These two weapons were equipped with blank firing adapters and currently fired blanks for the purpose of the operation.
Because of this, the small units were quick to mobilize into the field following the Austro- Hungarian retreat, rapidly, and covertly covering the distance between the two trench networks dug into the mountainside in preparation for this joint military exercise.
The Austro-Hungarian generals watched as the men on their machine guns were caught unawares by the German stormtroopers who entered the trenches and opened a gap for the rest of the Division of Bruno's soldiers to pour through.
As Bruno predicted, the mock battle ended shortly after that, with the German soldiers raising the banner of the German Reich over the Austrian trench line for an added degree of boasting to their defeated allies.
The looks on the faces of the Austro-Hungarian generals were as if they had just been forced to watch their wives get pounded in front of them by Bruno, who was smiling smugly at them while finishing off the last cigarette in his packet.
"So, are we done here?"