Chapter 221: Volunteering For the Vanguard
Reinforcements had arrived halfway through the second month of the war. Bruno had spent the previous two weeks clearing the minefields he had set around the city of Belgrade and the trenches dug outside its perimeter.
How does one efficiently clear a minefield? Well, Bruno already had the answer to this. Introducing the Minenräumwagen, as Bruno called it-stealing the name from his past life- was about the only thing inspired by its previous iteration.
The vehicle was more or less a Panzer chassis based on the E-10 paper tank designs from Bruno's past life, but with a mine flail attached to it. However, there was one other thing this armored vehicle had in common with its predecessor: the fact that it was remotely operated via radio signature.
Bruno had invested in a number of the world's greatest geniuses over the years, allowing for this tracked mine-clearing armored vehicle to exist without risking life and injury to a crew that would otherwise have to pilot it.
And it was because of this that he could send these mine-sweeping vehicles into the minefield with no regard for their well-being and, in doing so, whip every single mine into detonation with the attached mine flail.
Sure, it took a considerable amount of time and, most importantly, resources, but it was well worth the expenditure. Bruno had meticulously mapped out the exact placement of each mine during the construction of the city's defenses, and thus he had a precise ability to locate and destroy the devices that, if left alone, could render the area uninhabitable for God knows how many decades.
By the time the Austro-Hungarian and Russian troops finally arrived to reinforce Bruno and his men, they were surprised to see how the German forces were covered in grime. Despite the current state of the German soldiers, they were far from exhausted. After all, much of the
heavy lifting had been done by the mine clearers.
Even so, gazing upon the once-thriving metropolis that was the capital of Serbia, now turned into a ghost town at Bruno's command, forced a sense of melancholy on the Austro- Hungarian and Russian generals.
Especially since the fog had not truly cleared since the massacre unfolded. With it being autumn, and the weather quite dreadful at the moment, it all compounded into a haunting atmosphere. One which the German army had endured throughout the weeks since they gassed the city into submission.