Re: Blood and Iron

The Great War had taken its toll in ways that were virtually inconceivable when compared with prior military conflicts. Millions of dead soldiers were a rarity in warfare, with only a few conflicts prior to the Great War having such a staggering cost of human life.

Humanity was a two-sided coin of a creature. On the one hand, human beings had the ability to create some of the most beautiful and inspiring feats imaginable. While on the other hand, they were capable of evil so grand that even the Devil would think twice before stepping foot into the mortal domain.

And the conditions of the Great War, whether in this life, or Bruno’s past life were what he would consider to be the closest thing to hell mankind has ever made here on Earth. Though the Germans suffered less, as a result of them not actively pushing back against Allied hostility on the western front.

The reality was that the trenches were an apocalyptic scene, especially no-man’s-land. The amount of mines that had been buried before the war had mostly been detonated by allied forces. And those that remained within no-man’s-land could be triggered at any moment.

Because of this, Germany had begun to prepare for its advance into France by spending the time clearing these mines, whether anti-personnel or anti-tank that still lie waiting for an unfortunate soul to trigger them.

These mines were cleared by E-10 tanks that were modified with a mine flail. Considering these vehicles were virtually impervious to anything the allies could shoot at them, they could operate with alternating shifts day and night clearing mines while the German Army prepared for its major offensive without fear of reprisal from the enemy watching them from the other side of no-man’s-land.

Did this give away the fact that Germany planning for a major offensive? Oh most certainly! Was France already aware of this fac? Absolutely! It would be foolish not to expect the Germans to be marching over the wire in the coming months as they had more or less cleared out every other enemy on the global stage they could currently fight.

Charles de Gaulle was a rather exceptional figure from Bruno’s past life. Or at least as exceptional as a Frenchman in the 20th century could have been. Nevertheless, he was one of the few men who actually had the wherewithal to observe the German advances, and innovations, that had led to their total victory over the course of the last two years.

Both on the tactical and strategic level, the Germans really remained undefeated except perhaps with Hindenburg’s folly, which had thoroughly disgraced the man in the eyes of the public, and the German Military.

And if the past was anything to go by, he knew exactly who Hindenburg’s replacement would be. As a result, he stood in the trenches with a grim expression on his face. In his hand was a half-consumed cigarette and in his ashtray was at least a whole container worth of such devices, which had already been used up.