Re: Blood and Iron

Germany had set an example, which the world at large was now trying desperately to catch up to. And while Russia had led the charge in creating a more modern and functional tank prototype to compete against the Allied Powers and their Mk II, as well as the German Panzer I.

It was ultimately the Austro-Hungarians who had produced something rather exceptional. One that Bruno had not anticipated when the war broke out. In his past life, Austro-Hungary was a major power, but one that had more or less completely and utterly failed to "collectively get its shit together."

This was much in the same vein as the Russians. Whether it was the nonsense the existence of the Dual Monarchy caused related to logistical and military affairs. Or simply being cursed with some of the worst generals of the war. Austro-Hungary had been a major blight on Germany’s chances to win the war. Continue your journey on

As the German Army had to more or less carry them to the finish line. But this was not the case in this life. Bruno’s initial contact with the Habsburgs, and having been bold enough to point out the major flaws which their military faced caused ten years of reforms across the entire nation.

Whether political, legal, economic, or military matters, Austro-Hungary had worked hard to prove itself as a real power in this world. Bruno had largely been oblivious to these facts due to his own supremacy on the global stage as well as his bias towards the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

But today he would be proved wrong, as he stood in complete and utter astonishment at Austro-Hungary’s first Tank Company, which they had managed to sneak into the alps without his notice.

The tanks in question were very similar in design to the Hungarian prototype 44m Tas tank. Which, despite being developed by a minor power during Bruno’s past life, as unironically one of the best designs of the war.

A pity it was never fielded in that life. But in this life, something one might say a miniature version was rolling past Bruno as the man damn near dropped his jaw in disbelief at what he was witnessing.

The hull was similar in overall dimensions to his Panzer I, and the turret was clearly making use of a 5cm main gun, much like the one on Bruno’s Panzers, but the shape of both the turret, and its hull, along with the positions of the tracks, wheels, et cetera most definitely was reminiscent of the 44M Tas Hungarian Medium Tank that in Bruno’s past life was meant to be the German Panther’s equal.

Hell, if this thing was made of Rolled Homogenous Armor instead of what was clearly welded plates of a similar thickness as his own armor, it would easily be an equal to the tanks he was fielding in this life.

When Bruno saw the Austro-Hungarian Flags waving off the backs of this armored company, he had to admit, that while the Austrians may have been Germans best known for their cultural achievements rather than their scientific and industrial feats, at the end of the day, if they put their mind to it, they were still Germans.

So much so that when Bruno finally came across the Austro-Hungarian General who was sent to assist him in the alps, he had to inquire about them.

"I’m not going to lie to you. I did not expect a tank of such caliber to be fielded by your empire. Your engineers must have been working overtime to produce such a thing. Two years and some change, plus a hell of an expense I’m sure…."

The Austro-Hungarian General was surprised to receive such praise from Bruno regarding his Empire’s newest tank design. Bruno was a man who was generally seen by his allies as cold, ruthless, and unfriendly.

For him to go out of his way to approach an allied general and praise the work of Austrian engineers, the tank must be far more impressive than the Austro-Hungarian General thought. And he was quick to give voice to such sentiment.

"Do you really believe they are that good? I mean sure, we definitely took inspiration from the tanks you have been fielding. But we were not able to create a precise replica…"

Bruno was quick to confirm that at least by outward appearance the tanks looked decent. He would need to look at the power train and some other mechanical features to be sure.

But from an outward appearance it would appear that the biggest change other than the overall size of the tank and its main gun over the prototype from his past life was the suspension had been improved to a torsion bar system like the one used on his current Panzers.

"I would definitely need to get a look at some of the hidden features to say for sure, but simply judging by the type of armor used, the shape of the hull and turret, as well as the wheel placement, and suspension system. This looks like it will be a very useful tank for the remaining duration of the war.

Now if only we can rely on the Russians to field a tank half as grand as this one, I do believe even if we fought an entire world full of enemies here in Europe, our alliance would still emerge victorious…"

Bruno did not realize it, but the Russians were indeed working on their own domestic tank design. However, it was far from approved for service, let alone being manufactured en masse.

It was still in the prototype stage, and after witnessing the Austro-Hungarian Tank being introduced to the field and how it performed, the Russians would probably go back to the drawing board and improve their own design in several small ways.

But that was a matter of concern for another time. With the Austro-Hungarian and Russian allies having coalesced together, the time to invade Italy had begun. Thus, Bruno was quick to send out his orders as he jumped into the back of a command Half-Track which began to depart with the rest of the army at the given time.

---

Italy’s king and its leaders were very worried about the Army that was advancing down the Alps and towards their capital. On the one hand, their allies had fought and bled by their side to defend Italy from the Central Powers and their advance.

However, on the other hand, Italy was about to be completely and utterly steamrolled by a numerical, and technologically superior enemy. He could either raise the white flag and surrender now. Or try to betray his allies and join the other side.

Either way, King Victor Emmanuel III was quick to reach out to the German Kaiser and attempt to stall his war hound’s advance with potential peace negotiations. Negotiations that were surprisingly accepted by the Kaiser, as he agreed to meet with the Italian King in Geneva to discuss the matters in person.

---

Bruno and his army had already started their advance down the Tyrolean Alps and towards the city of Milan when he received word over the wire that he would need to halt his advance and freeze the front lines until a peace agreement could be made.

The message was communicated to him by the radio operator within his command halftrack. Which Bruno was quick to motion to the man to take off his headset and mute his microphone. Bruno then gave his response to the man in the most bone chilling tone he could.

"I’m sorry, what were the Kaiser’s orders? I don’t believe I heard them clearly… It would appear due to the elevation we are having trouble establishing stable lines of communication. Tell him to repeat his orders for me!"

As the radio operator relayed Bruno’s orders while perfectly understanding what his superior officer was doing, Bruno shut off the radio entirely. Making it appear like they had utterly lost contact with Berlin. After doing so, Bruno gave another order to the radio operator in his vehicle.

"Relay orders to the rest of the unit. The Austro-Hungarian Army will diverge and assault the city of Venice, along with their forces currently stationed in Trieste. While the Russians will split off from the main group and capture Turin. As for the 8th Army, they will continue their advance to Milan without a single moment’s rest…"

The Radio operator was quick to relay Bruno’s orders to the necessary figures. After doing so, he was quick to ask his commanding officer the immediate question on his mind.

"Sir.. Aren’t we disobeying orders directly from the Kaiser by doing this?"

Bruno raised his brow, again reiterating what he had said previously this time with a far more hostile tone in his voice.

"What orders? Our communications went out before we could clarify what High Command had told us? We are simply doing our jobs and seizing control over the nearest major strategic objectives.

And if, for whatever reason, the Italian King has decided to see reason and pursue peace, the Reich will now be in a far greater position of strength to enforce the demands of the Central Powers when they do so…"

Knowing better than to speak against Bruno’s insubordination any further, the radio operator was quick to acknowledge that he had indeed not heard anything over the wire, because they were truly suffering from communication issues as a result of the elevation and the difficulty that radio waves had travelling through mountains.

And he would maintain that story and never once divert from it until he died of natural causes many decades later.

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