Chapter 61 The Battle of Kursk, Part 1
The aircraft is still in the prototype stage.
Currently, the number of aircraft on the front against Moruro is only 16, which is too few to make a difference on the front.
If it can be used for reconnaissance, then that’s good enough by itself. We expect no more than that.
That is how it was supposed to be.
However… With the appearance of a single demon lord, their military strength greatly exceeded what it was originally supposed to be.
“That pervert is worth a whole division… Seriously,” Eryutheia later remarked of that guy.
And, it brought unexpected changes to the front line.
“Already over 100, huh… In just one month, so many dragon riders were devastated by that sky monster.”
“Lord Battine, if we do not quickly go on the offensive, we are going to be done for. To that sky demon lord.”
“…That’s true.”
A month has passed since the Demon Lord first appeared on the battlefield, and Battine spent that time scouting.
The enemy――where is the Yamato Empire and how much military power do they have?
What kind of weapons do they have and how those weapons are being used?
If they don’t know them, they won’t be able to fight.
The only thing he understood as a result of that reconnaissance was just one thing. All they knew was that they had the demon lord was with them.
The distance from the Battine army front to the Yamato army front is roughly 100 km. The Moruro people called this area the ‘Plain of Death’.
This is because many of the troops that have gone out to scout this plain have returned almost completely destroyed.
They barely made it back alive to tell the tale after their mount was blasted by a 37mm cannon.
“It’s the demon lord, the demon lord has appeared!”
“We were annihilated in an instant, I’m not lying!”
“Believe me! I saw it, a fire dragon get knocked down by that monster!”
――Kanonen Vogel.
Type 5 fighter plane equipped with a 37mm cannon, was incredibly powerful. It’s just that the guy on board is a lot crazier, rather than the aircraft being powerful…
Well, there is no doubt he made significant achievements.
After all, many of the dragon rider scouts sent out by Battine were annihilated by his hand.
With the appearance of this demon lord, reconnaissance by dragon riders became difficult. When they got dispatched, all those who were sent were killed.
If this situation continues, reconnaissance is not an option.
But…
Even so, cavalry reconnaissance was also difficult.
If it’s the cavalry troop with their small targets and number, they might be able to sneak through the demon lord’s attack and approach the front line of the Yamato army.
However, there is a machine gun position, and the highly visible cavalry would easily be riddled with bullets before they could do any reconnaissance.
Even with cavalry, the damage is still significant and they may not be able to get any valuable information.
Even if they continue the reconnaissance as it is, their fighting power will only be depleted at an alarming rate. There’s nothing to gain.
It is very risky to attack the enemy without having any information about them.
Even the other son of the Khan said, “Me, Balkan! Kill!” Unlike Dorjik who is a wild child that relies on his instinct to attack, Battine was more rational and considerate in his approach.
However, if it continues to remain the same… The situation won’t change for the better.
“What should I do? How can I defeat that demon lord!?”
Battine is troubled every day, unable to move forward, nor able to make the decision to stay.
Even though he is thoughtful, as nomadic people who do not generally use their heads, the stress is overwhelming.
……A letter arrives for him.
“Lord Battine! A letter from Khan!”
“What!? From my father! What is the content?!”
“He asks what the Battine Army is doing. There is also an order to attack immediately…”
“Oh, what a brave and determined decision, just like my father.”
Despite leading a force of 1000 dragon riders, Battine doesn’t seem to make a move at all. Emperor Khan had lost his patience with him, he had no other choice but to order an attack on the Yamato army.
Following orders from someone who doesn’t know the first thing about the situation… This is a situation that modern corporate warriors would want to complain about, but at this time, Battine was in a state of extreme stress because he was unsure of what decision to make.
As if it were a blessing from heaven, an instruction came from the top.
“It’s dangerous. It is too dangerous to go on the offensive without knowing the details of the enemy,” somewhere in his head alarm sounded, but Battine decided to ignore it.
Father’s orders are absolute, so this must be correct.
Having made up his mind he order the whole army to move forward.
☆☆☆☆☆
It’s been about a month since we landed in Moruro.
200 km into Moruro territory, we continue to invade the Moruro Empire. These days, we’ve moved quite far from the coast and penetrated deep into the inland.
It’s finally time for a showdown.
“Your Excellency, this is a reconnaissance report from the air force unit. The enemy’s main force started moving at the same time.”
“――What’s the course?”
“It’s the right flank of the 1st Marine Division.”
Probably because they could not stand the repeated air strikes by the well-known Colonel Stuka, the Moruro army finally launched a full-scale offensive.
About 10 kilometers behind the front line.
I receive the report at the Field Communication Command post of the Imperial Guard’s base.
However, aircraft are very convenient. It seems that because of that person, the air attack is the main tactic… Even in reconnaissance, it effectively demonstrates its capabilities.
Well, that’s pretty obvious, because the original purpose of militarizing the aircraft was for reconnaissance, after all.
“Eryu-san, the army’s armored division has already deployed to the right flank of our army. We have occupied the Kursk highland.”
“The enemy has dragon riders, and on our side, we have light tanks. So it’s a battle of armored vehicles.”
I wonder, do I also have the blood of a battle maniac in me? I’m starting to feel a little bit excited.
It’s a showdown, a decisive battle.
We will hit the enemy’s main force hard with our armored division. There’s nothing as enjoyable as this.
“If we let the main force of the enemy escape, it will be troublesome later on. Ayame-san, please give some words of encouragement to the army staff.”
“…Understood. Also, Eryu-san, can you please stay here? Because it’s dangerous to go any further.”
……Am I not allowed to go see it?
I looked up at Ayame-san’s face who was standing behind me…
Hmm, if you’re going to look so worried, even I couldn’t say that I want to go. I will be patient waiting in the back.
“Fine, I understand. Well, all I can do now is wait for the report of the decisive battle.”
“Yeah, I guess so. For now, I will issue an order to defend to the death to each group of the Imperial Guard. The front-line troops might let the enemy forces slip away again.”
……I suppose so.
Actually, keeping track of enemies in the wide expanse of the Moruro plain is impossible.
If it’s a place where a normal land battle occurs, there are usually people living around the battlefield, and the paths you can use are limited.
Obtaining information about enemy forces can be done easily through road inquiries and stakeouts.
But, in this Moruro plain, it is not possible.
The reason is that no one lives on this plain, and there are no proper roads.
As long as they fight in the vast plains, armies can move around freely without being seen by anyone.
Had we been able to prepare a larger number of aircraft, perhaps the situation would have been different, don’t you think?
How can I put it, rather than calling it a land battle, it gives more of an impression of a naval battle.
Just as it’s difficult for a 21st-century army to track a fleet that can move freely across the sea, it’s also difficult to track down the enemy army that can move freely across the plains.
For that reason, there is a possibility that the enemy army might casually come up to our rear position.
So…
“Ayame-san, let’s get in the tank too. Where’s Captain Nishi?”
“She’s in the middle of lunch. Do you want me to call her?”
“No, let’s wait until she finishes her lunch.”
I am also hurrying to be ready for battle.
Let’s see…
I look up, I see several fighter aircraft flying.
Let’s kick things off with an air attack, shall we?
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