Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 126 How to Command Troops in Combat?

Although everyone was surprised by Morin's appearance, they were, after all, future officers who had come for further training.

Whether it was due to their adherence to the War Academy's discipline or their inherent composure, they suppressed their curiosity, only occasionally engaging in quiet discussions.

However, as the instructors entered, the somewhat noisy discussions in the large lecture hall instantly disappeared, and all the students straightened their backs and sat up straight.

Molin also snapped out of her reverie and focused her attention on the podium.

The man who stepped onto the podium was an elderly man in a general's uniform, with gray hair but a vigorous spirit.

He was General Hohendorf, the vice-principal of the Saxon War Academy—who was in charge of teaching the course "Imperial Military Traditions".

General Horndorf's gaze swept over each of the trainees present, his deep eyes bearing the marks of time and war.

"Gentlemen, today we will continue to review the glorious victories of the Empire in recent decades, victories worthy of being recorded in history."

Morin noticed that when General Hohendorf uttered the words "glorious victory," many of the trainees present showed a heartfelt sense of pride and longing.

The course began soon.

General Hohendorf began his account with the Saxon-Austrian War, in which the Saxon Empire vied with the Austrian Empire for continental dominance, and continued to the Saxon-Gaugh War, which ended not long ago and solidified Saxony's position as the leading land power in Europe.

His teaching style is calm yet passionate, especially when he talks about the decisive Battle of Sedan in the Sagau War, at which point his emotions become high.

"Gentlemen, please remember the essence of the Battle of Sedan!"

General Horndorf struck the large arrow representing the main force of the Saxon army on the map with his pointer.

"A perfect flanking maneuver! And our fearless infantry, launching a decisive charge with bayonets!"

"This is the eternal creed of our Saxon Army to defeat the enemy! It is the art of war that every one of you must firmly engrave in your very bones!"

Below the stage, the trainees listened with great enthusiasm, as if they were in the midst of that magnificent battle, following in the footsteps of their predecessors and charging towards the enemy's position.

However, sitting in the corner, Morin's brows furrowed unconsciously.

He acknowledged that flanking maneuvers and bayonet charges were indeed effective tactics in certain historical periods.

But to regard it as a dogma of 'eternal classics' is a bit problematic.

He recalled his first battle on the outskirts of Seville.

Against the Vickers heavy machine guns equipped by the Kingdom's army, any form of dense formation charge is no different from collective suicide.

In most cases, the so-called bayonet charge never actually gets the chance to reach the enemy's handgun position.

However, some students did raise questions about some of the new weapons during the course.

"General, what is your view on the role of heavy machine guns and recoil-operated rapid-fire cannons in future wars?"

A student stood up and asked a question.

General Horndorf nodded approvingly, seemingly pleased that someone had raised such a question.

"Good question."

He put down his pointer and began to explain.

"The heavy machine gun is undoubtedly a powerful defensive weapon. Its dense firepower can effectively suppress enemy infantry and create better conditions for our own infantry waves to charge."

"The advent of rapid-fire cannons greatly enhanced the artillery's firepower sustainability."

General Horndorf continued.

"It can destroy enemy fortifications at a faster speed, clearing the final obstacles for our bayonet charge."

Hearing this, Morin basically understood.

Whether they are instructors or trainees, their understanding of these groundbreaking new equipment is limited to how to make them better "escort" the traditional infantry wave.

They had not yet realized that the emergence of these new equipment would completely revolutionize the form of warfare.

The battlefield of the future will indeed remain the stage for infantry in the short term, and this stage is no different from a meat grinder.

Continuing to use outdated tactics will only make this "meat grinder" grind even faster.

After the class, Maureen felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

He was keenly aware that the military thinking of the Saxon War Academy was outdated.

Of course, he also understands the difficulties involved.

To thoroughly reform a massive military system is no less difficult than launching a revolution.

This will inevitably be accompanied by countless clashes between old and new ideas, as well as obstruction from vested interest groups.

And this is by no means an easy task.
In the days that followed, Maureen's life became unusually regular and fulfilling.

Every day before dawn, he had to get up and rush to the War Academy to begin his day of 'crashing' classes.

After the morning classes ended, he had to rush back to the training commando battalion's base outside Dresden.

Here, he not only had to handle all the affairs, big and small, in the camp, but also had to set an example by participating in the high-intensity physical training in the afternoon with all the soldiers in the camp.

If the War Academy has arranged tutoring sessions for him in the evening, he has to return to the academy again after dinner.

Only if not can he get a moment's respite, staying at the camp or returning to the manor to rest.

The Army made great concessions to him in this regard, allowing him to live in the academy's dormitories like other cadets.

Even when his body falls into a deep sleep each night, his mind does not rest, but continues to learn spells with the help of the system.

Every day is fully scheduled, with almost no time to waste.

This also reminded Maureen of a TV series called "Life Cutting Techniques" that she had watched before she traveled through time.

He was wondering what it was like for the "corporate personality" in the show to have a seamless get off work schedule.

Unexpectedly, he has now experienced almost the same thing.
After a period of basic acclimatization training, the four completed 400-meter obstacle courses in the training and assault battalion finally had their first official 'inspection'.

The entire battalion organized a battalion-wide preliminary assessment test, organized by platoon.

Before the test began, Morin stood by the starting line, looking at the soldiers who were both excited and nervous, but he didn't really have high hopes.

After all, this training subject was still a completely new thing for them.

The test results were exactly as he expected. The bad news was that, out of the thousands of men in the entire battalion, no platoon's average performance came close to his own previously achieved time when he was in "bad form."

Not to mention reaching the 2 minutes and 30 seconds passing mark he set, which is somewhat abnormal for the soldiers at present.

However, there is good news.

The old 1st Company he brought, along with the companies composed of elite soldiers drawn from various hunter units, had already achieved average scores that were not far behind his own. With a little more training, they could improve.

These veterans, who have been tested by blood and fire, and the hunters who spend their years in the mountains and forests, do have a natural advantage in terms of physical strength and willpower.

Unsurprisingly, the company that performed the worst in the test was composed of former Imperial Guard soldiers.

Their average time was almost 10 seconds slower than the other companies.

This result made all the Imperial Guard soldiers, including the company commander, feel ashamed.

They are the Royal Guard! The face of the Imperial Army!

How can we possibly lose to those country bumpkins from Zwickau and savages from the Bavarian mountains in a basic physical training exercise?

Their strong sense of collective honor made it impossible for them to accept such a defeat.

On the afternoon of the day the test ended, Morin saw the soldiers of that Imperial Guard company, led by their company commander, give up their rest time and voluntarily start extra training.

On the training field, they charged at the obstacles again and again, their uniforms soaked with sweat, and wild roars emanating from their throats.

Morin was naturally pleased with the healthy competitive atmosphere that had emerged in the camp.

However, he also raised a few detailed questions with Claster.

The most obvious thing is that many soldiers, when they jumped into the trench and climbed back up after turning back, would slack off and climb directly to the other side while jumping down.

Morin was no stranger to this behavior; after all, he had done it before.

Therefore, he also provided a very effective solution.

"Place wooden planks at the bottom of the trench, then pour some water in. After everyone finishes running, check if their shoes are wet."

Kleist and Manstein listened with 'awe'.

At the same time, he was also wondering, how could the battalion commander be so ruthless when he is so young?
On the other hand, while studying at the War Academy, Morin was worried about the Imperial Army's high command—especially the General Staff—not paying enough attention to basic tactics.

But he must also admit that, putting all that aside, what the college teaches is indeed solid, practical knowledge.

In particular, the core courses such as "Campaign Studies", "Tactics Studies" and "Military Logistics Studies" are important.

For Morin, he had already mastered the command and combat skills at the platoon and company level through actual combat.

But at the War College, he learned more than just how to command a battalion.

At the same time, there are also higher-level operational command and tactical deployments at the division, army, and even group army scales.

This is not only to prepare the students of the War Academy for future promotion to officer ranks and to open the door to higher levels.

More importantly, only by deeply understanding the superior commander's campaign intentions and overall deployment can one achieve this.

Only then can these commanders more effectively organize and utilize their battalion-level units in future battles, maximizing their effectiveness.

Of all these courses, the one that Maureen found most rewarding was "Military Logistics," which he had previously lacked the opportunity to study.

In this course, he systematically learned the complete material handling process of a battalion-level unit.

How can we accurately calculate the consumption of ammunition, food, water, and medicine by troops in battles of varying intensities?

How to efficiently manage and command the battalion's supply train?

How to effectively coordinate and communicate with the superior regimental and divisional logistics units to ensure that the supply lines of one's own troops remain unobstructed at all times?
After learning this entire set of logistical support knowledge, Morin realized that he still had a lot to learn in many areas.

Especially in the areas of military communications and logistical support, the systems were vastly different from the modern systems he had learned at the military academy before his time travel.

He had to forget about those convenient radios and satellite phones.
Then we need to relearn how to use messengers, wired telephones and telegraphs, carrier pigeons, and even signal flares in this era to transmit messages of different levels of secrecy to different targets.

He also had to forget about the massive supply trains made up of trucks and trains and relearn how to command a mule-driven logistics force to ensure the supplies for the soldiers on the front lines.

In summary, what appears to be a simple sentence on the map by the superior commander is: "Order the XX Infantry Division to launch an attack on the XX area."

However, in actual execution, the issues that need to be considered as the commander of this unit are still somewhat 'complicated'.

How many kilometers can a fully-equipped infantry division advance in a day and night under forced march conditions?
What were the daily expenses for people and horses during the journey?

Based on the predetermined attack range, how many tons of food, feed, and ammunition do the division's supply units need to stockpile in advance?

After completing this long journey, how many soldiers in the entire division will be ready to immediately engage in battle?
Are non-combat casualties within a controllable range?
How long would it take to replenish the entire division's ammunition and supplies? And is there a risk of the enemy launching a surprise attack during this time?
How far should the division's cavalry reconnaissance units advance to effectively ensure the flanks and rear of the main force?

How should we maintain an appropriate distance and communication with friendly forces on our flanks during a march?

Within a 20-kilometer radius combat area, which terrain is most suitable for the entire division to deploy combat formations or establish defensive positions?
Can the observation posts and communications soldiers of the division's artillery brigade keep up with the advance speed of the main infantry force?

On the way the troops advance, what are the key bridges, crossings, and passes that must be controlled in advance at all costs?

If they encounter a river as an obstacle, how can they contact the army group's fortification troops, and how long will it take them to build a pontoon bridge large enough for field artillery and fully loaded supply wagons to pass?
When these macro-level campaign issues are broken down layer by layer and refined down to the battalion-level units under Morin's command...

This will then evolve into even more trivial and specific details.

Maureen demonstrated an astonishing speed in learning this entirely new knowledge.

This is not only because his intelligence and memory were greatly enhanced after he awakened to become a spellcaster.

More importantly, his more modern way of thinking allows him to understand the essence of these seemingly complex problems more quickly, and to draw inferences from one instance to another to find the optimal solution.

During this initial period of learning, Maureen remained very low-key.

He listened attentively to lectures every day, took careful notes, and humbly asked teachers or classmates for help when he encountered problems he didn't understand.

His performance seemed no different from that of an ordinary, diligent and studious student.

He did not make any shocking remarks in class, nor did he show any unusual characteristics.

Gradually, the students and instructors around him stopped paying much attention to this young man who was hailed as a 'war hero' and was constantly transferring between classes.

Until a wargaming simulation lesson came along.

(End of this chapter)