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墨書 Inktalez
The First Infantry Division of the German Army, Strasser returned here after several months. He looked at the command center that he had only seen online before, feeling a surge of emotions. In the past, he could only control troops in a game, but now his dream was coming true; he would soon have the opportunity to command real forces, which was far more thrilling than playing a computer game.
"Hello, Commander!"
The messenger was highly efficient, and the officers arrived quickly. Besides Rommel and Student, who were already by Strasser's side, Bock was the first to arrive at the Division.
As soon as Bock entered, he saluted Strasser. Although his rank was higher than Strasser's at the moment, he believed that this imaginative Major would soon gain Seeckt's recognition and rise through the ranks. The Colonel, who had aristocratic blood, felt more curiosity than awe towards Strasser.
Von Bock had carefully studied the operational concept of Blitzkrieg over the past few months, and the more he researched, the more terrifying he found it. This approach, which emphasized high-speed maneuvers, completely overturned the traditional concepts of Trench Warfare. With the support of advanced weapon systems, the advantages of this concept were brought to their fullest potential.
According to Bock's predictions, a fully equipped armor division could easily defeat three regular infantry divisions in a frontal assault. This was significant for Germany, which was limited by the Treaty of Versailles and faced a shortage of troops. Bock had fantasized that if Germany's National Defense Forces were composed entirely of armor divisions, they could quickly conquer Poland, and attacking France would not seem like an impossible task.
"Your work has been hard these days," Strasser returned the greeting.
"I saw you personally guiding the soldiers on the drill ground from the rooftop. It's a good example to train with them."
"If it can make the German Army strong again, no matter how hard it is."
Bock, on the other hand, didn't care at all. As a soldier who had experienced World War I, he deeply understood the pain of war failure. He would rather die in battle than experience failure again.
"There will be opportunities, and the arrival of this opportunity is not far off," Strasser reassured.
At this moment, other senior officers of the First Infantry Division entered the Division's conference room, including Rundstedt. When he walked in, he met Strasser's deep brown eyes, which made Rundstedt feel somewhat guilty, and he awkwardly saluted Strasser.
"I appreciate all the hard work everyone has put in during this time. I am very grateful for what you have done for the First Division," Strasser began by acknowledging the efforts of the officers present.
"However, this alone is not enough. We need to build a strong army, which requires not only advanced weaponry and equipment, and guidance from modern concepts, but also scientific military training."
"But haven't we already trained the soldiers according to the requirements of Blitzkrieg? Isn't that sufficient?" Rommel asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Of course, while we have no issues at the strategic level, there are still many things that need improvement at the tactical level."
Strasser took out the draft he had already prepared from his briefcase. "First, we need to address the organizational structure of the First Division. Our previous structure was too bloated and needs to be reconfigured. Below is the future organization of Germany's First Infantry Division, which will be reorganized in conjunction with the new weapons manufactured by Krupp Company.
After reorganization and expansion, the First Infantry Division now has approximately 17,200 personnel, including a Division, three infantry regiments, an Artillery Regiment, a reconnaissance battalion, a communications battalion, an anti-tank battalion, an engineering battalion, and the division's supply unit."
Division has 158 people, equipped with 2 light machine guns, 17 motorcycles, and 31 wheeled vehicles.
Each infantry regiment has about 3250 people, equipped with 123 light machine guns, 36 heavy machine guns, 27 anti-tank guns, 12 75mm anti-tank guns, 27 50mm mortars, 18 81mm mortars, 6 75mm leIG18 light infantry guns, 2 150mm SIG33 heavy infantry guns, 47 motorcycles, 73 wheeled vehicles, 210 horse-drawn carriages, and 683 horses.
Artillery Regiment has about 2500 people, equipped with 32 light machine guns, 36 105mm howitzers, 4 105mm cannons, 8 150mm howitzers, 40 motorcycles, 105 wheeled vehicles, 229 horse-drawn carriages, and 2274 horses.
The reconnaissance battalion has about 625 personnel, equipped with 25 light machine guns, 8 heavy machine guns, 3 75mm anti-tank guns, 3 20mm anti-aircraft guns, 3 50mm mortars, 4 81mm mortars, and 2 75mm leIG18 light infantry guns. They also have 3 armored vehicles, 45 motorcycles, 30 wheeled vehicles, 3 horse-drawn carriages, and 213 horses. The communication battalion has 474 personnel, equipped with 17 light machine guns, 32 motorcycles, 103 wheeled vehicles, 7 horse-drawn carriages, and 52 horses. The anti-tank battalion has about 550 personnel, equipped with 18 light machine guns, 36 75mm anti-tank guns, 45 motorcycles, and 114 wheeled vehicles. The engineer battalion has about 843 personnel, equipped with 34 light machine guns, 9 anti-tank guns, 20 flamethrowers, 44 motorcycles, 87 wheeled vehicles, 19 horse-drawn carriages, and 52 horses.
The logistics team consists of approximately 2,300 personnel, equipped with 30 light machine guns, 8 20mm anti-aircraft guns, 88 motorcycles, 253 wheeled vehicles, 245 horse-drawn carts, and 735 horses.
"Is it really necessary to equip so many anti-tank weapons? Can't we just use mortars and grenades instead?"
Some officers raised questions; they had never seen the tank designed by Strasser and their memories of tanks were still stuck in the World War I era.
"Very soon, you will realize the importance of anti-tank weapons," Strasser smiled.
The other equipment of the First Division was already in place, except for the tanks, which were delayed due to their technical complexity and the lack of ready-made models to reference.
However, last week, news came from the General Staff of the Army that Strasser's design for the Panther Tank had been preliminarily launched. Although it was still in the testing phase, Strasser confidently took on this task; as the designer of the Panther Tank, he had the authority to do so.
Strasser looked at the clock; there was still a quarter of an hour left. He requested the General Staff of the Army to bring the Panther tank to the First Division's base for testing, which would be a good opportunity to open the eyes of those conservative non-commissioned officers.
"Furthermore, I demand the implementation of radio technology within the troops. Command posts at all levels need to establish radio communication, especially the Independent Armored Regiment." At this point, Strasser deliberately glanced at Rommel.
"As for Student's paratroopers," Strasser felt a bit embarrassed. He looked at Student, who was filled with hopeful anticipation, and decided to paint a grand vision first.
"Due to limited conditions, the paratroopers still have to rely on gliders for training for the time being. However, rest assured, this year I will propose a bill in Congress requesting funding for the First Division to acquire some civilian aircraft for training."
However, it was clear that this tactic was ineffective with the Student, who simply looked at Strasser with a disapproving gaze, indicating that he should keep his promise.
Strasser was not thick-skinned enough to handle the questioning from the Student, so he was starting to crack under the pressure. Just as Strasser was about to come up with an excuse to end the meeting and make a hasty exit, a messenger outside came to his rescue.
"Report! Acting Division Commander, there are many people at the camp entrance claiming to be from the General Staff of the Army, and they have brought a lot of heavy equipment in trucks."
"Great!" Strasser exclaimed as he stood up excitedly. He looked at Rommel with great enthusiasm. "Erwin, your independent tank battalion has arrived. Let's go take a look together."
Strasser pulled Rommel and rushed out the door, followed closely by the officers in the room, curious about the tanks Strasser had mentioned. After giving Student a sympathetic glance, Bock also stepped outside. Finally, Rundstedt patted Student on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Kurt, there will be bread and there will be planes." He then opened the door and walked out.
The conference room was left with Student alone, feeling disheveled in the wind.
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