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5-7-November-1915
The sound of artillery fire thundered in my ears as I watched several guns firing into the forests ahead of us, at the same time men rushed to take defensive positions in the trenches they had dug to halt the Russian advance in case of such an attack.
''Manstein'' I shouted as I spotted the Hauptmann issuing orders to his men while everything descended into chaos from the sudden assault.
''Major… it is confirmed, it is an entire Russian army moving through the marshes, they froze sooner than expected and they are already advancing, we are clearly outnumbered and all their efforts are focused on reaching Kiev, they have been desperately trying to seize the roads leading to the city'' said the officer reporting to me.
''Good… did you make sure the machine gun nests from my garrisons were supplied? that will stop them and inflict heavy casualties while buying us time'' I said covering one ear from the deafening artillery.
''Yes… they were supplied with plenty of ammunition, and several lieutenants were sent to accompany them, those positions are heavily fortified… the problem may be the Russian cavalry spotted in the forests, but they have not launched a full charge yet, I doubt they brought artillery, the terrain should not allow heavy guns to move through it'' said Manstein while watching the forest line in the distance where artillery shells kept striking.
''Do they know where they are firing or are they just hoping to hit something?'' I asked, unsure if scouts were guiding them.
''Yes, last known Russian positions… sweeps were being conducted in the area…'' the officer replied.
''Good… did my men leave the forest before all this?'' I asked turning sharply toward him.
''Affirmative Major… they withdrew and were the ones who reported the Russian troop movement, they had been harassing their vanguards before alerting us, they are awaiting orders'' said Manstein as he moved toward the command tent.
''Good… good… send scouts and confirm the Russian positions, if they are far enough, get axes and clear as much forest as possible, we need to open the ground in front of our defensive lines or Russian cavalry could be on top of us before we even notice'' I said, irritated by how close the forest stood to our trenches.
''I… I have orders to only take commands from my superior and ignore yours'' said Manstein tensely.
''Let me guess… Hindenburg, it is a recommendation not an order, it would be the best course of action…'' I said with clear annoyance.
''Of course… I will inform my superior officers about your recommendation…'' said Manstein before heading into the command tent.
I clicked my tongue, that damned Hindenburg was trying to undermine everything I did, I would bet my salary that if we held the line he would claim all the credit like always.
Men from the Kingdom of Ukraine garrisons began arriving in groups, disembarking from trains, without wasting time we fortified our positions along the flanks of the main trenches and secondary roads the Russians might use to reach Kiev, avoiding direct engagement with the divisions of the Tenth Army.
We quickly distributed Russian ammunition, it was better to use what was abundant here rather than rely on German supplies, except for the machine guns, I assigned hundreds of men to reinforce the machine gun nests.
As artillery fire continued, I saw German soldiers arrive with axes and begin cutting down trees, turning them into obstacles across the field.
Listening to the crashing of falling trunks I kept issuing orders until we noticed movement, the men cutting trees ran back toward our lines.
Soon we heard the thunder of hooves, and moments later Russian cavalry leapt over the freshly cut logs.
''Damn… they are being very aggressive'' I muttered through clenched teeth as I pulled my rifle from my back and took aim.
German machine guns roared, but there were too few, I could only hear a handful firing as they cut down Russian cavalry.
Before we could react further, a massive wave of Russian infantry burst out of the forest advancing directly toward our positions.
''Everyone down'' I shouted, signaling the young soldiers who dropped to the ground and aimed their rifles.
''Come on do not panic, we are well positioned and well prepared, trust your training, focus on shooting and follow my orders and we will all get through this'' I shouted as they steadied themselves.
We had good positions and the machine gun nests were camouflaged, though designed for summer and not as effective in winter conditions.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands of Russians advanced toward us attempting to flank the German troops engaged with the cavalry charge.
I quickly aimed and immediately identified an officer giving orders, repeatedly raising a whistle to his mouth.
I centered my sights on his chest and fired, watching him fall backward as the shot struck him, the men around him froze for a moment staring at his body.
''Now… now'' I shouted to the men at the machine guns and they opened fire, first the closest nest and then the other two joined in, spraying bursts into the Russian troops who fell like wheat before the scythe.
Only a small group that had been lucky remained standing as the rest were cut down under the crossfire of six machine guns and several Russian rifles.
''Conserve ammunition… only fire when you see concentrations we are holding back an entire Russian army'' I shouted trying to reach the more distant machine gun nests.
The machine gun fire ceased and we waited for the next wave.
''Do not move under any circumstances… hold your positions and if they try to flank you withdraw in an organized manner I will check the other blocks'' I said to one of the officers who was reloading his rifle and he nodded.
With a group of Jägerkommandos we moved out passing near the Tenth Army line which was littered with Russian and German corpses, they had forced their way into the camp causing damage by bypassing the trenches and striking the rear.
But as the defense still held I returned to the rear line and organized another group of soldiers, taking them to reinforce a weaker position, the field was covered with dead Russians and fallen horses.
They had overwhelmed a machine gun nest and its crew had not survived.
''Recover the machine guns they are the priority or they could turn them against us'' I shouted and a group of soldiers ran toward the pile of bodies and returned carrying the weapons.
I heard machine guns again along with rifle fire and more artillery began to fall.
I moved again to another sector and it was the same, the attack on the German trench line was only a distraction, the Russians were pushing hard along secondary roads trying to encircle the German forces concentrated in their trenches, we had taken losses but the Russians far more, for each of ours they lost dozens or hundreds attacking fortified positions.
The rest of the day followed the same pattern, Russian diversionary attacks trying to break through the weaker routes, but as hours passed my men filled those gaps alongside the German divisions and held the line.
At nightfall we began counting the dead while stripping the Russian bodies of ammunition and rifles, these were essential for the Ukrainian security forces and for training reserves.
We pulled German bodies from the heaps of Russian dead and their horses and took the surviving horses from the suicidal charges.
The next day began quietly, in the morning we worked cutting trees and pushing the forest line farther from our front, we had contained the offensive though the strongest points of the Tenth Army had suffered heavy losses.
While checking the machine gun nests and ensuring they had ammunition something struck me hard, throwing me to the ground as my ears rang.
Dazed I stood and saw a smoking crater near one of the nests.
''Damn… artillery fall back get out of there'' I shouted covering my ears as more shells began falling on our positions.
After pulling back I saw more areas being hit by artillery.
''For hell's sake how did they move artillery into the forest'' I cursed and immediately sent messengers to check the other defensive sectors.
Bad news came quickly, several positions had been annihilated, valuable machine guns lost and many wounded and dead from the bombardment.
We were forced to relocate defensive positions and reorganize, taking safer ground, they had used their attacks to pinpoint our nests and now targeted them precisely.
Once new positions were secured though not as well prepared I returned to the Tenth Army camp which was in full retreat.
''What is happening why are you already withdrawing'' I asked seeing Manstein coordinating artillery and supply movements.
''It is not one Russian army it is two the attack was to buy time and establish their artillery they hit us hard and our defenses are broken we cannot locate their guns for counterbattery fire we must withdraw to more defensible ground or we will be shelled without end'' said Manstein.
''Two armies… we have to stop two Russian armies… a few tens of thousands from the Tenth Army and fifty thousand garrison troops we are facing half a million men'' I said, eyes widening.
''That is correct reinforcements are on the way they are aware of the situation our task is only to delay them'' said Manstein through clenched teeth.
''Easier said than done… where will you position to cover your flanks'' I asked following him as he hurried the retreat of heavy equipment.
''We will fall back five kilometers'' said Manstein before returning to his work.
Amid the chaos I gathered my men and ordered a withdrawal while preparing new defensive positions, it was clear this would be a long fight.
Without delay we evacuated and began digging new nests, concealing them with foliage and fresh snow while securing secondary roads, the Tenth Army covered the plains attempting to dig trenches with little success as more Russian cavalry arrived followed by thousands of infantry pushing toward Kiev.
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