Re: Blood and Iron
Chapter 522 - 522: First Strike

For years the Empire of Japan had been eying German territorial possessions in the south Pacific.

Particularly in the region of New Guinea and Micronesia. Bruno had been sent before to Tokyo to discuss these matters with Emperor Taisho, and the result was his permanent exile from the nation.

Since then, a matter of trade disputes, border conflicts, and open diplomatic hostility had compounded for the need to transfer equipment and personnel to the region.

And Bruno, sensing that a small scale war would be breaking out soon with the Empire of Japan forced the man to act,

As the Chief of Staff of the German Armed Forces, and its supreme commander outside of the Kaiser himself, Bruno had taken the chance to deploy several of the older Naval Units to the region, as well as the ground and air attaches with them.

The reason for this was simple. He did not want the world to truly understand the length that the German Reich and their Russian allies had developed to at this point.

Over the course of the remainder of 1928, German units, armed with the fully realized E -series combined arms battalions were transferred to the region.

Albeit, the primary tank deployed was the new E-10 Ausf.B which made use of a 7.5cm 7.5 cm Pak 39 L/48. As well as a new suspension system.

During the great war, torsion bar suspensions had been used on E-series armor due to the technology being easy to implement at scale.

But over the course of the last decade all new chassis had replaced the old torsion bar system with the conical-spring Belleville washers system that the E-series of armor was originally designed for in Bruno's past life.

This new suspension system was simply bolted on to the chassis and could be easily removed for repair or replacement.

They were also easier to manufacture and required less rare earth metals to make. In addition to this, it allowed the height to be lowered 176 cm to 140 cm.

But these armored units were not the only forces deployed to the region. Naturally, aerial assets were shipped to replace the aging equipment used by colonial forces.

Including but not limited to BF – 109 fighters, Do 217 medium bombers, and Ju 52 light transports.

As for the Pacific Fleet? Its older Great War Era vessels were largely replaced with the Type XXI submarines, manufactured in a later year, and not yet retrofitted to modern standards.

In addition to this, several cruisers based largely upon the Prinz Eugen-Class Heavy Cruisers made their way to the region. Other ships included high speed, diesel-electric, ocean-going destroyers as escorts.

Either way, the German Eastern Colonial Forces had steadily, and covertly over the course of the last decade found their horrifically outdated equipment replaced with gear that Germany was now relegated to secondary forces and yet were still cutting edge as far as the rest of the world was concerned.

And nobody seemed to notice. Most certainly of which were the Japanese, who had decided waiting for a peaceful solution to territory they laid claim to was no longer an option.

Thus making the bold, but strategically inept decision to launch an attack against a German naval base in German New Guinea in the morning on October 10th, 1929.

While Bruno slept peacefully in his home in Tyrol, he was awoken by a servant as he cuddled up next to his wife.

"Sir… There is a call for you in your office. It has been ringing nonstop for 10 minutes… I tried to tell them you were sleeping, but the man on the other end says it's urgent…"

Bruno, normally a man liable to throttle anyone who dared wake him. Knew that if someone was calling him at this ungodly hour of the day, they were either asking for a severe beating, and maybe perhaps a hostile takeover, if he were in the proper mood. Or it was a matter of supreme national security.

And thus, when he heard that there was a phone call in his room, he snapped awake instantly, adrenaline surging in his veins as he climbed out of bed and got himself dressed appropriately.

Heidi, having understood the weight of this phone call as well was quick to fetch her robe, and get to work.

She knew her man would be up for many hours, and would be in need of coffee, breakfast, and perhaps even moral support of the incident was severe enough to warrant a call at three in the morning.

And when Bruno stepped into his office and picked up the line, he heard a single phrase from a familiar voice before the opposing party hung up entirely, cutting the call in the process.

"We have been attacked. I need you in Berlin now!"

Bruno sighed heavily as he rubbed his temples in an attempt to soothe his oncoming headache. At the same time, Heidi handed him his coffee with a concerned look on her face.

"How bad is it?"

Bruno said very little, but it was enough for the woman to fully understand.

"Best prepare that cup to go, love… I'm needed in Berlin…"

The woman simply sighed and rolled her eyes, walking away as she said the same exact words that her husband was thinking.

"So it begins."

Bruno didn't respond. He didn't need to. They had both seen this coming for years.

Naturally, Heidi was aware of what had been ongoing in Asia, and knew that if Bruno was being summoned to the Reich's capital, the Japanese had finally made their move. And if they had done so, it meant Bruno would be gone for a while.

Either deploying directly to the region, or would be orchestrating the war from the safety of Berlin, at the Kaiser's side.

Either way… A war with Japan had broken out, and Bruno would wage it the same way he had endeavored to wage all wars in this life.

And that was to fight until the very last! Japan had brought this upon themselves, and since they wanted it, he would give them more they can they could endure.

And perhaps in doing so, break the might of the Empire of Japan before it could ever truly rise to the greatest heights it had received in his past life.

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