Chapter 8: The Next Stage


September 5th, 1923, Imperial War Academy, Muscovy, Autocratic East Europan Imperial Alliance


"You've all gathered here on this day to begin a lifetime of service to his majesty the Emperor of this great nation, and it is your duty to learn and hone the mastery of war that rivals all nations that dare say they understand war. They may have fought for a few decades, we've centuries of experience. They may have weapons that would be considered advance for the last war, we have weapons to shatter the expectations of the next one. They believe in mercy and peace; we know that there is no mercy to be had in war, that there is no ground to give without bloodshed, that there is nothing more paramount than service to our Empire, and we shall know no fear in the face of our enemies!"

The crowd of newly inducted students to the Imperial War Academy let out a cheer of approval as the academy's Commanding Officer, General Clausewitz, looked over the crowd. He mentally sighed as he easily recognize several of the students to be young noble brats that shouldn't by all right be in the military. They were in it for their selfish ambitions, which if it was tempered by foreknowledge and loyalty, wouldn't be bad, but most would easily betray the Empire at the first signs of hardship. That said, his eyes narrowed on two individuals that he had done some research on when he saw their applications cross his desk.

The first was former Princess Gytha Svetlana Gaius, daughter to Emperor Mikhail but voluntarily stepped away from the race for the throne in exchange for knowledge in warfare. She had been trained by General Jaeger, a former Fhiraldian officer who was skilled in tactics involving rapidly moving forces, so much so that while Generals above him fell to the Imperial War machine in the First Europan War, his forces harassed and even managed to injure the current General Gregor. She was currently 5'4", 120 pounds, gray hair, Caucasian, and rather fit for her age and gender. 30 pushups in two minute, 45 situps in two minutes, and finally twenty minute 2-mile run. Clausewitz had high expecatations for her.

The other was the albino Adolf Gregor, son of the late Col. Clemens Gregor and heir to Tula Armaments. Already designing combat-proven war machines for the various Imperial Guard Regiments in the Empire, Adolf was 6'2" and 180 pounds, white hair, pale skin, gaunt features, and a lean build. He wasn't the most buff of the newly inducted students, but from reports he was given by Adolf's personal instructor Sgt. McClain, he was skilled in shooting, already achieving the standards set forth by the academy in pistol shooting, 100, 200, 300, and 600 yard rifle, and was actually taking up swordsmanship. Not necessarily useful in the age of percussion, but it had its uses in close quarters where shooting might be cramped.

Of course, he knew that Adolf was being trained by Gen. Berthold Gregor, his uncle, and so expected Adolf to have the opinion of quality troops supported by absurd levels of firepower, that was if he didn't take after his father Col. Clemens Gregor, who specialized in small strike forces using tanks to stampede the enemy. He remembered the battle reports from both Gregors, and it was a stark contrast. Berthold would send a deluge of artillery onto the enemy before using shock troopers to clear up the enemy defenses, while Clemens would strike the enemy in a pincer movement, using his tanks' armor to shield his men who would rush in with shotguns, flamethrowers, and grenades to take over the location.

He saw his officers begin addressing the assembled students, redirecting them to their dormitories, sighing as he felt his age creeping up on him. Seriously, with as much war and death he had witnessed, he wondered why he was still alive and why so many young hopefuls died. He shook his head; there were new officers to train.


The next day, Adolf Gregor was in his academy's uniform, which consisted of a black slack, hussars jacket, jack boot, and a simple cap. He was heading to his first class, military tactics, where he was supposed to learn the basics of military tactics and try and work out solutions that the instructor would give out who would assess the student's response.

Walking into the classroom, he saw several faces he recognized from the few galas and functions he was forced to attend as a noble, quickly seeing that just like when they were kids they were forming their own little cliques and groups, and all openly disregarded him, especially the second in line heir of Zechmeister Company, Henry Zechmeister. Heading to the back where he could have a modicum of privacy, Adolf waited patiently for the instructor to arrive, all the while judging the potential of his classmates.

Most were overweight, a sad fact about the nobility that could keep its gluttony in check, and the few that weren't overweight either appeared underweight (possibly due to them coming from poorer backgrounds) or weak (the few nobles that didn't overeat but also didn't work to improve their body). Still, it wasn't all a loss for his classmate; he did recognize a few who looked ready to tackle the rigors of becoming an officer, notebooks in hand for taking notes that they could study and review, some who appeared to be in shape, and he knew some that while not appearing intelligent were actually brilliant, such as the heir of the Lord of Tver, one Junkers Wilhelm. He hadn't much time to talk with Junkers, but he knew Junkers had an innate understanding of machinery, and he had some project in the works.

"Hm, a pleasure seeing you here." Adolf turned and saw his closest friend Gytha taking a seat next to him.

"Indeed your grace," Adolf said. Gytha waved him off.

"How many times must I tell you to simply call me by my name?" Gytha inquired.

"Plenty of times, but alas we are in an institute of the empire, and therefor proper protocol must be followed," Adolf said. "That said, about your project, I have some news about it."

"Indeed, how goes progress of the…what did you name it?" Gytha asked.

"The Baneblade heavy tank," Adolf answered. "The engineers have reported that they've finally designed a sufficiently powerful engine for the vehicle and have begun construction in earnest of the chassis and engine. In addition, all weapons save for the signature cannon have been pre-produced. The engineers expect that they could have a fully working prototype Baneblade by the end of next year."

"Very good, much sooner than I expected," Gytha commented. Adolf nodded.

"Indeed, however the order for Leman Russ tanks and the various variants have started to slow down, as the main army is content to use Krimm's line of tanks. In addition, Tula was able to acquire a few more factories to accommodate the orders for the Leman Russ and allowing the main facility to build the Baneblade without worrying about the orders."

"I see. So, who do you think is going to make a fool of themselves today?" Adolf quietly nodded at Henry Zechmeister, who was busy boasting to his compatriots about his company's fortune. "Ah, forget I asked, that is awfully apparent."

Any further discussion was cut off when the door opened, as the instructor entered the room.

"Attention!" the man, who was a Captain by the markings on his shoulder, shouted, causing everyone to stand to attention. He looked around at the group.

"Hmph, that was sloppy, but I suppose even shit is allowed here," the captain remarked. He stood at ease in front of the assembled class, hands behind his back.

"Time for introductions; I am Captain Gault, and I will be your instructor for the next three years before you enlist as officers into the Imperial Army. It is my job, and those of the other instructors, to prepare you to be officers that will lead the men of the Imperial Army to victory wherever the war effort is. So, I expect you all to follow my instructions, obey my orders, and prepare yourself for the rigors of this Academy!"

"Now, with that out of the way, we will begin today's lesson. Who here can tell me the difference between tactics and strategies?" unsurprisingly, Henry raised his hand up, hoping to show off to the rest of the class. "Yes, your name?"

"Henry Zechmeister sir," Henry answered as he stood up.

"Very well, the answer then?"

"Tactics are for small units and strat-"

"WRONG!" roared Cpt. Gault. "Next person, you there?" Cpt. Gault had indicated to Junkers, who nervously stood up.

"Junkers Wilhelm sir, and the answer would be strategy is the planning stages before the start of any major offensive, while tactics are the means to achieve the strategy by units often times no larger than a division," Wilhelm said, and to Adolf it was clear that while Wilhelm was right, he was nervous, he hoped that he could help his fellow engineer out.

"Correct in most regards, sufficient for the purposes of this class," Cpt. Gault said. "Sit down Cadet Wilhelm."

"Indeed, strategy is planned by those of sufficient rank to determine the goal of the various units underneath their command during an operation, while lower ranking officers lead their men to achieve their tactical objectives in their missions. The purpose of this class will be to give you the means to accurately assess the situation, understand the strengths and weakness of your men, and to come up with solutions to the mission."

"We will therefore begin very simple with a scenario you will all inevitable face as officers in the Empire," Cpt. Gault said, clicking a button to which an overhead projector turned on and projected an overhead view of a defensive position. Adolf recognized it from sketches his father had in his notebook as a Gallain forward outpost, complete with barbed-wire, guard towers, and machine gun nests.

"This forward outpost is in the way of your unit from hooking up with the main attack force of an Imperial offensive campaign. You can't get around it as it is heavily forested on both sides with roaming patrols and scattered minefields. What do you do? You there in the back with the gray hair; what's your name and answer?" Gytha stood up, taking a short breath to calm herself.

"Gytha Gaius sir," Gytha said. "And my first question is what do I have for men and resources?" Cpt. Gault ignored her last name unlike most of the class and nodded.

"For this scenario, you have anything and everything at your command as the goal of this though exercise is to see your overall approach to problems and not dealing with restraints," Cpt. Gault explained.

"Then I would first lay down smoke in front of the outpost, then advance with my tanks first, with my infantry following behind. The tanks would prioritize the guard towers and machine gun nests, with infantry taking out stragglers."

"Good in theory, but what if the enemy had lancers in their ranks?" Cpt. Gault asked.

"Then the smoke should conceal my tanks from the lancers and have faith that the infantry can eliminate them before they can pose a threat to the tanks," Gytha coolly said.

"Very well, however you can't expect men to react to rationally in battle; they could be rookies unused to the stresses of battle and therefore not focus on what needs to occur to keep up. Next person!"

It continued in a similar fashion, with most following Gytha's examples and using armor to form the focus of their assault. However, it wasn't too long before it was Adolf's turn.

"Cadet in the back with the white hair, stand up, state your name, and explain what you would do." Adolf stood up, ignoring the glares sent his way.

"Adolf Gregor sir, and for this situation I would precede the attack with a creeping artillery barrage, having the shells be a mixture of gas and high explosive shells. Then I would have my infantry rush forward, with a heavy emphasis on shock-troopers and anyone using a flamethrower or shotgun to lead the assault. Any support elements at my disposal would be busy suppressing the enemy until my infantry get into effective fighting range. At this point they (the support element) would begin moving up while my infantry takes out the remaining enemy," Adolf said. The captain gave Adolf a curious look, raising an eyebrow at him.

"You do realize that chemical weapons are banned by several treaties, correct?" Cpt. Gault said.

"Indeed they are, however, I know that if it came down between victory and defeat, the enemy will do anything to achieve victory, political treaties be damned, pardon my language," Adolf said.

"Fair point to make, as it has happened a few times in recent memory, particularly with countries that are backed by the Atlantic Federation," Cpt. Gault said. "However, what makes you certain that your men will march forward towards the outpost. Regardless of how thorough your preceding bombardment was, there will be survivors, and they will resist."

"Simple, I would ensure that the men under me realize that failure to advance will be dealt with swiftly and ensure my officers know this," Adolf said coldly. "If my men won't advance, then they will be executed for cowardice and treason. The threat of death for failing to follow orders will ensure they remain in line. Although I would hope that their training would remove any ideas of not following orders beforehand."

The classroom was silent, with many openly horrified by what Adolf had just suggested. The captain regarded Adolf for a moment before sighing.

"I see, and while it would work as a short-term solution to the problem, it could prove problematic down the line, you understand this, right?" Cpt. Gault said.

"I do, and I've been trying to come up with long term solutions to this problem, however, in the heat of battle, a soldier's cowardice could result in a squad or platoon being lost."

"Very well, sit down Cadet Adolf," Cpt. Gault commanded. He turned his attention to the class, most of whom were visibly disturbed. The captain sighed.

"Class, the battlefield implementation of executions is something regarded as a barbaric but effective solution to when soldiers refused to follow orders," Cpt. Gault explained. "The example Cadet Gregor gave did occur in the First Europan War; often during offensive campaigns were the units in question were fatigued from fighting. It wasn't done lightly, but during the critical stages of battle, sometimes the only way to snap a unit out of their battle weariness is to execute a member of the unit and instill a sense of fear in the unit. However, the empire has a strict standpoint in terms of battlefield executions; it is generally reserved only when all other methods of rousing the men to battle have failed."

The bell rang out, and the captain sighed.

"Alright class, you are dismissed for lunch, when you return we will discuss in depth various historical examples that were used to tackle the outpost you were faced with."


It was dinner finally, and while he collected his meal Adolf reflected on the rest of the day. Apparently, word had spread quickly throughout the Academy, and everyone was wary of him. It seemed that his methods of instilling discipline and the use of banned weapons made other apprehensive around him. That said, It wasn't a complete loss, as Gytha and Junkers spoke with him during their lunch break, and he saw some of the Academy's instructors subtly praise him once they heard about his view of war, mostly those that served as infantry, engineer, or artillery commanders.

Taking a seat, he saw Junkers drawing something in his notebook.

"Evening Junkers," Adolf said, taking his seat before glancing at the notebook. "What are you drawing?"

"Oh, evening Adolf," Junkers said. "Ah, I'm trying to figure out how to design an aeroplane."

Adolf nodded, pulling out a news article which he showed to Junkers, which caused the fellow engineer to snort.

'Near North Point, Atlantic Federation, last week on June 20th, at 9:15am amateur engineer Alexander Giffard attempted to take off with his, in his own words, 'air vessel'. The 'air vessel' was a nine meters long, with lift being provided by a system of hydrogen balloon in the wings and two twenty horsepower ragnite engines attached to propellers to push the craft in the air.'

'However the air vessel only managed to climb to a height of eight meters before one of the engines caught the balloon on fire, quickly sending Alexander and a fellow engineer to the ground. Luckily, the two managed to escape the fireball, although both were fined for 'reckless endangerment of nearby observers' as the fireball began to burn the field, which prompted locals to call upon the city's fire department to take out the blaze before it became anything worse than a simple brush fire.'

'This marks the third failure in achieving sustained flight in the year, with the fatal Langley incident in January and Whitehead's failed attempt in April. Will man ever achieve flight?'

"Yeah, I'm trying to design something that isn't so categorical bad," Junkers remarked. "It's just that I feel the solution to self-sustained flight is staring us in the face, and I don't know what it is."

Adolf knew of the history of flight, as it fascinated him a bit when he was younger. Razastan's military began using wooden baskets tethered to balloons as scouting vessels in the late 1600s, and in the late 1800s a professor at the Imperial College of Science documented the barriers to heavier than air flight and how birds flew in an essay entitled 'The Laws of Flight'. But no one has achieved anything like sustained heavier than air flight, the closest thing to flight being the large, slow, and highly impractical airships that relied on using gases like hydrogen and helium to achieve lift. Even then, the number of times the airship crumpled on landing or became a raging inferno.

"Well, I assume the issue has to do with the big three?" Adolf asked; referring to what engineers had begun to call the barriers to heavy than air flight 'the big three'; lack of power, fragile airframes, and lack of control. The lack of power was an issue as current ragnite engines could provide a lot of power, but their sheer weight made them unfeasible on aircraft. Lighter engines did exist, but they lacked the power necessary to generate lift under the wings. The fragile airframes existed as most people consider wood and canvas the best materials to build aircraft out of due to their lightweight and easy to shape into form. The final problem existed as no one knew as of yet how to design a workable airframe and where there could be improvements.

"Yeah," Junkers said. "I've tried to come up with scale models and putting them a tunnel pointed at a fan that blows wind in their direction, and all of my designs have been destroyed at relatively low wind speeds."

"What've you been using for materials?" Adolf inquired, cutting a piece of meat before putting it in his mouth.

"Like what most people have; wood and canvas," Junkers said. "But yet when the wind speeds pick up, the wood joints are amongst the first to go, which leads to catastrophic failure."

"Hmm," Adolf said, mulling over the issue. He hadn't much experience with designing aeroplanes, but still, he remembered pictures of the large airships, with steel frames and a canvas cover. He paused; could that be the solution?

"What if you used steel in place of wood, and covered it in canvas?" Junkers rubbed his chin.

"Plausible, but it would become heavy, so much so that I would be concerned about not achieving enough power with the engine," Junkers countered. Adolf frowned; something seemed off.

"What engine do you plan on using?"

"A standard ragnite-fueled 120 horsepower 6-cylinder engine," Junkers replied. Adolf frowned; that should've been powerful enough.

"May I see your design?" Adolf asked. Junkers nodded and slid over his notebook. Adolf took a drink of water before looking at the design.

In the notebook was the traditional aircraft design that had been thrown around the Empire and the Atlantic Federation; a bi-plane design that had a long box fuselage and an engine that was in line with the fuselage, in front of the cockpit. Adolf then looked at the sheer wingspan; nearly sixty feet from wingtip to wingtip, and he had two of them?! Of course that engine wouldn't be strong enough if made from steel and canvas; most engines would struggle!

"Junkers, you know you would need several engines to make this take off, even with wood and canvas construction," Adolf said. "Why not take off one of the wings and shorten it down to…forty feet, and narrow down the fuselage?"

"Hmm, that could possibly work," Junkers said after contemplating for a moment. "You've given me something to think about Adolf. Although might I inquire about something?"

"What about?" Adolf asked.

"Why didn't your solution to that outpost we had have any tanks?" Junkers asked. "Everyone else, even me, had used tanks, but not you. Why is that?" Adolf sighed.

"The outpost wasn't something that warranted the use of tanks," Adolf explained. "To me, the tank is used when you need to break through and quickly; it is not there to handle all the problems a military force is expected to encounter. Also, I planned on becoming a siege engineer; taking down the heaviest of fortifications. Artillery and infantry are better suited to siege warfare than tanks will ever be in my mind."

"I see, so you model you small scale solutions to be in line with what you main strategy?"

"Yes."

"Huh, that's something to see," Junkers said. "Gives me an idea, but it'll have to wait to see how this blasted design of mine, with your suggestion, goes."

"Oh, thinking of a new way to fight?" Adolf asked. Junkers nodded.

"The Atlantic Federation and the Empire may use heavy airships on occasion to bomb the enemy in terror bombings, but what if we could have faster, more powerful, fleets of aeroplanes doing reconnaissance, bombing enemy defensive encampments, and clearing the skies of enemy airships?"

"That sounds reasonable yet at the same time highly ambitious," Adolf remarked. "Well, if you need help with your deisngs, I'm always up to dissecting engineering drawings."

"Same thing to you," Junkers said. The two then feel into silence as they ate their meal, not realizing that this discussion would have larger implications than they first thought.


Author's Note: Ah, it's been nearly half a year since I last posted; ack! Must publish now! Anyway, onto the reviews and some points.

-GJO1088: Gytha's suggestion would be a impractical design, but this is Valkyria Chronicles, where they literally have land battleships! And shockingly, the Baneblade (which is from 40k, and the basis for Gytha's super heavy tank) is relatively tame in comparison to the Marmota (fair enough, the Marmota is a land battleship) and the Batomys (which is bigger than the Baneblade in all regards save weight!). But yes, this isn't the only super-large weapon that is going to roll out of Tula, only these are going to be somewhat more practical.

-The Armed Forces: Ahaha, yeah, not possible for me to do chapters everyday, not with my 11-12 other stories, plus life, plus moments of feeling like I can't write for shit. But glad you like the story, here's the next chapter!

-About Junkers: Yes, I know some of you expressed an interest in Adolf designing the first aircraft for the Empire, but Adolf is going to be a true ground pounder; infantry and artillery will be his bread and butter. But with Junkers, we can see the first modest foray into military aviation, and the modifications that Adolf suggested, well, Junkers is going to use them to make a real-life aircraft, the Junkers J1, an all metal aircraft that wasn't used for military purposes, but design features were used in the design of bombers like the B-17. Don't worry, the Atlantic Federation isn't going to know what hits them when Junkers gets to command his own unit with his designs.

That's all for now guys. I hope to post sooner, but like I said, these things will take time. I hope you guys can forgive me for being only human. Until next time, please read, review, follow, and favorite the story, and I'll catch you guys next time.