Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Though Lanchester’s Law enabling numerical power comparison due to force differences wasn’t yet known to the world.

Roman had long realized that to destroy trench warfare, one must open an extreme war of attrition, and numerical superiority is the basic foundation in this war of attrition.

While trenches are defensive positions where it’s difficult to utilize numerical superiority like siege warfare, ironically since these trenches aren’t stubborn fortresses, they can be finished in one breath if troops are surely poured in.

Hindenburg too, though not as much as Roman, was someone who understood the principles of this war of attrition through repeated battles.

However, on the Western Front, at Verdun.

Here, no one yet understood even the concept of war of attrition.

"So that’s why those Tatar bastards bet their lives on heavy artillery. Annihilating before infantry can arrive. Schmidt, isn’t this tremendous sight amazing?"

"Though somewhat inefficient, only artillery over 150mm can accomplish area domination capability."

A ferocious firepower battle that proved impossible to wage with the traditional 75mm main guns, as the newer German artillery pieces brought unprecedented destructive capability to the field. The thunderous roar of shells echoed across the landscape, drowning out all other sounds of war.

Crown Prince Wilhelm, the ambitious 5th Army Commander who first ordered the devastating barrage around the Meuse River, stood watching with evident satisfaction. The continuous explosions illuminated his face in the gathering dusk, each flash revealing his growing confidence.

Though commanding only 9 divisions, from the moment the Crown Prince arrived at the front line, carefully inspecting the preparations and positioning of his forces, this was already destined to be no ordinary battle. The weight of imperial prestige hung heavy in the air.

The cream of Germany’s military might stood ready: battle-hardened Bavarian elite divisions, rows of powerful heavy artillery pieces that could reduce fortifications to rubble, and seemingly endless reserves of men and materiel that could be fed into the fight from the staging areas behind the lines. The logistical machinery of the Reich had been working at full capacity for weeks.

The Kaiser, ever mindful of his dynasty’s reputation, wasn’t someone who would allow the stain of defeat to mar his son’s military career and personal history. Every resource available would be committed to ensure victory.

And this aggressive push aligned perfectly with Falkenhayn’s new grand strategy, conceived in the bitter aftermath of being severely beaten by the Russian commanders Roman and Ivanov. The harsh lessons of those defeats had forced a complete strategic reorganization.

Looking at the Eastern Front, with its endless steppes and determined Russian defenders, Falkenhayn saw with growing frustration that it couldn’t be pushed back even if his men died and came back to life. The harsh reality of a two-front war was becoming increasingly apparent to the German High Command.

More precisely, pushing it back a little was meaningless. He felt this frustration not from Field Marshal von Hindenburg and Field Marshal Mackensen’s defeats, but afterward.

Surely Russia must have died horribly too... but there were no gaps in their front.

With first and second class reserves conscripted in 1914 still intact and volunteers added, Russia was currently the only country in Europe not suffering from manpower shortage.

After confirming this reality, Falkenhayn’s 1916 grand strategy had to turn to the west rather than east.

He aimed to pressure France and Britain separately in two major ways:

1.)Expansion of unlimited submarine operations targeting Britain. Attempting long-distance sinkings in North Atlantic beyond North Sea.

2.)Executioner operation targeting France. Inducing negotiations by accumulating losses through repeated battles.

Britain was a country importing all resources and food due to concentrated population characteristics in small homeland, and France had already lost 20 divisions of active forces during the past year and a half of engagement and couldn’t increase forces beyond 2 million afterward.

Then why specifically the 5th Army with Crown Prince Wilhelm?

"To think such solid fortresses would collapse so easily!"

"Even Fort Douaumont can’t withstand about 300,000 shells."

"Good, next let’s try increasing to 1,500 guns by bringing in waiting field artillery!"

Crown Prince Wilhelm came to Verdun purely for political reasons.

To endure this extreme war of attrition, the field must be endlessly supported from the rear, and a mediocre general couldn’t handle that war of attrition.

If they weren’t going to replace commanders with each battle, honestly Crown Prince Wilhelm was the only soldier in current Germany who could handle this war of attrition.

German forces trying to use lessons learned getting beaten on the Eastern Front at Verdun.

France desperately trying to block while screaming at losing core Verdun fortresses in 5 days and troop losses reaching 30,000.

The Battle of Verdun was just beginning.

==

As always with war, like action-reaction law, when force is applied to one side, the other becomes vulnerable.

Roman and Ivanov’s victory brought despair to one country in 1915.

Just as Germany’s Falkenhayn tried to finish the Eastern Front first in 1915, Austria-Hungary’s Hötzendorf also wanted to finish the increasingly irritating Serbian front since the war began.

While German forces joined to block Ivanov’s great army, Hötzendorf struck the entire Balkans.

The result was complete occupation of Montenegro in October. Though the Montenegrin government withdrew from their territory and declared overseas resistance, Montenegro was gone for now.

Next was the fall of the Kingdom of Serbia.

Even Putnik, Serbia’s first field commander leading Serbian forces in fierce resistance against the Central Powers, had to abandon territory before Hötzendorf’s fierce attack.

Thus began the Great Serbian Retreat from November.

Since the retreat period happened to be winter, over 70,000 soldiers and 160,000 civilians had to freeze to death in the process.

All Serbia had left now were the refugee king and government, remnant defeated soldiers, and civilian groups following them.

The difficulties of this retreat process weren’t just the cold.

"Bombing! Hide!"

"Austrian fighters! Prepare anti-air fire!"

"Use Habsburg prisoners as shields in front!"

Since mountain pursuit was difficult, Hötzendorf harassed the escapees by launching fighters hundreds of times.

Even bombers with low combat effectiveness rarely used on the front flew over these refugees’ heads.