Chapter 29: Assuming Command of the Reconnaissance Company, Preparing Some New Tricks

Back at the front lines in Ostend, having rejoined his combat unit, Lelouch spent two or three days re-acclimating to frontline life. He participated in several defensive operations, earning some minor combat distinctions—the kind intended for show. These "for show" merits, in truth, were insufficient to justify a promotion from lieutenant to captain, but since his superiors were aware of his other, classified contributions, the formalities were merely a matter of routine.

A great deal had transpired during those few days.

On the very night Lelouch returned, he learned that the town of Nieuwpoort, located further ahead, had fallen once again. On the evening of October 30th, the town had been captured by French forces following an intense bombardment by the Britannian Channel Fleet. However, in the early hours of October 31st, Hipper’s fleet destroyed four pre-dreadnoughts and left two Scharnhorst-class armored cruisers to shell the French, allowing the German forces to reclaim the ruins.

Yet, on the eve of Lelouch’s return to Ostend, David Beatty, who had just finished pursuing Hipper and sealing him within the Antwerp Fjord, received temporary orders from the Britannian First Lord of the Admiralty, Warton. He was instructed to take his six remaining intact, high-speed battlecruisers and perform another night of bombardment on his return journey.

The Britannians were so determined, even willing to waste the barrel life of their cutting-edge battlecruisers on shore bombardment, that the German forces decided it was only proper to show them some "respect." Consequently, Colonel List made the decisive choice to withdraw his troops via small boats, leaving behind three thousand French casualties and allowing the enemy to reclaim the town.

It was an unavoidable outcome, and nothing to be ashamed of. Nieuwpoort had been raked by fire three times—first by Britannian pre-dreadnoughts, then by German armored cruisers, and finally by Britannian battlecruisers—until the ruins themselves were leveled. In a town only a few kilometers deep, pulverized repeatedly by three battle fleets, there were no civilians or living souls left.

After the town fell, the dozen kilometers of coastal road leading to Ostend, which offered no natural defenses, were lost within a single day. Again, this was because Beatty’s battlecruisers lingered, firing directly at any sign of resistance, making it impossible to hold.

By the time Lelouch rejoined his unit and entered the defensive fighting, Ostend had become the frontline. He held the line with his troops for two days, and after completing the necessary formalities, his promotion to captain was finalized.

***

November 3rd, morning.
The headquarters of the 12th Division, located within the city of Ostend.
Major General Karl personally presided over the promotion and decoration ceremony for Lelouch.

"...In light of the outstanding performance of Lieutenant Lelouch in the battles of Nieuwpoort and Ostend... he is hereby recommended to Army Command for promotion to the rank of Captain, and awarded the Iron Cross, First Class."

Surrounded by applauding officers, Lelouch stood at attention and saluted. Major General Karl pinned the medal to his chest and added a star to his shoulder boards. (Note: During the Second Empire, military uniforms lacked rank insignia on the collars; colored patches were used to distinguish branches of service, so rank was determined by shoulder boards. As seen in old photographs, the style remained close to 19th-century designs, lacking the small lapels necessary for collar tabs.)

Following the ceremony, Major General Karl adjusted Lelouch’s appointment, assigning him as the commander of the divisional reconnaissance company. The subsequent red tape and handover of duties need not be recounted.

Once the formalities were concluded, Major General Karl dismissed the other officers and kept Lelouch behind for a private conversation.

"Army Command is currently planning the Ypres campaign, but the general offensive will not begin immediately; it requires further preparation. For now, our division's task is to hold Ostend for a few more days, even if the enemy sends battlecruisers or pre-dreadnoughts to shell us. We must hold firm.

"Once the port of Blankenberge behind us is fully prepared, this small town can be temporarily abandoned. After the withdrawal, our division will be pulled back for rest, equipment upgrades, and a review of tactical experiences, before being sent back to the front lines for the eventual assault on the Ypres salient.

"The former commander of the divisional reconnaissance company, Captain Andre, was severely wounded by shelling at Nieuwpoort. It has only been a week; he is far from recovered. You were a line-laying platoon leader in the Army’s communications battalion, and having been transferred to the division, there is no suitable combat unit for an officer of your standing.

"It would be a waste of talent to place someone like you as a mere infantry company commander in a regiment, so I am entrusting the divisional reconnaissance company to you for the time being. A division-level company is an reinforced unit, and a reconnaissance company requires someone with your communications expertise; the transition should be relatively straightforward.

"You have fought alongside these men, so gaining their respect should be easier, provided you handle the core officers with care—some of them were hoping for a battlefield promotion to take over after Captain Andre was wounded. It is inevitable that some will be disappointed by your arrival."

Lelouch quickly responded, "Rest assured, sir, I will handle the internal dynamics and ensure their cooperation. However, I would like to ask: what is the strategic consideration behind holding Ostend for a few more days before withdrawing? If it is merely to stall for time, it seems of little value and likely to increase casualties under the enemy’s naval bombardment."

Major General Karl replied, "It is certainly not just to stall for time—if another company commander asked, I would not answer, but you are not an outsider, and there is no need for secrets.

"Army Command has already assessed the situation. It is impossible to hold Ostend against the enemy's desperate, all-out bombardment from their battleships. The coastal defenses here are insufficient; our largest coastal guns were only 210mm, which pose no threat to their battleships or battlecruisers.

"However, if we retreat 15 kilometers to Blankenberge, where we have been entrenched for days, we can ensure a firm defense. That city is larger and its coastal defenses are more robust.

"Furthermore, we occupied Blankenberge ten days earlier than Ostend, and the railway between that town and the rear has already been repaired. The Empire has moved several large-caliber coastal guns from the Antwerp fortress, along with super-heavy artillery brought from the rear, to Blankenberge.

"Therefore, if we can delay here for a few more days, we can wait until the 305mm coastal guns at Blankenberge are installed and calibrated. Once the entire force withdraws there, the enemy’s battleships will be unable to pursue."

Lelouch nodded; the logic was sound. If they were to retreat aimlessly out of fear of naval bombardment, there would be no end to it. Where would it stop? They could not simply abandon every port city within range of enemy guns.

But if the tactical abandonment of a small port could buy enough time to install coastal artillery capable of threatening enemy battleships, thereby halting the enemy's offensive, then it was an acceptable trade-off.

Moreover, considering that Ostend was the site where the previous Belgian army had been annihilated—though the strategic value was now minimal for the Germans, as the "dumpling filling" had already been consumed—it was a location the Britannians felt compelled to reclaim at any cost. They had already lost four pre-dreadnoughts and a host of auxiliary ships to this goal; if they could not take Ostend, the Royal Navy would lose all face.

Propaganda about "heavily damaging four of Hipper’s battlecruisers" was insufficient to support their "victory" narrative, as there would always be those at home saying, "Battle reports can lie, but the front lines cannot." They had to achieve a decisive change at the front, proving that the "Britannian army has planted its flag back on the walls of Ostend," for their war propaganda department to suppress the rising domestic outcry.

Given the vast difference in the importance of Ostend to both sides—one desperate to have it, the other indifferent—the best choice for the German army was to bleed the enemy dry before abandoning the position to conserve their own strength.

"I understand now. I will lead the divisional reconnaissance company and give it my all!" Lelouch accepted the mission and returned to his new unit. Given the defenses of Ostend, holding for three to five days was entirely feasible.

***

A few minutes later, Lelouch arrived at the reconnaissance company’s headquarters and met his new subordinates.

Many were familiar faces, though previously they had held higher ranks than he had. It was a testament to Lelouch’s meteoric rise—going from corporal to captain in just ten days—that his former superiors were now his subordinates.

Among these officers, the one most likely to be resentful was Lieutenant Barrack, the former deputy company commander who had served as acting commander for a week following Captain Andre’s injury. Barrack had believed he would receive a battlefield promotion to captain and become the permanent commander. He felt that the men of the reconnaissance company had fought valiantly at Nieuwpoort, and that those who had performed well deserved the promotion.

Instead, while he did receive his promotion to captain, his position remained unchanged as deputy, and Lelouch had been "parachuted" in as the commander. How could this be fair? A single company now had two captains, with both the commander and deputy holding the same rank!

Fortunately, before Lelouch arrived, a superior had spoken with him privately, noting that, "The divisional reconnaissance company is a reinforced unit; while other companies have a strength of 240, this one can reach 400, so having two captains is not excessive." Only then did Captain Barrack hold his peace.

With Barrack settled, the lower-ranking officers who had previously outranked Lelouch had nothing more to say.

Lelouch gathered the officers for a sincere talk, further familiarizing himself with them. Deputy Captain Barrack was an acquaintance, and there were five platoon leaders, holding the rank of lieutenant or second lieutenant. Four were original officers of the cavalry reconnaissance company whom Lelouch did not know well, but he recognized his old colleagues from the Army communications battalion: Schweinsteiger and Klose.

Schweinsteiger had also been promoted to second lieutenant, serving as the leader of the 5th Platoon. Klose, now a sergeant major, was responsible for the company headquarters guard.

To accommodate Lelouch and help him master the unit more quickly, the higher-ups had gone to great lengths, merging his former wire-laying platoon from the communications battalion into the 12th Division’s reconnaissance company. Because replacing losses on the front was difficult, the reinforced cavalry company, originally 400 strong, was now down to fewer than 200 men. With the addition of the communications platoon, they barely scraped together 200.

As for the vacancies in the communications battalion, they would be filled by new recruits trained in the rear, with a few junior officers and NCOs transferred to serve as the backbone.

Thus, every comrade Lelouch had met when he first transmigrated ten days ago (with the exception of Captain Andre, who was recovering in the rear) had become his subordinate.