Chapter 32: The Modern Clausewitz

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Given that Lelouch’s previous strategy for General Hipper had just begun to take effect, Duke Ruprecht listened with great patience and careful attention to his latest proposal. Only after Lelouch finished did the duke pose a few questions:

“Do you believe that radio communication equipment, fire-calling authority, and more supporting firepower should be concentrated in the frontline grassroots units? On what basis do you think such a reorganization will improve combat effectiveness? And where would we find enough radios and support fire equipment to allocate? What will the other units use?”

Fortunately, Lelouch had anticipated these questions and had addressed them in the plan, though the commanders had not yet had time to review the materials.

He quickly picked up the proposal discarded on the table, turned to a specific page, and explained in detail:

“I understand some ideas may seem overly advanced or even leap ahead. That is why I want to start from the basics. Your Highness, as you have seen, the nature of this war has undergone a revolutionary change since its outbreak.

“In the last war, the attackers’ disadvantage was not so obvious. Although the defenders held some terrain advantage, the attackers could still concentrate overwhelming forces at local battlefields to breakthrough — decades ago, Marshal Moltke did just this to defeat Napoleon III.

“But now, at least on the Western Front, both sides have dug increasingly extensive trenches and fortifications. Whoever attacks suffers; casualty exchange rates have become more skewed. It is common to see a single regiment withstand assaults from multiple divisions.

“The essence of this, however, can be summed up in one key point: in the previous war, soldier density and firepower density were proportional, but now they are not.

“In the era before automatic weapons, when artillery aimed only by direct line of sight, concentrating firepower meant physically massing as many soldiers as the weapons required to operate them in one place to launch an attack — even now, the eastern forces, Orleans and Rousha, still fight this way, unaware that the era has changed.

“But with the proliferation of automatic weapons and indirect fire artillery, attackers no longer need to mass large numbers of troops in one spot to project massive firepower. A small number of soldiers can direct a large amount of firepower delivery.

“And the fewer soldiers massed during an attack, the smaller the target. The less they suffer under the concentrated fire of defending artillery and machine guns.

“Therefore, throughout history, one undeniable trend exists: the more advanced military technology becomes, the fewer soldiers are needed to fill the front-line defensive length, leaving more manpower for the reserves and rear defenses.

“Only after the frontline soldiers tasked with holding lines or conducting fire reconnaissance are wounded do the reserves step in. Otherwise, piling too many troops on the frontline only leads to needless casualties.”

After hearing Lelouch’s words, Duke Ruprecht and Major General Hipper both fell into deep contemplation.

What Lelouch articulated was a familiar, intuitive idea to the duke, who as a general commanding an army group had similar understandings, though he had not yet formulated such theories from a strategic perspective.

After all, the world war had only been underway for just over four months; many nebulous notions had yet to coalesce into a formal theory.

Yet Lelouch had succinctly summarized the principle, with clearer logic.

The duke pondered for a moment, growing increasingly delighted as if breaking through a mental barrier after solitary meditation.

He even murmured to himself:

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“…So this is the inevitable course of history? The more advanced the technology, the fewer troops needed to deliver firepower. In the rifle era, concentrating the firepower of a thousand rifles required a thousand infantrymen. In the machine gun era, twenty machine gunners can replace those thousand infantrymen.

“This means that instead of having a thousand soldiers simultaneously in attacking posture, only twenty need to attack, while the other 980 remain in reserve, maintaining a defensive stance and thus less exposed to machine gun and artillery fire. Only when the twenty in front suffer casualties do replacements come from the reserves… Is my understanding of this ideal model correct?”

The duke even humbly sought Lelouch’s guidance on the validity of his reasoning, his eyes shining with genuine eagerness for knowledge.

Lelouch generously offered further high-level insights:

“Your summary is excellent, but there’s one detail I’d like to add. Those ‘remaining 980’ soldiers are not simply idling in reserve. They can cooperate with the spearhead assault units: once the spearheads breach enemy lines and wedge into their defenses, these reserves rush into newly captured areas to immediately fortify them.

“For example, if the spearhead assault units carve two deep gaps in the enemy line — like an iron pincer with the potential to sever the enemy’s retreat routes and encircle them — the enemy, driven by survival instincts, will have to shift from defense to offense, emerging from their trenches to launch counterattacks on the weak flanks of our pincer.

“At that moment, we deploy the second-line reserves to fill the gaps torn open by the spearhead assault units, allowing us to rest and defend against the enemy’s counterattack in place.

“In modern warfare, a soldier in a ‘defensive state’ possesses defensive strength many times greater than when in an attacking state. Therefore, the more of our troops remain in defense while the enemy’s soldiers are forced into attack, the greater our advantage.

“As previously argued, the tactical advantage of defense over offense is enormous, while offensive advantage only manifests at the strategic level through massed forces. Thus, the most perfect military doctrine of the future will strive to ‘have it both ways’: to maximize the attacker’s massed force advantage strategically, while maximizing the defender’s defensive advantage tactically.”

Whether it’s stormtrooper tactics, blitzkrieg combined arms, or deep battle theory, there is a common thread:

They all seek, at their respective level of weapons technology, every means to ensure that although their side must play the attacker strategically, as few soldiers as possible should engage offensively tactically.

The greater number of troops should be temporarily assigned defensive roles.

In later armored divisions, tank units are the spearhead assault forces.

Mechanized infantry regiments attached to armored divisions serve as temporary defenders, though their defensive positions are relatively forward, constituting “frontline defense.”

As technology advances, the equipment for “spearhead” and “frontline filling” roles will evolve, but the fundamental logic remains unchanged.

…

“That’s why, based on these considerations, I propose an overall tactical improvement: currently, too many of our combat troops remain in an attacking state during offensive operations, which is wasteful.

“Soldiers in the attacking state are vulnerable with low defense, so at any given time, the number of soldiers attacking should be minimized. Firepower should be concentrated on these soldiers, while other units maintaining the line need only basic firepower density.

“In the future, we can further develop this concept, but that will require more advanced weaponry. Advances in weapon technology and tactics always complement each other.”

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Lelouch’s discourse drew from military doctrines past and present, integrating them into a coherent whole.

It invigorated Duke Ruprecht as if he had just heard Zhuge Liang’s Longzhong Plan.

The duke expressed genuine admiration:

“You might have the potential to become the Clausewitz of our time! By God, who would have thought such a man never attended a military academy? Very well, I will do my best to fulfill your requests for weapon configurations.

“But first, tell me about this idea of separating assault units from line-holding units. What roughly should be the proportion between these two? Or simply, how large should an assault unit be within a division?”

Lelouch considered the question. Historically, the German army’s later stormtrooper tactics generally assigned one battalion per division, with no need for such units in second-line divisions.

He saw no need to innovate forcibly here and decided to adopt the proven answer:

“Ideally, a main assault division should be assigned one battalion of stormtroopers, distributed such that each regiment receives a company. The company should be the smallest unit for dispersed stormtrooper deployment.

“In actual combat, companies might further split into platoons or squads advancing separately, but at minimum, one company should operate within the same sector so the company commander can effectively command the whole company. A battalion can be divided into companies operating with different regiments.

“In real campaigns, not all divisions in an army group will be on the offensive; attacks won’t be a uniform frontline push. Therefore, line-holding divisions do not need stormtrooper battalions. If equipment is scarce initially, second-line divisions can also be left without such units.”

Duke Ruprecht thought this proportion appropriate, aligning with his own estimates.

He murmured as he calculated:

“One elite main assault division with one battalion as the spearhead role for the entire army? There won’t be much time to prepare before the Battle of Ypres. Even if I concentrate equipment, I can only muster two or three such battalions in the short term.

“Plus, personnel need training and adaptation to new tactics. We should select two main assault divisions from the army group, assign them these stormtrooper battalions as pilots. If their performance is good, we can gradually train and expand later.

“Make a detailed weapons list, including personnel and equipment needed per battalion. Karl’s 12th Division is suitable as one of the main assault divisions; you’re familiar with them, so stay with the 12th.

“I’ll assign a stormtrooper battalion commander to Karl. Since you’re only a captain, you can temporarily serve as battalion deputy commander and company commander in that battalion. Your company will be reorganized from the 12th Division’s reconnaissance company. All equipment will be prioritized for this pilot unit.”

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The story reaches a point where some military theory discussion is necessary; please bear with the exposition. Fortunately, this remains a public chapter.