The War in Europe was progressing more or less than Bruno had initially expected it to. The frontlines had been stalled in the west, as Germany defended its own territory, and that of Luxembourg from repeated French invasion.
Meanwhile, France was slowly grinding their way through Belgium, a nation which had yet to ask for aid from the German Reich. At the same time, the British finally managed to land forces in France, albeit in the South, who were now marching northwest towards Elsass- Lothringen to aid the French Army who were still trying to break through them.
In Isonzo, the Germans and Austro-Hungarians continued to hold the line against the Italians. And in the Balkans, all-out war had broken out with the Serbian Provisional Army being attacked on both sides.
But if there was one mostly forgotten front of this war, that had been entirely opened up as a result in the shifts in Alliances. It would be the fact that the Imperial Japanese Army had begun attacking allied colonial territories in the east.
For example, French Indochina, where the Japanese were getting a taste of modern-20th century combat for the first time since Mukden. The introduction of beltfed general purpose machine guns had been a game changer in the East.
By the outbreak of the war, not only had the Japanese finished the development of the prototype which they showed Bruno years prior, but had also begun to put it into mass production. As a result, the Japanese soldiers currently slogging through the Jungles of French Indochina were equipped with far more firepower than the French were prepared to deal with.
Echoes of machine guns and bolt action rifles rattled throughout the heavily wooded areas. French soldiers shouted in their native language. The words were jumbled together in an incoherent mix of various thoughts and commands.
But most noticeable were the repeated cursing of the French Machine Gun crews who were desperately trying to get their puteaux machine guns to properly function. The weapon systems ate maybe five to seven rounds maximum before requiring an extensive clearing procedure.
Worst yet, some critical components of the firearm were prone to breakage, and when that happened, the weapon was dead in the water, so to speak. Because of this, one particular French machine gun crew kicked their weapon into the mud, as they retreated immediately after their weapon broke down on them.
Meanwhile, a Japanese machine gunner, spotting the French flee like roaches exposed to the light, picked up his relatively lightweight weapon and aimed down its sights while shouldering the bracing the stock against his shoulder.
Firmly holding it tightly while screaming in Japanese and firing at the fleeing French soldiers. The bullets struck the men in the backs as they hit the drenched soil, their bodies and uniforms soiled by the earth as much as their own blood.
Meanwhile, the Japanese riflemen chased after the fleeing French with bayonets affixed, ending the lives of the men who were cut down by machine gun fire, but not yet down with a single thrust to their hearts.
The Japanese officers in the distance noted how effectively their machine guns were performing on the battlefield, while their own artillery continued to battery the secondary French position, which the retreating soldiers were desperately falling back to.
It would appear that the late Emperor’s Meiji’s fondness in the Germans has proven to have born exceptional fruit. These Type 45 Machine guns have performed flawlessly even in the density of this wretched jungle… I dare say that the French have no real counter to them, and by summer of next year alone, all of Indochina will be in our hands…”
The officer standing beside the field commander nodded his head while speaking his own thoughts about the matter.
“Indeed, we have the Great Mamushi to thank for this… I hear his accomplishments in the west have been equally fearsome as what he displayed at Port Arthur and Mukden. It would be incredibly unwise to place a wager against the German Reich so long as a man like that is in command of its army…”
This was a sentiment that was equally shared by the Japanese Field Commander, who sighed and nodded his head while reminiscing about the battle which he personally witnessed Bruno lead a decade earlier.
“I have seldom seen a man in such a high position disregard his own life and lead his men into battle from the frontlines. I dare say, if he is still foolish enough to engage in such reckless behavior, then he won’t be around long enough to make a difference in this war…”
Utter silence remained between the two men as the echoes of the battlefield remained a constant reminder of the death and destruction that was happening in front of them.
Bruno sneezed and wiped his nose as he did so. He could not help but feel that someone, somewhere, was speaking ill of him. Or perhaps wishing a horrific fate upon him… After all, he was not the type of man to ever really sneeze outside of sickness. And he was currently in perfect health.
Because of this rare and random occurrence, he simply looked over at his two oldest friends before giving them a grim stare.
“If either of you shits have any ideas about stabbing me in the back, just know I will be taking you with me to the grave if you have the balls to attempt it. Heinrich looked at Bruno as if he was being unnecessarily paranoid, which he was about to voice before Erich interrupted him with his own sick sense of humor.
“Buried forever together with the Generalfeldmarschall would be my greatest honor!”
Heinrich shook his head at Erich’s words, while Bruno elicited a rare chuckle, all while shaking his head.
“Yeah, you would like that, wouldn’t you? Is that the reason you are not yet married at your old age, my friend? Maybe I was right all those years ago…”
Erich immediately froze on the spot; overcome by memories he had otherwise forgotten. Nearly a decade ago, the two of them had set sail to Asia aboard a ship that was captained by Erich’s older brother.
On board that vessel, Bruno had convinced the captain that Erich was a homosexual. Something that during this era was highly frowned upon. Needless to say, there was hell to pay for such a cruel and outright malicious prank.
Because of that, as the three men sat in the passenger seats of their Kübelwagen while advancing with the rest of the Army southward, Erich couldn’t help but remind Bruno with an almost murderous glare that he still remembered this insult.
“You know, I had almost forgotten about this incident, but now that you have returned it to the forefront of my memories, I realized I have never quite forgiven you for angering me in such an unprovoked manner!”
Bruno chuckled as he heard Erich’s threatening words. He knew Erich was an attack hound, one that was liable to attack its own master if not properly reminded of its place in the world. And because of this, Bruno smoked out the window before turning his head around to look at Erich. The gaze that Bruno gave his friend was chilling, while the tone in his voice bordered on
the sadistic.
“You see, that’s the difference between you and me Erich, I don’t get angry, I get even, and violence has always been something that I believe in…. If you have a problem with me, then we can settle this little grievance of yours, like men, at any time of your choosing.
But just be prepared to suffer the consequences of your challenge if you do wish to pursue this
matter…”
Understanding that he had just provoked the only man he had ever known who had more blood on his hands than himself, Erich instantly quelled his thoughts and looked away in a silent act of submission. Something that only caused the sadistic smirk on Bruno’s face to grow into an even more wicked sneer.
After finishing his cigarette and tossing it out the window, he was quick to reward Erich for settling the matter without bloodshed.
“Alright, so I’ll take it this matter is settled then? Yes? Good, as a result, I’ll give you something you have wanted for a while now… I am tasking you with commanding the stormtroopers from here on out. You understand what I am saying, yes?”
Bruno had long since created specialized stormtroopers in anticipation of the war. And Erich had transferred back to the Army specifically to participate in such a unit who specialized in trench raiding. Unfortunately, until now he had been on a double secret probation because of his, shall we say, more chaotic tendencies.
This probation had him tied to Bruno as his personal adjutant. But now Erich was being sent back to the front lines like he so desperately desired. Meaning that Bruno had finally decided to let his mad dog off of his leash. And when he did so, the bodies that Erich and his men would stack up would d be enough to make their unit a legend.