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We will pick up our story in December 1915 during the preparations for the famous Verdun offensive.
Erich von Falkenhayn, the minister of war began the meeting with his militarily incompetant Kaiser Wilhelm II. Wilhem did like this man though and was content to give him a free hand to a degree.
EVF (abbreviated from now on for Falkenhayn) had briefed the Kaiser on his prepartions for a great blood offensive at Verdun. He would limit his attacks to the left bank of the Meuse attacking on a narrow front hoping to bleed France white with his superior artillery park.
Wilhelm then told his minister of war about objections to the plan that had been working their way up the chain of command:
You know Erich my son whose 5th army you've tasked with carrying this offensive disagrees with your dispositions. He thinks that we should attack along both banks of the river and that we would be able to pinch off all of Verdun. His chief of staff is of agreement as well. This would be the first time Germany has ever fought a battle without a true objective other than death. Their arguements are quite compelling. I was most distrubed to find out that General Der Pioneer Von Mudra who is supposed to command the speerhead corps also disagrees with your ideas.
EVF was visably shaken when the Kaiser said that Von Mudra disagreed. He must have been queeried by his enemies in the OHL or by the Hindenburg crowd looking to derail the offensive. Von Mudra is one of our finest officers. I wasn't aware that he dissented and I was in the process of bringing the Crown Prince and Knobelsdorff around to my line of thinking.
I want Von Mudra's acceptance or I want a new plan of attack worked out. His success in the Argonne merits our consideration of his views especially if he is to lead the operation.
Yes my emporer I shall consider his views along with the Crown Prince so that we can have a unified strategy..
Wilhelm II who changed the course of the battle of Verdun by demanding that Bruno Von Mudra's ideas be given weight
EVF proved completely unable to sway Von Mudra's views at their meeting in his Argonne headquarters.
Why conduct an offensive that has no tactical aims and its strategic ones are pointless given the size and power of our enemies. With my XVI corps and couple of fresh infantry divisions along with the artillery already assigned I could capture the entire "place" of Verdun. The positive effect on our morale and the negative effect on the French would be considerable. I destroyed the French 1st army with 3 divisions and 200 guns... give me 6 divisions and the guns you have allready assigned along with permission to attack along both banks of the Meuse and I garauntee victory.
The men argued through the night until EVF who at heart liked and admired Von Mudra as a calm and talented commander gave in. The offensive would take place on both banks of the river. Von Mudra would be given tactical command of the field divisions to capture Verdun. The idea of bleeding France white would still be retained but only in the sense that Von Mudra would capture the entire fortified area and hold it against the counterattacks that would be sure to come and bleed themselves out against it
Our linchpin character
What do we think of the preview?
does it have the merits to go on or are we better off with Manstein in England