Iron Cross Fire

The current battlefield situation is not favorable to Austria-Hungary. Many troops have been broken through by the enemy from different points and separated by them.

Fortunately, the Russian army has used up their artillery shells and now it is difficult to have any combat effectiveness.

Kuster quickly adjusted the deployment, bringing the number of combatants on the Eastern Front to 740,000.

They cooperated with the friendly forces that were separated and surrounded, and re-established contact with each other.

As of the 29th, most of the previously surrounded small Austrian troops had basically established contact with each other; one after another thin lines formed on the map, combined like a dense spider web, and the spider on it was devouring its prey in the middle.

As the situation gradually reversed, the opportunity for the Austrian army to attack finally came: the junction of the Russian Fourth Army and the Fifth Army was infiltrated by a small group of Austrian troops. These Russian troops were previously surrounding an Austrian division.

Kuster asked them to launch an attack from both the front and back sides in an attempt to defeat the Russian army here.

Perhaps they had been tortured too much in the past few days, and the Russian army had no fighting will. They quickly retreated under the offensive of the Austrian army and soon turned into a collapse.

After learning that the battle at the junction ended in victory, Kuster jumped up excitedly and kept notifying the various troops by phone about the next action.

He was busy with this matter all night, so that the troops were not ready to attack until noon the next day.

This attack can be said to have made all preparations, and the precision of the plan was outrageous: about more than 60 divisions had extremely detailed combat plans, and even some battalion-level special operations forces had their independent combat operations.

The plan mainly targeted the junction of the army group in the east. Kuster hoped to be able to encircle another army group through a successful breakthrough and continue to wear down its combat effectiveness.

But there was a huge variable in the whole operation, that is, the Russian Third Army; they were surrounded a few days ago. Although they were cut off from information at this moment, and only 70,000 troops remained, who knew when he would come out and deal a heavy blow to the Austrian army.

Moreover, in the next few days, Kuster needed to focus all his energy on the battlefield in the east, and would not have any leisure to care about the almost crippled Russian army.

But he wanted to have a stable rear, so he issued combat requirements:

While breaking through in the east, we must also do something about the encirclement. Every Austro-Hungarian officer has the responsibility to attack and seize the enemy's living space; through some means, the connection between the Russian troops in the encirclement is cut off, so as to reduce their threat level and prepare for the subsequent attack.

Translating this professional term, it is almost like this:

There is a war on the Eastern Front, and we cannot fish here. You need to divide and encircle the Russian troops in the encirclement again, so that they completely lose their offensive capabilities, and then settle accounts later.

December 30th, the New Year is coming soon, but there is no sign of the war stopping.

Instead, the New Year's salute was presented in advance in the area of ​​the San River: hundreds of thousands of shells broke through the sky together and smashed into the Russian positions, bringing them endless fear.

The climax of the entire battle is about to begin-this is Kuster's idea. At this moment, he was taking a car to the front-line command post.

With full preparation, the Austro-Hungarian army defeated the Russians in the planned attack.

After only one day, they advanced 12 kilometers to Przemyśl; there were only 14 kilometers left, but who knew how difficult it would be.

The Russians felt the crisis and immediately transferred most of the Fifth Army's troops here to support the Eighth Army.

But what they didn't know was that the main attack direction of the Austrian army was not here at all!

Instead of spending a lot of manpower to rescue, Kuster was more keen to continuously annihilate the enemy's active forces.

At this moment, the Russians personally exposed the flank of the Fourth Army just because of their feint.

Without any hesitation, Kuster immediately ordered 340,000 people in the northeast to launch a joint offensive against the Russian Army of only 210,000 people.

Because he didn't go to the front line in person, he didn't know that his army had advanced 9 kilometers into the enemy's depth!

This is never the style that the Austro-Hungarian army can play! Even if he put all three selected divisions here, he would not be able to advance so fast.

After careful investigation, it turned out that General Mackensen of Germany also launched an attack! And it seemed to be on a large scale.

This forced the Russian Fourth Army to defend the threat from the north with all its heart and soul, leaving the southern troops empty.

And they didn't know that the Russian Fifth Army had been withdrawn to reinforce the defense of Przemyśl.

What a tragedy, the Russian high-level officials did not even notify the officers before mobilizing troops.

Facing the chaos in Russia, Kuster was even more excited-he was not a good person to begin with, and at this moment the Russians directly gave him a chance, how could he not seize the opportunity!

He quickly readjusted the plan again:

With the Austrian army's leftmost wing as the axis, the entire army deflected counterclockwise. And the cavalry division on the far right wing directly maneuvered and surrounded the Russian army from behind. Don't! Choose the path with the least resistance, otherwise it is no different from telling others that you are surrounding him.

After the order was issued, the Austrian army immediately seemed to have a backbone, and the action finally became swift.

In just 4 hours, they occupied Polish territory one after another; finally, another fragmented and incomplete encirclement appeared on the map.

Kust quickly called Mackensen and told him that he had successfully surrounded the Russian army here.

Mackensen seemed very surprised. He learned from the intelligence organization that Kuster had also launched an attack here, but he didn't expect it to be so fast.

But as an ally, especially a very reliable ally, Mackensen had no reason not to believe him.

So in the evening of the same day, the two armies completed the handover:

270,000 Austrian troops will continue to surround the Russian army here; and the other 60,000 Austrian troops will be attached to Mackensen's army group and march eastward with them to prepare to relieve Przemysl.

Mackensen was very direct and left with his army somewhat proudly; while Kuster was a little depressed and returned to the Sanhe Command with loneliness.

At this point, Kuster's counterattack was basically over.

All countries were deeply shocked by Kuster's heavy blow. They couldn't believe that the Austrian army, which had suffered a terrible defeat a few days ago, could burst out with such great combat power.

Germany's William II laughed to the sky and told his men that he would award Kuster the Iron Cross Medal.

Austria-Hungary was more reserved, and the imperial government did not make any public moves; only the trembling of senior officials seemed to confess their fear and panic of Kuster.

Turning our attention back to the battlefield, the Austrian army only had 400,000 troops on the Eastern Front, and the rest were thrown into various encirclements.

The Russian army on the opposite side still had 700,000 troops. This huge gap in numbers could not be balanced by any means, not to mention that the Austrian army was not elite.

However, there was a German-Austrian coalition behind the Russian army, with about 220,000 people, directly attacking the rear of the Russian army.

Next, the most exciting battle is about to begin.

As for who will attack first, we will have to wait until next year to find out.

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