I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander - Chapter 5

Secretly heaving a sigh, I straightened my posture while being mindful of those around me.

I didn’t fully understand how things had come to this, but regardless, I was now considered a ‘promising talent’ of the Operational Planning room. Behaving suspiciously would only invite unwanted attention, which was problematic.

For the time being, I had no choice but to calmly carry out my duties while planning for the future.

‘For now…’

My priority would be processing the documents assigned to me.

Exhaling softly, I picked up the documents next to the telephone and examined their contents.

Flip –

As I flipped through the papers, the contents seemed quite ordinary.

Most were either requests for operational approval or construction permits for military buildings.

My initial role was to review them and, if found logically sound, approve them before forwarding them up the chain.

[Operational Planning ▶ Chief of Operational Planning ▶ Deputy Chief of Operational Planning ▶ Chief of General Staff]

The approval process essentially followed this hierarchy.

Since it wasn’t a particularly difficult task, I approved most of the documents, except for a few requiring resource and personnel readjustments.

However, when I unfolded the last document, I was taken aback.

《Request for Logistical Base Construction Approval》

Recipient: Chief of Operational Planning (Colonel Ernst Barkh)
Sender: Chief of Logistics (Captain Arnop Haubutt)
Date: March 16, 1944
Subject: Request for Eastern Front Logistical Base Construction and Site Selection
Officer in Charge: Operational Planning (First Lieutenant Daniel Steiner)

It was a standard request for logistical base construction approval.

The only issue was that I was listed as the officer in charge.

‘…Why?’

This didn’t make sense to me.

A logistical base was a small supply depot that facilitated the smooth distribution of supplies from the rear logistics headquarters to the front lines.

In other words, it was an important hub for securing supply lines and preventing the abandonment of supplies.

Logistics being the ‘mother of war,’ it was crucial – yet they were assigning it to the Operational Planning officer?

And not just any officer, but a newly promoted first lieutenant who had only recently assumed the acting Operational Planning role?

‘There must have been a miscommunication in the report…’

This seemed like something that needed to be reported to the Chief of Operational Planning.

Having made up my mind, I gathered the documents, stood up, and entered the Chief’s office within the Operational Planning room.

The Chief, buried amidst various reports and papers, lifted his head upon hearing my footsteps.

“Hmm? Ah, if it isn’t our hero, Daniel!”

Chuckling, Colonel Ernst Barkh straightened his back, exuding the amiable aura of a friendly neighbor.

However, one should not judge solely by appearances.

Anyone who had attained the rank of colonel in the Empire must have experienced countless battles.

“I merely did what was expected of me. The title of ‘hero’ is somewhat burdensome.”

Humility was a virtue, regardless of the nation. Seemingly pleased with my modesty, Ernst smiled and spoke.

“So, Lieutenant, what brings you here?”
“I’ve completed the initial approval of the documents received in the Planning room and came to report it.”
“Ah, already? You truly live up to your reputation for efficient work. Let me see them.”

Nodding, I placed the documents on Ernst’s desk.

However, I didn’t put down the logistical base proposal that listed me as the officer in charge, which caught Ernst’s attention as he tilted his head.

“And that one?”
“I’m listed as the officer in charge for that. Strangely, the upper approval section was left blank. It seems the Chief of Logistics made a mistake.”

After blinking a few times, Ernst burst into laughter. Why was he laughing?

“Ah. It may seem strange, but it’s not a mistake by the Chief of Logistics.”
“Not a mistake, you say?”
“It’s the high command deliberately assigning you this task. As you can see, I’ve been quite busy lately, so this is partly to distribute the workload. But the other reason, you can probably guess?”

Instinctively, I frowned.

This was the high command testing me.

They were essentially telling me to prove that uncovering the spy and detecting the enemy’s ambush in the foothills wasn’t just a fluke.

While the importance of logistics was well-known to any military officer, selecting an appropriate site for a logistical base was no simple task.

Logistical bases needed to be safe from enemy attacks yet easily accessible, with ample space to accommodate vast amounts of supplies.

So they must have deemed me qualified to assess my ability to perform the duties of an Operational Planning officer.

‘Who could it be? The Chief of General Staff testing me…’

While uncertain, this was undoubtedly an opportunity.

A golden chance to showcase my incompetence and hasten my dishonorable discharge!

If I constructed the logistical base in an absurdly unsuitable location, my evaluation would plummet, naturally leading to my departure from the military.

Elated at the prospect of discharge, I offered Ernst a courteous salute.

“Thank you for your trust! I will do my utmost to construct the logistical base!”

Seemingly pleased with my response, Ernst nodded with a smile.

“Indeed. Funding will be provided sufficiently, so proceed without worry.”
“Understood!”

While responding vigorously, I inwardly flashed a sinister smile.

‘My apologies, but you’ll soon regret this.’

For I intended to construct the logistical base at the theoretically worst possible location.

Two weeks later, Eastern Front rear line.
Bardenplatz Plains.

Wooooong –

As the heavy machinery entered the plains, transporting construction materials, the ground seemed to reverberate.

Observing the scene from afar, Chief of Logistics Captain Arnop Haubutt found it unsettling.

‘What is the high command thinking, entrusting the construction of a logistical base to a mere fledgling first lieutenant…’

That damned fool had ordered construction in the Bardenplatz Plains, resulting in the wasteful consumption of manpower and resources.

‘Why build a logistical base here, of all places?’

The Bardenplatz Plains were an open field, highly vulnerable to enemy artillery barrages.

To mitigate that, protective walls had to be erected separately, leading to excessive material waste.

But the protective walls weren’t the only issue. If they were going to build a logistical base in the plains, they should have chosen a location that could utilize existing roads.

However, there were no usable roads near the Bardenplatz Plains.

Which meant they would have to construct new roads leading to the Bardenplatz Plains.

And if they built incoming roads, they would also need outgoing roads, doubling the budget expenditure.

It was an utter waste of money.

‘Daniel Steiner, was it? That damned brat…’

The Imperial taxpayer’s money was being squandered in real-time due to that ignorant brat of an officer who didn’t even grasp the basics of logistics.

Arnop had never considered himself particularly patriotic, but witnessing such blatant waste of taxpayer funds was stirring a sense of patriotism within him.

However, as a mere captain in charge of logistics, how could he defy the high command’s orders?

Even though Daniel Steiner’s rank was lower than his, the authority granted to him was immense.

The fact that Arnop couldn’t utter a word in Daniel’s presence, despite his growing discontentment, was evidence of this.

A week ago, when Daniel had come for an inspection and ordered the construction of the logistical base here, Arnop couldn’t voice any objections.

Contrary to his true feelings, Arnop was ultimately just another Imperial bureaucrat.

‘If the high command says to dig, I have to dig. What can I do…’

Feeling frustrated, Arnop took out a cigarette case from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and placed it between his lips.

As he lit the cigarette with a lighter, the radio hanging from his epaulet crackled.

• Logistics Officer! Can you hear me!?

This person always contacted him while he was smoking. Taking out the radio, Arnop pressed the transmit button and replied.

“You’re forgetting to state your name and rank again? How am I supposed to know who you are if you address me like that?”

• Ah! You’re really strict. It’s Sergeant Vinter Enpelt! Is that better?
  “Better. What’s the matter?”
• Well, we conducted a ground survey, right? We brought in experts.

Arnop nodded his head.

Conducting ground surveys before constructing buildings was a standard procedure.

It had become mandatory ever since a previous incident where a building collapsed due to unstable ground, resulting in casualties.

• The experts’ report came out today, and let me tell you, it really makes you think that the high command wasn’t wrong to assign this task to First Lieutenant Daniel Steiner.

Huh? The sergeant, who had previously joined Arnop in cursing Daniel, was now singing a different tune, which felt odd.

“Just state the main point. What were the results?”

• Hahaha! Well, you see…!

The sergeant called out excitedly.

• Oil! Oil! They discovered oil deposits underground! And in substantial enough quantities to warrant extraction!

As a result, Arnop dropped the cigarette he was holding.

‘What?’

Oil? The Bardenplatz Plains were an oil field?

Then the one who didn’t understand the basics of logistics wasn’t Daniel but Arnop himself.

Exhaling a dejected breath, Arnop raised his hand and wiped his face.

‘Could it be that First Lieutenant Daniel Steiner…’

Had known about this all along? As the thought crossed his mind, Daniel’s brazen attitude began to make sense.

Letting out a low chuckle, Arnop shook his head in self-mockery.

‘It seems…’

An extraordinary talent had been commissioned into the Imperial ranks.

Meanwhile, upon hearing that the Bardenplatz Plains, where he had ordered the construction of a logistical base, was an oil field, Daniel Steiner was –

‘Why?’

Utterly perplexed in real-time.