Warsaw, Headquarters of the Russian Northwestern Front.
However, the Russian Northwestern Front is now virtually non-existent. First, the Russian Second Army was nearly annihilated, followed by the surrender of the First Army. Now, the Russian Guards' Second Army and the Ninth Army have also been completely destroyed. This leaves the Northwestern Front with only a remnant of the Second Army and no other forces.
Originally, General Ivan Ghilinski had pinned his hopes on the Guards' Second Army and the Ninth Army. Though he understood that these two armies likely could not withstand the Germans, if the forty thousand troops could reach and fortify Warsaw, they could transform the city into a formidable stronghold. Even the Germans, no matter how powerful, could not capture Warsaw in a brief period. This would buy them time until the Russian Army could mobilize fully, providing a steady stream of reinforcements, ultimately allowing them to defeat the Germans in their preferred manner.
Yet, reality often defies expectation. Ghilinski's insistence on sending the Guards' Second Army and the Ninth Army to rescue Warsaw only resulted in the destruction of both. Despite their considerable fighting strength, they fell to the might of the German onslaught, and the outcome was inescapably tragic.
When news of the complete annihilation of the Guards' Second Army and the Ninth Army reached Warsaw, General Ghilinski was utterly devastated.
"My God! How could this be? How can the Germans be so formidable? The Guards' Second Army is among the strongest in the Russian Army! They should not have been so easily vanquished!" Ghilinski clearly struggled to accept this outcome.
Yet, facts are immutable. Even if he refused to accept it, he could not alter the truth.
The destruction of the Guards' Second Army and the Ninth Army escalated tensions and danger in Warsaw. It was obvious to any fool that after consuming those two armies, the Germans would inevitably turn their sights on the city. With fewer than twenty thousand troops within Warsaw, any confrontation with the ravenous German forces seemed like a fool's errand!
Neither Ghilinski nor General Samsonov, commander of the Second Army, believed that the Russian forces possessed the necessary fighting spirit. If their combat efficacy had truly been so formidable, they would not have been so easily defeated by the Germans.
"General, what are our options now? The German assault will surely commence soon," Samsonov said, anxiously fidgeting like a cat on a hot tin roof.
"What options do I have? The Germans have devoured four of our armies—nearly nine hundred thousand men—with a single corps of less than two hundred thousand. What can I possibly do against such overwhelming power?" Ghilinski replied, a hint of despair in his voice.
"Perhaps we should break through? The Germans have deployed only a few thousand troops outside Warsaw. With nearly twenty thousand of us, we could succeed in breaking through," Samsonov suggested.
"Breakthrough? Do you truly believe that is feasible? Those few thousand Germans are sufficient to impede our advance of over ten thousand. Moreover, even if we did manage to escape from Warsaw, where could we possibly go? The entire Kingdom of Poland is swarming with German forces. To the west and north lies Germany itself, and to the south, the Austro-Hungarian Empire," Ghilinski countered.
Samsonov fell silent. He realized, as Ghilinski had pointed out, that even if they managed to break out, they would still be encircled by German forces. It would be impossible to escape their onslaught unscathed. Better, it seemed, to hold firm in Warsaw and perhaps endure a little longer.
"General, is our only option to hold our ground in Warsaw?" Samsonov asked, his tone tinged with reluctance. A steadfast defense of Warsaw would undoubtedly lead to a grim fate, and he did not wish to perish so easily.
"For now, we must take that approach. Let us ponder if there are other alternatives," Ghilinski sighed.
"Very well, General," Samsonov nodded.
"This time, it appears our fate is sealed," Ghilinski lamented.
After Samsonov departed, Ghilinski's thoughts spiraled into a myriad of reflections. Having once served as the Chief of Staff for the Russian Army, he still held considerable influence. Initially, he had hoped to gain military glory from this war, possibly even attaining the rank of Marshal. However, he had never anticipated that the battle would prove so arduous. The Northwestern Front, with over five hundred thousand men, had faced near-total annihilation against less than two hundred thousand Germans, thus severing his path to promotion.
With the Guards' Second Army and the Ninth Army now lost, he had entertained the possibility of a turnaround. Yet, his decisions had instead led to their destruction, further escalating Russia's losses in this conflict.
Ghilinski understood that, under these dire circumstances, he was likely doomed. Remaining in Warsaw, should the city fall, would only lead to death unless he surrendered to the Germans. Even if he managed to escape back to Russia, he could scarcely evade his fate. For having caused nearly a million casualties, Tsar Nicholas II might well wish to tear him apart with his bare hands!
Thus, from any angle, it seemed that Ghilinski's demise was all but assured.
"Alas! I cannot surrender to the Germans like that scoundrel Leiningen. My family is in Russia. Since death is inescapable, I will take my life on my own terms! No matter what, I refuse to perish at the hands of the Germans," Ghilinski resolved quietly, having made up his mind to end his life.
From his desk, he retrieved a glass vial containing a small white pill. With a swig of vodka, Ghilinski swallowed the pill in one swift motion.
Almost immediately, intense pain surged from his abdomen, and a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.