On July 23, 1917, German forces broke through the Russian interception, crossed Lithuania under the command of Marshal August von Mackensen, and drove straight toward Saint Petersburg.
Although the Hindenburg Government was deeply dissatisfied with Marshal August von Mackensen, the task was still entrusted to him. It was wartime now; everything had to serve the goal of winning the war. Even if they wanted to settle scores and take revenge, they could wait until autumn to do so, couldn't they?
That very day, the Russian military headquarters in Lithuania happened to suffer a German air raid as well, leaving nine dead and eleven wounded. Among the dead was Lieutenant General Mordov-Nicholas, commander of the First Army, who was killed on the spot!
With the high command system paralyzed, the chaos within Russia's First Army continued for three days. It was only after the front appointed a new army commander and he arrived that order was restored—but by then, the best time to pursue had already been missed!
When Ferdinand received the news, he merely let out a quiet sigh. He knew Saint Petersburg was finished. Although several hundred kilometers still lay between Lithuania and Saint Petersburg, the Russians had not deployed a single force anywhere along that stretch.
Most laughably, because of internal disorder, the Russian troops at the front had failed to pursue the Germans at once—and had delayed for a full three days!
They were practically watching Saint Petersburg fall. Otherwise, if they had simply stayed glued to the Germans' heels, then even if the Germans reached Saint Petersburg, they would have been caught in a pincer attack from front and rear. They would be lucky not to be wiped out to the last man.
Naturally, the mastermind behind the Russian army's chaos had surfaced this time. They