-Sikorsky Gains Wings-

Tatiana immediately set to work to decipher the mysterious document from Tsar Nicholas.

　As expected, I couldn't take time off work to explain the letter, so I casually showed it to them while they were eating. Fortunately, the war was at a stalemate, so the generals had a lot of free time on their hands and were happy to listen to my story.

　The generals said, "Well, our very existence is solely based on the fact that we have Russian reinforcements. It would be awful for Britain and France if anything were to happen to the Princess, and we are nothing more than an added bonus in terms of military strength. If that's what the Princess asks for, then we're fine."

　**

　Although it was fine until they had gathered a few generals together like this, within a few minutes they were all at their wits' end.　

"What's the point of a missed shot? We're not filming a war movie."

"They say that war is a mobile war, but I have never seen anything like that in either the Russo-Japanese War or on the Western Front."

"The things written there are just too abstract. Even the popular crossword puzzles aren't this bad."

"...I'm sorry about everything."

Tatiana shrugs uncomfortably.

"No, no, there is nothing for you to be worried about, Princess. And even though we may not look like it, we are very impressed by your Majesty's military talent."

　The comforting words came from Lieutenant General Alexei Kuropatkin, former commander of the Eastern Front.

　Despite his gentlemanly appearance, he is more of a civilian than a military officer, and while he has excellent administrative skills, his lack of practical combat skills led to a string of defeats in the Russo-Japanese War. After the war, he took responsibility and retired from the military, but he continues to use his experiences in Russia and Japan to serve as a valuable advisor.

"His insight into new weapons was particularly outstanding. Not only did he predict the effectiveness of poison gas and airships, but he was also the first to realize that airplanes could be used for a wide range of purposes, including reconnaissance and bombing."

　Kuropatkin was disliked by the military as a commander of a defeated army, but Nicholas defended him, which was unusual for him, and appointed him director of the Main Technical Directorate of the Army. Kuropatkin was also given extensive authority over the development of new weapons, and he worked hard to reflect the experience he gained during the Russo-Japanese War in weapons development and military organization.

And of course, Kuropatkin never once argued against the interference of his benefactor and absolute representative of God, Tsar Nicholas II. That is politics.

"It's strange. In the battles with the Japanese army, we suffered from enemy radio communications and mortar fire, but we were greatly helped by the trenches and barbed wire, which we hadn't really counted on. Thanks to that experience, our army, which had a reputation for being weak, was able to hold its own against 'those' German troops."

　"You never know what's going to happen in this world," Kuropatkin says, puffing on his pipe with a sentimental look on his face.

"Come to think of it, it was Lieutenant General Kuropatkin who recommended that we wear steel helmets. At first I didn't like them because they looked bad and were heavy, but I wonder what would have happened if we hadn't worn them at Ypres..."

　Before she could finish her sentence, Tatiana gave a shudder.

　With the development of firearms, helmets had become more of a traditional decoration, but with the appearance of grenades, soldiers were increasingly suffering from head injuries from shrapnel. She herself had once been hit directly in the head by shrapnel from a German artillery shell during an artillery battle.

　**

　By the way, World War I was a war in which many new weapons appeared, such as machine guns, mortars, flamethrowers, and submarines. Although Stalin was not a military man, he still remembered which weapons were useful, and he ordered military research institutes to focus on developing these new weapons.

"His Majesty Nicholas even went to the trouble of writing a letter to convey this message. He must have deep thoughts about it."

　The man who chimed in, stuffing his face with Smetana-filled shchi, was Dr. Igor Sikorsky, the father of helicopter development and the businessman who built the company that bears his name into a global manufacturer.

"My goodness, but thanks to His Majesty's understanding of aircraft, Russia is now on the verge of becoming an airplane and airship power third only to the United States and Germany. I can't thank His Majesty Nicholas enough. We will do our best to cooperate."

　After extensive research into aircraft in France, Sikorsky had developed the world's first four-engine aircraft as an engineer, which caught the eye of Tsar Nicholas II. Nicholas highly praised his achievements and promoted him to a leading position, founding the state-run aviation and military company "Imperial Sikorsky Design Bureau" and appointing Sikorsky as its chief engineer.

　Nicholas soon gave orders for the development of two types of military aircraft: bombers to carry large bomb loads and nimble fighters to protect them.

　However, not everything went well: the Russian Empire's technological capabilities and financial resources were limited, and Nicholas eventually agreed to switch the main force of his bomber forces to simpler airships.

Thus, the Russian Army's Air Force, named the "Imperial Air Fleet," sent 20 fighters, 9 airships, and 6 four-engine bombers called "Ilya Muroments" to the battlefields of France.

"Well, I think it would be better to have a 'Russian Air Force' rather than an 'Imperial Russian Army Air Corps'."

　Dr. Sikorsky drinks vodka in the middle of the day and chats away in high spirits. This is also the freedom that only a favorite of the emperor and a leading figure in the business world can have.

　Mannerheim and other army officers looked on at Dr. Sikorsky with wry smiles, but Tatiana realized that this was probably the reason why he remained in the Army Air Corps.

　By the way, regarding aircraft, I received the following letter from my father, Nikolai:

"Listen, Tatiana, in another 20 years the age of aviation will arrive. Eventually aviation will become an independent branch of the military, and it will be necessary to create an air force and air defense forces. But the time is not yet right, technologically or politically."

　The technical challenges were clear from the letter alone, but Dr. Sikorsky had forgotten what the political challenges were.

　In short, the general consensus of the army was, "If you try to take our budget and territory, we won't give it away for free." This was something that even the emperor couldn't easily make into an enemy.

However, Stalin was a patient man, and was willing to make temporary compromises if necessary. The compromise he proposed was the creation of the Army Air Forces.

"It is too early for an air force to be established in Russia, a land-based country. It should be positioned as an army aviation force and its artillery should be given wings. Aircraft should be "flying artillery."

　In fact, out of all the letters sent to Tatiana, this was one of the more easily understood. While everyone else was thinking, "We should just drop bombs on the enemy from above using airplanes, which can travel farther than artillery," there was one person who understood Nikolai's true intentions.

"A flying artillery corps..."

　The one who muttered this was Major General Mannerheim. The letter certainly said "Flying Artillery Corps," not "Flying Artillery."

"This doesn't just mean flying loads of planes loaded with bombs. His Majesty wants to literally create an aerial artillery force."

This means that the air force, including reconnaissance planes for observation, bombers for artillery attacks, and fighter planes for escorting them, would be placed as an extension of the existing army category of "artillery."

"As General Mannerheim said, enemy planes may come and target the bombers. We'll need escorting fighter planes."

"We'll need reconnaissance and observation planes too. We can't just fire artillery at random."

"If that's the case, then it's true that existing artillery has significant limitations in terms of mobility. It may be possible with infantry, but it's almost impossible with cavalry. In a mobile war like the Brusilov Offensive, it may be easier to coordinate with ground forces using aircraft."

　With just one word from Mannerheim, the generals suddenly began to consider expanding the air force. If you think of it as an extension of the existing artillery, it is easy to imagine its application and development.

　And the important thing is that the main focus is on the infantry and cavalry of the army, and the planes are just there to support them. This way, the army personnel will not feel threatened.