Maxi Sauerbeck (c. 1900–1948) was a senior operative and logistical planner for the Bosken separatist group BRC-21. He is best known as the principal architect of Operation Decennial, the ambitious but largely failed multi-pronged terrorist plot targeting the Republic’s 10th-anniversary celebration in 1931. His capture in the aftermath of the attack was a major intelligence victory for the Kresimirian state.
Early Life and Involvement in BRC-21
Born in the city of Sprodvice, in Moraviskameja, Sauerbeck was a veteran of the Kresimirian Unification War, having fought as a young man with the Eastern Pravoslavic Confederacy. Following the Confederacy’s defeat, he became one of the earliest members of BRC-21, joining the movement under its founder, Lev Ruka.
Unlike many of his comrades who served as frontline fighters, Sauerbeck excelled at planning and logistics. By the late 1920s, he had risen to a senior position within BRC-21’s command structure, responsible for orchestrating complex operations that required cross-district coordination, weapons procurement, and intelligence gathering.
The 1931 Vijrje Anniversary Attack
Sauerbeck’s most significant undertaking was the planning of the 1931 Vijrje Anniversary Attack. For nearly a year, he masterminded the complex plot, which aimed to strike a devastating blow to the Kresimirian establishment. His plan involved coordinating ten suicide bombers, multiple gas attack teams, and a kidnapping unit to strike simultaneously during the high-profile event.
The operation was a catastrophic failure for BRC-21. While one bomber succeeded in detonating his device, causing seven fatalities, the vast majority of the plot was thwarted by Kresimirian security forces.
Capture and Imprisonment
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, two BRC-21 operatives involved in a failed kidnapping attempt, Alex Gilger and Jan Bohn, were captured by bystanders. Under interrogation by the Council for Internal Affairs, they provided intelligence that directly implicated Sauerbeck as the operation’s mastermind.
Three days after the attack, a Kresimirian security team raided Sauerbeck’s residence in Sprodvice. He was arrested without incident. He was subsequently put on trial in a high-profile case, where he was charged with multiple counts of domestic terrorism, conspiracy, and murder. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Maxi Sauerbeck died in the Sinj State Penitentiary in 1948 from natural causes, having served 17 years of his life sentence.
Legacy
The capture of Maxi Sauerbeck was a major blow to BRC-21’s operational capabilities. As one of their most experienced and skilled planners, his loss significantly hampered the group’s ability to conduct complex, large-scale attacks outside of their home territory of Moraviskameja for several years. The failure of the Vijrje plot and Sauerbeck’s subsequent capture forced a strategic re-evaluation within BRC-21, leading them to revert to smaller-scale guerrilla tactics and targeted assassinations for much of the following decade.