Ehestadt

[Captain Enema]

[b]Ehestadt Legion Command Center[/b]

Thousands of men had poured into Ehestadt from their Legion bases near Port Sudan. They are quickly formed into their new regiments and from there quickly made ready to be given new equipment, weapons, and climate appropriate clothing.

Lt. General Deltrane, long serving member of the Legion, assumes overall command of the Legion Forces in Ehestadt. The men under his command have served with each other long enough to not need much in the way of hand holding. Many of the officers have undergone advanced training in the Kingdom of Cochin. Likewise, the majority of the noncomissioned officers have undergone a grueling Legion NCO preparation course. Training in the Legion is taken seriously and it shows in the men that are hustling back and forth across the temporary base outside of Vladivostok.

"Sir, what sort of equipment should we be expecting?" asks his 2iC General Ian Hardcastle.

Deltrane looks the newly promoted General over before responding with, "Armor, weapons, and helicopters I suspect."

"Well this ought to prove interesting," mutters Hardcastle.

"Yes, it will, transmit the requisitions list to the Regional UFE Headquarters and don't be skimp. We need replacements for all equipment in order to replace damaged items during our retraining period."

"Copy sir, 25 percent extra on all requisitioned items."


Within short order the following is sent to the UFE Regional Command:

[quote]

Legion Forces- Ehestadt Requistions List

(big list of equipment to properly outfit the entire Legion Force with weapons, helicopters, APCs, Light tanks, uniforms, vehicles, and other needed items) [/quote]

[Triyun]

The UFE armories were among the best stocked in the world if not the best, flush with funds and repossessed equipment from the booming UFE arms trade. In fact many of the export weapons repossessed had the logo, "This gun will last longer than your nation." The Ehestadt Logistical Command was swift in fill the orders of the Legion as they came in with shiney big new toys.

[Captain Enema]

Deltrane and his men examine their shiny new toys with a certain reference that normally is given to godlike figures. Deltrane says, "Allah be praised."

Hardcastle snorts and replies, "To hell with Allah, Praised be to the UFE Military Industrial Complex."

"Praised be both of them," Deltrane replies as he watches the flurry of men and women as they begin falling in to start their deployment retraining period. New weapons, new systems, and new terrain all require a bit of time for the Legion forces to adapt, but adapt they will.

"Sir, 1st through 4th Airmobile Regiments are about 1/3rd ready to deploy. Pilots are still a bit shakey on their birds though. Want to get them up in the air?" Hardcastle asks.

"With dismounts? Are you insane? I expect the skies to be raining helicopters for about a week or so. Have the dismounts spend a two week period hard marching up and down the coast with the normal SOG Teams terrorizing them to keep them in shape. After the pilots and crews on those birds seem properly settled in we'll match up the airwings to their battalions," Deltrane orders.

"Copy sir, will get things moving. I'll also request a local map of regional airfields that we can use and begin setting up staging posts with fuel and supplies at them so we can move our Air Assault Regiments back and forth," Hardcastle says.

"Yes, do the same with our Mech Infantry as well. I want them to be able to move as far as they need to without having to worry about a logistical train in the short term."

"Gotcha sir, will see to it. You want me to set up security teams for the local depots as well?"

"Depends, if there is a UFE or Austrian Garrison nearby, just ask them to keep an eye on it. If there is nothing, set up a security detachment. We'll cycle in some contractors from Port of Sudan Imports and Exports to take care of that."

"Will do."

"Also, I want a to meet with the regional commanders of the Austrian and UFE forces soon. We all need to sit down and have a talk about how we plan on doing things. Set something up."

"Copy sir," mutters Hardcastle as he gets busy.

Infantry Battalions belonging to the 1st through 4th Air Assault Regiments are quickly dispatched on a long road march. SOG Teams are assigned to keep them harassed for training purposes of course. With them the 1st through 4th Mechanized Infantry Regimental Combat Teams are put to work shaking down their new equipment and drilling.

[Captain Enema]

[b]Port Sudan[/b]

"We need someone who has the experience of running a complicated logistical situation on hand to coordinate with Deltrane. He and Hardcastle have way too much on their plates," Denard says as he looks over a pile of documents.

"Too bad White bought the farm up in Austria," Dellion replies.

"Yeah, he was a genius for moving supplies," Denard mutters.

"Who do you have in mind then?" Dellion asks.

"Duwi Suvallo maybe?" Denard suggests.

"He has served with the Legion Logistical Command here in Port Sudan for quite sometime. He also has quite a bit of field experience directly under Deltrane during the Sudanese Republic era," Dellion observes as he looks Suvallo's file over.

"Also M'Tembe, I want to him in charge of a Combat Engineer Brigade."

"Hasn't the UFE sorted the area out road wise and such?"

"Seems to be the case, but an Engineering Brigade can double as a straight leg infantry brigade in an emergency for positional defense and be tasked for local repairs once things get heavy. I'm also convinced that having a Legion Engineering presence will speed up the placement of supplies in caches around the area of operation."

"Yeah, means we don't have to beg and plead for UFE Engineering Support. Given they are busy with the Koreans I doubt they really want to be pestered."

"More or less what I'm thinking as well," Denard concludes as he stamps the orders dispatching General M'Tembe and General Suvallo to Ehestadt.

[b]Legion Base Ehestadt[/b]

The scene is chaotic. Not that this comes as a surprise to Deltrane who fully expected chaos and pandemonium to reign supreme once the individual units began moving around to get to their assigned areas. He watches as NCOs scream, Officers shout, and enlisted men wander around looking confused and lost. "Situation normal sir," he hears Hardcastle say with a wry laugh.

"Situation Normal, all fragged up," Deltrane grumbles.

"Won't take much longer to sort it out. The Air Assault Battalions are proceeding to literally hit the road. Mech Regiments are busy pulling out and deploying to their field laagers. Give it a few more hours and we'll only have security troops and service and supply soldiers here," Hardcastle replies.

"Good, keep them moving, we have to get them trained up on this new equipment and familiarized with local terrain as soon as humanly possible. I want to kick off a series of local exercises within the week as well to sharpen things up," Deltrane states as he jots down a few notes.

"How big you thinking sir?" Hardcastle requests.

"No bigger than battalion sized for now," Deltrane responds.

[Captain Enema]

"Alright, let's get this sorted out. Hardcastle is Operations, Suvallo is Logistics, M'Tembe Engineering, and Mustapha is Intelligence. Everyone clear on this?" Deltrane asks.

The assembled officers acknowledge their orders as they begin to look over their briefing folders. "What we direly need at this point of time is organization of our logistics and more local intelligence of conditions and terrain. Both can be attained at the same time. M'Tembe, starting tomorrow you are going to take Survey teams out to recon the region. Scout out possible landing sites for large groups of helicopters, air strips, bridges, roads, and supply depot sites."

"Most of what you want sir is public source. We just need to send someone over to the UFE Office that handles cartography," M'Tembe replies.

"I'm aware of that, but I want your survey teams taking along SOG Sniper teams as well. Tell them to start charting possible ambush points along supply routes. For their own use and for the use of our security detachments. Further, cartography can't tell us much about the people in the area. Go out, meet them, shake a few hands, and give them some of our Legion Party Favors."

M'Tembe grins and makes a note to pick up several hundred cheap disposable cellphones to hand out to the locals in high threat areas with instructions on how to call in attacks and other threats to a dedicated Legion Hotline. It's a low cost way of gathering human intelligence from the locals who have a vested interest in preserving the peace. Not a perfect way, but it has proven effective to the Legion in the past.

"Hardcastle, what is your update?" Deltrane asks.

"Air Assault Battalions are on the move towards the coast. I have forward parties trucks and security detachments setting up and breaking down mess tents for them each and every night. They'll also stay in place with the AABs once they arrive at their Operational Laagers. Speaking of Air Assault Laagers, we've located four very nice looking areas that can hold a regiment of Air Assault and change in our theater of operations," Hardcastle responds.

"I'm a bit worried about air attacks on those units," Deltrane counters.

"Portable Radar units and coordination teams with UFE and Austrian Radar sites are being organized. We'll have plenty of time to scramble our men in the event of an air raid. I'm also positioning a battery of short range Air to Air Missiles at each Laager. The cooks and bakers of each regiment will be given defense posts and 20 MM Anti-aircraft guns to man. Our long range support though will be coming directly from the UFE. I think they have that end covered pretty well," Hardcastle replies.

"Good, keep me advised. How are the Mech Infantry Regiments looking?" Deltrane asks.

"Total mess, the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles are causing all sorts of problems for our men. But, we think they'll resolve those adjustment issues within the week. It'll be a matter of ongoing training that we'll need to address."

"Right to that end I want to set up a regional training center to update our technicians with UFE tutors. Send a request for assistance."

"Copy sir," replies Hardcastle as he pens out the following request:

[quote]Legion Forces Ehestadt
To: UFE Regional Command

In order to maintain UFE equipment at peak operating capacity our technicians are going to need an ongoing training and certification program. To meet this need our in Theater Commander wishes to establish a Regional Training Center. Attached is a list of the needed manpower to establish this center.

-General Ian Hardcastle

Attached: List of required manpower to proper staff a regional training center.



[/quote]

[Captain Enema]

Deltrane scans the reports on his desks and grunts in approval. The reams of paper tell him a story of success. The story goes something along the line of 60,000 or so Legionnaires being pulled out of reserved, thrown into formed units, and flown halfway across the world. The story ends with those men living up to the challenges presented to them rather than wallowing in despair.

The regional supply depots have been constructed. A network of supply depots behind deep thick berms and with heavy sandbag layers protecting them from above are scattered across Ehestadt. Potted trees and such are arranged to reduce the visibility of the depots to the best of the Engineer's abilities. Other locations make use of existing structures.

Several warehouses, a school, and an abandoned church are pressed into service as resupply dumps. They are given security detachments hired from Port Sudan Imports and Exports for the duration of the Legion Deployment to Ehestadt. Outsourcing the security to Port Sudan I/O allows Deltrane to charge the cost directly to the Legion Minister of Defense, and isn't taken out of his operational budget.

Much to his liking of course.

Three Bases have been scratched out to house the Air Assault Regiments of the Ehestadt Legion Forces. The 1st Air Assault having been folded into the Legion Rapid Response Brigade no long exists on the Legion roles as a formed unit. Not the first time such has happened in Legion's history and it won't be the last. Operational necessity and all.

Smaller bases for the Legion Mechanized Infantry Regiments are scattered around in battalion sized groups. Each group is kept within 2 hours movement of the next group. The plan being that nuclear strikes won't take out an entire regiment if the component battalions are kept far enough apart from each other. Defending against airstrikes is Deltranes biggest concern, but he feels UFE resources most likely will live up to the challenge.

If anything should get close enough to a Legion formation the Legion ADA detachments will be there to lend a hand with their vehicle mounted short and medium range surface to air missiles launchers. With the bulk of the work done all that is left is for Ehestadt Legion Forces, or Santa's Dirty Horny Helpers as the men are calling themselves, is to wait and train.

Lots of training, and waiting, but mostly training.