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Operation Curtana


Kaiser Martens

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The war rages on. Everywhere.

Above, in Austrian and German skies, fighters and bombers of both nations play a constantly tug of war, a constant back and forth. Now that the Luftwaffe no longer had to concern itself with Ireland, it sent even more One-Engine and Two-Engine aircraft into the zone to escort bombers and intercept the enemies. Still, fighting in the air was not like fighting in a ring, even with good numerical superiority, the enemy, if skilled, could fight on. And this was the case.

In the land, Task Force Donnerkeil was activated. This entailed massive reinforcements with much-improved equipment, such as the new MG42 machinegun and new armor, to the Western Zone, where the army had been bogged down. The east had been relatively easy, although still harder than one would have expected. But the west, upon initial advance, soon turned into a WW1-like scenario. It was now hoped that by gathering the land's strength and men, they would be able to overflow Austrian defences by simple virtue of throwing in more men and material than they could possibly handle. It was believed that this would be a success, but at the same time, even if such an outcome was likely...what then? Winning in the West was only a Strategic Victory if the battle for Vienna would be won as well. Otherwise, it would be a meaningless victory. Tanks, men and artillery were rolling forwards to deliver massive firepower upon enemy lines. Human and Mechanized waves moved forwards for the kill, to win at any cost - even at the cost of later defeat. We would see.

It was a different scenario over at Vienna. The Invading Forces realized that while the enemy had no conventional means of destroying their armor, they had resorted to more creative ideas. Improvised firebombs were one, another were gathering large numbers of grenades in bundles, and then tossing these towards the enemy. Always popular were landmines...using armor in urban combat had never been so good an idea, but then the smarter crews knew to stay back and fire from afar, the KV-2's HE shells would utterly destroy anything they hit, so these were the most careful. The main problem that the defenders of Vienna had was not the destruction of the enemies that they could see, which was relatively simple many times, but the destruction of the enemies that they could not see. Snipers, artillery, bombers, and anything that fired from farther away. The rest of the equipment attempting to invade the city proper would seem to fall into a meat grinder, but the "ranged fire" gave the attackers an edge, and people in Vienna often sat and waited for artillery shells or other explosives to fall, sometimes, too close to them...too close.

It would be a very bloody battle for all sides.

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In the West,

The German hordes might be advancing in the way of a flood of men and material, but they certainly weren't showing much in the way of smarts. Massive human waves to reduce a properly held position screams suicide to even the most mediocre of military minds. Salzburg had been waiting for such a push, Salzburg had been preparing for this, and Salzburg is more than ready to deal with the waves of German men, planes, and tanks.

Tank traps, choke points, mine fields, snipers, pre-registered artillery zones, and bunkers lay in wait for the German barbarians. Everything is designed to funnel the headlong rush of the attacker into a constricted area that is heavily mined, well covered with snipers, and zeroed in for mortars and artillery. Entire city blocks are turned into death traps of this design as machine gun teams are sent into to act as a monstrous sort of harvester of human flesh.

This harverster of humans has only one goal, to reap a bountiful crop of dead Germans, dead Germans that ought to have known better than to blunder their way forward without carefully feeling their way forward. Part of the problem with human waves is the lack of scouting. This lack of intelligence is only rectified at the cost of human lives. Small groups of men moving forward carefully can pick out strong points, mines, and other problems long before the main body encounter them. These small groups can save lives through the loss of their own, but better a few than many in modern warfare. Proper scouting prevents defeat and the seeming lack of said scouting will no doubt cost the German invaders dearly.

The German offensive is met with in three dimensions. The first dimension being in the sky. Every fighter available to the Legion and local Austrian forces are used to scatter advancing German bomber fleets. The goal isn't to shoot them down, but force them drop their bombs early to keep them from dropping them on Austrian forces. Full scale engagements with German fighters are avoided at all costs. Quick in to scatter the bombers and back to base to make ready for the next sortie. Small Combat Air Patrols are kept up and about the bases as well to ensure that returning fighters aren't bounced by German planes that follow them home.

The next dimension is the artillery and divebombers. Heavy 175 mm artillery, 155 mm, and their lighter 105 and 75 mm brethren erupt as nearly one. Differences in range have been previously calculated to ensure that the shells land nearly as one is a massive time on target. Large concentrations of German troops and machines are targeted with these devastating time on targets.Heavy explosives and anti-personel rounds are sent in vast swarms to leave bloody rents in the German formations long before they even get close to Salzburg. Above the artillery shells the diverbombers drone in as they purposely seek out and attack German headquarters units and supply convoys in the rear. The P-36 Aircobras of the Legion 333rd Air Group are well enough versed in their role to know how to go about it, well perhaps well enough versed to not slam their planes into the ground when they pull out of a high speed dive.

The Legion and Austrian troops in Salzburg is where the last dimension is found. A defense made in depth with plenty of room and men available to lay down their lives. Men with their weapons, harden men, men well trained and winnowed away through the harsh hell of war. Austrians and Legionnaires waiting with their machine guns, mortars, sniper rifles, rifles, pistols, and grenades to kill as many Germans as humanly possible. The lines are organized in depth, should the Germans take the first one they'll only face fire from the second one and so forth. Mobile reserves lie in wait to block breakthroughs and to cover any retreats that might be needed as well as to advance.

Denard and Dellion aren't too far from the frontline. They are quietly watching and observing. They make adjustments as needed but for the most part let their officers run the battle rather than micro-managing. To the rear the men of the Legion are bringing up their own replacements and fresh units to counter this latest German influx. A stream of Legionnaire replacements and the Legion 6th, 7th, and 8th Regiments are advancing. They are fresh units, a bit light on experience, but well led none the less. Their 15,000 men ought to go a fair distance in evening the scales in Salzburg.

If Salzburg can be held, if it can't things were going to be mighty grim indeed. No telling where that will leave the 4th Regiment and the armored vehicles that make it up that are currently chugging their way towards Vienna.

Edited by Tidy Bowl Man
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Theresia leaned back on her chair within the Council Chambers in the Austrian capital of Ljubljana and rested her hand over her plump stomach. She was already three months into her pregnancy and her outward appearance had changed drastically, however her mental state had remained just as stalwart as it was during the first hours of the war. In front of her she watched as Molke and other Austrian Generals moved red magnets around a metal board signifying Austrian advances, retreats, and movements. The problem was, however, that nothing was moving and the war had become a stalemate and a stalemate so long as the Germans were still occupying parts of Austria was unacceptable. But the event that had her silent as the generals debated other ideas for attacks, was the withdraw from the Irish from their attack on Iceland. She gripped the Taoiseach's letter in her right hand and read through it's contents one more time.

"If only we had the option to simply withdraw. We're only fighting for our very independence."

Molke and the other commanders stopped for a moment and looked over at the Empress. "Your Majesty? Is everything okay?"

Theresia threw the letter to the floor and stomped it into the dust with her foot. "No, we're facing the entirety of the German Army now. Germans, Eastern French, all against our armies." She held her heavy face in her hands. "I don't mean to do this to myself, but how are we supposed to regain our country now. Molke, you've already told me that the men are beginning to lose morale on the Irish Withdrawal."

The Field Marshal stood up and placed a firm hand on the Empress' shoulder. "Your Majesty, this was never meant to be easy. We just have to maintain face, show the Germans that we are not willing to retreat and show our own soldiers that they are fighting for something greater than themselves. Something that will stand the test of time. We need to show the man on the field that this government and this command is fighting right along side them."

The Empress rose her head and blinked a few times before nodding. "You're right Albrecht, that's exactly what needs done. I'm going to visit the front." She said pushing her chair and with some difficulty, getting to her feet.

Molke and the others rushed to her side, looks of concern and defiance lining their faces. "Empress, we...we can't let you do something like that. If you would be lost, this war would be lost. It's too dangerous."

"Get your hands off of me Marshal," Theresia said pushing her officers aside. "You think I'm going to pick up some gun or rifle, I'm not. I'm going to be on the outskirts of the city. I'm going to visit our wounded and our fatigued. You said the common soldier needs to know we're fighting with them. Well I'm doing as you asked. General von Hess, ready transportation to take me to the front and make sure it is well guarded so that Marshal Molke sleeps well tonight." She smirked.

"Yes, of course, Majesty." Said von Hess, leaving the room.

After he had gone, Theresia turned back to Molke's worried face and patted him on the cheek. "Marshal, If they advance further south than Vienna then this whole war will seem lost and it would be as if I were dead anyways. I need to do this."

"Well I can only say, I will be there with you the entire time and no Austria will see their darling daughter hurt by German megalomaniacs."

"I am ever grateful."

---

Time, unfortunately would not stop as Theresia readied her baggage to being her journey north. The war while not dire, desperately needed a new blast of momentum and that blast would come through various stories, rumors, events, and the learning of the Empress' travel to Vienna. The Austrian Air Force would find itself pushed to the breaking point, with fresh German air power arriving from the North Sea Theater everyday, the Austrian pilots would find themselves having to quickly adopt new strategies for a different style of fighting that these new pilots brought to the arena. However, that would not stop Austrian fighters from employing unconditional tactics. Whenever it was possible, they would avoid the enemy air force, still aiming at destroying German supply lines and causing the ground war to come to a grinding halt to the invaders. Yet, when fighting in the air was unavoidable, Austrian pilots would play a game of fire and chase, luring German attackers, caught in the moment, to fly towards Austrian defenses across the Danube in Vienna's case and deep in the mountains on the Western Front. There Anti-Air batteries would lay in wait to snipe off German planes, then once lured too far, Austrian reserve planes would be launched to attack the Luftwaffe's flank. With less numbers, the Austrians would have to play creatively, reducing fuel and surprise attacks were the best option they had available. Only time would tell if it was effective. Yet it was assumed by the number of missions launched that German supplies were beginning to at the very least feel the pangs of war weariness.

On the Western Front, the arrival of German reinforcements would find that the mountains outside and around Innsbruck had become a bloody labyrinth filled with the remains of ruined tanks, broken artillery, and the hidden bodies of the dead. Villagers had since evacuated the small hamlets around the city, though surprisingly enough, Innsbruck itself had only received light damage compared to other cities during the German Invasion. It was a proverbial 'eye of the storm' and all around it, the Austrian artillery batteries continued to push their arc, around the city attempting to enclose Innsbruck completely and thus ending the siege. Fighting in the Alpine region however, for the Germans to bring newer and better equipment was a tactical blunder. This equipment could have been used better along the flat plains near Vienna and the potential push south towards the Slovenian border. Instead, the new armor would have to navigate Alpine roads, already booby trapped and filed with their compatriots' remains. Much like in Vienna, fire would rain down from the mountain side in the forms of IEDs, PIAT fire, and shelling by the Ordnance guns positioned throughout the hills around Innsbruck. Austrian advances would be slowed by the German reinforcements, however this would only cause guerrilla warfare to increase and with larger numbers, the Germans would become easier targets for Austrian sneak attacks across the country and in the blackest of nights.

In Vienna, after the first failures of German armor advances had pushed the tanks back, Viennese defenders had found a new problem to face. Stronger German tanks could barrel through city buildings and defenses without much trouble, punching holes throughout the northern city. In addition to North Vienna becoming a ruin, attacks from German artillery located on the northern outskirts, combined with enemy snipers beginning to patrol the streets and buildings. In accordance with this, Austrian infantry began to pull back towards the banks of the Danube. There on the other side waited scores of Austrian soldiers and tanks ready to engage if the Germans would attempt to cross the bridge to South Vienna. What stood in their way, however, were hundreds of Austrian soldiers who had taken the Western Strategy to heart. With North Vienna in ruins, the city had become a hive for snipers and guerrilla attacks on patrolling armor. This would also hopefully halt the German supply line from advancing to the Danube. To counter the enemy advance further, then Austrian guerrillas would maintain radio contact with artillery commanders across the river and for as much as German artillery rained against Austrian soldiers, the barrage from the south side of the river was just as relentless.

Furthermore, Molke saw the German advance into Vienna as an opportunity to severely damage Haas' ability to continue the war in the East. Vienna had started with a total of two-hundred thousand men, this number of course had been reduced due to casualties. But there was still a sizable defense protecting the Danube. However, taking seventy-five thousand men to the south and then marching around Pressbaum to the west, Molke hoped to catch the Germans weak on their right flank by engaging his Expeditionary Force at the crossing of Tullin an der Donau. If he could push through German defenses here, he would have a clear shot on cutting the supply and logistical lines in half as well as surrounding Haas' army inside Vienna. With a massive push he could encircle the Germans and it would be their ruins to defend and his city to once again, reclaim.

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Martens did not even find out about the meeting. He was not wanted either way, yet he would have almost certainly declined if he had been invited to begin with. Right now, he was too busy. He found that he had to retreat several blocks as the enemy offensive continued...however, this did not mean that any "line" should fall. As the enemy entered Vienna, they would still have to deal with snipers and, basically, people showing up out of nowhere to use their crude-yet-useful rocket launchers onto the large metallic mountains. After the first losses, they would think twice before sending further Armor into the city, and would focus on artillery and infantry instead. Now and then, one of the Frenchmen would make it within Martens' vicinity - then, he would put his own rifle to good use before going back to yelling orders at people - directly, and over the radio.

Then, the invaders realized that Molke was trying to do some sort of flanking move. In this, they saw their chance to win. Seventy thousand had been directed away from Vienna's defence, in spite of Martens' complaints. The French General ordered for all able tanks - of both nationalities - and all cavalry units to advance just a bit and wait in ambush. A few of the lighter tanks would be made into a separate detachment to counter-flank, and when the first skirmishes started, Molke's action found itself upon concentrated artillery fire at the same time that German and French Armor and Cavalry seemed to suddenly attack from many directions at once - some of them almost from behind! Bombers and their escorts would too join this attack, shifting the main focus of the battle towards this section while the infantry continued to fight for every inch of street in the city proper. "This is it. We must break them!" Now that the tanks were not bound to the city, they might have a chance of proving just how deadly the KV and T34s can in fact be.

The battle in the west was much more crude. The enemy seemed to feel confident for a win after the initial waves...but then, there always seemed to be new people to fill the ranks. It could not go on indefinitely could it? Some positions would be taken in spite of the large losses. It was then noticed by the Austrian Commanders that, perhaps, Haas was not *that* stupid, even if this tactic would hardly be chosen by anyone in the world but him. The artillery fired, and, quite clearly, the Germans had brought many more guns to the battle than the Austrians possibly could. That was the plan. Crude, but hopefully effective. It was not simply a human wave, but also a wave of shells - they must have had at least twice the artillery that the Austrians had brought! To make things worse, a large amount of these pieces were brand-new Nebelwerfers...rocket artillery, which was hoped to have a confusing effect upon the foes.

It did not matter. Even if through this concentration of artillery, the battle on the west were to be won, it would surely be a phyrric victory. To those on the receiving end of the Nebelwerfers, things would seem like some sort of smoking end of the world. The German Casualties would remain censored either way until the end of the war...it would not be good for morale...

OOC: There's so much stuff going on...i'm sure I missed a bunch of stuff...oh well : D

Edited by Kaiser Martens
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As the Churchill and Crusader tanks of the I International Brigade advanced along the 178 highway towards the town of Wörgl. Grigori Sokolov sat on the Churchill tank as the moved into the town, the 3rd Company, Durruti Battalion had already moved into the town via the mountains, following an artillery barrage on the valley. The rest of the brigade was spread out with elements attacking the towns of Kramsach, Kundl, Kirchbichl and Kufstein. As well as the small villages that dotted this sector. With aid from Austrian forces and artillery the I International Brigade hoped to capture the strategic position of Wörgl, which sat on a rail and road link, connecting Munich and Innsbruck. With this town in Austria hands, and the mountain passes, effectively in the hands of Austrian guerrillas it would effectively cut German supply lines, allowing for a much easier fight to Innsbruck. As they moved deeper into the town they could hear the machinegun fire and mortar bombs. Stuka dive bombers flew overhead, their sirens wailing as the moved to attack. Sokolov and his platoon dismounted and moved into the streets on foot. Engaging the Germans with rifle and machinegun fire the platoon fought their way through the town; casualties were high as the untrained volunteers often charged entrenched German positions.

Sokolov leaned against a burnt out car, as artillery pounded all around him, killing and maiming as hundreds of soldiers pushed up the main street of the town. It was a bloodbath. Grenades flew through the sky and Tanks were used as battering rams to punch through German positions, despite anti-tank fire and the ever menacing presence of the Luftwaffe, and their Stuka dive-bombers. Shells from the brigade’s 25-pounders fell upon the Germans obliterating the enemy. Sokolov dashed out for behind his cover moving forward, as his comrades urged him on, moving behind a ruined store; he fired his Lee-Enfield rifle, the heavy .303 calibre round tore through light cover and flesh alike. Beside him, one of his men brought up a Bren light machine gun, and pinning down the German soldiers, and allowing the company to advance, he could here the distinctive scream of the Nebelwerfer rocket artillery. A Churchill AVRE variant’s Petard mortar smashed the enemy fortifications, clearing the way for the infantry to advance, soon securing the town, and the surrounding areas, opening the route to Innsbruck and cutting of the German supplies.

--------------------

Meanwhile in Graz, more volunteers streamed into the city, enough to raise a second brigade, the 3,000 men and women of II brigade would be armed and organised in a similar manner to the original, with 4 Infantry Battalions (named: Lenin, Marx and Trotsky) and Armoured battalion (Engels) and an artillery battery (Luxemburg) as well as the additional logistical and staff units. These forces would be moved north to join I brigade within the week.

Edited by Aggressivenutmeg
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Salzburg

Casualties are heavy. The First Regimental Combat Team alone lost nearly fifty percent of its men in the fighting. At times it came down to hand to hand as men slugged it out with whatever they could lay their hands on to keep the Germans from winning. A horrific blood letting to say the least, but a necessary one. A river of blood to stem the tide of Germans, a tide that seems like one which will never end. Yet, while the German tide seems unrelenting, the Legion river flows as strongly as ever.

Defense in depth, this was the key to salvaging the hell of Salzburg. The German human wave attacks had floundered through the choke points, pushed through the wire, the mines, the trenches, the fall back trenches, and finally was contained in a improvised line of foxholes and men. A thin line of valiant men further reinforced by artillery, mortars, and machine guns.

Up until now the majority of the Legion strength had been held in the older Vickers .303 Machine guns. This isn't the case with the newly arriving 5th, 6th, and 7th Regiments. They are well supplied with a newly issued supply of Bren .303 Light Machine Guns. This portable firepower added a potent edge to the lines as the Bren teams are able to quickly maneuver from weak point to weak point to prevent further German assaults from succeeding.

While the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Regimental Combat Teams lay shredded and much reduced they are quickly brought up to some semblance of strength during the short lull between German offensives. The 5th, 6th, and 7th Regiments are fed into the lines as well to increase the density of men and to create yet more fall back positions. Engineers rule the field during the lull as their bulldozers snort to life.

Behind the improvised line A deeper defensive work was formed. Work on it had started well before the battle, finishing touches are now being done. Deep trenches that are bermed with the support of entire houses that were smashed to pieces and pushed into mounds. Wire was strung by the mile and mines were sowed. The line is formed into a zig zag that looks like the teeth of a saw blade extending towards the German front. This allows for a greater volume of fire to be heaped on German attackers as they approach. This line is different from the others as well.

Rather than seeking to disguise it, the Engineers have gone for depth. Sheer massive depth of trenches and bunkers. Mountains of rubble shifted to cover the men to protect them from German bombers, artillery, and mortars. It isn't a perfect solution, but given the Germans no longer are apt to be surprised it seems the most prudent one to take. The improvised line is left abandoned with the exception of a battalion worth of volunteer machine gunners using a batch of antiquated Vickers Machine Guns that are on their last legs. These men remain behind while the rest of the Legion and Austrian forces moved back and settled in.

Joining the Legion is a special force of vehicles. Legion technicians having struggled with the problem of dealing with heavily armored tanks decided the best and cheapest alternative is to resort to the creation of a mobile gun platform. They took a series of antiquated tanks, tore off the turrets, and installed a heavier 25 Pound Gun in the front of the tank. While the vehicle, termed the Sexton, isn't overly mobile it does posses a hefty wallop from a defensive position with its 25 Pound gun. With no turret the entire vehicle has to be moved to be aimed, but it is felt the surprise value of the vehicle from a defensive position is well within Legion traditions.

With the last of the men pulled back, the artillery repositioned, the mines deployed, and the men somewhat rested the Germans pick their time to strike. The scream of the multi-barreled rocket launchers that they bring with them ring heavily in the ears of the men. Luckily for them it is the men at the improvised line that bear the brunt of it. Those fanatical Sudanese volunteers take the fire with poise as they wait.

They don't wait silently, as they wrap their heads with red scarves and begin to chant, "Dengali, Dengali, Dengali," with a rhythmic tribal tint to their words as they suffer under the hell of the German fire. Denard and Dellion tensely listen to the battle unfold in silence. They know many of the men who have opted to stay behind. Had the Germans waited just another hour they would have found the killing grounds of the recent last stand haunted with the remains of their dead and nothing more. Luck isn't with those men on this day as they wait by their weapons, well those that survive horrific weight of fire hammering them to pieces.

Those that do survive don't need much prompting to open fire on the advancing Germans as soon as they come into range. They do so with relish and it isn't long before the chatter of the surviving machine gunners fill the air. The rest of the Legionnaires back in the new main line of resistance look at each other in silence. They wonder if they will have their chance to go out with such class and style. At least they hope they do, but so far this war is proving to make a mockery out of anything remotely resembling glory as their is no glory to be found on this field of modern mechanized butchery.

Ignoring all of this the much tired Engineers are already busy building another entire series of heavily defended lines in the event the Germans smash through the current main line of resistance. They are well protected by anti-artillery and are working diligently with their earth movers to build miracles from the earth itself. As they work another entire division of Legionnaires, the last of them is being marched to the front. With this unit the last of the Legion will have come into play. It is hoped there won't be a need for it as many wonder just how much the Germans can spend in lives to win this miserable pit from their cold dead Legionnaire hands?


Above the fields the surviving Legion fighters and divebombers don't wonder how much the Germans will spend in lives. They already know as they are in position to watch the incoming streams of attackers. There isn't a single surviving Legion pilot that isn't an ace twice over. They are lean, dangerous, and vicious hunters of German bombers. Their tactics thus far have worked quite well in keeping the German bombers off their lines for the most part. The divebombers have new orders, wipe out German artillery positions, which probably won't present too much of a problem given conventional German artillery tactics.

Those being to line their artillery up hub to hub to achieve a superior weight of fire. This is quite unlike Legion tactics of distributing their artillery widely to keep them safer. Not only distributing but digging them in when they can. Unless the Germans have changed their tactics, the divebombers will make easy work of those massed artillery batteries when they scream out of the sun with their 37 mm cannons and bombs raining from the sky, they'll be joined with Legion artillery fire as well as the divebombers have orders to use their radios to coordinate fire on the German artillery.



Vienna

The 4th Regimental Combat Team (armored) and it's 112 tanks plus assorted armored vehicles of various types pulls into position to support Austrian attacks.

OOC: Sarah if you attack you can go ahead and post that my tanks attack with you from whatever flank you need them to attack on. They've been traveling for 2 days they can be in position to hit either tank by coming up short on the left or swinging around Vienna and coming to the otherside.

Up to you.

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[b]Raid on Kiel[/b]:

At around 5:30 am the sound of air raid sirens over Kiel started, as the Kriegsmarine's sailors were awakened by the sounds of engines flying overhead. Douglas SBD Dauntless bombers had been launched from the UFE carrier task force sailing in the North Sea. Equipped with anti-glare paint and flying low so as to render what radar stations there were useless, they had been able to navigate the Denmark Straits largely unharassed at night, using the lights of the cities to guide them and timing it so they'd be over their targets at dawn.

Then hell broke lose. The first waves of twenty planes unleashed torpedoes into the capital ships of the Kreigsmarine, this was followed up by a second wave concentrating on the carriers and battleships using armor piercing bombs on their deck. A third wave then hit the same targets with incindiery bombs to maximize the damage. At the same time a fourth wave hit nearby air stations with incindiery bombs targeting ammunition sheds and fuel depots to minimize the capability of interceptors being able to launch a counter.


Planes were then ordered out to the rendezvous point with the carrier task force.

At sea three Yorktown Carriers had been sent into battle using the Athenian Ports as their bases of operation. They were escorted by an additional three Bogue Class Escort Carrier, a Montana Battleship, two Iowa Battleships, four Alaska Heavy Cruisers, and over 40 support destroyers and destroyer escorts. The fleet was a impressive display of power projection capabilities.

[b]Liberation Day[/b]

B-17 bombers flew over the North West Coast of the German Empire at low altitude hitting targets nightly for over a week. Concentrations were placed on inflicting maximum damage to luftwaffe and armored assets in the area. While destroying the actual weapons platforms themselves in night time raids would be difficult, the logistical infrastructure to support these systems would be the main targets. Fuel. Germany's principle weak spot would be made the primary objective of such raids.

A secondary force would also be tasked with deploying propaganda leaflets, pictures would be printed of German units failing in attacking Austria, and scenes of German soldiers brutalizing Austrians and destroying villages. Alongside this would be statements of condemnation from various moral authority figures around the world. Advertising executives from the commercial centers of Hong Kong and Shanghai would be brought in to craft a carefully tailored message: Germany was sending the Low Countries young to die so it could rape Austria, and what was worse it was not even winning!

Special forces units from the Euro Special Operations brigades had slowly been inserted via mini sub into the Low Countries over the past several months identifying sources of possible rebellion to German rule, so they could be exploited as a Fifth Column of the Federation's invasion of the North.

A surface action group had been formed now lead by the Montana Class [b]Tianxia[/b] Super Battleship to hit the Coast and make way for a marine expeditionary unit to cut the Low Countries from the rest of Germany, by attacking the very lines in there from Germany itself.

Fighter jets flew overhead protecting the formation and giving rough visual coordinates to the gunners of the Montana, and Iowa, and its two Alaska escorts to provide heavy offshore gunning. The concentration of heavy artillery would be to cut key rail lines for the Germans to rush reinforcements in from other fronts.

Littoral capable Destroyer Escorts would be used close in for tactical artillery support against the beaches of Wilhemshafen, aiming to use the river as a natural barrier for a beach head. Troops, rapidly secured transit locations, Visarist Party HQ, arms supplies, and other key objectives in the area. Combat engineers were ordered to setup entrenched positions to beat back the inevitable panzer counter assault when it came. Glider launched ranger teams were ordered to seize air fields and get them in working order so the UFE could amass strikers and air superiority craft in the area.

Armored companies were ordered to move into wooded areas and wait in ambush, while artillery was entrenched in Urban areas. The beach head force would be responsible for holding the area, for 12 hours while the main initial forces of over 80, 000 would come ashore.

Intelligence was ordered at the same time to give the word to their agents in the Low Countries, it was time for the Dutch and Belgians to rebel. The People's Liberation Army Amphibious Forces would maul the main units of the North German Army Group in a spectacular holding action clearing the way for the rebellion to begin.

[b]The Southern Front:[/b]

Infiltration teams had painted the enemy artillery targets, for attack by air. The P-38s which had so devastated the Luftwaffe once again would make their appearance. The first group would attack the bombers and escorts of the Luftwaffe, hitting them from above as per the usual tactics. The second group though would be concentrating on Dmitry's targets. Units were to target headquarters and ammunition positions with cannon and rocket, to light the enemy artillery forces ablaze and relieve Molke's forces, allowing them to outflank the Germans. The P-38 strikes were followed by by concentrated bombing by the B-17s on the position.

As tanks poured in on the Austrian Line, the Imperial Guard moved back into the shadows. Instead they resorted to using improvised explosive devices to hit the German tanks from below. Using radio detonators and spotters, the guards would plant the devices as the Germans and French advanced with their tanks, then remote detonating them under the middle of columns at choke points, cutting entire units in two before ambushing one rear units with fire bombs, while relaying the beleaguered positions of the forward units to the main Austrian forces.

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Since it had all started, the Luftwaffe had been running routine flights around the clock to prevent such situations - especially when the Irish had surprised them. Still, the Union had a very vast territory, and most aircraft were fielded in the south for obvious reasons. As such, being able to slip through Germanic defences was quite possible. One of the radars did in fact - as it was set in a special, lower area - detect some signals, but as the technology was so low, it was in fact disregarded. They thought that it would probably be the own German planes running some sort of patrol mission as described.

They would never forget their mistake. Much of the Kriegsmarine had been docked there, in Kiel, including the Flagship, the Polarstern submarine, for repairs after dealing out serious damage to the Irish. It seemed that their luck had run out. The Air Defences in the area were in fact very good, rivalling those of Berlin and Iceland themselves - but simply enough the combination of the surprise factor with the sheer amount of bombers signified that even if the Flaktowers, the 88 and 128mm FLAK guns scattered and, soon enough, the waves of Interceptors would ensure that there would be major losses among the attackers, what was lost on the shores would be far worse, and at that point even if somehow all chinese aircraft were to be with some luck slaughtered, the losses of the Kriegsmarine would be crippling.

As the skies burn, the submarines are sinking...

The Navy which was being manufactured in The East, which would have been enough to turn the tide of the war against the Chinese Navy, after losing their Western Twins, would when ready only with luck be sufficient to prevent a total disaster. Morale on the Sea Forces would be on an all-time-low...And Haas, he would make a few heads roll.

Production of further Battleships and Surface Ships was cancelled and instead more Submarines were produced, because the emergency lack of ships required designs that could be built fast.

War could be a !@#$%*.

And further in the west, there were worse news.

The attacks there had produced mixed results. Sometimes the Germanians seemed to get lucky, seemed to be able to intercept the enemy just right. It was a hit or miss deal. When they did not find the enemy, the bombers got to do just about anything that they might want to, ussually causing for much fuel to be lost among other assets.

The leaflets and resistance-seekout operations had mixed results. On the one hand, most people were legitimately against Haas' neverending campaign of blunders, and wished for them to die. On the other hand, the "Moral" condemnation of such attacks seemed to be rejected by most people. To them, it wasn't a matter of "Good" or "bad", such terms had long expired in the Germanian Collective Mind, but it was a matter of Doing things the right way, with strength, honor, a noble spirit and of course "Ordnung" (Order), against the mediocre morally concerned with deluded minds like Haas. They viewed him as being outright cowardly and stupid, and that, THAT, they would not have. People were also vaguely confused about the distinction between "Germany" and "Netherlands", two countries which, as far as they could tell, had not existed for a while. They were very skeptical that the Chinese would want to cause Germanic Union to split up accordingly to such a criteria, therefore the people now felt that they were stuck between two terrible Enemies - Chinese Forces and Haas' own Forces. Still, in spite of these "misunderstandings" between both cultures, one thing was clear. Most people were not ready to die for Haas and his idiotic actions. They wanted to liberate Germania themselves, and if the dictator did not achieve some victories soon, he might be going the way of Mussolini.

The Euro Special Operations which were detected would too get mixed results. Some people actually welcomed them as if those areas were their very homes, as if they had arrived from a trip that took them far away. Others would end up literally hacking them to pieces with an axe. It was a tricky business.

Perhaps the Chinese had made a few mistakes at first, but if they played their chips right and they spoke to the right people in the underground anti-Haas resistance, the rebellion they hoped for would come true. Though, if they were not careful, they would somehow end up helping Haas by fostering an anti-invader sentiment. One of the Agents was told to go to Doorn, to where once Kaiser Wilhelm had remained - he was now in Germany- to speak there to "Raven", someone relevant in the resistence. He had to move fast.

If Germania should be able to mobilize all of its forces, the Invasion would inevitably be a failure. But speaking to this individual was said to be a reliable means of...modifying the allegiance of a good number of units - the units stationed in The West.

In spite of that, Haas managed to send reasonable amounts of troops from his reserves towards the invaders. Supported by air so they would not fall easily prey to the enemy airforce, within the first hours 50% of what The Enemy had fielded would arrive to the fight. These divisions were better equipped than most others seen so far - They had Long Barrel Panzer IV with Schurzen, StuG IIIG, Wespe and Hummel SPGs, Armored Transports and even 88mm FLAKpanzers. They had other types of innovations such as Panzerschrecks, curved barrels for their guns, and all in all seemed to be of a higher quality than the troops used in the south. It was esteemed that more troops would arrive within a matter of hours from the East - and then even MORE from the West unless if the talks with Raven went well. A few of the units deployed seemed to be impressively huge Mortars, which would be used to storm the fortifications made by the engineers. Some older tanks had been modified to act as flails against landmines.

The enemy invasion seemed to hang from a thread. The Coin of Fate could not seem to decide on which side it would land...the world was watching.

[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kdcsVoFMTKM/TJjEKy_hndI/AAAAAAAAdPA/YMP952ZMsf8/s400/5.jpg[/img]

Edited by Kaiser Martens
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Salzburg

Operation Redemption is launched with little fan fare. The tired Legion forces, so recently reinforced by a full Legion division of 20,000 men and miscellaneous local Austrians makes a distinct local display for a distinct reason. Leading the way for Redemption is the innovative men and women of the Legion's Weapon Design Bureau and their clever clever minds.

Well, perhaps not so clever in this case as they've merely reverse engineered the already crude Soviet 122 mm Massed Rocket Launching system. The men and women of the Design Bureau vigorously complained about their somewhat servile role in tinkering with the clunky Soviet equipment. They felt it beneath them, but orders were orders and they followed their orders. Once finished with the reverse Engineering of the weapons they then rushed them into production, and then pushed them forward to Salzburg to prepare for their role in Redemption.

With this rather tedious task completed the Legion Design Bureau is able to go back work on completing the new tank destroyer design they've pushed into production. It is clear to the tinkerers and geeks of the Design Bureau that the Germans are fielding more powerful vehicles. With the Austrian war being primarily defensive it is decided to cull the Austrian Army and Legion Vehicle pools for a selection of older tanks no longer fit for front line service. These older model Austrian tanks have their main guns removed. The tops of the turrets are stripped away. A heavier 90 mm gun is removed from an older Austrian Army field piece and converted for the new tank destroyer and installed. The engines are upgraded and overhauled along with the road wheels and suspension. Additional armor is welded onto the front of the vehicles as well to mimic the Soviet style T-34 sloped armor. The work is well underway and it is expected that nearly 300 of these vehicles will be ready for service when complete. 200 will be provided to the Austrian Army, 100 will be supplied directly to Legion Forces.

Research is ongoing in several other areas. These include providing Austrian and Legion forces with a new tank capable of higher speeds of movement, better armor, and a superior main weapon. The primary design being considered is called the Cromwell and already two protypes are being worked on. Once they are ready they'll undergo field trials to determine weak points in the design. The Legion Design Bureau is also hard at work at providing a much faster and much deadlier interceptor for the Austrian and Legion Air Forces. The tentative design agreed upon is called the Spitfire X and is to be equipped with a powerful new engine to enhance it's performance at all altitudes. This isn't all the Legion Design Bureau is working on, but development of these other items will take a considerable amount of time, versus the items of interest that are near completion at this present time.

Other items of importance are the defensive works in Salzburg. The Combat Engineers are still digging a 2nd line of defense. They are mostly complete with this line. Great care is being taken with this one as concrete, mines, and wire are being used to harden the design even further. Additional Legion artillery positions are dug behind this line to allow Legion Artillery batteries a place to retreat to should the Salzburg line be broken. Lines of retreat are clearly marked out for the Legionnaires on the Salzburg line in the event of a German breakthrough.

Worry about breakthroughs prompt Legion support teams to be sent to the International Brigade as well. Denard and Dellion both worry that this untrained force might break at the worst possible moment. To rest their minds at this possibility they send Beckwith, a veteran of Legion's most vicious wars, and a logistical support team to make sure the International Brigades at least don't run out of ammunition and food. With them comes a radio team or two to assist with directing air support and passing intelligence back and forth.

The Legion 333rd Air Strike Group is reinforced as well. Not so much reinforced as they are being brought back up to strength with their aircraft and pilots. The survivors of Salzburg are joined with a fresh draft of experienced pilots to fill the holes in the formations. New Spitfires and Airacobras are provided and the older airframes quickly overhauled to bring them back up to their peak performance levels.

The Legion Ground Forces are quickly reorganized. Four divisions are created out of the current Legion forces and the entire group renamed the Imperial Guard Legion Group- Austria. 1st Division is comprised of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Regiments. It is placed into the reserve to rest and recover. the 5th, 6th, and 7th Regiments are formed into the 2nd Division. They've been in the line since their arrival but thus far haven't seen much more than one or two major German human wave attacks. the 3rd Division is comprised of the 8th, 9th, and 10th Legion Regiments. They have just arrived and have just taken the place of the 1st Division. The 4th Division is a bit of a !@#$%^& division. It is made up of the various subunits that are defending the Legion's main line of supply, local security units, and various Austrian militia groups that are operating in the area.

Denard decided recently the best way to keep the Austrian militia in the field was to organize them, supply them, and keep them well led. This brought him to pull the local formations into the 4th Division. Several of the local units have been facing the Germans from the beginning and he's pulled these units into reserve for a well needed period of rest as well. Finding replacements for these formations is easy, they are in Austria after all, and Austrians tend to object to having their country invaded like anyone else might get a little bent out of shape over having their country invaded.

The 1st and 4th are put into the Secondary Line and ordered to help finish it. This allows both the Legionnaires and the Austrians to rearm, rest, and take on replacements. The Legionnaires get a stream of young well trained Sudanese directly off the ship from Port Sudan. The Austrians recruit from local community sources. The bulk of their training is done on the job, but Denard creates a few small training centers to help their officers and NCOs take on valuable skills that are lost with the death of trained men. All this defensive work has put the Legionnaires and their Austrian Militia brothers in arms in the mood for a change of pace, the mood for attacking rather than defending.

Invasion, that's the spirit of Redemption. To give the Germans something else to think about. Not a full scale invasion, but a display of force large enough to shift their attention elsewhere while they fight for Innsbruck, bleed for Salzburg, and burn for Vienna. With the Chinese landing up North this new addition to the war ought to be all the more interesting and potentially damaging if things play out well.

Legion Special Operations Groups are waiting quietly for their orders to advance. They are equipped to the man with German weapons, German Uniforms, and to a man they've been locally recruited and trained by the Legion. They are Legionnaires first and very proud Austrians second. Further, they have an impressive command of the local language that the average Sudanese Legionnaire doesn't. Fifteen Special Operations Groups Squads wait for their orders to head over the border, fifteen squads of harden well trained and highly motivated men.

Their orders are simple, move into the villages, ferment rebellion against Haas. Provide support to local organizations and funnel intelligence back to Legion Headquarters. Supplies, weapons, explosives, poisons, and parachutes have been gathered to support these teams. So have transport planes. Using old Junkers transports from the Austrian Postal Service the Legion hopes to be able to sneak into Germany more or less undetected acting as a supply plane for the Luftwaffe.

It is an ambitious plan, and one that depends entirely on how the Germans react to the opening salvos of Redemption. As one the 100 Legion Rocket Trucks salvo their massed batteries of 122 mm rockets. Behind them the well distributed Legion artillery hammers away. Over them the scream of diving Airacobras and the hum of Spitfires protecting them can be heard. All of this ordinance descending for one unit. One German regiment picked out of the pack and targeted for this display of death and destruction. Of course, this display has a purpose.

The purpose of opening the way for the Legion Special Operations groups that will hope to exploit what is hoped to be a considerable amount of confusion. Enough in fact that the Legion Special Operations teams can slip their way into Southern Germany to ply their trade in the small rural German villages and to ferment rebellion amongst the locals. Rebellion that may well cause serious harm to the German lines of supply if everything goes well enough.


tl;dr

100 Kaytuashas or however they are spelled fire at one German regiment in Salzburg.

36 divebombers go after same regiment.

72 Spitfires protect the divebombers and take turns strafing the same regiment that is getting hit by the divebombers and rockets.

Every single artillery piece the Legion has pounds the exact same regiment.

All for the purpose of sneaking 15 Special Operations Group Squads into Southern Germany to raise hell in local villages by getting them to revolt. - They haven't jumped off yet, waiting for the bombardment results to come back.

Edited by Tidy Bowl Man
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"Mein General."

Haas looks up from his desk, his face seeming aged and serious, nearly sweaty in spite of the air conditioning. He had been overviewing the blueprints for a new, revolutionary tank design. Now, he instead stares at the one who had interrupted him. The news better be good.

"Austria has been finally captured."

Haas sighed in relief and leaned back onto his leather chair, putting a pencil down. His underling continues,

"We are still trying to hunt down some Legion units and other remaining units that have decided to retreat into the south, into Athenian Territory. The Austrian Government is believed to have fled to Athens as well. It does not matter, all that remains will be swept in a matter of hours. Then we can redirect our forces to the North and put an end to this all."

The General for once makes a sensible decision when shaking his head. "No, you will not do that. The Southern Armies will stay as they are. Casualties have been high, the Athenians are hostile towards us. We will fortify the south so that they will not be tempted to attack. Our Northern Forces will be aided by the Bohemians which have extended us their support. That is all."

The underling nods, and adds, "One more thing General. We have captured..." - He hesitated to say the name aloud, and then spoke "Martens..."

The old man's perfect teeth create a sickening grin. "Oh so you've got the traitor? Remind me to reward the one responsible for that. An Iron Cross is in order. Bring the Martens here. I will have a word with him."

-----------------

Earlier, in the last Viennese Bunker, Martens had shot some of the Austrian High command by himself. Why? They appparently had decided that with the battle always lost, it would be appropiate to surrender. He loaded up his rifle again, aimed towards the man of the hundred medals and spoke: "Soldiers do not surrender. Soldiers DIE!" - One blast, a second blast, problem finished. He was not going to have defeatism...and they all fought on, giving the government in the south time to get out of the way.

When all seemed lost, Martens gathered the units he had left and against all odds - against all war and military manuals - organized an attack to the southeast direction, where he deemed the enemy lines to be weaker. Using a great amount of vehicles, this feat actually managed to inflict significative damage to an enemy which did not expect such a frontal attack. Yet ultimately, all died.

The Battle for Vienna had been strategically won by Austria, but tactically won by Germany. It would go down as some sort of bizarre modern Thermopylae scenario, and the unusual tactics there would be studied by the military for years to come. But the time for battle was now over for these men. By the time that Martens' attack lost its steam, he found himself surrounded by a sea of enemy and allied corpses, and, hours later, when a crowd managed to capture him, he would end up chained up as if he were some type of wild animal and then placed into a cage - within an armored cargo train - heading north for Berlin. Still covered in blood, he would receive the visit of one of the Generals, a French Man.

"Herr Martens. It is a pleasure to meet you. I suppose that you should like to have me read you the news." A newspaper is opened before Martens, yet he is in the dark. His eyes are fixed upon this Frenchman, so as to remember his face well.

"Austria Falls. Haas scores a victory. As the sun rose today, the defence forces of Austria at Vienna were finally overwhelmed after complete losses. This brilliant victory enabled Berlin to shift more forces to the West of Austria and then to push on to Slovenia. Austrian units are retreating hopelessly towards Athens, others are fighting to the death, a few have begged for mercy and surrendered. The huge morale blow as well as the fact that this enabled Haas to cut Austria in two halves, signified the end of the Austrian War effort."

He puts the newspaper down on a table. "It is all over. Your pathetic rebellion is all over, Herr Martens. You have failed, and Austria is no more. Of course. This article greatly underestimates the losses that we needed to...absorb in order to achieve this." The French General frowns in disgust. "Your determination and your mountains. We had to go through a river of our own blood swimming to get there. But we have done it! Soon the little Chinese expedition will be no more. The game is over."

----------

And it was truly so. The article wasn't merely propaganda, but stated the truth. The amount of casualties suffered in the taking of Austria were overwhelming too, considering the small amount of territory and the small amount of time. Total war casualties, Irish front included, already seemed to have been a staggering one million men. But why would Haas care? There was plenty of manpower. They were all just his meatshields. They began to dig in and prepare, while reinforcements to replenish losses arrived, for what Haas himself feared - a Grecorroman Attack.

"Let them come" - He confidently said - "We will make them remember Count Herrman when they do."

The situation would be quite good, if it were not for the fact that a large scale uprising in the North and West of Anti-Haas Germanians was about to take place. Fighting soon in two fronts was complicated as is, having too an internal, third front would be the final nail on the man's coffin. But still: He would never surrender.

"My General. Martens has arrived."

[i]The First Half of the war was complete.[/i]

OOC: Yeah Sarah's too busy to continue

Edited by Kaiser Martens
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