Manetheren Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 [b]Swakopmund, Namibia[/b] Peter van Haesten stood, hands clasped behind his back, staring at the row of screens across the wall in what was called the CIC by the Tahoan military forces in Transvaal. Over the months since Tahoe had fallen, General van Haesten had assumed the mantle of leader of the Tahoan community, both civilian and military. The few cabinet officials that had escaped Cruachan before its fall deferred to his leadership. Indeed, it could be said that van Haesten had more power over Namibia than the civilian governor in Windhoek. Van Haesten's fifteen hundred soldiers were recently bolstered by another contingent of two thousand oversees volunteers from the Tahoan community in exile. All excellently trained and most hardened by the recent months without a state, hounded across the continents. The once proud nation, reduced to a few thousand. When it was announced that Staatspresident Botha had died, many of the Tahoans broke down and cried. He was viewed as the savior of their community, giving them shelter when no one else would. Van Haesten did not cry. A council of war was summoned. The future was discussed, debated and it was agreed that Transvaal could not fall. Transvaal [i]would not[/i] fall. It was agreed that the Tahoan troops would assist Transvaler Krygsmagte forces in Namibia to maintain stability and establish a base of operations from where Transvaal could be rescued and brought forth from the darkness. Messages were sent out to the Krygsmagte commanders across Namibia, the northern frontier of Angola and the Western Cape. BEGIN MESSAGE This is General Peter van Haesten/STOP/In absence of central command authority I am assuming command/STOP/Will continue fight against Transvaal's enemies/STOP/Respond with authentication and current composition/STOP/Transvaal ewig voorwarts! END MESSAGE ---------------------------------------------------------------- OPERATION VOORTREKER Deployments As of 06 FEB 2011 [i]12. Infantry Battalion[/i]: Deployed to Walvis Bay [i]23. Infantry Battalion[/i]: Deploying to Windhoek. Will take up to 24 hours to secure city [i]4. Mechanized Battalion[/i]: Deployed in northern Namibia in COIN role [i]1. Armored Battalion[/i]: Deployed in Northern Namibia in COIN support [i]21. Mechanized Battalion[/i]: Airlift to Cape Town (Will take up to 48 hours) [i]81. Mechanized Battalion[/i]: Internal Security-Northern Namibia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vedran Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 (edited) Over the course of several days, the portion of the ATDF ordered into Transvaal proper had spread out into major cities in southern Mozambique and Swaziland, providing what order they could and breaking up race riots. They were not equipped for riot control, so if a company came across a group of violent looters or rioters, they were authorized to apprehend them, or if faced with violent resistance, club them to submission with their Maulers before arresting them. These were only the worst cases however, and the soldiers tried their best to find and gain assistance from the cities' own police forces. In the meantime, the 2400 soldiers and 1200 MP's had arrived in Johannesburg and had set up somewhat of a military government. Despite the martial law enacted in all of Gauteng, they tried their best not to interfere with the normal order of things. Johannesburg's police force and civilian government were largely intact and tried to keep a semblance of normality. Survivors of the attack on Pretoria flooded into the refugee camps set up by White Cross volunteers, and the same volunteers made the rounds in residential areas, teaching the denizens thereof how to protect their homes against nuclear fallout. The volunteers also inspected larger Jo'burg homes for extra living space that could be temporarily afforded to healthy Pretoria survivors and shanty town dwellers, as the camps were filling quickly. Military cargo planes and chartered civilian planes full of displaced people made regular trips from Johannesburg to the large, already established and well-supplied refugee camps in southern Madagascar created for just this purpose. The leader of military efforts in Gauteng province was a Colonel Redeker. He and his staff set up an HQ in a series of offices in the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipal building, where they also had easy access to the civilian administrators and could better coordinate recovery efforts. Johannesburg was clearly the center of Arctican efforts in Transvaal. [IMG]http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/2839/southafricajohannesburg.jpg[/IMG] [i]The Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipal building[/i] --- One evening, a ragged group arrived at a refugee camp outside Johannesburg. One was unconscious and being carried by three others, and most of them were displaying the initial symptoms of radiation poisoning. There were eight of them in all, one an Arctican soldier, the unconscious one a woman wearing the clothes of a secretary or other clerk. The remainder were civilians. As they approached the entrance, they were stopped by an MP who had been conversing with a White Cross volunteer. They both stopped and looked the group over. The soldier walked up to the MP. "I'm Private Jenkins. These other people were from the embassy in Pretoria. We barely made it out. There were 30, 40 people on that chopper, and we're all that's left." He gestured to the unconscious woman. "She's dying. The rest of us are sick." The MP looked at them all in amazement. "They said no one at the embassy survived." As if remembering the urgency of the situation, he gestured to the WC volunteer, who called to someone in the camp. Five men came out, two of them holding a stretcher. The woman was put in an ambulance, which then hurried to a hospital in the city, where they were taking the cases that needed more than basic medical assistance. The rest of them were put in beds in one of the medical tents and given treatment. Half an hour after being admitted, the WC man in charge of the camp entered the tent. A nurse told him they were all sleeping now, except for the soldier, who had explicitly asked to see him before being told the administrator wanted to see him as well. So he stayed awake. The admin sat on a stool by the bed. "The doctor tells me you'll all be fine." "And Marie?" "Marie, is that the woman taken to the hospital? I'm afraid we don't have any news from there." "Yes, she worked the front desk at the embassy." "I see...well, you're the only ones so far coming out of Pretoria with any knowledge of what happened at the embassy. All we know is that the ambassador was killed, but nothing else. Could you bring us up to date?" "Yes...where to start...I'm from Second Squad, I'm probably the only embassy guard to make it out. The thing is, once we knew a nuclear attack was imminent, all the civilians taking refuge at the embassy began to be evacuated by the embassy helo. We were getting some rumors that Old Man Botha, God rest his soul, decided to stay behind in Government House. The Ambassador, as close as he was to their government, called us all up and asked for volunteers to pull him out of there, whether he wanted it or not. Now, by this time, the missile had been launched and we had minutes to escape. As 3rd and 4th squad, our reinforcements, went out with the SUV's to try and reach him before the bombs fell, the last flight out was being loaded up. There would be no time to come back another time, so this had to be the last one. The rest of the civvies, as well as the embassy staff and us guards were loaded in. The helo was too heavy and probably wouldn't have got very far. It was overloaded." "Is that why you didn't get out?" "No, let me finish. Ambassador Dietz didn't want to leave. I begged him to come with us, but he wouldn't budge...he gave me a look like he knew it had to be this way, so I shut the door and told the pilot to dust off. The bomb would hit anytime. Well, I looked out the window at Dietz until I couldn't see him anymore, and he just climbed up on the helipad and stood there." A few tears rolled down Jenkins' cheeks then. He closed his eyes and blinked them away, and didn't speak for a minute. The administrator gently prodded him. "What happened then?" "After...after a few minutes, when we were on the outskirts, we all saw the flash. None of us were looking right at it, but it was nearly blinding nevertheless. It's the worst thing I've ever seen...well, after maybe 10, 20 seconds it felt like an entire building just smashed into the helo with this horrible sound, with this pressure, like when there's a really loud bass, but this was a million times worse, I could feel my bones almost breaking. I don't know what happened after that, for a few seconds I could feel blood coming out my ears and nose, and then I just blacked out. When I woke up, it was nighttime. We'd crashed somewhere. The pilot was dead, most of the helo was smashed. Being buried in this mass of dead bodies, I thought I was the only one left alive. Every single part of my body ached. I can still feel it...well, after a minute or two I could hear other voices, other survivors. It felt like hours, but we managed to get out of the helo. Ash was falling everywhere, covering the ground. We laid there beside the hulk for I don't know how long, just crying and moaning. When we finally got back up, the ash was all over us. There were 12 of us. As you can see, only eight of us made it here." The White Cross administrator listened to the man's story, slightly shocked, frozen in place. It took him a full minute to speak again. "My God...you've clearly been through a lot. I'll...I'll let you sleep now." Jenkins nodded silently. Within minutes he was asleep. The administrator left to make his report to the Foreign Ministry. At the hospital, Marie was in critical condition, clearly the most wounded, with broken bones and a concussion. She nearly passed into a coma, but over the next few weeks, she would begin to recover, although for the foreseeable future she would need to go through physical therapy. All of the survivors from the embassy would recover, with proper treatment, and eventually return to their families. Private Jenkins was given a Soldier's Medal for valor and Sacrifice Trident for his wounds, along with a promotion to Corporal upon his recovery in reflection of his new desk job with the Indian Ocean Territory Defense Force. He was transferred to this position on the tropical island of Reunion as a sort of vacation after his emotional and physical ordeal in Pretoria. On his desk, along with pictures of his parents, he had the official portrait of Anton Dietz, taken when he assumed the position of Ambassador to Transvaal. In addition, all eight were given an amount of government money in accordance with a law that reimbursed victims of nuclear attacks. Edited February 7, 2011 by Vedran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vedran Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 (edited) "Ready...Aim...Fire!" As the muffled voice shouted, a crack of rifles was heard. "Fire!" Again. "Fire!" Once more. Few were there to hear it. A camera crew, suited up, recorded the rather eerie scene. In the ruins of Government House in Pretoria, seven men in NBC suits stood at attention as two engineers raised the Transvaler flag in the sturdiest spot they could find in the rubble to erect a flagpole. --- [i]This is Arctica News Service. At noon today, a group of Arctican troops, under orders by Colonel Redeker, military commander over Gauteng province, and accompanied by a news crew traversed the still hazardous remains of the once proud city of Pretoria, shielded from the lingering radiation by their suits. They proceeded to what is left of Government House and raised a flag there, performing a 21-gun salute as they did, in honor of the dead. Later in the day, a larger contingent of troops entered the city and investigated the extent of the damage. After a 4-hour expedition they reported that everything within a mile of the city center was completely destroyed, from parks to reinforced concrete structures. The epicenter resembles a plain covered with bits of concrete and twisted masses of steel rebar. [IMG]http://www.armageddononline.org/images/nuke4.jpg[/IMG] [b]A photo from the survey team, depicting the city center[/b] Three miles from the epicenter, concrete structures were only partially or mostly destroyed, but less structurally sound buildings shared the fate of those in the city center. The Sovereign, upon seeing the pictures, was quoted as saying "This is a truly horrendous scale of damage. Hopefully the people of the world will see the destruction of this great city as an omen that continued use of nuclear weapons so liberally will lead to the end of humanity. The city will have to be completely rebuilt from the ground up. The only solace to be had here was that those who died, died quickly. A real tragedy." [IMG]http://homepage.eircom.net/~finnegam/war/images/atomic_blast_in_hiroshima_b.jpg[/IMG] [b]The scene three miles from the epicenter[/b] It is the official position of the military government in Johannesburg that there we no survivors to be found within seven miles of the city center, and that those arriving at refugee camps comprise the majority of survivors. Still, search parties will continue to scour for survivors outside of the seven mile radius, nicknamed the forsaken zone by some. Twice-weekly survey parties for inside the seven mile radius have been planned for the next month to fully assess damage.[/i] OOC: And this is assuming it was a relatively tiny 1 megaton bomb. Sleep tight. Edited February 7, 2011 by Vedran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manetheren Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 [b]Cape Town[/b] Colonel Sean Hogan had spent the last twelve hours supervising the evacuation of Cape Town. His orders from Swakopmund were to secure the city and supervise its evacuation. Intelligence reports had indicated the city was under imminent threat of nuclear attack. His APCs rolled through the city streets broadcasting the evacuation orders in Afrikaans and English. Needless to say, the civil authorities had been quite shocked when the Tahoans had arrived. Foreigners, speaking in English had informed the mayor and chief of police that the city was now under martial law and must be evacuated. Police who disagreed with the new fact were quickly disarmed and told to go home and make preparations to leave. Altogether though, Colonel Hogan thought to himself, the Transvalers seemed rather happy to have someone tell them what to do. The helicopter made a low circle over Table Mountain before landing on Signal Hill. A military officer from Transvaal, one Lieutenant Mark Copely ran up to greet the colonel as he exited the helicopter, which began to wind its motor down. Saluting, the lieutenant informed Colonel Hogan, "Sir, the radar installation is up and running as per your orders." "Good work. Batteries A and C are online and will begin transmitting data soon. B Battery had technical difficulties getting to the top of Table Mountain. A helicopter malfunction but I expect it will be up and running within the next three hours." The passively electronic scanning array radar that Lieutenant Copely was overseeing the installation of was only part of the air defense system that had been flown in earlier that morning. General van Haesten was loathe to let the city come under nuclear missile attack and even though the air defense system was not foolproof against ballistic missiles, it at least gave the city a chance. It did however ring the city with a network of air defense which was vital, as General van Haesten intended to use Cape Town as the launching point for what he deemed the "liberation" of the rest of Transvaal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Windhoek[/b] Willem Smit gripped his G-3 rifle and peered over the top of an impromptu barricade blocking the entrance to his street. A crackle of gunfire, interspersed with explosions, sounded in the distance. The gunfire had begun in the morning, when Tahoan troops had begun security the city. Governor Thomasson had refused to allow the Tahoans into the city and ordered the police to use force to keep them out. Riots that had engulfed the city turned even more violent, and so Willem Smit found himself with a rifle in his hand. The men on his block had decided that the rioting had gotten out of control and looters, which had started to show up with guns and shoot anyone that got in their way, had to be dealt with. A large band of looters had been spotted ransacking stores down the street. His friends had fought the looters off, stories of rape and murder made the men fearful for their wives and children and so they fought even though they were outnumbered and out gunned. It looked as if the looters were going to make another try. A huge crowd waving machetes and firing bursts from their AK-47s surged down the street. Willem called out and weary men clammered to the top of the barricade and took aim. Only a half a block and they would be in range..... [i]BAHOOM! BAHOOM! BAHOOM![/i] Explosions tore through the crowd. Willem had been so engrossed by the approaching crowd he had not even noticed the roar of a diesel engine and that an infantry fighting vehicle had pulled up behind the barricade. Ears ringing from the 20mm cannon fire, Willem turned around and nearly went deaf as a burst of machine gun fire roared over his head. Willem stared in amazement at the armored vehicle. It wasn't Krygsmagte, that was for sure. The harp emblem painted on the side of the turret...what was that...aha! Tahoans! Men were scrambling on top of the IFV shaking hands and patting the crewman manning the machine gun on the back. In broken Afrikaans the soldier shouted, "We are Tahoan! Your support in pacifying the city is required. Transvaal stands!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vedran Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 [i]N4 road, 6 miles west of Johannesburg.[/i] An MP beside the road was directing traffic. But since the N4 was just a long stretch, he was effectively watching for any problems with the passing vehicles that clogged both lanes of the road. Civilian cars, industrial trucks, humvees. All were packed to the brim with refugees from Johannesburg. Due to the risk of additional nuclear attacks, Gauteng province was being fully evacuated. Being the most populated province in Transvaal and most of Africa, this was not an easy task. The military government was relocating its headquarters to the more remote city of Gaborone, on the southern edge of Botswana. Colonel Redeker had appropriated everything that moved for the purposes of total evacuation. Civilian planes, military cargo planes, all manner of trucks, bicycles, personal vehicles, sports cars from the elite, everything. Johannesburg and many cities were likely to be the victim of further attacks. Every major city was a target, and had to be evacuated. It would be a slow process, and the AWC camps were moving with them. Maputo was also being evacuated, its people being moved en masse into northern Mozambique in much the same way Johannesburg was. Most people wanted to just get out, the military didn't need to control them, and mainly acted as a rear guard to take last-minute looters into custody and get them out. In anticipation of the coming attacks, The Arctican White Cross and the Foreign Ministry pleaded with the larger world to aid in saving the people of Transvaal. The Union was not prepared, and had not the manpower nor the resources to proceed with such an undertaking. They could only evacuate the major population centers and hope that others would follow. Through the contacts Vedran had developed with the Transvaler provincial governors, he would urge every territorial governor to evacuate to the countryside and to smaller cities the populations of the major population centers such as Cape Town. Furthermore the Arctican government admitted that it did not have the resources to deal with the existing nuclear crisis in Bloemfontein and called for international assistance. "This is a major humanitarian and existential crisis for the people of Transvaal. It is a disaster on a national scale and requires immediate, decisive efforts to be made which we cannot do alone." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavo Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 It was merely days since Mohammed Hazzan returned from Transvaal. After much debate and frustration, the two powers were able to iron out some sort of agreement, indeed, the old politician had a stroke of hope in him, that perhaps Transvaal was changing, and that slowly, but surely, true equality could arise. But yet, Transvaal, as a political entity, was doomed to die, and now it laid. Many sighed over the loss of life... And yet... Life would move on, for better or worse. OOC: It's a shame we couldn't ever get a long RP done together, you will be missed Botha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botha Posted February 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 [color="#000080"]Unlike the last invasion of Southern Africa (during the Karma War), when collapse of the military command was sudden and fairly complete in a short time, despite the fall of the Pretoria regime, the remnants of the Transvaler military continued to maintain dogged resistance in the face of its unseen adversity and the nuclear armageddon which rained down from above. Eventually a point would be reached soon that ammunition and supplies would run out and there would be no more fuel for aircraft missions – but until that point reached, the desperate fight would continue against all odds. Many of the troops in the field had no idea who they were fighting – some thought that this was part of the larger conflict which had engulfed their Nordreich kamarade - or what they were fighting for now that word had spread that the Republic had dissolved itself out of existence. In a sense, Transvaal had come full circle as its military reverted back to its commando roots from the Anglo-Boer Wars. What was surprising that none of the fronts had collapsed yet – in fact, the Lugmag and Seemag actually established dominance in the skies and on the waves around The Cape. The army was taking a battering but held its ground against superior numbers. This was the situation which faced Field Marshal Paul Cruywagen. Except for brief periods of retirement or assignment, he had been the generalissimo of the Republic’s military might since independence in the last days of 2006. And as he looked out on this late summer morning watching the dawn rise across the veld, he knew he was fighting his last battles and the cover was closing on the book of his military career. There was no doubt about that. A few days after the destruction of Pretoria, Cruywagen managed to set-up a meeting with service branch commanders under him. Each one of them, Cruywagen himself as army commander, Dietrichs Gerhard of the air force, Admiral Kruger, and Leonard Wise of the rocket corps and keeper of Transvaal’s atomic arsenal, knew that the situation would reach a point where resistance would falter and the Krygsmagte would grind to a halt forever. With this in mind, the field marshal’s contingency plan would be that the commanders would fight as long as they could maintain defence – but when the ammunition ran out or the jets could not take off, he would release them and their men from their soldier’s vow to protect the non-existent Republic and they would be on their own to find their direction in the new order descending over Southern Africa. Cruywagen knew where the loyalties of his fellow commanders sat but he could not guarantee nor enforce the loyalties of the junior officers or front line soldiers. With the appearance of Tahoman and Arctican influence in the power vacuum, in the coming days some troops would no doubt begin shifting their allegiance towards Windhoek or Oceana. Not out of disloyalty to a state that no longer existed – but rather out of their instincts of sheer human survival. OOC: after the IG shooting stops, I will figure out where my remaining military forces end up (under Tahoman or Arctica control) as well as the fate of the military commanders.[/color] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vedran Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 Governor Thomasson knew that his position was untenable and he could no longer remain in the city. He had received reports of Tahoan IFV's entering the city and firing into crowds of rioters. With effectively no power base and the knowledge that they would be coming for the governor's mansion next, he decided to leave. He dialed the number he had been given, instead of calling the Central Government Building in Oceana and going through the switchboard, this would get him the ear of the Sovereign quicker. Finally someone picked up. "This is the Sovereign. How can I help you, Governor?" The second Thomasson began speaking, Vedran knew something was wrong. "I'm going to have to leave the city. It appears the Tahoans are taking advantage of the chaos. They're coming into the city. Cutting down the rioters without prejudice. The police force will probably decide to go back to their families rather than facing the Tahoans, and I'm afraid they're coming for me next." "This is indeed troubling, Governor. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do, as our forces are too far to help you." "In a few hours I'll be trapped in the city. I'll have to leave soon..." "Can you drive, Thomasson? It's 300km to Botswana from where you are. No doubt you'll have to outrun them, but if you can make it to Gaborone, we'll be able to help you. Actually, just get to a town in Botswana with an airfield and my men can extract you." "Yes, yes, I've got a Land Rover I can use. I can try, but I'm afraid it's all desert from Gobabis to Gaborone, with only little villages in between." "Hold on..." An aide handed Vedran a note. "Good news. There's an airfield in...Hukuntsi. When you get to the border with Botswana, go straight until the road branches to the south, then keep going until you get to Hukuntsi. We'll have a plane waiting for you." "Thank you, Your Excellency. It'll be a long drive, but at least there's some hope." "Good luck, Governor." Vedran hung up the phone. Thomasson took his hat from the stand, as well as R50,000 he had been saving up and placed in a safe in his office for emergencies like this. He grabbed the keys to the Land Rover and hurried downstairs, praying fervently that the Tahoans hadn't blocked the B6 east out of the city. OOC: Google Earth is such a lifesaver sometimes. Ic: During the daily slot allotted to coverage of the Transvaal crisis on Arctica News Service, a stern-looking Sovereign Vedran sat behind his desk. "Greetings to both domestic and foreign viewers," he began. "There has been a new setback in the Transvaal crisis. This office has been told by certain elements in Namibia that there is a hostile force currently occupying Windhoek. They appear to hold Tahoan allegiances. It has been reported that infantry fighting vehicles have entered the city and begun firing into crowds of rioters. Casualties are unknown at this time, but Governor Edmund Thomasson has ordered the Windhoek police force to resist the attackers for as long as possible. Still they continue to attack. It can, therefore, be concluded that these forces and indeed hostile and detrimental to the stability of Transvaal. Unfortunately due to the nuclear crisis, we have been unable to give assistance to the people of Windhoek, and for that I am regretful. However, I will say in no uncertain terms that if this force continues to take advantage of the situation for their own benefit, it will be considered hostile to Transvaal's stability and an enemy of the Union. For now, we seek a peaceful dialogue with this faction before things get out of hand. To the attackers in Windhoek, contact the Foreign Ministry before you are considered a threat to the peace and measures are taken." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manetheren Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 (edited) [b]Windhoek, Namibia[/b] The convoy roared down Independence Avenue, the central street of Windhoek, coming straight from the airport. Burned cars and and shattered windows made the city look like a war zone, which as of yesterday it was. Civilians picked their way through the wreckage of the past week's riots while heavily armed foot patrols roamed the streets. There was still some occasional fighting, though for the most part the city had been pacified. Clean up crews were already working with citizens to clear away rubble and some semblance of normalcy was returning. Peter van Haesten stood in the turret of an LAV-96 IFV. Next to him the crew commander leaned against a .50 caliber machine gun. Adjusting his helmet strap, the general looked up in the summer sunlight to see two aircraft streaking high overhead. The Tahoans had 44 fighter aircraft and a few dozen transport planes (some former civilian airliners) at their disposal. Van Haesten was determined to put them to good use. The convoy turned down a side street and came to a halt in front of the Central Police Headquarters. Armed guards stood outside the entrance and a tank was parked blocking the street. Major Tom Haggerty, a short stocky man greeted van Haesten as he stepped out of the vehicle. "Police headquarters and all precinct stations are secured, sir." "Any trouble from the police?" Van Haesten asked as they walked out of the sunlight into the building. Major Haggerty shook his head, "A little sir. Seems that they had orders to resist from the governor. Shame we couldn't catch him....Anyway, most surrendered as soon as armored vehicles showed up but a few patrols reported minor shootouts. Police learned not to shoot at soldiers real quick anyway." "Good. How are they acting? Take me to the commander." Van Haesten tossed his helmet and rifle to an aide and pulled his beret out of his back pocket. The black piece of cloth still had the insignia of the Tahoan Army on the front. That would have to be changed. Tahoe was dead, its army with it. Peter van Haesten and his soldiers were fighting for Transvaal now, he had to remember that. Major Haggerty looked sideways at his commander before responding, "Well sir, a large portion of the police were happy to see us. Most seemed to know who you were. Its the same ways with the population. After we put the riots down, most of the population greeted us with cheers, or at least didn't seem too upset." The two men came to a stop in front of a door. Two MPs stood on one side while two police officers, still with side arms van Haesten noted, stood on the other. All four saluted. That raised an eyebrow. One of the MPs opened the door and General van Haesten strode through. Inside were two more guards and the chief of police for Windhoek. He stood up in surprise when van Haesten entered, glaring at his captors. "Do you honestly think you will get away with thi-" Van Haesten cut him off, "Where is Governor Thomasson? Sit down." The police chief sat down with a grimace, "Governor Thomasson fled more than eight hours ago. He is long gone by now and I do expect you will have either Field Marshal Cruywagen or the Arctican Air Force knocking very soon. You think you can come into my city and shoot civilians and get away with it, foreigners. Go back to your own country and let us handle our own problems!" Van Haesten sighed. "This is my country now. Tahoe is dead, it will never come back. My men and I fight for Transvaal and Transvaal only. It is our home. And while you sat in your nicely protected police headquarters, were you aware that mobs were rioting in the streets. Raping, looting and burning homes and businesses. My men had to put the riots down while your police officers cowered. As for my authority, I was appointed Governor of the former Province of Tahoe-Transvaal by Staatspresident Botha himself. I am now declaring martial law in the province of Namibia. My first act is to remove you from your post. Have a good day." He turned on his heels and marched out of the room, Major Haggerty at his side. "Major, I want you to find the most senior police officer that supports us and appoint him police commandant of the city. Disarm and send all police officers who will not swear loyalty home and have them watched." "Yes sir. May I say sir, that most of the police, like most of the population...well white population that is, seem eager to join us. In fact, Colonel Haakonson already organized many of the neighborhood defense associations formed during the riots into an impromptu militia. They will fight for you." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Willem Smit stood at attention. A long row of men on either side stood as straight as they could on either side of him. A tall, muscular black man wearing the khaki uniform of the Ooersese Korps and a tall, thin white man wearing Tahoan style camouflage peered at the men standing at attention. The Tahoan soldier, a sergeant, nodded with approval and said in a low voice, "Well, this is quite the turn out. What did you say the final count was. 731 volunteers?" The black Transvaler replied in his deep voice, "Yes sergeant, and this was only one day of recruiting. Windhoek will provide General van Haesten an army. This bunch can't be relied on to fight hardened soldiers, but at least a militia to keep the peace in areas under our control. Yes, a few weeks of training should do just fine for that." The Tahoan nodded. Yes. An army indeed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Windhoek Television Studios[/b] General Peter Van Haesten sat at a desk facing the cameras. Flanking him on either side were the flags of Transvaal. A technician held up five fingers, counting down. [i]Three....two....one[/i]. The red light turned green. In flawless Afrikaans, Peter van Haesten began. [i]"My fellow Transvalers. Today I stand before you a Transvaler. Though I was not born here, this is now my home. Transvaal is my nation. Though our beloved Staatspresident Botha is dead, Transvaal need not die with him. There are those in the government that would like to see Transvaal dissolved and all its lands and people turned over to the Arctican Union. Though they are not bad men for seeking stability in times as dark as these, they make the fatal mistake of not believing in the people." "I do believe. I believe that Transvaal will stand strong and united once more. We need not sell ourselves to foreign powers for protection but must look within for stability. As of today I am declaring the existence of the National Front of Transvaal. We will fight for our liberty. We will fight for Transvaal. To all military leaders in the field, I call upon you to join the Nationalist Army. To all politicians, I call upon you to join us. To all the people, afraid of how food for your next meal will be delivered, afraid for your children, for your parents, I call upon you to join us. The Nationalist Army of Transvaal is your army, it is your friend, it is your protector, it is the last refuge. Transvaal will never be destroyed until the people give up. I have not given up. My soldiers have not given up. Transvaal has not given up. Transvaal will not give up."[/i] Edited February 9, 2011 by Emperor Mudd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vedran Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 Upon hearing of Thomasson's problem, the commander of the Arctica-Transvaal Defense Force - it was still called that - ordered for a C-130 to be dispatched to the airfield in Hukuntsi. After several refueling stops, it arrived at the airfield within a few hours. Along with a medic, it carried water, food supplies, and medical supplies in case the Governor's long drive had any deleterious effects. Since leaving Windhoek, Thomasson had nearly 600 miles to travel before he would get to the airfield, all of it desert. Bored, he switched on the radio, only to find news about the crisis. He listened to this, but when he had heard enough, he turned it off, since the only music frequency he was getting was some awful folk music. He stopped at the small post maintained at the border of Namibia and Botswana, and bought some petrol and water. Fortunately for him, Rand was still good here. Being in the middle of the desert, these people weren't too affected by the disaster, and for now would still take Transvaler money. For a moment Edmund envied them, but proceeded on his way. After quite a long while, and over 12 total hours of driving, he reached the town of Hukuntsi, and, unfamiliar with the area, wondered where the airfield was. It turned out it was some ways northwest of the town. He could see the plane waiting for him as he drove into the area. Deciding he wouldn't need his Land Rover anymore, he left it to the elderly manager of the 'airport' as the townspeople called it. The medic greeted him and looked him over. Upon being assured that Thomasson was in good condition, they entered the rear of the aircraft, and within minutes were on their way to Gaborone. Upon arriving there, Mr. Thomasson would be taken to the temporary office of Colonel Redeker in Gaborone's city hall. Redeker congratulated him on getting there safely, and mentioned that they would be leaving in a few days; since Gaborone couldn't possibly house or support the entire surviving population of Pretoria plus Johannesburg, they were evaluating the maximum number of refugees that the city could support. Then, they would leave behind a small contingent of soldiers to oversee resettlement as the remainder of the forces moved on, heading towards Lusaka, Bulawayo, and Harare to do the same. He was also eager to debrief the Governor (for political purposes Arctica still considered him the legitimate governor) on the events in Windhoek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manetheren Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 [b]Lubango[/b] Colonel Viljoens, commander of Krygsmagte troops in southern Angola stood in his office in the Krygsmagte base in Lubango. Along with fellow Transvaler Colonel Martiens and the Tahoan colonel Joe McKelvey, he had commanded the occupation of southern Angola under the command of General van Haesten since the Karma War. Over the past few months, Colonel Viljoens had grown to know and like Van Haesten and when news of Tahoe's collapse had reached the soldiers stationed in Africa he shared their devastation and heartbreak. He could not imagine losing his nation. Ironic, now, since fears of Transvaal's collapse had been all consuming ever since the attacks started. Viljoens took great comfort in the whirlwind of energy that Van Haesten had projected and his determination to "save" Transvaal. A lieutenant opened Viljoens office door and saluted. "Sir, the daily report from Swakopmund. General van Haesten has moved his headquarters to Windhoek." Viljoens nodded in approval. The young Tahoan officers Afrikaans was getting better. All of the Tahoan soldiers were learning Afrikaans, by General Van Haesten's orders. Viljoens responded, "Thank you Eamon. My compliments to Sergeant Groenwald." Viljoens opened the packet and tossed aside most of the papers, they could be looked over later. One item did catch his notice. A map. Viljoens chucked, Van Haesten loved his maps. This map seemed to show the Independent Province of Tahoe-Transvaal. No, wait, Windhoek and...Cape Town? What was going on? He checked the legend. [IMG]http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/3415/transvaalwarprogress.png[/IMG] [i]Districts under exclusive military control of the Nationalist Army. Not all districts marked are completely secure.[/i] Viljoens picked up his orders packet and began to read. It seemed Van Haesten had declared martial law and was beginning an occupation of as much of Transvaal as he could manage. His orders told Viljoens to maintain his position and to send two battalions worth of soldiers south to the Namibia-Botswana border and to report the exact manpower Viljoens had under his command. Picking up a pen, he quickly wrote his response. [i]Will send 2,000 soldiers. Half Tahoan, half Krygsmagte under command of Lieutenant Colonel Duffy. May take up to 24 hours to find transport and organize their departure. They will be on the road to Windhoek by Friday - Viljoens Krygmagte: Two colonels, including myself. 4 lieutenant colonels assigned to our force of 4000. We also have 18 majors and captains, 53 lieutenants and ensign officers, 528 non-commissioned officers of various ranks between an assortment of warrant officers, sergeants, and corporals, and finally 3395 men of private ranks. Tahoan: Roughly 5,200 of which 4,000 are combat troops and the rest are support and pilots. I don't have the specific figures on my desk at this time. Militia: 240 militiamen. Well trained but only moderate discipline. [/i] Viljoens handed the message to an aide and stepped back inside his office, sitting at his desk he shook his head. Transvaal was spiraling out of control and he was stuck in the backwater of Angola. Back to duty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vedran Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 An idea was bouncing around the higher circles of the Arctican government, with Foreign as well as Finance Ministry representatives meeting under direction by the Sovereign and their respective Ministers. The idea was that of maintaining the economic integrity of Transvaal - by pegging the Rand to the Arctican Dollar at 1:1. The issue was that this needed to be backed up somehow, and a Finance rep mentioned that Arctica Motor Works had recently completed a $12 billion contract with Nunavut for the sale of 45 B-1 bombers, and since AMW was a government enterprise, much of that money had gone into the treasury. Twelve billions was no small amount, and the rep boldly suggested that this money be used to back up at least a portion of Transvaal's money. One of the Foreign reps stated that nothing like that had ever been done before, and especially not in a country under heavy nuclear attack, with its national government destroyed. Perhaps they could dip into the treasury to bail out floundering Transvaler businesses? But there was no consensus on the issue. The one side argued that this would utterly destroy the legitimacy of the Rand as a currency and create the image of an Arctican conquest by flooding the country with dollars. The counterargument was that the Rand was dying anyway, and the people's savings and investments must stay intact. Ultimately there were two sides: the Foreign Ministry's opinion that the Rand should be replaced by the dollar in the time of crisis, and the Finance Ministry's opinion that the Rand should be supported by the treasury's money. The only thing they could agree on was that nothing could be done until the people were safe in cities not vulnerable to attack, and the issue of the Nationalists was sorted out. In response to Nationalist threats, much of the rest of the Arctica-Transvaal Defense Force left Mozambique and Malawi, leaving behind only 2,000 soldiers to maintain peace in the cities and keep an eye on the communists. 10,000 soldiers, already deployed to Maputo and Swaziland, had finished evacuating much of Maputo to cities and towns in the North. The civilian government established there would handle the issue of housing them. Meanwhile, the other 8,000 ATDF troops traveled south, establishing themselves in Swaziland, basing their moderate air transport fleet there. What trucks, jeeps, humvees, and APC's they had would be used to carry them west along the coast to Nationalist territory in case a major conflict broke out. Along with the 18,000 troops were 150 of 200 tanks attached to the ATDF. They were on the other side of the country from Nationalist land, but with regular flights, they would be able to redeploy, albeit slowly. Thus, this became the bulk of the Arctican forces in theater, along with the 2,000 infantry and 1200 MP's guarding and guiding the people of Johannesburg and Pretoria on their exodus. Arctican leaders weren't keen on shipping large numbers of soldiers to the mainland, as that would indicate a war. They considered the nationalists internal opportunists and did not want to give them the sort of international recognition they probably wanted by recognizing them as a legitimate power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manetheren Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 [b]Vioolsdrif[/b] The men of the 524th Light Infantry had been on the road for 18 hours, driving north from Cape Town towards the Namibian border along the N7 highway. The first few hours of their journey had been slow, passing the refugees heading out of the city towards the outlying towns. Along the way, most of the units turned east, heading to the border between the Cape Province and the Orange Free State. The 524th though headed north, always north. The 700 kilometer journey was a rush of different sights and terrains, the snake of armored vehicles and trucks growing shorter all the while. Of the nearly two thousand men who began the drive north, most had turned off to establish garrisons at Calvinia, Loerisfontein and Springbok. The rest of the brigade, nearly four thousand men in total remained in the immediate vicinity of Cape Town. The view of the dry arid cliffs along the Orange River valley gave the men riding on the APCs and IFVs spectacular views. Over the radio of the lead vehicle a helicopter scouting ahead gave word of "friendlies ahead" causing a great cheer to go up down the convoy. Driving over the last rise, the blue ribbon of the Orange River lay below. In the small town of Vioolsdrif, the advance units of the 4. Armored Battalion had been in place for a few hours. As the 150 or so men of C Company, 524th Light Infantry met with the 30 of A Company, 4 Armored Battalion, the link had been completed. A solid chain of territory from Lubango to Cape Town had been established. --------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Windhoek[/b] A staff sergeant knocked twice on General van Haesten's office door, not waiting for a reply before opening the door and walking in. "Sir, Major Donnelly reports that formations moving south from Windhoek and north from Cape Town have linked up. Garrisons have been placed along the route. Furthermore, Colonel Lewis-MacDonald reports that his forces have begun scouting Port Elizabeth by air." "Thank you Brian." The aide handed van Haesten a file of communiques. After reading over them, van Haesten walked to a large map pinned to the wall. Adding pins for unit locations, he stepped back to inspect current progress. [IMG]http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/4497/transvaalwarprogress2.png[/IMG] [i]Orange: Areas with nominal Nationalist military presence or behind Nationalist lines. Under complete National Front control Light Orange: Areas with Nationalist military presence but not under complete control. Blue: Areas with nominal Arctican military presence or behind Arctican lines. Under complete Arctican control. Light Blue: Areas under Arctican control with minimal military presence[/i] Van Haesten nodded. Good, with National Front control stretching down the Atlantic coast lines of communication and supply were secure. The general grabbed a pen and paper and quickly wrote orders commanding most units to hold their positions in their current location unless specifically ordered otherwise. Then, he began moving pins on the map to the Western Cape and South-Eastern Namibia. Those were the priorities and would allow the Nationalist forces to explode eastward towards Johannesburg and Pretoria or to maneuver into different defensive positions. A few days rest would allow National Front forces to consolidate their hold on newly captured regions of southern Namibia and the Northern Cape. More importantly, it wouldn't over-extend his men. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botha Posted February 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 (edited) [color="#000080"]Then as quickly as the tempest of armageddon struck Southern Africa, the storm of violence stopped. An eerie quiet descended over the vast expanse of the veld, over the cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town which escaped the destruction – as well as over the smoldering rubble once called Pretoria. The cessation of destruction could not have come with a moment more to spare, as the Krygsmagte ground to an uncontrolled but unpreventable halt. No more ammunition. No more fuel for the tanks. No more food for the troops. No more will to fight. Field Marshal Paul Cruywagen called his general staff officers together for the last time. “Gentlemen, we have done all we can do. Our people’s fate is now in the hands of others. I now release you from your military vows which each of you swore to our nation and our leaders. Go. Go and follow the direction which calls your heart. Godspeed and God bless.” For the first time that anyone could remember, the craggy marshal with the gravely, deep voice broke a tear as he saluted his subordinates one last time.” Cruywagen’s Krygsmagte was no more – but it would take a few days before platoons and companies of soldiers decided amongst themselves where they would cast their lot. And in time, Cruywagen would make his way to Arctican frontline troops and surrender himself to them. The naval and air service commanders would soon receive identical orders from Cruywagen radioed to them. However with the fate of the nation a forgone conclusion a few days ago and seeing no need to waste further scarce supplies and fuel, the remnants of the navy and airforce had already given up the fight and began to set in motion their contingency plans to evacuate themselves in the direction of Arctica. Only a quarter of the once-proud Lugmag remained; under the leadership of Flight Commander-General Dietrichs Gerhard, the 23 Raptor-fighters made their way to the pre-arranged rendez-vous location in Arctica to formally hand themselves and their equipment over to proper authorities there. The Seemag had escaped from the high level of casualties and destruction seen in the other services – mostly due to the Seemag ruling the waves around Southern Africa during the conflict. When Admiral Rudolf Kruger brought his fleet together outside Maputo for the final time, he counted 18 ships still operational. Most of the losses had been from tactical nuclear weaponry launched at the smaller classes of warships. - Aircraft carriers (Clemenceau class): SAS-25 Kaiser Martens; SAS-26 Jake Felan; SAS-27 Striderwannabe; SAS-28 Nemhauser - Submarines (Type 209/1400 class): SAS-15 Riaan van der Byl; SAS-16 Annetjie van Matteus; SAS-22 Hendrik Strijdom; SAS-29 Petrus Malan - Destroyers (Iroquois class): SAS-06 Shaka; SAS-07 Cetshwayo; SAS-20 Dinuzulu - Frigates (Valour class): SAS-02 Bloedrivier - Battleships (Iowa class): SAS-10 Staatspresident Botha; SAS-11 Marshal Cruywagen; SAS-18 Jakob Hertzog; SAS-32 Marthinus Hofmeyr - Landing ships: SAS-31 Junio Borghese - Corvettes (Braunschweig class): SAS-13 Salisbury In the course of the next couple of days, the last Seemag task force under Kruger’s command would assemble and sail towards Arctican ports for interment. The remaining military department to still be accounted for was both the smallest in terms of personal but also the most deadly in terms of weaponry… The Raketkorps had but a handful of officers and men in its uniform – but what they still had in their possession were Transvaal’s remaining 3 nuclear devices. Considered small by most modern military means, the 13-18 kiloton devices could still manage to destroy a fair-sized urban area if targeted accurately. The only problem was no one had the proper arming codes. Unlike the three other branches, which either dissolved quietly or fled en masse to Arctica, the Raketkorp officers had decided to mutiny when their commanding officer, General Leonard Wise, had tried to transfer the bombs over to waiting transport planes which would then take them to Arctica. The Afrikaner officers under his command did not share Wise’s loyalties and had other plans – namely, to deliver the bombs to Van Haesten’s forces, with whom these protégés of Petrus Malan shared politics more in common. Unfortunately, those plans quickly went awry when they put Wise up against a wall – and then realized after he was dead and laying in a pool of his own blood, that the last remaining person apart from the former prime minister Hofmeyr who for sure knew the codes had now been extinguished. Then it dawned on some of the officers that there was still one person possibly alive who might still know the arming access codes for the bombs – but her whereabouts were last known to be a few thousand kilometers away in the South Atlantic, shivering away under semi-arrest on Bouvet Island. If she was still alive, then maybe she could be convinced – or forced – to divulge the proper codes… assuming of course they had not been altered when she was removed from office… “We will move and hide the bombs in some caves near here until we can get them safely to Van Haesten and find the means somehow to get some of our men to Bouvet Island to retrieve Ms. van Matteus and bring her back here…” - - - For the first time in just over three years, South Africa was no longer united under the nominal rule of Pretoria and the paternal shadow of Botha – as the local civic authorities of Cape Town voted to reject Hofmeyr’s appeal to unite under Arctican overlordship. “We will not live under a foreign monarch!” was the collective cry from the masses as the Mayor of Cape Town proclaimed the secession of the Western Cape and its pledge of allegiance to the new order rising in Namibia under General Peter Van Haesten. “Van Haesten may also have been born a foreigner not of these lands – but he has shed his blood for the good of this land and the good of our people. By that act, he has become one of us. And now we place our trust with him…” [IMG]http://i51.tinypic.com/2qvs3dz.jpg[/IMG] [i][b]The United South Africa… January 8, 2008 – February 10, 2011 RIP[/b][/i][/color] Edited February 11, 2011 by Botha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vedran Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 Marshal Cruywagen's approach into Gaborone would be detected by a group of (quite surprised) guards manning a checkpoint at one of the main roadways entering the city. They stopped his vehicle, as they did with all traffic, and the Lieutenant in charge of the checkpoint walked up to the vehicle, and upon seeing Cruywagen, saluted. "Welcome to Gaborone, sir! Please proceed to the city hall. Colonel Redeker will want to meet with you." He stepped back and waved him past, then went back into one of the 12 tanks spread out across the entryways into the city, to deal with extreme threats and to serve as mobile command posts for the checkpoint commanders. He got on the radio to HQ, which was, as in Johannesburg, a few offices in the municipal administrative building. When Cruywagen finally arrived at the city hall, he would be met in the lobby by James Redeker and some of his staff. Redeker had been an officer in the Krygsmagte during the Arctican Civil War, and had decided to immigrate to Arctica sometime thereafter. He had climbed the ranks to Colonel, and this was his most major command. He saluted Cruywagen. Any Arctican soldier would have, regardless of whether he had any real power in his military or whether his rank was still valid. They were saluting the man. "It is an honor to have you here, Marshal. I was happy to hear that you had survived the initial attacks. Please, come to my office, and we can discuss the problems of your country - my homeland. Governor Thomasson is here as well." --- The remaining Raptors of the Transvaler air force were guided to the airbase in Antananarivo, where they were repaired and refueled, and their pilots debriefed on the part of the war they had experienced, before being integrated into the base's fighter arm, spread evenly through the wings so that they could not all possibly be casualties in a single, hypothetical future engagement as had happened several times in history, mainly to brothers. --- The various vessels of the Seemag were spread out across several ports so as not to overload any one port's capacity. About a quarter were moored at the port facilities and 2nd fleet naval base of Tamatave. The remainder were docked at the several Home Fleet bases in and around Oceana Bay (Antongil Bay), and those with significant damage were placed in available drydocks near Oceana itself. The ships were serviced and their crews given shore leave, while the captains reported to base command regarding their crew, their ships, and other pertinent things. Admiral Kruger was invited to Vecanti Island and the Central Government Building to meet with the Sovereign to discuss the matter of Transvaal's future, especially the issue of the Nationalist army gathering in Namibia and the Cape. Since Kruger was the only major officer from Transvaal who sided with Arctica and was actually in Arctica, he would have to do. --- Arctica had not discounted the Rocket Corps, and while they knew that this branch of the military held Transvaal's strategic weapons, they did not know what to do to protect themselves from a rogue attack, the same kind that destroyed Transvaal. And so the Sovereign made a public appearance. "Citizens and members of the press, welcome. I have an update regarding the situation in Transvaal. The conflict with the terrorists has ended. However, Transvaal is still not stabilized. There is chaos in the areas that were affected by nuclear weapons, and there is a force in the west of the country commanded by a Tahoan, Van Haesten. To what ends this force works, we do not know. They say they are to restore Transvaal. They say that we do not believe in the people. They wish to paint us as alien to Transvaal, alien to its people and customs. Here, at home, we have different policies. Our peoples do not agree on the same ways to do the same things. But we have existed in harmony for four years, two of the longest standing nations on the face of the world because of our cooperation, assisting each other in times of need. Our two governments have constantly been in close contact, whether with the embassy or meetings between high government officials. I have met with many Prime Ministers, the Staatspresident, Marshal Cruywagen and Marshal Malan to discuss the relationship between our countries. Our ambassador, the late Anton Dietz, maintained dialogue with their leaders. Our nations felt it fitting that a joint territory be established to combine the best of both worlds, where the laws are forgiving and democracy prevails. And it has stood for more than a year now. Since the crisis, we have been given the burden of custodians of Transvaal's lands, to decide their fate. We have approached this obligation with careful consideration to the will of the people. We are cooperating with the regional governors to maintain order, and, other than necessary intervention in areas affected by nuclear attacks, we have not established any sort of direct rule. We have trusted the people of Transvaal to keep the peace in their own homes while we helped their neighbors. Yet still the Nationalists say we do not believe in the people. We have been given a free hand by the former Prime Minister to establish direct rule over all of Transvaal, yet all that we have done is secure for the safety and welfare of afflicted and displaced populations while the provinces govern themselves. We have done nothing to deserve these accusations, and I challenge Peter Van Haesten to back his statements up with facts - evidence that we are indeed a foreign occupation force, that we are to take over the country. Furthermore, we are receiving rumors from pilots arriving here that Leonard Wise has been executed. If these rumors are true, then indeed whoever perpetrated this crime would not be striving for the political stability of the country. More alarming, we are receiving reports that the assets of the Transvaal Rocket Corps have disappeared. Whether they have been taken by the Nationalist army or some other unknown force, know this: we have all seen the results of these weapons; they have destroyed the heart of Transvaal, its cities and government. No more discharges will be tolerated. One more nuclear launch found to be originating below the Botha Line, we will respond in kind. If strategic or tactical weapons of mass destruction of any kind are used by anyone at all south of the Botha Line, we will respond in kind. I appeal to Peter Van Haesten and his followers to consider the cause of peace and meet in a neutral location to discuss the future of their country. We are receptive to all reasonable arguments. We only want what is best for Transvaal, and you are the key to understanding that. On the other hand, if you continue to take more land and invade cities like Windhoek, overthrowing their legitimate governments, then you can take up the matter at gunpoint. Good day." 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Manetheren Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 [b]Cape Town[/b] A C-130 transport aircraft made a wide turn south, passing over Robben Island and Table Bay as it prepared to land at the Ysterplaat Airbase in Cape Town. Close up, Tahoan markings were still visible but all those on the ground would only see the broad stripe in orange, white and blue painted on both wings and around the tail. Two fighter aircraft broke off their escort and waggled their wings in salute, turning north and gaining altitude to join the combat air patrol established over the cape. A crowd, thousands strong watched from the field bordering the runway as the aircraft taxied to a halt. Holding their breaths in collective anticipation, they watched the hatch closely. It popped open and a few soldiers stepped out into the bright African sun, rifles on their backs. The crowd was waiting for someone else though. Peter van Haesten put away the report he was reading and closed his briefcase. Putting on his beret, he thanked the aircrew and followed an aide out of the airplane. Beneath the hand held up shielding his eyes from the glare, a huge crowd was spread out before him. The captain had told van Haesten that ground control had warned of a crowd but seeing it firsthand was something else. The crowd didn't seem to recognize him, most people he could see seemed to be looking behind van Haesten, perhaps waiting for a more grandly dressed leader. He continued across the tarmac, saluting the honor guard and shaking hands with the mayor of Cape Town who had come out to greet the general. As he walked with the mayor and the commander of the Cape Town garrison towards the crowd, someone yelled out, "Its him!" The pent up energy of the crowd exploded in a roar of cheers stopping the general in his tracks. Thousands of voices screamed with joy, thousands of banners waved. The mayor of Cape Town nudged van Haesten and over the roar of the crowd said, "Acknowledge them! They came to see you now show that you see them!" Van Haesten waved and the crowd only seemed to grow louder. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter van Haesten had never thought that one's arm could get sore from waving, but his was. A crowd had lined the street from Ysterplaat to the City Hall, where he was now. A young Transvaler woman, probably some politicians assistant, led General van Haesten and the mayor to a conference room in the large building. A group of military officers saluted when van Haesten entered and after he indicated ease one, an intelligence officer, said, "Sir, the Arctican Sovereign made a speech while you were flying here from Windhoek. Its all over the domestic and international news. He proposed a meeting to "discuss the future of [i]their country[/i]" The mayor of Cape Town grimaced, saying "Their country? They still don't acknowledge you as one of us." Van Haesten ignored the politician, "Sit gentlemen. We have much to do and I fear not much time to do it. We will discuss the Arcticans but first let us discuss Transvaal. General O'Donovan, the military situation?" A well built infantry officer, General O'Donovan had spent his career leading from the front. His rough, tanned, wrinkled skin showed that. He was the senior most officer besides Van Haesten the Tahoans had sent to Transvaal and had served as van Haestens executive officer and chief of staff. He cleared his throat and began in a gravelly voice, "Uh, yes sis. Most of our units are in south-east Namibia ready to strike across the Orange River towards Kimberly and then Bloemfontein or along the border of the Western Cape ready to push towards Port Elizabeth and East London. As our current plans call for, from there the southern front would push into Lesotho and the support an attack on Johannesburg. The rest of our units are currently in reserve roles though I am planning to move more and more towards the line as the political situation improves. Police are returning to their duty along with militias being mobilized from among the populace." Van Haesten nodded, "Good, please have all unit commanders at the battalion level submit their final supply requisitions and send readiness reports twice daily. I'm appointing General O'Donovan to command of Task Force South and will be taking command of Task Force North myself. Moving on, intelligence." "Sir. As far as we can tell, the Arcticans are moving the bulk of the Arctica-Transvaal Defense Force to Swaziland and the Johannesburg area but haven't moved west in a few days. Our intelligence is really quite limited so I have little in the way of force disposition other than what we knew pre-war but I wouldn't expect their forces to match ours in terms of quality. They are well trained but have no real combat experience. Their equipment is of good quality though our systems are more advanced, which will give some tactical benefits. It seems most of the Transvaler Air Force and Navy have gone over to the Arcticans, which could pose a problem if they decide to blockade our coast." "Major I'm going to interrupt you there. I'd like Lieutenant de Wit from the Raketkorps to comment on the disposition of the Krygsmagte. I will translate." Lieutenant de Wit, the Raketkorps officer explained how his service branch had gone over en masse to the Nationalist Front. Although small, he assured the council that his forces were of greater importance than either the Seemag or Air Force, though avoided all questions of exactly how, making most of the officers write off the Transvaler as over-exaggerating. Van Haesten made a mental note to talk to the Transvaler officer after the meeting in private. Other staff officers briefed the council on their respective areas of focus. Finally, Van Haesten stood up and spoke. "Thank you all and I will let you all get back to your duties momentarily. I would just like to close this meeting by saying that we will ignore the Arctican gestures for discussions for the moment. They do not seem to realize that we speak for Transvaal and that we represent Transvaal. They think they can speak to us as equals in this matter but they move foreign soldiers into our country. Always remember that, this is our country. Our country. Dismissed." As the officers filed out of the room, saluting the general as they passed, van Haesten stopped de Wit. The Transvaler stood to the side as the rest of the soldiers left and once they were gone he closed the door and turned towards General van Haesten. In a low, quiet voice he explained his indirect answers earlier. "Thank you, sir. Uh, well, I don't know how to say this but when I said the Raketkorps had...well, power, greater than its size, I meant it. No, I wasn't referring to our ballistic missiles, you brought more advanced ones with you and quite frankly our missiles are downright medieval compared to some of yours. Sorry, sir, I know we are the same now but its hard not to think in terms of 'mine' and 'yours' after all this time. I'll work on it" the officers voice seemed to grow even quieter as he took a deep breath and continued, "Sir, we still possess nuclear devices." Van Haesten's eyes widened slightly before returning to their normal steely gaze, "Nukes? Where, I thought all of the arsenal was expended during the war!" "Yes sir, that was the information put forth. We still maintain three nuclear warheads in the 12-18 kiloton range. They are hidden out of territory currently controlled by the Nationalist Army. We are afraid to move them closer to the Cape. But that isn't the real problem, sir. We don't have the arming codes. We lost those when we shot General Wise. Only former prime minister Hofmeyr knows the codes, now. Well, there is one other person who might, but thats not feasible. We should retrieve the weapons and use them as leverage against the Arcticans, they won't know we can't use the." "Who is this other person and why are they not 'feasible' as you say?" Van Haesten's mind raced. De Wit shook his head, answering, "Sir, former Prime Minister van Matteus may know, and I stress the may, we don't know for certain, but her location is out of the question. She is currently imprisoned on Bouvet Island, and the Arcticans will have us blockaded any time now." "Bouvet Island...hmmm, well, we do have three surface warships, two destroyers and a frigate. One is in Cape Town. If it left now it could retrieve van Matteus before a blockade is in place. Yes...that will work...yes. Good work, lieutenant." Van Haesten opened the door and quickly walked down the call, calling for his chief of staff. Two hours later, LT [i]Boudicca[/i] slipped its moorings in Simon's Town and began steaming south towards the Arctic Circle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botha Posted February 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 [color="#000080"]Once word broke across ranks that Marshal Cruywagen and the generals had dissolved the [i]Krygsmgate[/i], the remaining 9,182 soldiers of the original 35,000 or so that had survived the week of fierce ground combat and nuclear devastation began to form themselves into autonomous commando units like the days of old and begun to collectively decide their fate and allegence in the new order which had fallen over Transvaal. In the absence of the central authorities, very quickly commando units formed themselves along familiar racial lines – although there were exceptions depending on how isolated the groups were. 2,755 soldiers would vote to throw in their lot with General Van Haesten – the vast majority of them Afrikaner whites finding strong appeal in his pronounced nationalist credentials. However, a tenth of that contingent consisted of various black African troops. Seeing their Namibian homeland now occupied by the Tahoans, they felt they and their families would find themselves put in a worse situation if they resisted Van Haesten’s rule. Besides, Annetjie van Matteus had recruited her [i]Oorsese Korps[/i] from the tribes of Namibia – so many of the men of colour who sided with Van Haesten had had family members who had served in the [i]Oorsese [/i]before its untimely demised a few months ago when their transport plane was shot down from the sky. The remainder 6,427 soldiers were more liberal Afrikaners – oddly enough from the Cape where Van Haesten was trying to expanded his sphere of influence – as well as the majority of Anglo-Transvalers and the vast majority of black Africans (totaling 4,499) serving in the Transvaal military. [i][u]TROOP BREAKDOWN[/u] PRO-TAHOE 2,480 whites (Afrikaner) 275 blacks PRO-ARCTICA 1,928 whites (Afrikaner and Anglo) 4,499 blacks[/i][/color] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botha Posted February 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 [color="#000080"]It may have been high summer in the southern hemisphere – but on remote Bouvet Island every day felt like cold inhospitable winter. On the northeast corner of the island a small group of quonset huts and a couple of concrete, bunker-like buildings marked “Department of Atomic Research” were the only signs of human habitation. It was here that almost two years Annetjie van Matteus had successfully carried out her research to built and detonate nuclear weapons for Transvaal’s military. It was also here that she now found herself left by the government prior to its collapse. Half house-arrest, half exile – she had never been formally charged with any crime by the government but when the nuclear attacks begun, she was deemed a political security threat and removed to Bouvet for detention until the war clouds passed. The only problem now facing Van Matteus was the people who had put her on Bouvet were no longer in power nor had the means (or consideration) to get her off the island. Since Pretoria was levelled to the ground, she had found herself cut-off from the rest of the world, stranded, and quickly running out of food and supplies. She was only vaguely aware what had happened back home, she had been able to glean some information listening to foreign shortwave broadcasts – but she was unsure what to believe was going on. The thought of Transvaal collapsing so quickly defied her reasoning and logic. She seriously considered that she was picking up on communist enemy propaganda directed towards the ‘research station’. That seems just as plausible than the impossibility of Pretoria falling. Along with Van Matteus were half a dozen scientists involved with the production of weapons-grade uranium as well as the detachment of fourteen security troops from the Ministry of Interior. They were there to both keep an eye on the security of the island and prevent any unauthorised landings by boat as well as to keep an eye on Van Matteus, who was otherwise given free run of the island... or what little habitat there was immediately surrounding the station. The security detail did not pay too much attention on checking up on her whereabouts during the day, as there wasn’t really anywhere too far she could get to before the bitter cold would do its merciless work functioning as an extra prison guardsman over the island. [/color] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manetheren Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 [b]South Atlantic Ocean[/b] The LT [i]Boudicca[/i] steamed through the rough South Atlantic seas 30 kilometers off the coast of Bouvet Island. The destroyer had arrived on station during the middle of the day, making the 1,500 mile journey from Simon's Town to the most remote island on the face of the earth in a matter of days. Freezing rain had lashed down most of the trip, and more inclement weather that would seriously endanger any mission was forecast for Wednesday. After receiving the go-ahead from Van Haesten in Cape Town, the ship turned to port and steamed towards the island. The plan was simple, one of the two helicopters would land marines that would attempt to free van Matteus by stealth to an evac point if possible, by force if necessary. The second helicopter would stand by with reinforcements and would land to evacuate van Matteus and any other rescued scientists. The destroyer would approach the island to provide fire support. The first helicopter, call-sign Queen 52, took off from the deck of the [i]Boudicca[/i] at midnight, 11 marines aboard. It turned south, crossing over the island from the south east and landed near the center of the island, behind a ridge overlooking the installation. Queen 52 quickly took off, following its track backwards out to sea. Meanwhile, Queen 43 landed its 8 marines and lifted off, its side mounted machine guns would provide fire support, if necessary. The marine commander, a lieutenant, split his men into three fire teams and the marines began making their way down the ridge under cover of darkness. No one was quite sure about how secure the Transvaal security detachment kept the island and the marine lieutenant was convinced that the guards were at least paying enough attention to hear the helicopters and so he issued an order to use deadly force on any Transvaler carrying a weapon. The marines slipped into the camp, dark shadows in the night. Light spilled out of the buildings onto the bare, rocky soil. Silently, the marines began searching the buildings for two groups of people. The first was the Ministry of the Interior guards. One fire team was responsible for keeping watch on them while the other was responsible for evacuating van Matteus. The third would provide covering fire and support the retreat. From their position in an alley, the Tahoans watched a heavily clothed man with a rifle strapped to his back exit a concrete building to their left. The Tahoans raised their guns as he approached their position, grumbling under his breath in Afrikaans about the weather. The sergeant indicated for his soldiers to put their guns down and quietly told the two men taking point, "Grab him....wait for it....now!" The Transvaler guard had passed in front of the alley, never seeing the black figures shrouded by shadow. Strong arms wrapped around his neck and clamped his mouth shut, pulling him backwards. He struggled but another figure slammed the butt of a rifle into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Dragged into the shadows, he was pinned to the ground, mouth still covered. A man leaned down and whispered in his ear in broken Afrikaans. "Noise you dead. You quiet." The guard shook his head and the hand eased up on his mouth. He felt the cold steel of a gun barrel against his cheek. Another man wearing black stepped up and whispered in English, "English, you speak English? Good. Where is she! Where is van Matteus." The guards eyes popped. People were here for van Matteus? Maybe the rumors were true! Quivering, the guard raised a hand and pointed in a direction. "That doesn't help, what building." The guard was dragged to his feet and pointed at the hut on the other side the 'road'. "Behind." [i]Thrum, thrum, thrum[/i] "Helikopter!" screamed a voice in Afrikaans, followed by a burst of gunfire. A shorter, quieter burst silenced the yelling, but a second later, the roar of a machine gun and tracer rounds streamed out of the sky. Lights flashed on across the compound and yelling from buildings accompanied a grenade explosion, screams and gunfire. ------------------------------------------------------------ [b]George, South Africa[/b] General O'Donovan looked down at his orders. They were simple. [i]Move out according to Schedule A3. s-Van Haesten[/i] His soldiers were already in their APCs and IFVs and transport trucks strung out along the N2 highway. A tank company, one of the very few possessed by the Nationalist forces, were in the vanguard. O'Donovan reached through the window of his Humvee and grabbed the radio, transmitting the message he had just recieved from Van Haesten who had flown to Upington in the Northern Cape to take command of Task Force North. Battalion and Company commanders recieved the message and according to schedule began moving out, some units along back roads as a scouting and shielding force. Helicopters roared overhead, leapfrogging light infantry and air mobile units forward at key locations. High overhead, glimmers flashed in the sunlight, fighter aircraft covering the formation moving east. O'Donovan hoped to have the bulk of his units in Port Elizabeth by afternoon and from their, the leading part of his formation in East London by nightfall. Baring any traffic jams, it should be possible. He didn't expect any resistance. That part would come later. 800 kilometers to the north, Peter Van Haesten organized the same sort of movement. His troops were headed along the N8 to Kimberly, where they would stop for the night, as well as down the N14 towards Vryburg. Within 3 days, van Haesten wanted a front along the N6 line from East London, through Bloemfontein stretching north to Gaborone. He knew this plan would likely not survive long, no plans ever did. It all depended on how the Arcticans responded. That is why Van Haesten was acting now. ------------------------------------------------------------ [b]Windhoek[/b] Thousands of exhausted Transvaler soldiers had been flowing into the city throughout the day. They were being directed to camps outside the city where they could be reorganized into their units, given hot food and allowed to re-arm. They were ready and willing to fight though. If they weren't they would have slipped off, deserting their units in the chaos surrounding the collapse. Van Haesten intended to send them into the line as soon as possible, serving as reinforcements where needed and later would serve as the bulk of the force assaulting Gaborone. For now though, they rested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manetheren Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 [b]Bouvet Island[/b] Lieutenant Reilly looked out to sea. From his position at the edge of the compound, the features of the barren island were faintly visible behind him, but the ocean was a black emptiness. LT [i]Boudicca[/i] stood out like a beacon, her lights shining off the waves. The engines of Queen 52 were faintly audible across the distance, incredible how sound traveled over the open ocean, as it took off from the deck of the destroyer. It had evacuated the wounded to the ship; a Raketkorps scientist had been hit with shrapnel from a grenade, four Ministry of the Interior guards had been seriously injured in the brief fighting and a Tahoan marine had been shot in the leg. The other helicopter's rotor roared behind the barracks. Lt. Reilly turned around to face the short blonde woman standing before him. Annetjie van Matteus was a beautiful woman, even under the circumstances. In Irish, she spoke to the Tahoan officer, "Thank you. I am Annetjie van Matteus. What is your name?" The Tahoan answered, "I am Lieutenant Christopher Reilly, you need to board the helicopter immediately ma'am." Van Matteus did not move quick enough for the Tahoan's liking and so he prodded her with the barrel of his rifle, which raised some eyebrows in amusement from the watching marines. Van Matteus and Reilly walked towards the helicopter, passing the Raketkorp staff shivering in the cold waiting to board and a line of six prisoners, kneeling on the ground with their hands tied behind their back. Four more were laid out beside them, hands crossed against their chests. A marine joked in English, "Hey L-T, gonna leave these !@#$%^&* here, eh?" The Transvaler guards that understood quickly translated for their friends, leading to much uncomfortable shifting and head shaking. The leader began pleading to the marines, which only elicited laughter. Reilly growled, "Get them ready to move. They'll be on the next helicopter." Twenty minutes later, Reilly would report to the bridge of the LT [i]Boudicca[/i]. Saluting the captain, he gave his report. "Van Matteus secured, sir. Four Transvaler dead, five wounded, including one civilian. One of ours wounded, not badly." The captain congratulated Lt. Reilly on the successful mission and ordered the radio operator to report the successful mission to Cape Town. Within two hours, LT [i]Boudicca[/i] passed the eastern promontory of Bouvet Island and was steaming north at full speed. OOC: More update tomorrow with troop movements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vedran Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 At the cessation of hostilities, those Transvalers who had been evacuated from the major cities by Arctican forces wanted to return now that there was no threat of nuclear attack. Although frustrated that their efforts were for nothing, the Arcticans were glad to oblige and return a greater sense of normality to the now relatively stable Transvaal. The civilian authorities long-established in Transvaal-Arctica would be adequately equipped to handle the task of reuniting the people of Maputo with their city. It would be a lengthy process for all of them to return, but the first would reenter their city within days, as they were those who never wanted to leave in the first place. They had it easy. The military authorities under Redeker had no such infrastructure in place. After evaluating Gaborone's capacity to rehouse refugees, the most needy of those previously living in Soweto and other low-income areas were given prioritization in applications to resettle in Gaborone. Once that capacity was filled, however, it would take another trek with ramshackle vehicles along the N4. The radiation from the attack on Pretoria was still heavy, but fortunately it did not extend to Johannesburg. They would come back to find Johannesburg a ghost town. Other than a few volunteers from the engineer corps that had stayed behind to maintain critical infrastructure such as power plants to avoid a Life After People kind of breakdown. Each denizen of the city and its suburbs had been required to carry with them the proper identification to ensure that everyone was returning to their own homes rather than making a run for the mansions and gated communities of the elite. The government in Oceana stated that the martial law in effect in Johannesburg would be lifted in a week, which was deemed enough time for many citizens to return to their homes and for businesses to start getting back on track. However, the ruins of Pretoria were still under the control of the Army, to give Redeker's men the authority to stop anyone from wandering too far in. Engineers began the work of setting evenly spaced warning signs along roads leading to Pretoria. Redeker's problem was how he could possibly counter the efforts of the Nationalists while at the same time preventing any further terrorist attacks. He was finally convinced by one of his staff that he could not hope to defend everything, and should instead establish strongpoints that would be unfavorable choices for an attack, but that could also function as a base for attack or defense operations in outlying areas. For Redeker's "main" force, a small army of 2,000 combat troops, 1200 MPs and hundreds of engineers, these strongpoints would be Johannesburg and Gaborone. Thus, he split his troops in half: half of combat troops and MPs in Gaborone, half in Joburg; while 3/4 of engineers would remain in Johannesburg. For the much larger ATDF, it was decided that theirs would be much farther ahead of their current positions. It did not make good sense to defend Maputo and Swaziland when the Nationalists were taking more and more of South Africa. The ATDF would be evenly split between Welkom and Maseru, with Bloemfontein considered no-man's-land for the purposes of military movements. The ATDF received its marching orders in the early morning of February 17. Being more well-equipped than the hastily arranged Redeker Force, as it was being called, the ATDF was equipped with a considerable amount of transport trucks, APC's, and even a number of tanks. Therefore it would be stronger and more mobile than Redeker's humvee and jeep outfit could ever hope to match with their current resources. However, this changed with the arrival of Transvaler soldiers offering their support to the Arctican cause in Transvaal. Many of these recognized Arctica's efforts in the region as mostly altruistic, or else believed that Arctica was the lesser of two evils and figured they could have a hand in restoring peace in their country by lending their weapons, experience, and unique knowledge to the Arctican side. They too were split between Gaborone and Johannesburg to strengthen the Redeker Force, and Cruywagen was considered by Redeker to be somewhat of a representative for them, and so listened to his advice and concerns regarding them, in addition to opening himself to the knowledge the man had received through the many wars that Transvaal had participated in. The Transvaler soldiers joining with the Arcticans kept their ranks, but anyone ranked General was demoted by Redeker to "Provisional Colonel," allowed to keep his insignia but not to wear them in uniform. Paul Cruywagen, on the other hand, did not have his rank changed at all, partly out of respect and partly to show that Arctican forces were here to help Transvaal and not themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botha Posted February 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 [color="#000080"]After she had been briefed on the situation in Transvaal – as well as the reason why Lieutenant Reilly had come to Bouvet Island, Annetjie van Matteus explained to her new handlers that “…either the [i]Raketkorps [/i]who have those bombs are lying to you or the arming system was changed after I was pushed out of office – because as far as I have always been aware, each nuclear device has four arming codes that need to be entered for activation. The practice was generally two civilians and two military personal – that was the system that I was instructed to incorporate on orders from the Staatspresident himself.” Reilly could see the faintest of tears well up in her cold blue eyes on mention of the deceased Staatspresident. In all her ups and downs throughout her political career, there was always the constant comfort that she knew that the Old Man in Pretoria was looking out for her. But now, for the first time in her life since leaving Deutschland for home at the time of independence four years ago, she felt vulnerable… very vulnerable. She made a lot of enemies over the years – and now she felt helpless to stop any of them from seeking out their revenge on her. Then suddenly, a pang hit her. “My daughter! Does anyone know where my daughter is? We were separated when I was shipped off to my Bouvet exile.” - - - Sometime later, when she was back on terra firma, she would continue to divulge what knowledge she had about Transvaal’s nuclear weapons programme. She felt that she was not giving away any state secrets as the state no longer existed. She also hoped that telling the Tahoans everything she knew would create some bargaining room for her later. “Our bombs were called [i]Seekoeitjies [/i]– or Little Hippos. We named them in honour of Heft, the then-leader of IRON of which we were a member and who had supplied us with our initial shipments of uranium.” “The biggest problem we had with them was their stability – because they use a gun-fission design unsuitable for missiles delivery. They have a nasty tendency to misfire and prone to explode during missile flight in the V-2’s, especially when the missile makes its downwards re-entry. However, our priority back then was building a bomb by any means and the gun-fission method was the easiest to accomplish. We never gave much thought at the time how we were actually going to utilize them. At one point, I think we even contemplated we’d put it in the back of a pick-up truck and hope we could find a way to drive it to the target.” Her interogators could not tell whether Van Matteus was joking or dead serious with her last statement. “Now… as for who might still have the codes to activate… in the civilian ranks, obviously the last prime minister, Hofmeyr. As well as the Staatspresident, who obviously cannot help us now from the grave, most likely the deputy prime minister, Hermann Steyn, also knows. It is… umm, I guess, was… usual practice for the prime minister to keep his deputy informed of such state secrets – because we had faced assassination attempts and rogue attacks in the past. The premise is if someone tried to assassinate and take out the prime minister, the next-in-line would still have the means to retaliate. “In the military, both Field Marshals Cruywagen and Malan knew their portions of the codes – that I don’t doubt – as well as whoever was in charge of the Raketkorps after Malan was replaced. I know those two would know, because the only time I had to deploy our nuclear weapons, it was carried out in conjunction with Cruywagen, Malan, Botha, and myself.” “Maybe I should explain how the arming codes work: each of the four people has a 4-digit portion of a 16-digit code that gets entered. It’s the same for every bomb, so if you can arm one bomb, you can arm them all. Problem is, you need to know who has been given arming access, and the 4-digit sequence has to be entered in the correct order, basically alphabetical order of surname. So if Malan entered his sequence before Cruywagen’s, sequence the bomb wouldn’t arm. When I had to arm our bombs last year, the Staatspresisdent entered his code first, followed by Cruywagen, then Malan, then mine last.” “Now… if what you are telling me is accurate, that Transvaal did launch nuclear retaliation strikes after Staatspresident Botha’s death, then my guess it was Cruywagen, Hofmeyr, and Steyn who was launching them. However there had to have been a fourth person – so my guess is that it was the [i]Raketkorps [/i]commander that was executed.” “There are some others that could have possibly known the codes and procedure at some point – but reasoning tells me the actual codes were changed over the passage of time and after they lost access to the bombs. That would have been Jakob Hertzog, Admiral Kruger, and Lieutenant-Colonel Gerhard – all because at some point or another, they all held the post, or equivalent post, of prime minister of Transvaal. However, I do know that the proceedure was also sloppy, in the sense that old arming codes were not always erased out of the system.” “Also… Boersma… Interior Minister Boersma would have known something. Well, he wouldn’t know the codes themselves – otherwise he could have launched them all by himself – but he was involved with re-setting the access codes whenever government personal changed. He would know who had access.” “So... what you need to do is find four people whose codes are still accepted by the arming system, enter those codes in the correct sequence, and then hope the thing gives you a green light.” “Is there anything else you wish to know?” [/color] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manetheren Posted February 18, 2011 Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 [b]Cape Town[/b] A panel of former Tahoan engineers and technicians, all with experience on civilian or military nuclear reactors and warheads took notes as van Matteus divulged all the information she knew about the Transvaler nuclear weapons program. After a brief question and answer session with the former Prime Minister, the meeting was adjourned. The Tahoans excused themselves to the laboratories of Cape Town University. Peter van Haesten had left very specific instructions with the team of nuclear engineers. Get the warheads working. As they were the relatively simplistic gun-type fission warheads that had been out of favor with most modern nations for years due to their simplicity, limited yield and, importantly in this case, relative low security. Gun-type warheads are inherently unsafe. The fact that the Transvalers used advanced security mechanisms on the bombs may be offset by the technical design itself. Theoretically, it would be possible for the Tahoans to take apart and completely rebuild the bombs. Van Matteus was escorted by two Tahoan soldiers off the campus of the university and into the back of a waiting Land Rover. One of the Tahoans, an air force staff sergeant, was van Matteus's military liason. "Ma'am, General van Haesten believes you are an important political asset and wishes to keep you safe. For the time being, he wishes to keep your presence unknown. It seems most have completely forgotten about you and if we hadn't rescued you Bouvet Island would be starving in a few weeks. We will be evacuating you to Windhoek, but before we leave, I need the locations of every nuclear installation in the entire country. So far we haven't found the warheads and the Raketkorp personnel don't seem to know where they are either. ------------------------------------------- Eighteen fighter-bombers took off from the airbase in Swakopmund. They turned north, passing over the plains of northern Namibia and crossing the border towards Zambia. Six of the aircraft gained altitude, flying high above the rest of the formation. Their wings bristled with air-to-air missiles and kept a watchful eye on their radar screens. Any military aircraft approaching the formation would be blasted out of the sky from long range. The other twelve kept low to the ground, roaring over the Zambezi River valley. Their target: the bridges along the Zambezi. The goal was to keep the Krygsmagte troops who had declared for Arctica pent up in Zambia. At the very least, destroying the bridges along the Zambezi would force them to take the long route through Malawi and Mozambique before turning south towards where the fighting would be. The pilots marveled at the mighty Zambezi, carving its way through the African soil for hundreds of miles. Their minds were constantly on their mission. It was hoped the bridges were not guarded by anti-air defenses. There seemed no reason to be, though once the first laser guided bomb was dropped, all bets were off. 15 minutes later, three aircraft were approaching Chirundu Bridge on the border between Rhodesia and Zambia. The 400 meter long, two lane bridge was choked with military traffic. APCs and supply trucks moved over the bridge, heading south. The jets roared down the river from the west. At what seemed the last minute, they pulled their noses up and released their bombs, which arced downward. Five of the eight impacted the bridge, twisting metal and blasting concrete. The other three sent geysers of water hundreds of feet into the air. The strike aircraft pulled into a tight turn to make another pass but were called off when it was apparent the bridge was completely obliterated. The three fighters waggled their wings in a salute to the dead, gunning their throttles forward, passing through the sound barrier as they climbed and headed back to base. Pillars of smoke soared skyward down the Zambezi. ------------------------------------------------------------ Hundreds of miles south, columns of Nationalist troops moving north from East London entered the mountains of southern Lesotho. Helicopters dropped advance teams of light infantry to secure the roads, clearing the way for the bulk of the 9,000 Tahoan troops of Task Force South to push northward towards Maseru. 2 Brigade moved from Maclear towards Quithing and Phamong. 9 Brigade began its attack by shelling Mohales Hoek after moving east from Aliwal North while the elite 81st Infantry landed in the country's central highlands. Two more brigades, including one armored swung northeast to take Botshabelo, south of Bloemfontein and to engage any formations moving from Maseru to reinforce the southern part of the country which was under heavy assault. Task Force North, under direct command of Peter van Haesten meanwhile sent an infantry regiment, equipped with anti-radiation kits from the Raketkorps into Bloemfontein. Six brigades moved eastward from Kimberley to face the ATDF in Welkom while three more brigades swung south from Vryburg into the Sandveld Nature Reserve to attack Welkom from the north and put additional pressure on the ATDF by threatening to cut off its supply lines. These three thousand men would retreat slowly towards Vryburg if heavily pressured while the 12,000 Tahoans in the main body engaged the ATDF in fierce combat, though van Haesten was more interested in probing the Artican lines and not committing his troops to bloody fighting. Neither side had very large reserves and the Articans certainly held the advantage in terms of armor, though anti-tank missiles carried by the Tahoans helped prevent the Articans from using armored spearheads to counterattack. The vast majority of the remaining fighter aircraft were committed to Task Force North, launching lightning bombing raids on the highways northeast of Welkom towards Johannesburg, while others directly launched stand off missiles into Artican formations in Welkom itself. The hastily rearmed Transvalers loyal to van Haesten were reorganized into battalions and sent into Botswana as a reserve and shielding force. [IMG]http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/4497/transvaalwarprogress2.png[/IMG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vedran Posted February 19, 2011 Report Share Posted February 19, 2011 Rifleman Jwarha walked alongside a transport truck carrying his comrades, his FN-FAL held loosely in his hands as they slowly made their way across the bridge. He was part of a long line of infantry marching alongside the vehicles, on the bridge's sidewalk, which was more like a metal mesh. Some of the men were talking, others silent like Jwarha. He was only a quarter of the way across the bridge when the man behind him drew his attention to a trio of black specks in the distance. "Who is that?" a few curious voices inquired, followed by the nearest dozen men picking up on the chatter. An officer trying to silence them took a glimpse at the approaching aircraft. They were flying fast and low, and at the officer's next words, the whole line erupted in a cacophony of shouts, of soldiers yelling "Get off the bridge, get off the bridge!" in Xhosa and Zulu. Those either just leaving or just coming onto the bridge ran away, and vehicles nearing the Rhodesia side revved their engines and gunned it onto the safety of the banks. Those near the middle panicked, and there was a stampede as they all rushed to escape. Rifleman Jwarha was pushed over the rail in the process, and was falling towards the water when five missiles struck the bridge above him, and three hit the water below him. Jwarha was dead before his body hit the water. 20% of the Transvaler force was already across the river when the missiles struck, and they managed to escape relatively undamaged, with negligible wounded or dead, those few closest to the shockwave. Slightly over 10% of the men became casualties of the attack. 427 were killed almost immediately or soon after, 225 were wounded; most of these were so severely wounded they would not fight again. The remaining 70% which had not made it across the bridge and had not perished in the attack were looking at an irreparable wreck of a border crossing. After some deliberation, they decided to turn south and attempt a crossing at Siavonga, 85 kilometers to the south. It was hoped that by the time they arrived, either the Nationalists had gone back to base or the crossing had already been destroyed and they needn't risk men crossing it. For those that knew about the geography of the area, they prayed that the dam that made up the crossing had not been destroyed. If it had, then Lake Kariba, the largest artificial lake and reservoir in the world, was in the process of flooding 200 billion tons of water into the Zambezi and surrounding countryside. The isolated fifth of Transvalers that had made it across the bridge at Chirundu was making its way down the highway they were on, working through Rhodesia, keeping in contact with their separated comrades, and hoping they wouldn't be targeted again. ------ Ecological disasters were furthest from the minds of the ATDF troops in Maseru and Welkom, a minority of them starting to call themselves the Arctican Transvaal Defense Force rather than the Arctica-Transvaal Defense Force. The air transport force of the ATDF was safely stationed in Johannesburg, but three C-130s were in the hangars at the airport in Mashenod, which was being guarded by just over a hundred soldiers and two old Chapparal launchers. The entire SAM launcher complement of the ATDF was brought into Transvaal, 60 Chapparals, divided in half between the two ATDF divisions. 28 were placed at strategic positions in and near Maseru, and 30 at Welkom, in addition to a small number of 10 Patriot launchers (again, evenly spread). Since the defense force was never seen as needing any fighter or bomber squadrons, their transports were the extent of their air forces, so they had to make do until Oceana deigned to send them some. However, in Johannesburg, three squadrons of F-16's were allocated for defense of the city, and, at Redeker's discretion, nearby areas. The authorities in Johannesburg tried their best to divert supplies (food, water, machine parts, fuel) to the ATDF by using Arctican funds to purchase them directly from the producers and transport them by way of lorry, cargo plane, or rail to Maseru and Welkom, helping them to stock up before the Tahoans arrived. Additionally, the Johannesburg Barracks were taken over by the Redeker Force. All factories in Gauteng engaged in the production of ammunition or other exclusively martial equipment were completely taken over. Their workers were paid appropriate wages in Arctican dollars and existing management was kept in place to run them. In Welkom, defensive points were established at each road into town. Approximately 3,000 of 9,000 troops and 45 out of 75 tanks (with approximately two APCs/IFVs per tank) were stationed at these (with largest concentrations at south and west), supported by two Chapparals per roadblock and one Patriot per roadblock. With seven roadblocks, the two roads directly north of the town did not have Patriots. 16 Chapparals were still in place throughout the city. Infantry and armor [i]not[/i] deployed at the checkpoints (totaling 30 tanks and 6,000 troops) were kept in reserve for quick reinforcement if any roadblock came under an attack that it could not easily repel. If attackers at any of the roadblocks began to retreat, half of the checkpoint's complement would follow and counterattack to a distance of 5 kilometers, then return. If the attackers began to pick up on this and adjust their tactics to take advantage of it, the distance would be reduced to 500 meters for all subsequent counterattacks. The strongpoint of Welkom was soon to be attacked by the Nationalists and defended with this simple strategy. If Arcticans were in range first, they would shoot first. In this, the outset of the conflict and the site of first blood drawn in open hostilities, the Arcticans intended to show their determination. ------ Lesotho would not suffer a similar fate. Rather than directly attacking this strongpoint, the Nationalist Army moved into the surrounding countryside. If the capital would have been more centrally located, this would have been an easier task for the ATDF, but it was not to be. Their contacts in the rural areas of Lesotho (mainly local officials authorized to surrender to - but warned against collaborating with - Nationalist troops when they came. The Arcticans didn't want any massacres on their hands, no matter how good PR it might bring to expose them) warned them when the Nationalists were coming to their towns, allowing the commander and his staff in Maseru to keep track of enemy movements. The cream of the crop of the training camps in the depths of western Mozambique - established by former territorial governor John Hull - were 25 spotter and shooter teams of scout snipers spread widely throughout the countryside. They were given enough rations for a long stay. Their mission was essentially to make life hard for the Nationalists, prioritized from the top down, while still remaining silent. They'd watch and wait, and when their opportunity came, try to pop the highest ranking or most uniquely skilled Nationalist in the area, before returning to the hills, foraging and dealing with small villages for food and news. They would be Arctica's insurance policy. They had all volunteered for the job, and were made well aware that if some accident should befall them, they would most likely be listed as missing for the rest of time. The commander at Maseru, not wanting to stretch himself too thin and send his forces down a long way to the Mohales Hoek province, decided on a course of action that elicited mixed feelings among his staff. He considered the towns in the south of the country as already lost, and would instead reinforce Mafeteng and Nyakosoba. To the latter he would send 1000 soldiers, 20 tanks, and one Chapparal launcher. To Mafeteng, 2000 soldiers, 25 tanks, and three Chapparals, leaving 6,000 soldiers, 65 tanks, and 24 Chapparal launchers to defend Maseru. At these two towns, ATDF forces would set up more roadblocks and a similar reserve system as in Welkom, for these were the tactics the ATDF was used to, being stationed in Mozambican and Malawian cities, using them as strongpoints to keep hold of the land while reinforcements arrived. Although it was very doubtful that they would arrive to help them in this conflict. ------ In Oceana, Admiral Kruger, in conjunction with the Sovereign and naval leaders, developed a plan to prevent any potential foreign aid for the Nationalists from actually reaching them. A number of plans were drafted and proposed, but ultimately, the second one was chosen. The propositions mainly differed in the extent of a possible blockade and whether ships would go very near the coast to prevent the Nationalists from using coastal transport. The second plan provided for a blockade of all of South Africa proper extending from Natal to no farther than Oranjemund on the Namibian side of the Namibia/SA border. Then, as Nationalist naval capabilities were better ascertained or the conflict escalated, the blockade would extend to Swakopmund. Until then, South Africa was the target, from Natal to Oranjemund. Three areas would be established, divided between Task Groups 1, 2, and 3. Task Group 2 would consist of the Arctican Third Fleet and would patrol the coast of the Western Cape (Area 2), focusing primarily on Cape Town. Task Group 1 would consist of aircraft carrier Kaiser Martens, and destroyers Shaka and Cetshwayo, and would patrol the Eastern Cape (Area 1), focusing primarily on Port Elizabeth and secondarily on East London. Task Force 3 would be assigned to Area 3, the coast of the Western Cape. This was not considered to be much of a blockade issue and more of a combat issue. To protect the other task forces from the Nationalists' naval assets, as well as combat any air forces stationed in Kleinsee. To do this, a larger fleet was deemed necessary. Two aircraft carriers would lead this, one Transvaler (Jake Felan) and one Arctican (Storm's End, borrowed from the Home Fleet). The rest of the fleet would consist of Transvaler frigate Bloedriver, destroyer Dinizulu, Arctican destroyer Vigilance (also from the Home Fleet). They would "patrol" the coast of the Western Cape, keeping air and sea attacks from interfering with Task Force 1 or 2's business. Operation Anaconda was to begin February 19, noon local time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manetheren Posted February 19, 2011 Report Share Posted February 19, 2011 [b]Mafeteng[/b] The flat terrain surrounding Mafeteng gave the attacking Nationalist forces an advantage. At the least it certainly did not help the defenders who had not had time to prepare fixed defenses other than foxholes and firing positions. General O'Donovan, commander of Task Force South decided that the terrain gave his Tahoan soldiers enough of an advantage to focus his attack through Mafeteng. Taking this city allowed for an open road to Maseru and would allow units coming down from the highlands focusing their attack on Nyakosoba to recieve support. The 9th Brigade which had entered Lesotho at Mohale's Hoek advanced on Mafeteng from the south while the 21st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, supported by B Company, 38th Armored Battalion stopped their advance on Botshabelo midway and swung south through the Caledon Nature Reserve, hitting Mafeteng from the northwest. The armored brigade held their position in Botshabelo. 5,000 men, supported by 22 tanks and more than 60 other armored vehicles (mostly IFVs) began attacking Mafeteng. The 9th Brigade, moving up the A2 highway came under fierce fire from the Likhoele mountain, Lesotho's second highest. This plateau held a commanding vista over the Mofateng area. Although not heavily defended, the steep slopes made attacking Tahoan forces from the south extremely cautious and effectively halted the advance by the 9th. To the north though, the 21st was making good progress, the roughly two thousand men supported by armor had pushed the ATDF outer lines back. The 9th and 21st linked up to the southwest of the city. Casualties were light on both sides, primarily due to the lack of heavy artillery and the fact that both sides would maneuver out of heavy firefights. Bringing up his artillery, O'Donovan began a heavy bombardment of Likhoele, combined with a sortie by fighter-bombers. Under this covering fire, helicopters landed two companies of infantry on the top of the mountain, suppressing enemy fire. One helicopter was shot down by a MANPAD, destroying the aircraft and killing all its passengers. O'Donovan wished for heavy transport helicopters, with those he could move artillery to the plateau and shell the city into submission. Instead, he ordered a general advance. His forces outnumbered the ATDF, assaulting from three sides. Both sides used their tanks as infantry support, particularly the Tahoans who used them as mobile artillery to shell enemy strongpoints into submission. In central Lesotho, Nationalist troops had struggled through the mountainous t, facing only token resistance, mostly from local militias who fled or surrendered as soon as heavy fighting began. From the hills overlooking the city of Nyakosoba, the Tahoans looked down on the ATDF. The Tahoans made no moves to attack towards the city, while the Arcticans made no moves to try and attack the Tahoans who held the high ground. ------------------------------------------- Van Haesten looked at the map in front of him in frustration. His 12,000 men outnumbered the Arcticans 9,000, but assaulting a city with forces that equal was a risky proposition, particularly whenever it looked like one of his attacks would break through the Arcticans would counterattack. His only success of the day had been the first Arctican counterattack, when they had overextended their lines by pursuing his retreating forces. As soon as they had gotten out roughly 4 kilometers, Tahoan aircraft launched a bombing raid and his own retreating soldiers stood and held their ground as another planned attack was diverted to hit the ATDF from the flank. In the Tahoan counterattack, they had taken the strategic position of Odendaalsrus, only 10 kilometers north of Welkom. Arctican casualties were high, but they had clearly learned their lesson and subsequent attacks had no such luck in drawing out the defenders. Van Haesten was loathe to commit his troops to the meatgrinder, though thankfully the ATDF seemed to lack heavy artillery (unfortunately so did van Haesten, so they offset). As night fell, his soldiers held positions ranging from Odendaalsrus, 10km north of Welkom in a wide semi-circle arcing downward towards Virginia, which was still securely held by the ATDF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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