Contest 5: Victory and Politics
7734
Trust and verify.
- Location
- Philmont
After dividing up the regiments, you got back down into the daily grind of being a staff officer in charge of two divisional back-ends. Most of your life was nice and boring, with you showing up to the office at nine, filing paperwork, pushing pencils, taking lunch, and then getting down to the nitty-gritty details of life like "what do you mean you need more reinforcemnts" and "no, you're on a river, you're going to get wet" and "listen if they were barbarians then we wouldn't have lost most of the Volta now would we?"
It was another six months before things really started going right, but when they did it was amazing. Apparently someone had finally issued Schabler a pair of balls, because he de-clogged his regiments, and they were finally making good progress and smashing up penny-packet warbands without too much issue. The south, though, that was where the war was won.
The Zambezi Campaign had properly lasted about eleven months after Holn got ahold of his furthest extensions, and had his new units delivered. From there they went on a punishing advance into the Kongo highlands, dealing with the thinning environment with aplomb and none of the major issues that the North Force had hit. As they approached M'banza, the quality of enemy troops increased as well as quality, leading to the Battle of Zaire, the one instance your armor was actually used in the entire brush war. The enemy had, according to Luftwaffe intelligence operations, roughly ten regiments of troops in field fortifications along the high and railways into M'banza, anchoring their right flank on the river and their left on a section of impassable highland. They had employed a three-line defense, and photographic reconnaissance indicated that it appeared the Kongolese would attempt a decaying defense to lure Holn's force into a natural salient towards the right flank. With a superiority of manpower, local artillery, and fortification, Holn would have to be mad to press an assault.
Naturally, Holn pressed an assault. The "impassable" terrain hadn't been introduced to the Nyaslanders, who composed Holn's right and decided to fight rump a batallion so as to present the best odds of penetrating the highlands. To counteract this, 1/1 Elbing was put with them in the logic that the harder ground would be more kind to the tanks than the flatter ground close to the river. Giving the 2/4 Nyasalanders three days to permeate the range, Holn attacked on the 24th, and proceed to deftly prove why fixed positions were a double-edged sword. Entrenched Kongolese units didn't have the firepower to handle the fact that the center unit of Voltans considered volley rifle grenade fire to be an acute solution to hardpoints. Between enemy machine gun mismanagement and the fact that they hadn't adequate set fire zones, the front rank of the defense broke down rather quickly and fell back into the second. While the artillery dueled futilely, the 1/1 Elbing plowed into the enemy's front lines, and here's where the information got interesting to you.
For reference, the 1/1 Elbing was made up of one headquarters section attached to their first company, and four companies made up of four platoons each and one platoon of mobile gun carriers. Each platoon was one SkW-1, and four W-4 tanks, while the gun carriers were six KtW-2s and the headquarters section was in trucks. For the majority of events, the 3/4 Nyasalanders were intermixed, and that factoid might end up throwing your calculations a little.
In the battle, of the sixteen SkW-1 tanks deployed over the five hours they were engaged, all the tanks suffered temporary stoppages in the tracks and suspension department at one point or another, and eight of them suffering engine stoppages. All of the tanks continued operating unhindered by enemy action, with heavy machine guns and anti-tank rifles not able to penetrate their armor reliably nor the enemy artillery and hand grenades doing more than causing the majority of the suspension problems. In one notable instance, Tank #8 was struck in the foreword glacis by what was suspected to be a 7,5cm explosive shell and unaffected save for destroying two of the bow autocannons. Of the tanks deployed, none fully depleted their stores of main or secondary weapon ammunition, although a large part of this was tank commanders being unwilling to commit a 10,5cm shell to anything closer than fifty meters or not obviously a pillbox or machine-gun nest. In all regards, the contained firepower was considered grossly excessive until it the SkW-1 units were called together to form an impromptu counterbattery unit to handle an enemy heavy mortar carrier squadron that was hidden where the normal field guns couldn't reach.
The accompanying sixty four W-4 tanks had a better and worse track record- literally, in some cases. Of the sixty four tanks, nearly thirty were damaged or destroyed so as to be casualties, and after the battle an additional fifteen were declared to be constructive losses and to be used as parts hulks. The tanks with surviving crews, forty of the sixty four, reported that each tank had at least two track failures, with an average across the battalion being four failures and the most clocking in at sixteen track failures before being declared a constructive loss. Of the additional fifteen constructive losses, all were due to the engines being nearly destroyed or transmissions having shredded themselves due to battle damage. Of the destroyed tanks, the ones who had surviving crew were hit in the flank with a anti-tank rifle or heavy machine gun, normally positioned via armored car. Those that had the crews killed normally had been taken out by shell shrapnel, heavy explosive charges, or in several horrifying cases incendiary weapons. Of the surviving tanks including constructive losses, most had burned through their ammunition fairly quickly due to loose fire control and the desire to suppress positions where "significant" enemy presence was detected. More than a few particularly daring W-4 drivers had gone so far as to take ammunition from their downed fellows, or request it from their platoon leader SkW-1s. In sum, the W-4 crews were disappointed in their inability to maintain an enduring battle presence, as well as how fragile they were when they didn't have situational awareness of the battlefield.
After the 1/1 Elbing's part in the battle, things devolved into using the South Force's artillery to beat the third and final line of the enemy until ammunition starvation took hold, and the battle settled down to a markman-filled impasse as night fell. At this point, the since-forgotten 2/4 Nyasaland decided to spring their attack out of the highlands, making off with the majority of the enemy's truck park and two steam locomotives, dead-set on capturing M'banza. After loading everything onto the stolen locomotive train and then continuing along, they finally infiltrated the city three days later before bald-facedly marching on the Royal Palace in parade formation stating they had been sent ahead to negotiate the ceasefire after the total annihilation of the Kongolese field army.
The fact that saboteur teams had destroyed the telegraph lines along the way from the battlefield allowed this deception, and the King of the Kongo dutifully signed a ceasefire despite having the majority of his field army encamped within shooting distance of South Force and reinforcements on the way. Once radio contact with South Force was resumed (and Irromic-trained telegraphers were stationed in the right places as part of the "ceasefire") the South Force marched on M'banga and formalized the ceasefire in order to end the war.
At home, meanwhile, you had good news. You'd managed to get Anne-Marie pregnant again, and the resulting daughter was as cute as a button. You'd need to settle on a name, of course, but that should be fairly easy as long as the resulting political mess the victory had generate cleared up.
Votes
Daughter's Name?
[] Ilse Volta (Anne-Marie's suggestion)
[] Write-in
Politics (Vote by Plan, can choose multiple options per category)
[] Plan Name
-[] Schabler
--[] Condemn Schabler's insufficient aggression and inability to handle the local terrain and environs.
--[] Support Schabler's defense-minded strategies and low casualties over the length of the war.
-[] Holn
--[] Degrade Holn's reckless maneuvering and over-reliance of local militias with captured equipment to patch together his force after a disastrous initial retreat.
--[] Applaud Holn's decisive end to the war and ability to adapt to a changing war situation while being cut off from sufficient support.
-[] Locals
--[] Recommend Irromic regiments recruit local Askari to refill billets emptied over the war.
--[] Recommend Irromic regiments do not recruit local Askari to refill billets.
--[] Recommend formalizing the riverboat unit
--[] Recommend formalizing the Gerbersjaeger unit
--[] Recommend formalizing 4 Volta
-[] Armor
--[] Recommend a permanent armor detachment for the Colonies
--[] Recommend against permanent armor in the Colonies
It was another six months before things really started going right, but when they did it was amazing. Apparently someone had finally issued Schabler a pair of balls, because he de-clogged his regiments, and they were finally making good progress and smashing up penny-packet warbands without too much issue. The south, though, that was where the war was won.
The Zambezi Campaign had properly lasted about eleven months after Holn got ahold of his furthest extensions, and had his new units delivered. From there they went on a punishing advance into the Kongo highlands, dealing with the thinning environment with aplomb and none of the major issues that the North Force had hit. As they approached M'banza, the quality of enemy troops increased as well as quality, leading to the Battle of Zaire, the one instance your armor was actually used in the entire brush war. The enemy had, according to Luftwaffe intelligence operations, roughly ten regiments of troops in field fortifications along the high and railways into M'banza, anchoring their right flank on the river and their left on a section of impassable highland. They had employed a three-line defense, and photographic reconnaissance indicated that it appeared the Kongolese would attempt a decaying defense to lure Holn's force into a natural salient towards the right flank. With a superiority of manpower, local artillery, and fortification, Holn would have to be mad to press an assault.
Naturally, Holn pressed an assault. The "impassable" terrain hadn't been introduced to the Nyaslanders, who composed Holn's right and decided to fight rump a batallion so as to present the best odds of penetrating the highlands. To counteract this, 1/1 Elbing was put with them in the logic that the harder ground would be more kind to the tanks than the flatter ground close to the river. Giving the 2/4 Nyasalanders three days to permeate the range, Holn attacked on the 24th, and proceed to deftly prove why fixed positions were a double-edged sword. Entrenched Kongolese units didn't have the firepower to handle the fact that the center unit of Voltans considered volley rifle grenade fire to be an acute solution to hardpoints. Between enemy machine gun mismanagement and the fact that they hadn't adequate set fire zones, the front rank of the defense broke down rather quickly and fell back into the second. While the artillery dueled futilely, the 1/1 Elbing plowed into the enemy's front lines, and here's where the information got interesting to you.
For reference, the 1/1 Elbing was made up of one headquarters section attached to their first company, and four companies made up of four platoons each and one platoon of mobile gun carriers. Each platoon was one SkW-1, and four W-4 tanks, while the gun carriers were six KtW-2s and the headquarters section was in trucks. For the majority of events, the 3/4 Nyasalanders were intermixed, and that factoid might end up throwing your calculations a little.
In the battle, of the sixteen SkW-1 tanks deployed over the five hours they were engaged, all the tanks suffered temporary stoppages in the tracks and suspension department at one point or another, and eight of them suffering engine stoppages. All of the tanks continued operating unhindered by enemy action, with heavy machine guns and anti-tank rifles not able to penetrate their armor reliably nor the enemy artillery and hand grenades doing more than causing the majority of the suspension problems. In one notable instance, Tank #8 was struck in the foreword glacis by what was suspected to be a 7,5cm explosive shell and unaffected save for destroying two of the bow autocannons. Of the tanks deployed, none fully depleted their stores of main or secondary weapon ammunition, although a large part of this was tank commanders being unwilling to commit a 10,5cm shell to anything closer than fifty meters or not obviously a pillbox or machine-gun nest. In all regards, the contained firepower was considered grossly excessive until it the SkW-1 units were called together to form an impromptu counterbattery unit to handle an enemy heavy mortar carrier squadron that was hidden where the normal field guns couldn't reach.
The accompanying sixty four W-4 tanks had a better and worse track record- literally, in some cases. Of the sixty four tanks, nearly thirty were damaged or destroyed so as to be casualties, and after the battle an additional fifteen were declared to be constructive losses and to be used as parts hulks. The tanks with surviving crews, forty of the sixty four, reported that each tank had at least two track failures, with an average across the battalion being four failures and the most clocking in at sixteen track failures before being declared a constructive loss. Of the additional fifteen constructive losses, all were due to the engines being nearly destroyed or transmissions having shredded themselves due to battle damage. Of the destroyed tanks, the ones who had surviving crew were hit in the flank with a anti-tank rifle or heavy machine gun, normally positioned via armored car. Those that had the crews killed normally had been taken out by shell shrapnel, heavy explosive charges, or in several horrifying cases incendiary weapons. Of the surviving tanks including constructive losses, most had burned through their ammunition fairly quickly due to loose fire control and the desire to suppress positions where "significant" enemy presence was detected. More than a few particularly daring W-4 drivers had gone so far as to take ammunition from their downed fellows, or request it from their platoon leader SkW-1s. In sum, the W-4 crews were disappointed in their inability to maintain an enduring battle presence, as well as how fragile they were when they didn't have situational awareness of the battlefield.
After the 1/1 Elbing's part in the battle, things devolved into using the South Force's artillery to beat the third and final line of the enemy until ammunition starvation took hold, and the battle settled down to a markman-filled impasse as night fell. At this point, the since-forgotten 2/4 Nyasaland decided to spring their attack out of the highlands, making off with the majority of the enemy's truck park and two steam locomotives, dead-set on capturing M'banza. After loading everything onto the stolen locomotive train and then continuing along, they finally infiltrated the city three days later before bald-facedly marching on the Royal Palace in parade formation stating they had been sent ahead to negotiate the ceasefire after the total annihilation of the Kongolese field army.
The fact that saboteur teams had destroyed the telegraph lines along the way from the battlefield allowed this deception, and the King of the Kongo dutifully signed a ceasefire despite having the majority of his field army encamped within shooting distance of South Force and reinforcements on the way. Once radio contact with South Force was resumed (and Irromic-trained telegraphers were stationed in the right places as part of the "ceasefire") the South Force marched on M'banga and formalized the ceasefire in order to end the war.
At home, meanwhile, you had good news. You'd managed to get Anne-Marie pregnant again, and the resulting daughter was as cute as a button. You'd need to settle on a name, of course, but that should be fairly easy as long as the resulting political mess the victory had generate cleared up.
Votes
Daughter's Name?
[] Ilse Volta (Anne-Marie's suggestion)
[] Write-in
Politics (Vote by Plan, can choose multiple options per category)
[] Plan Name
-[] Schabler
--[] Condemn Schabler's insufficient aggression and inability to handle the local terrain and environs.
--[] Support Schabler's defense-minded strategies and low casualties over the length of the war.
-[] Holn
--[] Degrade Holn's reckless maneuvering and over-reliance of local militias with captured equipment to patch together his force after a disastrous initial retreat.
--[] Applaud Holn's decisive end to the war and ability to adapt to a changing war situation while being cut off from sufficient support.
-[] Locals
--[] Recommend Irromic regiments recruit local Askari to refill billets emptied over the war.
--[] Recommend Irromic regiments do not recruit local Askari to refill billets.
--[] Recommend formalizing the riverboat unit
--[] Recommend formalizing the Gerbersjaeger unit
--[] Recommend formalizing 4 Volta
-[] Armor
--[] Recommend a permanent armor detachment for the Colonies
--[] Recommend against permanent armor in the Colonies
Last edited:
