Contest 6 Conclusion/Contest 7 Board Formation
7734
Trust and verify.
- Location
- Philmont
After suggesting to Fenrus he formalize his companies and get cracking on adding an emergency safety override and that oil gauge, you found an "experimental" vehicle at your house with the suggested modifications and a brand new set of instruction manuals in the front seat in a sealed oilskin pouch. The boys went mad over it, while Anne-Marie clucked a little and sighed. You and the Cavalry Branch formalized the commission a few days later.
Potsdaman let you know the information about a ruggedized interior and the fold-up benches in the back had been well-accepted, but that they were resisting putting in a weapons mount more complex than a straight post pintle. It would work well enough for requirements, you supposed. The cavalry wasn't terrible pleased, but the fact was they were getting a good, lightly armored truck that could haul people, supplies, and probably get retrofitted into just about anything else they needed. The Gerbersjaegers were already using them as field ambulances, and they could theoretically hold two stretchers on the bed floor or four in wall mounts.
When the topic of the W-5 came up, though, that's when you had to go back to the capitol posthaste. It seemed, via the vagaries of economics and the fact the Wanderer production lines were about as continuous as a fishing net, some critical deal had gone sour in the production line and everything had come grinding to a near-halt. From last year's five hundred W-5 tanks, this year had a predicted continual build of… seventy-five. Most of those were already nearly finished, too, with work coming to a grinding stop in dozens of factories as they lacked critical components to make more tanks while the supply network on the backend tried to explode.
High Command was livid, and were trying to get Wanderer's head on a plate. In the meantime, though, your job description was simple- find, develop, and create a replacement for the Wanderer W-5 tank, with equal or exceeding it in capability. Since you finished up the cavalry job quickly and neatly, there was a lot of noise about squeezing out a little extra for you for testing, since these vehicles were probably going on a ten-year production contract.
Right now, your threat board for the future was looking pretty black. The Carrigians were getting back on their feet, and the Balhks had done a lot of internal housecleaning to rebuild their industry and army, now focused heavily on an even more offensive doctrone designed to break through whatever stood in their way, and the Kubahs had decided that foot infantry were passe and had issued everyone trucks, and more than a few armored cars and light tanks to go with.
Currently, the expectation was that the W-5 replacement project had to be capable of combating material targets, operating with the existing stocks of W-5 and SkW-1 tanks, and not be some hulking behemoth. Current doctrine suggested a high-low approach to tank design, with several smaller tanks working as a support structure and movement arm of a larger tank. The large tank, presumably an SkW-1, was to be equipped with a 'bunker-breaking weapon' and 'ancillary approach vector defense' weapons. Meanwhile, the lighter side-along companions were to be armored 'against reasonable small-arms and light anti tank weapons' and armed with 'a turreted main weapon to engage a demi-platoon or light material asset, preferably with shell firing ability.'
You were gonna have your work cut out for you, weren't you?
Board Formation (choose 5)
[] Abbot Marchevion: A Bohemian national who emigrated after a scandal in the Werser crowns forced him from home, this man is rumored to be an intelligence expert and Lithuanian sympathizer.
[] Oberstlieutenant Conrad Fenrus: The cavalry commander with the 1st "Schlangenesser" regiment, this officer is incredibly familiar what exists of breakthrough tactics in this day and age on the open plains of the West Irromedes, as well as the state of the cavalry branch.
[] Edmund Volkstuppe: A young reserve kaptain who's spent most of his career in the artillery, Volkstruppe has an unnering knowledge about light artillery and what advancements have been going on in your old backyard.
[] Terier Meklan: An engineer from Skoda's small tractor production operation, which traces back to the armor production facility. He's looking for a name for himself.
[] Renne Jung: A junior member of Commorate Casting Corporation sent to help tailor whatever they build to your requests.
[] Movo Leib: A Jewish captain of the armored car cavalry sent by the Wersers in part of a bid to get you to adopt the Straßenpanzerwagen S861. Again.
[] Fredrick Jumo: A plucky young engine designer who previously served in the Seebatalions.
[] Leutnat Hansel Vorbin: One of the neue Techniken, or State of the Art armor officers, this young man is one of the first War College graduates specifically for the Armor Branch.
[] Leutnat Paul Heinz: A Pioneer from Ostafrika who moved to the mainland, he is incredibly familiar with light rail and improvised logistics trains.
[] Kaptain Jacob Adler: An up-and-coming proponent of the Luftwaffe's new Battlefield Support doctrine, who worked with them and the Kriegsmarine in the new Flugzeugpeitsche project.
Potsdaman let you know the information about a ruggedized interior and the fold-up benches in the back had been well-accepted, but that they were resisting putting in a weapons mount more complex than a straight post pintle. It would work well enough for requirements, you supposed. The cavalry wasn't terrible pleased, but the fact was they were getting a good, lightly armored truck that could haul people, supplies, and probably get retrofitted into just about anything else they needed. The Gerbersjaegers were already using them as field ambulances, and they could theoretically hold two stretchers on the bed floor or four in wall mounts.
When the topic of the W-5 came up, though, that's when you had to go back to the capitol posthaste. It seemed, via the vagaries of economics and the fact the Wanderer production lines were about as continuous as a fishing net, some critical deal had gone sour in the production line and everything had come grinding to a near-halt. From last year's five hundred W-5 tanks, this year had a predicted continual build of… seventy-five. Most of those were already nearly finished, too, with work coming to a grinding stop in dozens of factories as they lacked critical components to make more tanks while the supply network on the backend tried to explode.
High Command was livid, and were trying to get Wanderer's head on a plate. In the meantime, though, your job description was simple- find, develop, and create a replacement for the Wanderer W-5 tank, with equal or exceeding it in capability. Since you finished up the cavalry job quickly and neatly, there was a lot of noise about squeezing out a little extra for you for testing, since these vehicles were probably going on a ten-year production contract.
Right now, your threat board for the future was looking pretty black. The Carrigians were getting back on their feet, and the Balhks had done a lot of internal housecleaning to rebuild their industry and army, now focused heavily on an even more offensive doctrone designed to break through whatever stood in their way, and the Kubahs had decided that foot infantry were passe and had issued everyone trucks, and more than a few armored cars and light tanks to go with.
Currently, the expectation was that the W-5 replacement project had to be capable of combating material targets, operating with the existing stocks of W-5 and SkW-1 tanks, and not be some hulking behemoth. Current doctrine suggested a high-low approach to tank design, with several smaller tanks working as a support structure and movement arm of a larger tank. The large tank, presumably an SkW-1, was to be equipped with a 'bunker-breaking weapon' and 'ancillary approach vector defense' weapons. Meanwhile, the lighter side-along companions were to be armored 'against reasonable small-arms and light anti tank weapons' and armed with 'a turreted main weapon to engage a demi-platoon or light material asset, preferably with shell firing ability.'
You were gonna have your work cut out for you, weren't you?
Board Formation (choose 5)
[] Abbot Marchevion: A Bohemian national who emigrated after a scandal in the Werser crowns forced him from home, this man is rumored to be an intelligence expert and Lithuanian sympathizer.
[] Oberstlieutenant Conrad Fenrus: The cavalry commander with the 1st "Schlangenesser" regiment, this officer is incredibly familiar what exists of breakthrough tactics in this day and age on the open plains of the West Irromedes, as well as the state of the cavalry branch.
[] Edmund Volkstuppe: A young reserve kaptain who's spent most of his career in the artillery, Volkstruppe has an unnering knowledge about light artillery and what advancements have been going on in your old backyard.
[] Terier Meklan: An engineer from Skoda's small tractor production operation, which traces back to the armor production facility. He's looking for a name for himself.
[] Renne Jung: A junior member of Commorate Casting Corporation sent to help tailor whatever they build to your requests.
[] Movo Leib: A Jewish captain of the armored car cavalry sent by the Wersers in part of a bid to get you to adopt the Straßenpanzerwagen S861. Again.
[] Fredrick Jumo: A plucky young engine designer who previously served in the Seebatalions.
[] Leutnat Hansel Vorbin: One of the neue Techniken, or State of the Art armor officers, this young man is one of the first War College graduates specifically for the Armor Branch.
[] Leutnat Paul Heinz: A Pioneer from Ostafrika who moved to the mainland, he is incredibly familiar with light rail and improvised logistics trains.
[] Kaptain Jacob Adler: An up-and-coming proponent of the Luftwaffe's new Battlefield Support doctrine, who worked with them and the Kriegsmarine in the new Flugzeugpeitsche project.
