Corvade was at your office the first day at about nine-thirty looking like a lost puppy, so you let him in and got him a cup of coffee. In retrospect, this was a terrible mistake, as once he got warmed up his mouth was off to the races. You soon knew the names of almost every officer in the Donnerkatzen, and more than a few of the wives too. In between the walls of gossip, though, there was an air of tension- the force had been stretched to breaking point time and time again in the war, and it showed. Most of the officers were imports from the Sixth Seebatalion, and of the formation's pre-war strength barely five percent were still alive, mostly in the NCO corps. Morale was high, but the core regiment was still rump a company, and that was going to be a fact of life for a long time for all the Seebatalions. After the War, manpower was thin on the ground, so the Seebatalions Commandant had decided rather than be prepared to spend lives, it would be better to spend money. It was a good thing, too- because you'd just gotten the formal features requests from the Seebatalion Legion-kaptains.
Whatever you approved needed the following features.
-At least, but not limited to, one 5,5cm gun or rapid-fire cannon
-At least, but not limited to, one 7,5cm cannon or larger
-At least one weapon in traversing turret mount
-At least protection capable of withstanding sustained rifle and machine gun fire
-At least as fast as leg infantry on tactical scale
-AND/OR
--Ability to cross a river thirty meters wide without bridging
--Ability to cross water five meters deep
--(Aditional components may be used)
-Tactical endurance for at least 8 hours of operation
Thanking Corvade for the laundry list of requirements, you groaned into your hands. That was going to be a mess.
Meeting with Hansonson later was practically a relief in comparison. Much like Magus, he was blunt, to the point, and not willing to play games. With the innovation of the infantry grenade projectors and trench mortars, clearing a trench had gotten much easier, but machine gun proliferation and effective flares had made defense that much more dangerous too. Gas weapons had been going out of vouge, thank heavens, but more than a few artillery batteries kept them in store in case they needed to slow a massed infantry attack right now so they could lay into them with fused canister shot and shells. Improvements in supply were also changing warfare, so he'd keep you posted. At the end of it, you were happy his card went in your contacts book- he'd be useful later.
Folgers was a bit more of a problem to drag out to Bremmen, but you managed it after some yanking and hauling. Considering he'd gotten married less than two months ago, you could see the complaints, but honestly you needed a clearheaded picture. One look at the wishlist that the Seebatalions made, and he was laughing on the floor. They weren't getting it with the W-2, nor the W-5 that High Command had decided to adopt after looking over the finances of the Empire and the last war's disaster. Turns out a W-5 or W-6 could force a breakthrough just fine, if they were backed by enough artillery. After some soothing drinks, Folgers replied he'd stay around in town and honeymoon with the wife a little bit, while you got ready to call him in for testing when that finally showed up.
Your inclusion of Addler was prefunctuary at this point, but Skoda called back to inform you he'd died of stroke last month, and his son Johann Addler would be happy to come help. More importantly to you, Addler Jr. was part of the SkW-1 design team, as well as being an assistant designer for the C-class Motor Torpedo Boat and F-class Monitor. While he was occupied working on the SkW-2 design committee, he did send his regards and a promise to mail you a set of the plans for any SkW-1 modifications you'd need in the near future. You seriously considered asking for one designed as a mobile distillery, but they'd probably do it, the mad bastards.
Finding Udst was a challenge, even with Gryfon's help. The man was drinking heavily in an officer's club for the Seebatalioners, and the mere fact you knew it existed by prroxy made you a threat apparently. Still, getting him out of the building and sobbered up provided you with a wealth of information on landings and shore actions. The tanks, he revealed, weren't for while the raiding force was on the beaches- it was for once they'd cleared the first ridgelines, and gotten out of contact with the landing craft for fire support and decoy targets. Nobody sane tried to hold a beach- you couldn't fortify one well at all. As long as what you got them could punch through the light static lines, though, you'd have the raiders through the real obstruction, and then they could get it to work. He thought the guns requirement was a little overkill, but everything else was good.
Your letter to Kowolski foundered on your mention of this being a Seebatalion tank- on mention of regular exposure to salt water, the Royal Radio and Telegraph offices sent a man to inform you that they wanted nothing to do with this, thank you very much, and not to darken their doorsteps with this nonsense ever agian.
With your Advisory Pannel technically assembled, it was time to write your own Request for Quotes. The Seebatalion's own list could be incorperated into yours as you saw fit, but you were walking a tight line- they didn't have to accept what you accepted, and unlike with High Command, there really wasn't a good way to get the Commandant of the Seebatalions on your side. You'd have to step carefully.
(This is a PLAN VOTE; you don't need to include the Seebatalion's own requests. However, they can independantly fail any design, so you need to keep them collectively happy-ish.)
