Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning.

-Erwin Rommel

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This message was last edited by the GM at 21:44, Sat 28 Mar 2015.

Wednesday, October 25th, 2000
1730 hrs.
39F
clear skies; slight breeze from the northwest
Jackowo Gorne, 10km north of Warsaw, Poland


The commander of the Serock militia, Captain Zawadzki, the "mayor" of Wyszkow, Anton Sobczak, and the leadership of the turncoat 10th GTD- Major General Anton Koronev and "Captain" B.A. Johnstone- have agreed, in principle, to actively cooperate with one another in the removal of The Black Baron Czarny from his position of self-appointed sovereignty over the ruins of Warsaw.

They, along with you, are meeting in an abandoned home in the hamlet of Jackowo Gorne, about midway between Serock and Wyszkow, where the bulk of the 10th TD is still camped. Serock has sent a truckload of food for the hungry soldiers of the 10th, but is unwilling to shelter them or allow transit in the fear that the 300 men of the 10th will find the living there so pleasant that they will not wish to leave. Zawadski has made clear that Serock does not have the wherewithall to feed and/or shelter such a large unit of tired, hungry, and well armed men. It's a reasonable position. So, for the time being, the men of the 10th division will remain in Wyszkow. The mayor of the town, however, seems eager to see them leave.

For all parties, time is of the essence. The men of the 10th, despite the recent delivery of provisions from Serock, is still hungry, and only the Baron's granaries can feed them without depriving others. Neither Wyszkow nor Serock can feed the 10th for more than a day or two without dangerously depleting their stocks of winter food.

The objective of the upcoming offensive, therefore, is simple- to either eliminate the Baron and his men or drive them out of Warsaw, whereupon the 10th will take control of the Black Legion's food stocks. The 10th will remain in Warsaw, acting as it's municipal defense force, until such time as sufficient provisions can be secured for a continuation of their march to the Baltic.

Captain Zawadski is rather cagey regarding his resources. From what you can gather, the core of the Serock militia is a unit of Polish Army engineers. They were stationed in the town at some point during the siege fo Warsaw, during which they developed a strong rapport with the townspeople there. This past summer, they deserted and settled down alongside the surviving residents in the remains of the town, forming the core of its self defense force. A Motor Rifles company was sent to bring them back into the fold, but most of those troops deserted in turn and joined the newly-formed Serock militia. It sounds like the militia consists of about 40 experienced men- most former Polish army soldiers- and a few armed civilians. The lynchpin of their defense system is their BMP-1. They've also recently obtained a beaten-up BTR-70. The Serock militia had a couple of violent run-ins with the Black Legion this autumn, but have succeeded in maintaining their independence. As long as the Baron is in charge, though, Serock can not thrive.

General Koronev, a large, bearded man who bears an uncanny likeness to Joseph Stalin, explains that the 10th TD curently musters just under 300 able-bodied men. Able-bodied is putting it kindly, though. In this case, it means "not quite dead yet". Many of the men are sick with colds or flu-like symptoms, some with serious cases of frostbite, and all are somewhat weak due to the combination of hard marching, unseasonable cold, and minimal rations. Having recently arrived within a day's march of objective, Koronev and Johnstone where unable to prevent the ravenous men from slaughtering and eating the division's last pack horses. The division's heaviest weapon is a 120mm mortar for which they have a decent supply of bombs.

What you bring to the table is fresh intelligence, a few spare guns, and a wealth of recent experience in fighting the Black Legion in and around East Bank Warsaw. You also have access to a powerful river tug-cum-gunboat and around one hundred or so fighters of the Gora-Kalwaria militia. You have yet, however, to mention the Wisla Krolowa to Johnstone, Koronev, or Zawadzki, and you have not been in contact with its crew (and, by extension, the town of G-K) for over 72 hours. For all they know, you could be dead right now. It might be time to try to get in touch with them.

Johnstone, a middle-aged man of average height and stocky build (Warren can tell he's lost a few pounds since they last spoke face-to-face) addresses the gathering,

"Alright, you folks are the military minds here. What's the plan? How do we do this?"


NEXT MOVES?
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:11, Wed 26 Jan 2011.

Jan stood up, almost taking the floor in a formal fashion.

“Well first things first,” he replied, addressing Johnstone initially and speaking English.  He trusted that someone else would translate the whole discussion into Polish or Russian for those who didn’t speak English.  “The men of the 10th obviously need food and if they do not get it then our attack on the Baron’s forces is going to lose coordination quite quickly.”  He turned to General Koronev as he continued.  “I do not mean any insult to your troops General but we all know that hunger can do things to an armed man.  Jeff implied previously that his and Johnstone’s superiors had access to significant resources including the ability to stage an airdrop.”

He looked directly at Jeff as he brought up the agent’s previous claims.  He doubted that Jeff’s story of a US/CIA backed enclave in Eastern Europe with the capability to mount air missions was more than colourful fabrication but this was the time to test whether it was.

“If that is true then I think that you need to prove it by supplying these men, and the rest of us, with some food.  Otherwise I fear that any attack on Warsaw is going to fragment as the men encounter opportunities to acquire food and it then runs the risk of escalation from there.”

He avoided using the word looting but it was obvious what Jan meant.  He had no real objection to looting but only once the main objectives had been achieved.

“Once we are attacking with the aim of defeating the Black Baron rather than the objective of finding food to feed an army then I think that we have a greater chance of success.  As to an actual plan I, personally, have a couple of suggestions.  Amongst our small unit we number several snipers and one plan that has been suggested, by Jeff or Thor I think, is to attempt to kill the Baron in person, the idea being that without the Baron in charge many of his troops will desert.  I think that there is merit in this but we need to do this as part of a coordinated attack rather than in isolation, otherwise some of the Baron’s troops might decide that staying in the city under a different tyrant is better than going it alone somewhere else.  Essentially once we kill their leader we need to give them a reason to flee!”

Jan then glanced at some of the new recruits to their unit, the Poles and the Russian Vita.

“Another suggestion to consider is persuading more of his troops to change sides.  Many of the Baron’s soldiers are actually militia who have been forcibly conscripted and have no loyalty to him at all.  There are several of them here who have chosen to change sides and join us and I think that more can be persuaded to do the same.  If the time pressure of feeding the 10th is removed then I would suggest that while the 10th start probing the Baron’s northern defences us lot, under Captain Bayer, return to the city and start to make contact with groups in the city who might be persuaded to join us.”

“Lastly we need to draw up a list of tactically important locations and objectives in the city so that we can plan how to capture it.  Our new recruits have not really had the opportunity yet to tell us what they know of the current state of the city so I think that some updated intel from them would be useful.  Things like what bridges are still standing and so on.  We currently have intel on where many of his outer ring of defensive positions are located, where his motor pool is, where his granary is, where the barracks for his troops are, where he keeps hostages, where his Palace or HQ is located and where he is currently building a new castle.  Any of those locations that can be confirmed would be useful but if you know of any other important locations or of any other troops who could be persuaded to change sides then now is the time to speak up.”

Having finished ticking off a list of locations Jan sat back down and took a sip of water from the tin cup in front of him.  He then pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, inhaling strongly.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:01, Wed 26 Jan 2011.

In reply to Jan Cerny (msg #3):

Dawid took the initiative and translated Jan's speech into fluent but accented Russian and flawless Polish.

     Monika listened to the proposals.  It didn't matter to her what the plan was or would be.  There would be fighting.  There would be dead and wounded.  There was always dead and wounded.  Maybe getting rid of the Baron was a good thing to do.  Monika knew that getting rid of the Baron was a necessary thing to do.  That would have to be enough justification for her.

     She felt the weight of the reloaded and holstered SMG on her webbing.  Monika hoped that she would never need to aim the compact little chattergun at another human being.  She knew, however, that she needed her weapons to keep alive and stay free.  She didn't like that thought, but she accepted it.

     Monika spoke up, trying to get what she wanted to say right in English.  "Isn't matter.  We fight.  I try fix."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:03, Wed 26 Jan 2011.

Piotr had been standing to the side listening to Jan's suggestions, but when the legionnaire glanced in his direction he stepped forward. Continuing in polish, not only because it was his first language but also to be polite to his host and true to his heritage.

“I think there are certainly others that can be persuaded to join up against the Black Baron although it might be a bit difficult to confirm where to find them.” Although it was a problem he'd like to find a solution to. Jan was right, there were still some good guys he didn't want to die fighting for a cause that wasn't theirs. The only thing most of them were concerned about was staying alive. “The Black Baron has taken some losses and might be moving some of his troops around.”

Taking a pause to give anyone translating a chance to catch up.

“As to the tactical points of interest, I can probably point them out if you have a map of the area I can probably be of help in that area”

Tucker moves forward after Jan starts off the conversation.  "Hey everyone.  I'm Robert Tucker, U.S. Army well, formerly of the U.S. Army.  Anyway, after hearing Jan's initial breakdown, my first thoughts would be to have a couple shooter teams sent out to hunt for key areas for harrassment.  Perhaps another squad with some heavier weapons to roam and hit a couple of different strategic points around the city."

"I like Tuck's idea," Mariusz said, "but think it could go a bit farther. The Baron appears to have arranged his positions in a conventional manner, strongpoints with the potential for mutual support backed up by a strong firebase and reaction force. We could use partisan tactics to screw them up. Infiltrate sniper teams in to hit key personnel and add to that several hit and run teams running a variety of assaults. Do that for a long winter's night and keep the Baron's forces awake and on edge, then hit them full force."

"From what I saw," Jan added to Mariusz' comments, "the Baron's strongpoints look designed to keep people in as much as out!"

Thor had slept almost every available moment, but the mention of his name snapped him back to consciousness.
"Mjollnir one mile, night, no problem," he said confidently.
"Two mile, day, maybe better Járngreipr..."

The high-level negotiation reminded Dawid of something. They had not been successful in contacting their own comrades over the last few days, it was time to give it another go.

"Jan, Ondar's radio is charged, now. Why not have Minh set it up so we can send a report to the Queen?"

Bayer listened but added nothing at this point. Interested in hearing their allies first response, he waited for them to speak before joining in.

Dieter felt no need to get involved with the discussion, but when he heard Dawid talking about the Queen, he decided to make himself useful.

"I don't know if my radio has the range, but I can try to make contact with the Queen."

Assuming they are happy to let him continue, he moved to the highest ground he could see. Dumping his rifle next to him, he set up his PRC-77 manpack radio, and tuned into the frequency he had been given.

"Calling Dreamer or Boyar, this is Thunder. Radio check, over." He repeated this message, in English and then in Polish, over and over again until he could either get a response, or it was clear nobody was listening.

OOC - if my radio is no good for this purpose, please substitute it for another radio in the team that might actually do the job.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:37, Fri 28 Jan 2011.

Johnstone gives Warren a quick look of disapproval before responding to Jan's challenge.

"Believe me, Sergeant Cerny, if we could arrange a supply drop, we would.

"Unfortunately, I don't think that's an option. The last time I was able to contact the enclave, the weather was too shitty to execute a drop. Since then, my satellite radio ran out of juice and some asshole walked off with the last spare battery. Can't really blame the poor dumb bastard who did it- probably thought he could trade it for a loaf of bread and a chicken or something. So, an supply drop's not something we can make happen at this time. I'm sorry."

Major General Koronev shares his thoughts in Muscovite Russian.

"We- the 10th GTD- are not quite strong enough for a direct assault against prepared defenses, but our mortar is a powerful weapon against fixed positions.

"On the other hand, my men are desperately hungry. We can't wait much longer- I'm sure the mayor feels the same way. Small teams of commandos can sow chaos behind enemy lines but this should occur concurrently with a main attack by my division, which, we all know, is a division in name only."

"Captain Zawdaszki, what can you do?"

Captain Zawadzki, commander of the Serock militia responds [in Polish].

"Well, we can launch a small diversionary raid against the Baron's west flank. This may be made more difficult by what these people- what should we call you?"

He gestures towards you and your comrades.

"-have already done. The Baron may have reinforced that sector since your recent exploits."

"The defense of Serock is our main priority and I will not risk that in an all-or-nothing gamble against Czarny. The BMP, therefore, is off the table."

"Rataj's 1st Independent Commando." Bayer answers.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:03, Fri 28 Jan 2011.

Jeff blatantly ignores Johnstone's look for now, and instead translates Koronev's Russian for the group.  And although he understands Zawadki's Polish, he allows one of locals to translate that.

Once he gets the moment, he turns to Bayer, "What sort of assets do you have back in that town you said you all came from?  Gorwa-something.  If they have anything of use, the plan ought to include them.  Just be careful you don't tip our hand with excessive radio chatter on an unsecured link."

"Concerning covert action, if you need me to, Captain (Addressed to Johnstone),  I can grab my other rifle  and head back in with or without any members of this group.  If that's what we decide on."

Almost all the conversation was flying over Matias's head.  Oh, he understood the words well enough; all the Polish, most of the English, and a Russian phrase or two.  But he had none of the background that the others had, or any idea who most of the people they were talking about were.

He decided to keep quiet and try and puzzle his way through what was going on.  And he hoped that both his puzzled look and the signs of his concentration wouldn't show through to the others.

"Glaðsheimr have Smot."
Thor waved an arm in a circle over his head and slowly stood up.
"Glaðsheimr have lang skip."
With his hands he indicated a large boat bristling with weapons.
"Glaðsheimr strong."

"Gotta nice ring to it," Tucker thinks to himself.

Jan watched Thor and his pantomime actions and just shook his head in response.  Though Jeff had asked a question of Konrad, Jan chose to answer it, speaking in Polish.

“The village Jeff is referring to is Gora Kalwaria and Rataj's 1st Independent Commando are based out of there currently.  The village itself has a militia of about a hundred armed men, mostly armed with firearms and a couple of heavy weapons, and there are a core of experienced former Polish soldiers who provide the leadership and NCOs.  We captured one of the Baron’s D-30’s and that is now based there, though it has hardly any shells at all and is therefore only really useable in a defensive situation.  They also have a M-37 mortar but without any shells at all.  If you have spare shells for either of those that would be interesting.”

Jan then glanced at Konrad and smiled to himself.  Rataj's 1st Independent Commando indeed!

“There is also a boat under the command of Captain Rataj and that was heavily involved in destroying the Baron’s pirates.  Mounted on board are a large collection of heavy weapons.  There is a MT-12 Rapira AT gun and a Vasilek Mortar but neither has very many shells left.  There are also two DShK machineguns and a Mk-19 grenade launcher and they have plenty of ammo, well certainly for the machineguns.  I do not know if it is possible to move them off the boat however and the boat is armoured anyway so it might be best to leave them on board and make use of the boat against targets near the river.”

Jan then pulled a small pouch from inside his grenade vest and walked over to Major General Koronev.

“When we met Jeff we ambushed a patrol of horsemen working for the Baron who were pursuing him.  We recovered a load of weapons and buried them nearby.  We had thought to take them back to Gora Kalwaria for their militia but we are agreed that the 10th will make better use of them in the short term.  Therefore we give you this pouch that contains the firing pins from them all.  You will have to send some men to dig the firearms up but Jeff knows where they were buried.  We also recovered some spare weapons and ammo from our recent fighting with the Baron and we give these to the 10th as well.  I think that that is a sign of our good faith!”

“I may also have a contact in Warsaw who might be able to help us.  I need to talk to her further over the radio and arrange to meet her before I can tell you more however.  I think that that is everything but if I have forgotten something I am sure that someone will remind me.”  He glanced round his comrades as he spoke, in case someone could think of something that he had missed.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:51, Fri 28 Jan 2011.