In reply to Mariusz Tokarski (msg #53):

Finished talking for the moment, Dawid assisted Mariusz in cleanup duties.

Tucker stands and nods as he and Konrad talk in private.

Bayer nods, "Done. Already mentioned to Milk to prepare to deploy as soon as possible. I want them to run by me their plan first so we can coordinate. The bicycles are good idea, but I'll leave that up to them."

"I Have appointed Griet in command of working with Adam to unstuck. I expect we'll have to do what we did a few days ago with the anchor." he explains. "I haven't had a chance to speak with the Indian gentlemen. He may be of good use to Griet."

Putting on his kevlar, and collecting his rifle he walks out and stands next to the PKMs. Immobilized, he felt the tug was at its most vulnerable time. Even with just a skeleton security crew on board, a threatened tug could simply sail away. Removing his binos he gives a quick scan of the ground on both sides of the banks.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:39, Sun 29 June 2008.

Reply to Anneka

Sanjay replied,
"I was a Private, although that didn't really cover it. Basically I was just given stuff to fix. A lot of them were just young kids who didn't really know one end of a spanner from another. As you might have worked out I don't really strike folks as front line assault material."

In response to Mariusz,

"I dont smoke; makes you stink and people can smell you coming for hundereds of meters. Also, dogs are trained to smell it- gives you up. No worries on the 'sorry' shit, I didn't know you were there. It's all cool. Hey, thanks for the offer- I know they are in short supply. I need to leave some shit here to go out. I want to leave it with you. My pack and all my heavy shit. Going real light here. Thanks again."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:19, Sun 29 June 2008.

"Yes sir." Milk replies. He long ago abandoned the bad war zone habit of saluting. It was a tell-tale signal to enemy snipers saying "shoot this guy- he's an officer!"

Milk finds McCoy and Stoner and informs them that the green light's been given.

"Alright men, Konrad's given the go ahead for a recon- option two. It looks like it'll just be the three of us. Griet suggested we infil part of the way by bicycles. I've inserted by parachute, by chopper, by boat- even on horseback- but I aint ever gone in by bike. I'm not sure about it but it would save time, though.

"Now, I understand the tank is on the east bank, but so is the town. We'll get a better view of the defenses on that side, but we also stand a greater chance of getting detected- civies, dogs, etcetera. Also, there are two tributaries on the east bank between here and the town that we'd have to cross on the way there. It's too cold for any of us to get wet on our way to a hide site. I'd rather take a look at the bridge defenses from the west bank. Whattaya all think?"

As soon as they've hashed out a plan, Milk will ask his two SOF comrades to help him move the AGS-17 and its ready ammo to the position he's prepared for it atop the bridge roof.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:58, Sun 29 June 2008.

"West side it is. We set up a hide 1 klick away and we trade off sketching and using the M49. It's 20x so we are in easy range. We go in at night, set up the hide, 360 degree defense, and observe for a day, then scoot out that next night- easy as cake."
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:05, Mon 30 June 2008.

"I haven't been on a bycycle in years, but I'll give it a shot. I've got the MP-5 and one magazine out of the armory, should we bring one of the RPGs also?"

"Agreed but we need to head out now. It's about 15 klicks away so by the time we make our final approach, it'll be near dark or dark already. Konrad wants us to head out pronto and I can understand why. We made a hell of a lot of enemies back in T-breg and I wouldn't put it past the Sando 'commandant' to decide he wants to come get the tug for himself."



"Yeah, we could take that RPG-18. It's no bigger than an M-72 LAW. There's also that little Polish one-shot number* in the armory but it looks like it'd be more dangerous to the user than to its target. We used to have a silenced Sterling SMG but I think Yazzie took off with that. Long story, that guy. We need to draw at least a couple sets of NVGs as well.

"Now give me a hand with this AGL before I run the plan by Bayer."

*The Komar disposable AT RPG. The pic is somewhere in the Scuttlebut OOC thread.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:32, Mon 30 June 2008.

"Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go" Dave sings as he grabs one end of the AGL.

"Of course! That makes sense. I always stink of gunpowder, cordite anyways."

"I shall look after your belongings."

"You also say you are wanting to stay in Poland, I can see there would be much need for a man of your talent. Like I said, the Armija Krajina (Home Army) has long worked with US Special Forces, and we can give you a home if you are willing to help us rebuild."

As Adam and Walter try to coax the stranded tug from the suction of the submerged mudbank, the recon team kits up in preparation for their mission. Clarence briefs Konrad on the mission, receiving the final go-ahead.*

With Walter needed on the Krolowa's bridge, Minh is tasked with ferrying the recon team back from its insertion point (Stoner will handle the inbound trip). The infiltration is successful and the team is put ashore. They've forgone the bicycles as there is no road within their infiltration corridor (the road paralleling the river is nearly 5km inshore here). They move swiftly but cautiously, using what little concealment they can find as effectively as they can. They make good time and see only a small party of what appear to be civilians well in the distance, near the road. It does not appear that they are seen. Within a few hours, the recon team is within sight of the bridge. They settle into a suitable hide side with a good view of the western side of the bridge and camoflage themselves amidst the thick underbrush, setting Claymores along the likely avenues of approach. A light rain has begun to fall.

They take turns observing the bridge, noting the number of defenders and the types of their weaponry. The tank, a cold, dappled green sentinal, sits immobile on the opposite bank, just off of the road. It's turret, supplemented with improvised armor consisting of track links and sandbags, is topped by a KPV HMG (light cannon to some).

As expected, the bridge appears to be guarded by a hodge-podge of Polish government troops- undoubtedly conscripts- variously armed with Tantal and AKM rifles. By and large, they look young and inexpert. None sport more than a whisp of facial hair. One particular guard on the near-side appears to be a couple of years younger than the barely post-pubescent deck hand (Luboslaw) back aboard the Krolowa. With his oversized helmet and long, skinny neck, he resembles a long-stemmed mushroom.

On the near side of the bridge, a gaggle of six young guards huddles close together passing around a lit cigarette. A man appears walking quickly towards them from the other side of the bridge. A young, ruddy-faced guard hastily stubs the cigarrette out on the concrete guard-rail and pockets it. The party crasher strides towards the group and begins shouting and gesticulating angrily. The others quickly disperse, one falling to the ground as the older man cuffs him on the side of his head.

The man's appearance stands in stark contrast to the others. He is older and moves with the confidence of a seasoned veteran. He's dressed in the newest model Soviet camoflage. He is followed shortly thereafter by another pair of Soviet troops, younger perhaps, but carrying themselves like expert predators. One carries an ufamiliar weapon- it's about the size of a carbine, scoped, and appears to have an integral silencer. He also has a small radio strapped to his chest harness. He and his comrade begin walking along the shore, heading up-river, soon passing out of sight. The young Poles take their positions and the angry Soviet heads back to the opposite bank.

A head count reveals twice the estimated strength of 24 men on duty at any given time. About half of those on duty appear to be Soviet soldiers. There is a sandbagged machine gun bunker on the near side, and likely another on the far side. The nearside bunker appears to be armed with tripod-mounted PKM. There is also a truck parked under some trees on the far side of the river and a tent pitched nearby that.

Clarence estimates that there are at least 36-50 defenders total, working in split shifts, with another 12-24 stationed in the town a few kilometers to the east. Over half of the defenders are Poles, the remainder are likely Soviets. All are armed with a variety of WARPACT infantry weapons. The Polish force looks to be made up almost exclusively of recent conscripts while the Soviets by and large look to be top-notch soldiers.

All of this information is transmitted by radio to the command element on board the tug.

Actions?

OOC: *Any questions about the plan we can hash out OOC. I didn't want to hold things up.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:49, Tue 01 July 2008.

Reversing the main screws and engaging the bow thrusters, the Krolowa slowly eases herself from the grasp of the submerged mudbank.

Pulling free, she heads stern-first up-river for a few hundred meters before reversing course, creeping again slowly forward in attempt to circumnavigate the estimated position of the hidden obstacle. As soon as she is clear, she drops anchor, mid-channel, and comes to a halt. The entire process takes about an hour.

From the engineering spaces, Grzyech reports no damage to the engines while the screws appear to be free of entanglements and operating properly. A visual inspection is difficult due to the turbid, fast moving waters of the Vistula.

After several cold, unneventful hours more, the recon team reports that they are in position and begins feeding real-time intel to the team still aboard the tug.

The sun will be going down in another couple of hours.

Actions?

Bayer keeps watch towards the surrounding area by field glasses. Ensuring nobody is able to approach, hostile or not. While the tug is getting unstuck, he maintains radio contact with the recon team. After a while he approaches Mariusz, "I don't like putting too many ashore at once, but if I had thought about it beforehand... two ashore to forage or hunt those pigs you spoke of would have been an option."

When informed of the tug's status (by Griet or Adam) he asks, "How close can we to the bridge with the closing of the day, without revealing our smoke? I'd like to cut some of the distance down but not to the point of revealing ourselves."

Explaining himself he says, "Radio reports indicate they may be more than just Polish infantry. Silenced weapons give an indication they are spetznaz... still on the pursuit of us. Won't matter if the travel papers are legit or not if that is the case."

"Getting closer to deploy a supporting element and potentially a tank hunting team will be easier with the tug closer to the objective. And it will be safer for the tug if it encounters its own problems being closer to the shore party. Eliminating the tank will allow the tug to have direct line of sight support as well."

"We still have further reports from the recon team to go, so I don't say this as if we are going into a combat situation for sure. It is just speculation and anticipation." he finishes.

Tucker will walk with Bayer as he walks over to the PKM's and continues to speak to him in a low voice.

Mariusz said to the Kaptain, "We could have put hunters out, but I think you're right to keep to two parties. I'll make the food last as long as I can, the people we face next are established in their positions, I would guess they have supplies there. We'll manage, whatever, Kaptain, I'd rather go hungry than lose someone we don't absolutely have to. Thanks for discussing it with me, Sir."

While they are still stuck in the mud, Tucker checks on the foward mortar pit where Dawid and Minh are usually found.  "Dawid!  All is good here with you?"

Griet answered the Kaptain's question as best she could, "We are just over one and a half hour's travel from the bridge, that's about fifteen klicks. I'm not fully sure, but given the weather and failing light, I'd guess that we could get within five clicks safely, say an hour of steaming. The problem is, that still puts us two kilometers, five minutes at top speed outside the mortar's range, and top speed is risky, something might blow or we might hit an obstacle we missed in our haste, to be careful, and in the dark it would take at least twelve minutes to close the gap, more if we wanted to lead with a ship's boat to check for obstacles."

Griet paused and thought for a moment, "The sound of the engines at their quietest would carry a good couple of Klicks, it might be wisest to cruise up river for about eight kilometers now, safely out of observation range, and then creep up at night, we could cover two kilometers an hour fairly stealthily, for a steam tug that is, and get to the two kay limit in two and a half hours, if we waited till midnight, say by 02.30. We might want to see if the position puts out night pickets too, that will cut our options even further."

Adam listens in turn to Konrad's questions and his daughter's carefully measured reply before responding. He uses Griet's title to leave no doubt as to her position on the team as a skilled professional, not just the old man's daughter.

"I believe that Chief Niewiadomska's assessment is correct, Mr. Bayer. I am willing to risk moving in the dark if you think that it is necessary. But since we cannot use the spotlight without giving away our presence, I will need someone with night vision equipment on the barge or atop the bridge- both, preferably- to watch for obstructions in the river. In the meantime, we may proceed with caution."

Dave looks at the two Green Berets. "I don't think we can take on that many, especially trained troop", he whispers. "What do you guys think about disembarking the obviously American troops and try to get the tug past with a local crew, using those papers. We could move the American and NATO people downriver on this side of the bank, then pick them up past town. Plus if they confiscate the tug and lock up our people, we'll have a force outside to rescue them."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:56, Wed 02 July 2008.

Sam puts his fingers to his lips and then taps his watch to signify later.


He continues to sketch the bridge and all the gun emplacments in his book and take notes on all the points Konrad wanted.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:52, Wed 02 July 2008.

Bayer nods appreciatively to Griet and Adam. Thankful for their expertise he says, "Alright. Proceed as close as you think you can without revealing ourselves. We will reevaluate once we arrive or the sun sets... whichever is first."

As the tug prepares to proceed downriver, he continues to think over different ideas of either diminishing the enemy force or simply splitting it. The lack of manpower quashed most of his ideas.

After appointing Kasparov as the forward sentry he musters the remaining team on the deck, near the mortar. "To keep you informed. The recce party has confirmed a platoon strength Polish unit augmented by what may be Soviet Spetznaz or other elite troops. A tank is on site as expected."

"I am anticipating combat at this point. If it were only the Poles, passage may have been an option and a peaceful resolution possible. The presence of the Soviets alludes to the same forces that pursued us earlier. If not, then they have been reported to be at least disciplined enough to regard all NATO soldiers as enemy."

"With the recce element on ground and capable of thinning out the enemy ranks... knocking out the tank I think should be handled by a dedicated tank hunting party. Bringing the tug into line of sight, it will be critically outmatched by the tank."

"A supporting element will also be helpful in case the recce det is revealed during their elimination work."

"Alright?"

Milk cups a hand around his mouth and whispers in Stoner's ear,

"It could work. But, if they're looking for the tug, it's likely that they'll impound it and take the crew to Lublin for proper interogation. At the very least, they'll help themselves to her weapons and cargo."

Despite his misgivings, Clarence passes along Stoner's suggestion to Konrad over the radio.

OOC: I know that in RL, SF types conducting this kind of op probably wouldn't be chatting or using the radio so much but I want to keep things rolling. On the other hand, Clarence's radio has an encryptor and burst transmitter and the light rain and distance from what they're observing would make their conversation undetectable.

Before anyone on the deck can respond, Bayer stops to listen as Clarence relays the suggestion. As much as he would like a peaceful resolution, he had little hope for it. Every time they try to make a deal they get screwed, everyone they trust turns out to be in it for just themselves, etc. Now with the report of what Bayer assumes to be loyal Soviet troops, possibly spetsnaz, he declines, "Roger. Wait, out."

After a moment says, "Milk? You don't have to take all of them. We may deploy a anti-tank team and a support team to assist. Your group only needs to silence some of the sentries to cover our approach and setup. I am not worried about the manpower there, as long as the tank and heavy weapons can be knocked out the tug should be able to pass. Awaiting reply over."

Quyen is sitting on the sandbagged protection around the mortar listening to the tentative plan. Not sure if she'd be placed into either the tank hunting group or the support group (of left on the tug), she decides to offer her skills regardless. Speaking up when there was a chance, she says - "Hauptmann, do you want me to rig any of the plastic explosives or try to come up with some improvised anti-tank weapons? As a backup for the RPG."