"Couldn't the smaller mortar rounds still be fired? I heard back in Krakow there's a factory making mortars that can do it, how exactly I don't really know."

"As far as trade, I'm loathe to give up the D-30 but with so few rounds it's hardly worth keeping. We should trade it and the rounds captured with it."
"However, we should try and get more than just ammunition for it."

"I suggest we ask for radios, gas masks, chemical suits and medical supplies. Some barbed wire and explosives could be useful too to help fortify the place."

Jan nodded in thanks for the cigarette Drew offered him.  He took two and passed one along to Dawid.

“Aren’t the rounds for the D-30 we captured the chemical rounds?” Jan added into the conversation.  “If they are then we should just trade the gun and not the rounds!”

Finishing his Gauloises he used it to light the cigarette from Drew before stubbing it out and continuing.  “As for a recce patrol to Warsaw would that go overland or on the Queen?  Overland gives us more avenues of approach and means that we can be quieter but the Queen gives us more logistic support and means that we can bring back allies more easily if we come across some.”

He stopped to glare at his new cigarette briefly before tearing off the filter and puffing on it again.  He then glanced round the table mentally putting a list together before speaking.

“I think that the patrol itself should comprise ten people.  Apel and Craig are needed for there recent experience and knowledge of the Baron’s forces.  Mariusz and Dawid both lived in Warsaw before the war I believe.  Anneka as medic.  Konrad in command with Minh, Tuck, Steven and myself providing fire support.”

The unfiltered cigarette appeared to be more to Jan’s liking.  “If we go on the boat or take some vehicles we should also take some militia to protect them.”

Before Tucker walks out before Adam or anyone else addresses the group, he takes the shot of vodka and joins the others in the toast to fallen comrades and new one's as well.  He places the empty shot glass back on the table loudly and then silently walks out of the building.

In reply to Apel Avtomian (msg #543):

Dawid toasted his fallen comrades and their new ones, downing the shot.

"Na Zdrowie!" ("To health")"

He replied to Arpel, "oh, I think I mentioned how badly the mortar went, ha ha! That's the fortune of war, sometimes you miss. If we'd have taken out that BTR-70 when we had the chance, the risky shot wouldn't have been needed later. But God or fate decided differently, I'm sorry people were hurt but I'm glad no one was killed."

When the discussion of trading off the D-30 came up he cried, "NO! Please, we can't give up that howitzer! With those rounds, we can strike a serious blow to the Baron if we get him in the right location! If we get more ammunition for it, so much the better! Please, God, let's hang onto it! None of this mortar shit, a howitzer is REAL firepower. Did we recover any other weapons or ammunition? We should allow the garrison to claim they cleared the town, by all means."

"As for my experience with Warszawa, I was there during the NATO siege, but not the the nuclear attack. So I can be of some help. I think Mariusz is the same way."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:21, Fri 12 Feb 2010.

Griet looked at her glass for a moment and then said, "Absent friends." Before drinking its contents off in one.

She put the glass down and thought about what was being said around the table, "I agree that the reconnaisance would be best done by land, the Baron will be looking for us by river now without a doubt. Whilst the team is out the Queen can be put to use helping the town defend itself," she smiled at her father, "if we are going to have family staying here, we should make the best of the place. I'd suggest that we set up a salvage team from volunteers here and we range the banks for more equipment to help defend the town."

She looked over at Mariusz and said, "You are correct, Mari, Clarence Milk, the CIA Operative we harboured for a while had the aim of linking up with members of a defected Russian Tank Division. That Division is probably in a world of hurt now, the Baron is at its flanks and Lublin looks as if it is moving North. I'd imagine it is desperate for allies at present. Trying to find them might help us a lot."

"As for our booty," she concluded, "I'd rather not give a potential enemy chemical shells, but with just three rounds for the D-30 I can't see it being worth keeping. I don't think that trading it with teh garisson would immediately make us a threat, we could pretend that the townspeople here found it in a woods rather than won it by a coup de main. Ammunition and any other equipment we could get would be more useful than having it rusting in the town square."

The Bishop nods his head in agreement.

"The garrison to the south is not much of a threat and the Lublin government has bigger fish to fry if those propaganda leaflets you brought back are to be believed. But you are correct Dawid, we must also think long term. If the howitzer could be used against us in the future, perhaps it would be better to leave it rusting in the town square. I don't know."

Addressing Craig specifically, he continues,

"A raid on Lublin is out of the question. We do not want to risk raising the government's ire. It may be weak, but it is stronger than us. If they really are planning on taking on the 'Baron' of Warsaw, they could probably handle us with relative ease. Once again, the Vistula is our greatest ally. But, perhaps we should look to strengthening our southern defenses, just to be on the safe side."

"Oh, I forgot to mention that another NATO soldier has come to town. He walked in this morning, a few hours after you left. He says he's Norwegian and he certainly looks it. We're holding him at the moment. He claims to know nothing of Czarny but we wanted to make sure before extending our hospitality.

"Mr. Sutherland and Mr. Avtomian, you could verify if he is one of the Baron's men, could you not?"

Craig nods his head at the bishop’s assessment of the likelihood of a raid on Lubin “Best not to poke the bear” he adds.

“There are now two mortar systems we have no ammunition for maybe they should go before the D-30 ? I still think the garrison posses a threat and a resource and at some point it may have to be dealt with. We do not want to be arming a potential enemy”

“If the recon is to happen first then we need to go over the detail, vehicles, weapons and personnel. I think we need to keep it compact three vehicles at the most and the Vasilek on one of them gives us a game winner. Should we use the BTR-152, OT-64 and Alvis Stalwart ? ”

Stopping for a minute to consider the Bishop's request Craig replies;

"I think both Apel and I had a handle on the foreigners in the Barons army but people and faces were more Apel's bag. I’m happy to help if you need me though."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:06, Fri 12 Feb 2010.

"Sergeant Tucker, Piotrowski, please accompany Lieutenants Sutherland and Avtomian to the prisoner."
Although Sutherland had sought to excuse himself from the identification, that wasn't going to wash with her. Although both officers appeared to have performed adequately during the ambush, both were still very new additions to the unit - trust had yet to be established.

"With regard to any patrols, I will be staying behind in the village. There are too many wounded for me to leave at the moment without putting their lives at risk."
"I'm sure several of those who will be going possess sufficient medical knowledge to deal with any minor injuries that may occur on what I assume is to be a reconnaissance mission?"

Although competant in the field, just, her inclusion could actually prove detrimental should things go badly. Far better she allow those trained for the job to carry it out.

"Now, I would advise leaving the amphibious truck behind. My understanding is that it is unarmoured and therefore not suited to possible combat."
"What are the conditions of the other two vehicles? Are both able to be used now or if not, what it the estimated time to repair them?"

In her mind one of the two would be more than sufficient to transport the patrol to and from it's objective. The BTR-152 would be her first choice as she understood there were less mechanical issues with it.

“A Norwegian,” Jan muttered to himself with a small smile.  “This is turning into the UN!”  He had served with a couple of Norwegians in the Legion though and they had been good solid men who could be relied on.

“Warsaw is only about twenty five to thirty klicks away isn’t it?  If it is then I think that we should leave the vehicles here and walk it.”  He nodded at Craig.  “Or as you British say tab it.”

He took another drag on his cigarette.  “If we take vehicles then we’ll have the worry of what to do with them once we get to Warsaw.  Or is the suggestion to drive into Warsaw?  I think that we need to be quieter than that if possible.  I’d also heard that Warsaw was a total mess as a result of the nuke so will we be able to drive round the city avoiding routes the Baron’s forces have cleared?”

He scratched at the stubble on his chin.  “Yes, I think a foot patrol to recce Warsaw would be the best idea.”

Anneka mulled over the Frenchmans comments.
"You do have a point there, however fifty kilometres just there and back is a very long way. Even longer if the weather continues to close in as it has been."
"Perhaps a vehicle crew should drop the patrol a few kilometres short and then return here?"

"And don't forget they may need to visit other villages and camps before returning. Can enough supplies be carried on foot?"

"We need to look at how compact the available food is to work out how many days we can operate unsupported but a drop off near to Warsaw could work well.  Particularly as we could conceal some food somewhere near the drop off point so that we could resupply shortly after leaving Warsaw."

"Also, how long can we afford them to be gone?"
"Is a day or two too long, or not long enough to complete the task? Will a week or more be needed?"
"What exactly do we want to achieve?"

Planning a mission without a goal was just plain silly, everybody knew that.

"I propose the following objectives."
"One. Make contact with friendly residents of Warsaw and assess their ability and willingness to fight against the Baron."
"Two. Make contact with same in communities close to Warsaw."
"Three. Seek out ammunition and equipment stores that may be obtainable."

"Depending on what is found, the patrol may be able to split up and deal with several areas at once thus saving a lot of time. If on the other hand the area is judged by the team leader, who will no doubt be Hauptman Bayer, then the patrol should stay together and prioritize the objectives."

  Drew has been listening to the plan.  He is already figuring the distance and time it would take before he chimes in,

"Figure we'll be gone a week if we go by foot t'll take a day going and commin, so however many days it takes us ta do what we're gonna do.  And if we are compromised well, we could have ta run and gun 20 clicks or E&E that distance....ouch, that'd suck big time."

  "I like the idea of defining mission objectives,  we need to set up a couple rally points and safe houses along the route too just in case we need ta split up or get seperated.  That could be something for the folks who have been there could figure out."


  Drew is already going through things in his mind, assessing what what equipment he may need over such a long distance unsupported.  He feels cold at the thought of the risks he may face.

Sgt Drew
MP5 at the moment
At the discussion and planning phase of recon patrol

Tucker has left the building...

Tucker
Leather Shoulder holster .357 Colt Python [2] speed loaders
Clean BDU's
This message was last edited by the player at 01:58, Sat 13 Feb 2010.

"Ok, let's start to flesh out those objectives.  What communities near to Warsaw do we wish to contact?  Let's work out as sensible a route as possible."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:12, Fri 12 Feb 2010.

"Has anyone got a map? That's probably the best thing to start with."

In reply to Anneka Soleblume (msg #557):

Dawid nodded at Anneka's instructions to go with Sutherland and identify the newcomer.

"Sergeant Tucker went outside, I'll get him, ma'am."

He paused. "Please, let's not trade away any explosive ammunition for the Howitzer. We may only have a few rounds, and while that may not have been much in the old days that's a fortune in today's terms! Remember, only three 82mm rounds helped stop the Baron's troops at Kozienice! Three mortar rounds would have annihilated them, and a howitzer if more accurate. Seriously, I will pout for a month."

"Also, we have enough mortar rounds for one weapon, but not really both. We could trade away the 82mm tube (not the Vasilek). I don't like trading away weapons that could be used against us, especially heavy weapons, but if we have to..."

"One last thing, we should take the Stalwart, I don't famcy walking and time is of the essence. It's not armoured so we're not tempted to get into a fight! It's amphibious so we'd not be forced to use bridges. Either way, I want to mount the Vasilek on the back, shouldn't be a problem. If we walk, we should take the Queen as close as possible."

Putting on his green beret and Home Army armband he turned to Sutherland and asked, "shall we go, leftenant?"

"If you only want to trade one mortar tube, we probably won't get much in return for it," Griet said, "but whatever is decided is decided. As for selling arms to potential enemies, the people of the town can't fight everyone. If we do take out the Baron, this town will probably have to acceed to Lublin at some point. We are a small, mobile unit and we've gotten away with fighting everyone so far because we could steam away. Gora Kawalria can't do that so it'll probably have to ally with Lublin if it does come this way. As the garrison is loyal to Lublin we aren't really arming the town's enemies."

"Setting objectives is good, but we don't have much intelligence about the communities of Warsaw, maybe Bishop does," she looked at the militia's leader, "Do you have any information about post nuke Warsaw? Are there any communities we could talk too? Have you heard anything about a Pro-NATO unit in the vicinity?"

As she waited for any possible answers she looked at Bayer, "We should go through anything Milk left, maybe there's a clue in his pack, I think that was on the truck when he died."

Quyen attends the gathering, but doesn't say anything. Sitting in silence, she keeps her injured leg outstretched, listening. She also eats as much as possible, in an effort to help keep up her strength.

When Tucker leaves, Quyen notices, but her eyes remain fixed on the table.

Adam volunteers the services of his boat and its crew.

"I will take you as far as you want to go. Any way I can help, I will."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:13, Fri 12 Feb 2010.

"The Stalwart isn't running. I believe the tug crew salvaged some parts from the police cutter's engine, though. I'm not sure if they'll be much help. And the BTR-152 or Zil you brought back could probably be stripped for parts. Our van, too, isn't good for much. You're welcome to take parts from it as well.

"I understand your concerns about trading with the Kozienice garrison. I dread the day Lublin decides to send a press gang to Gora Kalwaria. On the other hand, we can't defend ourselves at all without adequate ammunition. I'm willing to trade the 120mm or the 82mm mortar or both. We don't have ammunition for the former and what ammunition we have for the latter is probably better used by your Vasilek. As far as I'm concerned, they are both yours."

OOC: What, if anything, are you willing to let G-K trade for ammo?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:12, Fri 12 Feb 2010.

While the discussion progressed and Anneka looked for a map Jan got up and moved over to Konrad to whisper in his commander’s ear.

“I think that Tuck’s taken Jones’ death hard.  Do you want me to go and talk to him about it?  Possibly get him drunk?”

Jan was also feeling the guilt of a section commander losing a member of his squad but it didn’t seem to have impacted him in the same way as it had Tuck.  Jan was good at compartmentalising things and after losing the rest of his patrol a little while ago in a one sided ambush the loss of Stoner, though much fresher and more raw, was smaller for Jan than the loss of Jones seemed to be for Tuck.

It probably meant that Tuck was a better man than he was.

"That's true.  I'm good with faces.  Ever since I was a kid.  If he was in the Baron's army, I'll recognize him." Apel says confidently.

In reply to Griet Niewiadomska (msg #567):

Dawid stopped at the door, not wanting to rudely walk out when Griet was talking.

"Let's not surrender to Lublin just yet! Who knows, if we defeat the Baron it's possible people will rally to us because God is on our side. The real non-communist Polish government also needs to extend it's authority over the rest of Poland, why not here?"

"Trade the 82mm tube and the 120mm tube. All 82mm ammunition we have should go to the Vasilk, and we don't have any more 120mm ammunition."

He replied to the Bishop, "I can fix the Stalwart within a day, given the parts we've salvaged."

Dawid waited at the door for any reply, if there was none he exited.

Looking towards the major Craig shrugs and replies;

“Yes maybe it's best we both go Apel, we can give the newcomer a good look over.  Maybe the major knows another ally who has been in Warsaw with the units they intend to take on in the last 72 hours.”

With that he grabs his rifle and leaves.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:36, Sat 13 Feb 2010.