Montabaurian Expeditionary Force Headquarters, Lubeck, GDR
Colonel Bayern and his highest officers descended into a bunker below the headquarters, and had Field Marshall Hoth brought down with them. Heavy casualties had been suffered in the city, with as many as 1500 troops being killed following Quadruple Alliance bombings, and a further 900 killed in direct attacks on troops. They would be replaced by the 3000 being brought from the retreating Operation Imperator offensive. Colonel Bayern ordered for jets to be scrambled to counter any further air attack. "Colonel, we have no F-16's remaining, we have precious little anti-air weaponry and the only air assets remaining are a few attack helicopters, but we need to reserve them until absolutely necessary." replied the newly appointed Chief of Air Force-Montabaurian Expeditionary Force to the GDR, or CAF-MEFG (a somewhat irrelevant role at this point). Colonel Bayern snapped a pencil he was holding. "How could it have gone so wrong? How?! How?! I will tell you why! We are on the backfoot because we lost the fucking initiative! We lost momentum! Then international parasites decided they wanted a name and joined in on our fucking war! And look where we are now!" Colonel Bayern laid back into his chair, and slammed his fists on the table. Field Marshall Hoth sat behind him, looking bemused, but he decided against talking. Knock knock knock. "Come in!" yelled Bayern. It was a corporal delivering a message, panting. "Colonel...ah...there's been landings...ahm...landings along the coast...uh...it looks like Islamic Cooperative...our beach defence forces were an...an...annihilated." The Colonel ordered for troops to be deployed to counter the attacks, but he had more bad news in store. An advisor spoke up. "Sir, our warehouses and much of our military transports have been obliterated. We can't afford to use assets that could be needed elsewhere. We are low on ammo, food and supplies. We can hold out for two weeks at the very most. Troops in villages to the north will have to use what they have." Colonel Bayern rose to his feet, and launched into a tirade against the Quadruple Coalition and against his officers' competency. Forces in the city central were dwindling, with about 840 surviving the bombings, many hundreds being lost in the attacks in the north, whole garrisons being destroyed in the west and east. Numbers defending the Montabaurian territory stood at about 17,000, stretched across the villages. Colonel Bayern ordered for an officer to make their way south to announce the full retreat of the Operation Imperator force.
Outside, Lubeck was rubble in many areas, buildings collapsed in the streets, warehouses totally obliterated, army vehicles and weapons stations littered the streets in flames. A few squadrons had ordered their troops to shackle civilians to defences, to deter strikes against their position. This was an action readily endorsed by the high command.
Montabaurian troops preparing defences on the northern outskirts of Lubeck
Lubeck Airbase, GDR
Defences were being prepared at the the airbase, but the garrison had been shrunk since Field Marshall Hoth had been evacuated back to Lubeck. The garrison stood at 300 Black Force troopers, and nearly all of the non-combat workers had left for Lubeck, even though it wasn't much of a safe haven. The soldiers were preparing tank traps to the south and east, as they were aware that Ratzeburg was not in a good shape. They laid barbed wire, and used makeshift defences, made from steel and rubble from the bombings, to using holes in the ground and jet wreckages. There were four machine gun nests set up, but the rest of the soldiers were armed M4A1s and AK variants. The troops weren't tremendously hopeful, knowing that the Ratzeburg Island garrison had over 1500 men and an assortment of equipment, they were severely under supplied.
Black Force troops assembled outside a building at the air base.
(Further OOC: If I am doing something 'godmoddy', please tell me.)
