Ah! Ça Ira (AMW, OOC)

[Iansisle]

Hey!

As far as time frames go, I know I keep jumping out in front of where I should be, sorry if it's too confusing! Obviously the Republic won't react to things that haven't happened yet....they're not THAT revolutionary. In general, I usually keep to RL time unless it's inconvenient to do so, as it may become as our RP lags behind. I'm not opposed to whatever time frame works best for everyone else.

I have mentioned that a lot of the foreign aid moneys going to the Shield, as well as a significant part of the domestic budget, is going to infrastructure improvements, including a national highway system and rail gauge standardization. We're only three years in, so I'm not sure exactly how complete that would be and the Republic is planning to blow it up as it retreats anyway. As for Editraequan, I'd imagine that the limited Imperial era system has been significantly compromised by the sectarian violence there.

I'm afraid that I couldn't load the map that you linked. I have no strong opinions. The roads could exist because of Imperial-Gandvian cooperation in the days they were nominal allies following the Great War.

I'll be out of town for the next week (on a road trip with the future Mrs. Iansisle, one actually not that dissimilar to the one President Ewaa wanted to take, minus the part where we briefly cross into Gulf State territory) but I will try my non-smart-phone-owning best to stay in touch with happenings here!

[Cassanos]

As for the timeframe, AMW's usual pace (for which I'm responsible more often than not) might have mooted our plans for a winter campaign. So far, I think we usually went with RL times and dates until it became necessary to describe events happening over a few hours or days. Perhaps we can decide on late-ish February for an "M-Day" for the Gandvian mobilisation order, after which AMW time would diverge from RL-time with D-Day being seven days later? That would put us in late February/early March for the war RP, which might well take a few months to resolve.
What do you guys think?

As for maps, IIRC, we most often went with real-life maps with some slight alterations when needed. That, however, is mostly up to you two, unless TCB decides to invade Nibelunc .
I've also given the Pripyat Marshes some thought, although only insofar as they would make a premptive strike across the border very difficult for Nibelunc. I'll go with whatever you think is best.
Also, that is an excellent map, TCB! Your capacity for research amazes me. Ian, if you can't load it, I can send it to you via eMail or link it in a telegram.

/EDIT: Oh, and have a great trip with Madam Gull, of course .

/EDIT 2: Post is up - WoS, Chrin, Valendia and Byz might want to take a look at my incoherent ramblings.

[The Crooked Beat]

Late February/early March seems perfectly reasonable to me, Cass. And as for the Pripyat Marshes, yeah, I guess we could maybe say there are a few roads through them, though not very well-developed?

I've made a fairly sloppy map, in an effort to visualize things a little more clearly. The corps and division positions definitely shouldn't be taken as exact, though I've tried to give at least a semi-accurate general idea of where the various Gandvian formations are liable to be when the fighting starts. One thing that I'm having second thoughts about, though, is the extent of the Gandvian deployment into Editraequan. There's certainly no significant level of pre-positioning, along the lines of Marbleston, so the divisions currently forming-up there would all have driven in from across the border, and probably in the space of not more than three days at that. What does everyone else think about it? I'm alright with either having all the Gandvian divisions start the war from within Gandvian territory or not, since I think the actual fighting could work out just fine either way. The crossing of Editraequan would certainly raise the possibility of interesting meeting engagements!

Just copied an interesting table from FM-100-2-1:



So maybe 200 kilometers a day sounds right for a typical Gandvian road convoy moving along the more intact roads of trans-Daldan Editraequan? Probably half that for eastern Editraequan, with dirt roads and more than 10% surface destruction!

At the very least, though, I think the Gandvians would have tried to rush at least a couple regiment/brigade-sized forces into Editraequan beforehand to help hold the Daldan bridges.

Anyway, here's the map: http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc3 ... e9508b.png

Very sorry for the small print and numerous inaccuracies, and please don't hesitate to correct me before those mistakes are perpetuated! Also, as always, feel free to draw-in your own details where I've left things out.

[Cassanos]

That amount of infrastructure sounds very reasonable to me, TCB .

I think it's reasonable to assume that some units have already marched into Editraequan, since Gandvik very likely had plans for such a deployment already prepared. I think a corps-sized formation with some support elements would make sense, but that's merely a not-very educated guess . It might also suffer from supply constraints, bottlenecks and crowded roads, but you can judge that far better that I could.

I have taken the liberty of adding a few Nibelung units to your map at roughly D-Day. Some formations of the V. Korps out of Saxony will likely have already arrived in Cassanos, minus the partially active 21st Panzer Division. V. Korps' 15th Panzer Division was in the process of disbanding and is now hurriedly brought up to strength again, but its vanguard won't be ready before D+3 at the least. There is also a bunch of reserve brigades and regiments forming up all over Nibelunc.

Map:
http://abload.de/img/baltmapallszk3r.png

I also made a shoddy map myself, and while I'm afraid it's far too crowded, it should point out the current locations of Nibelunc's major formations. VI. Korps (possibly minus one division) is earmarked for the Tsag theatre, and reinforced I. Korps is preparing to move east, with the reserve 20th Panzergrenadier Division trailing.

Map:
http://www.abload.de/img/nibmob297jbg.png
Legend:
Black - Active
Grey - Reserve
Rectangle - Division
Oval - Brigade

[The Crooked Beat]

Excellent maps, Cass! I'll try to pencil-in the locations of Gandvian divisions on your mobilization map too, for ease of comparison, soon as I can devote some time to paint! I like your system of assigning the different formations shapes as well, so that's something I'll probably copy in the future, if that's ok.

Regarding Editraequan, yeah, I think, except for a degree of transport via the Daldan, III. Army Corps is probably going to depend upon, at most, one or two good roads for nearly the whole of its logistical requirements, so the traffic situation will almost certainly be horrendous.

I still have a lot of figuring out to do where Gandvian reserve regiments and divisions are concerned. Maybe the first of those would appear around the second or third day in, with the Royal Army high command figuring that it will basically hand over the war in the Shield to territorial army units starting in week two or three. Anyhow, that maybe isn't of immediate importance.

[Cassanos]

I'm also uncertain about how to use the reserves - I suppose that a lot of reserve formations will remain behind to protect the Nibelung coasts and hinterland against sea- and airborne incursions, with a secondary role of following active-duty formations to secure lines of communication during counterattacks. In a protracted campaign, they might also be tasked to defend less important ssectors of the front.

Looking at the maps, I must admit I began having doubts about my military planning - the correlation of forces is heavily in favour of Gandvik for the first days of the war. Two reinforced divisions and another two in the second echelon should be able to hold against Gandvik's seven divisions if they generously trade territory for time, but would be hard-pressed to assist the force at Dunston in any meaningful way. As for Dunston, the Nibelung commander will probably shift his force as soon as he learns of the Gandvian build-up on his right flank. He is probably fighting the urge to call this Operation This Is Gonna Suck .

Another issue I wanted to address is the state of the Thortraian army - I was wondering whether the GFR has taken any steps to create new, politically reliable units or plunder its equipment stores? I don't think Thortraians would relish the prospect of fighting Gandvik alongside the GFR and Nibelunc, of course.

[Iansisle]

I had assumed that the remains of the imperial Thortraian armed forces had been disarmed by the invading Gull Flaggers and what remained of their inventory picked through and added to the Republic's stores. At least that is what few parts of their military weren't annihilated in the brief, bloody war with the Javians.

[Cassanos]

That makes sense. So there would be no remnant troops deciding to raid the allie rear or something .

[The Crooked Beat]

Well in the long term I wouldn't be too worried if I were you, Cass, at least in the neighborhood of Thortraia. Western Command will be very much looking over its shoulder nervously at Amberland as it embarks on an offensive that many of its senior officers no doubt consider excessively risky, and while the balance of forces to start with is definitely in Gandvik's favor, it's not overwhelmingly so. Even if the attacking Gandvians manage to advance 50 kilometers a day for several days, which against an enemy not in full-blown retreat, and with troops inclined towards caution, seems generous, judging by your mobilization map it seems entirely likely that the Hari will be able to get its reinforcements in position along the Vistula, if not across it, well before the Royal Army can really capitalize on its temporary advantages.

Fennfield-Marbleston is maybe an exception, but even then, the Royal Army can't hope, even with a resoundingly successful effort in Thortraia, to completely block the return route to the Vistula without spreading itself dangerously thin, so unless the local Nibelung forces decide to stand and fight, and obligingly allow themselves to be encircled, I'd say their chances aren't too excessively grim either, even more so given that, with Gandvian planners tempted by the opportunities seemingly offered to defeat Nibelung divisions in detail, and discouraged by Editraequan's inadequate road network, they've substantially weakened their planned operations east of the Daldan, and if the forces allocated to that task prove inadequate the operation against 9th Panzer or any subsequent pursuit might well be curtailed or even called off. Which doesn't necessarily spell too much trouble for the Shieldians, because III Corps will probably be transferred to Western Command either way.

Gandvik, after all, isn't the Soviet Union, and doesn't have the luxury of outnumbering its enemy by some ridiculous amount, or of being able to absorb massive tank losses.

I don't want to give too much away, but I'm sure this is nothing that you gentlemen haven't also considered by now!

Also, one thing that I've been wondering about for a while, but haven't directly addressed, does three brigades, each one probably 3 motorized rifle battalions and one semi-armored cavalry battalion, sound about right for Editraequan? Definitely a low-quality force, which the Gandvians don't intend to trust with any important tasks, but if things really go south, there would be no hesitation about throwing them into the mix, if only to buy time for the Royal Army.

[Walmington on Sea]

Apologies for not being more involved so far.

In the likely event that anyone else posts IC again before I do, feel free to assume that the Home Guard has recently been placed on alert in Britain (Denmark, northern Germany) and Amberland, bearing in mind my plan to switch population from Canada to Europe in order to place the balance of power in the home countries (such that the population density of Britain and Amberland is close to that of the UK IRL), meaning that there will be around 30 million Britons in Europe, probably about 2/3rds in Britain and 1/3rd Amberland. As such the HG probably has a little over 600,000 members in the former and 300,000 in the latter. Their training's reasonably professional these days, and they have fairly large equipment and munition stockpiles, but it's overwhelmingly of Great War vintage or of a similar technological level- lots of Sten guns, battle-rifles, crude mortars, and petrol-bombs.

At the same time, there'll be more AEW&C and maritime patrol aircraft operating in northern Canada and civil defence drills going on in both Europe and North America. However, the Empire hasn't really taken any offensive steps or redeployed major combat units at much beyond the normal rate. A small RAF contingent remains in Italy, and the British component in Ionia remains unchanged, all be it also on high alert due to Geletian instability.

Basically, I can't decide any more than my characters can on how Anglo-Shieldian relations should be approached in future. Probably lots of debates in parliament, and quite a few public marches for or against this or that, and general political inertia as a result. Lots of public sympathy for the Movers and for Shieldian Protestants generally, now conflicted by worries over a Gandvian approach that seems more opportunist and pragmatic than ideological, which is not how the Godfreyites would prefer foreigners behave.

I think Britons had initially been allowed by their government to invest in both the GFR and Editraequan, and recent moves to ban the latter because of Gandvian involvement have probably stumbled along against rather well-heeled opposition. Not sure where to land on that, either.

In short, some defensive mobilisation on going, nothing much provocative, lots of internal arguing over politics and economics in respect of Gandvik and the Shieldian states, cricket season approaching, strategic Pimms stockpiling ahead of summer.

[The Crooked Beat]

No problems whatsoever in terms of activity. This is AMW, after all!

I suppose, even though most of Amberland's garrison consists of the Home Guard, Riga's uncertainty over exactly what the Home Guard is and is capable of might still lead to an overestimation of Walmingtonian capacity for action in support of Nibelunc and the GFR, and those misgivings might be further reinforced by the presence of a British contingent in Ionia. Probably the Gandvians don't entirely trust their own intelligence on the matter, which has proven itself highly inaccurate at numerous previous junctures, so the opinions of whoever happens to be making decisions at the particular place and time matter, where Gandvian military policy is concerned, more than actual fact.

I'm sure there were some other things I meant to ask about, but just can't seem to think of them right now...

[The Crooked Beat]

Sorry for the double-post, but after talking with Ian on the IRC recently, it seems like we might actually be just about ready for this conflict to start. I've already mostly written-up a post detailing Gandvik's opening attacks and such, which I suppose would be step one regarding the battles aspect of things, so I wanted to ask, would everyone be ok with beginning the actual war? I for one am not in any great hurry, and if there are still some loose ends remaining, it's no problem if more time is needed to establish what exactly is going on beforehand, but if all the necessary information has been posted, and there aren't any story-lines that require further development before the Gandvian offensive, it seems like it couldn't hurt to try and move this RP forward, provided that's what everyone wants.

So, what do you guys think? Are there any preparations that still need to be taken care of?

[Iansisle]

I tossed up a quick, crappy post that doesn't really advance the plot too much but does help to solidify a general picture in my mind. Feel free to advance to war as soon as you'd like.

[Cassanos]

I can work with that. I'll try to post soon, and if it's the same to you, I might include retcons for one or two political details (such as foreign reactions to Nibelung requests) later. I don't think that would impact the first days of the war anyway.

[The Crooked Beat]

Well, the deed is done! My apologies for the general lack of drama or gravity, and for the extreme crudeness of the maps that I made. That opening war post is meant to be very tentative, so don't hold back with any comments, questions, or criticisms, and I'll be more than happy to correct things.

Also, I think, from now on, for simplicity's sake, and that extra little bit of Russian-ness, I'll just go ahead and use Army instead of Army Corps, because the latter term seems a bit unwieldy.

[Cassanos]

I'm working on a reply-slash-wrapup post for the last days before D-Day now. Let me grant you a little glimpse in both my and the average Nib soldier's reaction to the artillery bombardment, though.

[Iansisle]

So, I'm working up my IC post and I'm tossing the first part of it up here so I can have BG (or whoever else) look over my strategy and tell me it's stupid or whatever before I commit it to the main thread. I'm also working on sections on the general political situation and the air war, which I consider myself more competent in and won't need proof-read.

The idea of holding onto the cities of the northern Shield had never crossed the mind of Lenore House planners in the days before the war. As border stations reported Gandvian incursions and fell silent, two main things happened: small engineer companies set to work activating sabotage charges they had set to dispose of any potentially military assets in the immediate path of the advance and the main formations began what would almost certainly appear from the outside to be a hasty retreat.

Although Vess was the largest city in the Republic and an important hub of commerce and industry, most Lenore House planners accepted it as a casualty of war within the first week, if not sooner, of any conflict. V Force, consisting of two brigades which had been working up their new TS-12-720s as well as a third mechanized brigade, began an orderly retreat along the highway east to Odenham*, seeking to draw their Gandvian attackers deeper onto the Shield. Vess itself was left almost an open city, with only one battalion of light infantry from the 5th Motorized garrisoned in the city, where they were hastily improvising barricades and tank traps to attempt to make actually forcing the city an undesirable action.

Finding itself without Gandvians crossing the border immediately, Q Force sallied cautiously north-east along the highway to Vess. Consisting of just two mechanized brigades against what was estimated to be an armored division, its orders reflected caution and emphasized a desire to simply pull elements of the Gandvian army to the south – if they refused to be diverted from their pursuit of V Force, then Q Force's commander was authorized to operate to the best of his ability against supply lines in the region.

In the north, K Force found itself facing two divisions, a stronger-than-anticipated Gandvian assault, and eagerly began its assigned task of rendezvousing with V Force almost as soon as it received reports of border crossings. The roads it was traveling were smaller and less-maintained than the big Vess-Odenham highway, resulting in K Force straggling a bit behind its counterpart in the race to narrow the front.

The one element of Lenore House's plan that didn't go off exactly to spec was due to a rogue commander – one well known, in fact, to the higher ups. After his impetuous disregard for orders at Rutters, Johnson and Chapman had both recommended against promoting Colonel Hallershall straight to Major General and giving him command of W Force, the eastern lynchpin of the defense of Shadoran. They had been overridden at the time by Pennyman and Madders, although they now appeared to be vindicated as W Force ignored orders to fall back for a rendezvous with K and V Forces – and a subordinating of Hallershall to senior officers – and instead moved into prepared positions along the highway interchange east of Odenham, where one road ran south to Dorchet and the other south-east to Dunourton. Although Hallershall seemed to have little desire to fight over Odenham itself – although he did leave most of the 7th Motorized to garrison the city – he seemed intent on winning the war in the east himself by turning the Gandvian flank and forcing them to abandon any sweeps further into Shadoran.

((* - I hope you don't mind too much if I take a few liberties with the highways in the region, given the prominence of both Kharkiv and Voronezh as hubs of commerce and the lack of desire of anyone on the Shield to go to Moscow. ))

[Cassanos]

That looks good to mean, Ian, as I said on the IRC .

Now, something that has been lying around on my desktop for weeks.
This is preliminary and doesn't include high-level formations, but it should give some idea of what exactly is opposing Gandvian forces. I will be prone to reworkings of individual support unit strength and such, but the equipment number should be about right.

Hari Tables of Organizationand Equipment (TO&E)

Note: Led by an Unteroffizier/Corporal.

Infantry:
- Fireteam leader (G36 6.5x45mm rifle, P8 9x19mm pistol)
- Grenadier (G36 6.5x45mm rifle w/GP36 grenade launcher)
- Rifleman (G36 6.5x45mm rifle)
- Anti-tank gunner (Panzerfaust 3 RPG, G36K short barrelled-6.5x45mm rifle) OR
- Machine gunner (MG4 6.5x45mm light machine gun, P8 9x19mm pistol)
=4 men

Reconnaissance:
- Fireteam leader (G36 6.5x45mm rifle)
- Radioman (G36 6.5x45mm rifle) Not in units equipped with IdZ infantry equipment.
- Grenadier (G36 6.5x45mm rifle w/GP36 grenade launcher)
- Anti-tank gunner (Panzerfaust 3 RPG, G36K short barrelled-6.5x45mm rifle) OR
- Machine gunner (MG4 6.5x45mm light machine gun, P8 9x19mm pistol)
=5 men

Note: One man in each section carries an advanced first-aid kit to act as an emergency medic.
Led by a Feldwebel/Staff Sergeant.

Light Infantry:
(Jäger, Paratroopers, Air Mobile)
- Section leader (G36 6.5x45mm rifle)
- Radioman (G36 6.5x45mm rifle) Not in units equipped with IdZ infantry equipment.
- 2xFireteam (1xPanzerfaust 3 and MG4 each)
=10 men


Mechanised Infantry:
(Panzergrenadiere:)
Note: The fireteams are organized similar to light infantry sections, but one fireteam is led by the section leader who also carries a small radio. There is no dedicated radioman, since the section is expected to fight close to their mother vehicle. Total size is 8 infantrymen.
=8 men


Heavy weapons section:
Note: Actual organization and equipment varies and includes a mix of three to five of the following weapons teams (each with two men).

- GPMG-team (1xMG3 7.92x57mm and 2xMP7 6.5x45mm PDW)
- ATGM-team (1xMILAN-2T ATGM and 2xMP7 6.5x45mm PDW)
- Mortar team (1xMG3 7.92x57mm and 2xMP7 6.5x45mm PDW)
- Sniper team (1xG28 7.92x57mm DMR and 2xMP7 6.5x45mm PDW)
=6-8 men

Note: Usually led by a Leutnant/Second Lieutenant, with a Hauptfeldwebel/Sergeant First Class as deputy commander.

Light Infantry:
- Platoon HQ:
Platoon leader
Deputy commander
1xPlatoon medic, 1xradioman
- 3xLight infantry section
- 1xHeavy weapons section w/5 teams
=45 men

Mechanised Infantry:
Note: The platoon leader usually rides with one section, the deputy commander with another. Both sections are led by the senior NCO of that section. The platoon radioman and medic ride with the commander and the third section, respectively.

- 4xVivere A3 IFV w/35mm autocannon and 2xATGM launcher
- 3xMech infantry section
- 1xHeavy weapons section w/3 teams (no ATGMs)
=32 men (including vehicle drivers and gunners)

Mechanised Reconnaissance:
- 4xVivere A3 RFV w/50mm autocannon and 2xATGM launcher
- 4xRecon Trupp
=24 men (including vehicle drivers and gunners)

Light Reconnaissance:
- 5xPuk LRV (3x15.5mm hMG, 2x40mmAGL) or Regin LRV w/20mm autocannon
- 5xRecon Trupp
=30 men (including vehicle drivers)

Armoured:
Note: The platoon leader commands one half-platoon of two tanks, the deputy commander another.

- 4xFafnir 2A4/A5/A6 or A7 MBT
=16 men

Note: Usually led by a Hauptmann/Captain, occasionally an Oberleutnant/First Lieutenant or Major, with a Second or First Lieutenant as deputy commander.

Light Infantry:
- HQ Section: Platoon leader, deputy, First Sergeant, 3xradioman/clerk/driver, medical team
- 3xLight infantry platoon
- Heavy weapons platoon (1xSniper, 1-2xMANPADS, 2-4xATGM, 2x81mm mortar, 2-4XGMG/hMG)
- Medical team
=168 men

Mechanised Infantry:
- HQ Section: 2xVivere IFV, 1xDraugr ARV, 1xMTW w/ platoon leader, deputy, First Sergeant,
Radioman, medical team, 2xMANPADs
- 3xMech infantry platoon
- Mortar/Heavy section (1xSniper, 2x81mm mortar)
- Medical team
=154 men

Mechanised Reconnaissance:
- HQ Section: As mech infantry, but with 1xVivere RFV, 1xFafnir 2 MBT, 1xDraugr ARV, 1xMTW
- 2xMech recon platoon
- 2xArmoured platoon
=78 men

Light Reconnaissance:
- HQ Section: 2xPuk (1x15.5mm hMG, 1x40mmAGL)
- 4xRecon Platoon
- Anti-tank platoon (6xPuk or jeep w/ MILAN 2T or Spike LR ATGM)
=136 men (including vehicle drivers)

Armoured:
- HQ Section: As mech infantry, but with 2xFafnir 2 MBT, 1xDraugr ARV, 1xMTW
- 3xTank platoon
=66 men

Note: Usually led by an Oberstleutnant/Lieutenant Colonel, occasionally a Major, with a Captain or Major as deputy commander.

Light Infantry:
- HQ Company
Staff and signals platoon (20 men)
Supply and maintenance platoon (24 men)
Medical platoon (32 men)
- 3xLight infantry company
- 1xAnti-tank company (12xATGM, 4xMANPADS, 8xGMG/hMG, 68 men)
- 1xScout platoon (30 men)
- 1xMortar platoon (6x120mm mortar)
- 1xEngineer platoon (42 men)
=744 men

Mechanised Infantry:
- HQ Company
Staff and signals platoon (2xVivere AFV, 3xcommand APC, 4xMANPADS, 30 men)
Supply platoon (24 men)
Maintenance and Recovery platoon (24 men)
Medical platoon (32 men)
- 3xMech infantry company
- 1xTank company
- 1xMech recon platoon
- 1xSelf-propelled mortar platoon (6x120mm self-propelled mortar, 24 men)
- 1xMech combat engineer platoon (2xLindwurm 2 mobile bridge system, 2x Jötunn armoured dozer,
2xVali mine flails, 3xAPC, 52 men)
=744 men

Mechanised Reconnaissance:
- HQ Company
Staff and signals platoon (2xVivere RFV, 3xcommand APC, 4xMANPADS, 30 men)
Supply platoon (24 men)
Maintenance and Recovery platoon (24 men)
Medical platoon (32 men)
- 3xMech recon company
- 1xLight recon company
- 1xSurveillance platoon (3xVerdandi ground surveillance radar, 1xshort-range UAVs, 16 men)
- 1xAnti-tank company (12xSurtur tank destroyer, 50 men)
- 1xSelf-propelled mortar platoon
- 1xMech combat engineer platoon (plus 2 minelaying vehicles, 58 men)
=628 men

Light Reconnaissance:
- HQ Company
Staff and signals platoon (20 men)
Supply and maintenance platoon (24 men)
Medical platoon (32 men)
- 3xLight recon company
- 1xSurveillance platoon
- 1xAnti-tank company (20xATGM on Puk or jeep, 60 men)
=560 men

Armoured:
- HQ Company
Staff and signals platoon (2xVivere AFV, 3xcommand APC, 4xMANPADS, 30 men)
Supply platoon (24 men)
Maintenance and Recovery platoon (24 men)
Medical platoon (32 men)
- 3xTank company
- 1xMech infantry company
- 1xMech recon platoon
- 1xSelf-propelled mortar platoon
- 1xMech combat engineer platoon
=562 men

Note: Usually led by a Brigadegeneral/Brigadier, occasionally an Oberst/Colonel, with a Lieutenant Colonal as deputy commander.
Each staff of a formation at brigade level or higher follows the same organization:
Department 1 (S1/G1): Personnel Management, Financial and Legal Affairs, Administration
Department 2 (S2/G2): Intelligence and Signals
Department 3 (S3/G3): Operations and Planning
Department 4 (S4/G4): Logistics and Supply
Department 5 (S5/G5): Military-Civilian Coordination (only in wartime)
Department 6 (S6/G6): Training (merges with S5/G5 in wartime)

Units and numbers in (parentheses) refer to wartime reinforcements.

Light Infantry:
- HQ Company (75 (160) men)
- 3xLight infantry battalion
- 1xAnti-tank battalion (3xAT-company, 18xMANPADS, 210 men)
- 1xLight field artillery battalion (24x155mm FH-70 or 4’’ field gun,
surveillance and security batteries, 224 (380) men)
- 1xSupply and maintenance battalion (155 (290) men)
- 1xLight reconnaissance company
- 1xEngineer company (80 (150) men)
- 1xMedical company (58 (109) men)
=2,9820 (3,558) men

Mechanised Infantry:
- HQ Company (120 (225) men)
- 2xMech infantry battalion
- 1xTank battalion
- 1xSelf-propelled field artillery battalion (24x155mm Nidhöggr or SP-77 SPH,
surveillance and security batteries, 245 (395) men)
- 1xSupply and maintenance battalion (260 (485) men)
- 1xMech recon company (w/10xVivere RFV, 9xPuk, 100 men)
- 1xMedical company (65 (125) men)
- 1xMech combat engineer company (6xLindwurm 2 mobile bridge system, 4xJötunn armoured dozer, 4xVali mine flails, 4xMinelaying vehicles, 8xAPC, 132 (192) men)
=3,032 (3,572) men

Mechanised Reconnaissance:
- HQ Company (125 (170) men)
- 3xMech recon battalion
- 1xAnti-tank battalion (24xSurtur tank destroyer, 24xATGM on jeep, 125 (180) men)
- 1xSelf-propelled field artillery battalion (24x155mm Nidhöggr, 6xMARS, security battery
(260 (410) men)
- 1xSurveillance company (9xVerdandi ground surveillance radar, 3xshort-range UAVs, 56 men)
- 1xMech combat engineer company
- Signals intercept and EW company (55 (90) men)
=2,637 (2,947) men


Armoured:
- HQ Company (120 (225) men)
- 2xTank battalion
- 1xMech infantry battalion
- 1xSelf-propelled field artillery battalion (24x155mm Nidhöggr or SP-77 SPH,
surveillance and security batteries, 245 (395) men)
- 1xSupply and maintenance battalion (260 (485) men)
- 1xMech recon company (w/10xVivere RFV, 9xPuk, 100 men)
- 1xMedical company (65 (125) men)
- 1xMech combat engineer company (6xLindwurm 2 mobile bridge system, 4xJötunn armoured dozer, 4xVali mine flails, 4xMinelaying vehicles, 8xAPC, 132 (192) men)
=2,790 (3,393) men

[The Crooked Beat]

Highly informative, Cass! And a good deal more user-friendly than my layout, I must admit. Lots of other things that need to be taken care of, but some stylistic changes to the Gandvian organizational tables immediately suggest themselves!

It seems like there aren't too many major differences between Nibelung and Gandvian forces in structural terms, which probably isn't too surprising as I blatantly ripped-off the Bundeswehr section of that NATO order of battle which you posted a while ago! Both Hari brigades and Royal Army regiments seem to have 12 maneuver companies, though distributed across three and four battalions respectively, the Gandvian battalion being in general quite a bit smaller than its Nibelung equivalent. Which would probably make the Gandvian regiment more vulnerable to poaching by higher-level commands intent on forming various task forces and detachments, because that fourth battalion is rather luxurious, after all...

And regarding Ian's post, while I'm hardly a neutral observer in all this, it looks perfectly reasonable from my perspective, and sensible from a military point of view as well. I should probably establish, for my own records if nothing else, that Armored Regiment 97, part of the 22nd Division, is the only Pav.84-equipped formation operating east of the Daldan, the rest having the 105mm-gunned Pav.62s of (retroactive) Rutters fame.

Actually, let me break down the numbers: 3,462 Pav.84s in the army, of which Western Command accounts for 2,368 in 3 Mechanized (174), 8 Armored (608) and 13 Tank (1586) regiments, and III. Army (rather than Army Corps now) 944 in 4 Tank (488) and 6 Armored (456) regiments...so, factoring-in a small stockpile of immediate attrition replacements and a handful of machines left in training units, I take that back! There are in fact no Pav.84s operating east of the Daldan. Don't tell Ranalte!

Going again by the NATO Orbat that Cass so conveniently supplied us with, I'd estimate Gandvik's annual armored vehicle production figures to be somewhere in the region of 150 Pav.84s and 250 Rpv.92s, possibly rising by two or three vehicles monthly under war conditions, so if we imagine this war lasting for a full year, the Royal Army will only be able to fully replace between 250 and 300 Pav.84s, counting that supply of spare vehicles, with that total dropping to less than 200 the following year. Last I added everything up, there were close to a thousand Pav.62s left in reserve, after standing and territorial formations were both taken care of, but I suspect that Gandvian tankers, after they've had a taste of the Fafnir 2 and Surtur, might well refuse to accept them. Anyway, getting ahead of myself. Everything looks good, Cass and Ian!

[Cassanos]

Thank you, TCB, I actually cribbed the TO&E's design from you, but didn't get around to write in-depth descriptions like you did .

Interesting point, BTW - I mixed West German and American OOB elements, similar to the Bundeswehr's Heeresstruktur V. The West German divisions of the 1980s were decidedly unwieldy, even though they reduced the combat units' "tail" somewhat, they were larger than their American counterparts while having less heavy equipment. The 1st Mountain Division had over 30,000 (!) troops assigned during wartime, and even if you allow that it had additional divisional assets and also commanded a fourth, semi-active Heimatschutz brigade, that's huge.
The smaller but more numerous maneuver elements come in handy, but Nibelunc relies on more powerful self-contained battlegroups with higher staying power as the core of its mechanised forces. I have also read that every West German brigade's first battalion (the combined-arms one) was to be distributed on the other battalions, bringing them to a 3x4 system, but my information is contradictory. Either way, the Nibelung OOB, I hope, makes armoured units less weak in the infantry department, which was a weakness of some cold war OOBs in my eyes.
Brigade artillery, though, is organised in four six-gun batteries per battalion, allowing for a dedicated battery for reinforcing a strongpoint or counter-battery missions while still supporting all three maneuver battalions.

Generally speaking, I find this war rather interesting because it is being waged by what are essentially modern-ish forces under a late cold war-framework. No network-centric warfare here. Nibelung tactics and strategic outlook are a mix of West-German and US concepts, with a few British and Dutch ideas thrown in for good measure. It occured to me after our latest exchange of telegrams, though, that I might project my ideas of Soviet doctrines on the Gandvian forces, too. That's not really the case, obviously, and if you notice me making such assumptions, feel free to correct me.

Finally, I really am working on my post - but I have only covered the Thortraian theatre so far, and the rest is a daunting task. I'll try to have it up ASAP. I felt a bit like I imagine many Nibelung soldiers would feel about the Gandvian attack - I was shocked by the amount of forces arrayed against the Hari, but then realised that my plans, hopefully, might work .

[Cassanos]

Excuse the double-post, but I forgot to add a bit about Nibelung wartime production.
Losses of armoured vehicles, except for Fafnir 2s, during the Desert War were significant, but have been replenished from reserve stocks and the original disbandment of divisions. Nibelunc still has a sizable fleet of Fafnirs (between 5 and 6,000), and substantial reserves of Fafnir 1s, produced during the 1960s and 1970s, and E-55s from the 1950s and 1960s. Most of these are already earmarked for reserve formations, though, including a small number of 120mm-equipped Fafnir 1s which make use of weapons originally produced for California.

Nibelunc can replenish a few hundred Fafnir 2s from its reserve stocks, all A4s, and should losses mount, can begin production again on a very small scale of probably five a month, not including refurbished damaged vehicles. Fafnir 2 production has been stopped some years ago, but part of the mobilisation plans include reopening production lines as well as increasing production of ammunition and parts. The same goes for Viveres, while other vehicles like Surturs are still in production.

Essentially, though, as during the Cold War, this war is seen as a "come as you are" affair by Nibelunc - while it might be long by Cold War planning standards, that is, a few months, certain essential resources will run out within half a year, and some much earlier, unless a stable influx of raw materials and equipment can come in from Western Europe, the Americas and Oceania. The Desert War has also shown that ammunition expenditure was far higher than pre-war estimates, and stocks have been increased accordingly.

[Iansisle]

OCC: Probably quite a bit that I've overlooked or forgotten to mention, so this will probably undergo a fair amount of editing in the near future. Sorry to jump ahead of the war in Thortraia, but I think the two campaigns are sufficiently separate, at this point in time anyway, for us to deal with each of them more or less on their own. Does this strike everyone as sensible?

Perfectly sensible and absolutely fine by me, unless Cass has some earth shattering news that will change the entire nature of my defense in the east. I should imagine that the Nibs have plenty to do over on the western front, though. Speaking of which, things certainly don't have to go perfectly for me in the east -- feel free to knock me down a few pegs if it's what is realistic. Quite enjoying the entire experience so far, though, and congratulations to all of us for having AMW's first big war since...uh, Jolt I guess?

EDIT: I'm reading your post more carefully right now. I imagine, given the context, that it's a Gandvian IC intelligence boo-boo, not an OOC one, but Q Force is two brigades, not four.

[The Crooked Beat]

Yes, that was meant to be an IC mistake, probably should have made that clearer! I'm thinking that the STO has gone from not really caring about the Shieldian military to finding itself bombarded with demands for information that it doesn't have in a matter of hours, and things are, from an administrative point of view, very chaotic. The GFR's order of battle is probably still a mystery, and Royal Army commanders, skeptical of the military intelligence department to begin with, have no idea what to believe.

Though it may make things a great deal easier for the GFR, the more I think about it, the more a somewhat optimistic Gandvian plan for the east-of-Daldan campaign makes sense to me. After all, probably most senior generals, certainly the senior leadership, look at the Rutters battle as an unrepresentative clash between a regular Shieldian force and a cobbled-together collection of various regimental cadres, border guards, and territorial army units on the Gandvian side, and one which the Gandvians almost won at that, and still cling to their deeply-entrenched notions of Shieldian military incompetence even if that is obviously no longer the case. The STO's notorious leakiness and manifest inability to speak with one voice on any major subject hardly helps things in that respect. And then, of course, the Gandvians know that they'll need the majority of their own first-line formations, and the vast majority of their best troops, to stand a chance of holding Nibelunc back long enough for the GFR to be beaten, and have maybe also been seduced by the possibility of destroying Hari divisions piecemeal, leading them to weaken the anti-Shieldian offensive in favor of an attempt to gain some early victories over the more dangerous enemy.

Regarding orders of battle, the Hari strikes me as very sensibly organized, I think a great deal more so than the Gandvian Army. If Nibelunc's ground forces are a hybrid of American and German thinking, in the main, Gandvik's are cobbled together from a far more diverse and mismatched set of sources. Over the (eek!) years, I've waffled between all-out Soviet, British, and Swedish templates, and even went for the American Brigade Combat Team structure for a while, before lately settling on the present system for no reason much better than that I assumed West Germany, as the nation across which a NATO-Soviet clash would have been fought, probably knew what it was doing. If this was all happening a few months down the road, the Royal Army might well have been made up of small divisions in the French style!

I was definitely a bit confused about what exactly to do with that combined-arms battalion, though. My initial thought, in the Gandvian context at least, was that it might serve as the regimental training battalion in peacetime, processing conscripts and acting as a permanent ready force, its combination of tank and armored infantry companies offering a good balance between arm-specific and cooperative training, while in battle it could either be split-up among the other battalions, or be used as a self-contained reserve or second echelon. Probably much more of the former, once Nibelung forces begin to be encountered in strength. That, and there might also be an experimental aspect to it as well, the Gandvians still trying to figure out what organization works best. No doubt they'll start to disappear as armored vehicle losses add up.

The Royal Army, committed as it is to modern combined arms principles, definitely doesn't regard its organizational tables as a permanent structure for all situations, and expects regimental commanders to form task-organized battlegroups, but training limitations probably mean that there's more reluctance to split-up groupings that have had some experience of working together. The bottom line, I suppose, is that I'll try to play off my indecision and insufficient thought as a totally intended manifestation of the Royal Army's ongoing development as a fighting force.

Anyhow, yeah, high hopes for, I think, AMW's biggest conflict to date...at least in terms of armored forces if not necessarily in the number of nations involved. I think that war between Chrinthania and the Pope holds the title there.

[Cassanos]

Well, Nibelunc's opening moves are posted, apart from Weshield, which is coming up, and it's only slightly over a week late . I hope it makes sense and doesn't go into godmodding - if you see something you think is wrong, goes too far or simply looks like it's been written by a sleep-deprived student (which it is), please say so. I'm still wondering if the Nibelung covering force battle can go like this...

[Iansisle]

I posted too. If we can't beat LRR on the field, at least we can bury him under walls of text!

ENTER: My usual disclaimer regarding my lack of expertise in this area, please correct stupid mistakes, etc.