New Decius wrote:KMS Rüdiger; 29 Nautical Miles from Columbia
The massive Oscar-II-Class Nuclear Submarine cruised calmly through the waters, dispersing a few schools of fish as it traveled beneath the surface of the sea, headed for Hantau. This Submarine was carrying a full payload of 24 Ballistic Missiles, the new V-6 Missiles to be exact, the warheads having three times the power of their ancestor the V-2 and also an AI system programmed with newly developed anti-countermeasure techniques which the system would utilize in flight. These Missiles were to be fired at Military Installations and Targets in Columbia on the Eastern Seaboard, no civilian locations were to be targeted, as a preemptive strike before real military operations on behalf of the Reich commenced. The Rüdiger was not the only Submarine on its way to Columbia, just the first, whereas a veritable fleet of Submarines loaded up with the V-6 Missiles was being prepped for launch back at the Wilhelmshaven Base. Also being prepped were U-Boats which were smaller Submarines designed for hit and run attacks, incapable of firing anything but Torpedoes but fast like hell. Already it was spread about the Submarine officers community that the 1st through 12th U-Boat Flotilla's were being prepped and ready for restricted submarine warfare.
On the Bridge of the Rüdiger the crew was stoic and silent, disciplined to the core for their duties, as Admiral Wilhelm Kreutz walked around the room observing each man at work. He stopped at the Navigators Station. "Leutnant, was ist unsere aktuelle Position." The Officer did not even look away from the screen as he snapped off an answer. "Admiral Sir. Unsere aktuellen Lage bei 55 Grad Länge mit 43 Grad Breite." Kreutz nodded and moved on to the Sonar station. "Kommissionierung alles bis auf Sonar." Again a snapped off answer. "Nein, Sir. Alles ist klar." Again the Admiral moved on. Soon enough an Ensign called out from his station in the Weapons area. "Admiral sind wir nun in effektive Schussweite für die Raketen." Kreutz nodded and then walked up to the Command Station and turned to the Executive Officer.
"Welche Ziele sich zu präsentieren?" The Officer checked his screen to see what targets had come in range of their missiles, as the Ensign had just stated that they were now within effective firing range. Almost immediately an Airbase popped up on screen and it was on their list of targets. The Officer turned to Kreutz. "Admiral, haben wir ein Ziel in Reichweite. Eine ziemlich große feindliche Flotte liegt direkt an der Ostküste.." Kreutz took a look at the screen and nodded. It would be wise to fire off all of their missiles in a coordinated strike so as to decrease the resistance to be met by the Reichsflottile and the Afrikaflottile, the two surface units to be dispatched for operations on Columbia's Eastern Seaboard. Soon all of the V-6 missiles were armed and ready to fire, their target's being 24 of the warships of the enemy fleet, highlighted by their advanced targeting computers. From the position of the enemy fleet, Kreutz determined that this was likely the fleet that the Abwehr, German military intelligence, had reported as being under the command of one Admiral O'Brian. After several moments the Admiral gave the order. "Brandraketen."
Twenty-four large hatches opened in the side of the Submarine as twenty-four long white missiles sped out at high speed and straight for the surface of the water which they broke and then soared high into the sky before curving and heading in the direction of their target. The Admiral then ordered they dive to a lower depth and change heading.
Reichskriegsministerium, Germania
Kingdom of Prussia
Germany Proper
Greater German Empire
"Ah what a grand day it is for planning a long but likely successful campaign of yet another war." Reichsmarschal von Kaizer said as he stepped outside onto the rooftop garden atop the War Ministry. It gave quite the view out across the capital of the great German nation, especially the reflecting pool, upon the banks of which the massive War Ministry building was located along with a number of other government buildings. the pool was three times the length of the one in Washington D.C. and was behind the Volkshalle.
Von Kaizer walked over to a table where the other members of the General's Staff were located, drinking coffee and enjoying some lemon squares in the sunshine but also heavily involved in the observation of various military documents. Von Kaizer placed his right hand over his heart and spoke the usual "Heil Deutschland" as the others responded in the same. He laid out a map of Columbia on the table as several of the officers placed their saucers on the edges to hold it in place. "Gentlemen I much prefer being out here in the fresh air than in the stuffy war room within this building. Despite the fact that the war room has a rather advanced holographic map table for operation planning, I find the mind is clearer in fresh air." He and the other began their planning.
Within the hour they had their plan laid out. Submarine-launched missile strikes would be conducted across the Eastern Seaboard on Columbian military targets whilst short-range bomber aircraft would be launched from Aircraft Carriers to strike at more specific targets such as supply depots and ammunition dumps. The new flying-wing Strategic Bombers, the Horten 1002, would be launched from German colonies in their newly formed Bomber Wings to embark on a strategic bombing campaign to weaken the morale of the Columbian people, though yet again no civilian targets would be targeted but industrial ones would. The Reichsflottile and Afrikaflottile would be dispatched for surface naval operations across the Eastern Seaboard to wear down the coastal defenses in preparation for the eventual invasion. Abwehr Agents would be slipped in during air raids and coastal bombardments to gather intelligence and conduct sabotage.
As to the actual invasion, the following units were to be used:
-Panzergruppe Groß Deutschland (The most veteran unit in all the German Armed Forces to be conducting operations in the area of New England)=Heeresgruppen A
-Panzergruppe Kaiser Wilhelm (To be conducting operations in the area along the middle Eastern Seaboard)=Heeresgruppen B
-Panzergruppe Friedrich der Grosse (To be conduction operations in North-Eastern Canada)=Heeresgruppen C
-Panzergruppe Bismarck (To be conducting operations in the Southern Eastern Seaboard)=Heeresgruppen D
These four units would be the command units of the operation and would take on new codenames for their assigned Army Groups:
The only rough spot would be that ground operations would not be able to begin for some time. Logistical matters had to be addressed due to the still too recent end to the Russo-German War, and the fact that administrations had not yet been setup in occupied Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All four of the units chosen as the Army Group Command units, were currently stationed on the former Eastern Front along with about five and a half million Wehrmacht troops. Thus long term naval and air operations would be underway before ground operations could begin. Of course, drawing up recruits and volunteers from the new territories gained by the Reich in the Great Patriotic Wars could be used to hassle the combatants within Columbia. And now that the Reich had expanded to edge across almost all of Europe, they had quite the host of foreign volunteers to gather. Yet to outfit them all and train them in German tactics would take some time as well, but they would be ready for deployment in a shorter time than it will take to finalize Wehrmacht operations in the East and begin full German operations in Columbia.
As follows are the ex-military personnel of foreign powers capable of serving as foreign volunteers in the German Armed Forces:
English; 21,800
Scottish; 4,500
Welsh; 760
Irish; 7,000
French; 23,600
Belgian; 6,780
Dutch; 13,400
Danish; 1,250
Norwegian; 890
Polish; 26,000
Baltic Nationality; 18,000
Belarusian; 7,360
Ukrainian; 19,000
Czech; 120
Moldavian; 600
Russian; 33,000
O'Brian looked up as he heard soft explosions that came off more like a pop. Immediately to his horror he watched 24 large balls of white light releasing white smoke head to his ship.
"Oh God." He muttered as he watched them arc and begin to descend on his fleet.
He rushed into the battleship and race up to the command room as he screamed "ACTION STATIONS! ACTION STATIONS!"
Immediately an alarm went off on all twenty-four ships as their crews raced to their positions. The Vulcans and Gatling lasers aimed up at the missiles and began to fire on them. Out of the twenty four missiles only fourteen were shot down. O'Brians was one that was shot down but the rest were so violent the water below became a small tidle wave.
"Who the hell fired at us!" A crewman asked as O'Brian tried to coordinate rescue missions among the surviving ships.
"Like I have a clue!"
