Chapter Text
Tanya Degurechaff – Heroine of the Empire
Die Krieggeschichte eines kleinen Mädchens (diesmal wirklich)
Chapter V: Legadonia delenda est!
Chapter 18 : “For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”
July Unified Year 1925
The “period of relative uncertainty” linked to the Dacian crisis had been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction (at least in the eyes of imperial authorities...). Their attention turned once again to Norden and Legadonia. . . and dreams of resolving the situation there in the same way as in Dacia grew ever stronger. . .
Rudersdorff and Zettour (recently promoted to a higher rank) were asked to come up with a quick and decisive solution, thereby freeing up troops much needed for the Rhine Front... Which was easier said than done...!
Looking at a map, anyone could have told you that between conquering Nordern and defeating Legadonia, there was a big difference...
Norden was a land territory adjacent to the Reich... Accessing Legadonia required a naval operation. Unfortunately, the Kaiserliche Marine had mostly succeeded in annoying the Anglish enough that they would do anything to thwart the Reich, but it was also not really capable of handling the logistics of such an amphibious operation. Lacking in transport ships. It would have been easier to "liberate" Norden, then to ask the Anglish for a replay of the "Londinium Treaty".
Unfortunately, it was up to the diplomats to decide; Zettour and Rudersdorff were military men… In any case, focusing on the immediate problem, they decided to “liberate” Norden.
This territory wasn’t exactly a “promised land”—dotted with pine trees, small lakes, and nearly permanent snow, populated by seagulls, dim-witted, narrow-minded fishermen and tall blondes with ample bosoms, capable of bending iron bars and preparing “pickled herrings” only to eat them without flinching for a single moment… and without immediately running to the bathroom... and to continue populating the territory... If the territory had remained “contested” for nearly 200 years, there was a reason...!
Inlets of varying widths and depths could be found almost everywhere... There was a reason Army Group North had made little progress in so long... The areas where combat was possible were few and far between, easy to defend, and the Legadonians may have had greater motivation and more small boats to transport troops and supplies discreetly. All of this, of course, without counting the “miraculous” appearance of groups of “volunteers” who were very, very well equipped and trained...
Tanya had terrible memories of the land... for obvious reasons... She even remembered the “accursed salaryman” having “pickled herrings” once before spending the evening vomiting and shitting himself, herself... well, whatever, she had no love for the cursed land.
If you added the unfortunate meeting he, she'd had with flying Legadonians child abusers... well, whatever, she had even less love or mercy for the cursed land. She would have happily spend her time "field testing" her most powerful artillery formulae over the Lord forsaken land.. She would have happily spend her time "field testing" her most powerful artillery formulae over the Lord forsaken land...
The only glimmer of hope was that most of the country’s cities and industries were concentrated in the south... There were one or two port cities in the north, as well as a fortified base in a fjord. Since even after conquering the country, the Reich would not have had enough troops to occupy it, an attack from abroad was madness.
"τὸ κακὸν δοκεῖν ποτ᾽ ἐσθλὸν τῷδ᾽ ἔμμεν' ὅτῳ φρένας θεὸς ἄγει πρὸς ἄταν.", “Evil appears as good to those whom God leads to destruction,” thought Tanya.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”
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While the use of brute force is rarely a viable option for civilians, the situation is quite different for the military. But brute force, without a specific or clearly defined goal, isn’t really of much use either. Once again, the empire wanted “victory” over Legadonia, without really defining what that meant.
“When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down.”
For Tanya, however, victory meant that the word of The Lord was heard, heeded, respected, ever-present, and eternal. Whatever other solution might exist, it would be worthless. The heathens fighting against the empire and the Lord would be crushed, brought to their knees as a first step. The mission entrusted to her by the Lord prevailed!
Tanya calmly awaited for the orders that would soon come to Station D12, she kept preparing her troops, forging the blade that would slay the beast.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
In the meantime, she was enjoying summertime, putting her trust unto The Lord. He would provide!
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General Hans von Zettour and General Rudersdorff were annoyed... They would never admit it to anyone else than the two of themselves... But so it was...
They'd be tasked to devise a way to break the stalemate... Easier said than done... The Legadonian affair was close to two years old now... What had not been done, could not be easily done. It was not a matter of will, simply of Terrain.
Germanian Military doctrine called for defeating enemy armies, neutralizing the adversary, capturing its leaders or key strategic points, or forcing a ceasefire. None of these objectives had been achieved, nor were they easy to achieve. One possibility would have been to encircle the enemy troops, but Legadonia might as well have been an island—as far as the General Staff was concerned, it wouldn’t have made things any more complicated... Everything was lacking... Men, weapons, food, and they had to think about the approaching winter...
Zettour tried to console himself by rereading the classics... But he didn’t have Hannibal’s elephants, or the Greek fleet off Troy; the rush on Paris and its encirclement during the previous conflict with the François couldn’t be replicated, and couldn’t be given the terrain. Zettour began to try approaching the problem from the opposite angle: the plan was to defeat Legadonia and then attack the François... what about the reverse?
Of course, there were many problems, but the terrain was much more favorable, and the weapons of Station D12 offered an undeniable advantage... Zettour was still reviewing the data recorded by the Orbs of Degurechaff and Serebryakov... The Dacians hadn’t stood a chance.
Send Degurechaff and her small group, back to the Rhine front, with orders to “shoot on sight”? To bleed the François dry, without risking much... Moreover, any offensive on the Rhine would allow us to “liberate” Germanian territories... while Norden was less "motivating"...
Zettour and the heads of the “Operations” department under Rudersdorff’s command engaged in… numerous… brainstorming sessions… to avoid having to make a quick decision. Zettour emphasized the logistics required for any large-scale operation, which took time. Moreover, neither front was really active… Compared to the attacks and losses of the previous year, one could almost have doubted that a state of war existed... “almost”…
The risk that the François might take advantage of any large-scale attack on Legadonia to repeat their “stab in the back” was also a possibility that could not be dismissed out of hand... Whereas Legadonia's options for a massive attack against the imperial lines were limited...
Taking this line of reasoning a step further, it was almost certain that the François would launch at least a few attacks to try to relieve Legadonia...
The more he thought about it, the more the idea of pitting Degurechaff against the François took hold in Zettour’s mind... He could see almost nothing but advantages in it... The southern part of Lothiern had its advantages: the François had gained ground there, and since it was former François territory, challenging them there was sure to provoke a “strong” response...
This would also give Degurechaff and Station D12 the opportunity to test the new recruits in combat conditions...
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The orders found Tanya a few days later, She, Serebryakov, all military personnel qualified for the use of the Mod. 97, and the technical personnel assigned to collecting the Mod. 97 transmitted information were to be transported by special train to a location near the Western Front. Further orders would be issued on site.
Thanks to Imperial efficiency, Her entire group was on site and ready for action in five days. An officer from headquarters handed her a sealed envelope containing the outline of the plan... as well as instructions to hold a video conference (thanks to Schugel's tech...) with the general staff that very evening.
The base plan was straightforward... Tanya and her group (Now known as: Einsatzkommando* D12 - Call sign: Nemesis) stationed 25 miles from the front lines, were to perform both “field testing and combat missions” using every “tricks” they had stored within the Mod. 97. Mostly High-altitude and stealth insertion within enemy territory, but also to ensure the destruction of many “high value targets”. Any opportunity targets were to be "terminated" respecting the mission parameters about secrecy and stealth. No Mod. 97 should fall into enemy hand.
An initial list of targets was attached... All were located between 20 and 30 kilometers behind the front lines... Railroad junctions, bridges, road intersections, various depots (not specifically identified with certainty), enemy HQs, enemy airfields (fighters)... and the icing on the cake... several sites known to be Mages’ encampments. Tanya’s mouth watered at the edifying reading... The François were about to find out what it cost to defy the Lord...
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During the video-conference, Zettour himself gave further instructions and details to Tanya: The first week of operations would be a test for what followed... It was imperative to test the stealth aspect of the operation, to ensure that EK D12 would not be detected by enemy forces before opening fire...
Likewise, it was imperative to establish with certainty whether the enemy was capable of identifying the source of their “sudden problems” after the opening of fire. Tanya had to employ a high-altitude “hit-and-run” tactic, while observing enemy reactions from close enough.
Likewise, Tanya had to test her EK’s endurance during intensive deployments—high altitude, high speed, stealth... It was imperative to establish an average operational level for the group that would ensure compliance with mission parameters and the achievement of objectives.
Due to the constraints of transporting enough ammunition, Tanya would need to plan for two sorties a day... This would also allow her to test the EK’s endurance. When Tanya asked if she should operate like a short-range bomber squadron... Zettour gave a wry smile... “Only if the AA doesn't detect you, Hauptmann von Degurechaff. And No Dive-bombing either..." Zettour added.
“The destruction of targets is only a secondary objective, Hauptmann... We must establish and verify, beyond any doubt, the ability of ‘EK D12’ to fly undetected over enemy territory and to carry out decisive operations without being detected afterward.”
“Ideally, your projectiles should hit their target by the time you've already moved away.” Added Zettour as an after-thought.
“If the results from the first week live up to our expectations, I have a long list of targets for you, Hauptmann...” Zettour added to a beaming Tanya. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” She chanted ecstatic...
“Indeed...” simply declared Zettour.
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Chapter 19: It's raining hi-ex mana bullets! Hallelujah!
Tanya decided to have her group fly in the classic imperial formation... in case of “problems,” each pair would break away from the main group to throw off pursuers... The ideal scenario (and Zettour's orders) was, of course, to remain undetected... But the ideal is rarely the order of the day in the army...!
Tanya also emphasized the importance of each pair “keeping an eye” on one another... and in the event of a “malfunction”, to report it immediately... since half of the mission was “scientific.” Tanya “Nemesis 01” would fly with Serebryakov “Nemesis 02”, Weiss “Nemesis 03” with Gruner “Nemesis 04”, and the "Schwartz sisters" “Nemesis 05 and 06” would form the last pair.
Tanya decided to throw in a “fun” test: the group would take off vertically from their position “stealth mode engaged”, reach cruising altitude, and then proceed... Anyone detected by Imperial sensors would be stuck cleaning the latrines for the rest of the week...
Tanya and Visha mapped out the flight plan for the first few days by laying out a grid on the ground and “clearing” it of the included targets, working from south to north. It was a bit tedious, but looking down at the ground and watching the François targets go up in smoke was as rewarding and satisfying as ever...
Tanya quickly realized that the most advanced mage detection systems were mainly near the front lines... 20 kilometers inland, the EK D12 was no longer at risk of being detected, aside from visual detection... The Mod. 97’s databases had been loaded with numerous “decoys,” and the group usually appeared visually as a medium-sized cloud… or a flock of wild geese.
In fact, the only “annoying” moment of the week had come at the end of the first operational briefing... When the officer in charge of “miscellaneous matters and the armory” had asked Hauptmann von Degurechaff if she could emphasize to EK D12 the need to return with as many empty magazines as possible...
Seeing Tanya’s somewhat bewildered expression, the officer explained that each soldier was leaving with six 30-round magazines for their “Mondragon” rifle… But that the standard allocation per rifle was three... the remaining stock in the EK D12 armory once every soldier was equipped was 60 magazines... Tanya did the math in a few seconds... She had enough stock for three missions, if every soldier discarded the empty magazines... "Why.. How come?" she asked with a barely repressed painful sigh.
The quartermaster explained that the “Mondragon” was a stopgap measure, and that the “Die Fliegertruppen des Germanian Kaiserreiches” had priority in the allocation of 30-round magazines, which were time-consuming and expensive to produce... Even with an allocation order bearing a facsimile of General Zettour’s signature, he had received no more than what he now had.
He tried to “joke” by saying that, on the other hand, he had 575 Trommel magazines for the LP08 in stock... Tanya didn't smile, and sighed softly... “We do have enough ammunition, correct?” The quartermaster confirmed they had ample stocks of them... both in 9mm Parabellum and 7.92mm**.
Tanya made a mental note to contact von Lergen to settle the matter... Her soldiers already had enough on their plates; adding the extra step of making sure to put the empty magazine back in their pouch before loading the new one... was a luxury that the average soldier rarely considered in the heat of battle... especially under enemy fire...
Tanya passed this information on to her soldiers… Keeping a unit combat-ready was far easier than winning a battle against the imperial agency in charge of military procurement and distribution…
"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." That could have been the motto of imperial procurement administration... sighed Tanya.
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The next morning Tanya spoke to EK D12 before their mission “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
“We are blessed, we are repaying the François with the words of The Lord... and the blessings of hi-ex mana rounds, and will be back here for a hot meal...! You know your targets, the aim of our mission. The Lord is with us, he watches us... Make Him proud... or I WILL make you regret disappointing The Lord... and I!”
“No radio contact except in emergencies”
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The targets on the first day were all located 30 kilometers from the François front line: a railway junction, a depot that would quickly turn out to be an ammunition depot—as evidenced by the multiple secondary explosions—a railway bridge, and a castle identified as a divisional headquarters, from which heavy radio traffic was emanating, making its "termination" a necessary evidence.
At no point during the mission did Tanya get the impression that the EK D12 had been detected. On the other hand... no enemy Mages had been detected either. Perhaps the next missions would be more revealing. (No one had failed her “test”, EK D12 had moved like a ghost over the front lines...)
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Hans von Zettour was relatively satisfied; the initial results from EK D12’s “little trips into François territory” had all been successful. The military targets had all been “neutralized”, and expectations on the “technical level” had been met. EK D12 was virtually undetectable by the detection methods available at the time. The size of the territory to be “cleared” meant a wait of several weeks before the experiment could be considered as completed, but a few lessons could already be drawn from it for the "future mission".
von Zettour sighed at the depressing thought of having to “endure” yet another meal in the officers’ mess at HQ... But he had to discuss the details of their plan for the upcoming offensive with Rudersdorff... EK D12 was mostly ready... What about the Kaiserliche Marine?
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*As a military term, the German Einsatzkommando EK (rough translation: “special operations units”, or “deployment groups”.) is roughly equivalent to the English task force and is still in use for current German paramilitary organizations, such as SEK and Einsatzkommando Cobra .
** Mondragon rifles were rechambered in 7.92x57mm (from7x57mm Mauser)
*** For those who might be “baffled” by the strange way the chapters are double-numbered, I sincerely apologize, but my teacher's name was George Lucas... blame him for the weird numbering...!