March 6th 1935, Imperial Supply base, Ypern
"Yes, that is true Major Martinek. But there is nothing to be worried about, that the High Command has everything under control." Colonel Lindtmann said as he rolled out the map. "Lieutenant General Lemore already informed us about the new defensive plan. The new front will be pulled back towards the forts on the border, with Premsel, Krest, Strack and Lussarn acting as headquarters for their respective sectors and receiving reinforcements in form of the new 210mm howitzers." Valentin just sighed. "And there is absolutely no possibility of the Gallians aligning themselves with the Federation?"t "Unlikely, given Gallias foreign policy. They might supply the Federration with some Ragnite, but they definitely won't allow Federation troops to enter their territory to aid in the defence. Besides, the Prince will get assistance of several High Ranking officers, so the Gallians should be no match for our forces." Colonel Lindtmann explained while he put a few chess pieces on the map. "The forts might receive additional guns, but artillery will be located on the front nonetheless. Our last two remaining batteries will get reinforced by the remaining forces of the mountain infantry to form a "mixed Regiment" and will provide firesupport on the front in the sector around Premsel. Any questions?" Valentin looked at the map. "Why are we getting sent to the northern sector?" "Lieutenant General Lemore told me, that our mountain guns are the only ones suitable for the terrain there. The heavier field guns would be difficult to move around." Lindtmann replied. "Anything else?" "Not really." "That would be everything then. Let your men know. We will get redeployed in three hours, so they should pack their things."
March 8th 1935, 3rd Federal Mechanized Infantry Battalion, Stavern
Everything was quiet inside the tent. Nobody dared to speak as much as a word until Harold had finished his tea. The men and women serving under him knew him well enough to remain silent until he had his morning tea. After he took the last sip, he placed his cup on the desk. "Gentleman, i have superb news. We finally pushed the Imps back into their own country. However, as most you already know, this is just the beginning..." Harold stood up and stuck his Knife into the map on the desk. "Our next target will be Kijell. Since the enemy is busy with trying to hold off the Second Army Group, we are tasked with pushing forward to apply some additional pressure on the northern part of the front. Our Battalion will be vital to this operation, since our goal is to bind as many enemy forces as possible to smoothen the path for the 101st Division. Due to the terrain, tanks will be of rather little use, so i would suggest ditching them for this operation. Any questions?" As usual, he didn't wait for an answer. "Good. You may inform your troops now. Preparations have to be finished until tomorrow at 0825. Oh, before i forget it again, there's something i have to discuss with you, Lieutenant Dorn."
While everyone left the room, Dorn patiently waited. "You know why i asked you to stay?" "Yes, Major Jonakin." "Good. I assume you talked some sense into her?" "Yes, Mayor Jonakin." "Good. I hope for her and your sake, that this won't happen again. I have nothing against bravery, but there's a thin line between bravery and stupidity, one that Sergeant Foucault seems to cross too often…anyways, you may leave now." Harold just waved him off while he turned around, staring at the map. "Hm… if we moved a bit more to the north…" He grinned. "Yes. Perfect. I can already imagine how much glory i will gain by capturing it…"
March 9th 1935, Fort Premsel
Valentin surely got pleasantly surprised. The commander of the fortress, Colonel Berneustatt, had turned out to be an old acquaintance of his father. He had talked briefly with the man after he and Colonel Lindtmann had reported to his office. After hearing his name, the man invited him to stay for a while to talk, an invitation Valentin gladly accepted, after he had put his few belongings in his new quarters.
The man mostly wanted to know how "the old bastard is holding up", to which Valentin only replied that he hadn't had the opportunity to send any letters since they had been in Federation territory for the past month. After pouring Valentin and himself a generous glass of some sort of strong honey liquor, which left a burning aftertaste with a just enough of a slight hint of sweetness for Valentin to drink another glass with the man, Colonel Berneustatt started talking about the old times, which, to no one's surprise, were his experiences during the war. Apparently he had served as a cannoneer on the famous armoured train "Terror of Ternick", which had been crucial during the defense of said city. During the last three months of EW I, it was commandeered by Joachim Martinek, Valentins father and apparently the Colonel had even saved his life on one occasion by blowing up an AT-gun, which had set its sights on the command cart. He then began to complain about his direct superiors, who prevented him from getting promoted, at least from his point of view. While it certainly was interesting to hear some stories of the past, Valentin eventually asked if he could report back to his unit. Not because he didn't like it but because it just felt wrong… sitting there, talking with a superior officer while the war was raging on...
Marth 9th 1935, Federation Camp, somewhere in the Premsel Sector
Christopher looked at the map in front of him. He still wasn't sure why Major Jonakin had changed the plan, but there probably was a reason. The new target, some random military installation, was around 12 miles away from Kijell. Not that Christopher would complain, an orders an order after all. He then folded the map and laid down on his cot. One thing was sure. Tomorrow would be one hell of a fight...
(Sorry for the delay, had to wait until i was home again so i could create a rough timeline of VC4, which was needed to determine when certain events like the battle at Siegval, etc take place)