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The following is a fan-based
FICTION
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"Organization is Key"
April 19 1935 EC
Major General Kurt Hertling
Borger, Belgique, Principality of Gallia
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Armeekorp 'Gallien' was a Reserve Army Group formed in response to recent issues in the Gallian Front.
[spoiler=The first offensive... rebuked][/spoiler]
I would be lie if I said I had any hand in its conception, but my presence here as the leading officer meant that I was to be cautious while I was in charge of them. Not because of the Gallian situation itself, but rather what sort of reaction this decision was going to cause to a certain ambitious Prince.
To say that Maximilian was a threat would be an understatement- despite the fact he was pretty much walking on eggshells between his risky gamble for the war and his incapacity to hold all the recent conquests registered within the first month of the invasion, he was still soemone that had the means that could easily end us all- Selvaria Bles, Valkyria and capable of pulling a nuclear suicide if needed. Even if not going for the massive nuke ending, the young woman was a formidable commander together with the rest of the Prince's Drei Stern.
The real issue, as far as I could see, was that the Prince was not using his advantage correctly. The saturation of its invasion force with too many tanks and little means to improve the logistics to supply said tanks meant that they couldn't be used at their full potential. And this was not acceptable.
And yet, I liked this development as it gave me freedom for some personal meddling in the long-run. Even though the Prince purposely ignored my arrival and left my welcoming party to just a handle of officers and main leaders within the Armeekorp, I knew what I had to do as I took the chance, during my trip to Borger (where my base of operations would be established). Soon I was standing in front of three main commanders:
1) Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Speidel was in charge of most of the infantry within the Armeekorp under the 'Kampfgruppe* Speidel', he was going to be essential for the entire operation but some of his men were to be involved under the command of the two other officers. He had fought in the frontline during Operation Northern Cross, and I had the chance of meeting him before today, so I knew that he liked to have his troops put in fair conditions of fighting rather than be turned to the nearest meatgrind;
[spoiler][/spoiler]
2) Major Ludwig Rundstadt, the chief in charge of the Artillery Brigades under Kampgruppe Rundstadt. His relevance in my plan was of hammering the main target of my plans. He was quite disgusted by the sight of his fellow commanders smoking, but raised no protest as I brought the three of them in my command tent. He was young and had received his current ranks with minimal experience on the field, so he was going to want to prove himself to his fellow commanders;
[spoiler][/spoiler]
3) Major Erich Guderian, as the name may suggest he was the boss of the tank groups in the Armeekorp and in charge of 'Kampfgruppe Guderian'. He was the right amount of reckless, but the war had dulled his eccentric personality, making him aware of the gravity of the conflict and how tanks may not be enough to outlast our foes.
[spoiler][/spoiler]
"Gentlemen," I greeted properly, gesturing to them to take a seat by the chairs in front of me. "Let us begin with a proper briefing of the situation."
All complied, all looked curious and I had plenty of info to divulge this early on.
"From what I can see through what I have read from Prince Maximilian's reports, The current invasion of Gallia is currently in jeopardy."
Mixed feelings flashed on their faces, with Rundstadt recovering first with a stunned look. "J-Jeopardy? But we are currently succeeding with the conquests."
"Not gonna lie, I am glad someone noticed this already," Guderian hummed, further shocking the Artillery commander. "What's with that face? We are getting stalled and attrition is eating our resources."
"Not only that, but we are not attacking where it really matters as Ragnitz still stand firmly under our enemies' control," Speidel concluded, drawing a nod from me.
"As it stands right now, even the planned conquest of Fouzen will not change much of the situation- the Gallians have a solid military force which is accustomed to the defensive nature of their terrain and they can handle the slowed pace we are going at," I finally expanded on the topic. "Which is why I have a few plans to end this war for good within a month from now."
Guderian grinned at this, patting his knee in delight. "That sounds like a dream, sir."
"And quite unfeasible," Speidel argued, trying to sound polite while at it. "Sir, a month is... the Gallians have a lot of resources to use."
"Which is why we will hit them before they will get the chance to use them. In fact, that advantage will be erased once this operation is over. But... let's not talk of hypotheticals and lets tackle the plan itself."
As I was done talking, I produced the map that had been drafted for the operation. Fall Gelb, Case Yellow, was meant to be a 'failsafe plan' within the circumstance of the Prince's battleplan failed to yield proper results. I knew that Maximilian would waste time, which meant I would have the means to secure a major victory that could, theoretically speaking, end the war itself.
The major difference which gave me this advantage? Awareness of the Gallian Army's pattern of actions. The games were still fresh in mind when it comes to gameplay and immediate lore, but the reports I had on the clashes between our forces and the Principality's troops further filled up for any blanks I had on the matter.
Thus, I had the master plan to screw any hopes of the Gallians to push us back even when they managed to boot Maximilian from Fouzen.
[spoiler][/spoiler]
The battleplan stemmed in three major points that were divided between the three Kampfgruppe:
1) Kampfgruppe Speidel (Yellow) would start operations within a week from this meeting. Their goal was to set base on Diltburg and fron there split their forces to create defenses by Aslone and pester the Gallians garrisoning the area and set a secondary base in Brandon to prevent any shift of troops toward the city;
2) Kampfgruppe Rundstadt (Green) would be deployed within ten days and provide for further distraction but also 'tendering' of the capital's fortifications. Using Yuell as the main base, the artillery pieces would barrage Ragnitz's fortifications and 'kick the nest angry'. In that circumstance, the Gallian troops will be forced to send a 'breakthrough' force to assemble by Aslone and try to dethrone Speidel's troops since both Chokkum and Carbali in the south were heavily defended thanks to the river and a response from there would take too long;
3) At the two-weeks mark, Kampfgruppe Guderian (Lilac) would push through Vasel and capture Wiltz. At this stage, troops from Kampfgruppe Speidel would be sent to reinforce Vasel as to block any relief force sent by Aslone and thus mostly encircle the city. If the conditions were favorable, then an offensive to take Keln would be called, thus pulling the most devastating hit the Principality would suffer- the encirclement of Ragnitz itself.
As the officers were reading, I added a few personal notes for the preparation. "Due to the timing of this operation, I wish to make it clear that the High Command shall provide all resources needed to have all Kampfgruppe ready for the operation. In the specific, Lieutenant Colonel Speidel and Major Guderian shall receive engineers to apply the defensive positions fast and to build the needed bridges respectively. Also, Major Guderian shall receive precise maps to know the terrain of the territory he is meant to cross with his tanks. Likewise, Major Rundstadt shall receive trucks to transport the heavy pieces and the ammunition required for precise shots for hours within a daily basis."
I leaned back, waiting for a response to gauge their reactions and... Speidel started to laugh. His right hand pressed on the table, while his left one covered his eyes as he laughed like a maniac. Even the eccentric Guderian looked uneasy at the display while Rundstandt was genuinely shivering. Soon, the laughter waned and the infantry leader grinned.
"Sir, this is why I joined the army. Finally a bold plan that doesn't promote the slaughter of our troops! And the glory- this is going to be the most glorious path we can ever hope to take."
Guderian beamed. "Yes, yes! The chance to finally kick the teeth of our foes! Let's put an end to this conflict and get back to the real war."
Rundstadt nodded. "My forces will be more than able to sustain this duty."
"I am glad to hear that, but there is one last thing I wish to say before I dismiss you and leave you to your duties: if you have intention to bring up something relevant to the Fall Gelb, I want you to do so by personally requesting to speak with me," I remarked seriously, making it clear that this element was non-negotiable. "I read some suspicious reports that the Gallian have an Intelligence Service which feeds them with important information. This operation- I don't need to explain why it is best to keep quiet about it until after it is over. I see you all as prominent leaders within this Armeekorp, but I will personally have you all demoted and sent to some desolate prison if I hear from any of my security officers in town that you either bragged about it or even so considered using it as some sort of bargaining chip for power. I will have your hides and your skulls if that was to be the case. Understood?"
They all looked positively horrified, but all nodded at my last question.
"Good, then you are all dismissed for the time being."
Time to kill two birds with a stone.
AN
Next time, the plot of Valkyria Chronicles get screwed in an unexpected fashion. Also, Maximilian will be, awkwardly so, miffed at seeing this operation happening.