Year 1915 A.C. Cold Season, Combat Phase
Abberan Advancements
This season we have expanded
Ore mining operations in the
Woodlands. The
North River Crossing has also seen
Entrenchment pushed to Three(3) with a severe increase in concrete trenchworks, minefields, and barbed wire obstacles all watched over by fortified pillboxes in anticipation of a Salviosi assault.
Thanks to our additional
Ore resource, we have received the following Armory adjustments:
The
Icarus,
Nodens, and
Gendarme all become
(EXPENSIVE).
Salviosi Successes
Proposal: AAV-15 'Apibaru' (Pattern B)
AAV-15 'Apibaru' (Pattern B):
These [REDACTED] certainly have some interesting ideas. The [REDACTED] is a revolutionary vehicle- fast, heavily armoured, and amphibious, it has the potential to change the face of war forever.
...is what I would have said, before the Abberans rolled out their own fast, heavily armoured vehicle. At least theirs isn't amphibious- but the face of war has still already been changed, making the [REDACTED] a much less revolutionary concept.
Anyway.
Unfortunately, we cannot create an exact replica- [REDACTED] is simply too far ahead of us in multiple fields. However, we can substitute many components with our own technology... and make some concessions to the existence of the Abberan's Gendarme.
First, we shall replace the engine with a GavEngine of equivalent output- not a problem, thanks to the [REDACTED] bizarre adherence to [REDACTED]. The transmission and gearing and suchlike will be simplified slightly, at the expense of somewhat lowering the top speed (whilst still leaving the Kerata in the dust, obviously). The metallurgy used to create the armour is of[REDACTED] we possess, but fortunately Caelium Steel is a decent substitute- we can (and will) even make it slightly thicker, given its lower weight. Structural components will be regular steel.
The turret... is not possessed of enough firepower to seriously threaten the Gendarme, which is where our most radical modification comes in. The [REDACTED]will be replaced by a 40mm LFG-13, modified to fit the turret. Even though the LFG is made of Caelium Steel, and we won't need the heavy carriage, it will still [REDACTED], so some modification may be necessary to balance things out- although we understand that the [REDACTED] have successfully made [REDACTED] doable. The coaxial machine gun will be replaced with an LGG.
Difficulty: Very Hard
Result: 6 (5+2+1-2) 7 (6+2+1-2) = Average
Our conversion of this foreign [REDACTED] went...surprisingly well considering our history with ground vehicles. We've managed to duplicate the shape and size of the original (or we're pretty sure, without an actual physical copy for comparison), including the interesting decision to use a "hexagonal cross-section" and sloped armor. Thanks to our access to Caelium Steel the armor is 35mm thick without severely impacting performance. The [REDACTED] engine was swapped out for one of our GavEngines, and an LGG-12 slotted in place of the coaxial gun. Most notably, the [REDACTED] is replaced by an open-top turret mounting an LFG-13 modified for the purpose [GM NOTE: Think something in the style of the German's Wirbelwind turret]. As a result of the additional burden and some willing sacrifices to certain mechanisms involved with the four pairs of wheels, an Apibaru can get to 60kph on land and, thanks to a pair of basic propellers, 8 knots or around 15kph in calm waters.
The LFG-13 and ammo storage cut into the actual transport space, knocking the original's troop transport capacity down slightly to ten passengers and four crew.
The Apibaru costs 7 Ore, 4 Gavrillium, and 5 Caelium, making it (VERY EXPENSIVE).
Proposal: Avalanche Combat Engineering Kit
Step one: Make shovel, except it's Avalanche-sized and made entirely out of steel. Step two, make a bag full of 10kg charges of non-Gavrillium-based (like our non-Gavrillium grenade) explosives with hand grenade timers, armed either like a hand grenade or using a long ripcord for detonating at a distance. Step three, take that same 10kg charge and then stick it in a steel casing with a Gavrillium cap bolted to one end. The explosion blows the cap off, but not before starting the melting process and stretching it into a concrete and armor-penetrating cone shape like a primitive HEAT charge that also melts anything it gets stuck in. Combined, these devices allow us to deploy combat engineers in Avalanche armor, fully capable of everything from major demolitions work on buildings or hardened positions (shaped charges are useful for blasting through thick concrete and regular explosives will destroy anything if you toss them inside first) to digging latrines. Oh, and trenches and foxholes and anything else you may need to dig out.
We expect to find lots of enemy fortifications in our way during our landings and will then find ourselves in open ground, in need of cover and construction capabilities, we hope this is enough to earn some extra investment from our generals.
Difficulty: Normal
Result: 3 (3+1+0) 8 (5+3+0) = Average
Step One: We made a full-steel Avalanche-sized shovel as well as our standard entrenching tool.
Step Two: We crafted 10kg explosive charges that can be primed and thrown with a seven second fuse or placed and detonated from a relatively safe distance with a ripcord spooled and paired with each explosive.
Step Three: Using principles gleaned from our FMJ/G rounds we've thrown charges into steel casings with one end capped in gavrillium. When the charge goes off the blast is more focused out of the gavrillium end, with the gavrillium cooking off and blasting outward as it rapidly turns molten, often melting what it's pointed at.
Step Four: We grabbed a big ol' canvas bag and can throw up to six of any combination of cased or unencased explosives into it. It has an adjustable strap meant to be thrown over the shoulder. The padding is amazing.
Avalanche Combat Engineers have to forego larger pieces of equipment (namely, the Senapang and LAMB) due to the bulk of the shovel and explosives.
The charges almost always work as intended, and the shovels and entrenching tools (equipped separately) are fairly sturdy.
The Avalanche Combat Engineering Kit costs 8 Ore and 3 Gavrillium, making it (EXPENSIVE).
CHAPTER FOUR: A FOCUSED EFFORT
Part One: The Price of A Kilometer
With the war expanding from a simple fight over a city into a multi-front conflict the soldiers still in Harren City were given the orders to hold their ground at all costs, a command they were very willing to fulfill. Streets were blocked by
Gendarmes and their infantry support, using the cover of taller buildings when they could to avoid a bombardment from the increasingly numerous and problematic
Charybdis fleet. Every intersection became a killzone, every alley a chokepoint, each building a fortress.
A few weeks into the season the Salviosi began increasingly probing the Abberan lines. While they began as nothing unusual, eventually raids were run that ended in the Salviosi destroying a strongpoint here or there with their new
'Avalanche' Combat Engineering Kit. Their explosives also gave the
Avalanche soldiers the capability of destroying our
Gendarmes quite handily should they be prepared for one. Eventually the probing stopped for a few days, and then...
Cool rains fell one midseason morning when the air filled with the
crack of a
Senapang followed by the death of an Abberan messenger unlucky enough to get caught crossing the street. A few minutes later a second soldier a block away was killed as he peered out of a window. For a few hours the Abberan lines were harassed by snipers in this manner before the barely audible hum of the
Charybdises joined in. They passed over the infantry in search of relatively easy airborne prey, though not without firing shots at a few more exposed targets. Led by their
Apibarus and
Sleds, the Salviosi then launched their massed infantry offensive on the Abberan line.
Vehicles on both sides were of limited use for both sides as infantry was regularly equipped with weaponry capable of damaging enemy armor. The
Gendarmes had a
slightly easier time of it, needing only to hunker down and wait for the enemy to expose itself. The
Sleds however served very well in setting up an immediate defense for any taken ground. While the enemy Power Armor keeps to small arms and melee weapons, their
FMJ/G ammunition and strength-amplifying myomer give them more than enough ability to engage our
Paladins and
Crusaders at any range. Infantry from both sides is well-prepared for the close, brutal fighting the city has offered for the past couple years, and while nothing was added to the Abberan armory this season to aid in the ground war, one major thing changed. Our K-wool protection has increased survivability of our infantry, that is certain. During an attack an injured soldier is still often out of the fight, however when defending they don't need to worry about things like "keeping up" and "charging". As long as they can use a weapon they can hold ground, and the Salviosi had to come to terms with this. While the combat engineers and heavy weapons could freely fire on targets in the open, they needed to clear every building room-by-room and often with unarmored infantry. With a static defense in place this task became much more difficult, though the
M3 frag grenades deployed by Salvios aided in the endeavor. With a
Sickle in every squad and a
Draco or
Modea otherwise our infantry has much more overall firepower in enclosed spaces. The Salviosi had better control of the streets though, and kept constant pressure on the Abberans. Day by bloody day a building or two would fall to Salviosi hands, though not without an increasingly steeper cost in lives.
Things looked pretty good for the Abberan defense this season until two weeks into the push when Salvios launched a massed
Perahudara assault. With total control of the skies, although vulnerable to most gunfire, their skyborne transports were able to drop infantry and Power Armor among our forces, on rooftops, and anywhere else they could slither their way into. While being inside one of those flying cans was definitely unenviable, it pulled attention from the front and allowed the enemy to progress while pinching the forces between the Salviosi line and the deployment of
Perahudaras. Eventually the order to fall back was given to prevent a similar assault cutting off the whole of Abberan forces in Harren City. This was no retreat, however. The Abberan forces made the Salviosi pay for every step they took,
Crusaders and jump-pack
Nikes proving especially capable of harassing the Salviosi in this environment. Abberan forces suffer heavier losses this season than they have previously as a result of the orders to hold ground and being unable to do so. If it is of any consolation, the Salviosi are just as bloodied and exhausted.
It was a valiant effort, but ultimately the Salviosi were
just able to best Abberan forces in the city, resulting in an
Abberan Defeat! Abberan control of Harren City drops to 0%.
Decide whether or not to keep the bridges intact as you pull back.Part Two: The Cliffs of Abbera
The first hint of something wrong was the increased sighting of the floating metal observation balls the Salviosi deployed. They initially drew a bit of fire, if only for sport, before the Salviosi began to respond to the gunfire with distant strafing runs from
Charybdises. Eventually a few observation posts reported enemy activity across the strait. Runners and radios relayed the message through the mountains of a coming assault which eventually does come in the form of
Perahudaras and
Apibarus supported by a large number of
Charybdises. The amphibious craft directed themselves to the small shorelines where they could disgorge their troops - cliffs and narrow passes prevented the
Apibarus from pushing very far into the mountains. The
Perahudaras had an easier time of it, at least until trying to land. With combat generally restricted to basic infantry, the portability of the Abberan heavy weapons as well as their
Nike armor and jump-pack, they were able to quickly position and reposition as necessary to fire upon invaders.
The Salviosi had a hard enough time as it was however, at least at first. With the
Orleans capable of using it's main gun at will for the first time in the war, and in a theater where neither side was able to field many pieces on the ground, it was able to make an impact once more. Shells flew over mountains and into the strait as the Saliviosi were crossing, with a few lucky hits destroying some
Apibarus before the airships were driven off. While defenses in the area were sparse, there was a
Scythe,
Sickle, or
Halberd around seemingly every corner and riddling every mountainface.
Perahudaras were readily filled with holes, their cargo of infantry suffering for the lack of armor plating. On the occasion that a
Perahudara did manage to land, it wasn't long before the highly mobile Abberan infantry would pounce, repositioning their heavy weapons and using their
Wickermen to provide cover in exposed passes and valleys. While Salvios once again controls the skies, their limited infantry capability hampered their invasion efforts in the area, resulting in the attack grinding to a halt. With Salvios needing to improvise cover from the elements while the Abberans have some sort of infrastructure (and lovely K-Wool), morale and effectiveness hastily drop as the invasion goes from one day of fighting to two, to five. Pockets of Salviosi infantry try to hold out, but ultimately they are forced to retreat, surrender, or die.
With the limited equipment able to be brought to bear in the North Peaks, our focus on improving our basic infantry has paid off greatly. The Salviosi invasion has failed, resulting in an
Abberan Victory! Control of the North Peaks remains 100%.
Part Three: Traveling Abroad
Salvios knew what was coming. How could they not? Massive ships prepared to launch for the greatest amphibious invasion the world had seen. Patrolling aircraft in the distance definitely reported back what they saw, but the Salviosi were more interested in digging into their side of the strait here.
Kingmakers and
Caliburns joined the
Neptune and accompanying
Nodens ships in the responsibility of transporting men and material onto Salviosi lands.
They set off on a foggy morning, using the low clouds to provide cover from above. Built more for hovering over solid land than water, a couple of the small transport vehicles suffer malfunctions during the crossing and dooming more than a few soldiers to a frigid watery grave.
Charybdises are forced to dividing their attention between the
Orleans support raining artillery down on the Salviosi positions and the transports moving en masse below. Now however, the aircraft needed to deal with the 60mm guns on the
Neptune and
Nodens. While by no means perfect, they at least provide some level of threat and deterrence against the long-unopposed Salviosi craft. Even adding in fire from the Salviosi artillery and bunker guns, the crossing was going generally well.
Salvios had long expected an attack on this front, however. The beaches were overlooked by lines of trenches and bunkers. At least one
GGG-12,
LGG-12, or
Senapang Var. S. kept watch over every centimeter of the half-kilometer between the waves and Salviosi defenses. Gunfire and explosions peppered the Abberan transports. A number of
Scylla bunker guns managed to do some relatively minor damage to a few
Nodens, and one was sunk with all hands on board after the deck was struck twice by Salviosi artillery and she cracked in half. The
Neptune, followed by the battered
Nodens ships, eventually opened their maws and let loose the mass of infantry and armor inside. Or at least it was hoped to be that easy. The front of the ships dropping open provided perfect targets for the Salviosi guns, with
Gendarmes being struck by heavy weapons as they exited the ship, though those that weren't immediately disabled managed to make fair progress on the frozen clay and dirt of the beach. Infantry fared no better as the rapid-fire Salviosi weapons sprayed into the ships.
Wickermen popped all along the beach providing ample cover, but still the approach was bloody and hard-fought.
Luckily the mass of hovering transports provided a great threat to the Salviosi lines, able to rapidly exploit weakpoints left by
Orleans bombardment. Barbed wire and landmines did little to stop the movement of the hovercraft, and so they were able to bypass a majority of the obstacles that would have provided clearer chokepoints for the defenders. Though
very costly, once again Abbera's highly mobile infantry allowed us to reposition at will, and do so with some pretty hefty weaponry. The
Wickerman reared it's head again as a fairly effective means of clearing pillboxes - the cup launcher increasing their usefulness exponentially. Eventually a breakthrough was forced and pressure on the beach slowly lifted as the first line of trenches was secure.
Salviosi artillery seemed somewhat inconsistent, if not disorganized, and while it obviously had an impact, did not perform nearly as well as anticipated. That said, the fighting was
very close, with our forces only managing to maintain a small foothold by the end of the season. Salviosi defenses are quite heavy, and may require a bit of dedication to get through. All things considered, it is still an
Abberan Victory! Abbera now controls 10% of the Savannah.----------------
This season we
Lost Harren City,
Repelled the North Peaks Attack, and
Landed in the Savannah. You are now tasked with deciding once more
whether or not to blow the bridges into Harren City. Overall our slight focus on improving our base infantryman paid off. Pulling forces originally meant for use in other sectors for our focused offensive did reduce manpower in those areas. Some say this turned the loss off Harren City from a probability to a certainty, but historians will only ever be able to speculate.
We have also received a request from the Alliance: the war has ground to a halt on all fronts, and some ideas are being formulated as to how to break the stalemate. Each nation has been tasked with a different option to work out, and yours is to make a vehicle, suit of armor, gun, set of equipment...something, but you are to put every ounce of effort into it possible. All costs will be covered by the Alliance's coffers.
This is the free design for the National Effort you guys will be designing this turn. You also have your normal Design action.
While the loss of the city hurts, our victories elsewhere should not go ignored. We're on the enemy's turf, and they can't say the same. Congratulations.
RE: The Special Design-It will be tasked with fighting a similar effort coming out of the Salviosi labs.
-If something is designed or revise that could directly upgrade this design, it will do so automatically unless otherwise requested.
-The design will always be a
(NATIONAL EFFORT).
-Include whether or not it's meant to be an
(OFFENSIVE) or
(DEFENSIVE) design.
-Difficulty for this design will be reduced.
-Feel free to ask questions.
IT IS NOW THE DESIGN PHASE.
Poll
3 (15%)
Author
Topic: Industrialized Warfare: Abbera Thread / 1917 A.C. Cold Season (COMPLETE) (Read 78705 times)