Author Notes:
Ok, not gonna lie, RM always hit me as something of a wake-up punch. Nothing too outlandish, just enough to make it relatable or believable. And more often than not, RM demands nothing but my best because there's no way in Hell I could write something like this without being boosted by coffee. That's just a little heart to heart from me.
Anyway~! With Christmas being near and the end of Monthly Recruitment Drive just around the corner, may I present to you all the... Welp, picture below lol
By the way, I must reiterate my warning that new Patron shouldn't waste your hard earn money through donations made with IOS application. IOS charged a much higher price than normal and will gatekeep the donated money from me for 3 months, by then I very much could be dead. So, I will respectfully decline any IOS purchase/donation because it just isn't worth it for either you, or me. Apple is bloody greedy in doing this, if you ask me.
https://www.patr-eon.com/Heartbreak117
https://ko-fi.com/heartbreak117/goal?g=0
Actual Monthly Income Goal 713/880 USD (UmU)
Income Counting Yearly Supporters 794 USD (UmU)
For my fics:
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/55793/reich-marshal-of-the-belkan-reich/
https://www.webnovel.com/book/reich-marshal-of-the-belkan-reich_23809095505377305
https://photos.app.goo.gl/waZgkRa3UQhqKQBi9
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/1375924/in-the-grimdark-sector-with-a-system/
Santa Yuki: https://postimg.cc/hXXPh6Y4
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4th Expeditionary Strike Group, KMS Elbe. Somewhere in the North Sea.
After a morale booster of a broadcast for the forces involved in the invasion of London, Bryn and I convene the affiliated staffs of Reichsmarine sailors, Marine officers, and Air Force commanders in the planning room of the Elbe. Although the planning room has been designed from the outset to be quite spacious aboard the Bayern-class battlecarrier, it's surprising to see that it's filled to near capacity during a staff meeting. Granted, this is a Joint Staff meeting, not limited to any service branch. That said, there are also others who will be joining this session via encrypted video calls. Obviously, we can't have everyone present on the Elbe when they're needed in person elsewhere.
Upon entering the planning room, however, we centered around the main holographic MFD table and the large set of electronic displays at one end of the room. It's here that the accompanying ONI personnel help the already presented sailors and Marines set up the centralized battlenet for this Joint Operation. These personnel will also be responsible for the coordination between the common service branches and the ONI-affiliated Raven and 141st members. Soon enough, the entire room turns from an active but calm control node into a proverbial hive of activities and beeps and boops.
Now that everything is set up, it's time we get down to the brass tacks. I step closer to the holotable, leaning slightly over it to view the updated map markers with a hand resting on the table's edge. With my other hand, I make a go-ahead gesture for the Rear Admiral in charge of the 4th ESG. From his position, which is to my right and similarly by the edge of the table, the Rear Admiral operates the control, highlighting our forces, both aerial and surface, in blue for all to see.
"Your Highness, the Marshal, shipwise, the 3rd and 4th ESGs have a combined total of 2 Bayern-class battlecarriers, 1 Scharnhorst-class battleship, 3 Hindenburg-class heavy cruisers, 6 Munchen-class light cruisers, 7 Elbing-class destroyers, 4 Mannheim-class amphibious transport docks, 4 Nassau-class submarines, 5 Supply-class fast combat support ships. The aircraft on our battlecarriers amount to: 10 Harrier jump jets, 10 Skyraider attack aircraft, 8 Osprey gunships, 32 utility Ospreys, and 4 ASW Ospreys. We have an additional 13 Ospreys if we count the ones aboard the Mannheim LPDs and Supply AOEs. Additionally, each Bayern is fitted with a supply of two 30-kiloton Minibreve missiles for a total of four WMDs."
I let out a small smirk, although the smile doesn't quite reach my eyes. "With the already devastating conventional firepower we already have in the form of two ESGs, something must have gone really, really wrong once again if we have to rely on the Minibreves to do our bidding. Let's hope that we'll never get to that point, shall we?"
Seeing the nods from the officers and even Bryn, I then turn to the Colonel of the Marines. "Colonel Hopson, correct? Tell me, have the Marines made good on their preparation time?"
Giving me a concise salute, the middle-aged Colonel explains.
"All the men and women of the Corps are ready to kick the Eruseans back to the Stone Age, Marshal! We have 8800 Marines; 4000 aboard the battlecarriers, while the rest are stationed aboard the Mannheim LPDs. Not counting the Ospreys, we have 12 hovercrafts ready to ferry our troops and heavy equipment ashore. And in case the sea is messy, we have 136 Class-B and 24 Class-C Pumas. Additionally, we're reinforced by 2 Leopard MBT Platoons, and an assortment of light to heavy artillery pieces, with the cherry on top being two batteries of Sunburst MLRS. Ma'am, we're built and live for this very moment!"
"I like your enthusiasm, Colonel. And I believe there's no better opportunity to have the Marines of the 3rd and 4th ESGs earn their battle stars." I nod at the man after his quite passionate introduction.
Moving on, I look over to members of the RAVEN Programs and the 141st Rapid Force Division. With them quite literally under my direct command, I already understand the forces they can readily bring to the table in such a short time frame. "Captain Schnee, Captain Cenzo. You each can contribute a full Company's worth of soldiers with power armor. Your forces will be pivotal in enhancing the durability and striking power of the embarking Marines, especially on the more dangerous and critical objectives."
"It will be our honor, Marshal!" The addressed Captains, one supersoldier in Mjolnir, one mortal wearing an SPI suit, deftly bang their chest plates, creating a tasteful echo.
Afterward, I call forth the other necessary components in this upcoming Operation, having them all lay our proverbial cards clearly on the holotable. Once I am certain that all the people who participated in this meeting are on one page, I then turn to Bryn, ceding the stage to her.
My Valkyrie steps up and inputs the overall plan and objectives that I conceived a long time ago, which had to be revised during the flight to the KMS Elbe due to the evolving circumstances in London. Bryn first calmly speaks about the foes we will be facing.
"Although London is in turmoil, it doesn't mean that the rest of the Kingdom itself is defanged. While we have struck one devastating blow after another on the Erusean Royal Navy and Air Force, they still retain a token force to protect their mainland. Things like coastal submarines, corvettes, floatplanes, and short-range patrol aircraft... These are things that may amount to nothing when encountering our warships, but can still pose a deadly threat against our invasion forces. Thus far, ONI has been tracking the movement and deployment bases of these threats, at least those that are visible. Since the current Kingdom of Erusea has been unable to keep a proper track of its paperwork, even our best analyses can be made faulty due to the Eruseans' misplacing a dotted line. Understandably, we must prioritize the detection of these threats and promptly eliminate them before and during the invasion of London."
Operating the console on the holotable, Bryn then brings up projections of the literal goalkeepers to our objectives.
"Perhaps most importantly and eye-catching are the series of fortresses, both land and naval, that are impeding our projected invasion path. The naval fortresses of Maunsell, Red Sand, and Mulberry stand directly in our way to the entry of the River Thames. Flanking them to the South are the land fortresses of Reculver and Neptune, each capable of providing supporting artillery fire for the Maunsell and Red Sand sea fortresses. Additionally, Northeast of Mulberry sea fortress is the Shoebury Garrison, while to its South is Garrison Point, both with their own heavy artillery and anti-air batteries. The heavy guns in the Shoebury Garrison and Garrison Point are more powerful than the ones used by the Reculver and Neptune fortresses. At all times, there will be two corvettes either docking or patrolling around the Mulberry fort... These are the first set of obstacles that we need to eliminate to secure a safe beachhead for our Marines and Special Forces to land and operate. As an opening act, the 509th Bomb Wing will be deploying their T-12 Cloudmaker seismic bombs against the Eruseans' Reculver and Neptune fortresses and the Shoebury Garrison and Garrison Point. This will leave the remaining Maunsell, Red Sand, and Mulberry naval fortresses for the 3rd and 4th ESGs to deal with."
Bryn then presses the play button for a brief holographic animation to be played. It showcases the B-40 Polar Bears dropping bombs in concert with our warships to blast all of the roadblocks to kingdom come. Afterward, flag markers are placed in the Southend region of London. Bryn immediately picks up on that.
"Once the path is clear, our immediate objective is to seize the site of the Shoebury Garrison, or the remains of it, and the Royal Air Force base of Rochford, which is just behind the Garrison. Shoebury will be the bridgehead for us to create a supply base, while RAF Rochford can be converted into a Forward Operating Base. From Rochford, we will have a straight shot to inner London. However, around Rochford is a series of secondary objectives, places that may contain intelligence that ONI needs. These sites are raid targets that we'll need to take care of along the way. Since many of them are in populous areas, strict trigger discipline must be enforced. Nonetheless, if there are hostilities that knowingly garrison a populated building and refuse to go down quietly... Then all bets are off."
At this reminder, I can see not a small number of officers nod in understanding. Better them than us, is what Bryn meant. And frankly, I condone it because I personally gave orders like that myself. If they dare to use innocents as a meat shield, then they're treated as terrorists and insurgents.
Belka does not negotiate with terrorists and insurgents... Well, that's what I would like to say, but honestly, things can be made quite flexible if the needs arise.
Bryn continues. "Our air and naval assets will be conducting a region-wide bombardment campaign, prioritizing enemy heavy weaponry, fortified structures, encampments, and reinforcements. They will cover the invasion force as you all dig in. During such time, you may come across trickles of Erusean troops with varying loyalty coming from outside London. Three major factions are vying for London's control, one of them is identified as a civilian-focused faction that primarily operates out of the South Bank of the River Thames; you are to treat them all as hostiles. If they pose a danger, shoot first, ask questions later. If they're unarmed and cooperative, zip tie them for your and their own safety."
Bryn then highlights the planned avenue of approach for the main force. "Once the FOB is in place, we'll advance to Buckingham Palace by land and air on the North Bank of the Thames. For the most part, we will be keeping clear of the South Bank as we will not overly antagonize the civilian faction. A special detachment will be formed to broker diplomacy with them if possible, but this is not the main focus. To facilitate the attack, a couple of our destroyers and light cruisers will go as far as possible up the stream of the River Thames to perform Naval Gun Fire Support. It's a bit of a risky maneuver, but the demoralizing effect on the enemy can be quite devastating, perhaps even more so than the destructive aspect."
Still, Bryn circles an area on the map in red.
"RAF Station Northolt, due West of London. While mostly empty of its aerial inventory, it still retains a sizeable security force and its associated equipment. Thus far, it has been under a power struggle of its own due to swaying loyalty in the matter of London. We still do not know if the base commander will move his force to aid any particular faction in London, but the size of his airbase alone makes the location a prime target of seizure. By capturing and giving Northolt some light modifications, we will be able to airlift the Marshal's Ghost Division over from the motherland. While the 404th may not come soon enough to participate in a pincer attack alongside the Marines, the Division can reinforce our hold over the capital city, making it rock solid."
"Upon reaching London proper, however," Bryn adds. "Our main objective is the capture of King George VI and his family, alive. They, alongside what's left of their loyal cabinet, are holding up in Buckingham Palace under the heavy protection of the Royal Guards and other loyalist forces. Nonetheless, the heavy protection isn't an issue; it's how chaotic the topography around Buckingham Palace is with all the factions vying for influence and land. It will be nearly impossible to maneuver a large force to the Palace under the current conditions. As such, elite strike forces, formed out of combined Marines-ONI units, will be employed to tackle the primary objective and the secondary raid targets that are also located around the Palace area. The specific formats of these units will be explained further later, but for now..."
I watch, more transfixed because of her cool and commanding presence than the impending operation at hand, as Bryn calmly asks. "Any question?"
"Just one, General... What will be the name of this major Operation?"
Bryn takes a look at me, a tinge of exasperation going past her eyes as she knows that the name that I coined for this Operation is quite a middle finger to the Eruseans. My Valkyrie then answers the question with an even tone.
"Vortigern... Operation Vortigern."
Quite poetic, don't you think?