by Carlo Zen
But the higher-ups didn't take that into consideration. Or rather, they couldn't. After all, Commander von Romel was going to wage his maneuver battles no matter how crazy the environment was.
The announcement came in and said there were no changes in their orders.
"Close the flanks! I say again, close the flanks!"
It was maneuver warfare the moment they landed.
Everyone was for attacking the enemy while they were off their guard, thinking it would take some time for them to get their supply lines and other logistics together.
"Fairy 01 to Kampfgruppe Seven. It's just as we heard. We're pushing the lines forward."
"Cerberus 01 to Kampfgruppe Three. We're following Kampfgruppe Seven. Be ready to support the breakthrough!"
The problem lay with the doctrine of swinging around the back to encircle and annihilate while the center pinned the enemy down. The guys on the sea side had it a little better, but no one could stand being ordered to perform an outflanking maneuver in the sand.
A long-distance march in the desert, with barely any landmarks...
And they did it at combat speed. Just the thought of Kampfgruppen Seven and Three's level of training made them want to go back to the mainland or the beaches at Brest.
"Prepare for formation flying! Stay in position!"
"Check the beacon. You report directly to the battalion commander!"
Formation flying orders...
They followed the orders from CP and checked their receivers.
Sure enough. The one putting out the guiding beacon was the battalion commander. Apparently, Major von Degurechaff was flying in the lead.
The guys from the Kampfgruppen were merely surprised, but what she was doing must have been really hard.
She's commanding combat while leading the flight. Her brain must have superhuman processing power. I would get caught up navigating and be worthless as a commander.
Though such thoughts were running through his mind, Grantz prepared himself with practiced motions. This was his first highly mobile battle in the desert, but the basics were the same as always.
He hadn't been at it for very long, but through repetition he had mastered taking an unsentimental view and prepping efficiently.
"If you don't wanna go blind, check your goggles!"
At the same time, as a young officer he was abundantly flexible and adaptable. He was one of the first people to understand why Major von Degurechaff brought out bigger aviation goggles for desert combat.
Lots of people complained about the big, heavy new goggles, but Grantz made sure his subordinates wore them.
They could mitigate the light to some degree and provided protection against sand. He understood instinctively that they were required gear for fighting in the harsh environment on the southern continent.
"Fairy 01 to Kampfgruppe Seven. Begin the advance!"
"All right, let's get going!"
Thus equipped, they would fight a war. It didn't matter where or what the environment was like---that was the will of both Second Lieutenant Grantz's country and the other countries.
So the soldiers had to do it.
THE SAME DAY, FREE REPUBLIC PROVISIONAL NATIONAL DEFENSE MEETING
The side making gains in battle surely celebrates. Meanwhile the side suffering the losses finds the situation intolerable.
Having drained his tea with a sigh, General de Lugo was looking up at the ceiling with a fed-up expression on his face. A nasty blame game was raging before him with no end in sight. He glanced at the participants before lowering his eyes to the documents on the table.
Just getting one combat report together had required so much effort. Drafting the report of a single encounter had taken a lot out of him. He picked up the papers. Rather than conveying the course of the battle against the Imperial Army, most of the reports were made up primarily of criticism of colleagues and self-praise.
It seemed like the colonial troops still took honor, courage, and chivalry very seriously and thought it was their duty to devote most of the pages of their reports to those topics. It was a truly unfortunate, outdated state of affairs.
He scoffed in secret, thinking that a meeting for the sake of a meeting was a great way to put it. They were liable to destroy themselves before they managed to take back the fatherland. The discontent of the troops who had followed him from the mainland was also near the breaking point.
...But. No, now I can actually act.
It was because he saw the opportunity that de Lugo was patiently going along with this farce. He needed to hold out for the right timing.
"Let's consider an operation to retake Turus." Having decided the time was ripe, the supreme commander ignored the tumult in the room and made his declaration.
Before the escape, de Lugo had been a major general. It was an awfully high rank for his age, but there were many who had reached it before him.
And in fact, he was the youngest general in the room, and it was quicker to count him rank-wise from the bottom. Normally, he was one of the generals who should have yielded to more senior officers.
Yet, he sat at the head of the table due purely to duty. He was vice minister of both defense and the armed forces. It was because of his authority to take command of the army in case of emergency that he was able to lead the Republican forces now.
"Are our forces concentrated?"
"I beg your pardon, General de Lugo, but what did you just say?"
Of course, though he had the authority, that was only on paper.
Even though the generals dispatched to the colonial defense forces had fallen off the promotion track, they were still de Lugo's seniors.
They weren't about to submissively listen to a general far younger than them who had graduated from the academy far more recently.
Not to mention, de Lugo mentally added, viewing the situation objectively, these generals who got sent to the colonial armies probably don't think there is anything interesting about someone who stayed on the track at Central.
De Lugo knew better than anyone that although they were nominally gathered to take back the fatherland, the situation inside the Free Republic was rather chaotic. In spite of this, it was lucky the colonial army accepted his command---at least organizationally.
Well, one could also say that rather than agreeing to him leading, the colonial commanders had no other moves to make and just didn't object. Still, de Lugo was the most competent among them. And he was blessed in that he had home country units he could rely on.
While some of the troops he had brought with him were lacking in actual combat experience, some who been on the Rhine lines, and others had been in the middle of getting their equipment upgraded at Central, so overall they were quite powerful.
And since the command structure had been built around de Lugo from the beginning, the forces were cohesive and well disciplined.
Even if there were some supply issues, the troops that escaped from the homeland were still the ones best equipped. They were better off than the soldiers who had been in the colonies for a long time. That in itself spoke to the standards of the colonial forces. Above all, it was clear that the elite mages from home were a notch above the troops they joined up with.
But de Lugo mentally cautioned himself.
That's as far as it goes.
They were relying on the colonial army for their connection to the administration and logistical support. On top of that, even if they were only sent here to be kept on payroll and nothing else, there were far more generals in the colonial forces than in the mainland troops he had brought.
As a result, their relationship had been awkward, and rather than engaging in combat as an organization, they were more or less acting independently.
"They are, but I oppose."
More than anything, de Lugo's position was vague. Just the order to concentrate the troops meant getting hit with a lot of red tape and bargaining. He faced opposition from the passive, do-nothing colonial b
ureaucrats.
Even if he said something in a meeting, the other generals coolly argued back and that was it. "Our 'outdated' values are an expression of our chivalrous spirit upholding honor and self-respect," they would say with straight faces.
But de Lugo knew that ultimately, they were just resisting him going over their heads; that was the real issue.
And even today, they were opposing the advance of the army he had gathered to take back Turus. It was always like that, like pouring new wine into old wineskins.
The units were supposed to support the Commonwealth defense, but when the Commonwealth requested reinforcements, he shamefully had to tell them they didn't have the fuel. Maybe we just don't get along, but that was an idiotic mistake.
When the chief of logistics calmly informed him they didn't know where to get fuel, de Lugo had to push the boundaries of his patience. He wanted to scream back at him, How many years have you guys been governing this colony?!
On top of that, unbelievably, some of the units had been assigned to protect the generals' own interests. This was what they got for taking idiots who thought of colonial service as leisure time and leaving them to their own devices. The generals had interests in so many colonial assets that the troops could no longer move freely.
So de Lugo made a decision.
If your wineskin is old, the only thing to do is get a new one.
"Sorry, are you all opposed?"
And besides, once an order comes down you don't get to oppose it. Where do you guys get the nerve to resist? He had been thinking it for some time but kept talking himself down until today.
"Yes, it's vital that we defend key locations."
"We can't agree to this sort of operation."
The colonial generals were completely caught up in their own interests. Really, he would like to have the military police expose them, even personally, but a war was on, and the enemy was right up ahead. His top priority was to cut inept generals from the chain of command. Under the circumstances, he didn't even care if that meant some golden parachutes.
Of course, once he resolved to carry out a reshuffle, he prepared carefully. The units they commanded were already under his control de facto. He had nipped in the bud the possibility of a military resistance. The NCOs and lower-ranking commissioned officers were the first he turned.
Now he simply had to replace the command structure of the gathered colonial army. Regardless of the generals, there were actually lots of great noncommissioned officers and soldiers of lower rank in the colonies. Colonial service was a one-to two-year rotation, and the fact that he could expect most of them to follow orders from Central was no small boon.
Additionally, de Lugo had a tight hold on the reins to the escaped units. Now that he was sure he could do the reshuffle and unify the command chain, there was no reason to hesitate any longer.
All I need to do is dismiss these guys. Keeping his voice matter-of-fact, de Lugo proceeded with the plan he envisioned.
"I believe I've grasped the situation. If you're that strongly against it, then I have no choice."
"General de Lugo, do you mean to say that you understand?"
"Yes. It's too bad, but it would probably be difficult to command in an operation you so oppose. I would never want to pressure you to do such a thing."
Things would end quickly. By the time most generals realized something was up, he had to be ready. Which is why de Lugo then played his trump card: control over personnel.
"I've found other more suitable positions for all of you. You can go as you are, so please serve in the government office as councilors."
Councilor in the colonial government on the southern continent was, frankly, a sinecure to warm up the window seats at the government office. It was usually given to people missing in action until they were found, unless they were declared dead.
It was a clear statement that your presence or lack thereof didn't matter. To put it another way, it was an appointment that assumed your absence. Of course, that meant it completely removed all your real power---which was only natural since it was a post a person missing in action was meant to fill. No one expects someone MIA to get any work done.
""General de Lugo?!""
The generals kicked up a fuss once they finally realized what was happening, but de Lugo had zero intention of lending them an ear.
He already had written appointments for all of them. The vital mid-ranking officers in control of the units in the field were all backing him. He had exercised his power over personnel and forced through the reshuffle precisely because he could solve the problem without it evolving into an obnoxious fight.
"Your orders have been arranged. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I have an operation to lead. It may not mean much, but I hope you find success in your new endeavors."
Leaving them with that in a voice that said the decision was final, he stood roughly and laid a hand on the door to leave. With no mind to listen to the jumble of distressed shouts behind him, he felt refreshed. I sure told them.
He wouldn't let them wreak havoc in the army anymore. No, he wouldn't let anyone get in his way. After leaving the former commanders in their uproar, de Lugo proceeded straight to another room where others were on standby.
"Gentlemen, sorry to keep you waiting. Let's get this operation going."
It was the combat commanders who stood and saluted him. The ones from home plus the ones from the colonies made up his staff. This was the entirety of the Republican Army, the Free Republican Army. In order to carry out organized combat, they chose de Lugo.
And he knew that was why he was able to unify the command chain so rapidly.
"Okay, what's our status?"
It may have been cornered, but the Republic still just barely counted as a major power. Trying to make a comeback in the colonies, it had more than a little talent in its ranks. In its staff, in its general, and in its seasoned soldiers, it had retained the framework of an army.
Its officers with combat experience could hold their own when it came to analyzing the necessary data and planning operations.
It wouldn't be at all difficult to slaughter the Empire's two divisions if they clashed properly. And de Lugo knew how important it was to think of a plan for clashing in that way. The enemy general Romel had taken out the Commonwealth forces in surprisingly mobile battles before they could even assemble.
So there was a common understanding that a decentralized advance to engage would be reckless.
And since logistically it was hard to move a concentrated army in the desert, supplies were also a major limiting factor. The problem of where to get water could never be ignored when moving a large army around. Water had to be prioritized over everything else in the desert. Running short even once could turn into a supply crisis. Soldiers without oil simply have to walk, but soldiers without water die of thirst.
The imperial forces, on the other hand---only one corps---could probably advance all together. They did have to deal with the water issue, but since they had fewer people, it made things easier. Surely, that had to be the case.
Naturally, de Lugo could expect that if they advanced separately, the imperial troops would destroy them all.
"Everything's going according to plan. The Imperial Army is on the move."
That was why he had made so much noise about retaking their lost land. He had serious doubts whether those generals could maintain confidentiality, so he had emphasized it. To create the illusion they were making that move, he gathered a lot of supplies and simultaneously took a look at the various routes.
The imperial forces were far from incompetent. Surely, they understood the Republicans wanted to capture their base. According to intelligence de Lugo had received via the Commonwealth, they were already building defensive lines in Turus.
The status showed that the enemy thought exactly what de Lugo wanted them to think.
"Well, then!"
But... He grinned.
Every person present r
esponded with a scheming look. This situation was exactly what they were gunning for.
General von Romel was exceptional. Any officer who saw his war records would admit it. He was the top authority on maneuver warfare of his generation, and de Lugo praised him for it despite being his enemy.
After all, everyone understood the difficulties involved in a mobile battle in the desert. How hard it would be to pull off a timely split-up advance in the sand where you were liable to lose track of your own position!
Just his ability to quickly move troops in an organized way through the desert was worthy of admiration. That said so much for his organizational efficiency it made de Lugo sick. If their opponent was this militarily adept, wrangling with them head-on was too much of a risk.
Naturally, the enemy general would understand that though the city was at the mouth of a bay, it would be impossible to defend if surrounded. But even a child would know not to take on all the Republican troops on the southern continent with a single corps. In other words, it would be simple for anyone to recognize the need to resolve this situation.
They could probably also recognize that the competent soldiers of the imperial military would have some ideas about how to do that, if not many. For instance, withdrawal. If the enemy didn't feel the need to defend the base to their deaths, they could retreat to Ildoan territory.
But. De Lugo smiled inwardly. The Imperial Army didn't have any choices. As an expeditionary force, even if they wanted to retreat, they would absolutely need to secure port facilities. And the only port facilities they could use at the time were those in Turus.
They did still have the option of retreating to the Kingdom of Ildoa...but it was probably safe to consider that one politically unacceptable.
In that case, anyone could understand the conclusion that striking units before they concentrated was the only move the Imperial Army could make. It was a textbook scenario, and for that reason, de Lugo could also guess how the imperial officers would handle it. They would take all the fighting power they could and secure local numerical superiority to strike the Republican units that were probably advancing separately. With that, they would achieve a mobile defense.