NationStates Jolt Archive

Outside Rabat Military Base
The column of vehicles approached the bases' southern gates in proper military formation, the group was the personel transport of a brigadier, and thus always travelled in proper formation. The lead vehicle was a Puma 6x6 Infantry Fighting Vehicle boasting a 12.7mm Browning Machine Gun licence built by Oto Melera, it was a common site amongst the ranks of Moroccos new army, this vehicle was carrying 8 men from the 8th Motorised Infantry Brigade, the brigadiers command. The next three vehicles were similar, each carrying 8 men for a total of 32. The next vehicle in line was Centauro Wheeled Tank Destroyer, from the Centauro Battlalion attached to the Brigade, then came the M113CO Mobile Command Vehicle of the Brigadier, following that was a pair of Puma 6x6s, one carrying a turret from a Machbet Air Defence Vehicle, the other packing a Euromissile HOT-3 Launcher on its dorsal hull.

As they approached the gate the column was challenged by the pair of soldiers that normally stood guard. The patrol commander presented his patrol documentation, the guards studied this for a few moments before returning it and waving the column through. The column then broke up, the escorts heading for there own assembly areas while the command vehicle headed for base headquarters, the roads of the base completely empty, many of the troops were either in the mess or back at there billets waiting for something interestnig to happen, something that would be happening rather sooner than anyone thought. The commander had infact been paid several hundred thousand euros to do what he was about to do, his benefactor was a member of a small pro-Israeli group in the high command.
As they approached the HQ the vehicle driver was forced to present another pass to get through the security gate and into the central compound, the brigadier got out, saluted the guard commander and proceeded to enter the building.
He walked immediately to his planning room and consulted with his planning staff. Ten minutes later he made a speach over the PA system.
"Men and women of the eight motorised brigade, approximately two hours ago the Royal Guards brigade seized the Sultan and took control of the palace, we, alongside three other brigades at stations outside Rabat are to move in and recapture the palace. You know your duties, we move out in twenty minutes, good look and may Allah be with us"
Within twenty-five minutes of the end of the announcement, the mighty eighth was on the road towards Rabat and Destiny....

Royal Palace
The royal guards were dismayyed when reports came in of three brigades moving in on the city flying battle flags and failing to respond to requests for information, this dismay however turned to panic when MRLS launchers from the tenth motorised infantry brigade began raining guided rockets down on the barracks and installations arround the palace complex. Half an hour later 155mm Shells from ATMOS-2000 and M109A3s posistioned on the outskirts of the city joined in, sending tonnes of dust into the air as dozens of shells began to fall in the medina surrounding the palace. Half an hour later the tanks arrived, M60s and Centauros covering a column of Addaxes and Pumas that began to disgorge hundreds of infantry into the streets in the centre of the city. The guard units were ready by this time however, and the handfuls of T-84s and EE-T1Ms assigned to the guard began to return fire as the six hundred infantry assigned to the protection of the palace opened up with every weapon they could bring to bear. Hails of tracer rounds zipped back and forwards in the narrow streets, chewing whole buildings corners away in a matter of minutes, while Euromissile HOT-3s and LAHAT missiles traded blows between the increasingly compacted columns of vehicles. Masses of black and white smoke rose into the air, blocking much of the view of the fight from sattelite observers, but with artillery and MRLS firing into the cloud, what was going on would be abundently clear to any sattelite observers.

With Rabat distracted, and extensive supplies of Combine weaponry in hand, (along with a few vehicles---indeed, two or three Louie Assault Helicopters had even been smuggled in as air support) the Sahawaris are urged by their Armandian advisors to take this opportunity to strike hard and fast, shattering the Berm and freeing Western Sahara. Armandian ships loaded with more support continue to make their long trek across the ocean, and the Polisario is promised that liberation shall soon be at hand, if they just seize this one perfect opportunity.

((Hello friends. France here, but for this post I will introduce my temporary capacity playing as the Kingdom of Spain. Now back to crafting my 100 kiloton meat and potatoes post. Enjoy.))

El Escorial, Spain

His Catholic Majesty Juan Carlos II, of the Spanish Bourbons, having unified the Iberian Peninsula and launching an historic war with his brother-in-law His Most Christian Majesty Louis-Auguste to defend the right; had moved his court to the legendary Escorial Palace of His Catholic Majesty Philip V to demonstrate both his assumption of an absolute, Catholic monarch in every way and his commitment to victory ahead. The Royal Standard of Spain was again hoisted above the deeply religiously toned palace, boasting the fleur-de-lys defended by the Pillars of Hercules, Juan Carlos’ personal standard.

El Escorial Palace (http://www.cs.utah.edu/~bigler/pictures/europe2002/spain/el%20escorial.jpg)

His Catholic Majesty had just heard Mass, and with his Court in full court attire (similarly elaborate to the French 18th Century throwbacks, but rather darker than the bright silks of the favored by the peers under the French Bourbons) exited the Cathedral of the Palace proceeded by monks and saluted by magnificently attired Gardes Suisses, who after the fashion of his brother-in-law Louis-Auguste even to the extent of the soldiers possessing the same silver, gold, blue and red uniforms had hired Suisse mercenaries, arguably the finest in the world, as his personal bodyguard, arm in arm with Her Majesty Queen Antoinette: youngest sister of Louis-Auguste, daughter of the Restorer of the Right Louis XX, the most powerful member of his court by means of her will and unimaginable beauty, and four months pregnant with a child, a boy, that would unite in blood again the twin Bourbon realms of Europe, France and Spain. But by means of her influence and the Will of God, France and Spain had become the most closely united nations on earth, allied in almost every respect, and forming within the Holy League itself a ‘Bourbon’ party. She ruled the King’s heart as mightily as Juan Carlos ruled the Iberian, and had guided him ever more firmly from a constitutional farce to the second mightiest state in Western Europe under a crown of gold shod iron.

As Their Majesties arrived at their personal apartments, Monsieur le Duc de Choiseul, Ambassador Extraordinary to the Escorial stood by an ante-chamber, and bowed eloquently. He had come to inform His Catholic Majesty Versailles had just received a message from the Sultan of Morocco of the greatest import, and would he be pleased to read his vital dispatch.

The Royal Couple reviewed the document only for a moment before Juan Carlos’ eyes lit up, and Antoinette clapped her hands in glee. It seemed that the Sultan of Morocco had relayed to Louis-Auguste, under duress as he was, his desire for a Bourbon presence, both Spanish and French, in Morocco. As France was more than occupied at the moment and strained to capacity with its massive, massive war this assignment was delegated to Spain, in the main at least. Of course Versailles would manage to dispatch personnel to Morocco, but certainly nothing over one thousand hot bodies.

“Why, darling, it’s just what we’ve been waiting for. This will give you an opportunity to rise as my brother has in Africa by opening another theatre of operations, one limited enough where glory can be gotten at a rather cheap price” said Antoinette, squealing in delight and clapping every so often.

“Perhaps,” said His Catholic “but, my sweet, we must always be careful. This will take a good number of men to work properly. At any rate, you’re quite right. God is giving us the chance to make another stroke on his behalf.”

He rose, and they embraced before kissing passionately for several minutes, excited by the political triumph they would undertake. After that, the General Staff was summoned to His Majesty’s Council of State, and plans were drawn up.

Ceuta, Spanish enclave in Morocco

Field Marshall Philippe de las Fuentes strode out of the modified Alouette V helicopter bought from the armories of France ere the war. The city was booming with activity as the Marshall viewed the first of three Spanish divisions landing, the 4th, 9th, and 17th Divisions of the Royal Spanish Army, totaling some 37,652 soldiers. Spanish Leclerc battle tanks rolled down the streets on their way south into Morocco proper, followed by the troops marching with supplies.

A contribution of His Most Christian Majesty Louis-Auguste the Ordu du Saint-Esprit provided air cover by means of a wing of Mirage’s based in the Kingdom of Algeria, and would continue to aerially cover the Spanish Expeditionary Force. So it was in fact a combined operation.

De las Fuentes orders were clear, and he set about executing them at once. First on the Agenda was a comprehensive arms supply mission to the Royal Moroccan Army, engaged in a struggle against a no doubt leftist inspired insurgency. Mica and Exocet missiles were given in large quantities to the Moroccan government, by credit, extended.
Additionally, 43 Spanish older model Hercules were landed in Rabat and turned over to the government.

Once the Sultan’s government was secured, in fact immediately, the Spanish forces, with limited French assistance, would set up six fully capable long range anti-ship missile bases using Moroccan labor provided by the Sultan. With heavy anti-air defense and Spanish garrisons, the bases were ideally located the support the other side of Gibraltar, as well as giving the Bourbons the ability to strike shipping as far as the Canary’s and Madeira. In sync with a massive Spanish fortification of the rock following the French removal of the British and the surprise Australasian attack (which was followed up by massive anti-sub sweeps to ensure it would not happen again), the move would give the Holy League a lock on the Western Mediterranean.

Additionally, a Bourbon friendly Morocco was something Louis-Auguste and Juan Carlos could pass up, seeing as it was in the dead center of the theatre where their armies struggled desperately for victory. The Field Marshall would, after co-operating in the Sultan’s rescue, exponentially arm the Moroccan state, and the Spanish troops would provide training for the Sultan’s men. This was a request of Antoinette in particular, as she was the sister of Louis-Auguste and daughter of Louis XX she saw the writing clearly on the wall: a strong, royalist Morocco would be in a position to finally crush the Sahawari ands its terrorist master network the Polisaro forever. This was important because with the resurrection of French Equatorial Africa a thriving leftist group that was well organized posed not only an inherent danger, but a mortal threat by its ability to work with France’s and ultimately Spain’s enemies. Tacitly included in the deal was the fact the Sultan, after being freed and armed with a decent army would crush the dangerous organization en masse, and provide a bulwark and ally to both Spain and the burgeoning French colonies in Western Africa which it would ultimately abut.

As the final move to show their friendship to the Sultan and promise of alliance and aide to him His Most Christian Majesty Louis-Auguste invested him with the Cordon Blanc of the Ordu du Saint-Michel, a ultra elite knighthood in France.

Senoria de las Fuentes picked up his satellite phone, and as required got in contact with the Sultan’s man to inform him all proceeded as planned:

“Su Majestad, nosotros aqui.”

The Saharawi are somewhat hesitant about the prospect of charging the berm, even with their recently-acquired Armandian equipment... but news of fighting in Rabat indicates an opportunity that might not come again for a people trapped amidst the rocks and sand of the western Sahara, and the leadership of Polisario begins to feel heavy pressure to act from its grass-roots membership. Waiting has produced nothing but loss after loss for decades.

Saharawi propaganda efforts increase dramatically, radio transmitters and loudspeakers calling upon Moroccan troops on the berm to abandon their positions and return home to their families in this time of chaos. The people of Morocco, it is said, are rising in rebellion against a bloodthirsty regime, and it is time to cease the killing and leave this empty desert to its indigenous peoples... especially as Morocco's own soil was now being burdened by the Franco-Spanish boots which had already crushed the republic of Algeria and now pushed to restore colonial rule just to the south.

Accompanying this incessant blare come nighttime raids... relatively small in scope, though concentrated, consisting of artillery and RPG fire against the berm fortifications where Moroccan soldiers are berthed. The rattle of machine gun fire is made a constant, assault rifle rounds too small to inflict significant damage on dug-in troops but hopefully able to rattle the nerves of the Moroccan garrisons so that they see departure from the Saharan warzone as an increasingly inviting option.

Far back from the berm, on either side of the pourous Mauretanian border, heavier Saharawi equipment begins to move. Major efforts are impossible due to the difficulty of concealing tanks and helicopter concentrations, but the central command of Polisario hopes to make up for these problems through coordination. If the Moroccans fall back en-masse, there will be a victorious parade through the gates of the berm. If not, a new gate shall be blasted there with all the force Polisario can muster, and the desert nomads will pour through the gap, returning to the days of Saharawi guerilla victories against an occupier without a wall behind which to cower.

Bunker 210, Palace Perimeter
Spent cases were beginning to run thick on the floor, turning the whitewashed walls of the bunker a strange shade of gold with reflected light. The Guardsmen tracked individual enemies through the smoke and dropped them as they payed out 7.62 rounds on Semi-Automatic, the FALs responding like the killing machines they were.
Then the radio started to crackle on the Air Force Assistance Channel. "Palace Guard, this is 112sqn inbound from the west, suggest you prepare for chemical attack with tranquiliser munitions, over". The guard commander swore but signalled his men to put on there gas masks. Two minutes later the aircraft were visible, a nearly invisible cloud dropping out of the back of the aircraft. Two minutes later, it was all over. The unconcious enemy NCOs and junior officers were taken into the palace for Triage, the senior officers were taken to the military prison while they awaited trail for treason, most would probably be cleared, but there were atleast three soldiers who would be put before the firing squad