NationStates Jolt Archive

Imperial High Command
Talinn City, Estonia
0900 hours

Secretary of Defence Ruprecht Kroenen sat in one of the three armchairs facing the Emperor’s Desk. On the other side Emperor Savisaar had his eyes half closed in thought. Eventually he opened them and spoke to Kroenen.

“Kindral Kroenen. You know what we must do.”

“Indeed Comrade Savisaar. But we have a slight hitch.”

“And what is that Kindral?”

Kroenen took a rolled up map from his coat and laid it out on the desk. He had circled the target nation Lithuania in red. But another circle, blue, was around Latvia.

“Latvia lies between us and Lithuania. Normally I would recommend simply subsuming them into our Empire along with Lithuania, but we have a problem.”

“I know. The Great Sixth Reich has control over it.”

Kroenen looked at the Emperor. Evidently he knew what that meant.

“Yes, Comrade Savisaar. As you are most likely aware they are far more powerful than us militarily, and as of this moment we have little to no diplomatic relations with them. If we are to perform a successful invasion, we must either get permission from them for our troops to pass through, for which we’d need a damn good reason. Or we could launch an amphibious assault, but that would cost far too much, and there’s always the risk of entering their Waters.”

Aleksander Savisaar stood up and walked to his window. He stared out at the city of Talinn.

“Kindral. You know why we go to war?”

“Yes Comrade. For our own safety.”

“Not just ours Comrade. Every small country in Eastern Europe is weak, unable to defend themselves, including us. Divided we have no hope of ever being able to defend our homes. But united, we can harvest more resources, build larger armies and stand tall. No doubt in time we will have to move out of Europe, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Turning back to the table, Savisaar placed his hands on the map. He pointed to the blue circle.

“If anything, this foreign presence makes our mission all the more urgent. At any moment they could attack.”

“I understand Comrade Savisaar. But if they do turn against us, we may as well lie down in our coffins right now.”

Savisaar sat down. He was obviously troubled by the revelation. He reached for his speakerphone and pushed the intercom button.

“Elena?”

His secretary responded almost instantly. “Yes, Emperor Savisaar?”

“Can you send in Secretary Keepna?”

“Yes Emperor.”

A few moments later Yuri Keepna walked in. He sat down in another chair across from Savisaar.

“Secretary. I would like you to contact the Ruler of the Great Sixth Reich. Ask them if we may have military passage. If they wish, they may contact me directly. Comrade Kroenen. Prepare the invasion force.”

“Yes, Emperor,” replied Keepna. He stood and bowed.

“Yes, Comrade.” Kroenen stood and walked out. Keepna raced after him. He grabbed Kroenen as soon as they had left the Emperor’s office.

“How dare you speak to the Emperor like that! You do not address him as a commoner would a friend. You call him Emperor, not ‘Comrade’ and you bow when you exit.”

Kroenen simply lifted the other man’s hands off him. If he was angry, he was doing an excellent job of hiding it.

“Mr. Keepna. When you have fought beside a man and earned his respect, you are more than mere friends or colleagues. Did you not notice how Aleksander addressed me as Comrade too? When you have fought beside him and worked with him for half a lifetime as I have, then you may address him as a friend. Now….I believe you have a job to do.”



To: Die Rechtskonservativ Monokratie Großdeutsches Sechste Reich
From: Yuri Keepna, Rethast Secretary of Foreign Relations

Great rulers of the Great Sixth Reich. We contact you in the name of peace. We have not had much contact, nor any form of relations in the past. A fact we deeply regret, as you are obviously powerful and fair people. Yet now we come to you asking for aid.

To further the protection of many Eastern Countries, our Emperor in his wisdom has declared that Lithuania must become a part of our Empire. Unfortunately, your region of Latvia lies in the way of our forces. We would not dream of treading on your soil without permission, nor sailing through your waters. It is because of this that we come to you.

We wish for our armies to have full access through your region and be allowed set up a temporary Forward Operations Base. Once we have gained a foothold within Lithuania we will move out of your region and redeploy within Lithuania’s borders.

We understand that you may want something in return. In that case, you can contact our Emperor directly if you so wish, or you may go through myself. We eagerly await your reply.

Yours,
Yuri Keepna
Secretary for Foreign Affairs

OOC: Thank you very much for waiting! :)

Secret IC:

Ludo Heinkel, Chief Officer of Defense, was not even awake when the message was forwarded to him from Chief Officer of Foreign Affairs Adolf Göring. As protocol was, the message was forwarded to Governor-General Romanowski in case an immediate action was required.

Romanowski read the message with suspicion. The Estonians, a Nordic people, want a fellow Baltic nation as their own? Why?

Official Orders
The following are to be deployed to the noted location:

POLISH-LITHUANIAN BORDER:
15,000 soldiers
1,500 Panzerhaubitze 2000 artillery
750 Raketenwerfer MARS
2,500 Leopard 2E main battle tanks
750 Puma infantry fighting vehicls
150 NASAMS II anti-aircraft system Puma vehicles
30 Tiger HAD attack helicopters
15 Heinkel He-36 multi-role fighters
1 Airbus A330 AWACS
1 Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transports

LATVIAN-ESTONIAN BORDER:

15,000 soldiers
1,500 Panzerhaubitze 2000 artillery
750 Raketenwerfer MARS
2,500 Leopard 2E main battle tanks
750 Puma infantry fighting vehicls
150 NASAMS II anti-aircraft system Puma vehicles
30 Tiger HAD attack helicopters
15 Heinkel He-36 multi-role fighters
1 Airbus A330 AWACS
1 Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transports

LATVIAN TERRITORIAL WATERS:
FRÎJA BATTLEGROUP
5 Type 214 submarines (810 crewmen)
6 F125 class guided missile frigates (960 crewmen + 300 Kommando Spezialkräfte)
3 Sachsen Class (F124) Air Defense Frigates (243 crewmen)
3 Fridtjof Nansen Class Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigates with NH90 ASW helicopters (120 crewmen)
16 Skjold class patrol boats (256 crewmen)

At last, Ludo Heinkel arrived in his office at noon. After reviewing and approving the actions by Romanowski, he sent the following reply message:
Secretary Keepna,

One cannot expect simply to enter a completely foreign nation's territory in order to expand one's territory. Such actions are almost never permitted in today's uncertain word, where words mean little about real intentions.

We have considered your nation's request, but will not grant it at this time. Not only do our two countries have no relations, but Lithuania and Estonia also have no historical connection. Estonia is a Nordic country, while Lithuania is a Baltic country historically connected to our semi-soverign territory of Poland.

If this request is imparative to your nation and urgently necessary, please respond with a more reasonable proposal.


http://www3.filehost.to/files/2006-08-15_03/202158_Ludo.jpg
Ludo Heinkel
Oberster Offizier des Kriegs
Die Rechtskonservativ Monokratie Großdeutsches Sechste Reich

To: Die Rechtskonservativ Monokratie Großdeutsches Sechste Reich
From: Emperor Aleksander Savisaar
Topic: RE: Your reply.

Greetings Herr Heinkel. I am Emperor Savisaar, ruler of the Empire of Rethan.I understand your concern, and why you believe we wish only to expand our own territory. I hope this contact dispells these false thoughts.

We of Rethan have never felt safe. As you mentioned, this is an uncertain world, and my people grow scared of the dangers present in it. After careful surveyance, we see that Lithuania, being another small and weakly defended country on its own. We have no wish merely to expand our land, instead we wish to bring those countries of Eastern Europe-a dangerous place filled with many strong nations such as yourself-who have small standing armed forces together. We were hoping the invasion would be avoided, as we were preparing a number of ambassadors to talk with the Lithuanian government but even if hostilities could not have been avoided we would have taken every precaution to reduce casualties.

In the name of peace we are withholding our forces, in the hope you will relax the guard we have detected on our borders. Our ambassadors are leaving the runway soon and will be flying over your lands to Lithuania, please allow them safe passage.

As per your quoting of Estonia being a Nordic country, we are not, we are a Baltic country as is Lithuania.

Good Day, Herr Heinkel.


Aleksander Savisarr sat at his desk. He had been expecting a hitch, but it looked as though they were at the mercy of the Sixth Reich and its armies. A knock at his door disturbed his thoughts. A young desk clerk walked in.

"Sir, the Ambassadors have taken off and will be arriving in Lithuania shortly."

"Very good Comrade. have my orders been relayed to Kindral Kroenen?"

"They have, sir. He is keeping the forces on high alert and the border guard have been reinforced. He will not order any offensive movements until he has no other choice and your word is given"

Savisaar sighed. All he wanted was for his people and their neighbours to live together in peace. He could not blame the Reich, he understood their concerns. Why should his Empire be trusted by them, when they had never made contact before, and now asking for Military access all of a sudden?

"Very good Comrade, you may go."

OOC: I looked up Wikipedia, and both Estonia and Lithuania are classed as Baltic countries, and both were occupied by the Soviet Union, although as I didn't know if were uncluding the USSR in E-V history, I didn't mention that.

OOC:
"Since regaining its independence in 1991, Estonia has shown signs of interests in identifying itself with the Nordic Countries due to its linguistic, cultural and historical ties with Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The Estonian language is closely related to the Finnish language and Estonians, as an ethnic group, are Finnic people. Estonia was part of the Danish and Swedish empires for many centuries; it is generally thought that the name of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, derives from the Estonian taani linn, meaning 'Danish town.' Nowadays, there is also a great deal of economic interdependence between Estonia and some Nordic states; three quarters of investments into Estonia come from Nordic states (principally Finland and Sweden), to which Estonia sends 58% of its exports... In 1999, Estonian Foreign Minister Toomas Hendrik Ilves gave a speech entitled "Estonia as a Nordic Country" to the Swedish Institute for International Affairs. In 2003, the foreign ministry also hosted an exhibit called "Estonia: Nordic with a Twist." In 2005, Estonia also joined the European Union's Nordic Battalion Group and shows interest in joining the Nordic Council." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_countries#Estonia

OOC: Touché. I'll edit my post, but something seems to be buggery with the editing function and my net in general. If you could just reply as is, and I'll get back A.S.A.P.

OOC: I'll get back soon. But it'll be positive, don't worry.

Message to Estonia
Emperor Aleksander Savisaar,

Upon further review of your nation's request, we have decided on what would be acceptable to us.

Provided that your nation's forces are in our territory for only a short amount of time along with a presence of our own forces, and that Lithuania enter into a free travel and trade agreement with our nation, we will permit your nation to take Lithuania.

http://www3.filehost.to/files/2006-08-15_03/202158_Ludo.jpg
Ludo Heinkel
Oberster Offizier des Kriegs
Die Rechtskonservativ Monokratie Großdeutsches Sechste Reich

Emperor Aleksander Savisaar,

Upon further review of your nation's request, we have decided on what would be acceptable to us.

Provided that your nation's forces are in our territory for only a short amount of time along with a presence of our own forces, and that Lithuania enter into a free travel and trade agreement with our nation, we will permit your nation to take Lithuania.


Ludo Heinkel
Oberster Offizier des Kriegs
Die Rechtskonservativ Monokratie Großdeutsches Sechste Reich

Savisaar had recieved the message moments ago, and already had given word to both Kindral Kroenen and Keepna. Keepna had ordered the ambassadors to turn around. No sense in leaving their lives in danger while the invasion commenced.

Kroenen however had a much larger job to do.

**********

Upon Kroenen's word, the Invasion Force organised itself along the border with Latvia. Kroenen had ordered that the force was to take no longer than 8 hours to get through Latvia, and a further 3 hours was allowed to break through the Lithuanian border with Latvia. Kroenen himself sent a message to Ludo Heinkel

Herr Heinkel,

Our forces are ready to move across your border. We expect to be out of your country within eleven hours and within Lithuania. This is due to some change, from unexpected problems, but we hope to be as quick as possible. We will be utilising our air units and all available APCs to transport our infantry. We will begin moving our soldiers at dawn, roughly 0800 hours tomorrow.

Yours,
Kindral Ruprecht Kroenen,
Rethast Secretary for Defence

**********
Estonia-Latvia Border
2100 hours

Task Force Alpha had been organised, and were waiting the order to invade. Kindralmajor Romanov had been put in charge of the Task Force's transition through Latvia and the subsequent invasion. He stared at the document before him, detailing the numbers of Task Force Alpha.


Ground Forces:
3,000 Combat ready soldiers
7 BRDM-2's
20 BTR-60's
10 105 mm howitzers M-61-37
30 81 mm mortars
100 Carl Gustaw RPG's
80 PV-1110
25 M40A1
50 ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft cannons
120 82mm B-300

Air Cavalry:
2 AN-2
1 PZL-104 Wilga
4 Robinson R-44



Romanov knew the Air Cavalry was merely being used for the transport of goods and soldiers, to aid in the quick pass through Latvia. Once they were inside Lithuania, the Ground Forces would be on their own.

As the sun went down, the soldiers checked their weapons and hunkered down for the night. They needed a lot of sleep for the huge amount of marching they'd be doing tomorrow. Each one knew that there would be no chance for rest. All around the camp, lights turned off, vehicles were covered with tarpaulins, guns checked. And then silence.

The calm before the storm.

All along the expected route, Great Sixth Reich soldiers were presenting arms in perfect formation.

OOC:

Like this:

http://www.axishistory.com/fileadmin/user_upload/l/lah-present-arms.jpg

(We're basically chillin'. :))

Estonian-Latvian Border
0700 Hours

All over the camp, soldiers were waking up. Captains were shouting orders, organising the men into squads. Armoured Cars were brought forward along with APC’s. The camp was chaotic, and yet ordered at the same time.

Romanov stood in his briefing room. Around him technicians were packing up to move the equipment to the Forward Observation Base when it was constructed in Lithuania. A soldier ran up to him.

“Sir, all APC’s are fully loaded. The Howitzers have been placed at the back of the convoy, and any man not with a transport is either walking or riding on a Car or Transport.”

“Very good, Comrade. You may begin moving. Have the Air Cavalry arrived yet?”

“Yes, Kindralmajor. They are already moving men over Latvia. They estimate they will be able to make three trips over and back before the ground convoy makes it to the Lithuanian border.”

“Very Good. Have some men remain behind so the choppers will have something to come back for. Get my car ready.”

**********

The Convoy crossed the border in perfect unison. 2 BRDM-2’s at the front, 10 BTR-60’s, another 3 of the armoured Cars (including Romanovs), 10 more BTR’s, and at the back the last 2 BRDM’s. The majority of the soldiers were either walking alongside the vehicles or sitting on top. There wasn’t nearly enough room inside for all 3,000 combatants. Overhead, the Air Cavalry flew by with the first load of soldiers, bringing them to the rendez-vous point.

The majority of the soldiers walking and sitting on the Carriers were…well….unnerved by the sight of the Sixth Reich’s soldiers. Hundreds of soldiers standing perfectly still down the road. It was an awesome sight, but just a tad disturbing. Nonetheless, the soldiers continued moving down the road.

**********

They had been travelling for 5 hours, but were making excellent time. The soldiers were tired, but Romanov had initiated a cycle, so those walking would get a chance inside the APCs. It had slowed them down in the short term, making periodic stops. But in the long run had been faster, as the walkers were always fit and able to keep a steady and quick pace. The Air Cavalry had made two more trips in the time the convoy had taken to move to its position. They had returned home, with no more soldiers left to carry. Romanov had called ahead. The soldiers were already making preparations. The Rethast had no intention of remaining any longer than they had to. The Reich’s soldiers lining the road had made sure of that.

Two hours later, and hour earlier than expected, and the convoy had reached its position. Immediately personnel came by to unload the supplies for the temporary command post. Romanov had given one hour for set up and preparation, and then the attack would begin.

The Command Post was successfully set up, and Romanov had taken position inside.

“The me know what to do?”

“Da, Kindralmajor. They are ready now. The Lithuanians appear not to be expecting us, as they have moved no extra forces to the border.”

“How many is there?”

“About 30 infantry. No armoured support. No air support, but we can expect that to change. A normal Border patrol. And their Air forces are vastly superior to our own.”

“I know. Commence the bombardment on the Border guard. Are the most recent spy shots in?”

“Yes, sir. They show nothing of value. The most dangerous target would be the Airbase roughly two kilometres from the border. We’ll need to target that for capture. If we’re lucky, we may capture a few airplanes.”

“Very good. Begin the attack. We need to get through to that airfield and garrison it before they can call up reinforcements or launch any planes.”

“Yes Kindralmajor.”

**********

The Howitzers had opened fire almost 30 minutes ago, with a 10 minute bombardment followed by a quick strike with 150 infantry. The Border guard had solidified the border with barbed wire, with a small gap where they had garrisoned a small barracks. That had been blown to the ground within minutes, with the majority of the infantry killed inside. The remaining 12 or so had quickly surrendered. They had been taken to the medic’s position and had their wounds healed up. The prisoners had spilled all they knew about the position of the enemy forces in return for kind treatment. Sure enough, they had been given beds (or well….sleeping bags) warm food and water. They were, of course, guarded, but it appeared as though these men had no intention of trying to escape.

The Task Force had moved swiftly onwards. The 20 APCs and 6 of the Armoured Cars had quickly carried roughly 240 soldiers to the Airfield. Again, it was poorly guarded and quickly captured with zero casualties. The Lithuanians had tried to fight back, but were ill-equipped. They weren’t expecting an invasion after all. Out of the 25 man garrison (plus technicians), only two had been spared and taken prisoner.

The Airfield was quickly fortified. The Armoured Cars had brought in 5 of the 50 ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft cannons, which had been set up, and a the soldiers had been reinforced by the arrival of a further 260 infantry, bringing the total up to 500 men, 6 BRDMs, and 5 AA guns. Not a huge garrison, but with the rest of the army moving deeper into enemy territory, it was expected the airfield wouldn’t be a major problem for the defenders. After all, which was more important, one airfield, or the nation’s capital.

OOC: There's no need to wait for any response for me anymore. My soldiers were at arms just for formality, so now you know OOCly there's no reason to wait for me unless your nation does something seriously disturbing. ;)

It had been two hours since the airfield had been taken. As promised, the Forward Command Station was moved out of Latvia, and had been set up within the captured airfield. The garrison had been reinforced from 500 men to 800, and a further 20 AA Cannons had been brought in. The APCs and Armoured Cars had long since moved off to regroup with the main force pushing towards Vilnius, the capital city. The enemy had long since begun mobilising, and Vilnius had been heavily fortified. But if the city could fall. There was a very good chance the rest of the country would too.

**********

The army had stopped moving roughly four kilometres outside the city. The enemy had garrisoned the city quite heavily, and if the Rethast didn’t take it soon then more reinforcements would arrive. They had no wish to raze the city to the ground, but without Artillery support they would never take the city. Fortunately, they had a way to fix that problem.

**********

“Ground-Zero-One, this is SkyEye-two, we have enemy armour and infantry concentrations in sight.”

“Roger, SkyEye. We need civilian density, over.”

“Doesn’t appear to be any in the immediate vicinity. City seems to have been evacuated mostly. Can’t see nothing but combatants. If there is any civvies left, they’re all inside.”

“Copy that, send enemy position co-ordinates.”

“Roger.”

The helicopter pulled out as the radio operator called in the target location. They had been too high up for AA fire, but the enemy obviously knew what was going on. Men began running for cover and the vehicles were spreading out.

“Ground, enemy is dispersing. Window’s closing fast.”

Seconds later, shells screamed down into the city, lighting up the streets. Buildings crumbled and tanks exploded. The shelling continued for 2 minutes before subsiding. The chopper returned to visual altitude, staying careful to remain out of rocket range.

“Ground, this is SkyEye. Hit confirmed, enemy is recuperating. Estimated casualties….one third infantry and two thirds armour.”

“Roger. Moving in first battalion. Requesting approximate enemy numbers.”

“I’ve got…about four hundred infantry I can see, probably more in buildings. A couple of APCs and two armoured cars, nothing to worry about. Single Humvee moving towards bomb site, possible CO.”

“Copy SkyEye. Stay in position to provide visual aid to soldiers as they advance. SkyEye One is en route to relieve. Go back to the captured field when they arrive, refuel and bring out some snipers with you.”

**********

Once the artillery hit, the soldiers moved in. 200 Soldiers in APCs moved into the city outskirts, immediately disembarking and taking up defensive positions while the 20 BTR-60s returned to collect more. Upon the command of the CO, the squads split up. Their target was the city centre. It had to be captured and held from enemy counterattack, as did the government building that was there.

The squads split into four groups of 5 squads each. They were given codenames Alpha, Beta, Charlie and Gamma. Alpha and Beta were to advance straight for the city centre while Charlie and Gamma had to try and sabotage enemy movements. The squads set off, their objectives clear and minds set.

**********

The first snag was encountered when Squad three of Alpha rounded a corner while scouting ahead for the rest of Alpha. Machinegun fire tore into the walls and road around the squad. Two men fell in the hail of bullets. The sergeant yelled back to the other squads.

“Enemy Armoured car! We need an RPG up here now!”

Squad two advanced and entered a building overlooking the road where the Car was. Squad three followed them in, just as the car turned the corner. Squads One, Four and Five dived behind walls as more gunfire raked the ground. Infantry moved up behind the car, using it for cover. They moved to garrison the building to their left….

When the car exploded in a hail of shrapnel. Cries of “RPG!” rang out even as bullets flew from the buildings around them. They were caught in the open and annihilated within seconds. The Five Squads regrouped. Squad One Colonel pressed a button on his radio.

“This is Alpha-One-Leader. We have encountered the enemy. One Car and twelve enemy infantry down. Two friendly casualties.”

**********

Back at the Command Post in the airfield, Romanov sighed and pressed his hat against his chest.

“Gentlemen. Our first casualties.”

**********

Two hours since the gunfight and Alpha and Beta squads were nearing their objective, the Governmental building. The squads had been spread out to surround the square. Their immediate concern was the 140 infantry within. If they could be taken out, then the building could be easily secured. The Colonel of Alpha squad One called in for backup.

“This is Colonel Schmitt. We have one hundred and forty enemy infantry with the target building. We may need some support.”

“Roger, Alpha-One-Leader. SkyEye One is five minutes from your position. Inbound with Sniper support on board. They’ll keep the enemy in the windows pinned, plus try and pump in some smokes. Hopefully you can advance without much resistance.”

“Copy. Alpha-One out.”

Once the chopper had arrived, gunfire rained down upon the building. Infantry caught unprepared were gunned down and the rest forced to hide from the windows. Smoke Grenades were thrown in the windows and on the ground outside. The chopper waited a few seconds for the smoke to thicken and then pulled out before any AA could be brought against it. The infantry on the ground moved forward to capture the building using the smoke for cover. They had already reached the main doorway by the time the defenders had recuperated. Some well placed grenades blew out the main hall and the doors. 25 Armed men moved in. The defenders were scared and put up little resistance. Within minutes, they had surrendered.

“This is Alpha-One. Send in the Carriers. We’ve got about…eighty enemy POW’s that need extracting.”

“Roger Alpha. What’s Beta’s status?”

“Beta’s with us. They’re occupying the buildings around the square and setting up a defensive position. Haven’t heard from Charlie or Gamma. How they doing?”

“Just fine. Gamma suffered casualties, about twelve dead and three wounded when they engaged targets at the rail station. Managed to capture a high-ranking General who was trying to get out. Charlie’s met up with locals who seem all to happy to help us so long as we let them keep their homes.”

“Fear will make anyone turn eh?”

“Got that right. Anyway, the Kindralmajor says once the capital’s secure, the enemy should fold. But since we haven’t taken down their government quite yet, you may need to stay put to hold for a while. Will two hundred or so do?”

“Ought to. We may have trouble if armour comes in, but from the spy intel, the Lithuanians didn’t have too much. About the same as us.”

“Okay. Hang tight. When we come in to pick up the POWs we’ll bring in ammo and some RPGs.”

**********
Back at the command post, Romanov studied the sheet he had just been given. Vilnius had been taken relatively easily, but the government had not surrendered yet. Talks had opened up with High Command back home, but they may not lead to anything. Nonetheless the invasion was going well. They had plenty of supplies, and with the airfield captures, more could be flown in on demand. Things could not be going better.

The rest of the army, numbering just over one thousand had begun spreading throughout the country, capturing small towns and engaging enemy forces in small skirmishes. The main goal however, was to prevent the members of the government from escaping, and thus air and sea ports were the primary targets. The hunt was on.

OOC: SkyEye? Ace Combat 5 fan? :)

[ooc: is this invasion still being done or is it done?

OOC: Not done, sorry it's taking so long but the last few weeks have been hell for me. This one's not so long, but I'll try and get the invasion finished this week,

The invasion was well under schedule. Small skirmishes had cost the lives of 125 infantry, but with no armour or artillery lost. Over half the towns, cities and villages were now under Rethast control. All that remained as a primary objective was to find the Government Ministers in hiding.

**********
It was in a small national airport in the south that they were found. As it was small, it had been ignored and only found by mere chance. A single squad of ten soldiers had taken a look, and lo and behold the targets were their….accompanied by roughly eighty heavily armed and no doubt well trained. The young soldiers were inexperienced in their field, but instinctively the knew-they were going to need backup.

Falling back to a small rest camp, the squad quickly found Colonel van Deimer. He immediately organised an attack force of one hundred infantry with air sniper support to go in and secure the ministers. After gaining the all clear from Kindralmajor Romanov, the attack was launched.

The one hundred soldiers had surrounded the airport and begun advancing, watching out for guards in windows or on the roof. They had guessed they had mere minutes to get in, complete their objectives and get out. As a helicopter with Snipers arrived, an alarm rang out. Realising stealth was no longer of use, the men charged forwards. AA batteries opened up on the helicopter, drowning out the sound of the rushing men. The chopper arced away-but by then the infantry had entered the buildings.

Gunfire was heard on the main runway from the main terminal. Takeoff procedures were quickened and a further fifteen men headed for the main terminal. Inside, Rethast and Lithuanian soldiers were embroiled in a vicious hallway fight, using doorways as cover. The Rethast were stuck, and the arrival of more men from behind didn’t help. Pulling into a nearby lunge, the ten trapped soldiers hurled their grenades out into the hall and took up defensive positions behind chairs and desks. On the floor above, another group of twenty soldiers had just finished eliminating thirteen enemy targets, having taken no casualties. In other buildings, the attack force had successfully wiped out resistance. Only on the ground floor of the main terminal was their a problem.

The eight remaining soldiers were firing into the small doorway. They were outnumbered, outgunned and were about to lose. Just as the men accepted their fate, a small thud was heard outside, followed by smoke billowing through the corridor. Gunfire and screams were heard. The men paused, aiming at the door. A hand appeared through.

“Don’t shoot! Friendly fire!”

**********
With the buildings secure and having suffered only eight casualties and three injuries, the remaining task force moved across the runway. They took minimal fire, and a further two men fell and breathed their last. They reached the plane and threw in flash grenades. Everyone inside was blinded, and surrendered as the Rethast moved in. The sergeant in charge radioed back to his CO.

“Sir, we have the targets. Call off the manhunt and get us some APCs.”

OOC: Okay. Finally got some time to finish off the invasion. This should do it. If it's not good enough, let me know and I'll change it.

Three hours after the capture of the government ministers, the Lithuainian armed forces began laying down their arms. Only a small handful remained fighting in the North, but were trapped against the coast. Romanov had ordered three hundred infantry with Howitzer support to engage and destroy them.

**********
The troop marched along a road towards the coast. The enemy had already dug in and were engaging a Rethast force of eighty men, who had suffered casualties of between thirteen and twenty dead, depending on who gave the report. The relief force of three hundred men advanced towards the battle zone, bringing the howitzers into range…

When a massive explosion tore up the squad in the front.

“Enemy artillery! Find cover!”

Men scrambled for cover, but could find none. They were on a road in the middle of nowhere. No buildings, no trees, nothing. In desperation, the squads split up and ran for the rendezvous point, leaving the artillery pinned behind them. Shells continues to slam into the ground around them as they literally ran for their lives.

By the time they reached viable cover, the three hundred men were down to two hundred and fifteen. The enemy howitzers had stopped, but now they were without their own. Mere yards ahead was the battle, Rethast soldiers taking cover in craters while the Lithuanians had better cover…a bombed out town. Of the relief, only fifty moved to the pinned down Rethast, the rest began to circle the town, attempting to flank the enemy.

They split up and moved in groups of ten, so much the better for keeping hidden. Using the limited trees and car husks as cover, the one hundred flanking soldiers moved forward ever so slowly. The enemy were too occupied with the main force advancing now head on. Once within forty metres of the town’s first few buildings, the flanking group charged in. They took up positions in buildings an had moved round behind the enemy defenders before any return fire arrived.

Confused and scared, the defenders turned to face the new threat, but with the Rethast now just as well dug in as they were, their fire was useless. Outnumbered, and pinned between two forces, the defenders gave their lives to kill all they could. None surrendered, no one was captured alive.

By the end of the short, one-hour siege, seventy Lithuanians lay dead, along with eighty Rethast. It had been a bloody fight, with the largest number of casualties out of any other battle in the invasion.
**********
After mere days, the Lithuanians officially surrendered. The citizens weren’t all too pleased, but once the Rethast soldiers began handing out food and clothing to those who had lost their homes, the anger settled down a bit. A long road lay ahead, and a garrison force of eight hundred combatants was stationed in the newly captured country, more to keep order than anything else.

But it was over. And in Talinn, Estonia, the Emperor and his Ministers celebrated a successful invasion.

You've been marked as gone (red). You need to let the mods and/or ALM know that your active again. And please try to be more active. A small post or a hey I'm still here once a week would be nice.

You've been marked as gone (red). You need to let the mods and/or ALM know that your active again. And please try to be more active. A small post or a hey I'm still here once a week would be nice.
OOC: I was going to object this (marking Rethan in red), but the Internet failed me. While Rethan should be a bit more active in showing his presence, I'm allowing his RP to stand.

OOC: If you could fix it TGSR, that'd be great. If not, I understand and sorry for the inactivity. Things have been rough (an unexpected storm knocked out the internet for about a week), but I'll be mor active from now on if this can be fixed.

OCC: Well, I know I never posted in here. So, I guess a IC post is in order.

IC: Though not a big supporter of the invasion, the Netherlands Government was glad that it had ended without much loss of life. To help minimum further loss of life, the Rethan Government was sent the following message.

"If, you acquire any assistance please let us know. As fellow European nations and democracies we must stick together. As, such our government extends its hand of friendship to you and offers you membership into the EATO alliance should your government wish such a thing. Only, together can we remain strong against those who wish us destruction.

Though, at the moment our government has enter into a period of limited contact with other nations. Once are nation reemerges from its shell to once again claim its rightful place in the world, it would be honored to establish formal diplomatic contact with your people for the benefit of trade, peace and prosperity.

Thank you for time and God Bless."

[QUOTE]
To: The Government of the Netherlands
From: The Rethast Minister of Foreign Affairs

We thank you for your concern and assure you we have the stuation under control. The Lithuanian population appears to be warming to us, but it is expected there will be problems.

As for your invitation into this 'EATO' we are ecstatic at the offer and accept it wholeheartedly, so long as it is still on the table. We look forward to working together with you for a brighter Europe.

Rethan;11880967'][QUOTE]
To: The Government of the Netherlands
From: The Rethast Minister of Foreign Affairs

We thank you for your concern and assure you we have the stuation under control. The Lithuanian population appears to be warming to us, but it is expected there will be problems.

As for your invitation into this 'EATO' we are ecstatic at the offer and accept it wholeheartedly, so long as it is still on the table. We look forward to working together with you for a brighter Europe.

We will personally submit your application to our fellow members. If, those problems turn out to be to much for your government to handle, our offer of aid will still be open. We have had extensive experience in gaining the support of the population through our various Peacekeeping operations around the world.