Whyatica
08-02-2008, 05:51
Ft. Order, North Prestonia
Fort Order was the first of the hastily constructed Whyatican military bases in North Prestonia. With chain fences and razor wire, the outer perimeter of the camp wasn't as well defended as some would like - lookout towers kept watch over the fences while the permanent defenses were being installed as quickly as possible by Whyatican engineers. This base was the primary staging area for the Whyatican military in the north - the 33rd Light Infantry Division made it's home here, along with General Christoff Matthews, the commanding officer of the Prestonian expedition. As well under his command he had the rest of the XVI Corps - the 11th Armor, 13th Mechanized, 1st Mountain, and 35th Light Infantry divisions. All in all, he had about a hundred thousand men under his command nominally; unfortunately, half of these men had yet to actually arrive in Prestonia. The main port of entry for Whyatican troops, Seaside, was so backed up by the thousands of tons of supplies heading through it that the troops were delayed actually hitting shore with their equipment. The two Light Infantry divisions were the only ones there in their entirety, and that was enough to begin operations in South Prestonia.
In the command headquarters of Ft. Order, Matthews stood around a table with a map of Prestonia - the North was entirely secured, thanks to the efforts of the Gothic peacekeeping troops, but the South was another matter. Warlords had taken their own parts of Prestonia outside of the cities, and were constantly fighting each other, and fighting the sparse Prestonian government forces for control over the cities themselves. The critical cities of New Wagdog and and Englewood were under siege by militants under various leaders that could barely agree that they all are in fact on the same planet, much less agree to unify. There was one thing on the Whyatican side - a divided insurgency would be easier to sweep through.
"We've got reports of rebel activity near the Wagdog-Hudson pipeline, General. They could be aiming either to sever the pipeline entirely or try to redirect it back to their territory further south. Either way, we have to do something or we risk losing the oil supply to Hudson." Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Shorter pointed on the map - a reddish area in hue, it notated that the area had some risk of insurgent attack.
"I recommend we deploy the 2nd Infantry Brigade along with the reconnaissance battalion to the area, and perform a search and destroy for rebels - we have to secure this pipeline."
Matthews paused. He was not very enthused with the idea of beginning an all-out offensive on the rebels in the south immediately, especially since he was lacking three of his five divisions, and he wouldn't be able to count on allied support straight off the bat.
"We also have to take into consideration, Colonel, that the rebels are besieging New Wagdog and Englewood in large numbers. The mere fact that they are even attempting to cut the pipeline is pointing at their audacity - they must have some confidence that they can win in a fight." Matthews said, stroking his beard and thinking about his force.
"General?"
"Colonel, we'll move three brigades with aviation support out to recapture the pipeline, and we'll sweep west and cut off the rebels there. They'll have two choices this way - they can try to breach through the brigades or they can retreat north into the plains, and the AF-W base can easily deal with them. From there we can bring the 35th Infantry into play and secure the east, at Sarasota. From there we'll consolidate, bring the armored division in, and begin a sweep south." Matthews said, furiously pointing at the map and furrowing his brow as if he was in deep thought.
__________________
The gates of Ft. Order had opened up, and dozens of vehicles began moving inexorably south - infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, the odd main battle tank, and the myriad support vehicles - artillery, air defense, the command vehicles, and the supply trucks that would inevitably be needed to keep the push going. The target was the besieged oil pipeline in between New Wagdog and Hudson - the rebel strength there was unknown, and the best decision for the Whyatican Army was a massive show of force here. An easy victory here could give the 33rd Infantry Division a nice start of momentum to push west and drive the rebels out of that territory.
Overhead, a wing of attack helicopters flew out to meet the rebels first. It was unlikely that the rebels had much to take on helicopters, but more advanced air support was on call - close air support jets from AF-W Remark were ready to move at any time they were needed.
The advance would continue until they were 50 kilometers from the attack point, where the three moving columns would regroup and begin the push to capture the pipeline.
Fort Order was the first of the hastily constructed Whyatican military bases in North Prestonia. With chain fences and razor wire, the outer perimeter of the camp wasn't as well defended as some would like - lookout towers kept watch over the fences while the permanent defenses were being installed as quickly as possible by Whyatican engineers. This base was the primary staging area for the Whyatican military in the north - the 33rd Light Infantry Division made it's home here, along with General Christoff Matthews, the commanding officer of the Prestonian expedition. As well under his command he had the rest of the XVI Corps - the 11th Armor, 13th Mechanized, 1st Mountain, and 35th Light Infantry divisions. All in all, he had about a hundred thousand men under his command nominally; unfortunately, half of these men had yet to actually arrive in Prestonia. The main port of entry for Whyatican troops, Seaside, was so backed up by the thousands of tons of supplies heading through it that the troops were delayed actually hitting shore with their equipment. The two Light Infantry divisions were the only ones there in their entirety, and that was enough to begin operations in South Prestonia.
In the command headquarters of Ft. Order, Matthews stood around a table with a map of Prestonia - the North was entirely secured, thanks to the efforts of the Gothic peacekeeping troops, but the South was another matter. Warlords had taken their own parts of Prestonia outside of the cities, and were constantly fighting each other, and fighting the sparse Prestonian government forces for control over the cities themselves. The critical cities of New Wagdog and and Englewood were under siege by militants under various leaders that could barely agree that they all are in fact on the same planet, much less agree to unify. There was one thing on the Whyatican side - a divided insurgency would be easier to sweep through.
"We've got reports of rebel activity near the Wagdog-Hudson pipeline, General. They could be aiming either to sever the pipeline entirely or try to redirect it back to their territory further south. Either way, we have to do something or we risk losing the oil supply to Hudson." Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Shorter pointed on the map - a reddish area in hue, it notated that the area had some risk of insurgent attack.
"I recommend we deploy the 2nd Infantry Brigade along with the reconnaissance battalion to the area, and perform a search and destroy for rebels - we have to secure this pipeline."
Matthews paused. He was not very enthused with the idea of beginning an all-out offensive on the rebels in the south immediately, especially since he was lacking three of his five divisions, and he wouldn't be able to count on allied support straight off the bat.
"We also have to take into consideration, Colonel, that the rebels are besieging New Wagdog and Englewood in large numbers. The mere fact that they are even attempting to cut the pipeline is pointing at their audacity - they must have some confidence that they can win in a fight." Matthews said, stroking his beard and thinking about his force.
"General?"
"Colonel, we'll move three brigades with aviation support out to recapture the pipeline, and we'll sweep west and cut off the rebels there. They'll have two choices this way - they can try to breach through the brigades or they can retreat north into the plains, and the AF-W base can easily deal with them. From there we can bring the 35th Infantry into play and secure the east, at Sarasota. From there we'll consolidate, bring the armored division in, and begin a sweep south." Matthews said, furiously pointing at the map and furrowing his brow as if he was in deep thought.
__________________
The gates of Ft. Order had opened up, and dozens of vehicles began moving inexorably south - infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, the odd main battle tank, and the myriad support vehicles - artillery, air defense, the command vehicles, and the supply trucks that would inevitably be needed to keep the push going. The target was the besieged oil pipeline in between New Wagdog and Hudson - the rebel strength there was unknown, and the best decision for the Whyatican Army was a massive show of force here. An easy victory here could give the 33rd Infantry Division a nice start of momentum to push west and drive the rebels out of that territory.
Overhead, a wing of attack helicopters flew out to meet the rebels first. It was unlikely that the rebels had much to take on helicopters, but more advanced air support was on call - close air support jets from AF-W Remark were ready to move at any time they were needed.
The advance would continue until they were 50 kilometers from the attack point, where the three moving columns would regroup and begin the push to capture the pipeline.