WesWorld

Curses ! Thuled again !

He must be a royal Thule.

I'm expecting Lieutenant Valius is about to be in a very bloody engagement, unless Thule and De Vries can pull a rabbit out of their hat and deal with their own problems quickly enough to support.

Vakses Part G, finished off, on shortly to Part H! Please refer back to Part G segement for those interested.

Hmmmm. If Luck can bag those tanks facing him and get the infantry with them falling back (pretty likely, they won't deal well morale-wise with seeing their armor knocked out), then he and Piron can move forward and beat the bejesus out of the forces attacking the Atlanteans. Airsupport would be good, too, either against the front line troops or their artillery support (seeing an ammo dump blow behind their lines wouldn't be good for Wilno morale either).

October 23rd, 1935: Part H

Luitenant-General Jurian Klaas Marius van Loon, newly appointed commander of the League of Nation's I Field Corps/Wilno Task Force, is faced with an unpleasant dilema for any commander, particularly one new to the battlefield and preforce having to deal with both unfamiliar subordinates and frustratingly unclear tactical situation.

Van Loon, finally nears the rear area of the embattled LoN Mobile Brigade, and from a nearby village tower, he is finally able to make a better visual assessment of the ongoing battle. Van Loon doesn't particularly care for what he sees. On the far left of the Mobile Brigade, Van Loon can just make out the furious action between the 4th German Reconnaissance Battalion and elements of the Wilno Army, although the screen of smoke and trees hardly helps. Towards the center of the Mobile Brigade, he watchs without comment as the mass of the 2/1st Belgian Lancers moving forward, he also sees a mass of Wilno Army troops wheeling through fields and clearings from the woods ahead of him, heading for the fiercely contested positions held by elements of the 2nd Jagers te Paard Regiment and the 1st Atlantean Reconnaissence Battalion.

Dispite Piron's fine show of initative, Van Loon sees disaster looming for Gerard's center. Luitenant-Generaal Jurian van Loon sends word back to the toiling LoN field batteries to join him as quickly as they can, and go into battery at the village. They would be able to provide useful covering fire to the Mobile Brigade's center, and to a more limited extent to its flanking units. Van Loon, tensely views the area of blasted timber and churned ground that is head by what appears to him to be the bulk of the 2nd Jagers te Paard, and the 1st Atlantean Recon Battalion, it isn't a pretty sight, nor an encouraging one. A heavy Wilno Army attack is obviously underway, and Luitenant-Generaal von Loon has no doubts that the LoN position there is in imminent danger of being crushed.

Of the right flank of the Mobile Brigade, Luitenant-General van Loon can see little save occassional gunflashs amidst the heavy woods, the 5th German Reconnaissence Battalion is heavily engaged at the moment, of that van Loon is sure if nothing else. Van Loon hopes desperately that he messages to the advancing Legion Oranje have reached Brigade-Generaal Jacob Snellensoon and appraised him of what is going on. Van Loon is deeply worried, he's to date recieved no definite response from either General Snellensoon or Colonel Zhechev.

Van Loon worries are lightened in at least one sence as the guns of LoN Field Battery "Eisler" rattle through the stone cobbled village streets, and make for a small hill just to th east of the village. Gunners struggle, slip and slide trying to emplace their guns, the ground is damp and muddly: feet, hooves and gun and vehicle wheels quickly gouge the damp turf into something approaching a mire. It takes several frustrating long, filthy and painful minutes for Oberfaehnrich Raimund Eisler to position his four 105-mm guns, veterans or relics of the Great War - depending on who's opinion was consulted - powerful, but weighty and awkward weapons, when one was forced to manhandle them.

Oberfaehnrich Eisler, a determined young officer cadet from the 17th German Field Artillery Regiment is quickly as muddy and haggard as his men as he personally pitches in to help his men align their artillery pieces. Eisler quickly calibrates the sights of his battery, and waits for Luitenant-Generaal van Loon's order to fire. Van Loon, decides to wait until, Batteries "Bolkart" and "Leucht" arrive, they are still struggling up the roads to the village, although van Loon expects them to arrive momentarily. Luitenant-Generaal van Loon turns his attention back towards the fighting, he picks up his field glasses and sends a member of his small staff forward to contact General de Brigade Yvanne Gerard.

October 23rd, 1935: Part I

Lt.Colonel Fritz Luck, watches the soldiers of the Wilno 1st Field Battalion march towards his battle line, its not a pretty picture, the Wilno troops vastly outnumber his battalion, a steady well laid artillery fire rains down upon his fusiliers and combat vehicles. Another of his scout car vanishes in a startling explosion. Luck decides he can wait no longer and orders his fusiliers to open fire. Rifles and machineguns snarl to life, raking the advancing Wilno soldiers. Men scream and topple, the rest continue to march stubbornly forward, gun flashs ripple swiftly up and down the Wilno line, as they return fire. Luck's heavy armoured cars, under Leutnant von Langhausen, continue to duel with their opposite numbers crawling ponderously across the fields, 20-mm shells strike several of the Wilno Armoured cars and tanks. The three Wilno armoured cars, and dozen FT-17 respond in kind, diverting their fire from the German fusiliers to the scout and armoured cars of the 4th German Reconnaissance Battalion.

Leutnant Christoph von Langhausen watches as two of the Wilno armoured cars, abruptly shudder to a halt, belching smoke. Doors and hatches bang open, surviving crew bail out with frantic haste.The surviving armoured car, suddenly reverses, and attempts to beat a hasty retreat to the relative safety of a copse of trees. German automatic cannon fire peppers the fleeing Wilno vehicle. Langhausen's satisfaction does not last long, as one of his SdKfz 231 lurchs to a halt, two cannon shells destroy its left forward wheel assembly, while a third round slams violently into the gun mantle, a flaming blast engulfs the turrent, the force of the explosion causes the turret to swing involentarily several degrees to the left. The vehicle commander informs Langhausen hurriedly by radio, that his 20-mm gun is unharmed but that the turret mechanism is jammed. Langhausen orders the damaged vehicle to retreat into cover.

Without warning the first flight of Hs-123 comes down from on high, machineguns chattering relentlessly, bombs tumble down amidst the stunned Wilno army troops. One bomb slams down through the right tread assembly of a FT-17, totally destroying it, smashing gears and wheels to pieces, the missile however fails to immediately detonate and buries itself in the ground. Several seconds later, the bomb explodes, hurling the light tank several feet up into the air, whereupon it crashs back down to the ground on its side. Wilno Major-General Witold Haller looks to the darkening skies in shock, another flight of Hs-123 bears down on his scrambling men, caught between the German infantry and vehicle fire to their front and the onslaught hitting them so unexpectedly from above. Haller tries to push his attack on despite this development, however another bombing and strafing run delivered with tight and deadly precision by the German aircraft begins to convince him otherwise.

Two flights of Bulgarian Fw-44 suddenly appear in the sky, two the aircraft pull up, flying high, the observers can be made out leaning out from their cockpits. The other Fw-44 swoop down adding a hail of bullets and bomblets all their own. The men of the 1st Field Battalion, decide they have had enough, they begin to pull back, their attack stalls. Wilno officers try and put the attack back together, but between the fire of the German fusiliers and their vehicles, and the diving aircraft they find their men baulked. Battery "Eisler" adds to the shock and confusion of the Wilno soldiers, Eisler orders two of his guns to go into action guided by the two Bulgarian Fw-44s acting as spotter planes. 105-mm shells begin to rain down, within minutes they are joined by the 75-mm guns of Battery "Bolkart" under Oberfaehnrich Wieland Bolkart, which have finally deployed along side Eisler's artillery pieces. Despite operating at extreme range, the LoN guns find their targets with astonishing rapidcy, Maj.General Haller, orders his men to begin a retreat. Lt.Colonel Rufin Gradawski, turns several of his guns around, and begins to engage the two LoN batteries with a fercious although initially inaccurate counter-battery fire.

Gradawski arrays at first eight guns to Eisler and Bolkart's combined six. It is an uneven contest, which only gets more so, as Gradawski directs more of his arriving guns into action, several newly arrived guns go into battery to hold the 4th German Reconnaissence Battalion in place, while the rest turn their fury upon the LoN batteries. Lt. Colonel Gradawski's gunners are at a serious disadvantage, their observers are at ground level, and can only make out the six LoN artillery pieces from their gun flashs in the distance, while Eisler and Bolkart have the assistance of the Bulgarian spotters. Eisler orders his two remaining guns to go into action, with Luitenant-General van Loon's permission, quickly if only momentarily evening the increasingly violent gun duel to eight Wilno pieces vs eight LoN pieces. Explosions, acrid smoke and shrapnal soon surround both protagonists, as LoN gunners and Wilno gunners find the range.

Luitenant-Generaal von Loon found it necessary to abandon his vantage point as it came under increasingly accurate Wilno artillery fire, he decides to press forward and contact General de Brigade Gerard's headquarters directly, as the commander of the Mobile Brigade had not responded to van Loon's orders to report to him. Before doing so, van Loon sends off further messages to the Legion Oranje and the 1st LoN Field Column to link up with the Mobile Brigade. Van Loon was increasingly anxious to get his I LoN Field Corps together as a fully integrated and functioning unit, rather then a group of independent and uncordinated formations.

The artillery duel between Eisler and Bolkart on one side and Gradawski on the other increased in intensity. The Wilno artillerymen deployed some six guns and howitzers against Luck's Battalion holding it in place, not withstanding some enterprising sorties by some of Luck's scout and armoured cars, which cost Haller his third armoured car and another FT-17. Lt.Colonel Rufin Gradawski now directed some twelve artillery pieces against the LoN's eight, although the weight of metal of the Wilno guns was countered by the better airborne direction of the LoN guns.Casualties amougst the gunners of both sides begain to mount with alarming speed, even more worrying for the respective artillery commanders was the rate at which they where using up their available ammunition supplies.

Battery "Leucht" arrived at that moment to redress the balance, with Faehnrich Franz Leucht wheeling his four 75-mm artillery pieces into line beside Bolkart's already hotly engaged guns. LoN fire begain to tell against their Wilno opponents, knocking out first one gun, and then a second in rapid succession, while killing or wounded the crew of a third gun a few minutes later. The Bulgarian Fw-44 daringly dropped a mixture of smoke and bomblets upon the Wilno battery lines, both to mark them and attempt to disrupt their fire. Lt.Colonel Grabawski concerned that he would lose still more of his precious guns, began to order phased withdrawls of his pieces to join the exodus retreating Wilno riflemen, as the 1st Field Battalion fell back at Maj.General Haller's order. Maj.General Witold Haller had decided that he could not dislodge the 4th German Reconnaissance Battalion, from its firmly dug in position, while under both air and artillery attack, the lose of all three of his attached armoured cars, and at least two of his light tanks convinced him, that accepting further loses for no gain was inadvisable. The well entrenched and camofluaged German motor fusiliers and their hull down scout and armoured cars, ablely supported by the distant field artillery and the nearer to hand aircraft had despite casualties of their own inflicted serious and disportionately heavy losses upon, Haller's infantry. Disheartened but moving with their customary purpose and professionalism the men of the Wilno 1st Field Battalion retreated from the field, their steps dogged by swooping Hs-123s and Fw-44s which made repeated strafing runs, until the Wilno soldiers, tanks and field artillery disappeared into the forests. The Wilno dead littered the fields and stands of trees in various attitudes of death, several now abandoned vehicles burned furiously, while blotting the battlefield with growing clouds of black smoke.

Lt.Colonel Luck contemplated his battle line, and the withdrawal of his opponent with some considerable relief. Luck immediately reported the facts to Gerard's Headquarters, and requested further instructions. To Luck's surprise, he expected that his battalion would be ordered to mount at least a limited counter-attack, no response was forthcoming. The LoN Field Batteries suddenly finding themselves without targets abruptly fell silent. Battery commanders Eisler, Bolkart and Leucht decided to conserve their available store of ammunition and give their weary gunners a few minutes respite. Van Loon stormed into General de Brigade Gerard's headquarters, and confronted the Mobile Brigade commander on the situation into which he had recklessly placed his command. Gerard responded that his troops were hard pressed, but holding their own. Van Loon did not agree with that assessment, and demanded that the 1st Atlantean Reconnaissance Battalion be withdrawn from the battle line. Gerard however demured, the Atlantean troops were under heavy assault a withdrawl wasn't practical in the circumstances. Van Loon made the same request of the 5th German Reconnaissance Battalion, and recieved the same response from General Gerard.

Luitenant-Generaal van Loon by this point began to lose his temper with his recalcitrant subordinate, and flatly ordered the two reconnaissance units to be withdrawn into reserve positions. The 2nd Jagers te Paard Regiment, and the 2/1st Belgien Lancers Regiment would take up their positions, and hold the center battle line. The 4th German Reconnaissance would in turn move forward and southward to close up on the 2/1st Lancers, the 1st Field Column when it arrived would then take up the 4th's former position as guardian of the left flank. General Gerard testily inquired what was to happen with the right flank, van Loon snapped that the Legion Oranje take up position there when it arrived. Gerard forcefully rejected this proposed plan, whereupon, van Loon bluntly and tactlessly over-ruled him. Van Loon flatly ordered the three LoN batteries to combined their fire with the available infantry guns and mortars to help extradite the 1st Atlantean and 5th German Recon Battalions. Lt. Colonel De Vries was ordered to fully commit the 2nd Jagers Regiment to shield the two retreating battalions, while Major Piron and his cavalrymen pressed forward to further relieve the pressure. Van Loon also requested through radio channels that the Fliegerfuehrer Lituanen direct further air attacks against the Wilno Army's lines as weather and known location permitted. Colonel Froehlich responded that all available aircraft would be directed to the I LoN Field Corps assistance.

Lieutenant-General Bartold Jasunski upon being quickly informed by Maj.General Haller about the failure of the 1st Field Battalion's attack, approved Haller's decision to disengage and reform. While apprehensive about this unexpected development, Jasunski was not unduly worried, his other attacks were still in progress and these still promised a chance of decisive success against the now heavily engaged LoN Mobile Brigade. Jasunski hoped that the weather which was increasingly worsening would shield his troops from further LoN air attack. Witold Haller was quickly instructed to fall back to the Wilno Army's third line of prepared defenses and dig in, little more could be expected of the battered and bedraggled 1st Field Battalion. Lt.General Jasunski and his staff meanwhile turned their attention back to the battle against the Mobile Brigade's center and right flank.

October 23rd, 1935: Part J

The murderous fight for "Bloody Cottage" was reaching it high point, the position had traded hands between the Wilno, Belgian and Atlantean troops some eighteen times, often literally at bayonet point. The attacking elements of the Wilno 2nd and 3rd Field Battalions hurled themselves at the artillery and bullet smashed log cottage and its blood soaked grounds with increasing frenzy, their tanks slowly grinding over the dead and wounded of both sides, as they hammered the desperate defenders. Maj.Generals Jaroslaw Laskowska and Peter Radowski were fanatically determined to destroy the LoN troops where they stood. Lt.Colonel Aleksandr Pozarnsky continued to relentlessly pound the Atlanteans and Belgians with every guns at his disposal, while Lt.Colonel Patryk von Kloskowska, swung his Wilno NSD Cavalry Reserve wide of the right flank of the 2nd Field Battalion, poised to drive home yet another flanking assault into the crumbling Mobile Brigade's center. Lieutenant Taldor Valius, the spiritual motor of the ironclad Atlantean defense, fell badly wounded twenty-two times, by bullet, shrapnel and blade. This threatened to break the gallant but dwindling Atlanteans, many who manned the lines, were themselves counted amoung the wounded. De Vries, with great coolness quickly re-directed the fire of his regimental guns into the bloody maelstrom, while two of the regiment's 47-mm AT guns were dragged forward by hand amidst the trees and shell craters to try and deal with the rampaging FT-17s.

The 105-mm and 75-mm guns of Batteries Eisler, Bolkart, and Leucht were quickly directed to bolster the sagging battle front in the sunken road, hammering shell after shell into the ranks of the 3rd and 4th Wilno Field Battalions. Ironically this bombardment was hardly noticed by either side, caught up as they were in the ferocious fire-fight raging through the tangled woods, sunken road and farms that made up the center of the Mobile Brigade's position. Colonel Thule was thunderstruck when he recieved the Van Loon's order to retire from the field, and initially baulked at the instruction. Van Loon found it necessary to repeat it twice more with increasing harshness, Thule a man much dismayed by this turn of events, but seeing no alternative but to obey superior orders, relented and begain to order his men to pull out. Fresh soldiers of the 2nd Jagers te Paard Regiment filtered in to take his exhausted men's place in the sunken road position and to buttress the Bloody Cottage.

Lt.Colonel Anton Krebs, recieved the order to withdraw with mixed feelings, while happy to withdraw in face of the increasing violent attacks made upon his unit by the Wilno 4th Field Battalion and the 9th NSD Wing, Krebs was however extremely worried about leaving the Brigade's right flank in the air. Krebs had as of yet no contact with the Legion Oranje, although he had been appraised that it had been ordered to join up with the 2nd Jagers te Paard Regiment's right flank. Krebs resolved against his instructions - which called for an immediate withdrawl - to fall back as slowly as was possible in the circumstances. Lt.Colonel Krebs flatly ordering his motor fusiliers and combat vehicle commanders to stall the Wilno troops before them for as long as possible using a combination of firepower and flexibility of movement granted by their wheeled combat vehicles and motorcycles.

Major Jean Piron, spotted the mounted troops of von Kloskowska's Wilno NSD Cavalry Reserve forming up to launch their attack against the Altanteans, who now in the midst of retreating were in a very vulnerable position. Major Piron summoned his troop and squadron commanders for a hurried conference. The ground before them was tangled and broken, covered with thick patches of forest, water courses and the odd habitant, worse the rains had soaked the ground and making it soft and muddy, all in all far from ideal for the passage of mounted troops. Nevertheless, Major Piron was determined to do what he could to assist the hard pressed 1st Altanteans and the 2nd Jagers te Paard as vigoriously as possible, Piron a life-long cavalryman, knew of only one way to do that. His subsequent orders to his assembled officers were simple and straightforward. "We attack, gentlemen. Hit the enemy where they gather in strength , drive them back don't let them stand or rally." a moment later Major Piron dismissed his officers, with a final stirring remark. "God go with you. For the honour of the Queen, our regiment and Country". Major Jean Piron, as soon as his officers had returned to their commands, rode out in front of his massed lancers. He took one last moment to survey both the enemy and the ground, then rose high in the saddle and slashed the air with his drawn saber, signalling his troops to advance. The Belgian Lancers of the 2/1st Regiment, jolted forward at a trot over the fields, slowed by the need to navigated various streams, small isolated farmsteads and trees as they broke into a gallop, a thundercrack that echoed from the darkening sky heralded their drive towards the flank of the Wilno cavalry. The muddy ground slowed the galloping Lancers somewhat but also muffled the sound of their movement, while the trees screened their approach until almost the last minute.

At the last possible moment, Major Piron, signalled his bugler to sound the charge. The Belgian Lancers surged forward over the last hundred feet separating them from the startled and still marshalling Wilno cavalrymen in a mad rush. The Belgians smashed into the Wilno horse with savage force, driving many of the Wilno Self-Defense cavalrymen back in panicked retreat. A swirling melee developed, inside the forests, with horsemen slashing wildly at each other with their sabers. Here and there gun flashs and explosions lite the ranks of desperately fighting men, as soldiers exchanged volleys at short range with pistols, carbines and grenades. Some of the Wilno horsemen were armed with shotguns which they fired indiscriminately into the press, mangled horse and man, friend and foe alike in the intense fighting. Lt.Colonel Patryk von Kloskowska was nearly killed several times in the melee, and only escaped death by a hairsbreath, although he was badly wounded, and had to be carried from the field by some of his troops.

Major Piron, knew that he had disrupted the Wilno cavalry attack well. The majority of von Kloskowska's horse were - he could see very much for himself - in full, frantic retreat, however the majority of the Belgian cavalrymen were by the same token scattered throughout the woods and farmsteads riding either wounded or blown horses. They need to be regrouped before they could accomplish anything more. His bugler promptly blew a ringing blast to sound the rally call, or at least he attempted to - a bullet had pierced his instrument, so the bugler produced a single spine-jarring, wailing note that was heard by men all over the raging battlefield. For many survivors of the day, it was a sound they would remember for the rest of their lives, many would liken it to the dreadful scream of a banshee. Only by clamping his hands over the hole could Piron's bugler finally sound the rally call correctly.

Maj.General Jaroslaw Laskowska, commander of the 2nd Wilno Field Battalion heard that screaming note, and the sounds of battle on his flank, and halted his advance immediately. Something was wrong, although he didn't know exactly what until, scattered Wilno horsemen broke from the trees, and charged madly through his battalion's ranks in a bid to escape. While still in the midst of shifting his troops to deal with whatever was coming his way, several troops of hard charging Belgian Lancers, hot on the heels of their enemy and heedless of the rally call, came barrelling out of the woods and collided with his battalion.

are horrified at this prolonged bloodshed on their borders, and suggest to League of Nations that intervention by 16th Rifle Corps, supported by Russia's abundant artillery and air support, would settle this matter quickly and at a lower final cost in human life.

In a message to the Russian Federation, Japan indicates that it will wait to hear the opinions of other nations (if they have any) but will most likely support the Russian suggestion.

Atlantis (for obvious reasons) supports the Russians suggestion as well. Should the conflict be prolonged any further Atlantis would like to offer further forces as well.

Britain supports the Russian suggestion also. This war is much more bloody and longer than Britain had first thought.

This is a stirring tale, and very well done. I have no wish to impinge on any story line here, but in my opinion no major government could let such intense combat drag on so long (almost two weeks) in a country with which they have established close security relations when they have the means to address it. However, if the Lithuanian government wishes to leave the issue to their own as well as the LoN forces already there, the RF government will butt out ;-).

Quoted

Originally posted by AdmKuznetsov
This is a stirring tale, and very well done. I have no wish to impinge on any story line here, but in my opinion no major government could let such intense combat drag on in a country with which they have established close security relations when they have the means to address it. However, if the Lithuanian government wishes to leave the issue to their own as well as the LoN forces already there, the RF government will butt out ;-).

AFAIC remember, this is taking place over just a matter of days, and already significant reinforcements are organizing in the wings. What we're seeing is the great effort of the original LoN force before the Wilno rebels are overrun by numerically-superior numbers of LoN troops not yet in the field.

(For instance, the Bulgarian 5th Rifle Division is disembarking and deploying in the field as this battle is taking place; I believe many other LoN participants have multiple brigades/divisions en route or deploying in the field.

So even though, IC, I think the Russian forces could be called on, OOC I suspect the rebels will be squashed and broken before even they can arrive.

Just my $.02 (with inflation and taxes).

Have finished October 23rd, 1935: Part J, please refer back to that post. More to come, stay tooned!

Quoted

Originally posted by Agent148
Have finished October 23rd, 1935: Part J, please refer back to that post. More to come, stay tooned!

Huzzzah!

Hmmmm. Depending on the condition of his battalion, Luck might have good "luck" with a local counterattack into the area that the Belgian cavalry just disrupted. Of course, he doesn’t seem to have any current orders at all at the moment, because of the disputes at headquarters, but still…….

Krebs is absolutely correct to only slowly give ground here, using his cars to screen as the motorcyclists thin out and fall back slowly. The last thing he should want to do is leave an open flank hanging when there's an opponent on the field who can find it and the Belgian and Atlantean forces in the center have been already well hammered. If he can screen the retreat of the motor fusiliers, that will get his force mounted up again and allow his battalion to rapidly move wherever required.

October 23rd, 1935: Part K

Total confusion reigned as the charging Belgian Lancers attempted to chase, the Wilno horsemen through the Wilno infantry. Wildly galloping horses, both Belgian and Wilno rode down any units in their way, as they raced through the startled ranks of soldiers. Here and there, a section or platoon blazed away dropping horse and horsemen alike. Some groups of Wilno soldiers tried to form the classic infantry square, to fend off the attack, few managed this however in the shock of the moment. Others either died where they stood, hacked down or shot by the charging lancers, or turned and ran pell-mell into the forest to escape.

A single Bulgarian Fw-44 shot over the tree tops, its passage barely noticed in the melee, in its wake several bursts of coloured smoke exploded inside the forest. A sudden barrage of 75-mm shells began to rain down as the spotter plane, re-directed the fire of LoN Batteries "Bolkart" and "Leucht" with some accuracy onto the 2nd Field Battalion's position. Moments later the roar of air plane engines could be heard, as several Fw-187s dived out of the darkening sky to rain bombs and machinegun shells down on harassed Laskowska's men.

the Wilno 2nd Field Battalion dispite the heavy fire it found itself being subjected to, managed to pull itself together, and drive off, the now scattered and exhausted Belgian Lancers. Unit machine guns and massed rifle fire managed to drive off the spotter plane, even scoring a few hits. However the sleek twin engined Fw-187s continued to criss-cross the sky strafing and bombing at will. Maj.General Jaroslaw Laskowska, reluctantly ordered his men to break off their attack on the LoN center and began shifting them back into the deeper cover of the forests. Casualties from both artillery and air attack had been heavy, and the widespread disorder within his battalion's sub-units occassioned by the cavalry melee, made an organized advance impossible.

Major Jean Piron, however was determined to continue his attack and buy yet more time for the struggling units of the Mobile Brigade's center. Hurriedly, Major Piron, dismounted the units he had rallied and reformed, he lead his men on foot in an advance with carbines at the ready. Soon the 2/1st Belgian Lancers Cavalry Regiment was involved in a blazing fire-fight with the retiring Wilno 2nd Field Battalion. Maj.General Jaroslaw Laskowska was forced to advise Lt.General Bartold Jasunski, that his field battalion could neither - in present circumstances - advance successful nor retreat without assistance.

Piron's subsequent report was the first piece of good news, the Luitenant-Generaal Jurian van Loon had received to date. Van Loon was further relieved to hear of the the arrival of some of the promised air support from the Fliegerfuehrer Lituanen. Further flights of Bf-109s were reported by the Fliegerfuehrer to be inbound to support the aready arrived Fw-187s. Van Loon felt it would be possible to sort out the mess the Mobile Brigade had gotten itself into, although he was far from confident at this stage whether the battle could be salvaged. No word had yet been heard from the Legion Oranje. Van Loon seriously contemplated ordering the Mobile Brigade to retreat as soon as it could break contact with the attacking Wilno Army units.

Lt. Colonel De Vries picked that moment to report to Luitenant-Generaal van Loon, that his regiment was now fully engaged against the Wilno 3rd and 4th Field Battalions, and while under heavy pressure had managed to blunt every enemy attack with the assistance of LoN air and artillery support. De Vries noted that the withdrawl of the the 1st Atlantean Reconnaissance Battalion was well underway, and that the 2/1st Lancers were quite successfully closing up the gap on 2nd Jagers te Paard Regiment's left flank, while the 5th German Reconnaissance Battalion was beginning its own withdrawl, more slowly then expected but in decent time and fashion.

Lieutenant-General Raoul Daufresne de la Chevalerie monitoring the flow of messages from Van Loon's I Field Corps headquarters, was disturbed by the developing action on the approaches to Vaskes. De la Chevalerie dispatched orders to the advancing 1st, 2nd Field Columns and the Legion Oranje urging them to accelerate their own advances and move to assist the Mobile Brigade. In the meantime, Maj.General Thedosi Petrov Daskalov, had bullied, cajoled and threatened his 5th Bulgarian Infantry Division into being the first out of the LoN encampments in and around Vilnius. The roads leading from Vilnius towards distant Vaskes, where rapidly being clogged by hard marching Bulgarian infantry and artillery. Daufresne de la Chevalerie ordered Daskalov to advance as quickly as possible to the I Field Corps's relief. Daskalov and his staff estimated - that even at top speed - that the 5th Bulgarian Division would not arrive in strength in the Vaskes area before the 24th at the earliest, the 25th being more likely.

Daufresne de la Chevalerie found this estimate less then satisfactory but trusted that the Mobile Brigade win through or withdraw in good order (and by extention the I Field Corps could get itself sufficiently organized, under van Loon's direction) and the LoN Garrison could hold out, until the mobilizing II Field Corps could arrive. Maj.General Arikus Patreaus and Luitenant-Generaal Henrius Fabius of the 1st Atlantean Expeditionary Division and the 3rd Dutch Marine Brigade respectively both assured Lieutenant-General Daufresne de la Chevalerie that their commands would be ready to advance at dawn upon the 24th. Maj.General Hans Enfeldt of the 1st Nordmark Armoured Division reported that some last minute logistical concerns would perhaps delay his division from being ready to advance to Vaskes, earlier then the evening of the 24th/25th.

Colonel Rafail Zhechev upon recieving the messages from the LoN Taskforce Ladyga HQ, and having belatedly received (and finally read) the written orders placing him under Luitenant-Generaal van Loon's command, swung his 1st LoN Field Column sharply southward in an effort to reach the Mobile Brigade before night fell. Having been steadily committed for several hours to an northward approach upon Vaskes, Zhechev's staff was far from sure this was possible. Colonel Wilhelm Berlin, as equally shocked as Zhechev to recieve urgent orders from the Ladyga HQ, made all haste to advance upon Vaskes from the South. Although Colonel Berlin's previous intention had been to attack Vaskes, with his 2nd LoN Field Column, from a slightly more easterly direction and thus materially assist the LoN I and II Field Corps in a general encirclement of Wilno Republican capital of Vaskes. Berlin and his staff now regarded this promising plan of attack as no longer viable in the circumstances, and that a least time course to the contested town was the most effective tactical option.

Lt.General Bartold Jasunski of the Wilno Army of the Northeast, found himself in an unenviable situation as he contempated the results of his planned assault upon the LoN Mobile Brigade. The attacks of the 1st and 2nd Field Battalions had been halted or driven back, while the the efforts of the 3rd and 4th Field Battalions had stalled altogether. Even though night was rapidly falling, Luftwaffe Bf-109 and Fw-187 fighters were even now strafing and bombing the 3rd and 4th Field Battalions, freed by the retirement (or attempted retirement) of his 1st and 2nd Field Battalions from action. Three batteries of LoN artillery plus every available infantry gun and mortar the LoN Mobile Brigade possessed was hurling shells into his center.

A quick conference with his battalion commanders, Maj.General Witold Haller, Maj.General Jaroslaw Laskowska, Maj.General Peter Radowski, Maj.General Sidor Malecka and his artillery chiefs, Lt.Colonel Rufin Gradawski and Lt.Colonel Aleksandr Pozarnsky , convinced Jasunski that his men were exhausted, demoralized and defeated. Ammo was low, other essentialy supplies short and the potential for more LoN troops to suddenly intervene raising with each passing hour. Several of his subordinates argued it was time to consider a retreat - the 1st line of defenses had been effectively pierced, there was still time to withdraw to the second, and be able to offer an effective resistance for a while longer.

With the Wilno Army's right flank and center checked or in disarray, the Wilno NSD Cavalry Reserve in full retreat, diaster loomed for Jasunski and his command. Jasunski was all to aware of this. Only on the Wilno Army's left flank with the 9th and 10th NSD Wings, under Major Julian Bernacka and Major Valerius Dobovsky did some measure of hope still lie.

Just one note. I think the Bulgarian 5th Division was either first or second in line to receive the military bicycles. In 1935 they wouldn't be widely deployed yet. Though perhaps as part of the cajoling and bullying, the Bulgarians marched out before they could unload the bicycles. The idea was that bicycles are a lot less maintenance-intensive than horse cavalry, and cheaper than buying trucks for the entire army.

Enjoying it, as always!

October 23rd, 1935: Part L

Lieutenant-General Bartold Jasunski realized that pulling off an sort of victory against the LoN Mobile Brigade was becoming slimmer by the hour, night fall was fast approaching, and the weather was taking a turn for the worst. Still the possiblility existed and he and his staff clung to it with a grim, fatalistic determination. The failing light and heavy possiblility of rain would at least grant the Wilno Army cover from marauding Luftwaffe fighters and fighter-bombers. Jasunski himself was worried about the absence of the dreaded Ju-87 dive-bombers and the equally feared Bf-110 heavy fighters, neither aircraft had been spotted, unlike the more ubiquious Bf-109s, Hs-123s and Fw-187s. It was not clear to either Jasunski or his staff, why the former aircraft had not been committed in force.

As the 2nd Jagers regiment fought its battle in the Mobile Brigade's center, and the 1/2nd Lancers regiment fought upon the left flank, the 5th German Reconnaissance Battalion continued it's own careful withdrawl. Lt.Colonel Krebs, mounted an increasingly aggressive defense in the face of the 9th Wilno NSD Wing's own stubborn advance, periodically throwing a platoon or more of his motor fusiliers supported by several armoured cars in a short, sharp attack, which invariably threw the Wilno Self-Defensemen into confusion and retreat.

Major Julian Bernacka, CO of the 9th NSD Wing, came forward himself to urge his men on, and re-establish the cohesion and discipline of his vanguard units. Major Bernacka personally hurried forward and saw to the sighting of several heavy machine guns and anti-tank rifles to lay down a effective supporting fire for his advancing elements. After some minutes the Wilno troops began to make a renewed progress as the presence of these weapons forced the Germans to become more circumvent in their counter-attacks.

The morale of the 9th NSD Wing soared when, the anti-tank rifle teams knocked out a heavy armoured car, and forced two lighter scout cars to retire in some haste.Despite this success however, Bernacka was dissatisfied with the state of his attack, the thick woods, and patches of mud were slowing his troops, and the soldiers of the 5th German Reconnaissance Battalion were making use of every patch of cover, as they fell back. The German motor fusiliers had preforce changed tactics, abandoning their habit of sudden local counter-attacks for a game of vicious game of sudden ambush with grenades and continuous sniping amidst the trees, and were rapidly taking a toll on Bernacka's troops who were slow to realize what was happening.

Meanwhile Lt.General Jasunski ordered the 1st Field Battalion to fall back upon his second line of defense, a sustained resistance could still be offered there, even though the first line of defense had been effectively pierced by the Mobile Brigade. The 2nd Field Battalion, was ordered to hold the attentions of the Belgian Lancers for as long as possible, then at night fall, break contact and withdraw. Jasunski further ordered the 3rd Field Battalion to break off its attacks, although it wa for the time being hold its current positions, upon the Mobile Brigade's center, the stout defense of the 2nd Jagers te Paard - well supported by LoN aircraft and artillery - had made any further attacks in that sector unprofitable. The 4th Field Battalion was ordered to continue to demonstrate with vigor against the 2nd Jagers, for the time being to assist the attack of the 9th and 10th NSD Wings.

Luitenant-Generaal Jurian van Loon, was feeling a mite better about the situation of the Mobile Brigade, true things were far from ideal, however, the 1st Atlantean Reconnaissance Battalion was now safely withdrawn, and various weak points had been shored up, at least for the present. Van Loon considered the possiblity of launching the 4th German Reconnaissance Battalion, which had been only lightly engaged, compared to other units in the Mobile Brigade in a local counter-attack in support of the 2/1st Belgian Lancers on the left flank. General de Brigade Gerard disagreed, almost predictably, advocating sending the unengaged 4th German Recon Battalion to the assistance of it's sister recon battalion - the 5th - on the right flank.

Word received from the 1st Field Column was encouraging, to Luitenant-Generaal van Loon, as was the report that the various national divisions were now decamping from Vilnius and would be in the area in the next few days, if not sooner. The advent of night, was not however as well recieved, nor was the suggestion that the weather was about to take a turn from bad to atrocious. The Fliegerfuehrer Lituanen liason warned van Loon, that all air support would shortly have to be recalled so they could return safely to their landing fields.

At this particular and difficult moment for both the Wilno Army of the Northeast and the League of Nations Mobile Brigade, the Legion Oranje put in its first appearance in the ongoing battle.

Brigade-Generaal Jacob Snellensoon, Legion Oranje Commander and Luitenant-Kolonel Karel Van Der Kade, his Chief-of-Staff examined the flood of incoming scout reports, radio messages and out right appeals from the LoN Mobile Brigade, LoN Task Force Wilno and the LoN I Field Corps Headquarters with mixed feelings. The situation in which the Mobile Brigade had become emeshed - due to General de Brigade Gerard's somewhat less then judicious handling of his troops - was both deadly serious and threatened to completely distrupt the planned two pronged advance of the LoN I Field Corps upon Vaskes. This development would of course, imperil the isolated LoN Garrison within the environs of the bitterly contested Wilno Republican provisional capital. Jacob Snellensoon very briefly although very seriously considered ignoring the situation developing to his far left flank, and pressing on towards Vaskes and the LoN Garrison.

However, Snellensoon, at Van Der Kade's urging decided to halt his advance - and put aside his by now ingrained distrust and considerable personal dislike of General Gerard - and as swiftly as possible march his battalions northwards to assist the Mobile Brigade. Brigade-Generaal Snellensoon after some consideration placed his armour battalion in the lead position, closely followed by supporting detachments drawn from his two motorized infantry battalions and his artillery battalion. Lieutenant-General Bartold Jasunski was unware of this development, much less the general advance of the Legion Oranje, and with his attention locked on developments to his immediate front, had taken no special provisions to defend his southern flank against attack. Thus, the Legion Oranje's unexpected attack would fall completely upon, Jasunski's least experienced and least well equiped troops - the 9th and 10th Wilno National Self-Defense Wings.

Major Julian Bernacka and Major Valerius Dobovsky were no more suspecting of what was about to befall them, then the staff and commander of the Wilno Army of the Northeast. Neither officer, fully bent upon continuing their attacks on the retreating 5th German Reconnaissance Battalion thought to consider their flanks. Wilno Army and National Self-Defense Battalion intellgience such as it was, informed them that they faced only the Mobile Brigade (and its order of battle was well known previous Wilno experience) and that it was the only significant League of Nations unit in their immediate area.

As luck would have it, the 9th NSD Wing had the misfortune to be directly in the path of Snellensoon's hastily planned northward drive with the Legion Oranje. Snellensoon's lead armour elements heavily seconded by close infantry and artillery support would strike the strung out and unsuspecting Wilno Self-Defensemen with the force of an alpine avalanche. The first warning the soldiers of the 9th Wing had that something was dangerously awry was when the forests revibrated with the sub-sonic growl of tank engines, followed by the growing clatter of metal tracks on the forest floor. Major Bernacka tried unsuccessfully to divert some of his advancing troops to ward off this attack before the blow landed, but the Legion Oranje barrelled into his men before the orders could be issued much less executed. Dutch artillery and machinegun fire relentlessly lashed the Wilno soldiers as they momentarily stood rooted to the ground in horrified shock and astonishment. Minutes later, the advancing tanks, closely followed by marching riflemen emerged into the forest clearings and opened fire.

Worse, Lt.Colonel Anton Krebs, realizing what was happening, suddenly halted his battalion and counter-attacked with the whole of his command with devastating effect. The aclerity of his unexpected attack, forced the pursuing lead elements of the 9th NSD Wing back onto their supports in headlong and undignified flight. Major Bernecka, strove manfully to sort out the resultant mess and rally and redirect his wing's now seriously divided efforts. Caught between two fires, his troops began to show signs of severe instabilitity, panic staked his men's ranks, those who didn't immediately flee or throw down their armaments in surrender, were promptly and indiscriminately mowed down by German or Dutch fire, or ground to a bloody pulp under the tracks of the advancing Legion Oranje tanks. Still more were killed or wounded by the score, by the accurate, continous and stunningly effective Dutch artillery fire being directed into their ranks.

German Bf-109s subsequently arrived in force above the 9th Wing, strafing and bombing literally at will in what constituted the last significant air attack of the day made by elements of the Fliegerfuehrer Lituanen. Here and there small knots of Self-Defensemen stood their ground and fought on with stubborn courage, despair or outright defiance. For several long minutes, the issue seemed to be in doubt. Major Julian Bernacka, leading as he had from the begining of the battle from the front - was last seen by either friend or foe, leading a handful his staff and HQ guards in a gallant attempt to knock-out one of several company level armoured attacks that threatened to overwhelm his crumbling wing's defense, armed only with a few hand grenades, some improvised fire-bombs and rifles they had to hand. Then with a terrible sickening suddeness, that surprised many participants of the battle both then and later, it happened.

The 9th Wing, hit from two different directions and under intense air attack, promptly and totally disintigrated as an organized and cohesive military unit. A desperate Lieutenant-General Jasunski and his harried staff, managed to their intense chargain to rally only one-hundred and ten Self-Defensemen, the rest of the nine-hundred plus men of the NSDB command, had either been killed, captured or simply fled in wild and unrestrained panic as the Dutch and German attack rolled over their positions.

Jasunski frantically worked to form a breaker line, ahead of the Legion Oranje's attack to slow it, if not altogether halt it. Scrambling his headquarters guard unit, the remaments of the 9th Wing, a few guns hurriedly sent forward from both Grabawski's and Pozarnsky's Artillery Reserves and whatever units that could be spared from the other field battalions closest at hand - the 3th and 4th. A strong sortie by Lt.Colonel Krebs and his reconnaissance battalion threatened to overturn this fragile battle line mere moments after Jasunski had managed to throw it up. Only the most strenous personal efforts by Lt.General Jasunski and many individual Wilno officers and ncos kept the new battle line from rupturing. Major Valerius Dobovsky and his 10th NSD Wing launched furious if piece-meal counter-attack after counter-attack into the side of the Legion Oranje, as it attempted to brush his shaken unit aside and strike deeper into the vitals of the Army of the Northeast. These efforts by various Wilno Army and Self-Defense Battalion units while ineffectual individually managed to collectively and effectively blunt Snellensoon's victorious drive deep into the flank and rear of the Army of the Northeast's position.