October 23rd/24th, 1935:
Marshal Letowska views his current situation and uses the remainder of the 23rd/24th to effect some necessar redeployments and reorganization of his remaining and very delipidated forces. The Wilno defense is preforce by circumstances, rather then design or tactics, divided somewhat haphazardly into four primary defensive positions.
Wilno Army of the Northeast Defensive Pocket: Lt. General Bartold Jasunski
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Wilno Army Field Battalions, 1st Army Reserve Artillery Battalion, surviving elements of the 9th NSD Wing, 10th NSD Wing
Festung Kessel Defensive Pocket: Major-General Ziven Konarski
- ad hoc elements of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th NSD Wings
Wilno Governmental Defensive Pocket: Marshal Aleksy Letowska
- remaining ad hoc elements of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th NSD Wings, 4th NSD Wing, NSD Artillery Reserve
Vaskes Eastern Defensive Pocket: Lt. Colonel Benedek Koberda
- 6th, 7th, 8th NSD Wings, detached elements of the NSD Artillery Reserve
with the NSD Cavalry Reserve positioned so as to screen the gap between the Wilno Army Defensive Pocket and the Wilno Governmental Defensive Pocket.
This defense is threatbare and the majority of the men and officers of the Wilno Army and the Wilno National Self-Defense Battalion know it. Marshal Aleksy Letowska however refuses to acknowledge the possibility of defeat, and moves to galvanize his demoralized government, his despairing military staffs, his increasingly distrustful officers and above all his still -despite everything - loyal soldiers, he works ceaselessly through the night to cobble together a solid defense, and to muster and distribute whatever supplies of weapons, ammo, water and food that remain and can be found.
Incrediblely, Letowska through sheer personal charisma and dogged courage manages to raise his men's morale, and give them fresh heart for what are realize will be the Wilno Republic's last fight. As yet unaware of Diachuk's independent diplomatic actions in Stockholm, Letowska sends word to Nordmark via various ad hoc channels to attempt to recall his ceasefire delegation.
Letowska urgently needs his loyal foreign affairs general-secretary by his side to shore up his faultering hold on his government. With this in mind, Marshal Letowska reorders his cabinet slightly, abolishing the position of premier, and reassigning its responsibilities to the presidency, making Letowska both the Wilno Republic's Head of State, and Head of Governement. Marshal Letowska also abolishes the Wilno Parliment, no new delegates will be either elected or appointed to create a new "Third" Wilno Parliment.
Letowska switched the former premier Anzelm Bazala to the General-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, while shifting Leon Diachuk to the critical post of General-Secretary for Security and Interior Affairs. Marshal Letowska decides not particularly surprisingly to retain the General-Secretariat for Military Affairs in own his hands, no longer trusting the handling of this pivotal position to any of his immediate circle of advisors. Although briefly Letowska considers appointing Lt.General Bartold Jasunski to the post at the suggestion of his cabinet.
For the most part, Letowska decides to retain his current cabinet, The Council of Government - still composed of Bendek Bernacka, General-secretary for Economics and Finance; Roslan Wejechert, General-secretary for Labour and Communications; Walery Lutoslaw, General-secretary for Agriculture; Rufin Bjalik, General-secretary for Public Education; Michal Konarski, General-secretary for Justice; Tadeusz Malecka, General-secretary for Public Health Services - despite past disagreements and upsets as they are the most talented men available to hold their respective posts, and an sort of purge at this time would shatter already the very brittle morale of his government and his troops.
Marshal Aleksy Letowska in a somewhat surprising move promotes Lt.Colonel Benedek Koberda to the rank of Major-General, and formalizes his ad hoc defensive command into the 3rd Grand Wing of the Wilno National Self-Defense Battalion (the Vaskes Eastern Defensive Pocket), to the further astonishment of many of his subordinates, Letowska re-appoints Major-General Ziven Konarski to active command, naming him commander of the 2nd Grand Wing/WNSD Battalion (the Festung Kessel Defensive Pocket). The move however surprising, given increasingly strained relations between Letowska and Konarski, is a popular one and does much to raise morale amoungst the Wilno National Self-Defensemen. Lt. Colonel Jerzy Cywinska, a member of the marshal's military staff, is quickly made the new WNSD Battalion Chief-of-Staff. Another former aide, Lt. Colonel Boleslaw Guttowa, a brother of the late Major Guttowa, is promoted to the rank of major-general and appointed to command the 1st Grand Wing/WNSD Battalion (the Wilno Governmental Defensive Pocket).
This post has been edited 7 times, last edit by "Agent148" (Jan 9th 2010, 8:00am)