Author Notes:
This chapter is a bit late as I had to help my Mom with a lot of stuff, but nonetheless, here we are. Another RM chapter that is cooked just right imo.
Shoutout and salutation to Corporal lonstar222, Private trey murray, and Private Clex! They are the newest members to join and support the Imperium and the Belkan Reich.
Now then, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, please don't use Patreon on the iOS app. iOS literally gives any payment made through iOS Patreon a 75 days jail time. I now have a grand total of 48.36 USD in jail, pending a long period of slow dissemination, much to my exasperation. Please, just use the Patreon on your web browser if possible. I read through some opinions, and apparently, I am not the only user to experience frustration with this issue. 75 days is way too long for anyone sane.
As for what's new other than the above... New pictures
https://photos.app.goo.gl/waZgkRa3UQhqKQBi9
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In the early morning hours, multiple VECTOR commando jeeps belonging to the 3rd Pathfinder Platoon of the 501st blaze through the wilderness of Polania. These jeeps, even when traveling at the best speed, are virtually undetectable in the dark, thanks to their mana engines being mostly silent and the Pathfinders driving without turning on the headlights. While it may break some traffic laws, it does allow the Pathfinders the leeway to cover a large stretch of terrain unimpeded.
Currently, the Pathfinders of 3rd Platoon are split into three smaller units, each with jeeps of their own. So far, they have been eliminating sporadic Polanian Army roadblocks and small-scale patrols ahead of the main paratrooper force. More than that, their duty is to learn the lay of the land ahead of the main force. While UAVs have made it so that their current task seems largely redundant, there are places and circumstances where the UAVs fail to operate at peak efficiency. As an extension of their commanding structure and an experienced combat force, Force Recon groups like the Pathfinders can easily intervene in certain positions where a UAV can't. Whether it's to dive first and foremost into hell or it's to be the surgical knife needed to pave the way for their allies, the Pathfinders will answer the call all the same. Machines may break and get tired, and they may be ill-fitted for a particular task, but not these men and women.
To monitor the area ahead of the main force, there's no better place than some hilltops or mountains with a good view of the main routes the Polanian Army uses. A part of 3rd Platoon opts to set up observation posts on high grounds with good foliage cover. While the rest of the Platoon is marauding around to knock out enemy watchposts, it's the Belkan Pathfinders on the hills that provide an additional layer of advanced warning for the rest of the group. Aiding these Pathfinders are, of course, the Para Witches. Unlike the Pathfinders, who use commando jeeps to roam the land, the Witches either fly by their power or use Ospreys, which also act as mobile aerial R&R stations for them. Understandably, this allows the Witches to have an impressive air time, giving them the mobility and endurance needed for long-running operations like Market Garden. It's the Witches who are responsible for covering up the blindspots that may appear in the Pathfinders' flank.
"Reaper 3-1, this is Overwatch." A Para Witch communicates with an element of 3rd Pathfinder Platoon. "We got an inbound Polanian convoy, at least a Company worth of soldiers and lightly armed vehicles, due East of your location. Over."
"Overwatch, Reaper 3-1, due East you said?" Replies the Squad Leader of 3rd Platoon's Third Squad. "Behind the bend on the road? Over."
"Affirmative. They have no idea you're there, so convoy security is very lax. Most of what I can see from above are some trucks with a singular tankette. The rest of the convoy is either using bicycles or horses to get around." The Para Witch reports. "Going by their headings, it seems to us that they are relocating to the objective bridge. Over."
"Copy that, Overwatch. We'll be ready to receive them. Over."
"If you need us for fire support, just give us a word, Reapers. Over and out."
The Pathfinders of Third Squad reposition themselves, with the weapons on their VECTOR commando jeeps pointing down the hill, aiming at the stretch of the road the Polanian convoy will appear. This is more or less a precaution in the off chance the Polanians somehow manage to spot their camouflaged position. Just to be sure, they have passed the intelligence up the chain of command. Thus, they receive confirmation of readily available fire support call-ins and updated mission parameters.
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MISSION UPDATE:
An enemy convoy is making its way to reinforce the Belkan-Polanian frontline. Nearby 501st elements are to intercept and eliminate this group of hostile units.
Available support: 1 x F-1 Phantom. Callsign Ghost 1.
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"All Reaper elements, this is Reaper 1-1, radio check." The Captain of 3rd Platoon requests.
"This is 2-1, loud and clear. Out."
"This is 3-1, roger. Out."
After the other Pathfinder Squads report in, the Captain says.
"3-1, hang tight. Works with Overwatch to see if you can stop that convoy at your location. The rest of us are reconvening and making a beeline to your location now. Call in CAS if you have to. Over."
"Roger that, sir." 3-1, the Squad leader, replies. "We'll keep them where we are until you arrive. Over and out."
"Channel 69, this is Ghost 1, reporting into the net."
Patting the shoulder of the Squad's JTAC, the Squad leader urges the man to accept the call.
"Ghost 1, this is Reaper 3-4, roger. Requesting flight, ordnance, fuel status, and capabilities."
"I am one F-1, equipped with 6 Mk500 Snake Eyes, 4 Mk350 Napes, 800 rounds of Mk103 and 4 Iryses, BREAK. My Fuel is at 70 %, and I have a targeting pod. Over."
"Roger. Be advised, we have Para Witches at an altitude of 500 hundred meters, right on top of our position on Hill 383. Over."
"Confirm friendly Witches at 500 meters above Hill 383? Over."
"Confirmed. Over and out."
With air support on standby, and Third Squad is done setting up, what follows next is a bit of a waiting game. The Polanians, on their part, are surprisingly slow in their marching speed. While the day is still without a sun yet, the Polanians don't have to worry about bringing along any infantry tanks. Hence, it's weird that it takes them nearly a quarter of an hour to start going down the road below Hill 383 in full. By then, the rest of 3rd Pathfinder Platoon is almost there to reinforce Third Squad and their Overwatch.
"You see this, Sergeant?" Says a Pathfinder, nudging his head in the direction of the Polanian Convoy. "What is this, 1919? Horses I can kinda get it, but bicycles?"
Indeed. For the most part, the Polanian convoy is only partly motorized, with most of their transport being a whole lot of horses and bicycles. The horses are not even war horses, just normal cargo hauler horses, and the bicycles all seem like they have seen better days. As reported by Overwatch, there's only a singular tankette leading the formation while trailing behind it are a few cargo trucks. Whether it's out of arrogance or just overall incompetency, it's hard to see, really. The rigorous standard of Belkan doctrine has made it so that anything else seems to pale in comparison.
The Squad leader replies. "No, I am pretty sure this is 1939. And this is pretty normal around these parts. Fully motorized or mechanized units are rare for small nations like Polania. Regardless, they're going down all the same..."
"Overwatch, Reaper 3-1. Can you ladies above work your magic and give that tankette a rain check? We'll take care of the larger enemy concentrations."
The Para Witches, hearing the Pathfinder Sergeant's requests, pull back the bolt of their specialized SG-20 payload rifles. "Understood, Reaper 3-1. Better hold onto your hats."
Loading a runic shell into the chamber, one of the Para Witches mutters. "From this height and with our guns, I am pretty sure we don't have to worry about ballistic."
Another Witch comments. "Yeah, so let's do something flashy for once, eh girls?"
"Wanna load them up with some thunder and lightning and let them rip?"
"Heh, won't that make the Polanians think they got so unlucky to receive Heaven's smite?"
"With how they attacked us unannounced, they wholeheartedly deserve everything we can throw at them... Charge up girls, time to light them up!"
All at once, the barrels and internal mechanism of the Para Witches' four SG-20 rifles shine softly before four bursts of bright light zip through the dark sky with a resounding bang. The runic shells, crackling with electrifying energy, slam down at the leading Polanian tankette and the land surrounding it. In the blink of an eye, lightning courses through the hull of the tank and the land beneath, electrocuting the tank crew alongside whoever or whatever is unlucky enough to be close to it. Whether it's horses or human bodies, all are scorched inside and out. The runic shells fired by Overwatch did more than just put a stop to the Polanian convoy. They have stunned the whole thing as the sleepy Polanians come scattering, not knowing what's going on. As expected, the visual spectacle alone made the Polanians think that really was a lightning strike.
"Reaper 3-1, this is Reaper 1-1, was that your doing?" Asks the Platoon Captain.
"1-1, 3-1 here. That was Overwatch."
"Well, those ladies sure woke up the entire hood. Hang tight, our ETA is a minute top. Over."
"Affirmative sir. Reaper 3 will be adding to the pain caused by Overwatch. Lightning does strike twice, after all. Over and out."
Turning around, the Squad leader shouts to his fellow Pathfinders. "Alright boys and girls, hit them with everything we got!"
Immediately, gun fires erupt on top of Hill 383 as multiple red tracers come raining down the road by the foot of the hill. On this occasion, Third Squad employs a host of weapons, with calibers ranging from 8 mm Mauser to the revere 14.5 mm heavy machine gun rounds. From handheld G1 rifle and MG1 squad machine gun to pintle-mounted MG-35 general-purpose machine gun and HMG-14.5 heavy machine gun... Basically, it's a whole lot of guns, with the heavier stuff mounted on the VECTOR commando jeeps. Being fired from above, the 8 mm bullets easily tore through the densely packed Polanian convoy as infantrymen died or were injured in droves. The 14.5 x 114 mm Raufoss HEIAP rounds are basically adding salt to the already worsened injuries. These heavy-duty rounds have a devastating effect that is not too dissimilar to that of some 20 mm payload rounds. They are perfectly capable of knocking out steel platings of lightly armored vehicles and exploding the person behind them. In short, the Polanians aren't having a good day being on the receiving end of Belkan firepower.
That said, even with the initial surprise attack by Overwatch and Third Squad, the Polanians still retain a large enough number to mount a horseback cavalry charge, an uphill one at that. Having zeroed in on the tracers fired by the Pathfinders, some of the Polanian soldiers return fire to cover the advance of their makeshift cavalry. They would have employed mortars or machine guns, but the Para Witches had already taken out the gun crews, making the Polanians desperate enough to try out a suicidal rush.
It would have looked epic if not for the fact that nearly one-third of the Polanians in the convoy already deserted their post. Even the Ustian Loyalists didn't run that fast on the Western front. Nonetheless, charging up the foot of the hill the Polanians do, and they do so to a predictable outcome. Right before the Polanian riders can properly ride up the hill in a large effective mass, the riders and their horses are mowed down by a concentrated barrage of suppressive fire, coming from a different direction than Hill 383.
Blasting through the treeline and into the road that the Polanian convoy is taking, the First and Second Squads of the 3rd Pathfinder Platoon ride parallel to the enemy with gun blazing.
"All units, check your fire! Friendly is danger close to the enemy!" Shouts the Platoon Captain as he is holding down the trigger of his MG-35, mounted just outside the window of his co-driver seat on the VECTOR.
The warning is promptly received by both overwatch and Reaper 3, with both units falling back to taking precise shots at the enemy instead of hosing them down. On his part, the Platoon Captain leads the rest of the Pathfinders to blitz through the Polanian formation with their commando jeeps, making a beeline for the bridge while blasting the enemy away from the road. It's quite easy to do so, really, as the rugged VECTOR jeeps can roll over pretty much anything the Polanians can throw at them right now. This is not to mention the lead VECTOR has a GMG-40 turret, capable of unleashing a relentless barrage of 40 mm grenades that wipe away anything that tries to stop the Pathfinders. For the most part, the First and Second Squads need only to point their rifles and machine guns in a general direction and they're bound to hit a Polanian anyway. Accuracy isn't as important as volume of fire in this particular circumstance, and the VECTOR jeeps have them in droves, considering you can literally mount a machine gun everywhere on it. Even after the jeeps have driven past the enemy, the Pathfinders sitting in the rear can use the rear pintle-mounted MG-35 to add even more salt to the injuries for the Polanians.
This is peak battlefield moment right here.
Yet, when the First and Second Squad have made clear of the Polanian convoy without as much as a scratch, the Pathfinder Captain throws one last card into the play. He orders the JTAC to call in Ghost 1 with a host of incendiary bombs. If anything, a thorough wipe can't hurt any Belkan, right?
To mark the wonderful end to the first major shootout on Polanian soils, an F-1 Phantom makes a low past, dropping behind it the four 350 kg incendiary bombs. Landing smack dab centerline along the length of the convoy, the four bombs create a path of flame that engulfs most of the surviving Polanian soldiers and horses, their bicycles not being able to withstand the heat as well and melting to slag. Survivors of the engagement either run straight into the woods, leaving their belongings behind, or sit there despondently, watching as everything they have come to know burns to ashes in but a moment. On their part, Third Squad and Overwatch don't linger. Instead, they make haste to get out of the battle zone and meet up at the bridge with the rest of the 3rd Platoon.
As for what happens to the despondent and injured Polanians below, it's currently none of their business. If fortunate, they will be detained and receive help from units from the main airborne forces. If not, they will have to run all the way back where they come from, just for a small clinic. Tough luck, but the Pathfinders aren't in any position to be compassionated.