1st Februrary 1945
1st February 1945
We return to Bratislava, but not to the Command Shed or Cabinet room. Instead we are in the Presidential Bungalow were Tiso and Tuka are somehow sleeping soundly, luckily their sleep of the unjust is just about to be interrupted.
Tiso was awoken by a mighty crash.
He soon realised it wasn't a messenger kicking the door in but an exploding artillery shell! Relieved he had the lower bunk, so he could react quickly, Tiso leapt from his bed.
There was a second mighty crash. This was a messenger kicking the door in.
"I bring news of an attack!" The messenger announced.
Tiso sighed and called for the Hlinka Guard to drag the messenger away.
"It's not about the attack here!" The messenger pleaded.
Tiso gestured for the guards to stop and read the message.
A double attack! A level of fiendish cunning and co-ordination the Allies have not demonstrated since Operation Taverna Greenhouse.
"You have done well messenger." Tiso conceded, shooing the guards away and allowing the relieved messenger to depart.
Tiso kicked the bunk bed to wake his still sleeping Prime Minister, he feared this news would require their attendance in the Command Shed.
Slight later, in the Slovak High Command Building
"This is most serious General, did we deploy the Contingency in time?" Tiso asked the key question.
"General Lendvay has rallied his troops and they are fighting well." General Kubela reassured him.
"There must be something more we can do." Tiso said.
"Have you declared Martial Law?" Tuka asked.
"Who is this 'Law' chap and why should we make him a Field Marshal?" Malar asked suspiciously.
Tuka had not finished drawing breath to scream when he was interrupted by a messenger.
"Good news sir." The messenger beamed.
This was unexpected to put it mildly.
"General Turanec's supreme military skills have once again brought victory." Kubela proudly announced.
"You don't think it was the fact the enemy was out-numbered 2:1 while attacking at night, over a river against prepared troops well dug into fortifications?" Tiso asked.
"That may have helped." Malar conceded.
"And what of the Battle for Bratislava?" Tiso returned to the important subject.
"Turanec and Jurech are both pulling their troops back to the capital as fast as they can, Lendvay only needs to hold until they arrive." Kubela explained.
Tiso, realising there was nothing left to do but wait, reached for his hipflask.
The 5th Motorised Division, one of the more elite fictitious British divisions led by the formidable Ronald Basil Bowen Bancroft Cooke, his greatest weapon being his immensely long name and it's stealth hyphen. In defence Slovakia has a Malar (Augustin flavour), a half organised division of militia and the awesome power of a fully operational HQ. Things do not look good.
---
Notes:
The Battle for Bratislava begins as the Allied AI almost manages to be cunning. Almost.
Augustín Malar is the Malar twin that heads up the Bratislava HQ unit and fights on the frontline, while Gustav remains Head of the Amy in the Command Shed.
Bancroft Cooke was indeed unhyphenated and did have that majestic list of names. As a Panzer leader general he is, of course, not leading an armoured unit. But then again he only reached Brigadier rank by the end of the war so he is lucky to be commanding a division at all.
We return to Bratislava, but not to the Command Shed or Cabinet room. Instead we are in the Presidential Bungalow were Tiso and Tuka are somehow sleeping soundly, luckily their sleep of the unjust is just about to be interrupted.
Tiso was awoken by a mighty crash.
He soon realised it wasn't a messenger kicking the door in but an exploding artillery shell! Relieved he had the lower bunk, so he could react quickly, Tiso leapt from his bed.
There was a second mighty crash. This was a messenger kicking the door in.
"I bring news of an attack!" The messenger announced.
Tiso sighed and called for the Hlinka Guard to drag the messenger away.
"It's not about the attack here!" The messenger pleaded.
Tiso gestured for the guards to stop and read the message.
A double attack! A level of fiendish cunning and co-ordination the Allies have not demonstrated since Operation Taverna Greenhouse.
"You have done well messenger." Tiso conceded, shooing the guards away and allowing the relieved messenger to depart.
Tiso kicked the bunk bed to wake his still sleeping Prime Minister, he feared this news would require their attendance in the Command Shed.
Slight later, in the Slovak High Command Building
"This is most serious General, did we deploy the Contingency in time?" Tiso asked the key question.
"General Lendvay has rallied his troops and they are fighting well." General Kubela reassured him.
"There must be something more we can do." Tiso said.
"Have you declared Martial Law?" Tuka asked.
"Who is this 'Law' chap and why should we make him a Field Marshal?" Malar asked suspiciously.
Tuka had not finished drawing breath to scream when he was interrupted by a messenger.
"Good news sir." The messenger beamed.
This was unexpected to put it mildly.
"General Turanec's supreme military skills have once again brought victory." Kubela proudly announced.
"You don't think it was the fact the enemy was out-numbered 2:1 while attacking at night, over a river against prepared troops well dug into fortifications?" Tiso asked.
"That may have helped." Malar conceded.
"And what of the Battle for Bratislava?" Tiso returned to the important subject.
"Turanec and Jurech are both pulling their troops back to the capital as fast as they can, Lendvay only needs to hold until they arrive." Kubela explained.
Tiso, realising there was nothing left to do but wait, reached for his hipflask.
The 5th Motorised Division, one of the more elite fictitious British divisions led by the formidable Ronald Basil Bowen Bancroft Cooke, his greatest weapon being his immensely long name and it's stealth hyphen. In defence Slovakia has a Malar (Augustin flavour), a half organised division of militia and the awesome power of a fully operational HQ. Things do not look good.
---
Notes:
The Battle for Bratislava begins as the Allied AI almost manages to be cunning. Almost.
Augustín Malar is the Malar twin that heads up the Bratislava HQ unit and fights on the frontline, while Gustav remains Head of the Amy in the Command Shed.
Bancroft Cooke was indeed unhyphenated and did have that majestic list of names. As a Panzer leader general he is, of course, not leading an armoured unit. But then again he only reached Brigadier rank by the end of the war so he is lucky to be commanding a division at all.
