Don't Tread on Us

[justjake73]

"Finally, it should be observed that the strategic defensive, though it is stronger than the offensive, should serve only to win the first important successes. If these are won and peace does not follow immediately, we can gain further successes only through the offensive. For if we remain continually on the defensive, we run the great risk of always waging war at our own expense. This no state can endure indefinitely. If it submits to the blows of its adversary without ever striking back, it will very likely become exhausted and succumb. We must begin, therefore, using the defensive, so as to end more successfully by the offensive. "
- Carl von Clausewitz
Principles of War

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Joan d'Arc was fuming.

"THAT'S it. He's finally ticked me off."

"Madame President?"

"Montezuma. He's crossed our border for the last time. " She jabbed a finger at the large map layed out on the table before them. "He's playing his two-faced little game again - saying he'll leave then moving farther in. And I'm finally mad enough to teach him more of a lesson than bombarding his poor excuse for an army!"

General Chaffee kept a poker face, but was grinning inside. "Madame, what do you wish us to do?"

"Wait until the boob commits himself. The arrogant jackass won't fall back; he'll declare war first. We will wait-"

There was a quick knock at the door, and an aide entered. He handed Chaffee a note and quickly departed.

Chaffee read the note. His poker face melted away.

"The boob has committed himself."

Joan shook her head disdainfully. "Commence Operation Pyramid."

[justjake73]

The Opening Salvos

He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.

- Sun Tzu,

The Art of War

"THOSE poor dumb bastards."

Colonel D'Aubigne was the commander of the Verdun garrison, a fortress situated on Mount Verdun to the south of Brest. The fortress had stood for over a thousand years, bristling with artillery gun emplacements, mortar positions and machine gun nests. Miles and miles of tunnels had been hewn out of the very living rock, deep into the mountain - enough room for a full infantry battallion, six months of supplies, and supporting artillery.

And now, that artillery (along with 3 other batteries in other parts of the Eastern Wall) was about to rain destruction on the two enemy Aztec battalions that had come into range. It was a situation that the fortresses had been built for - catching enemy units in a kill zone.

"Commence firing."


BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! Colonel D'Aubigne watch through his binoculars as the Aztecs - consisting of a rifle battalion and an infantry battalion - suddenly started scurrying like roaches when a light was turned on. Unfortunately, there was little cover on the plains that streched for miles to the east.
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"COLONEL, the artillery has done all it can. The 5th Tank Battalion is finishing the job."

Both the Colonel and his XO, Major Mallery, watched from their perch as tanks rumbled towards the cowering Aztecs. The Aztec officers had fled during the second artillery barrage. Some of the remaining riflemen vainly tried to hold their ground, but their .58 caliber rifle muskets did no more damage to the tanks than hailstones.

The action shifted northward.

[justjake73]

Target Saturation

"We should begin combat with the larger part of our artillery. Only when we have large masses of troops at our disposal should we keep horse and foot-artillery in reserve. We should use artillery in great batteries massed against one point. Twenty to thirty pieces combined into one battery defend the chief part of our line, or shell that part of the enemy position which we plan to attack. "

-von Clausewitz

People could hear the rumble of the opening artillery barrage from the battle of the Somme all the way in London.
- Historical accounts


IT was to be the largest recorded artillery barrage on the continent - two artillery divisions firing on Chapultepec and Ayotzinco, followed by a total of six bomber squadrons. The bombers were literally brand new - the technology for their construction was less than a year old, and many had rolled off the assembly line within the past few days. They were flown directly into combat.

[justjake73]

Forgot this pic.


Early color photo of French artillery in action during the Third Franco - Aztec War.

[justjake73]

French artillery in action, Eastern Front.

[justjake73]

Artillery craters near Ayotzinco, Third Franco-Aztec War.

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Interesting, is this going to focus on artillery ?

[justjake73]

"The cavalry should be as close behind the fighting troops during battle as is possible without great loss; that is, it should be out of the enemy's grape-shot or musket fire. On the other hand, it should be close enough to take quick advantage of any favorable turn of battle. "

- von Clausewitz
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Headline story in the Paris Times, June 12, 1860:

"There has been heavy fighting in Chapultepec between the 2nd Armored Division and fortified Aztec troops. French commanders, however, are confident that the Aztecs are near the breaking point and the city will fall within 24 hours."

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"TARGET FRONT! H-E!"

"UP!"

"FIRE!!"

The 75mm smoothbore tank gun roared, and the Aztec storefront that had been turned into a machine gun nest exploded in smoke and flame.

The morse code machine in the tank started beeping (radio was still being researched, but the tanks had a morse code transmitter for communicating.) Private Montague on the comm shouted above the din.

"SIR!! WE'VE BEEN ORDERED TO FALL BACK!"

"WHAT?!?!"

"WE'RE TOO CHEWED UP, SIR!! THE 12TH TANK BATTALION IN MOVING IN TO ASSIST!!"

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Joan pounded her fist on the table.

"They've thrown back three armored assaults!! What do they have left?!"

"Just pikemen, Madame President."

"Pikemen?!? Send in the cavalry to finish them off!!"

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Chapultepec fell to the 35th Cavalry Battalion within hours.

[justjake73]

Interesting, is this going to focus on artillery ?

I pounded the Aztecs with a dozen artillery units before attacking the cities directly. I thought the pics were cool.

[justjake73]

Graphic of Operation Pyramid.

[justjake73]

Sorry, the forum seems to have a bug...I tried to upload a new photo, then tried to delete that last post only to be told that I am not logged in so I can't delete - "currently logged in as JustJake -Logout ?" So I'm both in and out at the same time??!!?! Sorry



Graphic follows:

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Yes I use artillery all the time to soften up the defense in my games. The auto bombard feature in PTW is great.

Keep this coming justjake73 its great with all the screenies.

[justjake73]

"What is called 'foreknowledge' cannot be elicited from spirits, nor from gods, nor by analogy with past events, nor from calculations. It must be obtained from men who know the enemy situation."

- Sun Tzu


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"What do our spies tell us of their navy, General?" Joan asked.

"Madame, the Aztecs have no real navy to speak of. Their entire naval offensive capability consists of 2 ironclads. They have a dozen galleons - well, 11 counting the one the destroyer LeGrange sank yesterday."

Joan smirked. "How many battleships do we have in position for the next phase?"

"Three - the Clemenceau, the Foch, and the Verdun. Respectively, they will lend fire support to the attacks on Ayotzinco, New Tenochtitlan, and New Xitol...Xit..the third city."

Joan laughed. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds their city names to be unpronounceable tongue twisters."

"Madame President, we have another problem. The people of Chapultepec are still on the verge of rioting. We've suppressed the resisters, but the people continue to despise what they term as "our aggression" and "our oppression."

"Recommendations?"

"We can send in more troops, and we can also send in French workers to settle there. My belief is if we can make the majority loyal and French-born, along with building a cathedral, the people will become sedate."

"Make it so."

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"WHO are they?!?! Where did they come from?!?!" asked a frazzled General Dalton.

"They appear to be Japanese Cavalry, sir. The Japanese have been at war with the Aztecs for a year longer than we have."

"I KNOW about that!!! What are they doing HERE!?!?"

"They're attacking Ayotzinco, sir!!"

"WHAT?! That city is supposed to be OURS!!!"

Colonel Rousseau peered through his field glasses. "They're not going to succeed, sir. They're meeting heavy rifle fire from the city. OK - the Japanese are falling back now."

"Send in the tanks!"

[justjake73]

The miscalculation in the Verdun's fire control center, coupled with the incompatibility of sea and land-based comm systems, would lead to a chain of events that would culminate in the destruction of New Xitolango.

- from the show Military Blunders

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"WHAT happened?!?! We were supposed to hit the barracks!! I see smoke coming from the residential area!!!"

Commander Reynard hung up the commlink, having just spoke to the fire control center. "Captain, there's been a...miscalculation."

"No kidding!! And due to the brilliance of some eggheads in the military industrial complex, we can't communicate with the land units to tell them their attack will now wipe this city from the face of the Earth!!!"

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The tank assault on New Xitolango went like clockwork. Like in other cities, some of the people resisted when the soldiers rolled in. What the French troops did not realize until too late was a simple fact - there were too few people left in the town.

And now, there were none at all.

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TO ALL FRENCH FORCES:

OPERATION PYRAMID SUCCESSFUL. NEW AZTLAN HAS BEEN CONQUERED. DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS BEING ATTEMPTED TO END CONFLICT. ALL FORCES TO REMAIN ON ALERT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

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[ChrisiusMaximus]

Keep it coming