Path to Jerusalem

[perdedor99]

This is a thread for the Ottoman's Holy war against the Crusaders. Please post in character. For now Crusaders States, Romania and Italy are facing the Ottoman Empire. Federation of Persia is neutral but could join the alliance against the Ottomans. If other nations want to join coalition post your offer of help on the Diplomatic thread first.

[perdedor99]

Conversation on the phone Kingdom of Italy

August 26 2004 22:15 hours Rome

“Aldo, how is everything up there?” Silvio Buenoventura asked his good friend on the speakerphone. Silvio returned to Rome after he gave his welcome speech in Genoa and still 15 minutes after 10 at night he was working on his office. Facing him was Enrico Pagnani, the Defense Minister and also an old friend of his.

“Well Silvio, to be truthful, this is going better than I ever expected. Negotiations are as good as over and pretty much all is left is to sign the treaty tomorrow.” Aldo responded over the phone. “Them is getting into a plane and take a short flight to Warsaw. Hope is not raining over there.”

“Good, happy to hear everything is going well over there.” Silvio answered back. “I’m here with Enrico and he’s proposing me a way to get a better deal on oil prices.”

“And what is his proposal? Aldo asked

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Offer of assistance August 27 2004 9:00 Hours

To: Crusader States
From: Kingdom of Italy

For close to a month now your forces have been fighting an enemy bend in conquering and destroying your nation without a valid reason at all. Our nation offers the deployment of an expeditionary force to help your nation in their moment of plight. If your nation accepts our offer we could be on theater on a month time, with our lead elements in country in a week to two weeks time. Consider our offer and hope to hear your response soon.

Silvio Buenoventura
Prime Minister

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Response from Crusader States 12:33 Hours

To: Kingdom of Italy
From: Crusader States

We are willing to accept your help. However we are curious why you would do this for no apparent reward. What is in it for you?

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Italian response to Crusader’s inquiry. 14:17 Hours

To: Crusader States
From: Kingdom of Italy

We understand your nation's apprehension in regard to our offer. Rest assured that our only intentions are to help a fellow Christian nation in their time of peril. All we ask, as payment for our help is to be sold oil at prices lower than the ones offered by the Libyans at this time. We desire no territorial gain in the Middle East area except for any area your nation is willing to cede to us in any post war arrangement. Any doubt please feel free to respond to this message to clarify any point.

Silvio Buenoventura
Prime Minister

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Crusader’s lay down the condition of their oil production capabilities 16:48 Hours

To: Kingdom of Italy
From: Crusader States

We would gladly accept your help. However as it happens most of our oil capabilities were cut off from The Event and, as such we wouldn't be able to provide you with oil for another half a year (estimated).

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Italy accept conditions and inform of the timetable for the arrival of troops to the area. 17:11 Hours

To: Crusader States
From: Kingdom of Italy

We understand and accept your conditions. Our advance elements could be in country in a week-two week’s time and our main element could arrive to your nation at the end of September.

Silvio Buenoventura
Prime Minister

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[perdedor99]

September 4 2004 18:09 hours St. Stephen Air Base outskirts of Haifa

Lt Col Carlo Rossi first impression of his new surroundings wasn’t a very good one. Damn heat! I’m going back to the BOQ and the hell with all this! He turned around from his trip to the Dining Hall and started to walk back to his barracks.

Carlo’s new accommodations were comfortable enough and as soon as he entered the room he turned the air conditioner full blast. What an old contraction! He thought while turning on the bulky machine. And no TV! All I can do to entertain myself is read a book or listen to the radio because there is not even a damn bar close by.”

At that very same moment his roommate, Major Alberto Maggano, entered the room with a bottle of wine in each hand, a loaf of bread under his arm and a smile on his face.

“Carlo, get ready. We are going out to get a bite to eat. A couple of Templars (1) invited us to go a place they know out on town and they told me is not in the approved list. They were also nice enough to give these two bottles of wine and this bread so we can have something to eat for later.”

“ I thought you said we are going to eat?” Asked Carlo to his friend.

“Maybe a couple of nice girls if we are lucky.” Responded his friend.

Carlo began to put his shirt on and smiled. Even the oldest profession in the world has a place in the Holy Land. And I was thinking I wasn’t going to get entertained tonight!

(1) Knights Templar are a part of the Crusader States military establishment.

[perdedor99]

September 10 2004 08:00 hours St Stephen Air Base outskirts of Haifa

"Our mission, after a week for getting use to the weather, will be to help in providing security to the port facilities of the city of Elath and to serve as a fire brigade to the Crusader forces in the near border. This city is located in the spot that in our world was the city of Aqaba. So gentleman, I recommend you all read your mission pamphlets to better understand what to expect and what we will be facing down there” said Colonel Mario Agostini, commander 1st Regiment/1st Provisional Airborne Division (1), to his assembled regiment.

Corporal Arturo Milano opened his pamphlet and looked at the location of what was going to be his home for God knows how long and frowned. “I can believe this! 2 weeks ago I was getting shot at by Condotierri in Sardinia and now I will get my ass shot my Muslims fanatics. This sucks!” His day dreaming was interrupted by the call to Attention to signal his commander officer exiting the building. As soon as the Colonel left the NCO's began to call his platoons to go outside and form up.

“4th Platoon/3rd Company form up outside by the west side door” Sergeant Gulliani,Milano's platoon sergeant, ordered his men.

After a couple of minutes Milano’s unit formed up by the door in four ranks of men. Each rank was a squad, with the squad leader being to the far right of each rank. Milano was 1st squad leader and looked around to see his fellow mates and only saw strangers. “No one from the old outfits. I guess we really got our butts kick by the Condotierri in Cagliari. I really hope we go a to quiet sector or we will be in a world of hurt.”



(1) This Provisional Airborne Division is an amalgamation of the surviving soldiers of the 2 original Italian Airborne Divisions that suffered the brunt of the Corsican resistance in Sardinia. Both were badly mauled in the fighting in Sardinia and pretty much every single available airborne soldier is on this unit except for instructors in Italy. An infantry division is being trained as a whole to be transformed into an airborne one.

[perdedor99]

September 17 2004 17:30 50kms south of Bethlehem

Corporal Arturo Milano’s first week in the Crusaders States has been full of activity. Their expected deployment to garrison duty to the city of Elath never materialized. The night of September 10 the Ottomans launched their expected offensive aiming especially to the city of Dimona. Arturo’s division was issued vehicles, weapons and gear, in many cases brand new, from Crusader Army’s stocks and was rushed to the front to help in the attempted rescue of the surrounded garrison of Elath.

The rescue attempt ended in failure and the garrison surrendered by the 13 of September. The survivors faced the choice of conversion to Islam or dead, and the majority elected the second option. The city of Dimona fell to the Ottoman on the night of the 15 and the Crusaders forces, with the Italian division in tow, retreated to the present positions and entrenched themselves in. By this time the Ottoman offensive has ran out of steam due to terrible casualties. The majority of their forces are volunteers lacking proper military training but making for that with their incredible faith in been part of a Holy War to capture Jerusalem.

Arturo’s platoon was behind the main line of defenses at this time, cleaning their gear and eating some food. They were wearing their NBC protective suits and the heat was unbearable. But the suits, with the gas mask included but not being wear at this time, are a necessity in a war that have seen the use of chemicals agents like mustard and sarin gas in the battles so far.

Arturo liked his new rifle (1) and his new vehicle (2), a civilian version of a desert sporting vehicle common to traders in the area. Both were standard weapons of the Crusader forces but he added a sawed off Beretta pump action shotgun to his gear during some very difficult close quarters fighting in Dimona a couple of days ago. While cleaning it his platoon sergeant came walking in their direction with a double set of bad news for them.

“Listen up, I have news from the world and they are not good.” “It seems the Federation of Persia is getting in cahoots with the Ottos (3). They claimed today the area immediately north and south of the Ottos, and no protest so far from the bastards facing us. Who know what can of deal they got to sit this one out?” Troops around the sergeant grumble at this.

“Also we are going tonight behind the enemy lines to hit a supply depot located 10 clicks behind the main lines. Let sit around to look at the map.” He motioned his troops to assemble around him.

“Great.” Another chance to get my ass blow up.” Arturo lamented silently while he joined his fellow soldiers around their sarge.

(1) Fusile Modele 89- imagine the HK-91 in 7.65mm caliber.
(2) Close to OTL US Army Fast vehicles
(3) Nickname gave to the Ottoman soldiers and volunteers.

[perdedor99]

September 20 2004 0522 Over occupied Crusader Territory

The enemy supply column was truly a spectacle in the desert highway; a long line of trucks full of food, fuel and ammo for the Otto forces fighting in the front near Bethlehem. The vehicles were also full of replacements for the front, young and old alike. In the majority of the cases barely trained but with the unshakable faith that their cause was just and that at the end Jerusalem will be theirs.

The column was getting ready to stop for the morning prayers and the soldiers not sleeping were preparing themselves for their morning duty. But out of a sudden, without warning bombs began to fall all around the formation, some of them with the soft poof sound that announces that the specter of chemicals weapons was among the worries for this poor souls. While the majority began to struggle to get their gas masks on, the incendiary bombs (1) of the secondary wave began their destructive path thru the column, hitting the ammo and food trucks. After unloading their cargo, the attacking planes used their guns to destroy systematically the surviving vehicles, especially the fuel trucks. After a few minutes they were gone. The carnage they left behind was extensive.

Lt Colonel Carlo Rossi looked back to the funeral pyres he just left behind and thought how beautiful the still going explosions were. “Like fireworks in Mussolini’s Day (2). I wonder what they have for breakfast on the base?”

(1) Precision guided incendiary bombs

(2) Born on July 29 1883. Died on August 8 1961. Prime Minister of Italy from 1944 to 1961. Founder of the Fascist Party in 1942.

[perdedor99]

September 27 2004 09:30 hours Port of Sidon

Major Mario Castellano, XO of the 1st Battalion/3rd Regiment Bersaglieri Division was a very busy man. His unit, together with the rest of his division, was being issued rifles and vehicles from Crusader weapons stocks. They, together with the Littorio armored division, arrived from Italy last night. The Bersaglieri Division, contrary to the Littorio (1), didn’t bring with them the Division’s weapons and vehicles from Italy due to supply considerations (2). He was making sure his men were getting issued their equipment since early in the morning and now he was attending the Divisional meeting in an improvised meeting room by the piers.

Brigadier General Bastico, Divisional XO began the meeting with a short welcome address and gave way to General Masserona, the Divisional commander.

“Morning gentlemen. As you can see the War is not going as well as we expected a month ago.”

He turned around to point at a slide showing a map in the screen behind him. Mario opened his notebook and began to take notes.

“The enemy advance is very slow and deliberate but they are advancing all right. The red line is the front on September 10, the blue line is the front as yesterday at 17:00.Next slide.”

The slide changed to a picture of both enemy and Crusaders soldiers dead.

“ Our allies are inflicting casualties at a ratio of 2:1 or more but it seems the enemy has an unlimited quantity of manpower available. Chemical weapons are being used for both sides and the air war is a going concern. Next slide.”

The slide changed to a map of the Crusader States and the immediate area of the Arabian Peninsula.

“The green line is the border were the Ottoman’s air forces have air superiority, the red line is the border were there is no clear superiority and everything over that red line is were our forces have total air superiority. That’s why we changed our destination to this port instead of Haifa. Next slide”

The slide changed to pictures of vehicles and weapons

“We asked specifically for this vehicle, due to being recommended by the officers of our paratrooper division fighting down south as a very fast and maneuverable vehicle. Also we are getting some motorcycles, both the single and sidecar models. In regard to the weapons we are being issued they are also getting high marks from the men using them in the fighting further south.”

The meeting continued while Mario thought only of the mess they were getting into and how the hell they will get out of it, at least standing up and in one piece.

(1) Littorio Division tanks by a strange chance have the same caliber of main gun that the Crusader tanks and the T-84 tank is a little more advanced that Crusader models. Still small arms in the Division come from Crusader’s stocks.

(2) Different calibers of weapons made easier to bring the soldiers and issue them Crusader weapons

[perdedor99]

September 27 2004 14:35 Hours 15kms north of Bethlehem

Corporal Arturo Milano was on foot helping secure the trench line facing the enemy when a mortar round exploded nearby. He was knocked down and felt a sharp pain surge through his right arm. Three members of his squad were killed instantly and 6 more were wounded.

Milano told his wounded troops to stay put while he was going for help and directed the last three uninjured members of his squad to lay covering fire while he began to ran in the direction of the med station. As he ran, another explosion went off on front of him. He was thrown into the air and when he landed in the ground, blood was pouring from his head.

“Well, I guess this is it.” Thought Arturo while laying on the ground. After a couple of minutes he thought about his wounded comrades and made up his mind. “Fuck this, I better stop feeling sorry about myself and move my sorry ass.”

He managed to get up again and reached the med station. He reported the location of his wounded soldiers and started to return to his men.

“Where are you going? You’re wounded." Yelled a medical orderly while on his way out.

He didn’t even answered the man, he just when out of the door in the direction of the trenches. Making his way back to his troops when two enemy soldiers jumped him. They looked as startled as he was but their reactions were slower. He raised his shotgun and even with the almost unbearable pain in his right arm he willed himself to pump a round into the chamber and fired twice. Both enemy soldiers fell to the ground, one of them dead and the other one dying from a stomach wound. He turned to continue his return to his troops when he heard a thud and was knocked to the ground a third time. He was hit in the middle of the back. While everything became black his last thoughts were of his men, his hometown and friends left behind but especially his widowed mom.

“Hope the pension helps her. Wish I told her I love her in my last letter. Fuck! I don’t want to di...” His thought ended abruptly forever.