A Shift in Priorities

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That's the problem with Guerilla armies. How do you get them to accept the war is over and stop? Especially when there's really nothing you can offer them.
 
A goat that rips a drum pays with his own hide.
(Venezuelan proverb)

News from Colombia were hardly encouraging: the Mantuanos were gathering an army, consisting mainly of mercenaries, near the border to Venezuela. It obviously had taken them some time to gather funds and get organised, but over the last three months field camps had materialised in the Llanos, the flat savanna between the Río Orinoco and the Cordillera Oriental. It was estimated that about 40,000 men lived in these camps.

The leading people of the Movimiento de la Equidad thought that an attack over the Río Meta, which marked the border between Colombia and Venezuela in that area, might occur in the time of low water levels in the rivers, thus March or April, but that obviously was only a guess. – From the Rio Meta the distance to Caracas was about 200 miles, most of it flat Llanos country intersected by the Río Apure and its northern tributaries; only for the last 50 miles there was the gashed terrain of the northern mountains to be negotiated.

Political life in Colombia was dominated by an everlasting struggle between the Conservatives and the Liberals. The ruling Conservatives took money and words of advice from the US and were supporting the Mantuanos; the opposing Liberals worked for an overthrow of the government and provided information to the Movimiento de la Equidad.
Unaffiliated to neither political orientation, the drug cartels were looking for their profits. Because Venezuela under the Movimiento de la Equidad was a good and solvent customer, while the Mantuanos were not, they also were selling intelligence about the Mantuano army to their Venezuelan business partners.

The deciding man on the Mantuano side was Juan Vicente Gómez, formerly President of Venezuela, until chased away in the revolution, and known to have been the compliant instrument of foreign control of the Venezuelan economy. He was a cunning and ruthless enemy, despite his old age of seventy-seven years, and many important positions in the Mantuano forces were occupied by his sons, of whom he had sired quite a platoon although he never had been married in his life.

While the oil companies had made their peace with the Movimiento de la Equidad, Wall Street still backed their old puppet Gómez – and had made available affluent funding for the Mantuano troops. There were two rifle divisions, each about 15,000 men strong, and approximately 10,000 men corps troops, mainly artillery and engineers. They had no tanks, but were mobile cross country with tracked tractors and wheeled all-terrain vehicles. Three mercenary air companies provided about fifty planes, scouts, bombers and transporters.

Training areas had been established and there were a lot of manoeuvres taking place in addition to normal firing practise. It was obvious that Gómez was putting emphasis on having a well trained invasion force. This would be no dilettante mob, but a well organised military outfit.

In contrast, most of the Venezuelan army was a mob. Most higher officers had been Mantuanos, whose places had been filled with raw and uneducated amateurs after the revolution. Discipline and military training did hardly fit with the dominant Parranda culture. There were some few good units under resolute field officers, but the rank and file of the army was hardly more than a nice façade behind which hedonism and irreliability resided. It therefore was no surprise that the leaders of the Movimiento should turn to Generalmajor Musa G’Norebbe for help.

The Middle African training commando only had the strength of a weak brigade, but it mainly consisted of experienced NCOs and officers – and even the few common soldiers around were able to lead a squad. When those Venezuelans trained by the Middle Africans joined the outfit – and the good units were added, the whole force amounted to a weak division of about 12,000 men without heavy weapons.

For Musa G’Norebbe, the decision what to do therefore was easy. What was available did not suffice for offering conventional resistance. One had to resort to Jagdkampf, the speciality of the Middle African light infantry. Basically, it strongly resembled guerrilla warfare, but the soldiers would be wearing uniforms and not pretend to be innocent citizens.

By early January 1934, the Jagdkommandos had been formed and were ready to deploy to the Llanos. It was indispensable that the men had an intimate knowledge of the terrain. One would conduct a series of manoeuvres and prepare some nice traps for the Mantuanos.

Saying good-bye to Olga Alekse’eva, who was pregnant in the third month but hardly pleased to be left behind, Musa G’Norebbe marvelled about the beauty of his consort. The baby was rendering her still more attractive and made her look like a sylph. A sylph, however, who was in very bad temper.
“You go away and play Askaris-and-Englishmen – and I’m left behind because of the baby! Look at me! Is there anything that would handicap me?”
But Musa was unyielding. Women were no good on a battlefield – and pregnant women all the more…
 
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At first glance G'Norebbe is road kill. Yet considering that he learned at the feet of von Lettow-Vorbeck it could be that he will be making it a fight of the ages.

One question; when did G'Norebbe get the second star?
 
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At the very least his soldiers are going to do their thing as soldiers. Not hide among the civilians, using them as shields.

So that's nice.
 
In this TL the Hollywood is not the dominant and exclusive source of movies. So in the movies made in Germany with African themes must play a similar role to Westerns in the US. Such movies could be popular in Middle Africa as well.
 
The Askaris are certainly worth a few movies, though maybe not an entire genre like the Western. Something like the series of Foreign Legion films that were produced in IOTL 1930s.

I still say the equivalent of the Western in Germany will be something like the Bergfilme.
 
The statement that Olga made could possibly been slang usage of that term.

There could be a whole genre of films set Africa in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries with the expected whitewash also found in Westerns. Bold natives with their German allies fighting villainous Brits intent on imperial domination of the whole of Africa or some such rot. These movies likely wouldn't do to well in the UK or the US however in Ireland and India...........:D
 
Mh...did "Askaris and Englishmen" replace "Cowboys and Indians" in the German language ITTL? :D

It did, independently from all movies etc. - German children are no longer disguising as cowboys and Indians, as suggested by Karl May, but follow the rules of Askaris-and-Englishmen, which require a much more violent stance from the start. Playing it needs some black paste from the shoe shining box to start with...

You don't just trust in your single action peacemaker toy, but look to salvoes of some artillery batteries crashing down on the enemy (dirt or sod) before rushing in for the kill - and if there's no artillery, you still might be able to surprise your opponent stalking like a pride of lions...
 
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It did, independently from all movies etc. - German children are no longer disguising as cowboys and Indians,as suggested by Karl May, but follow the rules of Askaris-and-Englishmen, which require a much more violent stance from the start.Paying it needs some black paste from the shoe shining department from the start...
You don't just trust in your single action peacemaker, but look to salvoes of some artillery batteries crashing down on the enemy before rushing in for the kill and if there's no artillery, you still might be able to surprise your opponent...

That sounds fun.
 
The Cuban guerrillas cruelty will make the USA look the less bad side for a significant portion of Cuba's population.

Keep it coming, rast!:)
 
¡ Hi ! ¡ THANKS RAST !, ! EXCELLENT UPDATES !:D:cool::D.

About Cuba, don´t forget that in goverments versus guerrilla conflicts and fights, at the end of that class of war, nobody ended with clean hands, the guerrillas did something horrible but i supose that the goverment´s troops are doing more or less the same, and because they attack somebody really very important and well protected, let´s say that a lot of colaborators maybe because fear it be emigrating to... ¡ WAIT ! a Cuban emigration to America:eek:, Rast you genious, well done:cool:.

From Venezuelan i supose and i can feel in my bones that the middleafrican guerrillas maybe it be doing something epic;):D;):D, and for last, i wonder how it be called that Olga´s boy or girl:rolleyes::D:rolleyes:;).

Good luck:).
 
I am fond of them, of the inferior beings of the abyss, of those who are full of longing.
(Richard Wagner)

This was one of the more enjoyable jobs EVEG Security had to offer. Acting as escort for an important scientist, Charkaz Lomidze had the opportunity to dine in the prestigious Baku Kaiserhof.
Doktor Alfred Wegener was a very prominent geophysicist and meteorologist, not least because of his – hotly debated – theory of continental drift, but it was his quality as paleoclimatologist that made him interesting for EVEG. Charkaz didn’t know the details, yet she had heard that Wegener could predict were oil was to be found.

For the event, Charkaz had adorned herself in her finest attire and put on her jewellery. With much patience and skill, she had managed to place her Walther PPK beneath her gown without that it showed off – and she still was able to draw it quickly, if required. The threat wasn’t for Doktor Wegener’s life, but her superiors thought that someone might try to steal or rob his documents.

“You know, I had intended another expedition to Greenland in 1930, but then EVEG offered me a job in Arabia and Mesopotamia, followed by sojourns in Libya, the Emirate of Bokhara and the Khanate of Kokand.” Wegener had explained. “And now, I’ve been in Uyghurstan, have just come back. – Very interesting, I have it all here…”
He had pointed to a leather notecase sticking in the inside pocket of his jacket. So, Charkaz knew at least what she was supposed to guard.

The waiter appeared to take their orders. Wegener had chosen a fish menu, while Charkaz went for fowl. The restaurant was full – and hosts of waiters and sommeliers were busy to serve the customers under the supervision of the executive housekeeper, a hunky Georgian.

“That’s Shalva Maglakelidze, he was one of the fiercest fighters for Georgian independence – and he is an outspoken monarchist.” Charkaz explained to Wegener. “He – in earnest – tried to get a Hohenzollern Prince to become King of Georgia. – The owner of the Kaiserhof hired him when he fell from grace in Tblisi.”
“Who owns this house? – It’s splendid, there is nothing better to be found in Berlin.”
“It’s a German, born in former Austria, who’s married to an Armenian woman. – Actually, she was the one who had the idea of founding this restaurant. He’s kind of an architect, designed the house, but has nothing to do with the kitchen. – You may have heard of him recently, he’s building that gigantic Wagner festival centre with open-air stage, opera house – plus billets, restaurants and so on – on a hilltop west of Baku.”

“Oh! – Yes, I remember having read about it. Wasn’t there a huge scandal?”
“Yes, that was when he fired the architect, that Italian design wonder – Piacenti?”
“Marcello Piacentini, the most famous Italian architect of our times.”
“Yeah, that’s the one. – And he was fired for incompetence. All of Italy was up in an uproar, crying national disgrace and Teutonic arrogance. – Well, at present construction has been halted. It is said that the principal ran out of money…”

A sommelier served white wine to Wegener, while Charkaz had to be content with water. A waiter followed, serving the soups.

“Well, at least the restaurant seems to be flourishing. – My soup is excellent, by the way.”
“Mine as well, Herr Doktor. – I’ve heard rumours that my company has provided a loan in order to keep things running. – And I know for sure that the landlord has excellent connections to several leading EVEG managers. – Our leadership very often visits the houses of the Kaiserhof chain, I guess they don’t want to lose the service of these high quality restaurants and hotels.”

“Oh, there is more than this one?”
“Quite a lot: Tblisi, Sukhumi, Sochi, Groznyy, Rostov-na-Donu, Kiev, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Smolensk, Riga, Byalistok, even in Berlin there is one.”

“Well, the Hotel Kaiserhof in the Wilhelmstraße was built in the last century…”
“But it was bought some years ago and now belongs to the Kaiserhof chain.”
“Good to know where to get excellent food when in Berlin. – Might there one be planned for Hamburg as well, do you know by chance?”
 
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¡ Hi ! ¡ WAGNERLAND !, ¡ LOL !:D:eek::D:eek:.

Another ironymeter broken, well done Rast:cool::):cool:.

Yep, Charkaz for one part is one excellent example of some brave woman who comands their life and destiny:), but for other part she works whith freaking EVEG:eek:, and i wonder how up, ascend in that company:cool:, if she don´t end death working for that corporation:(, will see...

And for one part Alfred are creating advanced science:), but he works for that evil company, i wonder if sometime in the future he it be going to resign and dedicated their valious time to teach and investigate new fields of science´s progress and, ¡ wait !.. because he is smart maybe he it be ended as mananging director of EVEG:eek:.

And finnally, that sucessfully and popular chain of Hotels and restaurants are conquering the world:eek:, i wonder when will it be the first how to say, buildings in England and the Heymslot;):D;), and maybe now the battle for England will it be totally diferent;):rolleyes:;):D.

Is latte i going to sleep.

Peace, good night and good luck:).
 
[FONT=&quot]The bureaucracy is a circle from which no one can escape. Its hierarchy is a hierarchy of knowledge.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](Karl Marx)[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Despite her young age, Edith Rowley had swiftly risen through the ranks to the position of London City Chief Controller during the last year; she now had a huge staff serving her – and had taken residence in a comfortable town house in Kensington borough. As Chief Controller she no longer had to deal with producers and suppliers, she was now responsible for supervising subordinate controllers.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]This was a very demanding task, because controllers had much power – and at the same time were exposed to the danger of being corrupted. Therefore, Edith had to apply strict standards; her subordinates had to be controlled unyieldingly and resolutely – in order to protect them and the British people.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]True socialism required respect for social equality and concern for equal distribution of wealth according to the individual’s contribution to society. Edith was determined to enforce social equality, she would not allow privileges for controllers – and neither for producers or suppliers. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In the hierarchy Edith was known as ’The Whip’ since she had brought down Margaret Stone, the former London City Chief Controller in the Ramrod-Rhinehart-Affair. She was considered a favourite of Sylvia Pankhurst, one of the heavy weights in cabinet. People feared her uncompromising way of doing business. She was said to stop at nothing.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]But fortunately, Edith was not alone; there were quite a lot of younger controllers all over the country, who took socialism serious. One would proceed unswervingly in creating an equal society of the working class. Britain would become the socially most progressive country of the world.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Each evening, when Edith returned home worn out and done, she was clad that the domestic servants were keeping the house in order – and had prepared a good dinner for her. Her butler also was a kind of controller, responsible for the work of the house staff. Edith did not consider the house and the staff a privilege; they were just what her rank required. – After all, she bore enormous responsibility for the population of London...[/FONT]
 
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