Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Or, as is tradition, he does something really stupid. He gets lauded for his accidental heroism, but he feels he doesn't deserve it.
Just like so many other characters in this story!
Just like so many other characters in this story!
Hauptmann Dunkel is a throwback to the old Seebaitallon days that the Marine Infantry would love to leave behind.
The way that he was enlisted into the Marine Infantry if an oft told tale that gives him and ironically his uncle Tilo a certain credibility with the "Old Ones" who remember the days when the local lockup served as the primary recruiting grounds for the Seebaitallion, and when Hauptmann Dunkel is pointed out as being one of the "Worst of the Worst' it is said with respect.
Kaptian zu See, von Spree has to worry about inadvertently starting a war with Greece that Germany wants to avoid at all costs.
Russia is a wild card in all of this, and if they really want to cause trouble, all they have to do is test a special weapon and firing of a missile that can easily hit any target in western Europe.
I wonder if Turkey is a member of the League of Nations, as I could see Greece blocking them from entering it, thus causing a measure of disinterest from the LON in stopping the Greek aggression.
The way that he was enlisted into the Marine Infantry if an oft told tale that gives him and ironically his uncle Tilo a certain credibility with the "Old Ones" who remember the days when the local lockup served as the primary recruiting grounds for the Seebaitallion, and when Hauptmann Dunkel is pointed out as being one of the "Worst of the Worst' it is said with respect.
Kaptian zu See, von Spree has to worry about inadvertently starting a war with Greece that Germany wants to avoid at all costs.
Russia is a wild card in all of this, and if they really want to cause trouble, all they have to do is test a special weapon and firing of a missile that can easily hit any target in western Europe.
I wonder if Turkey is a member of the League of Nations, as I could see Greece blocking them from entering it, thus causing a measure of disinterest from the LON in stopping the Greek aggression.
Part 142, Chapter 2456
Chapter Two Thousand Four Hundred Fifty-Six
3rd April 1976
Finike, Turkey
The sun rose over the hills and bay. Karl was forced to admit that it was kind of beautiful here, but only so long as they were not noticed. According to the radio the Greeks and Turks were throwing everything that they had at each other in a place called Antalya a hundred or so kilometers down the coast. Supposedly that city was key to this entire region. While Finike was an afterthought, there had been Units from the Turkish Army who had been here to hold the Coastal Highway and the Southern flank of Antalya’s defense. Those units had been called back to Antalya to prevent them from being trapped if the city fell, something which had been deemed increasingly likely. Finike was something of an afterthought.
It was a situation that couldn’t last for long.
Karl knew that he lacked the men to hold Finike, there were only a hundred and twenty-eight of them with the specialists like the Company’s Field Cooks and the Taylor had been left behind in Cyprus. Uncle Tilo might have popularized the notion that every Marine was a Rifleman first, that didn’t mean that those who had an excuse not to go out on the sharp end didn’t often take advantage of that.
At the same time, Karl had the difficulty of waiting for the patents to be evacuated on the Landing Craft as his men dug in on defensive positions on the Coastal Highway, the most likely avenue of attack. Then Karl found out that there was a narrow road that cut through the hills leading right into the center of Finike, meaning that he could only hold until whoever was coming up the highway figured that out too. Karl cursed his rotten luck, if he had a Pioneer detachment available that road could be rendered impassable, but he didn’t. He had been able to set explosive charges on the main bridge over the tidal river that divided Finike, if push came to shove blowing up that bridge would buy his men enough time to escape.
It was only minutes later when he heard the sound of an engine as an Iltis of all things came around the headlands south of Finike. Volkswagen had made them by the thousands, they had been sold to militaries around the world as well as civilian models. That vehicle being the choice of the Hellenic Army to be a scout car wasn’t a surprise, it was an annoyance.
“Hold your fire and stay behind cover” Karl ordered into the microphone that was a part of his helmet as the Iltis stopped in at the hospital which happened to be one of the largest and most prominent buildings in Finike. The short-ranged tactical network allowed him to communicate with the entire Company. The last thing he needed was for the Greeks to get a read on their actual numbers.
“If you could tell me what is going on here” The Greek Soldier in the passenger seat demanded when he saw Karl. Karl didn’t have a read on uniforms of the Hellenic Army, but the man’s manner suggested that he was an Officer of some sort. The chain of hospital orderlies and porters carrying stretchers across the road to where they placed the patients on the beach where they waited to be loaded onto the Landing Craft was sort of hard to hide.
“Humanitarian mission” Karl replied, “We are evacuating the hospital so that we can avoid any unfortunate incidents.”
“Do you have any idea who you are helping to escape?” The Greek Officer asked in a tone that suggested that he wasn’t happy to find Karl here.
“The Director of the Hospital said that they don’t ask, they just help whoever is in need” Karl replied, “The patients and hospital staff won’t be a problem for you if we are allowed to continue…”
“That is unacceptable” The Greek Officer said fixing Karl with a withering stare. “For all we know there are spies and saboteurs hidden among them, and you are helping them.”
Karl had a sinking feeling that if he asked the Greek Officer how they should go about determining if what he said was true, Karl would hear something along the lines of “Kill them all and let God sort them out.” He wasn’t interested in listening to that.
“I am afraid that we are at an impasse then” Karl said.
The Greek Officer gave Karl a look of pure loathing before ordering his driver to order the Iltis to turn around and go back the way it had come from.
“We are going to have company soon” Karl said into the microphone. “Could someone tell the Hospital Director that he needs to hurry because things are going to get very hot.”
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How the Hell could Hauptmann Dunkel stay so calm? Erich thought to himself as he watched the exchange from his position in one of the empty public buildings that stood on the edge of the hospital grounds after having heard the Hauptmann’s orders to keep out of sight.
As the sun rose in the sky, Erich could feel sweat trickling down his sides as he waited. Everyone else just ignored him and went about their business. From his position, he could see the Company’s Heavy weapons sections setting up the Panzerfaust 400’s, placing anti-tank rockets within easy reach, and setting up the two light “Knee Mortars” that had been shamelessly reverse engineered from the Japanese decades earlier. The Mortar crews had taken the time the night before to determine exactly how far it was to the most likely targets. There were also the machine guns which had been set up in the most likely approach used by the Hellenic Army. If things got hot, as the Hauptmann had suggested, then they were going to need every bit of firepower they could muster.
3rd April 1976
Finike, Turkey
The sun rose over the hills and bay. Karl was forced to admit that it was kind of beautiful here, but only so long as they were not noticed. According to the radio the Greeks and Turks were throwing everything that they had at each other in a place called Antalya a hundred or so kilometers down the coast. Supposedly that city was key to this entire region. While Finike was an afterthought, there had been Units from the Turkish Army who had been here to hold the Coastal Highway and the Southern flank of Antalya’s defense. Those units had been called back to Antalya to prevent them from being trapped if the city fell, something which had been deemed increasingly likely. Finike was something of an afterthought.
It was a situation that couldn’t last for long.
Karl knew that he lacked the men to hold Finike, there were only a hundred and twenty-eight of them with the specialists like the Company’s Field Cooks and the Taylor had been left behind in Cyprus. Uncle Tilo might have popularized the notion that every Marine was a Rifleman first, that didn’t mean that those who had an excuse not to go out on the sharp end didn’t often take advantage of that.
At the same time, Karl had the difficulty of waiting for the patents to be evacuated on the Landing Craft as his men dug in on defensive positions on the Coastal Highway, the most likely avenue of attack. Then Karl found out that there was a narrow road that cut through the hills leading right into the center of Finike, meaning that he could only hold until whoever was coming up the highway figured that out too. Karl cursed his rotten luck, if he had a Pioneer detachment available that road could be rendered impassable, but he didn’t. He had been able to set explosive charges on the main bridge over the tidal river that divided Finike, if push came to shove blowing up that bridge would buy his men enough time to escape.
It was only minutes later when he heard the sound of an engine as an Iltis of all things came around the headlands south of Finike. Volkswagen had made them by the thousands, they had been sold to militaries around the world as well as civilian models. That vehicle being the choice of the Hellenic Army to be a scout car wasn’t a surprise, it was an annoyance.
“Hold your fire and stay behind cover” Karl ordered into the microphone that was a part of his helmet as the Iltis stopped in at the hospital which happened to be one of the largest and most prominent buildings in Finike. The short-ranged tactical network allowed him to communicate with the entire Company. The last thing he needed was for the Greeks to get a read on their actual numbers.
“If you could tell me what is going on here” The Greek Soldier in the passenger seat demanded when he saw Karl. Karl didn’t have a read on uniforms of the Hellenic Army, but the man’s manner suggested that he was an Officer of some sort. The chain of hospital orderlies and porters carrying stretchers across the road to where they placed the patients on the beach where they waited to be loaded onto the Landing Craft was sort of hard to hide.
“Humanitarian mission” Karl replied, “We are evacuating the hospital so that we can avoid any unfortunate incidents.”
“Do you have any idea who you are helping to escape?” The Greek Officer asked in a tone that suggested that he wasn’t happy to find Karl here.
“The Director of the Hospital said that they don’t ask, they just help whoever is in need” Karl replied, “The patients and hospital staff won’t be a problem for you if we are allowed to continue…”
“That is unacceptable” The Greek Officer said fixing Karl with a withering stare. “For all we know there are spies and saboteurs hidden among them, and you are helping them.”
Karl had a sinking feeling that if he asked the Greek Officer how they should go about determining if what he said was true, Karl would hear something along the lines of “Kill them all and let God sort them out.” He wasn’t interested in listening to that.
“I am afraid that we are at an impasse then” Karl said.
The Greek Officer gave Karl a look of pure loathing before ordering his driver to order the Iltis to turn around and go back the way it had come from.
“We are going to have company soon” Karl said into the microphone. “Could someone tell the Hospital Director that he needs to hurry because things are going to get very hot.”
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How the Hell could Hauptmann Dunkel stay so calm? Erich thought to himself as he watched the exchange from his position in one of the empty public buildings that stood on the edge of the hospital grounds after having heard the Hauptmann’s orders to keep out of sight.
As the sun rose in the sky, Erich could feel sweat trickling down his sides as he waited. Everyone else just ignored him and went about their business. From his position, he could see the Company’s Heavy weapons sections setting up the Panzerfaust 400’s, placing anti-tank rockets within easy reach, and setting up the two light “Knee Mortars” that had been shamelessly reverse engineered from the Japanese decades earlier. The Mortar crews had taken the time the night before to determine exactly how far it was to the most likely targets. There were also the machine guns which had been set up in the most likely approach used by the Hellenic Army. If things got hot, as the Hauptmann had suggested, then they were going to need every bit of firepower they could muster.
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If you have to ask that, then you were not at the "Sausage Grinder" during the Sino-Korean War.
If the Greek officer had some common sense he would ignore Finike all the time possible to avoid an international incident. If he can't see he don't have to act.
But maybe he is of the energetic stupid type instead of the lazy intelligent one.
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The problem with common sense is that it is common. Thus, it is obvious that an officer in the Hellenic Army in pursuit of their hated enemy is far too grand a figure to stoop so low as to use the sense of commoners.
The Greek officer should have reported back to his superiors that there is an unknown number of German Marine Infantry in the town and given that the reputation that the Marine Infantry forged in places like Vietnam and Korea of holding on and inflicting an ungodly number of casualties against superior forces, any advice to proceed with caution should be heeded.
Of course, that will probably be ignored.
What Hauptman Dunkel could do to slow down any advance by the Greeks is to put up some improvised "Scare Cats" around as by now the stories that their Russian advisors have talked about them should breed fear in anyone seeing them.
Of course, that will probably be ignored.
What Hauptman Dunkel could do to slow down any advance by the Greeks is to put up some improvised "Scare Cats" around as by now the stories that their Russian advisors have talked about them should breed fear in anyone seeing them.
Part 142, Chapter 2457
Chapter Two Thousand Four Hundred Fifty-Seven
3rd May 1976
In transit, over the Mediterranean Sea
The Steinadler that Ben was flying fought its way through the turbulence in the wake of the jetliner that had been converted to play the role of Tanker painted Luftwaffe colors as the refueling probe which had been extended out from the side of the nose slotted into boom extending from the Tanker’s tail. As fuel was pumped at a rate of hundreds of liters per second into the tanks aboard Steinadler, Ben had a brief moment for some intrusive thoughts to creep in.
Ben didn’t doubt for a second that Kiki was probably going to kill him the instant he returned to Balderschwang. She felt that both of them had been through enough danger to last several lifetimes. Yet here he was because he had felt obligated. The Squadron he had been playing advisor to was going into action and he felt that he needed to see it through. That meant that Jasta 23, along with the rest of JG12, had been ordered into action along with an additional two Air Wings along with their support units had been ordered to fly south-east at the best possible speed. Probably leaving a trail of complaints all the way back to Munich because of the noise.
As soon as he disengaged from the tanker, Ben looked to the disposition of Jasta 23. They had a mission to perform and if they had left noise complaints in their wake, that was nothing compared to what they were about to do.
Finike, Turkey
Perhaps it was the reputation of the Marine Infantry that caused what happened next, or perhaps a Greek General with more balls than brains who saw them as an obstacle. Of course, if your only tool was a hammer, all problems start to look like nails.
For the Greeks, the last few decades had been a reverse in fortunes after centuries of getting pushed back. They were haunted by the memory of the lost Byzantine Empire and the attitude was that they were simply taking back what had once been theirs. The people who lived there now were little more than intruders. How merciful would you be to a murderous squatter living in your house? Karl had heard those exact same arguments before in Korea, Poland, and Argentina coming out of the mouths of prisoners who had been on the side of those who had started those conflicts. It didn’t matter where the conversations took place, the words of the aggressors tended to share a common theme. Karl knew that if the Greeks were being sensible they would just let him complete his mission without interference, but what were the odds of that? If recent history was any guide then he needed to prepare for the worst.
Karl got his answer just after noon as the Hospital Staff managed to get the last, most complicated cases down to the beach and they were finally getting the Staff themselves to vacate the Hospital when Greeks did something stupid. The trouble was that they went about being stupid in a smart way. It was exactly like how Uncle Tilo had described the Japanese he had fought in the Pacific War. The truly stupid ones were all dead after years of war.
The Panzer that Karl recognized as being a Russian designed T-72 of a variant known to be of Greek manufacture came clanking and clattering down the Coastal Highway screened by what looked like a couple Platoons worth of Greek Infantry. The unhurried manner which they were walking down the road suggested that Karl had been wise to order his men to keep out of sight, not giving the Greeks an actual read on their numbers. They were expecting a handful of Marines who they could push out of the way. Karl didn’t need to make too many guesses about what would happen after that. Karl and his men were the only thing stopping the people they were here to protect from getting slaughtered.
“Hit the Panzer” Karl ordered the Anti-Tank team over the tactical net, “Gunners know what to do.”
Even after decades of evolutionary development, the Panzerfaust still worked almost exactly the same way that it had since it had first been introduced just prior to the Soviet War. Improvements to the propellent and aerodynamics had extended the range out to four hundred meters. A shoulder brace and a prismatic sight had greatly improved accuracy. Still, at the heart of the system was an ignitor that detonated a small charge that launched the fin-stabilized rocket. At the same time, the iron oxide behind that filled the space behind the charge flew the other way down the launch tube resulting in almost no recoil felt by the user.
The first rocket hit the side of the T-72 and even if it had only scorched the paint, it got the crew’s attention. Karl figured later that it was one of those situations where someone’s first instinct was just to do something, anything. The main gun on the T-72 fired, blasting a massive hole in the wall of the fortunately now empty hospital. Not that it mattered, because the second rocket hit side of the T-72’s turret squarely, the shaped charge slicing a hole through right through the armor. The resulting internal explosion blasted the turret well clear of the Panzer.
The luckless Greek Infantry, whose job had been to spot the Anti-Tank teams in the first place, were caught flat-footed by this turn of events. Then they learned a harsh lesson that had been taught at the hands of the German Military many times since the Soviet War, that the MG42/56 was an absolutely terrifying weapon to be on the receiving end of, Karl’s Company had four of them. A close second was the Vz.60 light machine guns that each of his Squads had one of. Those among the Greeks who could still run took flight.
“Hold fire!” Karl yelled into the microphone and heard the order repeated. His men had done well, but Karl knew that the next time the Greeks wouldn’t be caught by surprise, and they would come in force.
That was when Karl saw the Hospital Director looking up at the massive hole in the side of his building and all the windows that had been blown out by the blast. “This is unacceptable” He said to Karl, as if Karl was about to disagree with him. There was a reason why they had been working to get these people out.
3rd May 1976
In transit, over the Mediterranean Sea
The Steinadler that Ben was flying fought its way through the turbulence in the wake of the jetliner that had been converted to play the role of Tanker painted Luftwaffe colors as the refueling probe which had been extended out from the side of the nose slotted into boom extending from the Tanker’s tail. As fuel was pumped at a rate of hundreds of liters per second into the tanks aboard Steinadler, Ben had a brief moment for some intrusive thoughts to creep in.
Ben didn’t doubt for a second that Kiki was probably going to kill him the instant he returned to Balderschwang. She felt that both of them had been through enough danger to last several lifetimes. Yet here he was because he had felt obligated. The Squadron he had been playing advisor to was going into action and he felt that he needed to see it through. That meant that Jasta 23, along with the rest of JG12, had been ordered into action along with an additional two Air Wings along with their support units had been ordered to fly south-east at the best possible speed. Probably leaving a trail of complaints all the way back to Munich because of the noise.
As soon as he disengaged from the tanker, Ben looked to the disposition of Jasta 23. They had a mission to perform and if they had left noise complaints in their wake, that was nothing compared to what they were about to do.
Finike, Turkey
Perhaps it was the reputation of the Marine Infantry that caused what happened next, or perhaps a Greek General with more balls than brains who saw them as an obstacle. Of course, if your only tool was a hammer, all problems start to look like nails.
For the Greeks, the last few decades had been a reverse in fortunes after centuries of getting pushed back. They were haunted by the memory of the lost Byzantine Empire and the attitude was that they were simply taking back what had once been theirs. The people who lived there now were little more than intruders. How merciful would you be to a murderous squatter living in your house? Karl had heard those exact same arguments before in Korea, Poland, and Argentina coming out of the mouths of prisoners who had been on the side of those who had started those conflicts. It didn’t matter where the conversations took place, the words of the aggressors tended to share a common theme. Karl knew that if the Greeks were being sensible they would just let him complete his mission without interference, but what were the odds of that? If recent history was any guide then he needed to prepare for the worst.
Karl got his answer just after noon as the Hospital Staff managed to get the last, most complicated cases down to the beach and they were finally getting the Staff themselves to vacate the Hospital when Greeks did something stupid. The trouble was that they went about being stupid in a smart way. It was exactly like how Uncle Tilo had described the Japanese he had fought in the Pacific War. The truly stupid ones were all dead after years of war.
The Panzer that Karl recognized as being a Russian designed T-72 of a variant known to be of Greek manufacture came clanking and clattering down the Coastal Highway screened by what looked like a couple Platoons worth of Greek Infantry. The unhurried manner which they were walking down the road suggested that Karl had been wise to order his men to keep out of sight, not giving the Greeks an actual read on their numbers. They were expecting a handful of Marines who they could push out of the way. Karl didn’t need to make too many guesses about what would happen after that. Karl and his men were the only thing stopping the people they were here to protect from getting slaughtered.
“Hit the Panzer” Karl ordered the Anti-Tank team over the tactical net, “Gunners know what to do.”
Even after decades of evolutionary development, the Panzerfaust still worked almost exactly the same way that it had since it had first been introduced just prior to the Soviet War. Improvements to the propellent and aerodynamics had extended the range out to four hundred meters. A shoulder brace and a prismatic sight had greatly improved accuracy. Still, at the heart of the system was an ignitor that detonated a small charge that launched the fin-stabilized rocket. At the same time, the iron oxide behind that filled the space behind the charge flew the other way down the launch tube resulting in almost no recoil felt by the user.
The first rocket hit the side of the T-72 and even if it had only scorched the paint, it got the crew’s attention. Karl figured later that it was one of those situations where someone’s first instinct was just to do something, anything. The main gun on the T-72 fired, blasting a massive hole in the wall of the fortunately now empty hospital. Not that it mattered, because the second rocket hit side of the T-72’s turret squarely, the shaped charge slicing a hole through right through the armor. The resulting internal explosion blasted the turret well clear of the Panzer.
The luckless Greek Infantry, whose job had been to spot the Anti-Tank teams in the first place, were caught flat-footed by this turn of events. Then they learned a harsh lesson that had been taught at the hands of the German Military many times since the Soviet War, that the MG42/56 was an absolutely terrifying weapon to be on the receiving end of, Karl’s Company had four of them. A close second was the Vz.60 light machine guns that each of his Squads had one of. Those among the Greeks who could still run took flight.
“Hold fire!” Karl yelled into the microphone and heard the order repeated. His men had done well, but Karl knew that the next time the Greeks wouldn’t be caught by surprise, and they would come in force.
That was when Karl saw the Hospital Director looking up at the massive hole in the side of his building and all the windows that had been blown out by the blast. “This is unacceptable” He said to Karl, as if Karl was about to disagree with him. There was a reason why they had been working to get these people out.
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It has come to be known as the Jack-in-the-Box effect. The carousel autoloader basically has a ring of explosives around the turret. As a result, cook offs are spectacular.
fl
altamiro
Banned
It can get worse.
Here is how it looks when a tank with full set of ammo is hit in the autoloader
Video of Russian Tank Blowing Up in Ukraine Captured by China State Media
The dramatic footage was captured by a dashcam in a vehicle headed in the direction of the blast.
www.newsweek.com
Kiki might not kill him. Remember, she is a surgeon, so it is entirely possible that she would just remove a relatively non-critical body, such as a foot or two, that would leave Ben capable of being an astrophysicist, but unable to fly as a pilot.
personal head canon:
Karl (thinking intrusive thoughts): "Yes, it is unacceptable Herr Director, and if you hadn't delayed your evacuation, THAT wouldn't have been necessary."
Remember that it's not because it has a carousel that the turret goes skyward. The ammunition inside is often very well protected.
The problem is that they have additional ammunition stowed away around the sides of the tank to reload said carousel... and those are not very well protected at all.
So when a tank gets hit, those go off, and the force of those going off will set off the carousel ones (because they're well protected, not invulnerable).
tl;dr, the lesson to learn here protect your goddamn ammo. Or as any Warthunder player will tell you stop stuffing every possible slot in your tank with shells.
The problem is that they have additional ammunition stowed away around the sides of the tank to reload said carousel... and those are not very well protected at all.
So when a tank gets hit, those go off, and the force of those going off will set off the carousel ones (because they're well protected, not invulnerable).
tl;dr, the lesson to learn here protect your goddamn ammo. Or as any Warthunder player will tell you stop stuffing every possible slot in your tank with shells.
Oh boy I do not envy the diplomats in this situation.
Germans fired first, so that's going to be diplomatic headache number 1 as now Germany has fired upon the soldiers of a foreign nation without provocation (Yes, yes, you me and the man on the moon know there was some, but it wasn't official so it still counts as a "bad idea").
Diplomatic headache number 2 will be when the Greeks are getting asked why, exactly, a tank and infantry force were being sent to secure a hospital that was manned by international non-combatant volunteers as that tends to be a bit of a no-no in diplomatic circles.
Diplomatic headache number 3 will be somewhere between the Greeks and the Russian tank manufacture as to why they are being charged so much for a clearly inferior design if it couldn't even take two hits from an MANPAT, though I imagine the (correct) Russian response will be asking about doctrine, deployment and ammo stowage.
And that's not even counting what will probably be a mountain of shit that is about to fall squarely on the head of the Marine Infantry when the Chancellor, the one who wants to walk back Germany being the world's policeman, starts to demand why exactly they thought it appropriate to fire without being fired on first or marking any sort of zone to indicate the Greeks should not enter. A fight that, hopefully, will cut his political career off at the knees....
Germans fired first, so that's going to be diplomatic headache number 1 as now Germany has fired upon the soldiers of a foreign nation without provocation (Yes, yes, you me and the man on the moon know there was some, but it wasn't official so it still counts as a "bad idea").
Diplomatic headache number 2 will be when the Greeks are getting asked why, exactly, a tank and infantry force were being sent to secure a hospital that was manned by international non-combatant volunteers as that tends to be a bit of a no-no in diplomatic circles.
Diplomatic headache number 3 will be somewhere between the Greeks and the Russian tank manufacture as to why they are being charged so much for a clearly inferior design if it couldn't even take two hits from an MANPAT, though I imagine the (correct) Russian response will be asking about doctrine, deployment and ammo stowage.
And that's not even counting what will probably be a mountain of shit that is about to fall squarely on the head of the Marine Infantry when the Chancellor, the one who wants to walk back Germany being the world's policeman, starts to demand why exactly they thought it appropriate to fire without being fired on first or marking any sort of zone to indicate the Greeks should not enter. A fight that, hopefully, will cut his political career off at the knees....
Okay, this makes me think about what kind of RoE the Germans are operating.
So there's German medical personal in a conflict zone. Fine so far.
They want to evacuate them. Fine too.
So they fly in marines to handle the evacuation - implied without telling either the attackers or the owner of the piece of land they are moving in on. Kinda iffy, if you ask me, but certainly in a realm where I'd say it's okay.
Medical personal doesn't want to leave without injured - including possible combatants. Something that can be argued on humanitarian grounds.
Having words with a scout party. Okay so far.
One of the conflict parties moving in - and the marines shooting first from ambush?
Precarious position, not so many troops, sure. But that's a hell of a escalation.
Not to mention mentioned backup moving in - naval artillery (even if so far we've only seen small-ish calibre there - there are implied larger ships closer to Cyprus), close air support even before that?
Feels like a hell of a fuck up to me, the kind of behaviour you'd expect from a 19th century great power getting involved in some conflict between potential colonies.
Sure, it might be a situation of 'both sides bad', or even 'Greeks bad' - but it's the kind of fuck up that will significantly hurt soft power in the area, if not world wide.
Edit: And there's apparently someone who had thoughts going in the same direction, but was a couple minutes faster while I was typing.
So there's German medical personal in a conflict zone. Fine so far.
They want to evacuate them. Fine too.
So they fly in marines to handle the evacuation - implied without telling either the attackers or the owner of the piece of land they are moving in on. Kinda iffy, if you ask me, but certainly in a realm where I'd say it's okay.
Medical personal doesn't want to leave without injured - including possible combatants. Something that can be argued on humanitarian grounds.
Having words with a scout party. Okay so far.
One of the conflict parties moving in - and the marines shooting first from ambush?
Precarious position, not so many troops, sure. But that's a hell of a escalation.
Not to mention mentioned backup moving in - naval artillery (even if so far we've only seen small-ish calibre there - there are implied larger ships closer to Cyprus), close air support even before that?
Feels like a hell of a fuck up to me, the kind of behaviour you'd expect from a 19th century great power getting involved in some conflict between potential colonies.
Sure, it might be a situation of 'both sides bad', or even 'Greeks bad' - but it's the kind of fuck up that will significantly hurt soft power in the area, if not world wide.
Edit: And there's apparently someone who had thoughts going in the same direction, but was a couple minutes faster while I was typing.