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Twilight 2000 - The Modern Dark Ages : The Abridged Version Chapter 18
GM - Fusilier
Chapter 18 - Gdansk - Allies and Enemies : November 28th, 2000
Summary: The team helps run security for a march and rally in support of Lukasz Piszczek becoming the new figurehead and leader of Gdansk. The team then goes on a night time raid for the Osprey militia into Soviet territory south of Gdansk, meets some new friends, and loses another medic.

Mad Dogs Unit Roster:
John Jameson McCarthy - player
Helmut Meyer - NPC
Varis Babicevs - player
Arthur Fox - NPC
Francis "Frank" Benucci - player
Anna - NPC
Ferro - player
Billy “Crack” O’Brien - player
Aleksandar Mazurek - NPC
Per Kolstrup - player
David "Tosh" Lines - player
Katarzyna Majchrzak - NPC
Walter Krupp - NPC
Czeslaw Kaczka - NPC
Piotr Auttenberg - NPC
Michael Kessler - player
Karel Janku - NPC
Lukas Fischer - player
Sabine Riedel - player
Tomasz Andropov - player
Charles "Charlie" Price - player
Chris Walsh - player
Janacek Czerny - player

PC Assets:
Armored Humvee
Volkswagen Iltis
BTR-80 - The Krok
Humvee (Damaged vehicle received in the process of being repaired)
Humvee (Destroyed vehicle received from Woermann / Parts)
Humvee (Destroyed vehicle received from Woermann / Parts)

• The Mad Dogs prepare to join and provide security for the pending LoSA march and corresponding rally, with Kolstrup and some members going and checking out the march route along with a 10 story building close to the market, Riedel setting up a temporary clinic for the new civilians, and Andropov continuing work on the damaged Humvee. Meanwhile, JJM works on improving the relationship with Kaminski.
  
• The next morning, the unit prepares the Krok to join the parade, and Kaminski mentions that he’s coming along in his Mercedes with his brother and bodyguard, Otto (haven't seen him since Ladas Compound), and two of his girls. He plans to be riding in style.
  
• The Krok heads out toward the Holy Trinity Church, where the LoSA call home, and drop off Kolstrup and Walsh along the way, so that they can head to their sniper perch at the market. Upon arriving at the church, the officers are greeted by “General” Szymanski, who is in charge of the LoSA while Piszczek is recovering. The officers talk security for the march, and General Szymanski mentions that he has some undercover operatives that will be shadowing along through the crowd. Ferro and Janku will be doing the same for the Mad Dogs. More and more of representatives of the various militias arrive, along with a mess of supporting civilians, and the march to the Solidarity Market gets underway.
  
• First the march stops at St Mary’s and picks up more marchers. It then passes IB territory, and the Mad Dogs see that Hauptmann Woermann is watching from his unit’s Iltis, with their Marder nearby - the IB doesn’t interfere. The march then passes through Golden Dawn’s territory without issue, likely due to that militia not being on good terms with the MU. As the parade reaches MU territory in front of the Great Mill however, the march is stopped by Rick Newell and a large number of MU goons claiming that the street is closed. The tension grows and a full confrontation seems inevitable, as the march refuses to retreat and the MU men refuse to step aside. Suddenly, Waterloo Company’ Marder revs into the intersection. As the MU elite mercs rally closer to Newell, JJM uses the opportunity to intentionally misinterpret the men’s actions, and initiates a parade salute of the MU men while talking about the heroism of Piszczek. As a result of the added IB influence and JJM’s actions, the MU contingent backs down, and the march proceeds. It soon passes Swit Dawn territory, who are allies of the MU. While there’s no love for Piszczek here, there’s no roadblocks or violence either.
  
• Meanwhile, Kolstrup and Walsh reach the building they had investigated the day before. They meet a boy who tells them ghosts are inside, but nothing really comes of the boy’s fears, and the two men move inside and set up their sniper nest on the 10th floor.
  
• A Lt. Szymanski (different than the LoSA's General Szymanski) from Osprey brigade pushes toward the front of the march to where Kessler, JJM, and Kaminski are walking, and offers help to the Mad Dogs if they ever find themselves along the southern defensive positions of the city.
  
• The march finally reaches the Solidarity Market and the rally begins, with “General” Szymanski calling for unity in the city, ending the infighting (he points some fingers at the cartels), and extolling the virtues of Piszczek and other aligned militias. The Victory Front militia declares an alliance with LoSA on the spot, in what was surely a pre-planned PR maneuver.
  
• There’s a number of rumors circulating at the market, including one about Woermann being arrested by the IB for interfering with the march. Kessler, Price, and Janacek decide to head to the IB HQ to learn about Woermann for themselves.

Solidarity Market

• At the sniper nest, Kolstrup sees a flatbed pick up carrying men and a civilian car approach and stop outside of the market.
  Engagement at Solidarity Market
  
• The snap of a bullet is then heard by everyone in the market. At first everyone freezes, unsure if the round going off was an accidental discharge, but it’s soon followed up by a second, and then a third round. The crowd in the marketplace scatters. Soon, the shooting stops, but at least two MU mercs have been hit. Everyone takes cover while they look for the shooter and decide what to do next. Riedel starts providing medical aid to one of the wounded men, who is moved into the MU trading hall.
  
• Walsh spots movement in an apartment across the way. Kolstrup engages what appears to be a spotter, and then shifts and puts rounds into a suspected enemy sniper position. It’s unclear if his rounds have any effect.
  
• Meanwhile, the group at the marketplace is starting to splinter as various unit members take the initiative. Riedel is inside the MU trade hall working on a wounded man named Lech, Ferro has a team approaching the building of the suspected sniper, JJM and Babicevs are still near the dais/wagon where the speeches had been given, and others are in the BTR advancing toward the west where the suspected sniper’s building lies.
  
• Two men from the Leopold Okulicki Detachment help four Marians into the BTR for safety. The LOD men introduce themselves as Tom and Jerry (likely English nicknames given to them by 2MarDiv soldiers), and offer to help in any way they can.
  
• A explosive blast is then heard on the first floor of the suspected sniper hideout, and the BTR and dismounts start moving toward it.

IB HQ

• Kessler’s team arrives at the International Brigade Post Office HQ to find Woermann doing just fine, and decidedly not under arrest. But, Woermann has been instructed to stay at the HQ for now. He and Kessler talk local politics and the need for a strong leader to unify Gdansk. Woermann also mentions that it might be a good idea for Piszczek to see about getting in touch with General Hawthorne for military leadership, to go along with his civilian leadership, and also mentions that the Polish Home Army still has 300 armed and able men to the south that might be useful here in Gdansk if only someone would go make contact with them.
  
• Kessler and Woermann listen to the radio around the same time as the blast goes off at the marketplace. Finally, Woermann mentions that Halina Nowak appears to have gone missing along with the Arcadia and some of the FL fleet.

Solidarity Market

• Kolstrup and Walsh see a trio of men crawling along the top of marketplace stalls toward the Krok and successfully put rounds into all three of them. This allows an infantry assault of the suspected enemy’s building to begin unhindered.
  
• JJM consults General Szymanski, and ultimately decides to go and talk to the MU cartels. He goes into the trade hall building where Riedel is located, and thanks the MU men there for not escalating the situation outside. JJM gives the MU an appraisal of what his men are doing to help find the enemy sniper as a courtesy, since the market is MU territory. The man leading the MU team inside the trade hall says that Inspector Kowalczyk is on his way, and that he'll be very unhappy with JJM. He also says that if JJM can get his wounded man (the one Riedel is working on) to St. Mary’s, that he won’t turn him over to the Inspector. JJM agrees and tries to get the Krok to come transport the wounded away.
  
• The assault of the suspected enemy building begins. The sweep team on the first floor discovers a dead man and an unconscious woman, near a sniper rifle and submachine gun. It appears as though they triggered some kind of explosive device by mistake, which accounts for the earlier explosion.
  
• Babicevs meets up with Kaminski and Anna, and he briefly attempts to (and fails) take control of LoSA, having found that General Szymanski isn’t very effective as a military leader.
  
• Kessler, Price, and Janacek at this point get a taxi back from the IB HQ, care of Woermann. A quick plan is then made for the taxi, upon dropping off the three Mad Dogs, to grab the MU wounded for transport to the basilica. This ends up freeing the Krok from ambulance duty. Kessler tells the driver to swing by the compound later to pick up the fare.

(Continued)

• An hour passes while Osprey and the Mad Dogs clear the first two floors of the suspected enemy building. The wounded woman from the ground floor of the enemy-held building, along with the MU merc, have both successfully been transferred to St Mary’s. The civilians have since been sent out of the marketplace and Inspector Kowalczyk is supposedly onsite, cordoning off the entire market. Two MU men are confirmed KIA so far, and several others seem to be missing. Riedel is allowed to leave the MU trade building, but McCarthy is told to stay. McCarthy then radios that his channel has been compromised, and for the Mad Dogs to switch nets - this effectively puts him out of communication with any friendly forces, which has a lot of downstream impact.

Hostage takers

• Frustrated by delays and JJM possibly being held hostage, Kaminski and Babicevs come up with a daring plan to take some people hostage at an MU administration building, as a possible means of securing JJM’s release.
  
• Babicevs and Kaminski break their way into an administration building, and start taking hostages. They start negotiating with a soldier (Petr Vaclik) in the admin building, who claims that they’re wrong about JJM being held hostage.

Assault Team

• The assault team meanwhile moves up to clear the fourth floor, while Osprey takes the third. Upon reaching the fourth floor, someone kicks a tin can by accident (it’s very dark in the building), and soon automatic gunfire is flying into the stairwell from unseen enemies. Benucci appears to have been possibly injured at this point?, but he carries on.
  
• They assault team attempts to push out of the stairwell, but get driven back by more automatic fire. Andropov takes a ricochet round, but it gets stopped by one of the eyelets in his webbing. The group starts lobbing grenades and rushes forward, only to be pushed back yet again. Frank is hit at this time in his arm, and falls back down the stairwell, also breaking his arm - he is then transferred down, unconscious, to Riedel on the ground floor.
  
• A lone, wounded woman finally gives herself up to the assaulters, and the engagement ends. The rest of the opforces on the floor have been killed, which includes two snipers.

McCarthy

• Meanwhile at the trade building, Bartek from Sikora Armaments arrives and introduces McCarthy to Mrs. Wojcik. Wojcik appears to be in charge, which is surprising for a 70 year old woman. She is apparently the leader in charge of Sikora Armaments, and may be a part of the MU’s ruling council. JJM and Wojcik talk about the future of Gdansk and Piszczek’s role in it. Wojcik ends up agreeing to help provide support to LoSA through the Mad Dogs, but only so long as the support is done in secret. She also wants a meeting with Piszczek at some point. (Note: Sounds like she's making a power play to ensure future security).
  
• Bartek mentions to JJM that Sikora has reason to believe some of their arms are being smuggled to the Polish army, and asks him about Valeska. JJM says that he isn’t certain, but lays out the reasons why it would be unlikely and promises to take care of the matter if he’s wrong.

(Continued)

• The hostage situation continues heating up. After sending the Krok with Benucci and the enemy woman on to St Mary’s (not letting the MU know about the prisoner), Kessler and Babicevs finally get on the radio and communicate about what’s happening, then Kessler gets on the radio with the MU and attempts to de-escalate the situation. Kessler walks back out into the market and meets the MU’s envoy, Mikolaj (Merchant Union), who directs him to the hostage situation in the nearby admin building.
  
• At the same time, McCarthy is being released back into the market. Kessler manages to talk Babicevs and Kaminski down. Everyone in the area stands down, and the Mad Dogs go on their way. On the way back to the compound, the unit stops and enjoys some beer (taken from the rally) with some of the men from the Osprey militia.
  
• Once back at the compound, Ferro and Kessler head out to St Mary’s to check on the wounded female prisoner and Benucci. Janacek is already there acting as a guard, and advises them that the prisoner claims that her name is Karolina Skonieczny from the Polish 1st army, but that she’s refusing to talk otherwise. They also check on the woman from the ground floor, who Piszczek claims to know. It appears that the two people that set off the booby trap on the first floor of the enemy building were some of LoSA's undercover security personnel.
  
• The next morning, the taxi driver comes by to collect his fare for taking the wounded to the hospital the day before. His name is Artur Deyna, and the unit wonders about using him for intel gathering. Kessler and Ferro also return along with the prisoner, Karolina. Everyone is in agreement that she’s actually German, contrary to her claims, due to a nearly hidden accent. Kessler takes her for an interrogation, while one of the shipping containers at the compound is made ready to be used as a holding cell. Karolina opens up to Kessler in German, and lets him know that her real name is Karolina Schleicher, and that she was just a radio operator and lookout for the recent operation. She’s East German, and also gives Kessler the radio frequency her team has been using (though its encrypted). Kessler leaves after asking some additional questions, and then asks Janku to go check with his contacts in the city (Olympic) to see if anything can be verified.
  
• Ferro also interrogates Schleicher, and learns that Karolina receives orders from an operation at the airbase in Pruszcz Gdanski.
  
• JJM lays out items that need to be looked into:

1. See about trying to locate the group receiving the enemy transmissions.
   
2. Get the second Humvee up and running.
   
3. Track down rumors of what happened to Nowak.
   
4. Meet with the leaders of Osprey Brigade and see how the Mad Dogs can help. A joint operation will help cement relations with that militia.
   
5. Set up a meeting with General Hawthorne about getting some military leadership behind Piszczek.

• The team then splits up to accomplish their goals:

Group 1

• Ferro, Kessler and Kolstrup walk the docks and collect rumors about Nowak. Many think that she may have taken the sub as her own and that she may be plotting a coup to wrest control of the FL, but no one knows where she is for sure. There’s some mention of some of her men being back in Gdansk.
  
• Group 1 also visits Henryk Juskowiak, one of Wright’s contacts. Juskowiak has no info on the East Germans, but does let them know of a rumor linking the MU cartels to the bandit attacks on the Forest City however, which helps cement the view that the MU was using the bandits to help bring the Forest City into under their control.

Group 2

• Other Mad Dogs go to the southern defensive lines to visit Osprey leadership, and run into one Capt. Kaminski (presumably no relation to our favorite Kaminski). The Mad Dogs offer their assistance and bring some ammo as a gift. Captain Kaminski thanks them and explains the situation on the southern lines - the front is fairly static, with both sides launching constant patrols into no man’s land. The Soviets have around 75 men posted at Orunia, and it’s similar at Kowale. Both companies are rotated out with the big camp in Pruszcz Gdanski. Captain Kaminski states that an aggressive night patrol would be most helpful. JJM agrees, and plans to do one the following night so that everyone has a chance to prepare.

(Continued)

• All Mad Dogs are all back at the compound. The next day, they prepare and head out for Osprey’s lines. They again meet Capt. Kaminski, who tells them they are welcome to stay in the area to rest until the patrol. He also introduces the Mad Dogs to Lt. Dziura, his intelligence officer, and Capt. Filipowicz in operations (also in command of the communications squad). Everyone discusses logistics for the patrol - limited mortar support, squad structure, patrol area, what types of units to expect engagements with, etc. Captain Kaminski also mentions that the Russians the unit will be facing are experienced and intelligent; this won’t be the normal lackluster Polish soldiers the unit has faced previously.
  
• At night, the Mad Dogs step off on their patrol. They use a tunnel to emerge into no man’s land, and start heading toward their first objective - the southern side of a rail bridge over the Motlawa. Soon, Kolstrup spies 9 men a few hundred meters away heading Northeast. The unknown men move away from the unit, and the Mad Dogs creep forward toward a pump-house next to the rail bridge. Some sustained gunfire is heard to the east.
  2nd Engagement at the Rail Bridge South of Gdansk
  
• Babicevs then spots a man on top of the pump-house and opens fire. There’s also gunfire from within the pump-house where Walsh is.
  
• The group quickly deals with the small force at the pump-house, with one of the enemy escaping to the east. Also noted are two rafts that float by on the river, but they continue on by, being no threat. A full on firefight is taking place a few hundred meters to the east now.
  
• The unit continues advancing eastward into a small wooded copse, until they push headlong into the enemy formation. Walsh, Riedel, and O’Brien start crawling forward, attempting to break the impasse, when a grenade is tossed their way. O’Brien gets hit in the arm by shrapnel, and Riedel gets multiple serious wounds to her arm and abdomen - she quickly falls unconscious. Some explosions sent from an unknown source, and unit-thrown grenades rock the enemy position, and the shooting soon stops altogether.
  
• The Mad Dogs sweep through the rest of the woods, finding six enemies escaping over the fields to the south. Three of them are cut down during the run, and the others escape.
  
• Riedel is found to be in very serious condition. A stretcher needs to be made to get her back to Gdansk, and some camo netting is found in the pump-house that will do the job. Ferro and Kolstrup go to check out whoever was east of the firefight, presumably friendlies, to see if they need help. One by one, a new group emerges from a farmhouse and irrigation ditches. The new group includes: Gerhard Dietrich, William Schmidt, Jose Rodriguez, and Henry “Hank” Voight.

Interlude - Coming in from the cold : Krepiec : December 1st, 2000

• Dietrich, Schmidt, and Rodriguez are positioned in Krepiec on the riverbank, awaiting some sugar beet farmers to sail their rafts into Gdansk along the Motlawa. They board and set sail. Along the way, they get to know each other. Before long, the rafts steer toward the beach near a destroyed looking farmhouse, and look to take on another passenger, Henry “Hank” Voight.
  
• The oarsman mentions that they need to wait a few minutes, as a Russian patrol is near. A man is soon seen on the opposite side of the river, hauling the boats, and a vehicle is heard not far behind him. The oarsmen get really nervous and start making to push off back into the river. Not wanting to be caught in the open river with no cover, the four passengers disembark and make for the nearby farm. Reaching the farm, the quartet take up defensive positions and wait.
  
• Soon, they see a man approaching from an irrigation ditch to the west. Voight starts checking different frequencies on his radio, and comes across a station playing Elvis Presley.
  
• Before long, some shots start hitting the sides of the farmhouse, which soon escalates into a full firefight. Rifle shots go out, grenades explode, a flare goes off. Some of the wounded Soviets retreat, and soon it goes suddenly quiet. Before long, gunfire erupts into a loud roar from within the wooded copse to the west. Voight is the first to move out to the irrigation ditch, soon followed by Schmidt. Rodriguez launches some grenades which appear to land near the expected enemy position. Dietrich continues covering north.
  
• The shooting recedes until 3 men break from the Soviet position, followed soon by 3 more. Between the fire from the quartet and unknown forces to the west, only half of the Soviets make it away.
  
• The new fireteam breaks out to the west from the farmhouse, and are soon met by someone yelling in English “Gdańsk Territorial Force! Identify yourself!”

(Continued)

• The Mad Dogs, now reinforced by four extra heads, begin moving north with Riedel carried in the makeshift stretcher. Given how much blood the East German has lost, there’s concern that she won’t make it. In response, the Major radios Osprey and has them relay a message to the Marians to have an ambulance ready for Riedel when they get her back to friendly lines.
  Engagement at the Rail Yard South of Gdansk
  
• The unit continues northwest, soon reaching a rail yard, where they see a trio of Soviet soldiers sneaking north toward Osprey lines. The unit decides to push through, in the interest of saving Riedel, and assault the three Soviets. Two are cut down immediately, and the group pushes forward toward the third and engage him. The Mad Dogs then start hearing the humming of an incoming vehicle approaching from the south. A grenade is thrown at the third Soviet, and Babicevs runs up to finish him off.
  
• A BMP-1 APC enters the trainyard from the south, followed by around 20 Soviet soldiers. Another vehicle is heard as well.
  
• The unit hides at the sound of the vehicular approach, and prepare for the coming assault. The Major calls in a fire mission to Osprey, and mortar rounds start landing amongst the Soviets, who start pushing forward into the trainyard. As the rounds stop landing, the Mad Dogs open up on the encroaching enemy, while Dietrich leads O’Brien (wounded in the arm), Lines and Janacek (who are carrying Riedel in the stretcher), north toward friendly lines.
  
• Walsh scores a hit against the BMP-1 with a LAW, and the vehicle ceases moving. More combat ensues.
  
• A BTR-70 then comes up a road on the western side of the trainyard, prompting a shifting in position for the Mad Dogs on that side of the fight. McCarthy radios in for more mortar fire on the disabled BMP.
  
• The stretcher party reaches the tunnel leading back to Gdansk. They wait at the edge of the friendly lines for a minute while an Osprey tank hunting team comes out of the tunnel and for more men from Osprey to arrive to help with the stretcher. Then O’Brien escorts an Osprey stretcher party with Riedel back through the tunnel to the waiting ambulance. Meanwhile Janacek, Lines, and Dietrich head back to set up a second line of defense behind the rest of the Mad Dogs.
  
• The BTR cuts across the flank of the unit, and gets pelted a couple of times by 40mm grenades and bugs out to the south. As the Mad Dogs prepare a general retreat, a second BTR-70 appears where the first one joined the battle. Voight attempts to get close enough to throw an AT grenade, but the vehicle’s dismounts see him before he gets in range. Kessler throws a smoke so that Voight can pull back. The BTR fires it’s coax into the smoke, and hits Voight in the leg.
  
• Everyone is now pulling back to the last cover available, 100m south of where the reserve party has created a second line of defense in a row of crumbling ruins. The battlefield goes momentarily quiet.
  
• The main force of Mad Dogs retreats successfully to the ruins, while Kessler, Voight, Rodriguez, and Kolstrup hold the line and then bring up the rear. An MTLB or equivalent vehicle is now seen pulling up next to the stricken BMP, likely a repair vehicle. The enemy starts dropping mortar rounds near the ruins, and the enemy vehicles and dismounts resume their forward momentum. Kessler and Voight keep running toward the ruin when the BTR opens up again - hitting Voight in the leg a second time, and grazing Kessler's arm.
  
• Just after Janacek launches a flare into the night, heavy machine gun fire and tracers start laying into the advancing Soviet forces, and a rocket flies into one of the advancing BTRs, ejecting metal embers from its hull - Osprey’s men and their tank hunting team have finally joined the battle. This gives the four men still in the open a much needed window to crawl back to the cover of the ruins. Then together again, all of the Mad Dogs return back to Osprey’s lines, and finally stand down in one of the friendly militias bunkers. The Soviets start shelling Osprey’s lines with heavy artillery in response to the engagement.
  
• In the Osprey command bunker, JJM, Kessler, Ferro and Kolstrup meet with Osprey’s command element. Emma Cassidy is there as well, and she relays the news that Sabine Riedel didn’t make it. This stuns the officers, and the news puts a damper on the elation the rest of the unit is feeling at having escaped the night relatively unharmed.
  
• Cassidy starts working on the wounded, and Captain Kaminski states that a Soviet soldier was captured and that he claims to be a deserter. He also mentions that the motorized platoon encountered by the Mad Dogs tonight was a unit heading toward a major attack on Przejazdowo, and that the unit’s actions have spoiled that attack, likely saving a number of lives.
  
• General introductions are finally made between the Mad Dogs and the new team members. The tension of the night leads Rodriguez and Lines to almost get into an altercation, but the issue is dropped before it turns physical.
  
• The unit, carrying Riedel's body and working together to assist the wounded, makes its way back to the compound on foot. Upon reaching the compound, more introductions are made, including with Kaminski, and Riedel’s body is taken care of until a proper funeral can be arranged.

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