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SWR Productions Forum _ Frontline News _ Rise of the Reds Update: Operation Charlemagne

Posted by: The_Hunter 28 Jun 2014, 22:37

Central Europe,
March 2049

"Good morning. This is General Willem van der Meer, acting supreme commander of the European Continental Army, calling all citizens and soldiers of Europe. In less than an hour, the combined armies of the ECA and the American expeditionary forces will embark on what may very well go down in history as the single largest engagement of this entire war: As part of Operation Charlemagne, our forces in western Germany and Austria will go on the offensive along a frontline that measures over a thousand kilometres. The primary objective is to liberate Berlin by the middle of April. To that end, we are going in with absolutely everything we've got: The remnants of the French and German armies will spearhead the assault through the south while the Dutch and Belgian contingents will do battle alongside the British, the Irish, the Americans and the Canadians in the northern plain. New experimental weapon systems have been made available and I have assigned all of our remaining ECA battlegroups to this decisive battle. Time is of the essence as we cannot allow the Russian armies to fortify their positions and drive us back once they mobilise the full extent of their reserves, or worse, their strategic nuclear arsenal."

"Our nations have sacrificed much to regain the upper hand in this war: Remember the valiant armies of Finland and Poland who were the first to meet the invaders and kept up their fierce resistance even to this day. Remember the brave mountain troops of Austria and Italy who fought to the last man and bullet in order to keep the evacuation routes to the Alpine redoubt clear for civilian refugees. Remember the Commonwealth armies who defied the invasion of England, then took the fight across the Channel and to the enemy. The people of France have arguably paid the highest price of all by detonating nuclear weapons on their own soil in a desperate move that, thankfully, stopped the Russian advance and allowed our forces to seize the initiative. All of these events and many more have culminated in this critical moment and the battle that is now about to erupt in the very heart of central Europe will determine whether peace and order will return to our continent or whether our sacrifices were in vain. Future generations will either remember this as the day our common civilisation burned out in a last blaze of glory - or as the day when all of Europe, from the northern fjords to the southern sea, emerged victorious from the first war in which we all stood united."

"Operation Charlemagne is imminent. This goes out to the soldiers of Europe: Fight on, but do not let your humanity be consumed by bloody vengeance, for that will make the difference between whether this war will end in a lasting peace, a temporary armistice or the end of the world as we know it. This goes out to our citizens in the occupied territories: Do not despair, your liberation is at hand. Stay vigilant and look after your families, but please, do not risk your lives with any foolhardy heroics at this time, for those who can help us in this struggle have already made their choice long ago. But my final word goes out to any Russian servicemen and -women that might be hearing this: We are human beings, just like you. We want this war to end and return to our loved ones just as much as you do and it is within your power to make that a reality: Do not throw your lives away just because General Aleksandr orders it! Don't give yourselves to him and his murderous brutes, these machine-men with machine-minds and machine-hearts who look down upon you, who despise you, who treat you as cannon fodder - they are unworthy of your sacrifice! Don't fight for their hatred and their insanity! You are human beings - you do not hate and you're not insane! Fight against them for your freedom, for the future of your children! Believe me when I say that Aleksandr would like to goose-step them into the meat grinder as well but as long as your President is unable to stop him, it is up to you to put an end to this war here and now! Liberate yourselves from this monster of a man who expects you to suffer, to kill and to die for him! Soldiers of the Russian Federation, let us liberate Berlin together!"




Whilst the United States make extensive use of lasers as point defense and anti-aircraft weapons, the nations of Europe have concentrated their research efforts on the civilian utilities of the technology. One of their most promising discoveries was the possibility of using special frequency lasers to slow the motion of atoms to a near standstill, resulting in a focused freezing effect. Ideally, the technology could be used as a more eco-friendly alternative to bulky cooling machinery and aggressive chemicals. A team of Scandinavian scientists even explored the idea of using this remarkable technology to revert the effects of global warming by restoring the Arctic ice. Unfortunately, these so-called 'cryo lasers' also presented a considerable destructive potential which was exploited during the final phase of the Russo-European War: Named after a monstrous wolf from Norse mythology, the Fenris is an elaborate modification of a conventional Lynx APC which has been outfitted with a freezing laser that proved extremely lethal against enemy infantry and even vehicles which not only take damage but also end up immobilised due to deformed machinery and severly reduced crew performance after prolonged cooling. The Fenris can also fire a high energy shot which freezes the vehicle to the point where parts of its armour become so brittle that even its own idle engine vibrations or weapon recoil are enough to shatter it open, thus directly exposing the crew to the freezing ray, killing them instantly and leaving the vehicle empty for recovery. Unlike the dreaded Pandora cannon, the Fenris can be deployed in numbers upon choosing the eponymous protocol, but commanders are advised to treat their expensive and fragile technology with utmost care.



The ECA has set itself a policy of restricting the use of unmanned vehicles to a bare minimum, arguing that the large-scale use of such weapons in combat detaches operators and politicians from the brutality and human cost of real warfare. As such, unmanned vehicles only serve in functions where human soldiers would simply be impractical to begin with. The prime example is the Anvil Bot, an autonomous armoured support vehicle of British design that is purely intended to shield nearby friendlies from enemy attacks. Similar to the ECA's legendary Manticore tank, the Anvil surrounds itself with a swarm of nano-scale particles manipulated by an artificial intelligence inside the parent vehicle. Unlike the Manticore, which uses these 'nano bots' to refill holes and cracks in its armour, the Anvil uses them to generate a finely calibrated field of electromagnetic interferences which confuse enemy rangefinders and targeting systems, effectively making it impossible to aim precisely at the units within the Anvil's area of effect. This comes with a major tradeoff in that the Anvil itself produces a very distinct electromagnetic signature which makes it a very easy target, an issue that has been partly remedied via the installation of nano shock panels to increase its protection. It should also be noted that the Anvil has to move at a much slower pace while maintaining its protective shield. Ever since its introduction in early 2049, the Anvil has served its own part in protecting Europe's ever dwindling arsenal of combat vehicles from attrition. Unlike the Manticore tank, Anvil Bots can be deployed in numbers upon choosing the eponymous protocol.



And as always I would like to remind all of you out there that there will be another livestream on this Sunday (June 29th) on http://www.twitch.tv/pauljongejans
Also incase you missed the stream of last week its now availible on our youtube channel:


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rise-of-the-Reds/346701942043959 http://www.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-redshttp://www.twitch.tv/pauljongejanshttp://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvJeeOZsZN_NG42LAGO8aXA

Posted by: Svea Rike 28 Jun 2014, 22:43

Yah! Show that bastard Aleksandr who's boss! Also, van der Meer is white all of a sudden? Running out of images, I see. I cannot wait to play with these new toys for the ECA arsenal, he he.

Posted by: Karpet 28 Jun 2014, 22:51

Lovely.
Also, them spikes. Those spikes..
Don't touch ECA vehicles or you'll poke your eye out tongue.gif

Posted by: Dangerman 28 Jun 2014, 23:21

So I guess we are getting closer to the Battle of Berlin, will Aleksandr release his crazy Super Secret Russian thing there? So lore-wise is Greece & Serbia on the side of Russia?

Posted by: Composite armour 28 Jun 2014, 23:25

I wonder what possible way the Irish could help military.

I suppose we could insult the russian's mothers.

Posted by: Mr.Kim 28 Jun 2014, 23:28

QUOTE (Dangerman @ 28 Jun 2014, 18:21) *
will Aleksandr release his crazy Super Secret Russian thing there?


Nope, not this time.

Posted by: GDIZOCOM 28 Jun 2014, 23:39

Really excited for the Cryo Tank

Also, I think the flags add a neat touch to the vehicles 8Ip.png

Posted by: Anubis 28 Jun 2014, 23:44

QUOTE (Composite armour @ 29 Jun 2014, 1:25) *
I wonder what possible way the Irish could help military.

I suppose we could insult the russian's mothers.


Or maybe have a drinking contest with them tongue.gif. Winner get's the gun/tank. Oh and never underestimate the power of leprechauns. Gold and rainbows always win.

Posted by: Alex1guy 29 Jun 2014, 0:15

Europe shall not fall! Excellent stuff

QUOTE (Composite armour @ 28 Jun 2014, 23:25) *
I wonder what possible way the Irish could help military.

I suppose we could insult the russian's mothers.


The Irish Republic is the founder of a anti-terrorism and counter-intelligence agency in co-operation with the United Kingdom after the attack take-over of Europe. It now serves as a leader of ECA military intelligence in addition of course to boots on the ground. smile.gif

Posted by: Admiral*Alex 29 Jun 2014, 0:17

Anyone else think of General Of The Army Eisenhower's Speech to the troops invading Normandy when reading this?

And what is Charlemagne?

Posted by: ubermensche 29 Jun 2014, 0:26

Awesome! Really awesome article! Once again, thanks SWR!.

Posted by: DELETED MEMBER 29 Jun 2014, 0:40

QUOTE (Admiral*Alex @ 29 Jun 2014, 1:17) *
And what is Charlemagne?


the king of the franks and first emperor of europe after the fall of the westen roman empire

Posted by: Kalga 29 Jun 2014, 1:44

QUOTE (Admiral*Alex @ 28 Jun 2014, 19:17) *
Anyone else think of General Of The Army Eisenhower's Speech to the troops invading Normandy when reading this?


Well the last part is at the very least a shout out to Charlie Chaplin's speech in the movie The Great Dictator.

Posted by: Jester 29 Jun 2014, 1:55

Will we find out if this operation was a success?

Posted by: HoneyBee 29 Jun 2014, 2:34

QUOTE (DELETED MEMBER @ 29 Jun 2014, 0:40) *
the king of the franks and first emperor of europe after the fall of the westen roman empire

First emperor in western Europe. First emperor of Europe connotes to something different.

Posted by: TimeBurner 29 Jun 2014, 4:46

YEAH!... the hell.. too long to read.. but yeahh cool spikey tanks you got there!

Posted by: MARS 29 Jun 2014, 5:32

QUOTE (Svea Rike @ 28 Jun 2014, 23:43) *
Yah! Show that bastard Aleksandr who's boss! Also, van der Meer is white all of a sudden? Running out of images, I see. I cannot wait to play with these new toys for the ECA arsenal, he he.


He's always looked like that. We're using photos of the RL Dutch general Peter van Uhm to represent Willem.

QUOTE (Dangerman @ 29 Jun 2014, 0:21) *
So I guess we are getting closer to the Battle of Berlin, will Aleksandr release his crazy Super Secret Russian thing there? So lore-wise is Greece & Serbia on the side of Russia?


This was to finally establish that the eastern European countries also lend military support to Russia at this point. It's not a huge controbution, but they're mainly tasked with logistical support, peacekeeping and defensive operations in south-eastern Europe in order to free up for of Russia's own manpower.

Posted by: IPS 29 Jun 2014, 10:40

http://ingraban.cgsociety.org/art/game-design-tank-fictional-command-conquer-rise-reds-cryo-freeze-ray-painting-line-art-fenris-2d-1174626

this is the design of the Fenris btw.

Posted by: The General 29 Jun 2014, 11:23

Looks very interasting.

Are the Czech and Poland flag inside the "red territory" uprisings?

Posted by: Spejjarn 29 Jun 2014, 11:51

Awesome! I have been looking forward to a traditional update. Thank you, SWR! Svea Rike, looks like the devs paid a tribute to your fanfic of the Battle of Skåne/Scania. SWR rocks!

Posted by: Svea Rike 29 Jun 2014, 12:45

QUOTE (MARS @ 29 Jun 2014, 6:32) *
He's always looked like that. We're using photos of the RL Dutch general Peter van Uhm to represent Willem.


But in this picture he looks more white than dark skinned, or was he never dark skinned to begin with?

Posted by: Generalcamo 29 Jun 2014, 14:17

The Queen's Royal Lancers? I thought it was established there was a King.

Posted by: Jester 29 Jun 2014, 14:34

Out of curiosity how has air combat panned out over the skies of Europe now that the USAAF is running combat missions?

Posted by: MARS 29 Jun 2014, 14:36

Interesting point actually. For some reason, I operated under the assumption that the unit would maintain that name, since it'd be kind of odd to rename a whole military unit every time the monarch has a different gender.

Posted by: DarkyPwnz 29 Jun 2014, 15:02

better than Taxpayers' Royal Lancers I suppose.

Posted by: Gaz 29 Jun 2014, 16:03

Good speech. But it seems to me that General Willem has just exposed his battleplans to the Russians. Then again, they will be mobilising in less than an hour.

Posted by: HoneyBee 29 Jun 2014, 16:16

QUOTE (Svea Rike @ 29 Jun 2014, 12:45) *
But in this picture he looks more white than dark skinned, or was he never dark skinned to begin with?

This http://rotr.swr-productions.com/news/MTG_Willem.png has texture added to it. And you can see the light source is coming from behind. Hope that explains.

Posted by: MARS 29 Jun 2014, 16:21

QUOTE (Gaz @ 29 Jun 2014, 17:03) *
Good speech. But it seems to me that General Willem has just exposed his battleplans to the Russians. Then again, they will be mobilising in less than an hour.


Maybe it's a gambit to make Aleksandr believe that the ECA will literally advance along the -entire- frontline, thus making it harder for him to figure out what to defend and what to give up. Like a wise man once said: He who tries to defend everything will end up defending nothing.

Posted by: Svea Rike 29 Jun 2014, 17:28

QUOTE (Spejjarn @ 29 Jun 2014, 12:51) *
Svea Rike, looks like the devs paid a tribute to your fanfic of the Battle of Skåne/Scania. SWR rocks!


What? Where? I didn't read anything like that.

Posted by: Generalcamo 29 Jun 2014, 19:20

QUOTE (MARS @ 29 Jun 2014, 9:36) *
Interesting point actually. For some reason, I operated under the assumption that the unit would maintain that name, since it'd be kind of odd to rename a whole military unit every time the monarch has a different gender.

Well, two problems with this:

1. The Queen's Guard is called the King's Guard when there is a king. (And they are an active military unit)
2. How often is there a monarch change really? Queen Elizabeth has been reining for more than 60 years now. Her predecessor reined for 20 years.

Posted by: DarkyPwnz 29 Jun 2014, 19:29

They aren't lancers at all so why do we care whose lancers they aren't?

Posted by: SorataZ 29 Jun 2014, 20:33

Well I would say, one would assume they simply got rid of constantly changing their name between "Queen's Lancers" and "King's Lancers" because honestly that is very silly. IMHO, I would simply call them the British Lancers, problem solved.

Posted by: emin96 29 Jun 2014, 21:39

nice update.im looking forward to the recycler truck biggrin.gif

Posted by: TheD3rp 29 Jun 2014, 23:59

Do I see a Charlie Chaplin reference in there?

Posted by: Bergzak 30 Jun 2014, 1:43

Well, there it is. The Fenris Cryo-Tank and the Anvil Bot.

Posted by: HoneyBee 30 Jun 2014, 3:53

QUOTE (SorataZ @ 29 Jun 2014, 20:33) *
Well I would say, one would assume they simply got rid of constantly changing their name between "Queen's Lancers" and "King's Lancers" because honestly that is very silly. IMHO, I would simply call them the British Lancers, problem solved.

Why not just Royal Lancers ? .___.
I thought that'd be the closest to it, and still serve for both genders. "British Lancers" sounds kinda.....

Posted by: MARS 30 Jun 2014, 5:12

Doing some research, I found out that they will indeed be referred to as the Royal Lancers as part of the Army 2020 reforms. Suppose I could edit that in the texts, but I don't feel like re-doing the image right now. Consider it a little error with no in-lore implications whatsoever.

Posted by: __CrUsHeR 1 Jul 2014, 1:45

Finally, the counter-offensive towards the east.

It seems that Serbian mercenaries are the "Brown Berets" of the Legion of Solidarity - (judging by the color of their berets). Wonderful update. mindfuck.gif

Posted by: Claine 1 Jul 2014, 16:46

damn awesome! is this include in the latest int-beta? having problem abit on my Laptop, nice update guys ^ ^

Posted by: Mike Oxlong 1 Jul 2014, 19:39

Haha i love the Anti-Russian story line! Brilliant it is, in reality NATO expansion and containment of/to the Russian borders will eventually and naturally trigger the Ruskies cutting most of Europe's gas supplies off via Ukraine. Naturally this will result in Russia selling its gas to the far east (China) instead. The BRICs nations will be contained. The PNAC (Project for the new American Century) will commence.

Posted by: Svea Rike 1 Jul 2014, 19:53

QUOTE (Mike Oxlong @ 1 Jul 2014, 20:39) *
Haha i love the Anti-Russian story line! Brilliant it is, in reality NATO expansion and containment of/to the Russian borders will eventually and naturally trigger the Ruskies cutting most of Europe's gas supplies off via Ukraine. Naturally this will result in Russia selling its gas to the far east (China) instead. The BRICs nations will be contained. The PNAC (Project for the new American Century) will commence.


I don't think you know the entire story... NATO is dead, the ECA hates America, Russia sold gas to Europe but they cut them off so now they have little to no other options than to eliminate the European adversaries but that got turned on its head when the ECA nuked themselves and the US got back into action.

Posted by: Mike Oxlong 1 Jul 2014, 20:10

Oh! Thanks for the clarification smile.gif A good story eh.

Posted by: TheD3rp 1 Jul 2014, 22:05

I did some searching and there is indeed a Charlie Chaplin reference there.
http://youtu.be/6FMNFvKEy4c(Starts at 2:14)

Posted by: blgmgl 3 Jul 2014, 6:53

QUOTE (Dangerman @ 29 Jun 2014, 6:21) *
So I guess we are getting closer to the Battle of Berlin, will Aleksandr release his crazy Super Secret Russian thing there? So lore-wise is Greece & Serbia on the side of Russia?


I'd also think logically that Serbia would side with Russia.

Posted by: The General 3 Jul 2014, 9:42

QUOTE (blgmgl @ 3 Jul 2014, 7:53) *
I'd also think logically that Serbia would side with Russia.


The "Balkan Confederation" was formed in the official story too. Not only Serbia and Greece are on the side of Russia, so are Bulgaria and Romania as they are also members.
Altough i'd personaly like if instead of country flags they'd used the flag of BC.

Posted by: Warpath 4 Jul 2014, 11:23

Somehow, I can't shake the feeling that the Confederation will get the short end of the stick once this war's over...

How involved is the United States in the war? Are they taking any action against Russia in the Pacific? (You know, sink the Russian Pacific Fleet, possibly occupy or at least disable Vladivostok's port facilities?)

Also, has any of the US's allies joined the war?


Posted by: X1Destroy 4 Jul 2014, 11:29

IIRC, the US pacific fleet is already on the move, and so does Chinese one. But no engagement so far.

Posted by: Admiral*Alex 5 Jul 2014, 1:27

QUOTE (Warpath @ 4 Jul 2014, 6:23) *
Also, has any of the US's allies joined the war?


Canada, Australia I think, and maybe Mexico because the rest of the NAU is already in the war.

Posted by: Alex1guy 5 Jul 2014, 4:32

QUOTE (Mike Oxlong @ 1 Jul 2014, 19:39) *
Haha i love the Anti-Russian story line! Brilliant it is, in reality NATO expansion and containment of/to the Russian borders will eventually and naturally trigger the Ruskies cutting most of Europe's gas supplies off via Ukraine. Naturally this will result in Russia selling its gas to the far east (China) instead. The BRICs nations will be contained. The PNAC (Project for the new American Century) will commence.


I'll take "Didn't actually read any of the storyline for five hundred', Alex?"

sleep.gif

Posted by: Karpet 6 Jul 2014, 0:53

QUOTE (Alex1guy @ 4 Jul 2014, 23:32) *
I'll take "Didn't actually read any of the storyline for five hundred', Alex?"

sleep.gif


"Forum posting, 500. This poster did not read the RotR storyline."
aw.gif

Someday there must be RotR Jeopardy, with Hunter as Alex Trebek with his wacky hair and all.


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