[High Kingdom of France] Operation Blockbuster

[Logan]

With Zimbabwe threatening France and surrounding and outright attacking other international embassies, it was decided that proactive military deployment was necessary. As such, several sealed packet of orders were sent to commanders of key military commanders, who would then begin mobilizing their commands for the operation.

OPERATION BLOCKBUSTER

TOP SECRET
EYES ONLY

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​

The Objectives, as laid out by High Command:

• Forward Deploy a military force to the Indian Ocean to respond to any attacks on the French Embassy in Harare.
• Deploy members of the Military Order of Ste Thérèse of Lisieux to provide an armed response to any military provocations by the Zimbabwean forces.
• If Necessary: Evacuate Key Staff of the French Embassy
• If Possible: strategically move 10 Mirage 2000Ds (of the 302nd Strategic Fighter Squadron) to Mayotte'se international Airport.

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Deployment List​

• French Expeditionary Fleet
  • FRS Britanny Foudre-class Amphibious Assault Ship: A full load of fuel, crew, and Munitions, including 3x Mistral SAMs, 3x 30MM Breda-Mauser Guns, 4x 12.7MM M2HB Machine Guns - as well as 4x Rotary Wing Pilots and 2x Aerospatiale SA321 Super Frelon
  • FRS Occitania Foudre-class Amphibious Assault Ship: A full load of fuel, crew, and Munitions, including 3x Mistral SAMs, 3x 30MM Breda-Mauser Guns, 4x 12.7MM M2HB Machine Guns - as well as 4x Rotary Wing Pilots and 2x Aerospatiale SA321 Super Frelon
  • FRS De Maistre Durance-class replenishment oiler: a Full load of fuel, crew, munitions, as well as enough to sustain the French Fleet until they reach the Anchorage off of Bassas da India Atoll.
• Military Order of Ste Thérèse of Lisieux
  • Knight Detachment Alpha
    • 21st Battalion, Knights Expeditionary
      • 300 Special Forces Light Infantrymen (Aboard FRS Britanny), 290 Carrying: 1x FAMAS G2 (6 Magazines), 1x PAMAS G1 (4 Magazines); 5 carrying: 1x FN Minimi (Para Version), 1x PAMAS G1 (4 Magazines); 5 Carrying: 1x PGM Hecate II (6x Magazines), 1x PAMAS G1 (2 Magazines)
    • 22nd Battalion, Knights Expeditionary
      • 300 Special Forces Light Infantrymen (Aboard FRS Occitania), 290 Carrying: 1x FAMAS G2 (6 Magazines), 1x PAMAS G1 (4 Magazines); 5 carrying: 1x FN Minimi (Para Version), 1x PAMAS G1 (4 Magazines); 5 Carrying: 1x PGM Hecate II (6x Magazines), 1x PAMAS G1 (2 Magazines)
    • 23rd Battalion, Knights Expeditionary
      • 300 Special Forces Light Infantrymen (150 Aboard FRS Britanny, 150 aboard FRS Occitania), 290 Carrying: 1x FAMAS G2 (6 Magazines), 1x PAMAS G1 (4 Magazines); 5 carrying: 1x FN Minimi (Para Version, 3x Box Magazines), 1x PAMAS G1 (4 Magazines); 5 Carrying: 1x PGM Hecate II (6x Magazines), 1x PAMAS G1 (2 Magazines)
• 302nd Strategic Fighter Squadron: 10x Mirage 2000D (20x Combat Fixed Wing Pilots), all would have full tanks of fuel and would have their guns fully loaded
  • 10x: 5x External Fuel Tanks, 2x MICA-IR Air-to-Air Missiles.
    

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The ships would gather at the Port of Toulon, while the Fighters would rendezvous at the Figari-Sud Corse Airport. The first stage of their mission would be set to begin in a few hours.

 

[Logan]

With the ships, helicopters, and troops loaded up at the port of Toulon; they would leave port headed for Bassas da India Atoll. They would travel under EMCON CHARLIE - which would involve maintaining only navigational and surface radars to keep out of the way of most shipping traffic.

Their Travel would take them JN-JM-KM-KL-KK-LK-LJ-LI, crossing through the Suez Canal as they did so. While en route, the knights and rotorcraft pilots aboard the ships would use the opportunity to train in troop movement operations among helicopters as well as learning some basic boarding maneuvers, should they be harassed while moving towards their destination, or should they receive any distress calls while en route to their destination.

 

[Logan]

With the High Kingdom of France receiving permission to land a squadron of aircraft in Zaire, the Fighters would take off with full fuel loads from Figari-Sud-Corse Airport towards Kisangani Airport in Zaire. They would travel through JN-JM-JL-JJ-KJ, where they would land at Kisangani Airport in Zaire. They would be outfitted entirely with External Fuel tanks and a pair of MICA-IR AAMs, to provide self-defense. They would request permission to land in formation as they closed in on the airport. The Zairian government would also be given notification before they entered airspace, such that their arrival wouldn't cause a panic or trigger a scramble.

JJSmithJr

 

[Logan]

By now, the Mirage 2000Ds would land at Kisangani Airport, where they would refuel their aircraft and fuel tanks, before taking off in formation this time towards Mayotte (traveling from KJ-LJ-LI-LH.) Once there they again would land, this time removing their external fuel tanks and preparing to arm for military sorties against the Zimbabwean government. Meanwhile, the ships would continue their trudge towards their rally area, the helicopters and knights aboard using the time to run through boarding drills, fast-rope drills, and alert drills.

 

[Logan]

By now, the Mirage 2000Ds would have landed at Mayotte, and would begin the process of refueling and arming for missions over Zimbabwe. Likewise, the Ships would've reached their station off the Coast of Mozambique (in the anchorage near Bassas da India - a French Territory) and begun preparations for their planned operations. The Durance-class replenishment ship would begin making twice-daily trips between Mayotte and the fleet to keep it well stocked on ammunition, fuel, food, water, and other necessities.

With the recent declaration of war, their primary mission was to secure and evacuate the French Embassy. 27 Knights of the 21st Battalion, Knights Expeditionary (24 of which would carry FAMAS G2s, 1 of which would be a machinegunner with an FN Minimi, and the last two carrying PGM Hecate II antimateriel Rifles) would take off from the Britanny in one of the Super Frelons and fly towards Harare (along the Main/Northern axis of attack on the operation map.) Once they reached Checkpoint 1, just outside of Mozambique Airspace, they would drop down to 100 ft, moving to an altitude of 50 ft at Checkpoint two (just across the Zimbabwe border). The second helicopter from the Britanny would follow them.

An identical force would take off from Occitania in her Super Frelons (this time from the 22nd Battalion, Knights Expeditionary), following the same altitude restrictions, however these would follow the southern axis of attack, and would stage in a field southwest of Chitungwiza.

J.Hyde

 

[J.Hyde]

Logan

The Zimbabwe Armed Forces was, to put it simply, unfit for purpose. Lack of funding since the creation of Zimbabwe in 1980 meant that the stocks of weapons they had were ancient, some artillery pieces dated as far back as 1940, and were the former property of the defunct Rhodesian Army, the tanks were Soviet T-62 or T-55 copies from China that hadn't seen any form of maintenance in years, and the air force's fighter strength consisted of just 7 Chengdu J-7's, a Chinese copy of the Soviet MiG-21. Those were grounded due to a lack of maintenance, crews to perform said maintenance, and spare parts.

The Armed Forces were what they claimed to be in name only, and would be incapable of resisting any form of actual assault.

---

As the second group of French knights arrived at their staging point near Chitungwiza, a large crowd of civilians began to materialise and approach them rapidly. They were cheering, happy to see someone, anyone, that wasn't government-aligned, and in a position of power.

The crowd attempted to close the distance and hug the knights, children of both sexes offered bunches of flowers they'd picked or toys as gifts, while crying mothers offered the babies they cradled in their arms for their saviours to kiss.

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Dzivarasekwa Barracks was a military installation in Harare which was the home of The Presidential Guard Brigade. This elite unit was tasked with the personal defence of The President, Robert Mugabe, and to perform ceremonial duties for public events. Their mark was a bright yellow beret, which helped separate them from the rest of the Zimbabwean Army. Reports of the arrival of French helicopters had quickly caused the alarm to be raised.

"Stand by your beds!" A platoon officer shouted as he entered a dormitory to rouse the troops within. "We have enemy helicopter-borne troops approaching the capital. We have been ordered by the president to lead the defence."

Much to his surprise, none of the soldiers made any move to stand by their beds, they continued milling around, relaxing on their bunks, or chatting amongst themselves.

"Did you all suddenly become deaf!?" He yelled angrily. "I said stand by your beds! NOW!"

"No."

The officer whirled round to face the soldier standing behind him that had replied.

"What did you just say!?"

"I said no." The dissenter repeated. "We're at war with four nations that are all, individually, much more powerful than us. We can't win."

"You're not here to think about whether we can win!" The officer screeched back. "You're here to do as you're fucking told! Now, get yourself ready this instant!"

The dormitory's inhabitants watched the standoff with interest.

"Make me." The dissenter replied, causing the officer to retrieve his sidearm from its holster and placed it against the soldier's forehead.

"This is mutiny." The officer stated acidly. "If you don't obey, then I can summarily execute you for treachery and cowardice."

Without flinching, the soldier glanced at the TT-30 pistol in the officers hand thoughtfully.

"Tula Tokarev 30." He remarked. "8-round magazine. You're going to need a lot of magazines, if you're set on executing us."

The officer's ears pricked up upon hearing the term 'us'. He then glanced behind him and found that the other soldiers had now stood and taken a few steps towards him, indicating that they too weren't going to obey his orders. Realising that the platoon was compromised, the officer quickly stormed out of the dormitory in a pathetic attempt to try and retain some form of dignity. Scenes similar to this repeated up and down the country, those that were loyal to Mugabe quickly found themselves either overpowered, overruled, or outnumbered, by those who saw that the writing was on the wall. Entire units refused to leave their barracks, some senior commanders of entire army brigades refused to obey the order to muster their units for battle.

The Zimbabwean Army was not going to participate in this fight.

 

[Logan]

When the QRF Force touched down, they would make sure the perimeter was secure before trying to converse with the local population, not being hostile in any way, but keeping the crowd from swarming them outright. The Helicopters would also touch down and shut their engines off, waiting for any signal from the strike team.

The main strike team would fast-rope onto the roof of the French Embassy, with the two men carrying PGM Hecate IIs staying up top to provide overwatch. 21 of the men, including the machine gunner, would set up a perimeter on the ground floor of the building the embassy is in, while a four-man fireteam would split off, moving as stealthily as possible towards the State House (the official residence of the President of Zimbabwe), intending to detain Mugabe. Their helicopters would move towards the staging point of the QRF's helicopter J.Hyde

 

[J.Hyde]

Logan

The team that arrived to relieve the embassy would land unopposed, the army was refusing to leave their barracks, and the police had disintegrated in the face of the possibility of facing proper soldiers. This was a task that they were completely unsuited for, and they knew it.

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While the Zimbabwean Army had refused to fight, the president, and his residence, was not unprotected. In addition to the army's Presidential Guard Brigade, the Central Intelligence Organisation, Zimbabwe's secret police and intelligence agency, provided close protection to Mugabe around the clock. Plain clothes agents armed with mere sidearms patrolled the grounds and the interior. They were fully aware of the emergency befalling the republic, and were beginning plans to evacuate the president from Harare via the presidential car. The front of the house had the armoured Mercedes Benz S-Class limousine parked up outside, awaiting its passenger to leave the building and embark, so that Mugabe could be whisked away to safety.

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Meanwhile, the force staging near Chitungwiza continued to be mobbed by overjoyed citizens. The displays of gratitude and affection continued to pour on the knights, while conversations revealed that they were relieved to see foreign soldiers, since they assumed that they were here to get rid of Mugabe and liberate them from his tyranny.

 

[J.Hyde]

Logan

 

[Logan]

The Fireteam headed after the President would set up positions along the most direct route from the State House to the Airport. Using kill zones to their advantage, they would establish an ambush. Once Mugabe crossed their zone of fire, they would shoot out the tires on his vehicle and the rear vehicle, after which they would give the guards the opportunity to surrender, and if they did not, they would use their terrain advantage to catch the guards in a crossfire, being careful not to land a killshot on mugabe as he was considered a high value target.

The two empty helicopters, which were originally supposed to be evac forces, would move to Harare Airport, which was known to be either allied or neutral in its control J.Hyde

 

[J.Hyde]

Logan

Due to the evacuation of Australian special forces, and others, having been completed, the airport was now back under civilian control. The CAAZ, and the airport staff, posed no resistance as they guided the helicopters to landing spaces on the airport grounds from the Air Traffic Control tower.

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Meanwhile, The President, after being bundled into the back of the limousine, sped off out of the estate, and, as predicted, fell prey to the French units waiting for them. The CIO agents escorting Mugabe were quick to bail out of their vehicles upon being immobilised, so they could return fire against the attackers. However, they were quickly mown down, leaving their bodies scattered around the street. The President remained safe and sound, locked inside the armoured limousine.

 

[Logan]

Dragging Mugabe out of the car, the four knights would remove his coat and place a black hood over his head (to keep from being swarmed by angry mobs) and escort him to the airport. They would take the most direct route there, and would be under orders only to fire when fired upon. As they made their way, the empty helicopters would start to refuel at the airport. Giving hugs and waving goodbye to the crowds, the QRF Force would also load up on their helicopter to meet at the airport, and the final helicopter would pick up the 23 men still at the Embassy.

J.Hyde

 

[J.Hyde]

Logan The crowds were left puzzled and bemused at the sudden departure of The French. Were they going to come back? Why were they leaving so soon after they'd arrived? Their corrupt government had collapsed. Who was going to keep the country together now? Zimbabwe had ceased to exist as a country due to it no longer possessing the important requirement of it possessing a stable government. Zimbabwe was free real estate.

 

[Logan]

Once the Helicopters were filled and fueled, the two empty ones and the one carrying the Embassy defense team would depart from the airport towards the coast - returning to the Naval deployment where they could hand off Mugabe to a return ship. The last helicopter, however, would return 10 of the Knights to their earlier landing zone in order to meet with the crowd and maintain contact with the civilian population of Zimbabwe, while the taking the other 17 to the Zimbabwe Military's command, detaining any military personnel who refused to surrender and attempting to find a group of officers willing to establish a stable and peaceful order until a new government could be set up.

J.Hyde

 

[J.Hyde]

Logan

The returning knights were met with a renewed round of jubilation. The locals were overjoyed to see that their fears, while existing for a little while, were not turned into reality.

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The Zimbabwe Defence Forces, like the police, was a corrupt organisation that had been stacked with individuals chosen for their loyalty to the president, than for any actual skill or competence in the art of warfare. With the realisation that the troops they commanded had mutinied, there was nothing left to protect them from retribution for their crimes. The military high command had quickly packed up whatever valuables they could and then commandeered the closest method of conveyance so they could flee the capital, and the country, as fast as they could. Similar occurrences had happened with the ruling party, ZANU-PF had, once it had taken power in 1980, engaged in a litany of catastrophes, both intentional and accidental, which had ruined the lives of the average Zimbabwean and even attempted to genocide some of the ethnic minorities in the country. Remaining was a certain death sentence.

 

[Logan]

The Helicopters going back to the ships having returned, Mugabe would be transferred to the La Fayette, which would return with her sister ship, Phillip II to France, going LI-LJ-LK-KK-KL-KM-JM-IM-IN-JO, where they would sit outside of the Netherlands territorial waters awaiting instructions.

The Knights in the capital would begin trying to build a government from scratch, recruiting whoever was willing to join a militia that would be capable of establishing order in the city and across the country. They would also try and tap into the small but not insignificant catholic population to try and establish a similar order of military and humanitarian knights that would be capable of taking care of the people when they were gone. The knights who were among the community would similarly try and establish the beginnings of a new government but would begin building it from the ground up - coordinating with local governments, elders, catholic and Anglican bishops, and other respected members of the community into helping communities establish their own stability before banding together with others to reform the nation.

J.Hyde

 

[J.Hyde]

Logan

There were many men who were willing to volunteer for a place in the militia to maintain law and order in the interim. However, they were not trained in law, or any methods of law enforcement. Meanwhile, tribal elders and local clergy were more than happy to try and appeal for calm and normality to try and prolong the inertia of the local populace, before they potentially began getting ideas of how to exploit the sudden dissolution of the government.

In the capital itself, the Archbishop of the Harare Diocese, Patrick Fani Chakaipa, was too old to play a large part in the creation of a government, or the establishment of a Catholic religious order in Zimbabwe, however he was able to send a promising priest who had been ordained in the Diocese of Hwange, Robert Ndlovu, who was thought to be worthy of Bishop status in the future, to assist.

As for the protestants, Bishop Abel Muzorewa, a nationalist leader who had been the only black nationalist leader to not be banned during The Rhodesian Bush War, due to his organisation not participating in the guerrilla warfare that was eagerly perpetrated by ZANU and ZAPU, put forward his own name as a person willing to assist in keeping the country together, while a new government was founded. Also of note, was Rudo Matachaba and Trevor Hawkins, the pair that had organised the march that had brought about the downfall of the Mugabe Administration. They had settled upon "Rhodesian Renaissance Coalition" as the title of their jointly-created political party that would, when elections are held, contest them. However, they were, for now, more interested in preventing the populace collapsing into a state of anarchy.

(Left to right: United Methodist Church Bishop Abel Tendekayi Muzorewa, Roman Catholic priest Robert Christopher Ndlovu, Rudo Matachaba and Trever Hawkins, founders of The Rhodesian Renaissance Coalition.)​

 

[Logan]

The knights would discuss the creation of this new Order - whose naming they would leave to the Zimbabwean Bishops - with Father Robert, including a basic rank structure (Men at Arms, Sergeants, Knight-Officers, Knight Commanders, and Knights Grand Cross), and would offer their hand in training the first few hundred men as well as instructors to provide the future history. They would offer similar training to the militia, but it would be focused more on Internal Security and providing a modicum of law enforcement to the country.

The Knights among the community would meet with Bishop Muzorewa and Rudo Matachaba and Trever Hawkins, as well as Father Robert once his discussions with the others were done. They would discuss the creation of a provisional government, led by a council including and appointed by these four leaders (with input and counsel from mayors, local leaders, and tribal leaders), which would have the goal of establishing a new constitution and holding elections by May or June of 1997.

J.Hyde

 

[J.Hyde]

Logan

All four parties agreed to the terms of The French. A constitution would, as requested, be drawn up as soon as possible, and it would be put to the people in the form of a referendum, so that the new constitutional arrangements of Zimbabwe command the approval of the majority of the populace.

"We must humbly ask that assistance be given to help win over the local populace and protect the referendum and ensuing elections." Trevor said to the paladins commander. "The elections performed in 1979 under The Internal Settlement were interfered with by ZANU and ZAPU communist insurgents. The possibility exists that ZANU loyalists to Mugabe may try to seize power once foreign forces have departed, and ZAPU-aligned members might try to have their turn at power, now that ZANU's been displaced."

"I can say, as a former fighter for ZANU during The Bush War, that both groups were supplied by The Soviet Union and Maoist China. ZAPU was even supplied with aircraft and armoured vehicles on the advice of The Soviets. They could still pose an existential threat if they were to ignite a second bush war." Rudo added, garnering a murmur of agreement from Bishop Abel, who had been a witness to The Bush War as a moderate black nationalist that had refrained from getting involved with the violence.

"Mugabe may be gone," Abel mused. "But his followers are out there. One man that particularly worries me is Solomon Mujuru, a general who fought for Mugabe as both an insurgent leader and as chief of the army until 1995. He is only 51, if memory serves, he has many years of fighting strength left within him if he so chooses. His influence in ZANU is powerful enough to make him a potential successor to Mugabe as the leader of the group."

 

[Logan]

The Super Frelons from the Occitania would bring 54 more knights to Harare in order to help establish security. The Two Super Frelons of the Brittania would fly from their ship to Mayotte - where they would pick up humanitarian supplies such as food, water, and medical aid, Fly Back to the Occitania, and then back to Harare. While this wasn't much, it was hopeful that this would begin a long chain of supply of Aid to the Rhodesian Capital. The Helicopters would continue making this supply trip continuously until ordered to do otherwise.

The Knights would begin patrolling with the new Knights and Militiamen in Harare, making sure that their practices and discipline were conducive to establishing peace in the country.


J.Hyde