Day 89
Over the last month, we have received a handful of Statrican guerrillas who seek to mount a defense of their homeland. I will say, too little too late, but not to them. They have asked us for help and for arms and ammunition, to open up a localized guerrilla front. As Political officer, my job is to oversee their political education.
These people are unmitigated poor, mostly illiterate peasants who are more nationalist than anything. Nine out of ten, there's not a socialist among them.
We've nonetheless assigned a small detail to begin training them though. Away from the main camp. We've given them the firearms we are taking off the Lourennaise: I figure: if they are a guerrilla unit living off the land, they will be taking weapons from the guys they're shooting, and so what better to train with than those weapons? They spend a week "snapping in" or dry firing at targets, to practice breath control and getting into position, and then they live fire for another week. We very strictly limit their ammunition. Week three is survival and land navigation and week four is squad and platoon tactics. The best among them, by acclaim by their fellows, is awarded the rank of Corporal, and they are sent out. We've already sent through one training cycle of 52 Statrican Guerrillas, and the remainder have spent anywhere from two to four weeks watching their comrades, waiting to start the next cycle.
At this rate, we'll train 600 guerrillas a year, to replace us in the field if we ever go home.
Speaking of going home: A platoon from Filbert's unit passed by our camp headed to the coast. They were spotted by pickets some ways off in the distance, and did not heed any of our signals, but they were unmistakably ours. We have had no word from Filbert in three weeks, and a courrier only yesterday arrived from Machado. The roads have been impassable, but Machado had set up near the Statrican/Lourenne/Sekowo frontier, west of an old provincial capital of Turedobs. His hope is to set up a conduit for Kalistani assistence through Sekowo, and from there he will send word for Kalistan to replenish his troops.
In a week, we will send a small group to try to raise Filbert and get him to report.
In base here, it has been nearly a month since we've seen any action. But we did have to hold a trial last week for a squad of deserters. I will not utter their name, but their plan was to go into Berozna, and buy supplies. We got a tip off that they were planning something else, so I got Guerra to assign a group of six men to follow them. Instead of going to Berozna, they cut West and were headed to the coast. Our group very quickly apprehended them and returned them to base here. One of their number, perhaps in an effort to save his own skin, dimed his comrades out, saying their plan was to loot and pillage their way back to the coast. He said that two men in the group had been responsible for a string of violations of the local population in the nearby villages, sneaking off at night. They were known to the pickets who let them go and they always returned to base before sunrise so they wouldn't be suspected. We asked these two men if this was true, and they admitted it. I ordered their summary execution, (perhaps the first two in centuries and centuries of Kalistani History) for failure to uphold the dignity of the Kalistani Militia, and lectured the company on the importance of military discipline at all times. Most of the partisans were disheartened by the executions as these two were otherwise well liked, but as we do not have the facilities to imprison them for their anti-social ways, execution was the only way to protect the area from their sort.
I also put out the word that any other such violations would be met with as harsh a punishment.
As for the deserters, they were stripped of their weapons, and put on confinement for a week. It was then ordered that they were to remain without a weapon for another month, and would serve as the mules whenever the unit went on patrol. Only with faithful service can they possibly expect to rejoin the main body.
As for the snitch, he was demoted.
The fault of the lack of discipline of these men lies in their inactivity. Boredom and lack of control of one's circumstances frustrates people. But I made it clear that I will not tolerate anti-social behavior among these Partisans. That is the behavior of Louis and the NC, not Kalistani Partisans. I only hope their example serves to illuminate the ethical behavior of the others.
When word from Filbert comes in, I will write more.