Letters from Baator 17: The Blitzkriegers

Emperor Xan's picture

Department of Humanities

Psychology/Sociology Section

 

For: Chief Engineer

Subject: Lightning-quick units

 

 The Baatezu blitzkrieg forces are perhaps the most deadly element ever introduced to the field of battle. Blitzkrieg troops are, by their very nature, hyper. They have been enhanced for superior speed and maneuverability. I've watched these forces in action. If you blink, you can miss the whole battle. They have been known to react that quickly.

 In terms of military force, they are not that strong. They depend upon their speed and stealth to accomplish their goals. What helps them the most is their terror factor. No matter how deep behind enemy lines a unit lies, the blitzkrieg units are still capable of causing damage to it. The ease at which they hit their targets and the seemingly scatter-shot approach is alarming, even to the Tanar'ri, who envision Baatezu units to strike head on and in an orderly fashion.

 Blitzkrieg attacks rely on hitting a string of targets that to the unaware seem to be completely unrelated. These targets are based on a list that only the Dark Eight and the commanders of the Baatezu armies know. The purpose for hitting each one is based on their strategy for the Blood War and their attempts to push the Tanar'ri back.

  Blitzkrieg units rush in to the flanks of their targets and proceed to systematically gut them. This is one of the most horrifying sites to see. The sheer speed and viciousness that the Baatezu react with is amazing to say the least. Very few Tanar'ri, if any survive. The Baatezu blitzkriegers don't care if any survivors are left behind or not. Their mission is to destroy key objectives. If anyone survives the attack, it works to his or her advantage in that the fear becomes stronger.

 No one outside of the Dark Eight knows the exact number of blitzkrieg units. The Tanar'ri believe that it's somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000 such units. Given the Baatezu tactic of tricking their enemy, this seems to be indicating that the number is much closer to 100 than 1,000. No Baatezu will claim membership to one of these blitzkrieg units, making it that much more difficult to establish their true numbers.

 Such is the nature of the blitzkrieg forces. They are quite effective, that much I can attest to. Since all Baatezu look the same, I'm not even sure who it is that I saw in action. However, it is best that I bring attention to these troops if we are going to have any chance in a battle when it comes to that.

Xavierra Tempeste, Shaper 2.

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