The Valkyries are a specialized wing of the Rheinland Military, hand-picked by the Major General from amongst the best of their pilots. One of them is chosen as the Staffelkommandant; a leader to cement their training as the most elite fighting squadron Rheinland has to offer.
Currently, the Valkyries are deployed to serve in the war against Liberty. Their assignment includes whittling down Liberty forces, gathering intelligence on fleet strength and disposition, and ensuring that when the rank and file pilots engage Liberty they do so with as few losses as possible. To this end, the Valkyries are given complete authority on all operations within Liberty, and answer only to Flag Officers or High Command.
History:
Before the 80-Years War, Rheinlands military strategy was solely focused on the brute force approach, simply overpowering their enemies in pitched battles. However, the Gas Miners Guild did not engage in pitched battles- they sent small teams in to do what damage they could before retreating into the depths of the clouds. Their victory over the Imperial Navy convinced Rheinland that such tactics did have merit, although it is difficult to dispel centuries of military tradition; nothing came of it, though it remained in the minds of strategists.
When the Nomads first arrived in Rheinland, they immediately began pushing for a full scale militarization of resources. As they cemented their control, all of Rheinlands material wealth went into building ships, and the Military quickly had a fleet to rival even Liberty. As the Nomads directed them to do their bidding, however, they once again proved ineffective at dealing with small groups of skilled opponents- most notably, Edison Trent and his various compatriots, who eluded them numerous times and even destroyed an entire battlefleet with only a handful of light craft. As Rheinland withdrew from Kusari, the Blood Dragons set upon them again in Sigma-13 in a bloody repeat of the last battles of the 80-Years War; Rheinlands military strength, while quite capable of battling foes on even ground, had no defense against small, well-trained teams.
After the Nomad War concluded, Rheinland found itself almost without resources in its main territory. Under the direction of the Nomads, they had converted most of their mineral resources into ships, many of which had been destroyed. While Rheinland now found itself with many veteran pilots, it would need to be far more careful with its ships. To this end, Rheinland focused on training its pilots to the highest quality possible.
By 815 A.S., it was considered such an accomplishment to defeat a pilot of the Rheinland Military that freelancers and fortune seekers from across Sirius would come to try their luck against them for the glory alone. This strength would prove vital during the war with the Corsair Brotherhood that year. Although the war ended in a decisive victory for Rheinland, it was not without cost- many of Rheinlands veterans gave their lives for their nation, and the average skill of a military pilot declined over the next year and a half. Rheinland lost its dominance in superior pilots, but did not lose all of them.
When war with Liberty broke out, Rheinland found itself able to easily defeat Libertys forces in fleet engagements or when attacking with proper counters, but matched forces were almost always defeated due to differences in skill or sheer weight of numbers. Rheinlands ace fighter pilots were scattered amongst a variety of squadrons, and while they could lead their squads to victory as a coordinated force, they could not stand against the might of the Liberty Navy Gold Wing- a squadron made entirely out of the best pilots Liberty had to offer.
Seeking a counter for this force, as well as a symbol to rally its forces behind, Rheinlands strategists turned toward their past and decided to replicate the successes of the Gas Miners Guild or Edison Trent. Hand picking the best of the best, an elite squadron was formed to not only provide opposition for the Gold Wing, but also to cause havoc within Liberty and ensure the lives of rank and file soldiers were preserved.
Base of Operations:
The Valkyrie Squadron is based out of the RNC Ammersee, a Rheinland Cruiser modified to function as a mobile base of operations and training ground. As to not impede upon the main war effort, the Ammersee relies solely on the Valkyries for defensive fighters, and also provides all supplies and armament needed by the squadron. Because of this, the Valkyries are never far from the Ammersee, going no more than two systems away from its location.
Ranks and Roster:
Staffelkommandant - Considered to be the leader of the Valkyries, this position is only held by one individual at a time. The Staffelkommandant is responsible for overseeing the training of the squadron and carrying out the objectives assigned by the Major General.
Diana Ritter
Jagdfuhrer A rank held by no more than two Valkyries, these are the personal lieutenants of the Staffelkommandant. This rank is entrusted to those who can handle squadron management in the absence of its leader.
Igor Lazovic
Jager The regular members of the Valkyrie squadron, though regular does them no justice. Though they have no special position within the squadron, they are as involved in its operation as those who command them the strength of the Valkyries comes from the perfect cohesion between all of its members.
Lena Hamsen
Stefan Seeger
Max Ritter
Heinrich Ehler
Johann Schmidt
