Friedrich O'Connelly

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Friedrich O'Connelly
FriedrichOConnelly.jpg
Friedrich in 1940
Nickname(s)Connie
Friedrich of Arabia
Born(1911-06-20)20 June 1911
Anthold, Commonwealth of Gallia-Bruhl
Died16 May 2012(2012-05-16) (aged 100)
Anthold, Gallia-Bruhl
Buried
Chapel of St. Elizabeth of Anthold
Allegiance Gallia-Bruhl
Service/branch Royal Gallian Armed Forces
Years of service1935–1980
RankBrigadier
Commands heldXIII Gallian Corps
Battles/warsSecond Europan War
War of Lorican Aggression
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Garter
Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the Lucis Empire
Distinguished Service Cross
Military Cross
Order of the Holy Lance
Order of the Holy Shield
Mentioned in Dispatches
RelationsLouis O'Connelly (son)
Louise O'Connelly (granddaughter)
Albert O'Connelly (grandson)
Other workDesert Parlor Owner

Friedrich O'Connelly (20 June 1911 - 16 May 2012) was a Gallian military officer and diplomat. He was known for his liaison roles during the Middle East Campaign of the Second Europan War. He was also instrumental with the uprising of the Africanna Tribes as well Tribes in the Middle East who were persecuted by the Quenminese forces. Hence, he was affectionately known as Friedrich of Arabia.

As a son of a Lucian officer, O'Connelly had a troubled upbringing. As a result, his mother moved out of the house with the custody of their son. He was raised in Upham where he spent most of his studies in. He later attended Jesus College, Upham where he studied history. In 1931, he worked as an archaeologist for the Lucian Museum and was assigned to work with Pergamese archaeologists.

In 1932, he enlisted as an officer for the Lucis Army in Egypia when the threat of the Estharian Civil War was feared to spread in North Africanna. O'Connelly was commissioned as a Captain whilst working on his archaeology tasks. When EWII broke out in 1935, he found himself assigned as a representative of the Lucis Army to the Arabian tribes in the Middle East in an attempt to convince them to join the Allied cause. At first, the Arabs dismissed his predictions until in 1936 during the Imperial Invasion of the Middle East. O'Connelly's role would later be one of the causes for the Allies regaining the momentum in 1938 following Prince Hashur's acceptance of Lucian aid.

O'Connelly played a large role during the Battle of Sania, when he orchestrated the rescue of Col. Yukio Kushineda Jr. after being asked by his younger sister, Brigadier Tsukuyo Kushineda to rescue him. As such, O'Connelly enlisted the aid of Sherif Ali ibn el Hassan, who was the most powerful Arabian leader in the region. As a result, O'Connelly, with the help of the LRDG and the Arabs successfully rescued Kushineda Jr.

O'Connelly continued to play large roles until the end of the war. Later on during the War of Lorican Aggression, he once again served under Field Marshal Sir. Archibald Sugiyama, whom he had developed a close friendship since EWII. He retired in 1975 and lectured archaeology in local universities until his death in 2012.

Early Life

Military Career

Second Europan War

Arab Revolt

Battle of Sania

Rescue of Col. Yukio Kushineda Jr.

In the climax of the Battle of Sania, the LRDG would lose Kushineda Jr. after he was buying time for his men to escape the Imperials and he was subsequently captured. Upon hearing the news of Kushineda Jr.'s capture by the Quenminese, his sister feared the worst as the latter were easily driven to execute anyone after an immediate interrogation. As such, O'Connelly was approached by Tsukuyo Kushineda, asking him to locate his whereabouts and rescue him from Imperial captivity. Feeling her pain and worry, he immediately set about with the members of the LRDG to meet up with the local Arabian leader Sherif Ali ibn el Hassan to enlist his aid as he knew that they would need the help of the Arabs to locate Kushineda Jr.

A day after they had set off, O'Connelly met up with Ali, whom was working for the Imperials at that time and O'Connelly sought to turn his allegiance around. When he revealed to Ali the atrocities that the Quenminese have committed on Arabians who refused to work or contribute to the war effort, Ali agreed to align himself with the Allies. Fortunately, Ali also knew where Kushineda Jr. was being held and they immediately set off to rescue him. They arrived on the Imperial camp where Kushineda Jr. was being held. O'Connelly, Ali, along with members of the LRDG and Ali's men hid themselves behind the dunes as they observed the camp. An hour later, they found Kushineda Jr. being led out to be executed by the Quenminese by beheading. O'Connelly immediately ordered the LRDG and Ali to prepare to storm the camp. While Ali's men distracted the Imperials, the LRDG would storm the camp by means of their jeeps and nab Kushineda Jr. from the Quenminese. An LRDG personnel, Lt. Ernst-Georg Blumentritt shot the sword off the Quenminese officer (who was later revealed to be Quách Ngọc Tuyết when she defected later on in the war) and this gave the signal for the LRDG and the Arabs to charge. In the midst of the confusion, the LRDG managed to get Kushineda Jr. out of the camp and back to the Allied lines. As a result, O'Connelly was subsequently awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross by General Archibald Sugiyama for the success of the rescue.

Further Roles

War of Lorican Aggression

Personal Life