Katerina "Cleaver" Von Hoftstadter
Actress: ??
Affiliation: European Union / Germany*Rank:* Two-star General*Role:* Commander of the 8th Mechanised Warfare Division*Speciality:* Railguns and mechanised combat*Nickname:* ‘Cleaver’
Status: Non-canon character from Generals 2
Katerina ‘Cleaver’ Von Hoftstadter is a German General in the European Union specialising in electromagnetic railguns and medium-range combat.
She grew up in the rural region of the Alb-Danube in Germany, the only daughter in a family of seven children.
A stoic and serious child, Katerina learnt at a very early age to stand her ground and not be daunted by the chaos around her, qualities that would later define her leadership style.
Deeply patriotic, to the point of bordering on Nationalism, she naturally chose a military career and enrolled at a military academy, before serving with distinction on several fronts.
Less than five years into her career, Von Hoftstadter experienced the event that would make her a national heroine: the siege of Algiers.
At the head of the defenders of the European Union embassy, she held out for a full week against GLA forces vastly superior in number.
To repel the assault, Katerina employed a previously unseen deployment of tanks equipped with railguns, whose firepower enabled the Europeans to hold their positions.
The defence was a complete success: despite the ferocity of the fighting, no civilians were killed during the siege.
The ambassador’s praise and the immense impact of this victory enabled Von Hoftstadter to secure a fast-track promotion within the European command.
Having been promoted to two-star general, ‘Cleaver’ finally took command of the 8th Mechanised War Division, which specialises in the large-scale deployment of railgun technology.
Her arsenal was to include, in particular, Railgun Squads, Fox LRVs, Assault APCs, Aegis tanks and experimental Railgun tanks, supported by Longbows, Orcas and Phantoms.
She could also deploy the Gerhardt Krause commando unit, whilst her positions were protected by Railgun turrets and Rocket Soldiers. Her signature support ability was the Plasma Bomb.
Katerina even personally wields a Railgun, the primary weapon of her specialist infantry unit, highlighting her direct involvement with the technology that has made her reputation.
Her doctrine is therefore based on a combination of defensive discipline, mechanised firepower and precise electromagnetic fire, which is particularly effective against infantry assaults and at medium range.
Katerina ‘Cleaver’ Von Hoftstadter was thus intended to embody the German mechanised might of the European Union: an unyielding patriot who became a heroine by refusing to give ground, and then a General by transforming the Railgun into a genuine combat doctrine.
