Operation Hammerfall (Mission 1 pt 1)

Those who served:

Caverick
Berklesnort
Plancake
Ivan
Powderman
Malcrntyne
---

The calm, glassy ocean glittered as it reflected the lighthouse on the eastern tip of Stratis. Our inflatable boats cut through the night toward the enemy held island. Out there in the pre-dawn darkness were three AA emplacements that would make mincemeat of our invading force.

BLUEFOR needed the best.
Unfortunately they were in Somalia, so they sent us instead.

Coasting in to the beach, we climbed a hill and RVed with some local partisans. They offered us some supplies and a tip-off about some intel, but were too timid to aid us in our assault.

Stealthily, we moved up to the lighthouse. A complex sprawled before us, ringed by patrols and towers. Several men were playing cards around a table near a campfire, and beside them loomed a hulking Tigris, our first objective. Closer to the lighthouse, a contingent of enemy camped beside a house. Inside, according to the partisans, was valuable intel.

SPLAT took up positions. Plancake, Berklesnort and Powderman moved to overlook the intel base. Malchrntyne and Ivan drew beads on the enemy snipers at the main complex, and I readied my MRPL rocket launcher. Everyone sounded off when ready and awaited my rocket, the signal to fire.

I aimed for the top of the AA's turret, and let fly. There was a chatter of fire, and soldiers dropped like dominoes while the ordinance was still in the air. The MRPL punched through the enemy armour, and our first objective erupted.

Malchrntyne and Ivan picked off the enemy fighters and sentries. Plancake's group moved into the camp firing, Powderman breaking toward the main complex as Plancake doorkicked the house and found a laptop. A quick download, and we had the locations of all 3 AA and enemy strongholds on the island.

Switching to my Mk18, I ran down the hill to join Powderman. Our assault of the complex was ragged and undisciplined, but effective. In moments we had cleared the compound and found three striker vehicles. Berklesnort, our repair specialist, soon had them combat ready.

Saddling up, SPLAT's convoy headed up the mountains to the west. A radio tower winked in the distance, and we saw an opportunity to disrupt enemy communications.

Leaving our vehicles hidden in a gulley, we approached the hill. A two-man patrol along the road was easily KIAed, then we moved to the tower.

A group of soldiers ringed a campfire, and they hadn't heard us take down the patrol. We assumed firing positions, designated targets, and there was a short firefight as we took them out.

To the north we could see the second AA Tigris near two buildings and a campfire. Beyond it, in the distance, was the lights of Camp Rogain. We cleared the area, and Plancake laid a satchel at the radio tower base. He thumbed the switch, and enemy soldiers all over Stratis lost Facebook.

To the west, an Ifrit armoured car sat parked next to a four man roadblock. If we were stealthy enough and had good enough aim, there was a chance we could take them out before they could reach the vehicle.

We were, and we had.

So far, things had all gone SPLAT's way. That changed in short order when an enemy armoured patrol approached from the south. SPLAT scattered into cover. I found a position where the embankment was steep and they wouldn't see me until it was too late, and readied my launcher.

An MRAP with a HMG idled into view.

I punched a rocket through it at close range.

My elation was short lived. A T-100 tank had been right behind it, and its turret swing toward me. I ran for the lip of the hill and safety, but heavy machine gun slugs cut me down.

While I lay screaming, SPLAT fought back. Ivan took out the tank's track with an AT shot, and its crew bailed out into a hail of fire from my comrades. Malchrntyne brought me around, and Berklesnort set to work on the tank with his toolbox. Soon we had a combat-capable T-100 at our command.

We consolidated our arsenal, preparing for the attack on the second objective. Suddenly, in the distance, we heard the ominous rotors of a helicopter gunship.

Continued in part 2...

Operation Hammerfall (mission 1 part 2)

Those who served:
Caverick
Plancake
Berklesnort
Powderman
Malchrntyne


Continuing from Part 1

The chopper prowled the skies above us. We stayed out of our vehicles, not wanting to risk the wrath of its rockets. Plancake had a launcher with just one AA shot, our only answer to it. The chopper came over the top of us, and he saw his moment.

The rocket detonated ten metres behind the helo, right over my head. Hit by the shockwave and shrapnel, the chopper started to fall. Its pilot autorotated and steered for the flat area to the west of the radio towers, and we ran toward it.

The pilot brought the helo down roughly in a gulley. He was hit by fire on exit. His crewman ran into the scrub, and winged one of us before I got him. The chopper, damaged and without fuel, was ours.

Having taken out their air cover, it was time to assault the second AA position. Malchrntyne and Berklesnort took overwatch, Plancake ordered (AI) Ivan into position with his AT, and Powderman and I used a gulley to approach the objective unseen. Moving from rock to rock, we reached the back of the smaller building undetected. Plancake counted us down, and SPLAT attacked.

Powderman and I sprang around the corner. Before we could fire on the men around the campfire they collapsed and the AA tank exploded. Plancake, Berklesnort and Malchrntyne had done their work well.

Powderman and I turned our attention to the buildings, checking the smaller one then doorkicking the larger from two directions. The house held three prone soldiers who fought back hard, hitting Powderman as he took a couple of them out. I mopped up and brought him around.

As we exited the building, an enemy patrol came down the road to investigate. I heard their bullets tug the air around my ears as I threw myself back through the door. Our boys on the hill, however, were still on the ball and took them down.

We readjusted our gear (Powderman grabbed a scope and I liberated an RPG launcher), and we turned our attention to Camp Rogain. It was a formidable emplacement, bristling with soldiers, AT and armour. Malchyrntyne, our marksman, thinned out a couple of their troops at long range but this drew attention. BIG attention. A tank roared out of the base, coming our way.

It was moving fast, but stopped at a large rock coming down the hill and I saw my chance. I launched an RPG across the valley, trying to allow for the drop. I got lucky, hitting the rock and washing fire over the tank. As it spun to move around the rock my second shot scored a direct hit.

Morale and adrenalin surging, SPLAT charged Rogain with Powderman leading. I reached the entrance of the camp and was firing on one of the four soldiers atop a building when he shot me. By the time one of my squadmates had brought me around, we were mopping up. Rogain was ours!

Driving a truck back to the radio towers, we assembled the strikers and other vehicles we'd commandeered for our attack on "the golf ball", the helo base to the south.

We moved in convoy, stopping just short of their grenade launchers' range. Previous attacks from the northeast and west had proved unsuccessful, so we crept through the forest to a small rise to the base's southeast, and attacked from there.

Eliminating their tower lookouts and snipers, we went to work on the main force. They fought back hard, however, and topped off the counterattack with armour. Two APCs drove us back, inflicting heavy casualties. Fortunately, while they hammered my teammates I had time to lift my RPG launcher again, and got them both.

SPLAT regained the initiative and pressed the attack, running into the compound and using the buildings as cover. I took out two shooters, burst into the HQ, secured the bottom floor and then found a sniper on the roof.

Some static guns gave us a small amount of trouble, and then the compound was ours.

Plancake and I then drove a refuelling truck back to the downed chopper. Once it was gassed up, we assessed our chances of getting it off the ground. It was at an awkward angle and among the trees, making a takeoff a guaranteed disaster.

Plancake, Powderman and Berklesnort, however, wouldn't give up. While Berklesnort repaired the helo, the others used trucks to bulldoze the trees and nudge it into a flatter position.

Nervously, I climbed into the pilot's seat and warmed up the engine. My teammates cleared to a safe distance as I hit the throttle, and with a scraping of leaves I was airborne!
[There was actually a bug whereby if the host dies inside a vehicle or static emplacement, they could not be revived or respawn, so I took some risk flying it]

I flew the helo back to the golf ball for rearming. Soon we had an arsenal of two attack choppers, a T-100 tank and some armoured vehicles, all prepped for our final assault.