DELTA

DELTA, short for Département d'Elite-Tirailleuers d'Armée (Burgoignesc for "Department of Elite Skirmishers of the Army"), is an elite tier one special operations force of the Yonderian Defence Force under the Special Operations Command. First stood up in 1955 as a centralized unit specializing in deep reconnaissance, DELTA has since been ever expanding in size, tasking and responsibilities. DELTA is today tasked with performing the most complex, classified, and dangerous tasks and conducts various specialized missions such as counterterrorism, hostage rescue, special reconnaissance, and direct action (short-duration strikes or small-scale offensive actions), often against high-value targets.

Most information concerning DELTA is designated as classified, and details of its activities are not usually commented on by neither the Yonderian Defence Force nor the Yonderian Parliament. DELTA is headquartered in Nouvelle-Estia, Yonderre. DELTAs take their nickname Bérets Rouge from the beret they earn the right to wear after completing the vigourous training. In combat, DELTAs specialize in an assault technique known as "recon-subversive action", a form of specialized.

Formation and the Occidental Cold War
DELTA was stood up on November 25th 1955 as a centralized special forces unit of the Yonderian Defence Force, initially at battalion strength. The first DELTAs were hand picked volunteers who came from countless regiments of the YDF, particularly from reconnaissance and scout units, many of whom had been volunteers fighting for Burgundie in the Second Great War. As a result of the 1956 Bonn Hotel Bombing, DELTA saw its first expansion of duties as counter-terrorism, and by extension counter-sabotage, became a primary directive of the force. With the Occidental Cold War growing longer, DELTA is thought to have reached regiment size in the mid-1960s with units garrisoned in several major Yonderian cities and strategic frontier areas while still centrally controlled from Nouvelle-Estia. In 1984, the Special Intervention Force of the Custodes Yonderre was stood up to supplement DELTA in counter-terrorist and counter-sabotage tasks. Headquartered in Gabion, Vandarcôte, the Special Intervention Force was modelled on and trained by DELTA.

Vandarch Canal Crisis
DELTAs were very active during the Vandarch Canal Crisis running reconnaissance, sabotage and counter-sabotage missions against GaelWind, particularly in the Grand Vandarch Canal Zone. DELTAs were instrumental in repelling the Assault on the Canal Zone in January of 1992, fighting fiercely in the face of overwhelming enemy numbers. In one action known as the Battle for Hill 101, a six-man DELTA team held up and decimated a 200-strong element of the Ereglasian Revolutionary Guard for six hours. Despite facing two armoured personnel carriers and more than two hundred enemy combatants, the six DELTAs were able to hold off their attacks until they could be supported by and ultimately extracted by AMS-72 combat helicopters of the Marine Yonderre. At the cost of two killed DELTAs and the remaining four wounded, the DELTAs managed to disable an enemy armoured personnel carrier and kill or wound more than fifty enemies. The delay caused by the DELTAs at Hill 101 allowed coalition forces time to consolidate and prepare defences for the coming Assault on the Canal Zone.

Recon-subversive action
DELTA specializes in a maneuver entitled "recon-subversive action". Recon-subversive action is an assault technique in which relatively small recon elements (even down to fireteam-level) make brief probing attacks from a distance at enemy positions and emplacements to determine their strength - a form of specialized - afterwhich the DELTAs will pull back to reapproach the target from elsewhere. The cycle repeats until the element leader decides either to assault the enemy position from the best angle discovered, call in support (if available) or cause whatever damage is possible without posing excessive risk to the element before withdrawing. The key element to recon-subversive action is, regardless of whether or not an assault takes place, to harass enemy forces while obtaining intelligence on their positions and strength.

A notable example of the effectiveness of recon-subversive tactics occured as part of Operation Overthrow during the opening stages of the Final War of the Deluge when a four-man DELTA recon element managed to capture a Varshani self-propelled. Using recon-subversive tactics, the DELTA team was able to capture and extract a VKS-200 SRBM from a location codenamed "Point Fishbone", despite facing more than 50 enemy soldiers. Although all four DELTAs were wounded in the process, they succesfully extracted the vehicle to a safe location from which a Kiravian HM-30 heavy lift helicopter was able to secure the missile, destroying the vehicle mount with explosives before extracting. The four DELTAs involved in Fishbone all survived and were each awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Joanus for their actions.

Recruitment and training
Prospective DELTAs are subjected to vigorous training prior to joining the ranks of DELTA.

Equipment
As a "Tier One" force, DELTA operators have access to a wide array of small arms:

Longarms

 * FAMAG - Both 7.5x42mm and 6.8x43mm assault rifle
 * MiMAG - Both 7.5x42mm and 6.8x43mm light machine gun
 * SAR-99 - Assault rifle chiefly used in but both  and 6.8x43mm are in inventory
 * SMPM-4 -  submachine gun
 * FNC-90 - 5.7x28mm submachine gun
 * SMG-59 - 7.5x62mm general purpose machine gun
 * FP-2000 - 7.5x62mm or precision rifle

Sidearms

 * MAG-17 - pistol
 * FNC-95 - 5.7x28mm pistol
 * MAG-92 - pistol
 * MAG-92A - machine pistol
 * MAG-92G - 10x25mm pistol
 * MAG-81 - pistol

Heavy weapons

 * FA-36 - 24x139mm super heavy anti-materiel rifle
 * SMG-4 - 12.7x99mm heavy machine gun
 * Kimmera 81 - 40x55mm automatic grenade launcher

Anti-air

 * EM13a-2 Lightning-2 -

Anti-armour

 * MAS-12 152mm ATGM
 * MAS-72 135mm ATGM
 * RAS-16 105mm RPG
 * RAS-66 66mm RPG

Notable DELTAs

 * Ulrich Digarde - former DELTA Colonel, founder of Intrepid Enterprises
 * Siegmar d'Everard - current DELTA operator, Istroyan athlete and public speaker
 * Hercule Egonne - former DELTA Captain, historian
 * Adolphe Ratsaque - former DELTA Sergeant, author and public speaker