2,554
edits
Operation Lightfoot: Difference between revisions
m
no edit summary
mNo edit summary Tag: 2017 source edit |
|||
| (4 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
|casualties2 = | |casualties2 = | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Operation Lightfoot''' is considered to be one of the largest and most aggressive airborne operations of the [[Great War]], with over 10,000 Arcerion soldiers airdropped followed by thousands more via sea. It was fought in the Cape and surrounding territorial waters and islands from XY - YZ Month Year, between the Arcerion Army and Air Force and the Armed Forces of the Cape. In response to a rapid increase in socialist and communist sympathizers taking over prominent positions in the Cape, and slowly moving it towards a socialist state, the Arcerion Army was tasked with seizing much of the country's vital infrastructure to prevent communist control of the important Songun Straits. The result was a pitched series of battles over several months, culminating in the collapse of Cape Armed Forces' resistance and subsequent withdrawal to the East. Operation Lightfoot coincided with the Paulastra offensive OP XYZXYZ, which centered on a land-based invasion of the Cape from their shared territorial border. | '''Operation Lightfoot''' is considered to be one of the largest and most aggressive airborne operations of the [[Second Great War]], with over 10,000 Arcerion soldiers airdropped followed by thousands more via sea. It was fought in the Cape and surrounding territorial waters and islands from XY - YZ Month Year, between the Arcerion Army and Air Force and the Armed Forces of the Cape. In response to a rapid increase in socialist and communist sympathizers taking over prominent positions in the Cape, and slowly moving it towards a socialist state, the Arcerion Army was tasked with seizing much of the country's vital infrastructure to prevent communist control of the important Songun Straits. The result was a pitched series of battles over several months, culminating in the collapse of Cape Armed Forces' resistance and subsequent withdrawal to the East. Operation Lightfoot coincided with the Paulastra offensive OP XYZXYZ, which centered on a land-based invasion of the Cape from their shared territorial border. | ||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
=== Planning and Coordination === | === Planning and Coordination === | ||
| Line 35: | Line 35: | ||
While the Airborne forces trained, the remaining two forces earmarked for the invasion, the Arcerion 2nd and 5th Infantry divisions were training for their conventional role in the battle. In a smaller fashion as well, members of Arcerion's reserve and territorial troops, under the 6th Divsion would play a lesser role in providing the forces to relieve paratroopers on the Songun Islands after the parachute infantry had captured key points. The 2nd and 5th Infantry trained almost continuously, only granting leave the month before the invasion, and soldiers were uninformed as to where their deployment would be until just weeks prior to the operation. Whereas the Airborne had been sworn to secrecy and been rehearsing for months, studying map tables, memorizing aerial photographs taken by regular Arco Air flights with hidden aerial cameras, the ground forces had the distincrt advantage of operating either from Paulastra itself and having a consistent rail and road head to operate from, or landing at a port secured by the paratroopers and fighting forward from there, linking up with troops throughout their advance as paratroopers were to seize key road and rail junctions. | While the Airborne forces trained, the remaining two forces earmarked for the invasion, the Arcerion 2nd and 5th Infantry divisions were training for their conventional role in the battle. In a smaller fashion as well, members of Arcerion's reserve and territorial troops, under the 6th Divsion would play a lesser role in providing the forces to relieve paratroopers on the Songun Islands after the parachute infantry had captured key points. The 2nd and 5th Infantry trained almost continuously, only granting leave the month before the invasion, and soldiers were uninformed as to where their deployment would be until just weeks prior to the operation. Whereas the Airborne had been sworn to secrecy and been rehearsing for months, studying map tables, memorizing aerial photographs taken by regular Arco Air flights with hidden aerial cameras, the ground forces had the distincrt advantage of operating either from Paulastra itself and having a consistent rail and road head to operate from, or landing at a port secured by the paratroopers and fighting forward from there, linking up with troops throughout their advance as paratroopers were to seize key road and rail junctions. | ||
=== The Airlift Problem === | === The Airlift Problem === | ||
The major issue for the insertion of an entire division was the amount of aircraft required. Prior to the standing-up of the 1st Airborne Division, Arcerion only had conducted two brigade-level airborne exercises, and they each required almost they entirety of the Air Force's fixed-wing transport complement, much of which was classified as 'light' and therefore did not have the range to permit the insertion of almost 9,000 Arcer paratroopers in a single night. The government had to find a solution, and by nationalizing Arco Air, the country's civilian passenger airline, it was able to. They brought in seven different new air frames, and militarized them, under the guise of preparing their crews for pilot training for future operations. However, each civil air crew was given a choice as part of the nationalization, to continue to serve as a member of the Airline, or volunteer for an assignment that would require them to temporarily become members of the Arcerion Air Force. Upwards of 80% of the airline's pilots and aircrew volunteered, resulting in a wave of new recruits, many of whom not only flew transport aircraft for the duration of the war, but fought in subsequent engagements as fighter or bomber pilots. | [[File:Arcer Planners for Operation Lightfoot.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Staff officers on MGen Eddis' staff conduct final planning sessions the week before H-Hour, ''Operation Lightfoot''. ]]The major issue for the insertion of an entire division was the amount of aircraft required. Prior to the standing-up of the 1st Airborne Division, Arcerion only had conducted two brigade-level airborne exercises, and they each required almost they entirety of the Air Force's fixed-wing transport complement, much of which was classified as 'light' and therefore did not have the range to permit the insertion of almost 9,000 Arcer paratroopers in a single night. The government had to find a solution, and by nationalizing Arco Air, the country's civilian passenger airline, it was able to. They brought in seven different new air frames, and militarized them, under the guise of preparing their crews for pilot training for future operations. However, each civil air crew was given a choice as part of the nationalization, to continue to serve as a member of the Airline, or volunteer for an assignment that would require them to temporarily become members of the Arcerion Air Force. Upwards of 80% of the airline's pilots and aircrew volunteered, resulting in a wave of new recruits, many of whom not only flew transport aircraft for the duration of the war, but fought in subsequent engagements as fighter or bomber pilots. | ||
The nationalization allowed Eddis and his planners to insert almost the entirety of the division in a single wave. While that initial complement would be left by themselves to fight for the first night and much of the next morning themselves, if they were able to secure runways and airfields inside the Cape, it would permit the airlift of additional reinforcements until sea-borne forces could be landed, or brought by rail from Paulastra. | The nationalization allowed Eddis and his planners to insert almost the entirety of the division in a single wave. While that initial complement would be left by themselves to fight for the first night and much of the next morning themselves, if they were able to secure runways and airfields inside the Cape, it would permit the airlift of additional reinforcements until sea-borne forces could be landed, or brought by rail from Paulastra. | ||
== Order of Battle - Airborne == | == Order of Battle - Airborne == | ||
| Line 42: | Line 41: | ||
{{flagicon image|1 airborne no background.png|size=50x30px|border=no}}Headquarters - Major-General Johnathan Eddis | {{flagicon image|1 airborne no background.png|size=50x30px|border=no}}Headquarters - Major-General Johnathan Eddis | ||
* DZ Alpha (Red) | * DZ Alpha (Red) | ||
** | ** 1st Airborne Division HQ Company | ||
** | ** 1st Parachute Battalion | ||
** | ** 2nd Parachute Battalion | ||
** | ** 1st Airborne Field Battery, Regiment of Arcer Horse Artillery | ||
** | **1st Airborne Engineer Battalion (Independent) | ||
* DZ Bravo (Blue) | * DZ Bravo (Blue) | ||
** 3rd Parachute Battalion | ** 3rd Parachute Battalion | ||
| Line 53: | Line 52: | ||
** 10th Parachute Battalion (Reserve) | ** 10th Parachute Battalion (Reserve) | ||
** 3rd Airborne Field Battery, Regiment of Arcer Horse Artillery | ** 3rd Airborne Field Battery, Regiment of Arcer Horse Artillery | ||
* | * DZ Charlie (Yellow) | ||
** 6th Parachute Battalion | ** 6th Parachute Battalion | ||
** 7th Parachute Battalion | ** 7th Parachute Battalion | ||
| Line 60: | Line 59: | ||
** 9th Parachute Battalion | ** 9th Parachute Battalion | ||
** 11th Parachute Battalion (Reserve) | ** 11th Parachute Battalion (Reserve) | ||
** 12th Parachute Battalion (Reserve | ** 12th Parachute Battalion (Reserve) | ||
==Battle== | ==Battle== | ||
=== Movement to the Cape === | === Movement to the Cape === | ||
| Line 85: | Line 85: | ||
At Dropzone Bravo, the 4th parachute Battalion quickly had to regroup and attack the Capetians, who by now had pulled almost a full infantry battalion onto the ridgelines and bluffs overlooking the River Merve. These high features could serve to assist in the coordination of artillery and air support against any Arco forces attempting to cross the rivers and push deeper inland, and as such the critical piece of terrain had to be captured early in the invasion. the 4th Parachute Battalion (Juliet, Kilo, Lima Companies) engaged in a multi-combat team attack in an attempt to seize, or at least fix, the enemy entrenched there. Despite the 1.5:1 numerical superiority held by the Cape, the ridgeline was hammered by Arco aerial strikes as well as 81mm and 120mm mortars almost constantly. The 3rd Airborne Field Battery in its After-Action Report (AAR) reported that it had used almost 50% of its first-wave dropped ammunition stores on defensive positions on or supporting Hill 334 in the first 24 hours of fighting. | At Dropzone Bravo, the 4th parachute Battalion quickly had to regroup and attack the Capetians, who by now had pulled almost a full infantry battalion onto the ridgelines and bluffs overlooking the River Merve. These high features could serve to assist in the coordination of artillery and air support against any Arco forces attempting to cross the rivers and push deeper inland, and as such the critical piece of terrain had to be captured early in the invasion. the 4th Parachute Battalion (Juliet, Kilo, Lima Companies) engaged in a multi-combat team attack in an attempt to seize, or at least fix, the enemy entrenched there. Despite the 1.5:1 numerical superiority held by the Cape, the ridgeline was hammered by Arco aerial strikes as well as 81mm and 120mm mortars almost constantly. The 3rd Airborne Field Battery in its After-Action Report (AAR) reported that it had used almost 50% of its first-wave dropped ammunition stores on defensive positions on or supporting Hill 334 in the first 24 hours of fighting. | ||
By the end of the second day (H-Hour +48), the 4th Parachute Battalion held the majority of key terrain on Hill 334 and the Capetian forces ontop had either been destroyed or captured. As noted afterwards by the Commanding Officer of 4 Para, LCol Jeff Berskley, "The Capetians on [Hill] 334 fought with a tenacity that even we [4 Para] had to respect. It wasn't until afterwards we had learned they were Reservists that had only been called up for their annual service less than a week before. Despite the lives lost on both sides, even those who made it back left part of themselves in those hills." Nominal muster rolls on H-Hour +72 showed that Juliet, Kilo, and Lima companies had each fought to almost 50% strength, and amongst them Kilo Company specifically was on paper only at a total strength of 125 of 287 men, 44% total strength, of which the Officer Commanding (OC), was a junior Lieutenant, and three of its four platoons were under the command of NCOs, with only the weapons platoon still having an officer that had not been killed or wounded. After the battle, the | By the end of the second day (H-Hour +48), the 4th Parachute Battalion held the majority of key terrain on Hill 334 and the Capetian forces ontop had either been destroyed or captured. As noted afterwards by the Commanding Officer of 4 Para, LCol Jeff Berskley, "The Capetians on [Hill] 334 fought with a tenacity that even we [4 Para] had to respect. It wasn't until afterwards we had learned they were Reservists that had only been called up for their annual service less than a week before. Despite the lives lost on both sides, even those who made it back left part of themselves in those hills." Nominal muster rolls on H-Hour +72 showed that Juliet, Kilo, and Lima companies had each fought to almost 50% strength, and amongst them Kilo Company specifically was on paper only at a total strength of 125 of 287 men, 44% total strength, of which the Officer Commanding (OC), was a junior Lieutenant, and three of its four platoons were under the command of NCOs, with only the weapons platoon still having an officer that had not been killed or wounded. After the battle, the a section commander with 4 Para, Corporal Jeffery Yule, wrote in his memoir, "I saw men shot, men blown up until their guts spilled out like a dog under a car, and men bleed to death screaming for their mothers and fathers in a home they would never see again. But time again, the Sergeants and Warrants would stalk up and down the company lines, standing proud in a withering hail of [Capetian] machine-gun fire, bringing us spirit. I remember sitting in a shell crater with LCpl Cochrane, and he produced a flask of gin. He held it to his lips, taking a sip. We had surrendered our water to the Company's Aid Station to give some comfort to the wounded men. He leaned over, the whistling of mortar rounds howling overhead in the twilight of another day fighting. I took it with thanks, and that small sip gave me some courage that the day was not yet lost. He was killed less than an hour later, shot through the face by a Capetian machinegun. An only child of a Northlea farming family." | ||
Eddis, learning of the horrific fighting himself later concluded that he should have assigned more indirect fire assets for DZ Bravo, and in his own memoirs after the war wrote that the actions on Hill 334 were still some of his greatest regrets. | Eddis, learning of the horrific fighting himself later concluded that he should have assigned more indirect fire assets for DZ Bravo, and in his own memoirs after the war wrote that the actions on Hill 334 were still some of his greatest regrets. | ||
| Line 104: | Line 104: | ||
=== Subsequent Operations === | === Subsequent Operations === | ||
[[Category: Arcerion]] | [[Category: Arcerion]] | ||
[[Category:Arcer History]] | |||