Operation Lightfoot: Difference between revisions

=== Planning and Coordination ===

Planning phases began almost a full year prior to H-Hour itself, with Arcerion Army Headquarters receiving a directive that it was responsible for a twofold approach to the issue of the Cape's rise in communism. The first was to prepare a multi-division level invasion of the Cape's Central and Eastern sovereign territory, and the latter was to send Arcer military representatives to Paulastra to coordinate for a simultaneous ground invasion by their Army as agreed upon at the ABC Conference. Initial coordination called the heads of many of Arcerion's fighting divisions, as this would require the vast majority of the small military's resources. One of the most prominent figures was Major General Johnathan Eddis, the then-commander of the Royal Arcerion Military college. A career infantryman, MGen Eddis' emphasis on modern signals equipment, decentralized leadership, and aggression made him the ideal choice for the newly formed 1st Airborne Division, the only time in Arcerion's history that a division-level airborne unit would be formed. The initial staff conference held in Kinnaird on XYZ date in the Kinnaird Garrison's headquarters planning room came with the conclusion that a surprise airborne invasion, with limited preparatory bombardment or aerial strikes would help the ground forces achieve quick successes over the Cape in the early hours of their attack.  

The initial issues identified were the amount of aircraft required to transport thousands of Arcerion's servicemen to land in the Cape, as well as the issues surrounding supporting fires in the form of fixed-wing close air support and long-range artillery support from 105mm and 155mm army batteries. The former issues, later discussed as 'the Airlift Problem' would result in an extremely rare government nationalization of Arco Air, whereas the latter was solved with meticulous staff planning. To make up for the needed fire support in the initial 24-72 hours of the invasion, Arcerion parachute infantry would seize the Cape's Songun Islands, and the airfields therein, allowing a forward staging of Arcerion Air Force planes and equipment at what would become known as 'FAF 1' (Forward Airfield 1). From there, once inland airfields and airstrips had been secured, the Air Force would be able to more easily support front-line operations. Concurrent, the Navy and Merchant Marine would land troops in the town of Novasar, which would be secured no later than H-Hour +72 to allow for a port sufficient in its size to ease landing operations.

From the beginning, Eddis emphasized that this campaign would be a "matter of hours, not days, and for the fighting man a battle of minutes and seconds." As such, all timings for the first 3 days of the fighting were to be referenced in planning as 'H-Hour +' to denote that they only had 72 hours in which to get soldiers onto the ground, supplied, led, and directed at the enemy. Eddis was confident that once Arco paratroopers were pointed at the Cape by their officers, "the NCOs would finish the job." It was with this in mind that the planning conference set follow-on dates and checks to ensure that regular staff coordination was maintained. The Air Force was assigned several Army liaisons and they provided their own to ensure maximum coordination between the two armed services.  

[[File:Operation Lightfoot Preparations.jpg|left|thumb|Members of the newly-formed 1st Airborne Division conduct battalion-level parachute training at the Dalfearn Garrison in preparation for Operation Lightfoot. ]]

[[File:Operation Lightfoot dispositions.png|thumb|Dispositions of Arcerion Divisions and Division (-) strength elements at H-Hour for ''Operation Lightfoot''. ]]

Aside from the exercises, planners also had to work feverishly to furnish the new 1st Airborne Division with the equipment that was required. From anti-personnel mines to hand grenades, socks to recoilless rifles, the Arcerion civilian industry had to step up to provide the average Arco para with what he would need to survive the battle he would hurtle towards from the sky. The result was a once-in-a-generation movement to assist, with donations and purchasing of war bonds, to recycling campaigns all dedicated towards helping the Arcerion fighting man undertake what would be the country's first expeditionary operation in its history, across a wider span than ever before. The result was that the Army's Procurement Bureau was able to get the equipment, ammunition, and resources required not only to train and equip its expeditionary forces during their maiden deployment, but also to sustain it until they could set up a consistent supply line through Paulastra. Eddis' own opinion on this was that, "the victory of ''Lightfoot'' was as much the responsibility of my own as it was the everyday Arcer family, from food rationing to the purchasing of war bonds, ''Lightfoot'' demonstrated that settler spirit so common in our national memory, that in tough times Arcers band together." By the eve of the invasion, the public had ensured that not only was the 1st Airborne Divison ready, but existing divisions wer ebrought up above paper and authorized strengths, with recruiting drives and training institutions set up across the country.

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 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 ==

Headquarters - Major-General Johnathan Eddis

* DZ Alpha (Red)

** 1st Airborne Division HQ Company

** 2nd Parachute Battalion

** 1st Airborne Field Battery, Regiment of Arcer Horse Artillery

** 3rd Parachute Battalion

** 4th Parachute Battalion

** 5th Parachute Battalion

** 10th Parachute Battalion (Reserve)

** 6th Parachute Battalion

** 7th Parachute Battalion

** 11th Parachute Battalion (Reserve)

** 12 Parachute Battalion (Reserve

==Battle==

=== Movement to the Cape ===

[[File:Arco Paras Pack.png|thumb|Members of Arcerion's 1st Airborne Division pack and prepare for their insertion into the Cape on H-Hour. ]]

As the night of the invasion approached, Eddis was concerned that weather reports would prevent the accurate landing of his forces on the designated dropzones.  

[[File:Hill 220.jpg|thumb|A machinegunner with K Company, 4th Parachute Battalion fights Cape defenders in their hasty positions atop Hill 220, Cape Province, the Cape during the morning at H-Hour +7. ]]

=== H-Hour ===

=== Hill 220 ===

=== Novasar Airfield ===

=== H-Hour +72 ===

==Aftermath==

=== Operational Successes ===

=== Casualties ===

[[File:Arco Casualty.png|thumb|Members of the 2nd Infantry Division (Moorden) transport a wounded infantryman on a litter to the Battalion Casualty Collection Point (CCP) during the advance on Canova. ]]

=== Lessons Learned ===

=== Political Reactions ===

=== Subsequent Operations ===

[[Category: Arcerion]]