Operation Featherlite
| Operation Featherlite | |||||||||
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| Part of Telekonese Conflict | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Arcerion |
 Kelekona | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
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1 Rifle Brigade 7 Rifle Brigade 11 Parachute Brigade |
22nd Motor Rifle Brigade 71st Motor Rifle Brigade 98th Naval Infantry Brigade | ||||||||
Operation Featherlite was the military landing of Arcer troops supported by aircraft and naval vessels on the islands of Foxhey Governorate, in an effort to retake the strategically important Gibson Gap.
Background and Preparation
The Arcer General Staff had undergone preparations to retake the islands in the Gibson Gap. The movement of three brigades, notably 7 Rifle Brigade, with its mountaineering and cold weather experience, and a large contingent from the Arcerion Parachute Regiment as part of 11 Parachute Brigade. Arriving in Craigfearn, they quickly began coordinating plans for landings and recapture of the islands, beginning first with coordinating efforts with the Arcer Air Force and Royal Arcerion Naval Service.
The Arcer Air Force would be required to ensure air superiority was achieved over the islands to allow the ships of the Royal Arcerion Naval Service the ability to ferry and land men, equipment, and supplies to support the brigades that were preparing to land.
The Arcer General Staff prepared three brigades to seize the islands. 1 Rifle, 7 Rifle, and 11 Para were all moved quickly to Craigfearn and began preparations to retake the four islands of Foxhey. The Arcer Air Force began preparations with aerial reconnaissance flights, early usage of satellite photography, maritime reconnaissance, and working with Arcerion Special Operations Command. Members of the Special Arcerion Service Regiment had been conducting raids and reconnaissance of Kelekonese positions and facilities since the war's outbreak, and this helped build the intelligence picture required for the Air Force to strike.
The Royal Arcerion Submarine Service during this time had its new Dolphin-class diesel electric attack submarines shadow the Kelekonese Navy, and had been conducting attacks on supply ships and other vessels bringing commerce into the Northern Malentine Sea. Sorties from Chester-on-Moore were constant and proved to be effective, as the Navy's blockade of the Warrington Strait prevented new ships from entering the Malentine Sea.
Preparations focused on the landings, and a Task Force (Task Force 86) was organized around the Arcer aircraft carrier, the ACS Kurst. Plans were for a short but aggressive air campaign, followed by landings in Farnsworth, followed by Swindon and Gramsby. During the preparations for the operation, a surprise attack by several Kelekonan destroyers and frigates on Port Gibson damaged much of the runway and support facilities. With the main military airfield in Foxhey damaged, the Arcer Air Force was forced to sortie out of Dunborough, Craigfearn, and Kinnaird. The extended times would only be cut down once the smaller runway at Farnsworth could be repaired, and with some sorties being conducted by the Naval Air Arm from the Kurst.
The date of the invasion was set for 7 October, as the weather forecast predicted clear skies that would be favourable for air-ground coordination, and Task Force 86, now comprised of over thirty warships and supporting vessels, moved into the Malentine to avoid Kelekonan spies and reconnaissance and to maintain operational surprise.
Air Combat
From 1-7 October, the Arcer Air Force engaged in fierce dogfights over Foxhey, the Gibson Gap, and the Malentine Sea. Strikes against Kelekonan positions on the smaller islands were frequent, as the Air Force prepared the area for landings. The dogfights also saw the first uses of air-to-air missiles in Crona, with Arcer Goshawk fighter aircraft engaging older Kelekonan fighters, which were mostly armed with guns or very early missile designs. The Air Force was ultimately successful, and by 6 October the Kelekonan Air Force sorties remained outside the Gibson Gap, with Arcer fighters conducting combat air patrols over the islands and attacking surface-to-air missile sites. The Arcer Air Force also conducted additional aerial reconnaissance during this time as part of the bomb damage assessment after its strikes. Arcer fighters would continue to remain in support of ground troops as operation shifted from a prepatory phase and began to focus on the landings.
Land Battles
Over the course of October and November, Arcer infantrymen, supported by light artillery, close air support, combat engineers, and naval gunfire landed on the islands over a series of weeks and retook them from Kelekonan control. Kelekonan forces, facing starvation, harsh Northern Malentine conditions, with cold rains and night temperatures ranging from 0-5°C had low morale and were short on supplies. Arcer infantry, under these adverse weather conditions, methodically cleared each island, liberating hamlets and villages of Arcer fishermen and citizenry, who welcomed the Arcer forces with flowers and warm food. Conditions on the island during November had continued to become worse, with cold rains and high winds making helicopter-borne resupply to the Arco forces on the islands increasingly difficult.