Operation Featherlite: Difference between revisions

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 Governorate|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 [[Kelekona|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 [[Operation Featherlite|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.

=== Swindon ===

=== Gramsby ===