James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Post by James G on Apr 19, 2019 19:47:26 GMT
WESTERN OPERATIONAL COMMAND
BELORUSSIAN FIFTH ASSAULT CORPS
76th Guards Air Assault Division – Estonia and Latvia
Belorussian 103rd Guards Mobile Brigade – Lithuania
98th Guards Airborne Division – Kaliningrad
RUSSIAN TWENTIETH GUARDS ARMY
1st Guards Motor Rifle Division
Belorussian 19th Reserve Tank Brigade
138th Motor Rifle Brigade
10th Guards Tank Division
Belorussian 120th Guards Mechanised Brigade
4th Guards Tank Division – army reserve
RUSSIAN FIRST GUARDS TANK ARMY
3rd Motor Rifle Division
Belorussian 11th Guards Mechanised Brigade
27th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade
Belorussian 28th Reserve Tank Brigade
Belorussian 6th Guards Mechanised Brigade
85th Motor Rifle Division
Belorussian 38th Guards Mobile Brigade
Belorussian 50th Reserve Mechanised Brigade
Belorussian 37th Guards Mechanised Brigade
2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division – army reserve
RUSSIAN SECOND GUARDS ARMY
Belorussian 34th Reserve Tank Brigade
27th Motor Rifle Division
74th Motor Rifle Brigade
5th Guards Tank Division
RUSSIAN THIRTY–SIXTH ARMY
122nd Guards Motor Rifle Division – Belarus
21st Guards Motor Rifle Division – Belarus
131st Motor Rifle Division – Belarus
WESTERN OPERATIONAL COMMAND CENTRAL RESERVES
345th Guards Airborne Regiment – St. Petersburg
31st Guards Air Assault Brigade – Smolensk
106th Guards Airborne Division – Moscow
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forcon
Lieutenant Commander
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Post by forcon on Apr 20, 2019 9:54:27 GMT
One Hundred and Thirty One
Like their companions to the south, I Corps went on the offensive at dawn, as part of what NATO officially called Operation Baltic Arrow. The combined NATO corps was actually dramatically over strength, contrary to GRU predictions, with six full-strength NATO divisions and numerous separate brigades under its command.
Pushing up past the Vistula River and into Elblag, the Polish 16th Mechanised Division hit their long-time opponents in the 1st Guards Motorised Rifle Division head-on. The Polish Leopard-2s were able to overwhelm numerous Russian positions throughout the day, but losses were heavier than expected. The Poles had been in combat with the Russians since day one, but had been reinforced on their southern flank by two brigades from the Royal Netherlands Army. The Dutch 43rd Mechanised Brigade fought with Belarusian units covering the stretches of highway between Elblag and Ostroda, pushing them back throughout the day in numerous skirmishes, during which the Dutch performed excellently. Similarly, the 11th Airmobile Brigade was finally sent into battle. Using Black Hawk helicopters borrowed from the combat aviation brigade of the US 4th Infantry Division, the 11th Airmobile sent two battalions of infantrymen into the woodlands just south of Ostroda, with the intention of securing the south-to-north highway links. This part of the operation saw the Dutch landing in the middle of a traversing Belarusian mechanised battalion. With intense air and artillery support, the Dutch air assault troops were able to overpower their opponents despite the presence of BTRs & BMP-2s in the area, capturing the battalion headquarters and many staff officers who could provide valuable intelligence.
The British Army’s 1st Armoured Division attacked into the areas it had only recently withdrawn from at great cost, with vengeance on their minds. The British division was now also in charge of the Belgian Land Component’s Medium Brigade, which had been attached to reinforce the 1st Armoured after it had taken severe losses while holding off the Russian offensive last week. Many of those casualties had been replaced by reservists from Britain and troops plucked from units that would not yet be deploying for combat duties. Guards units being used for security duties around London, for example, had sent many of their NCOs and junior officers to the 1st Armoured Division to replace casualties, thus leaving the British capital protected by a less-organised force in the (vanishingly unlikely) event of an airborne coup de main by Russia. With their pathway cleared by the Dutch air assault, the 1st Armoured Division pushed on past Ostroda, bound for its first objective of Olsztyn. Resistance was met at the brigade level from Russian units under the command of the 10th Guards Tank Division. The British had been fighting them from the onset, and now the intelligence corps was growing evermore confident in its abilities to predict Russian movements. The 1st Armoured Division, supported by the Stryker fighting vehicles of the US 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, pushed along Highway 16 towards Olsztyn, overpowering all of the resistance in its path, although not for lack of casualties. By the end of the day’s fighting, over two hundred British and Belgian soldiers had been killed, but Olsztyn was on the horizon as night fell.
Further south was the relatively-fresh 4th Infantry Division, United States Army, with its shiny new M1A2s & Bradleys fresh from stockpiling warehouses. With its two ‘leg’ infantry brigades in reserve, the 4th Infantry Division sent its two leading armored brigade combat teams to attack Olsztyn from the southwest, while British forces cut through resistance further north. Unfortunately, the Americans did not, as they had expected, slice through a weak Belarusian defence like a knife through butter, but rather than ran into a withdrawing Russian armoured regiment from the 10th Guards Division. The 4th Infantry Division’s 1st & 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team’s ended up in a brutal fight throughout the day as the Russians fell back, trading space for time. Belarusian forces were also involved in that fight, pulling back slowly towards Suwalki and that area where NATO was headed for. The presence of AH-64D gunships and A-10 strike aircraft eventually persuaded the Russians to fall back, leaving rear-guards in place and resulting in several battalion-sized pockets of Belarusian troops being formed.
Meanwhile, the British Army’s second division, the 3rd Mechanised, was moving towards the Suwalki Gap. The 3rd Division was on the border between I Corps & V Corps, being the southernmost formation in the former unit. Reinforced by Canadian regulars from the 2nd Mechanised Brigade Group, the British commander was confident of his division’s success. They had fought the Russians to a standstill before using various tactics and weaponry, but not it was time to go on the offensive. He had every right to be confident, it would turn out. The British Challenger-2s and Warrior IFVs met with Belarusian T-72s belonging to the 120th Guards Brigade. Although the Belarusians had performed surprisingly well during the initial offensive, they had become badly attrited during the fighting and were suffering under a stream of air attacks by the Allies. They could ultimately do little to stop the British advance, with the 3rd Division’s leading brigade making contact with a Green Beret outfit operation just outside of Elk before nightfall, before the 3rd Division was forced to briefly halt its advance for several hours while the I Corps units further north reconstituted and prepared for a secondary push.
Those pockets of Belarusian troops caught behind NATO lines proved to be a tougher fight than could have been expected. The Spanish had formed an ad hoc divisional command, the 1st Infantry Division, and that unit was being used as a second-line formation by I Corps for this exact purpose of mopping up pockets of resistance, alongside the German 1st Panzer Division. Casualties for them throughout the day would be appalling, as many Belarusian units fought disturbingly hard. Efforts by NATO intelligence staff would soon discover that President Lukashenko had himself ordered the punishment of the families of withdrawing soldiers, in something that seemed to be a throwback to the days of Stalin. A trio of battalion-sized pockets were cleared out by Spanish troops belonging to the 6th Parachute & 12th Mechanised Brigades. Casualties numbered in the hundreds, with numerous M113s lost as well as a few Leopard-2s. Shaken by the ferocity of the fight, the Spanish nonetheless kept up the pace of the rest of I Corps advance; they weren’t going to be left behind.
Overall, I Allied Corps had performed excellently. General Shirreff had made all the right decisions as a corps commander and had broken through the Russian lines, seized major road intersections and other pieces of vital transport infrastructure, and reached the outskirts of two major townships. Both General Mattis at CJTF-East and General Petraeus at SHAPE had secretly hoped for more to be achieved, with Olsztyn and Elk liberated before tomorrow, but that wasn’t going to happen. Despite I Corps best efforts, a push into those two towns was considered to be impossible until first night on the 25th, when I Corps’ less successful formations could bring themselves back together and continue the offensive.
Further to the east, an even more daring mission was underway as part of Operation Baltic Arrow. NATO’s objectives did not solely include the liberation of the Baltic States and the removal of the Lukashenko regime, but also the total destruction of the Russian Army in the field, or at least the destruction of as much of the army as possible. This meant that the Russians couldn’t be allowed to have a clear line of retreat from Kaliningrad and Lithuania into Russia proper. No, instead they had to be cut off. This was to be done with a parachute jump onto the banks of the Daugava River. XVIII Airborne Corps had covertly formed up in Poland over the past few weeks, with the US 82nd Airborne Division and the British 16th Air Assault Brigade taking the lead. Joining them from the rear would soon be the Belgian Light Brigade and the 1st Canadian Mechanised Brigade Group.
On the night of August 24th, before the ground offensive began, the 1st, 3rd, & 4th Brigade Combat Teams of the 82nd Airborne Division jumped from a swarm of C-130s and C-17s onto the eastern side of the Daugava River, landing between Dunava and Jekabpils. Casualties from the airdrop were predictably immense, with the paratroopers landing on a variety of positions occupied by Belarusian reservist troops. The 82nd Airborne was able to seize its positions, however, against a surprised enemy force. Casualties were sustained by the dozen, but hundreds of enemy troops were killed throughout the night, and by the time the first NATO tanks were rolling eastwards, the 82nd Airborne was dug in on the eastern side of the river. The bridges had been rigged with explosives to prevent the crossing of major enemy armoured formations, and anti-tank missiles had been brought in by the dozen.
Meanwhile, the 2nd & 4th Battalions of the Parachute Regiment jumped onto Daugavpils itself. The 4th Battalion, a reservist unit, landed in the fields to the east of Latvia’s second city, overpowering equally surprised resistance from pro-Russian militias formed from the local population with the support of intense airstrikes. The 2nd Battalion, veterans of Copenhagen, seized Daugavpils International Airport against determined enemy defensive efforts. Fighting at the airport was intense, but the British paratroopers gained the upper hand as a scratch force of men, led by a Major Daniel Jarvis (Military Medal), gathered together and stormed an enemy defensive position by the terminal building, captured a pair of Shilka anti-aircraft batteries that were being used against troops on the ground instead of their intended targets. Immediately after the airport was announced to be secure, RAF and USAF C-17s began ferrying in the remainder of the 16th Brigade, with troops from the Royal Irish Regiment and the Ghurkha’s landing at the battle-damaged airstrip and moving quickly to the banks of the river on the southern flank of the 82nd Airborne. Throughout the day, an intensive effort was made to move the Belgian Light Brigade into Daugavpils by air, followed by some elements of the 1st Canadian Mechanised Brigade Group, which fell under the command of the newly-formed British 6th Airmobile Division.
The question remained; could they hold out?
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hussar01
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Post by hussar01 on Apr 20, 2019 12:49:23 GMT
Yup, good question. If the allies dominate the air and airsupport is plentifull, then yes. That and if they fly in plenty of 155mm artillery pieces. My guess is that this will set off all sorts of political panic in Moscow. And this will mean political interference on the battlefield. And this will mean the Russian army will begin moves that will look like headless chickens are in charge. They will fall victim to poltical panic in Moscow.
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Post by James G on Apr 20, 2019 18:59:18 GMT
Yup, good question. If the allies dominate the air and airsupport is plentifull, then yes. That and if they fly in plenty of 155mm artillery pieces. My guess is that this will set off all sorts of political panic in Moscow. And this will mean political interference on the battlefield. And this will mean the Russian army will begin moves that will look like headless chickens are in charge. They will fall victim to poltical panic in Moscow. They'll want tanks as well as guns, those guys inside Latvia. They'll want them because they will need them. In Moscow, even more political interference is coming.
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Post by James G on Apr 20, 2019 19:00:21 GMT
Day Eighteen of the war. This map isn't perfect (click to enlarge).
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Post by redrobin65 on Apr 20, 2019 19:08:56 GMT
Hopefully Baltic Arrow doesn't turn into Market Garden Part Two...
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Post by James G on Apr 20, 2019 19:12:07 GMT
Hopefully Baltic Arrow doesn't turn into Market Garden Part Two... There will be many, many fears of that. NATO armour has a long way to go while Russia can reinforce at will. This will not be fun for those there.
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hussar01
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Post by hussar01 on Apr 20, 2019 20:07:12 GMT
What about the naval component, a landing at Ventspils or Riga to link up with the airborne and bring in some heavy armour? My guess is they will (by they Moscow) scream bloody murder to get forces engaged or reserves in Poland to crush the airborne invaders. And in this movement from the front will expose them to air attack hell. The will leave the Russian forces with no reserves. All in all a complete unraveling of the Polish front as the Russians react in panic mode.
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Post by James G on Apr 20, 2019 21:55:53 GMT
Without giving too much away, Forcon and I didn't plan for an amphibious op on the Baltic coastline. We sent marines elsewhere though as the story ran, we did tear apart the Russian's Baltic Fleet leading to an unplanned available option. We still have no intention of going the naval assault route. The Russians mined the coast, put mobile missiles across the shoreline and still have few naval forces left. Now it is possible that if Riga or maybe a smaller, less populated port is opened up from inland, then it could be used for landing of heavy gear. That will be needed. Those troops inside Latvia will be having a rough time and relying on an air route that will be exposed to attack. The Russians will go into panic mode though also go lashing out too.
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Post by James G on Apr 21, 2019 19:09:43 GMT
One Hundred and Thirty–Two
During Operation Midnight Talon, when the Americans rescued embassy personnel from Tripoli, a group of just-freed French diplomats had been attacked during the escape. One of those coaches ‘liberated’ from a travel agency by a CIA operative had been raked by fire from a light machine gun. All of those killed aboard were French diplomatic personnel, embassy staff and family members; several US Marines with them were injured along with further French nationals too. Those bodies of those killed just short of getting out of Libya, along a further Frenchman slain at Abu Salim prison where he had attacked the guards, were all returned to France afterwards. President Sarkozy had been there at Vélizy–Villacoublay airbase when their bodies arrived home. France had suffered thousands of casualties in this war already: others hadn’t received this treatment. This was different though and as Sarkozy personally became involved.
Surviving French nationals who made it home from Libya had quite the horrific tales to tell of their treatment in captivity. The DGSE – along with the Americans too – had already intercepted internal Libyan communications about how the hostages were being treated. Now that was confirmed. There were some hostages who were going to need long-term, maybe permanent, medical care concerning their injuries visible but also unseen. Before Midnight Talon, Gaddafi had made those statements on Al Jazeera about how Sarkozy had solicited funds from him to buy the 2007 French presidential election. This had been repeated again afterwards with Libya’s leader, but also his eldest son too, making those claims. Saif Gaddafi had been busy in his father’s stead in recent days. It wasn’t just Sarkozy whom he caused trouble for with things that he said but his activities in previous years where he had been in London was currently causing a public relations nightmare for one of the UK’s most prestigious universities about donations and backroom deals. The Colonel and his eldest – his probable heir – had refused to learn their lesson from all that had so far happened with Libya’s involvement in this war. They had abused France repeatedly and Sarkozy pushed for the matter to be ‘resolved’.
The resolution that Sarkozy wanted was to force the end of the Gaddafi regime.
There was support within NATO and the Coalition for this yet few countries were prepared to throw everything needed at such a task. The Russians had only recently been stopped in Poland and now they were being pushed back. The priority was to liberate occupied areas of Poland and then too free the Baltic States. Libya had been bombed repeatedly and the embassy hostages rescued. Ukrainian-flagged ships were no longer going to Libya as Russian proxies either (several had gone into neutral Malta) so Libya stood alone. Wasn’t what had been done with Libya enough already? It wasn’t for France and thus it wouldn’t be for those who Sarkozy already had on-side. He managed too to arm-twist several other national leaders into his line of thinking as stories of treatment in captivity came from their own freed captives plus also Libyan activities following Midnight Talon. Aided by Russian intelligence intercepts, Libya had been made aware that that rescue was launched from Egypt. What had Libya done in response? Ordered border shelling and also launched a couple of tactical ballistic missiles against Egypt. Libya’s own troops had come off worse in those cross-border clashes and the missiles had fallen harmlessly into the desert. An attack had been made on Italy too. Libyan aircraft had formed up over Tripolitania in a strike package – a wild mix of aircraft – and headed northwards towards Sicily. Alerted by an AWACS over that Italian island, French and Italian fighters had met them above the waters of the Mediterranean. It had not been a fair fight. Sixteen Libyan aircraft went down with no NATO losses despite later claims from Tripoli of two dozen air-to-air kills… they had most certainly not bombed Italian airbases to ruins either. Libya, Sarkozy had said, with agreements now from Frattini in Rome and Zapatero in Madrid, needed to be invaded with the Gaddafi regime deposed.
America, Britain, Germany and others said that they were unable to provide the necessary forces to help achieve that. France, Italy and Spain had a commitment themselves to Poland and their allies wanted them to improve upon that. However, Sarkozy was going to get his way. The huge build-up of forces from those three Southern European countries, plus also Portugal alongside them and maybe Egypt if the United States was willing to give the necessary nod of the head, continued. They were all planning to invade. Egypt was important in this but so too were the Americans. While Sarkozy was going against what Biden wanted, he still had managed to not alienate the American president. Israel wanted the lone US Navy aircraft carrier in the Med., the USS John C. Stennis, to turn its attention toward Syria but for now it stayed off Libyan waters, away to the northeast rather than between Libya and Sicily where the French-led carrier group (their own plus those smaller Harrier-carriers of Italy & Spain) was. This was big win when it came to keeping American focus on Libya rather than letting them turn that elsewhere. Moreover, when it came to dealings with Cairo, Egypt remained an American ally and it was Washington, not Paris, that was going to have to bring that country into the orbit of the Coalition.
The military build-up was going to take some time complete. It wasn’t just about moving men or ships but transporting supplies and creating a logistical network. A command set-up was something already done with France at the top of that. This was currently based at Istres–Le Tubé Airbase in the South of France. An objective needed to be agreed upon more than just deposing the Gaddafi regime. This was something which was going to take time too if the operation wasn’t to go wrong once ashore. It was all going to take a while but there was now an ongoing effort to go into Libya with Coalition troops and not leave until the country was no longer led by someone who had gone out of his way to make so many enemies, including the vengeful current president of France.
Outside of Damascus, Assad had his armies attack the Israelis. The Syrians outnumbered their opponents significantly. Tank, infantry carriers and dismounted riflemen all moved forward. The aim was to break the blockade of the city and deliver quite the propaganda blow. It should have worked. On paper, the Syrians had the firepower and that numerical advantage. What the Syrians didn’t have through was operational secrecy nor air cover. The Israelis knew exactly what was coming due to intercepting enemy communications. As the Syrians started to move, springing what they believed to be an ambush of quite some magnitude, forward-based Israeli troops took a step-back to allow the Syrians to hit a lot of thin air. From above, once the Syrians were moving, in swept Israeli aircraft. Moreover, the Israelis brought the Americans with their air power into play too. Off in distant Transnistria, there remained some fighting in Tiraspol – an embarrassment to the Coalition that was – but elsewhere that country had been overcome. The Ukraine had been ‘behaving’ somewhat and while the threat from them wasn’t gone, it wasn’t what it had been before Operation Crowbar had been launched against the Russians in the Crimea. This had allowed the transfer to occur of two-thirds of the American Air National Guard squadrons in Romania to fly from the British airbase in Cyprus. NATO Forces Romania controlled two squadrons of F-16s and one of A-10s. The latter stayed while the former flew to RAF Akrotiri. However, those F-16s were on temporary duty when it came to their Cyprus deployment. CJTF–East (under SACEUR) wouldn’t let them go on a permanent basis to CENTCOM – which was responsible for the fighting in Syria – and retained the right to recall them at any time for possible operations over the Ukraine or even to move them further northwards. This was a bureaucratic mess. In the meantime, they saw action though above Syria in hitting Assad’s army.
The stunning victory which was supposed to happen outside Damascus didn’t. The blockade of the city wasn’t lifted. Israel still controlled all major approaches – though gaps were left for civilians to leave; which they did – and also airports and airbases. Syrian propaganda said that Assad was there and personally holding back the Israeli attempt to take the city… he most certainly wasn’t.
American forces under CENTCOM command and taking part in Operation David’s Shield fought today like the Israelis did against the Syrians. They were operating to the southeast of the Golan Heights, near to Nawa and the Syrian-Jordanian border. US Army troops with the 173rd Airborne Brigade (from Italy and which SACEUR now wanted back if there was to be an American ground presence in Libya: another spat was happening here) and the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division fought alongside US Marines. There had been the addition of Marine Reservists – 1/24 Marines to join the regulars with 3/8 Marines – as the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit became the 6th Marine Expeditionary Brigade but David’s Shield was still limited when it came to its own organic air cover. There were AV-8B Harriers flying from two amphibious assault ships off the Israeli coastline who were making refueling stops inside Israel but they weren’t yet stationed on land. Israel and the United States couldn’t agree as to terms relating to their deployment. And they called this David’s Shield…? The solution to that, decided elsewhere among politicians, was that the US Marines would fight for an airbase to use inside Syria for themselves. The US Army wanted that air cover they could get from the US Marines basing Harriers here – they too were far from happy at the Israeli’s attitude to ‘foreign forces’ on their soil and also the SACEUR–CENTCOM disputes – so helped fight for that airbase. Fighting off Syrian attacks here came secondary now when it came to securing an American airbase. It was madness! There would be post-war recriminations about this, many were sure, but a lot of people were already covering their behinds too. What those on the ground fighting in Syria didn’t know was that at the same time as idiots were acting this way, there were some cooler heads at work back home. Currently in the Indian Ocean after clearing the Malacca Straits was the USS Ronald Reagan. Unavailable at the start of the war for Pacific duties due to a delayed (it was on then off throughout the earlier part of the year) stand-down for maintenance, the Reagan had departed California and shot across the Central Pacific: the carrier was assigned to CENTCOM. When she reached the Red Sea, after completing a transit unofficially being deemed ‘Operation Cowboy’, it would be launching air strikes over Syria after flying through both Israeli and Jordanian (they were going to keep quiet about this when it happened) air space. The Reagan was going at full speed but it was still going to take some time for her to arrive there. A suggestion had been mooted that maybe Syria could be attacked from Iraq. There were American forces in Iraq, were there not?, and aircraft too. Those aircraft had already been nearly all moved to Afghanistan though. There was also an insurgency raging throughout Iraq and it was one which several people back home feared that could spread across the border into Syria following American action. Washington was seeking not to see Syria become another Iraq while at the same time aiding in the blasting of that regime to bits, thus weakening that state. This certainly wasn’t something many could understand but it was what they wanted back there at home. In the meantime, Americans died in Syria where they fought what really was someone else’s war.
Talking of complicated conflicts, Israeli forces were in Lebanon too. Now that was becoming a bloodbath! Hezbollah, aided by Iranians who officially weren’t there, engaged Israeli troops inside Lebanon. The fighting went on and on. Those taking part had different ideas what it was all about and considered it important… but it wasn’t. Lebanon was nothing more than yet another sideshow.
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raunchel
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Post by raunchel on Apr 22, 2019 7:59:30 GMT
It looks like the Syrian army is suffering very badly indeed, which will probably mean having to move forces from elsewhere in the country, including security forces. Added to that, there will probably be armed desertions, so this can turn into even more trouble than Iraq, although probably still better than otl of course, unless the Americans really make a mess of things.
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Post by James G on Apr 22, 2019 16:33:08 GMT
It looks like the Syrian army is suffering very badly indeed, which will probably mean having to move forces from elsewhere in the country, including security forces. Added to that, there will probably be armed desertions, so this can turn into even more trouble than Iraq, although probably still better than otl of course, unless the Americans really make a mess of things. Syria is on the brink. The signs are not easily visible but it the security situation is a house of cards waiting for a swift breeze.
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Apr 22, 2019 17:31:18 GMT
One Hundred and Thirty Three
While NATO ground forces went on the offensive in Europe, an Operation Eastern Gamble continued apace. The opposed landing by the US Marines’ 7th Regimental Combat Team on the beaches south of Nogliki had seen immense losses as the Marines ran straight into prepared Russian defences.
Even though the US Navy and Marine Corps had been pounding the Russian positions from the air for days now, dug-in troops had survived the bombardments. The landing troops had met ferocious resistance as Russian forces fought to defend their own soil, but a beachhead had been established after several hours of intense combat, with additional units from the 1st Marine Division, including a battalion of M1A1 main battle tanks, following the 7th Regiment onto the beach.
Amongst them was the Australian 1st Infantry Brigade, attached to the 1st Marine Division.
The Australian brigade also had British Gurkhas under its commando, with those men having been sent from their garrison in Brunei to Sakhalin rather than going to Europe. That decision had been taken by the British government to show that the United Kingdom could still project power ‘east of Suez’ even if that was being done as part of an American-backed operation. The British government sending the Gurkhas also helped bring the Australian government around to supporting a full-scale amphibious landing.
By midday, the 1st Marine Division, including the Australian brigade, was ashore on Sakhalin. More troops were to follow with the 25th Infantry Division, but those would not be coming for some time and an airstrip would have to be seized before they could be flown onto the island.
For now, the fight was up to the Marines and the Australians and their Nepalese comrades. As horrible as the combat on Sakhalin would be, there was a view amongst the American Marine Corps commanders that it was best to simply get on with it. Most officers dreaded the march to the next objective of Nogliki, but it would have to be done on way or another, and so the decision was taken for the 1st Division to simply begin marching.
There were two major highways leading from the bridgehead to Nogliki, both defended by elements of the 33rd Motorised Division and by militia units. Up these roadways marched the 1st & 5th Marine Regiments, with the latter unit taking the northernmost highway and the former taking the southern route. The Australian 1st Brigade, along with the beaten-up 7th Marine Regiment, were kept back behind the other two regiment’s advancing prongs, used to secure the rears and exploit potential successes.
Fighting broke out in the dense woodlands south of Nogliki.
The battles were utterly intense, with the Marines slowly pushing forwards through fierce resistance against a determined enemy.
Artillery strikes were called by both sides, while the Marines could utilise naval gunfire support and the use of their Harrier aircraft and Cobra helicopters. In the woodlands, however, fighting quickly descended into hand-to-hand combat with bayonets and rifle-butts. Troops fought too close to each other to call in effective fire support without risking themselves. Strafing runs by Harriers and Cobras met with some success, but their losses to ground fire were intense.
Journalists attached to the 1st Marine Division, assigned originally to provide a morale boost by showcasing a major Coalition victory on Russian soil, instead shot tape of Cobra gunships and CH-46 Sea Knight transport helicopters spiralling from the sky in flames from enemy ground fire, even with Navy Super Hornets flying round-the-clock defence suppression missions.
Throughout August 25th, the Marines struggled to make any real progress, even as the resistance from the 33rd Division slowly collapsed. To ensure the arrival of reinforcements, Nogliki Airport had to be captured by the Marines; then the Army’s 25th Division could be airlifted in. Until then, however, it would be up to the US Marine Corps. It was a bloody slog across enemy territory, defended by troops who knew it well and who were determined to fight back against what they saw as an assault on their homeland.
What more could the Unites States have expected? General Dunford told PACOM, which in turn said the same thing to the President. If President Biden had expected Sakhalin to be an easy ride, he was badly mistaken. The Joint Chiefs had wanted the operation to go ahead as soon as possible, even before Dunford was ready for the task. They feared that Biden would back down from going into Russian territory time was given for the Europeans to talk him out of it.
Thus, Eastern Gamble had been launched perhaps somewhat prematurely.
Dunford knew his Marines were playing the price for that, and he recognised that fact with resentment. Dunford himself, against the advice of nearly everybody he told, boarded a UH-1Y helicopter and flew to visit the 5th Marine Regiment on Sakhalin, himself coming under fire as the three battalions marched up the highway. Knowing it was best to allow the regimental and battalion commanders to do their job without micromanagement, Lieutenant-General Dunford eventually retreated, waiting for that particular firefight to subside beforehand. He was, first and foremost, a combat officer, and he could not bring himself to leave on a helicopter surrounded by protective security personnel from the Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team all while his men were under fire.
Dunford would be reprimanded quietly by PACOM for that action, but he continued to command the First Marine Expeditionary Force. Tomorrow, the 5th Regimental Combat Team would make an immense amount of progress as airpower finally forced the defending units along their route to fall back, but before then an immense amount of casualties would have to pay the price for political decisions taken further up the chain of command.
Sakhalin was rapidly becoming the Okinawa of World War III.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 22, 2019 17:41:15 GMT
Sakhalin was rapidly becoming the Okinawa of World War III. First another good update forcon, second, if the Battle for Sakhalin succeed it will become part of all those other legendary battles the United States Marine Corps has fought over its long existence.
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Apr 22, 2019 18:08:33 GMT
Sakhalin was rapidly becoming the Okinawa of World War III. First another good update forcon , second, if the Battle for Sakhalin succeed it will become part of all those other legendary battles the United States Marine Corps has fought over its long existence. Thank you. It will go down in history for sure. ITTL, 'The Pacific' will be about Operation Eastern Gamble I think.
Anybody got any other ideas for ITTL post-war filmography?
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