Jerusalem AO
New Sandau
New Sandau
By the time the 213th to 216th Divisions have landed on Jerusalem Beach, and 101MSR, 102MSR, and 201MEB have established a beachhead (designated Point Sibat) further to the east, the strategic operational plan of Operation Shotclock had taken shape; it was essentially the modern revival of the Schlieffen Plan to encircle Programme 10's secondary high-level mainframe. The 213th to 216th were to make a drive south-southwest to capture City 27 and Garrison 19, with the aim of linking up with City 7 and Garrisons 20 and 26; meanwhile, the Marine Corps spearhead, featuring 201MEB as its main spearhead and 101MSR and 102MSR as its flank guards and alongside the yet-to-arrive 217th to 220th Divisions, would descend upon Garrison 17, and afterwards capture Garrison 9 and Cities 13 and 5. The secondary objective of Operation Shotclock - but one just as important - was to establish C4RISTA and logistics lines and routes with the isolated German garrisons to the south and southeast, and if possible have them consolidate for a westward push.
The naval complement of Operation Shotclock was split into Task Forces Polydamas and Myrmidon: while Polydamas was in charge of providing naval cover to the southward spearheads of the coalition military, Task Force Myrmidon was in charge of securing aerial and naval superiority to the south. Additionally, to help resupply the German garrison at Garrison 23 with fresh manpower, food, water, electricity, and ammunition to keep up the fight, a mulberry harbour would be constructed at a coastal position to the southeast of Garrison 23 to establish a naval resupply point. To help soften up Garrison 17 in preparation for the Palmyrian assault on the garrison, TF Polydamas would unleash a missile strike on the garrison.
The rain provided relief for the Palmyrian soldiers that have been fighting the endless human waves sent by Program 10 to their way. Much has been lost to the flesh-units of Programme 10 - tank optics shot by snipers, many a ginunting/bolo blade dulled by the many instances that firefights devolved into brutal melee dumpster fires in the thoroughly-levelled forests of New Sandau, and despite maximum use of cunning combined with sheer brutality the Palmyrians had to pay for each square metre of territory they gained - if not by the deaths of men and women, then by the sheer number of wounded and injured that at worst had to be left for dead in a brutal system of triage and at best had to be sent home. But the Palmyrians were no stranger to the brutality of conflict. While the more combat-seasoned personnel could take a lot of mental beating and had more skill to prevent being incapacitated, the new recruits were less hardy, but still hardy nonetheless.
Any river with torrential flow on them would simply be bridged over by a bridging unit - utilising MLC70 bridges being deployed whilst under friendly covering fire from Palmyrian, Nacradian, and German forces, the CV.101 AVLBs provided much needed mobility for the coalition. The locations of every deployed and constructed bridge was radioed to the Nacradian and German forces so their armour can safely cross - and while they were at it, Palmyrian light infantry units scattered across the vanguard and line areas reported areas of quicksand and generally muddy, unstable ground as often as they could up the chain of command so as to notify everyone of the hazards that lay out in the forest.
As usual, the Palmyrian infantry units went on foot, leaving their APCs behind a distance so as to at least provide some expedient covering fire and exfil. But they gave themselves a twist, one that would involve a lot of mud. Dousing and covering themselves in the mud of the brutal battlefields of New Sandau, they didn't just master the soil of New Sandau - they have become one with it, and combined with local foliage made for excellent camouflage. The only thing that was left of them not covered by mud was the whites of their eyeballs and their optics. As always, they executed hit-and-runs on foot - and at times using their APCs - against Programme 10 flesh-unit combat patrols, aiming as always to sap their strength slowly but surely in an effort aided by Palmyrion's C4RISTA capabilities and high-precision fire support. If they needed to tie Programme 10's units down with a pitched battle, the armour units would usually initiate the attacks, followed by pincer movements by supporting infantry units.
The addition of Programme 10 armour and air defence assets gave these Palmyrian infantry units - and their supporting cavalry - even more targets; while armour only made the fights more intense and interesting, air defence assets were easy pickings for the infantry and armour units. This would be aided by SEAD missions conducted by the naval forces' carrier air wings, as well as heliborne hit-and-runs from the divisional aviation brigades' attack helicopter brigades against Programme 10 armour.
Any gunboat that would get within the sights of a Palmyrian combat unit would immediately be dealt with using a precision guided munition: any manner of heavy TV-guided missiles from the Palmyrians' anti-tank companies, man-portable ATGMs, precision mortar rounds, or in some cases even using the squad's FGR.101 multi-purpose launchers, a CV.101 main battle tank's 127mm smoothbore cannon, or a burst of 35mm rounds from the IFVs would deal sufficient damage to incapacitate a Programme 10 gunboat, if not catastrophically destroy it. Fire-finder radars would locate Programme 10 artillery positions using their projectile trajectories, and any artillery position that is verified would be given counter-battery fire.
The naval complement of Operation Shotclock was split into Task Forces Polydamas and Myrmidon: while Polydamas was in charge of providing naval cover to the southward spearheads of the coalition military, Task Force Myrmidon was in charge of securing aerial and naval superiority to the south. Additionally, to help resupply the German garrison at Garrison 23 with fresh manpower, food, water, electricity, and ammunition to keep up the fight, a mulberry harbour would be constructed at a coastal position to the southeast of Garrison 23 to establish a naval resupply point. To help soften up Garrison 17 in preparation for the Palmyrian assault on the garrison, TF Polydamas would unleash a missile strike on the garrison.
At once, from the bowels of every ship, mighty land-attack missiles - the Hellion, produced courtesy of Lyran Arms - emerged in mighty pillars of raging smoke and fire. Each of the FFGs fired 4, the DDGNs fired 8, the CGNs fired 16, the BBGNs 32, and the task force’s two Longsword-class vessels fired 512 each, a salvo fired in four waves spaced 30 seconds from each other. Using a combination of DSMAC, TERCOM, inertial guidance, forward-looking IR, and radar guidance, the gigantic wave of missiles sought at the Programme 10 hordes like a swarm of locusts hungry for carnage. Upon detection by any Programme 10 air defence platform, the missile horde would simply dump flares, conduct defensive electronic warfare, and simply manoeuvre to lessen the chance of interception.
Each missile was a cluster warhead, but half carried metal augmented charge submunitions while the other half carried Wide Area Guided Anti-Vehicle submunitions; the MAC submunitions would cover the battlefield with a vast number of explosive ordnance, covering the battlefield in shrapnel and intense heat from a zirconium-based pyrophoric substance that could burn at high temperatures - enough to turn concrete into a glassy mess, and enough to make metal bend in the extreme heat; the WAGAV munitions, with each missile carrying 30, would seek out enemy vehicles from the top, striking them at their fragile roofs.
Each missile was a cluster warhead, but half carried metal augmented charge submunitions while the other half carried Wide Area Guided Anti-Vehicle submunitions; the MAC submunitions would cover the battlefield with a vast number of explosive ordnance, covering the battlefield in shrapnel and intense heat from a zirconium-based pyrophoric substance that could burn at high temperatures - enough to turn concrete into a glassy mess, and enough to make metal bend in the extreme heat; the WAGAV munitions, with each missile carrying 30, would seek out enemy vehicles from the top, striking them at their fragile roofs.
The rain provided relief for the Palmyrian soldiers that have been fighting the endless human waves sent by Program 10 to their way. Much has been lost to the flesh-units of Programme 10 - tank optics shot by snipers, many a ginunting/bolo blade dulled by the many instances that firefights devolved into brutal melee dumpster fires in the thoroughly-levelled forests of New Sandau, and despite maximum use of cunning combined with sheer brutality the Palmyrians had to pay for each square metre of territory they gained - if not by the deaths of men and women, then by the sheer number of wounded and injured that at worst had to be left for dead in a brutal system of triage and at best had to be sent home. But the Palmyrians were no stranger to the brutality of conflict. While the more combat-seasoned personnel could take a lot of mental beating and had more skill to prevent being incapacitated, the new recruits were less hardy, but still hardy nonetheless.
Any river with torrential flow on them would simply be bridged over by a bridging unit - utilising MLC70 bridges being deployed whilst under friendly covering fire from Palmyrian, Nacradian, and German forces, the CV.101 AVLBs provided much needed mobility for the coalition. The locations of every deployed and constructed bridge was radioed to the Nacradian and German forces so their armour can safely cross - and while they were at it, Palmyrian light infantry units scattered across the vanguard and line areas reported areas of quicksand and generally muddy, unstable ground as often as they could up the chain of command so as to notify everyone of the hazards that lay out in the forest.
As usual, the Palmyrian infantry units went on foot, leaving their APCs behind a distance so as to at least provide some expedient covering fire and exfil. But they gave themselves a twist, one that would involve a lot of mud. Dousing and covering themselves in the mud of the brutal battlefields of New Sandau, they didn't just master the soil of New Sandau - they have become one with it, and combined with local foliage made for excellent camouflage. The only thing that was left of them not covered by mud was the whites of their eyeballs and their optics. As always, they executed hit-and-runs on foot - and at times using their APCs - against Programme 10 flesh-unit combat patrols, aiming as always to sap their strength slowly but surely in an effort aided by Palmyrion's C4RISTA capabilities and high-precision fire support. If they needed to tie Programme 10's units down with a pitched battle, the armour units would usually initiate the attacks, followed by pincer movements by supporting infantry units.
The addition of Programme 10 armour and air defence assets gave these Palmyrian infantry units - and their supporting cavalry - even more targets; while armour only made the fights more intense and interesting, air defence assets were easy pickings for the infantry and armour units. This would be aided by SEAD missions conducted by the naval forces' carrier air wings, as well as heliborne hit-and-runs from the divisional aviation brigades' attack helicopter brigades against Programme 10 armour.
Any gunboat that would get within the sights of a Palmyrian combat unit would immediately be dealt with using a precision guided munition: any manner of heavy TV-guided missiles from the Palmyrians' anti-tank companies, man-portable ATGMs, precision mortar rounds, or in some cases even using the squad's FGR.101 multi-purpose launchers, a CV.101 main battle tank's 127mm smoothbore cannon, or a burst of 35mm rounds from the IFVs would deal sufficient damage to incapacitate a Programme 10 gunboat, if not catastrophically destroy it. Fire-finder radars would locate Programme 10 artillery positions using their projectile trajectories, and any artillery position that is verified would be given counter-battery fire.
ORBATs, TF Polydamas and TF-Myrmidon
Task Force "POLYDAMAS"
Task Force "MYRMIDON"
