Fire Team Leader “WARPIG” - Recondo 907– Interim AAR
This AAR is written during the lull in the battle at sundown of Feb 10, 2008. If I don’t make it out of this engagement, the 907 assistant team lead and other team members have been instructed to make sure this AAR gets to the American high command after the hostilities had ceased… That is, if any of us would walk away this time…
NO REST FOR THE WEARIED!!!
It appeared that the US high command underestimated the strategic importance of “Punch Bowl” to Super Nova’s campaign to subjugate the San Miguel province.
To Super Nova, the Punch Bowl area is a strategic jumping board from which he can project Red Star’s power into the rest of the region. Regaining control of the area was therefore of critical importance to the Red Star campaign. In addition, this was a matter of face-saving for the Red Star leader. Super Nova could not afford to appear so effortlessly defeated in the eyes of his newest San Miguel allies.
Red Star quickly recovered from the blow they took earlier and infused the area with troops for a massive counter offensive. They were determined to make the Americans pay, and their first order of business was to prevent any further extraction or insertion of American forces from and to the area.
The Reds’ scouts got a good fix on the Black Hawks’ ingress route used to move American troops, and lined it up with mobile AAA batteries and troops with shoulder-launched “SA-7 Grail” infrared-homing missiles. The last wave of 4 Black Hawks (destined for extraction of 907 and the Marines contingent) was taken by surprise when it lumbered into the flak trap. The wave lost 2 birds to the intense ground fire, with another heavily damaged, and was ordered to turn around.
Real-time satellite imagery confirmed massive Red Star troop’s deployment, once more on top of Punch Bowl. Intel processed the data further and positively identified a squad of ex-Spetznaz commandos among the newly arrived troops. This crack team of mercenaries was the infamous HTS team (rumors has it that HTS stands for Hill of The Skull). HTS is notorious for their slyness and brutality in the field. By deploying this team, Super Nova made clear he was serious about taking and controlling the San Miguel area. The HTS assumed overall on-scene command of the Reds and the San Miguel Regulars (SMR). They wasted no time in moving 2 platoons to wrestle LZ Echo from the American forces.
No rest for the wearied, indeed! Recondo 907 and the Marines were in the open, securing the LZ echo. The word about the Black Hawks casualties barely reached the team, before the bullets started flying. HTS must have been furious that some trigger-happy SMR has given away their element of surprise. Thanks to the advanced warning, the American team quickly retrograded to the tree lines with minimal losses. For the next hour, LZ Echo became an intensely contested piece of real estate.
907 and the Marines deployed along the tree line in a semi-circle watching LZ Echo. 907 Lead (Warpig) had half of the Marines contingent, and the 907 assistant lead (Santa) had the other half providing left flank security. The Americans were well concealed from the on-coming HTS and their troops. The HTS troops however, had to cross relatively open terrain to approach LZ Echo. Using whatever cover available, the Reds and SMR closed in on the LZ. To HTS’ frustration, every attempt to probe from the front was thwarted with murderously accurate fire from the Americans. Seeing that frontal assault was ineffective, HTS started to shift their main attack axis to hit the American’s right and left flanks respectively. First, they moved far to the right of the LZ, in order to use the tree line to cover their approach.
Responding to the new tactical development, the 907 Lead redeploy the team to concentrate firepower on the enemy massing on the right flank. And once more, the Reds got more than they bargained for, and their 2nd major assault was ineffective. HTS then tried to shift the main force to the American’s left flank with similar results, as they ran into 907 assistant team lead and his Marines.
After 3 unsuccessful attempts at taking LZ Echo, HTS pulled back what was left of the 2 platoons to rethink their next move. The situation reached an impasse. 907 was denying the Reds LZ Echo, but the LZ was too hot for any American extraction or insertion.
Unbeknownst to 907, American high command succeeded in inserting troops to the west of LZ Echo in response to the Red Star activities. The reinforcement made their way to LZ Echo, and together with 907 and the Marines, they drove HTS further back. It appeared that Red Star had other pressing needs for manpower, as HTS and the 2 platoon were recalled and re-deployed somewhere else.
As LZ Echo seemed secured for the moment, the on-scene commander ordered 907 and the Marines to move to the North West and deploy as blocking force and rear security for the American second assault on Punch Bowl. As expected, this move forced all Red Star forces to restrict their troop movements and reinforcements further to the north and East of Punch Bowl.
The wily HTS however, never lost interest in taking LZ Echo. Their feigned disinterest in the LZ was just a ruse to let the American think it was secured. As soon as 907 left the immediate vicinity of LZ Echo, HTS moved in and claimed it.
To the Americans, LZ Echo was still considered an alternate insertion point for reinforcements; so 907 and the Marines contingent were sent back to secure the LZ Echo. The roles were now reversed! 907 and the Marines were now the ones on the receiving end of the ambush. And once again, it was a stalemate.
The battle has raged on for the better part of the day and sundown has set in. Both sides needed to regroup, re-arm, to get ready for possible night ops. I took this temporary lull in the activities to quickly write down this recount of the day’s battle. At this point, neither side was willing to concede! And it looks like there will be plenty of killing to be done come daylight, if not sooner… no rest for the wearied…
RECONDO! Mission First! We are the hunters, they are the prey!
