The Bears Gambit - Background 5

[Nike-Ajax]

Hello all 

 

We are fast approaching the very final Scenario in this campaign: It will be on this Sunday the 29´th, we have a CO and a FO and OPFOR. Orders and so forth will be up soonest.

 

Here a the background and intermission files for now:

 

 

Intermission:

 

Hereby the last background:

 

Scenario 5 Background.pdf

 

 

 

The Bears Gambit 5

 

 

 

“A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.”

General George S. Patton
 

 

Operation Anvil Hammer

 

 

 

 

By Nike-Ajax, All Rights reserved

DTG 140500ZDEC18

It has been a hard and bloody fall in Europe, not just on the ground but also in political circles. The Pandora Papers as some have called it, have literally pulled down the pants on many western politicians and civil servants.

This combined – unplanned by both sides - with the combined efforts of many western intelligence services to root out spies and self-appointed whistle blowers.

Several almost identical, but in fact slightly but importantly altered documents were carefully and deliberately circulated through carefully observed channels. And then the focus shifted to the other side. Through a combination of SIGINT, HUMIT and using every trick in the book, then the western sides or The New Aliies, could figure out exactly which version of the top secret papers describing the Convoy going into the Baltics was leaked.

It turned out there was several. All the people have – much to their and the publics surprise – been arrested and charged with treason and spying in times of war. A crime that in some countries still is a capital offense, but in most are at least Life sentence.

But this does not mean that all is well … the populations are furious, bordering on open uprising as so many civil servants has been named, so many former spies, scandals, lies and just giant blunders have been revealed, that the governments simply cannot just quiet it down. Much to the dismay of the implicated civil servants and politicians, they have thus been forced to open impartial investigations into the case that are still prosecutable.

This have not stopped from an increasing number of vigilante killings of people named it the papers, the number of killed have thus now risen to 23 with numerous more having been harassed to a greater or smaller degree, and maybe in part leading to the at least four know suicides of people named as spies and traitors. 

The ground war in the meantime has not stopped, and is a tough, merciless and hard affair.

In spite of the successes including the efforts of the TFs of JEF and other units, then the Russians have committed reserves and have slowly fought their way north and has in fact taken Lithuania. Their do not have full control of the conquered areas as Forest Brothers AND Sisters across Lithuania are fighting a hard hit-and-run game, supported now by US Special Forces amongst others. The Russians and their allies are paying dearly, but have for now soaked up the losses. And the Russian are fighting mercilessly and methodically to annihilate the freedom fighters – or terrorist bandits as they are called in Russian newsservices. This have met sometimes with limited success and sometimes with disaster, like when a full Russian battalion was annihilated in a giant and coordinated ambush in northern Lithuania.

The Russian forces have been stopped – for now – in Latvia, with a line that goes broadly from Riga in the west towards Madona, where it goes north towards Balvi. Allied units are slowly pulling back to consolidate defences at Estonia, but doing a fighting, planned and orderly withdrawal.

In the west then Russian and Byelorussian for a number of reasons, have chosen not to attack Poland yet. Yet is the operative word here.

Intel including Satellite imagery and HUMINT, leads to the conclusion that the Russians will instead attempt to open a new attack vector and front by striking west from Slantsy and Kingisepp towards Narva, in an effort to threaten Tallinn and thus in effect the whole Baltic front.

Numerous units have been moved to the area, which in the preceding months have been strongly fortified.

The commander of the Battlegroup, Lt. Col. J. Eckert is grim but determined, she expects every man and woman will do their duty.

In fact she doesn’t mice her words:

“Soldiers and officers of the Taskforce:  The motto for this operation is, in the words of General George S. Patton: “The object of this war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.”

Now see that you go forth and put those words into bloody action”

 

SITUATION

OWN forces are in place for a sustained defence WEST of NARVA, direction EAST. The intent is for entrenched infantry units in an around the city of Narva, well equipped with ATGM and support weapons to soak up the initial Russian attack while inflicted continual and heavy losses upon the ENY. When they can no longer hold the enemy, they are either to fall back and support our positions, or go to ground and fight on as Stay-behind units using numerous weapon caches that have been hidden in the area.

Our plan is to keep up a SOF Recon screen to the EAST, and remain covertly in contact with the ENY, after which they are to fall back or remain hidden until they can extricate themselves.

The intent is to make it look like OWN recon flee in disarray, thus hopefully leading and luring the Russian forces after them and in to prepared killing grounds west of Sillamäe. If the plan works, then they will engage and be fixed by defences manned by parts of Estonia’s 1^st Infantry Brigade supported by elements of the JEF´s TF´s and under overall tactical command of TF leader JEF.

When fixed at the defensive positions at Objective Anvil, they will then be attacked merciless in the flank and possibly rear from Objective Hammer, and thus hopefully destroyed, or at least left incapable of sustained operations.

This is a tactic used successfully by Rommel during the desert war, combined with another old tactic – The Hammer and Anvil. The idea is that after the initial attack has lost its momentum and are fixed in combat that Armoured units will wheel around and if possible attack the ENY forces from the rear, or if that proves impossible then from the flank, thus catching them between the mobile counterattack forces and the stationary defence force (the hammer and anvil part).

It is hoped that it will be used successfully again today.

This requires very steady nerves of both the Recon, the prepared ambush (Anvil forces) as well as the armoured counterattack (hammer forces). If the trap is sprung too soon then too few ENY forces will be caught and destroyed and leaving them capable of a counterattack. If the trap is sprung too late, then the Russians will be too close and risk being destroyed in placed.

The recon similarly must use their good judgement and must flee at the right time: too late and they are annihilated and will not lure the enemy to our trap. Too early and they will not make the ENY realign and follow them.

In the north and far south of our AO, we have camouflaged emplacements, feint positions, hidden and open minefields, barbed wire obstacles and support. But this will not be an easy fight, and if we lose the initial fight, then we risk being annihilated.

The ENY has now crossed the border at NARVA and initiated the attack. It is likely that they expected resistance and have accordingly built up heavy forces. While still being very heavily engaged in a bloody and violent street –by-street fight in Narva, then they have managed to break through Narva with at least a brigade sized BG.

This was achieved in part by the Russians fielding a full Sniper Battalion to annihilate and suppress the Estonians. Who are still fighting though and using ATGMs, mines, IEDS, prepared and improvised ambushes and just sheer aggression to inflict heavy casualties on the Russians. Narva has thus fallen, but as stated, then the ENY managed to leak at least a BDE sized BG through who are now approaching our positions fast from the East.

From SIGINT, HUMINT and penetrating IT attacks, then it seems likely that the ENY does not suspect our trap yet. This does not mean they will attack with light forces. But in reality we will not know until the attack unfurls.

The Battlegroup is deployed around OBJ ANVIL, and is poised for defence in emplaced, camouflaged and prepared, positions. It is unknown if OWN troops will have a substantial advantage in artillery.

All civilians if in the Area of Operations have been evacuated, thus any civilians are in fact ENY insurgents. OWN troops have been ordered to leave the AO so anyone seen armed can be proactively engaged within ROE. 

There are reserves that can be called upon if need or an opportunity arises.

 

 

Rules of Engagement

NOTHING IN THESE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT LIMITS YOUR RIGHT TO TAKE APPROPIATE ACTION TO DEFEND YOURSELF AND YOUR UNIT.

A. You have the right to use force to proactively engage any and all ENY targets of opportunity.

B. You are cleared to fire first on all hostile targets or targets with deemed hostile intent, including armed civilians.

C. The force should be used under the circumstances and proportional to the threat.

D. We are at war. Destruction of civilian property has been cleared if CO deems that there is a military value and goal in said destruction.