NationStates Jolt Archive

The King looked out from his throne towards the sea. Barely visible in the distance stood his fleet, a newly purchased item from the well known Portland Iron Works. The Yelmish Army had been modernizing itself since the 1990's, though in a much more secluded way. Now the military has increased by nearly 500%. Crews and sailors have been trained in using modern ships and weapons. The day to recognize the power Yelm could muster was at hand. Over 253 ships prepared to make a voyage across the ocean to hit Ecuador, with four marine divisions onboard, and several more fleets being readided the battle for Ecuador was sure to be a success.

Warlord Ulrich Boru stepped onto the capital ship the Dakar a Vanguard Class Heavy Strike ship. The massive weapons this ship could call upon was impressive. Months have training had shown the potential the Yelmish fleet had. A young Warchief approached the Warlord, "Warlord Boru, all four marine divisions have been accounted for, all 84,000 present. The King promises four more fleets and up to 240,000 more marines once we arrive to the combat zone. The Warlord merely nodded and the young Warchief quickly bowed and went on to his quarters. [i]What a change a year can make thought the Warlord. The once deserted harbour was now bustling with activity as men prepared themselves for combat. The Yelmish people have grown accustom to war, and some may argue that they even enjoy it. All that the Warlord knew was that however was on the receiving end of this war would be a very unluckly person.

The Warlord's four Chieftans approached him, "Warlord, the King requests that we plan this invasion to the finest detail. We must go into the planning room and thoroughly plan our attack based on information we have received." The Warlord nodded again and followe the Chieftans into the Planning Room. A map of Ecuador was was projected by a projector installed into the ship. One of the Chieftans spoke, "After analyzing data received via satelitte photos we have agreed that an attack at the port city of Manta would be the most logical first objective. Another attack at Guayaquil and at Esmeraladas would secure our flanks. Of course the air and naval battle will be our first priority but intelligence shows that they do not even suspect an attack." The Warlord spoke, "Photos can be misleading, but you have planned everything out fairly well and to my approval. I give my permission for this plan to be sent to the King. Now if I may I must go back to watching the mobilization." The Warlord left the Chieftans in the planning room, who were still planning what locations would be attacked first.

The 1st Fleet wa making excellent progess as the fleet now enterred into the Atlantic Ocean. Soldiers onboard practice their shooting drills and went over tactics for fighting in a jungle enviroment. The Ecuadorians were expected to be tough fighters, but the Yelmish soldiers were ruthless, being brought up in a Total War enviroment. Warlord Boru watched on deck as the fleet steamed towards South America. He stared down into the deep blue sea, this would be his first journey out of Antartica. In the Frozen Continent he had a reputation as a fierce leader and fighter, but out in the world he was a nobody, merely another commander in an army. He wanted to make a name for himself, and he was bent on doing so.

OOC: Short post just to show my fleet is still moving.

OOC: I base the resistance force on information on the CIA factbook. Basically I'm assuming that once the war started a draft would be installed, and accordig to the factbook there's roughly 2.3 Million 15-49 yr olds fit for military service. I am also basing the equipment the Ecuadroian Navy has based on the Library of Congress website.
Inside Ecuadorian Waters
The Fleet had now enterred Ecuadorian waters. Almost immediately a message was sent from the Ecuadorian Fleet, Unknown Fleet, you are in Ecuadorian waters, we demand you proceed West out of our territorial waters. Failure to complie will be deemed as a hostile action and you will be fired upon. The Warlord looked down at his communications expert. The fools do not know what they are getting themselves into. The Warlord spoke to the communications expert, "Tell them that we will not change our course, and that if they dare to fire upon us we will destroy their fleet, and leave noone alive." The communications expert did as he was told, no reply came back. The sonar controller spoke, "Warlord, Submarine Rehin reports submerged and surface targets closing in." The Walord thought for a moment, "Destroy submerged targets, destroyers and frigates will be inbound to deal with the surface targets."

The YSSN Rehin
"Sonar Conn, two submerged targets, bearing 1-0-2-9-9. Speed is 12 knots."

"Conn, Sonar designate targets Master 5 and Master 6. Flood and open torpedo bays 1 2 3 and 4."

The The Skipjack class nuclear submarine was moving at a slow speed of 9 knots at the bottom of the ocean. This submarine was designated the patrol submarine, it's job was to search for enemy surface targets and pin point their location.

"Sonar Conn, Master 5 and Master 6 designated as Shyri Class Submarines. Speed is consistent."

The Captain nodded. Within a few minutes the two submarines will be in range of their torpedos, of course they ran the risk of being engaged by the frigate and destroyer on the surface, but he doubted they could even detect his vessel.

"Sonar Conn, Master 5 and Master 6 within torpedo range."

"Launch torpedos 1 and 4 to Master 5, and torpedo 2 and 3 to Master 6. Cut the wires and reload."

The crew quickly performed the task, and within seconds four torpedos were in the water. The crew waited anxiously as the sonar man reported the progress.

"Fish within 1,000 ft of targets. Master 5 is taking evasive manuevers... HIT... Master 6 launched decoys, one fish took the bait...HIT."

The crew sighed with relief. The Captain turned to the communications officer who quickly reported the progress made.

Inside Ecuadorian Waters
Warlord Boru waited anxiously for the report on the submarine attack. The communications expert walked towards him, and whispered the news into his ear, "Warlord both submarines have been destroyed we can move in." A devilish grin was the only answer the Warlord gave. He nodded to the weapons expert who quickly ordered a massive missile attack against the surface fleet. The following targets were identified,
1 Gearing Class Destroyer
1 Lawrence Class Frigate
6 Esmeraldas Class Corvettes
3 Quito Class Fast Attack Craft
3 Manta Class Fast Attack Craft
7 77 foot PatroL Crafts

The Warlord said mockingly, "The glory of the Ecuadorian fleet gone in a matter of seconds." He watched as the missiles began to pour into the sky, 36 missiles went into the air aimed at the Corvettes, the Frigate and the Destroyer. Both sank. The remaining craft were fair game for over 15 Skipjack Submarines.

OOC: My attempt to do a decent naval battle, eh.

"Warlord Boru, all naval targets have been confirmed to be destroyed. I believe we ca-"

He stops short and looks down at the radar, "We have inbound aircraft, Warlord, by the flying formation I would guess, 23 light bombers and 16 fighter escorts. Shall I call the two fighter squadrons to intercept?" The Warlord nodded. Twenty four F/91 fighters moved into position to get within firing range.

Captain Danial Orkan, checked his radar. "Black Crow this is lead, we have inbound targets heading for the fleet, some 39 aircraft, mostly light bombers, but they do have a fighter escort. Increase speed and have your long range missiles aimed at the light bombers. Then just pick off the fighters." The fighters formed two diamond formations as they approached the enemy aircraft. At roughly 100 km each launched 2 misssiles towards the light bombers. They then quickly switched to meduim range missiles. The Ecuadorian fighters increased speed to get in range to fire their missiles, but the Yelmish fighters were already in range. They fired two missiles each, destroying 14 fighters, the other two were damaged. Only 1 light bomber got through and he was quickly destroyed by a frigate launched SAM. The remaining two enemy fighters quickly attempted to escape, but the much more faster F/91's quickly caught up and fired their cannon at the enemy fighters engines. Soon enough both fighters were going down and thn erupted into a fireball, Captain Orkan called to command, "Command, this is Black Crow, air threat is neutralized. No casualties reported."

Warlord Boru smiled, that was nearly the entire Ecuadorian air force destroyed, this was becoming too easy. The true battle was coming though, a naval landing at Manta was the next stage, already a brigade was beginning to prepare for the landing. The landing would be ready within several hours, but unknown to command, nearly one hundred 106mm and 90mm recoil less rifles and 10 155mm howitzers were hidden in the buildings of the city. Heavy AAA and SAMs were also hidden in garages and in large trucks. Nearly 30,000 Ecuadorians were ready to defend the city from the attackers. Satellite photos showed none of this, and while carrier aircraft were busy bombing San Lorenzo, Esmeraldas and Guayaquil the enemy was strengthening at Manta.

tag

Baron Mikal Ternance looked through his binoculars. The enemy port was only roughly 2000 meters away. His brigade would be the first unit to land in Ecuador, already he could tell this place was a lot different that Antartica. The blisterring heat was something he was not familiar with, but still he was confident. Over 40 transports carrying 50 men each made their way to the beachhead. Some minor bombardment with a Cruisers 14' cannon had left small craters in the beach, there was no sign of any enemy activity. The Baron checked his GR-21 rifle, the beach was only 1000 meters away. Suddenly seemingly out of nowhere a single artillery shell lands no more than 50 yards away from the Baron. Soon afterward dozens of shells are falling every second. The transport swayed left to right from the shock wave of the artillery shells. The two .50 Machine guns in the transports begin to fire hoping to provide some cover for the Marines. The Ecuadorians mixed in some air bursting shells along with the High Explosive rounds. The result was a deadly rain of hot steel onto the soldiers. One HE rounds had a direct hit on a transport ship which sent thousands of pieces of metall everywhere killing five more marines. At 500 meters rifle and machine gun fire began coming, though not able to penetrate the transports armour they could hit the machine gunners on board who stood on an elevated platform.

The Baron began taking some heavy casualties, he quickly tried to call in support using the radio, "This is Baron Ternance, we required immediate missile and cannon barrage at Manta. We are taking heavy fire." A radio operator from the Vanguard replied back, "Baron Ternance, we need exact coordinates in order to engage targets accurately. Several Frigates are moving into your area to use their cannons to assist." The Baron replied back angrily, "We need real cannons, frigates don't have enough firepower, I request heavy support." The operator replied back, "Several cruisers inbound, ariel recon is going to determine enemy positions." They were now almost at the beach, the Baron longed to be back on land, if his transport took a hit, and he was in the water, with all his gear... He didn't want to think about it. He wanted to complete his mission.

The doors to the transports flung open and his men poured out. Immediately they were engaged by mortar fire and machine gun fire. Men crawled onto the sand looking for a strong defensive position, firing occasionally to subdue the enemy. The howizters had now arranged their fire to the beach. Heavy 155mm rounds hit the beach spraying sand and blood everywhere. Within the first landing 120 men were killed.

Above Manta
The lone GA-99 recon aircraft flew over the battle zone, looking down he say the carnage on the beach, if only he had atleast a bomb or two that would make a difference he thought. His camera took several hundred pictures and he turned around to return back to the carrier. Suddenly a loud bleeping noise rung in his ear. Looking to his left he sees a SAM heading straight for him. Immediately he decreased his altitude and launch half a dozen counter-measures. Looking behind at the SAM he never saw the four AAA batteries lining up their fire. The minute he turned to look ahead he stared straight at 40mm cannon fire. His aircraft then erupted into flame and debris.

Back At the Beach
The Baron had roughly a platoon on men with him at a deep crater caused by previous 14' cannon fire. They were pinned down, and if anyone even tried to pop their head up they were met with heavy machine gun fire. The Baron called back on his radio, "Base, this is Baron Ternance, what of the missile strikes?" The Baron was nearly deaf now and he had to put the radio against his ear to even hear the static, "Baron, recon aircraft shot down, I'm trying to divert some F/91's to your vacinity, Cruisers in bound." The Baron put his radio away. If that support didn't come soon their position is going to be overrun. He loaded a fresh magazine and waited.

The Baron saw a magnificant sight on the horizon. The four Sea Class BattleCruisers made their way to get in a suitable firing position to being a large bombardment with their 16 inch ETC cannons. Within minutes a the 24 cannons began a massive bombardment of the suspected enemy positions. The bombardment was said to last 10 minutes, and then the Baron could order more direct fire once he has secured the beachead. The last 16 inch round rattled the beachead, shaking the very ground. Then the Baron gave the order. With rifles at their hips firing the remaining marines of the brigade pushed their way out of the beach. They enountered minor machine gun fire and some rifle fire, both threats were neutralized. Moving out of the beach into the streets they encountered heavy resistance on the streets. Ecuadorian conscripts fired from windows of homes and from moving cars. The soldiers secured three homes to be used as field hospitals as the rest of the marines secured vital defensive positions. Fifteen more houses were occupied as defensive positions. With that the Baron called in the Cruisers. "Cruiser command this is Baron Ternance, good works guys. We have a secure beach head but are still encounterring heavy resistance. I require bombardment of the entire city, except from position 0-8-4-3-1 to 1-9-5-4-2. Everything else is fair game." The cruisers confirmed the orders and the entire bombardment of the city follow, except for those positions held by Yelmish Marines. Over four hundred missiles, and two hundred 16 inch shells landed in the city laying abosulte waste to what once was a bustling city.

The second brigade began to land, this was under the command of Warchief Eric Dathrow, a higher rank than Baron. Immediately he joined with the 1st Brigade's headquarters and was debriefed. "Baron Ternance, you have done an excellent job thus far. It was unfortunate that the enemy was better prepared than we suspected. Both of our brigades heavy armour are beginning to land. Right now I have my armoured battalion ready for combat. The SIV-25's are at half strength. I would suggest a large armoured column move into the ruins of the city and clear away any of the remaining resistance fighters." The Baron quickly agreed and they set to work. 64 ST-11 tanks assisted by around 136 SIV-25's made their way through the city clearing away any resistance. Of course the Ecuadorians had no chance of successfully defeating the armoured attack. Their own armoured division was being called up to the front lines, but was not yet in full strength. Two SIV-25's were destroyed from several RPG attacks. The field commander reported an estimated 16,000 dead fighters, including pieces of artillery of and SAMs destroyed.

The Yelmish Marine brigade of roughly 2,500 soldiers suffered 406 KIA and 547 more WIA. The 2nd Marine Brigade successfully cleared the city and established defensive positions along the edges. All that they needed was the rest of the Marine Division which would soon be at full strength in Manta.

Antartica
The largest fleet ever mobilized under a Yelmish King was complete. Over 1,000 vessels were ready for the voyage, onboard was over 338,000 marines. All the forces were seperated into four groups under the command of Warlords, Olaf Frojel, Harald Hardradi, Svein Estridsson and Gorm Forkbeard. The four nodded to each other as they watched the sailors quickly make final preparations. Once the time was ready they each boarded their appropiate capital ship and made their way to Ecuadorian waters.

OOC: post got eaten by the forums so I don't really feel like writing a nice quality long post.

Esmeraldas
The 2nd Marine Division had split off from the main fleet and a bombardment squadron was attached for softening up Ecuadorian targets. This attack was largely based on landing the marines via helicopter. In all three different helicopter landings would be needed to transport all 2,500 Marines. A series of missile strikes and aircraft bombing runs ensured that no SAMs or AAA were in the area when the first wave landed. Commander of the Brigade was Warchief Gregory Rein, who chose to go in with the first wave. The heavy equipment such as tanks and IFVs were landed of the beach, roughly a mile from the city itself. This would take sometime so the Warchief gave the order for the infantry to strike first. The first wave landed roughly two miles from the city of Esmeraldas. With roughly 840 soldiers they made their way through the Ecuadorian terrain. A squad of 12 soldiers scouted 500 yards in front of the battalion, making sure there's no enemy ambushes waiting for the main attack group. After an hour of walking they finally reached the outskirts of the city.

Warchief Rein called for all the unit commanders to converse about how to follow through the attack. Some suggested they should wait for the othe two waves, others said they should wait for armour but the majority wanted to be the very first ones in. warchief Rein led the way as the battalion made their way down a steep hill. Warchief Rein jogged down the hill slowly, not wanting to tumble down the hill. Suddenly several 90mm rounds impacted several hundred yards away from the battalion. Old armour the Warchief immediately thought, still a threat however. He order his LAW and Milan operators up front as the rest of the battalion ran for cover. Air support was quickly called in as another round landed, this time only 100 yards away. Several LAW operators engaged and destroyed an AMX-13 tank, the Warchief estimated the Ecuadorians had up to a company (16) of tanks in the city. This was a dangerous threat that needed to be quickly destroyed. Over his radio the Warchief heard of the successful drop off of the second wave. They were immediately sent to assist the 1st battalion. A new series of tank arounds explode in the far left side of the battalion killing 4 and wounding 9 more. The battalion still moved down the hill as the Milans began firing destroying two tanks.

The Warchief found a large rock and ducked down behind it. He went for his radio, "Doghouse this is Hound, we are at the outskirts of the objective, but we are receiving tank fire. Infantry units possibly inbound. Request Daisy Cutter at 6-4-2-7-4-3." He clicked off his radio and sure enough machine gun fire and rifle fire was pouring into the hill. His soldiers used large boulders and vegitation as cover while they returned fire. A response was relayed to the Warchief, "Hound, Doghouse, Daisy Cutter confirmed via C-7 transport. ETA is 6 minutes. Squadron of Apaches also inbound ETA is 10 minutes. Out." The Warchief tucked away his radio and poped his head up. He took down four soldiers before he had to duck his head back down. Three continious tank rounds land nearly in the same area killing 16 soldiers and wounding 37. A Milan team was down too. Seeing no other way the Warchief ordered all his men to find suitable cover. Several LAWs make direct hits taking out two more tanks. A battery of 105mm howitzers were made 7 miles away from the Warchiefs area. He immediately called for their assistance. Within minutes rounds were falling, destroying enemy buildings and causing havoc amongsts the enemies line.

Suddenly a loud buzzing sound attractived the Warchiefs attention. Looking up he sees the C-7 transport carrying the Daisy Cutter. The enemy was roughly 750 meters away but he gave the coordinates to bomb roughly 850 meters away. He still took no chances. Immediately he ordered everyone to duck down and cover their ears. There was momentary silence, and then a tremendous explosion rocked the ground, blowing dust and creating a large crater. The Warchief looked up and saw atleast 15 enemy buildings destroyed. Immediately he ordered the soldiers to advance. There were only 4 AMX-13's left and all were taken out in seconds. Over 1,200 Ecuadorians were killed in that short battle. With the reinforcments from 2nd Battalion the 1,700 marines made their way through the city.

With the use of artillery support and Apache support the Marines killed a total of 11,430 soldiers, and captured 8. The victory was without loss however and 127 marines were killed and another 402 wounded.

Waters Outside Esmeraldas
Hearing of the victory at Esmeraldas the bombardment squadron redirected their efforts to soften up cities and towns around Esmeraldas. In a massive light show over 600 rounds of cannon fire ranging from 12 inch to 22 inch ETC, and over 880 missiles were launched at San Lorenzo and many other smaller towns and cities. The suspected deaths ran at over 20,000 enemy killed and 50,000 more civilians killed. They weren't sure though they'd have to piece together the body parts.

The 3rd Marine Division's mission was to take Guayaquil, a vital port which was told to have strong defenses. The port was one of the most vital economic links to the nation, not to mention the Rio Daule was located right next to the town. Guayaquil would possibly the most important objective in the early stages of the war. A reported 20,000 strong Ecuadorian division held the city. The attack on this city would consist of landing a marine brigade west of the city, roughly three miles away. Then another brigade would land on the beach and push into the city. A 155mm artillery battery was established roughly 2 miles away from the city itself. The attack would have a carrier and several battlecruisers to provide fire support roles. Under the command of Warchief Jon Hurmmel the first battalion landed at their designated LZ. They waited an hour longer to finally receive the remaining two battalions. The 2,400 strong group made their way through the jungle, Warchief Hurmmel was kept up to date constantly about the ongoing battle at Guayauil Beach.

The booming of the cannons continued. By this time Baron William Retin thought he would never hear a word again. Missiles and shells landed at the beach 1500 meters away. Immense fireballs erupted, and smoke rose into the sky, Must of hit a truck or something/ the Baron thought. Over 205 shells and 85 missiles were launched at various parts of the city. Smoke rose as high as the eye could see, rubble was the only thing left at the beach. The doors to the transports flew open. Baron Retin was the first one to step onto the beach. He ran to a wall of a house and waited, nothing. No suprise attack, no ambush, absolutely nothing. The Brigade's armour was the next wave, he decided he didn't need the armour and took a company of soldiers with him to scan the area. His men lifted rubble and searched through destroyed houses, looking for signs of Ecuadorian activity. Baron Retin stepped into Main Street, and lit a cigarette. He breathed in deeply, and let the smoke out slow. Such a disappointment he thought. Suddenly a burst of machine gun fire came out of nowhere and hit the Baron in the leg, squirting blood 10 feet into the air. He fell down and began screaming. A second burst hit him in his chest, breaking his chest bone and putting several pieces of shrapnel into his heart. The final burst was a headshot and nearly tore off his entire head.

Out of nowhere the city erupted into action. 125 Ecuadorian armoured vehicles and 135 tanks came rolling down the streets. Ecuadorian soldiers came out of houses and out of the jungle. Thirty six artillery pieces were outside the city providing an intense volley of howitzer fire. Within minutes the scout company was falling back to the beach were the rest of the brigade was located at. Armed with LAWs and Milans the soldiers began to slowly pick off armoured vehicles. Mortars began to fall on the beach head, increasingly in proximity everytime a round lands. Light machine gun nests were made to attempt to hold off the enemy. Then the very first barrage of 105mm came in. Moving as fast as they can the Ecuadorians managed to establish a firing rate of 8 rounds per minute. The results were horrific, the beach head was nearly lost due to mounting casualties. Only the guns from the battlecruisers saved those trapped on the beach head. A volley of naval fire hit directly in the streets were the enemy infantry was advancing. Hundreds were dead as a result of the attack. A flight of AV-8 Harriers VSTOL (12) were being prepped onboard the carrier as the battle continued.

Warchief Hurmmel heard the explosions and quickened his pace to the city. On the borders of the jungle he watched the battle continue thruogh his binoculars. The enemy artillery was causing heavy casualties, immediately he ordered their own howitzers to begin bombardment of the enemies rear lines. With that done he checked his rifle and prepared his men. Feeling confident they make their way through an open field roughly 600 meters from the city's outskirts. Speratic gun fire hits his men and several go down. The Warchief quickly ducked for cover. Heavy enemy mortars began raining down on the men, the Ecuadorians had outfitted dozens of trucks to carry 81mm mortars for mobile purposes. These operated closely with the 160mm troop carrier mortars. Warchief Hurmmel saw the urgency in the situation and diverted howitzer fire his way. His Milan and LAW operators targeted several trucks and successfuly destroyed them. Still dozens of them were still raining shells onto his men. The 60mm mortars they had were attempting counter-battery opertations but were inadequate to take out the large trucks. The Battalion level 81mm mortars had been left onboard the ships, hoping they would be unloaded later on.

Back at the beach things were improving. The enemy's attack was becoming weaker as Yelmish soldiers fired contiously down at their lines. Still several dozen soldiers were dead and hundreds more wounded. The flight of AV-8's had finally arrived at the beach head. Moving at low altitude and speed the F-41's strafe the streets and houses with cannon fire and unguided bombs. After making their first strafing run several AV-8's were engaged by shoulder fired SAMs, and AAA batteries. After taking nearly two SAM hits each and receiving dozens of cannon fire near it's engines two AV-8's went down in the heart of the city. The remaining F-41's quickly released the rest of their ordanance around the crash site and exited the battlefield due to intensive enemy fire. The four crew members managed to eject before the aircraft crashed, and landed within 50 meters of the aircraft itself. Armed with only four pistols and two MP-5K the four crew members wouldn't last long.

Satellites in orbit had been positioned over Ecuador to provide vital photographs of the ongoing battle at Guayaquil. The photographs showed enough armour and artillery support to sufficiently operate with over five to six Ecuadorian division roughly 120,000 men. It was also obvious that the Ecuadorians prized Armoured Division was engaging Warchief Hurmmel's men on the western outskirts. Heavy anti-aircraft artillery and SAMs prevented any sort of aircraft bombing missions. For the moment the trapped men in Guayaquil would have to rely on naval power in the area. Missiles and shells landed in the city causing mass destruction. Still the enemy continued to fight hard as ever. The 4th Reserve Marine Division was being called into the battle as well. By this time the entire 3rd Marine Division was at engaging in the battle. One brigade was located in the Western outskirts and the other two were on the beach. A limited amount of IFVs and APCs were landed onto the beach, the tanks and the rest of the armour was being diverted to the Eastern outskirts of the city. An attack in that area would be able to draw Ecuadorian fighters away from the beach head and the Western Outskirts to the tanks. From there it's a turkey shoot.

At the beach head Ecuadorian artillery had been concentrated around the lines of the Yelmish soldiers. Having suffered already over 2,000 casualties the soldiers lines were wearing thin. Logistical personel abandonded their tasks and went to the front lines to fight. Using the cannon and missile fire from the battle cruisers the Marine brigade managed to decimate a large part of the city that contained many defensive positioned Ecuadorian soldiers. The SIV-25's then began moving down the street. Nearly instantly RPGs began bouncing off the IFVs armour. Some broke down after receiving nearly two dozen RPGs. IEDs set on the sides of the roads exploded flipping over and damaging even more SIV's. With casualties mounting the SIV's went reverse back into the lines, the crews from the damaged SIVs quickly ran to the fortified line as the retreating SIV's provided cover fire. The brigades remained heavily pinned down.

On the Western outskirts continous heavy mortar fire began taking it's tole on the soldiers. Despite taking out some 12 or so vehicles the shells never ceased to fall. Nearly 300 casualties had been reported as the enemy rifleman targetted coverring soldiers. The brigades own howitzers did little to change the tide. They landed several rounds into enemy defensive positions killing an estimated 500 soldiers. Old recoil less rifles were mounted on the roofs of the buildings. Despite being of old age the rifles (106mm) had modern target sights. With these they managed to accurately target large concentrations of Yelmish soldiers. Artillery fire from the howitzers destroyed some rifles but most continued to fire on. Snipers and machine gunners attempted to take out the rifles themselves by targettig the crew. Several were successful but their positions were quickly found and targetted. With increasing enemy fire and no naval support the Western attack was aout to crumble.

Onboard the Dakar
Warlord Boru looked at the sea angrily as he heard the reports of increasing enemy resistance at Guayaquil. The other two cities had fallen without much resistance, now the Warlord saw that they had focussed their most advanced units on defending the vital port city of Guayaquil. It didn't matter. When the reinforcments came everything would be won. One of the Warlord's Chieftans came up to him, "Warlord, we have transmission from the 1st Kings Fleet is now within combat range. Warlord Gorm Forkbeard has asked where his soldiers are needed." The Warlord smiled, "I want two further infantry divisions to be landed at Guayaquil. A battlship taskforce is to be assigned there to provide more firepower than a couple of cruisers. Tell him to then evenly disperse his forces at Manta and at Esmeraladas. From there our massive army will march to the deepest parts of Ecuador. Victory will be assured." The Chieftan nodded and went to give out the said orders.

With the assistance of two more Marine divisions the battle for Guayquil was quickly coming to an end. One full marine division plowed into the Eastern defenses of the city, dropping in Humvees and IFVs to fully destroy the Eastern line. On the Western Front a Battalion of armour was dropped behind the lines of the fighting soldiers and soon they arrive to fully relieve them. The marine brigade had suffered 109 KIA and 434 more WIA. The armoured push into the outskirts of the city killed an estimated 20,000 with heavy naval bombardment support. Battleships offshore sent a massive bombardment of heavy 24 inch shells towards the city, along with the cruisers 16 inch cannons. At the beach head a reinforcment of two brigades plus battleship suppor turned the tide as men and armoured moved down the narrow streets of the city. At the beach head the casualty list stood at 487 KIA and 1,702 WIA. Though the three attack fronts were making good speed the battle for the city still raged as the remaining Ecuadorian soldiers fortified their positions, and stragtegized a suitable and powerful counter-attack.

At manta a massive six division strong push into the heart of Ecuador destroyed over 17 towns and cities. Casualties stood at 802 KIA and 2,098 WIA after engaging with heavily fortified Ecuadorian positions. With the use of helicopters and armour the position was soon over run. Warlords predict that within one to two weeks they would have reached the capital of Ecuador. One month after that the entire nation of Ecuador would be under Yelmish control. Aircraft from off shore carriers bombarded major cities daily with the use of guided and unguided bombs. The armoured push towards the capital was facing moderate to heavy resistance most of the time, however the resistance would last only a few minutes until the armour was brought up and destroyed the attacks.

At Esmeraldas a four division strong attack completely surprized the out numbered Ecuadorians. Within minutes over 20,000 Ecuadorians saw themselves staring down the barrels of ST-11 tanks and at the rifles of Yelmish soldiers. At total of 10,000 were captured, the others resisted being taken and where shot. From there the divisions plunged into the deep jungles. After successfully counter-attacking several ambushes and taking over a dozen cities and towns the casualties stood at 946 KIA and 3,001 WIA. The objective of this attack was to push through the Northern side of Ecuador and assist in the seige of the Capital once the divisions at Manta arrived. Aircraft and helicopter support attacked the very rear of the Ecuadorian lines causing the death of many high ranking Ecuadorian officials.

The three front attack on Guayaquil was progressing well. With over 42,000 marines invovled and armoured support the city's fighters were getting desperate. A series of massed human wave attacks killed 150 soldiers on all fronts, but resulted in over 14,000 Ecuadorian casualties. With the dropping of a Marine battalion of the North side of the city the Ecuadorians were completely surrounded. They were at the mercy of the Yelmish soldiers. Within an hour of failed attempts to break the surroundment the Ecuadorian Army General proposed his surrender the the Yelmish soldiers. Warlord Ulrich Boru was the first man to hear the General's surrender terms.

A group of over 12,000 Ecuadorians had been squeezed into a small park. There the 34,000 remaining combat ready marines kept their eyes on the enemy. Yelmish tanks and IFVs surrounded the massive group, keeping their cannons ready. The Ecuadorian General steps foward to Warlord Boru, "I am assuming you are the Yelmish commander?" The Warlord nodded. The General looked down and turned his head towards his men, "My men have fought hard, but your technoloy is greater than that of ours, we have lost over 70,000 men fighting for this city. But no longer will I order suicide commands. I am willing to surrender this army if you promise not to harm my soldiers and let them leave to their families. I can be taken prisoner if you wish." The Warlord thought for a moment. Twelve thousand trained enemy soldiers out of the city. He didn't like the idea. These were the best they had to offer, the elite of the Ecuadorian military. And in an instant their best was soon nothing more than rotting corpses and burning metal. He looked towards the General, "Your surrender is acknowledged, but under Decree 1.6-3 I am not able to accept it. There's nothing more to say."

With that he turned his back to the General. He took several steps and turned grabbing for his dagger at his side. Moving too fast for the General to move the dagger is thrown and pentrates the General's face, the tip of the dagger reaching the back of the General's head. The General quickly crumbles to the ground lifeless. His body falls down heavy on the ground, lifting up dust as he did so. Without even speaking a word the Yelmish soldiers around the Warlord went on a killing spree, tanks and IFV fired their main guns, killing scores of Ecuadorians. Riflemen and snipers picked off helpless soldiers, trying to surrender. A group of BSS (Berserker Special Services) form a protective circle around the Warlord and lead him away from the combat zone. All the Ecuadorians invovled in the battle of Guayquile were killed. The bodies of those that survived the massacre were impaled. A line of impaled Ecuadorian soldiers lined in street stretching for over 10 miles outside the city. This act was personally ordered by Warlord Boru, who wanted this to be an example for all.

Progress was moving rapidly on the Esmeraldas Front. The lead unit had reached as far as Otavalo. Tuclan and Ibarra were already under the firm control of Yelmish Marines. The seige of the Capital was soon to come. Despite the fast advance many marines had died in ambushes and in attacks against small towns and cities. Another 100 soldiers were KIA and 350 more WIA. Marines layed waste to several cities leaving only burning ash. The current estimates say that this front had plowed right over about 10 Ecuadorian Divisions. Now a marine division is preparing to begin the seige of Quito. Artillery positions and armoured was already set. All that was needed was the main force from Manta.

The Manta front was moving fast as well. Soldiers quickly overran Portoviejo, Chone and Santa Elena. A large Ecuadorian army of 16 Divisions is all that stands in the way of the six division strong Yelmish army. The 16 Divisions had been estimated to be at half to a quarter strength due to heavy aircraft and artillery bombardments and due to previous engagments with Yelmish forces. The line was estimated to collapse soon and the way to Quito would be clear. The casualties had risen a bit due to increased enemy resistance, but the ratio of Yelmish soldiers killed to Ecuadorian soldiers killed remained at 1 to 55. The Manta front had 400 more KIA and 2,500 further WIA.

Yelm Order of Battle
Army
24 Marine Divisions
4 Under the Command of Warlord Ulrich Boru
4 Under the Command of Warlord Olaf Frojel
4 Under the Command of Harald Hardradi
4 Under the Command of Svein Estridsson
4 Under the Command of Gorm Forkbeard
Minimal casualties, immense enemy casualties reported

Navy
2 General Purpose Fleets (253)
1 Under the Command of Ulrich Boru
1 Under the Command of Gorm Forkbeard
5 Multi-Role Fleets
2 Under the Command of Harald Hardradi
2 Under the Command of Olaf Frojel
1 Under the Command of Svein Estridsson (Young Warlord)
Naval bombardments highly successful. Carrier aircraft operations highly successful

Air
No air units authorized; Use of Carrier Aircraft

All three fronts had been moving rapidly across the rough Ecuadorian terrain. On the Guayquil Front the armoured push went as far as Macas, facing only minimal resistance. Routine air and naval attacks decimated the entire Ecuadoran army. Estimates put the Ecuadorian strength on this front to be no more than two light infantry divisions. This front was quickly turning out to be the fast advancing front. Over two dozen villages and cities had been burnt to the ground, tens of thousands of soldiers patrolled the jungles everyday, killing hundreds of Ecuadorian soldiers. Soon the front will reach it's 2nd Objective, Montalvo City. The Southern cities and districts had been already been easily taken by only three Yelmish divisions. The remaining five divisions continued on to Montalvo.

At Manta the marines had finally reached the outskirts of Quito, the capital. Routine bombing runs had left the city in complete rubble and the previously made defenses were completely destroyed. Command had planned a four division thrust into the city, while two divisions from the Northern Front smash South into the city. This amount of soldiers was an overkill, the Ecuadorians had no more than 6 to 10 thousand defending the city. That is 6 to 10 thousand poor Ecuadorian farmers who learned how to use a rifle several days ago.

On the Esmeraldas Front, the remaining 6 divisions continued on to their 3rd Objective, Nueva Loja. The city was on a flat plains area, but the divisions first needed to cross the Andes to be able to reach the city. The marines found several large valleys which allowed for a good flow of armour and soldiers. Facing nearly no resistance at all the attack on Nueva Loja was expected to be one of the easiest sieges yet.

The final preparations had been made for the seige of Quito. The six divisions had fully encircles the city and began a furious artillery bombardment. Included in the attack were 44 MRLS, 102 105mm Towed, 88 155mm towed, and 68 203mm Self-Propelled. The bombardment left nothing standing, not a single building stood. That was the result of over a week's bombardment. The bombardment killed over half of the Ecuadorian fighters remaining. Slowly the divisions began moving into the city. They encounterred no resistance at all. Tens of thousands of mangled bodies were laying all over the rubble, the smell of rotting flesh filled the noses of the soldiers, but they were used to the smell. An 800 year war would do that to a man's senses. Finally nearing the City's Center a firefight broke out. Ecuadorian soldiers were attempting to put up a fight in the President's Palace. Several vollies of 145mm ETC ended their resistance. Several more encounters were made with over 1,000 Ecuadorians. They were easily eliminated by the Yelmish tanks and IFVs. Using the armour as their cover a squad of BSS made their way through the rooms of the President's Palace. They found nothing but mangled bodies of resistance fighters. The President had escaped. Immediately a Task Force was made specifically for the finding of the President, this was nicknamed Task Force Thor's Hammer. While a division held Quito the remaining divisions pushed East and South, leaving nothing but death and destruction behind.

On the Northern Front Yelmish soldiers had successfully crossed the Andes, loosing 102 men, and 345 more wounded due to enemy attacks. Almost immediately after crossing the Alps the 5th Marine Division encountered moderate Ecuadorian Resistence. A total of 55,000 Ecuadorians soldiers and 24 106mm rifles met the 21,000 strong division in a fierce battle. The battle took place 50 miles west of Nueva Loja on a large 4,000 meter open field. The results were catastrophic for the Ecuadorians. Artillery and tank rounds destroyed a large part of the Ecuadorians main ranks. A column of tanks ran over nearly a hundred Ecuadorians as they advanced through the field. The marines lost only 122 KIA and 456 WIA to the Ecuadorians 43,789 KIA, and 12,000 POW. The very last Ecuadorian Army was defeated. The Marine Division did not stop advancing after the Battle of Gregas Fields, they pushed on to Nueva Loja and took it without any casualties.

The Southern Front had fully conquerred all the land it had outlined. The entire South of Ecuador was firmly under Yelmish control. Soldiers routinely patrolled the Southern District imposing a strict curefew and weapons ban. Helicopters and aircraft continued to patrol the jungle, though this was not necesarry. The Ecuadorians were completely crippled and unorganized now. Victory is near.

The final days of the war in Ecuador was coming. With all 24 divisions in the ground victory was inevitable. The North and the South was conquered. All that remained was the little piece of land in the East. The Ecuadorian government layed in ruins and it's people feared the might that is Yelm. At Nuevo Rocafuerte the Ecuadorian president requested the presence of the Yelmish Warlord. Within hours of the call Warlord Boru and the four other lower Warlord's stood before the President. The President approached Warlord Boru, "I am President Antonio Vasca, president of Ecuador. I am assuming you are the one they call Warlord Boru?" The Warlord nodded his head, "Very well, I wish to officially inform to you that Ecuador has officially surrender. I no longer wish to hear of the hundreds of thousands that have died due to this war. I no longer want to live my life in fear. I want this to end." The Warlord studied the man for a few long seconds, "The terms are unconditional surrender do you accept?" The man nodded. "Very well. Under the Code of War I am to allow you to live in your nation peacefully. Our government will remain in total control no questions asked. Tell your soldiers to stand down now." The President nodded. Within an hour the announcment was made. The war in Ecuador was over.

Status War in Ecuador; Final Report
Total Yelmish Marines-504,000
Total Yelmish Marines Killed-17,340
Total Yelmish Marines Wounded-23,089
Total Ecuadorian Soldiers-1,020,800
Total Ecuadorian Soldiers Killed-450,042
Total Ecuadorian Soldiers Wounded-650,100
Total Ecuadorian Civilians Killed-2,343,211
Total Ecuadorian Civilaisn Wounded-3,121,553

Status of Ecuadoria Military Courtesy of President Vasca's Administration