NationStates Jolt Archive

The whole exercise had now been planned, and given the code name of SPYDER.

Eighteen Colstream divisions would attempt to defeat a mixed force of 40 Lamonian and Colstream divisions, including 400 tanks. (OOC: You sure, Colstream? This is overkill for the 'rebels') Each nation would also contribute 200 fighters for the air phase of SPYDER.

The agreed upon part of the land phase was for the Colstream OPFOR to 'rebel' from the Republic of Colstream, and attempt to 'seize' the Lamonian island of Lemnos (on which they were based). The joint Lamonian/Colstream response force's job was to defeat the rebels before they could administratively fire exercise ICBM's from the (defunct and empty) ICBM silos on the northern tip of the island. The main land battle would be an amphibious insertion onto the southern part of the island (Where Colstream's base on Lamonian soil was located), which would be opposed by the rebels. The only area that was to be ignored by the combatants of both sides (and monitored by a 'neutral' Lamonian division) was Lemnos' main city, where a secret cargo of military supplies was being delivered to the Free Republic. The only visible part of this cargo were the new Lamonian Battleships; FRLS Zeus, FRLS Ares, and FRLS Apollo.

With the planning out of the way, it was time for the exercise to begin.

12:00 Colstream Military Base, Ashland

Taskforce "Spyder" set sail for Lamoni. 18 Divisions on 6 Assualt Ships and 16 Naval Vessels including 2 Cruisers and 4 Destroyers plus 10 Armour Carriers left Ashland Naval Base and out into International Waters. The 18 Assualt Ships carried a complement of 2 Divisions of 35,000 Men and the 10 Armour Carriers 20 Tanks plus 30 APCs.

12:00 AOTC -3

Lamonian Military Base, Amalfi

All of the Lamonian troops that were to be involved in the joint military exercise were scattered amongst Lamonian military bases on the coast. Merchant ships of the Lamonian Strategic Reserve were being prepared to send the Lamonian forces into the simulated fires of a combat drill.

In the meantime, it had been decided to have the three new Lamonian Battleships participate in the exercise as fire support ships. Their sixteen inch guns would perform well in that role, and this would be the first use of the new ships in the Lamonian Navy.

All that remained was to wait for the Colstream forces to arrive.

Taskforce "Spyder" entered Lamoni Waters. A Message was sent to the Lamoni forces saying that the Colstream divisions playing the part of the rebels was already in the base. Blank Ammunition had been dispensed to the soldiers. They now waited for "Spyder" to begin....

5:00 pm AOTC -3

With the message in hand, Marshall Carl Walther directed the Lamonian forces detailed to the exercise to board their assigned ships. He also sent a reply message back to the Colstream forces, stating that the Lamonians were on their way, and that the Lamonian and Colstream military leadership for the exercise should get together in order to work out joint plans. An offer for the Amalfi military base to serve that function was also included in the message.

--later--

The Lamonian and Colstream ships were situated about five miles from each other (for safety reasons), while the Lamonian battleships were moving into position to start the exercise by performing a simulated shore bombardment. Blank ammunition had been passed around to the troops and tanks involved in the exercise, and they were ready to fight.

The Commander in charge of the Colstream Forces General Nathan Turner and his staff arrived at the Amalfi military base. He laid out his plan:

Day 1: 10 Divisions land 8 miles North of the base and bring there equipment ashore. They would then go 5 miles inland and set up positions for his artillery. Lamonian Army units also landing nearby.
Day 2: Air Attacks using training bombs on the base to "Soften up" the positions around the base, with Lamonian Aircraft taking part.
Day 3: Recce Patrols in force move South to engage "Rebels" using air support by Colstream Air Force and Lamoni Air Force.
Day 4: Colstream Forces rest and let Lamoni to go onto the offensive. This will give the Colstream Commander a chance to see Lamonian Units in action.
Day 5: Both Forces push forward and get within a mile of the base. Artillery Barrage would follow to mask the buildup for the final phase.
Day 6 and 7: Final all out assualt on the base by Combined Lamoni/Colstream Forces.

The "Rebel" Forces Commander was General "Lightning" Storm, veteran of the Thive Campaign in October 2007 and the Liberation of Zaheran in November 2007. He would have the task of defending the Base but have the disadvantage of no air support, tanks or artillery.

The Commander in charge of the Lamonian forces (General Eric T. Olson) reviewed the plan given him by General Nathan Turner. Seeing that it did not conflict with what his Logistics officer had told him, he approved it.

General Olson looked up at General Turner, and asked, "When would you like to begin SPYDER, General?"

General Nathan Turner replied "I would like to begin "SPYDER" Immediately please, General."

As this conference was going on, on the Assualt Ships the first wave in "SPYDER" was getting into Landing Craft ready to begin the exercise.

Aboard the Lamonian ships

The order to start the war games had been given, and the troops were piling onto the landing craft. The first wave would land five Lamonian divisions with all 200 of the Lamonian tanks; effectively establishing a beachhead (8 miles NE of the base) for the rest of the Lamonian forces. A total of ten Lamonian divisions would go ashore this day, with the other ten coming ashore while the LAF and Colstream warplanes bombed the base.

In the meantime, the three Lamonian battleships were simulating bombarding the base with their sixteen inch main guns. LAF F-16C fighter bombers circled overhead, taking recon photos in conjunction with Lamonian recon satellites. Both the Colstream and Lamonian invasion forces had their own dedicated satellite radio channels; so that they could communicate.

03:00 Lamonian Time:

The first Colstream Army landing craft started to land on the beaches 8 miles North of the "Rebel Camp". Shellfire from the Colstream Navy had cleared a path and the Colstream Air Force had "destroyed" the bunkers overlooking the beach. The first wave had got ashore with no casualties. "SPYDER" had begun.

03:00 AOTC -3

The Lamonian forces had landed their ten divisions for the day, and nine of the ten divisions had moved southward in order to keep an eye on the rebels. The conditions that night were superb for stealth, with a full lunar eclipse plunging things into near total darkness.

Using this to their advantage, the Lamonians had moved five miles south, putting only three miles between them and the first suspected line of enemy defenses. The 200 Juggernaut tanks would be the schwerpunkt of the planned assault on the enemy lines.

The Colstream Forces had advanced 2 miles before digging in. The first shells began to land in the "rebel" base. 2 more Divisions had been landed to reinforce the forces already ashore.

The Lamonians dug into their positions, and watched as the LAF began a strike on rebel positions. This mission was performed by four F-16C fighter-bombers, which used practice cluster bombs to soften up enemy positions; paying particular attention to any possible enemy AA or SAM sites.

The Colstream Army began a large offensive against the rebel base. All of the divisions ashore started to push inland. The rebel forces fell back 2 miles but fell into prepared positions which stalled the advancing Invasion Force. Both Sides stopped to regroup.

Right after they got the signal that the Colstream forces had stopped their attack, the Lamonians attacked. They knew that the enemy forces would be alerted, but they were going to use massed firepower to open a hole in the enemy lines which they could then pour through.

Lamonian G-5 Howitzers (OOC: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G5_howitzer ) were the first to fire, their shots could reach ranges of up to 39 KM without rocket or base bleed rounds. With the artillery keeping enemy heads down, Lamonian Juggernaut MBT's raced from hiding spots, and opened fire with their main guns while more LAF F-16C fighter-bombers rained bombs down on the enemy. With all of the fire concentrated in an area of one mile of front line, this barrage was expected to produce horrific enemy casualty levels. Sure enough, fifty Lamonian tanks shot through a hole in the bombardment, while the rest of the Lamonian forces attempted to roll up the enemy front line.