Weekly Update #6

Friday Night Firefight  7/Feb/2014

Due to unusually high fatality rates in both missions played during Friday's session, it is difficult to write an accurate report on proceedings. Suffice to say, we got fucked up.

The first mission was a stormy, weather ridden search and destroy operation in North Chernarus. The second mission was a Hollywood style assault on a town that had an armed WMD at its center.

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First Mission - Paveway Bayou

Our first operation of the night had one simple objective. Locate and destroy 3 anti-air guns within the area of operations. In the dead of night, weather conditions were miserable with intense rain, thunderstorms and thick fog. After quickly gearing up under the shelter of some trees, our soggy squad set off on its mission.

Our slow and cautious approach came to a halt when an anti-air radar pylon was spotted through the fog. The adverse environmental conditions had started to break down the squad's cohesion by the time the enemy was in sight, so when the firefight started things quickly fell apart. With teams cut off from one another on either side of a big lake and enemy searchlights illuminating us from multiple angles, casualties quickly mounted until the squad withdrew and reformed. By this time, however, the enemy had flanked us.

Those that survived the initial carnage managed to continue the mission. One after the other, finding and destroying the anti-air guns. A horrifying lapse in tactical awareness saw 4 members cut down by a lethal hail of bullets cast by one of the AA emplacements before it too was destroyed. With majority losses, the mission was completed.

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Second Mission - Armageddon

Our briefing set the stage for a typical movie style action scene. Somewhere in the center of a town was a scud missile truck, armed with what was unstated yet undoubtedly a nuclear warhead. Our mission was simple and time restricted. Assault the town, gain access to the scud truck and neutralize the WMD threat.

The squad's leader decided on a three way, 'trident' style attack with the squad breaking up into three teams to assault from different directions. After separating, each Humvee's approach was greeted with a scattering of bullets and RPGs. After arriving at their own assigned dismount points, the dispersed squad began its squeezing attack in toward the town's center where the target was housed. The isolated teams, lacking the firepower and support of a full squad, began to lose members as the fighting intensified toward the town's center.


The command unit rejoined with the remnants of Bravo and Charlie squad before making a final assault on the objective. After a hectic CQC scuffle, the scud truck was secured. When we realised defusing the bomb wasn't an option, brave team member, Death, volunteered to drive the truck out of the populated area while the rest of the squad secure and shelter in the town. About half a minute prior to detonation, Death was ordered to abandon the vehicle and seek cover himself. All his efforts, however, (including his attempt to find cover) proved futile as the WMD on board the scud truck turned out to be a nuclear bomb. Death was vaporized instantly while the rest of the team ran for their lives. The blast quickly leveled the town killing both those taking cover in buildings and the small group trying to escape via vehicle. There were no survivors.

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Reflecting on the many failures that led to losses during Friday's session, not only helps us to understand where we need to improve, but also reminds us that even in this simulated world of war, we're really not very good soldiers. Neither the 3/4 mortality rate in the first mission, nor the complete destruction of a population center as well as the annihilation of our squad in the second mission are acceptable operational outcomes. Better luck next time chaps!