In the Bowl: August 6th, 2014 with Dog Company

Following a NATO attack on Elektrozavodsk and the securing of the bridgehead, CSAT units fell back to regroup. As the unit conducted patrols to maintain contact with enemy forces, a number of troops were abducted near an old castle to our northeast. HUMINT hinted that they might be in captivity within the castle, which is being held as an operating base by CSAT-backed irregulars. Our mission? Kill every guy who isn't our guys and then bring our guys back to some more of our guys for debrief, candy, and a book deal about their experience.

We estimate the enemy's strength at somewhere between forty and fifty men with technicals (Or as we're calling them, Ground-Grounds) on patrol near the castle. Our plan is to slip through the valley running up to the castle, hit it quick and clear it, hold it to wipe out the enemy as they attempt to retake it, then leg it down to the extraction point.


There are some problems with this plan, namely that we lack in numbers and firepower. We're so understrength our HMG team is simply using a captured Zafir (IMI Negev) machine gun instead of a deployable .50 Cal gun. We've got two rifle squads and my HQ element, plus a medic for our hopefully light scrapes running through the woods. We do have one thing on our side, a JTAC and an A-10 Wipeout (Warthog only if the copyright won't steal my life essence from my lungs)

Our scheme of maneuver and control methods. 

So we take the platoon through the valley and our en-route rally points (ERRPs) until we can get to our battle positions (BPs). 1st Squad is tasked with holding and engaging the castle from BP Shield, which will be prepped with a gun run from the cannon of our vengeful fixed wing support. As they sweep the hill, they'll start putting fire onto the castle to suppress or kill (Preferably kill) anyone coming out to play. At the same time, 2nd Squad will swing around to their left and take a position at BP Lance before rushing the castle walls. They'll take up positions to dominate the exits and entrances and help 1st Squad bound up to the castle.

Then we'll breach it and clear it with both squads, free the POWs, and hunker down for a bit. 1st Squad will take up defensive positions to the north and west while 2nd Squad covers the east and south. We'll pin anything that comes at us with small arms and then drop a GBU on it if it doesn't die. Once we're ready to go and the firing slows down, we'll fall out of the castle to our next ORP and skip down to the coast.

We tab out, spirits high, rifles primed and ready, fat kids huffing and puffing.

So we set out, cracking jokes, radios crackling as our element leaders check in and control the column's movement to our first control points. Most of our journey from the assembly area is uneventful, and we hit our first ERRP without incident. Shortly after, 2nd Squad spots an enemy foot patrol to our west, and we hunker down hoping they'll pass without picking a fight, which they do. I order my extra guys to watch the rear and advise 2nd Squad's Leader to post his automatic rifles to the left flank just in case.

There's a threat those fellows will pounce on us from the rear, and I want to be able to repulse them with a volley of machine gun fire.

We spot some enemies to our front and a small trading of fire begins.

As we pass that patrol, we meet another to our front left and shots ring out. A few short volleys of light machine gun fire are traded and 1st Squad is caught in the open. 2nd Squad goes on line to their left to meet the enemy. Our platoon is now horizontally deployed in a depression. There's a dirt road that rims the almost valley to our left and more enemies are rolling up from it with alarming regularity. 

1st Squad shifts right to the treeline to get a bit of elevation. The rim on the right allows decent lines of fire onto the road and my squad leaders instinctively attempt to seize the situation as best they can. The JTAC calls in a gun run on the dirt road while 2nd Squad hunkers down and waits for the order to move up.

Alpha Team of 1st Squad moving up the right.

 Suddenly 1st Squad Leader goes silent and we can't raise them on the radio. I start moving up trying to hail his team leaders but they're not on the platoon net. The enemy fire picks up and tracers and dirt start flying everywhere. Our fire slackens as we take casualties and those who aren't behind trees scramble to get closer to the ground.

The CAS strikes up the road, wiping out a good number of enemies, but the splash hits some of 2nd Squad, and they slap on bandages before they move out. I sprint up to the right to see what's going on and take command of 1st Squad myself.

Members of 2nd Squad patching themselves up after some shrapnel hits them.

Sporadic fire comes from the front, big flaming baseball sized tracers tear through the woods, and 6.5mm rounds bore into trees inches from our bodies. I get reports of a technical ahead as I hear the panic of my rifles in the air. 

I reach 1st Squad's remnants as a hail of gunfire slams into their positions.

As I reach the right flank, there are only four guys left from the squad, and they're struggling to hold their position. I call them back, but .50 Cal rounds tear into their position and cut two of them down. Another wanders off to my right and gets clipped crossing an open field, and as the last of them scrambles back down to 2nd Squad's positions I take a round in the back and tumble over.