THE MARINES

At 1011 hours local time (0911 zulu) Task Force Wasp arrives off the coast of Al Mout and begins preparing for disembarkation. To support the Marines, a large number of aircraft from both the Wasp and Enterprise are launched and settle into their on call air stations. By 1022 local, all aircraft are at their stations and the Marines are ready to disembark.

By: IICptMillerII,

Regime forces have not been able to detect the allied ships, until now. Task Force Wasp is within visual range of the city, and both the U-2 and Global Hawk UAV are showing a lot of increased military activity in the city. The good news is it appears the Regime has been taken by surprise. Most of their armed forces in the city appear to be trying to secure and triage targets stuck by the Tomahawk strikes or are centered around the Canadian consulate. There do not appear to be many Regime forces near the US consulate, though that is likely to change quickly. Having the city under complete surveillance like this gives allied forces a definite advantage. As Marine AAVs begin to hit the water, air controllers aboard the Wasp coordinate with the U-2 and Global Hawk feeds to begin directing airstrikes in the city. The Marines are entering Al Mout with a bang.

At 1025 local time, the first wave of Marines hit the water. Four AAVs carry the reconnaissance platoon, scout sniper platoon, and the engineer platoon. In the distance smoke columns can be seen rising into the sky, marking the locations of the Tomahawk strike targets. Flying overhead are a pair of Super Cobras. They are initially tasked with scanning the beach for any hostile presence and engaging it if it exists. For now, however, it appears that the beach is completely undefended.

That could quickly change. It is only a matter of time until someone in the city realizes there are amphibious vehicles on their way to shore. It will take roughly 5 minutes for the AAVs to make a one-way trip. That means that the first wave of Marines, a relatively small group, will be alone for at least 10 minutes. This initial landing will be one of the most vulnerable instances the Marines will have to face. They are not completely helpless though. In addition to the two Super Cobras, much of the city is under active surveillance. If Regime forces make a move for the beachhead they will be quickly spotted, and orbiting CAS aircraft can be vectored in to interdict them.

The Cobras spot and engage a few enemy vehicles on MSR Market just inland from the beachhead as the Marines approach. If the Regime didn’t know the Marines were coming, they do now. As if to confirm it, a flurry of activity is observed. Armed personnel are seen pouring out of a large building complex in multiple directions.

This situation quickly becomes a serious problem. Based on what is being observed, it appears that the building complex is some kind of assembly area for a large contingent of dismounted Regime infantry. This building complex sits at the intersection of MSR Wiley and Market and is directly next to blocking position Bugs. A Company’s blocking position and route of advance into the city to the US consulate appears to have an enemy assembly area smack in the middle of it. Before Marines have even put boots down on hostile soil, the fog of war rears its ugly head. Intelligence failed to identify this concentration of enemy forces at a critical spot.

The solution is simple, an old but true tactical maxim. Most any problem can be solved with the proper application of firepower, and firepower is something the Marines have in spades. Two Hornets loaded with 2000lb JDAMs are ordered to strike the building complex. The first JDAM misses its target by about 8 meters, slamming into the dirt road next to the complex. The second JDAM is dead on target.

While this goes a long way to mitigating this potentially serious issue, it does not solve it outright. The remains of the complex will have to be swept by elements of A Company in addition to establishing blocking position Bugs. This will add a time delay to the plan, prolonging the time both the Marines and consulate personnel are exposed to danger, increasing the chance of taking casualties.

Stay tuned for Part 5!

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