Half to Death
"We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own." ~Ben Sweetland
<<May 30, 2000>>
Your six troops press near the old tool shed for the limited cover it offers while you move forward, following your lead. Everyone is lightly-armed for speed: three XP 65s, three XP 105s. You had decided to brave it with just a 25 for the holster option; you wanted to have your hands free once you got where you were going.
You run through the plan again in your mind, determined to let nothing surprise you this time. Two-pronged assault on the enemy base to raid their supplies, taking what you can and making the rest as unusable as possible. Two elements had been stressed by your commander: speed and safety. You were risking a lot of troops in this effort, when intelligence runs had already shown a large number of enemy troops away from the base and active. If you were to be of any help at all, you had to be in and out very quickly, and still in fighting form.
Still, you had a pincer attack going for you, so you had decided not to press through the dense trees the enemy was using for defense -- there were navigable, but only at a walking pace.
Suddenly, your two-way radio crackles to life at your belt. "HELP!" someone shouts into the radio. "Alpha Wave in trouble!"
That was Isaac, the leader of the other prong. This, of all things, you did not need right now.
Nonetheless, you grab the radio and hit the talk button. "What's going on, Isaac?"
"They've changed formation entirely, and we're surrounded! We pressed in to the first barricades . . ." he updates you quickly on his situation, and you map out troop positions in your mind. If there was one good quality Isaac had, it was the ability to be accurate and concise. The exchange goes quickly.
"We've already taken a lot of hits, several people are soaked to the bone," he continues. "Three of them have all suggested that we run. If things don't get better I could have a mutiny on my hands!"
You stare blankly at the trees some distance in front of you, trying to think. If you send troops directly to help out, your position will easily be discovered. Sending them around the huge multi-purpose building to the south of the enemies' fortification would take a few minutes . . . your commander's lecture replays itself at light-speed in your mind, emphasizing speed again -- but then safety concerns strike you again. What was most important here?
"All right," you say quickly into the radio. "I've got an idea . . ."
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Take as many heavy hitters from the enemy weapon stach and let Isaac's forces retreat, thus drawing the attackers closer together. The six in the shed could then attack the enemy force from the back. This may cause disarray in the ranks on the enemy and Isaac can then use this time to launch a counterattack. The enemy would be in disarray and would have to defend 2 fronts. Some of Isaac's force can then break off and flank the enemy.
~Anonymous
Considering that the entire purpose of this attack is to raid the enemy supplies, it seems kind of anticlimactic for access to enemy weapons to be assumed at the start of your solution. There are three defenders reported by intelligence not accounted for by Isaac's report, so there's a good chance that your side is still guarded.
I don't know why you think letting Isaac's forces retreat will draw anybody closer together, and because there is a good chance that the enemy already has a rear guard there is a very good chance that your forces will be plunged into disarray instead of the enemyies'.
I would tell my troops to go around behind the enemy's stock piles, and tell my men to attack the guards if any that are there, then i would arm my men with the guns that are there. Then i would attack the men attacking Issac's troops. This would have to be done quickly. So i would have my men each take a man and run out and take the closest people to the ctock pile out. I would have my men grab whatever heavy weapons that are there, stuff like 1000s, 150s, or whatever they have. Then i would have my men attack and try to let Issac's troops have atleast half the men they were fighting before taken down or distracted. The enemies would be caught, having no cover to hide behind and cut down they would either fight to the death, run together for help, or scatter and try to make a break for the woods to get away.
~ aar2005
If this is an elimination game, you're already in very serious trouble, because it sounds like a lot of people in Isaac's unit have already been hit.
The plan looks like it could work, although it is very risky, because if you move too slowly, or get unlucky, or are spotted too early, or the enemy is better organized than you think, you could easily wind up very wet. I wouldn't give the plan a particularly high success rate, although it's not an unreasonable plan.
The key thing, though, is that this is meant just to be a supply raid, not a base occupation assault force. You're supposed to get in and get out, not start a big skirmish. Although your plan might work, it is contrary to orders.
<<March 17, 2001>>
Alright, here goes.
Reform the team into the "Assualt Formation". With me in the front, two XP-65's to my left flank, one XP-65 and a XP-105 to my right flank, and two XP-105's driectly behind me. Now, we are going to follow the black line to that weapon stash. I am positive that there aren't any gaurds there, because you didn't show any on the map. Also, the nearest people are not to close, but I woudn't know, hence no scale was provided.
You'll notice that of the twelve enemies whose positions were given by intelligence, only nine have been seen, and those nine are in completely different positions. There is a chance that the route you've plotted is now guarded, although there is probably a better chance that it is not.
But anyway, we would take the gear (completing our raiding mission). And return to the red "X" to call up HQ on the radio and inform them of our situation, Isaac's situation, and my plan. If they approve of my plan, then we will follow the green line to that barricade, and our peoples will conquer it, and steal from the weapons stash.
I would think that Unit A would come and try to retake the bunker. This would free up Isaac's troops to the upper left flank, allowing him to retreat to us, then we would give his team some new weapons from the enemies two weapons stashes that we have raided. We would then inform HQ of our position, and wait for furhter orders. If HQ did not approve of my plan, I would wait for their orders.
~Sapper
(Spartan Federation)
The only major problem I see with this plan is that you don't account for delays raided the weapon stashes. There is no information given as to how large they are, but if you and your troops want to be able to fight, then at most you could pick up two weapons and they could each take one (even that would make it difficult to pump, with a weapon in each hand). Any other weapons you find you are supposed to "ruin" for their use, probably by emptying them, scattering them around, maybe hiding some. That's all going to take time. Meanwhile, there is a good chance that you will at least be seen, so you'll have to defend yourselves while you do it.
Also, going through the woods in the first place can only be done "at a walking pace," so that's another chunk of time right there. I'm not sure Isaac will hold out long enough for you to put your plan into action.