| Aries | Friday, November 13, 2015 - 04:16 pm 
The Battle of Camp Foxtrot
Date Mar 2, 3701 - Mar 19, 3701
(18 days)
Location Camp Foxtrot, Zentrino Empire, Fearless Blue
Result Allied Victory
-Blackeye Empire forces repulsed
Belligerents/Forces Involved
Blackeyes Empire
-Mobile Stealth Bomber Command
-Mobile Defense Command
-Fighter/Bomber Command
-Strategic Forces
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Allied Forces
Zentrino Empire
-Air Defense Command
-Garrison Command
-Stealth Bomber Command
-Mobile Defense Command
Aries Empire
-Air Defense Command
-Mobile Defense Reserve Command
Zen Empire
-Air Defense Command
-Mobile Defense Command
Casualties
(weapon losses for Camp Foxtrot battle only, personnel numbers include all theatres in March 3701)
Blackeyes Empire
1,390 Stealth Bombers
13,105 Precision Bombers
724 Fighter Planes
394 Conventional Missile Batteries
377 Land-Based Cruise Batteries
400 Anti-Aircraft Batteries
507 Missile Interceptor Batteries
393 Defensive Missile Batteries
223 Interceptors
1 Strategic Bomber
88,612 killed
256,195 wounded
Allied Forces
34,702 Interceptors
5,500 Helicopters
4,700 Anti-Aircraft Batteries
3,042 Missile Interceptor Batteries
3,306 Defensive Missile Batteries
580 Stealth Bombers
10 Nuclear Defense Batteries
Zentrino Empire
Military
49,209 killed
130,213 wounded
Civilian
138,506 killed
199,721 wounded
Aries Empire
17,821 killed
45,740 wounded
Zen Empire
17,142 killed
47,261 wounded
Background
Camp Foxtrot had recently come over the control of the Zentrino Empire as part of a restructuring of Aries Empire territories on the planet. The Zentrino Empire was just getting administrative priorities for the new territory set when hostilities loomed. The Blackeyes Empire, seeing an opportunity at expansion and, perhaps, test the resolve of the Aries Empire's shrinking presence on Fearless Blue to settle world affairs, declared a state of war with the Zentrino Empire. Specifically, it declared it had rights to the Camp Foxtrot territory and was willing to settle the matter with force.
The Aries Empire watched the situation with alarm. Knowing the Zentrino Empire could not achieve victory alone and finding that state's declared world allies in a fragile state, the Aries government reached out to other friendly government seeking assistance in a common cause of the Zentrino Empire's defense and to prevent a more volatile state of world affairs on Fearless Blue in general. After the diplomatic channel found several powers either unable or unwilling to commit to the looming conflict, a sympathetic Zen Empire was willing to assist in the crises. In a challenge to the Blackeyes Empire, the Zen Empire boldly declared a state of war also existed between their two empires.
The Blackeye's leadership monitored the deployment of allied forces and was undeterred by them or the Zen Empire's announcement of war. Having seen its powerful formations, particularly its mighty stealth arm, develop an unblemished record in carrying out the will of the Blackeyes empire on any world, the leadership had reason to believe it would again find victory for the empire.
The Camp Victory battlefield would be one of several in the coming war that would also see fights over other Zentrino Empire territory as well as a final push by allied forces to capture the very bases that the Blackeye Empire forces would conduct the war from. However, this battle would be the most important to decide the conflict and, indeed, was still in the balance towards the very end.
Prelude
Seeking victory in the coming conflict, the warring powers spent the months preceding conflict transporting vast quantities of military material from off-world. The allied powers held conferences to coordinate a strategy to best counter the coming threat. Though other territories were now considered part of the war zone, including territories of the Zen Empire, the allies predicted Camp Foxtrot would likely be the focus of the conflict. A large airlift would deploy numerous allied weapons and personnel to that territory, in particular.
Hostilities
The Blackeye Empire declared the state of war for February 28, 3701. On March 2, 3701, allied forces detected the first of attacking air forces over the skies of Camp Foxtrot. An assault that would see many days of an unending assault of fighter planes, precision bombers, and the vaunted stealth formations had begun.
Allied defense interceptors would meet the call again and again to repel the onslaught. Zentrino stealth bombers, ordered to attack the enemy in-kind, fearlessly flew into the teeth of the enemy. Few of these crews and planes would return. The stealth crews would shortly be ordered to stand down.
Seeking to support their airborne comrades, allied missile crews fought to counter incoming fire and destroy the many enemy planes in their airspace. Both land and air forces would find their original formations diminished and new formations would be scrapped together to meet the continuing challenge.
By March 12th, the allied situation appeared tenuous. Many air wings were understrength and, with no alternative, were called to continue the battle in a weakened state. Long supply lines to the Aries and Zen Empires meant many supporting wings would not see new weapons for some time. Aries battlefield commanders relayed this information to their superiors and powerful reserve air units were approved to be shuttled directly to the battle zone. Dozens of fresh air wings were rushed to frontline duty. Their timely deployment and renewed vigor with ground-based resistance did much to stave off disaster.
With increasing losses to their forces, the Blackeyes Empire Command reviewed the battlefield situation. With no clear path through allied forces in sight, a mix of new, escalated, tactics would be implemented. On March 15th, an order was given for a bomber with a nuclear payload to bomb the Brize Norton airport in Camp Foxtrot. This bomber was detected and shot down by allied forces before it could deliver its destruction. Following this failure, dozens of conventional batteries would wither the same airport with relenting fire that would see its destruction. Allied forces defending the city of Camp Foxtrot would then see their positions compromised with a stealth assault. In a repeat of the destruction of the Brize Norton airport, the city would meet a similar fate to Blackeye Empire forces. Missiles devastated the city which, in a tragedy, would suffer over 300,000 civilian casualties. Other targets in Camp Foxtrot would similarly suffer damage to missiles from afar.
Despite the ability to cause damage with missile assaults, the batteries themselves were being destroyed by allied helicopters seeking to relieve their beleaguered companions on the ground. The Blackeye Empire Command, seeing their forces unable to exact victory, called off further attacks. By March 20th, quiet had returned to the skies of Camp Foxtrot. The Battle for Camp Foxtrot was over.
Aftermath
Additional skirmishes would be fought in other theatres. Zentrino Empire forces in Camp Foxtrot itself would launch a brief counter-attack in June, with opposing forces in retreat, and capture the last of the Blackeye Empire bases, ending the war. |
