[GZG] [GZG Fiction] Breakout from the Arda

Breakout From the Arda: Ingenuity At Its Best

New Guardian Times, Margaritifer Sector, August 29th 2196

The biggest obstacle faced during the on-going attack through the Arda
is the static defences constructed there by the alien occupiers over the last
year. While these had been noted from orbital imagery and drone overflights,
the magnitude of the problem they can create was not apparent until the attack
had already begun. These defences have been constructed along the length of
the Line, so it isn't like Command has chosen the site of the attack poorly.
The disposition of the troops and the lie of the land in general makes the
Arda an ideal location for this southern offensive. The tough nature of these
defences is evident from the name given to them by the FSE legionaries who
first contacted them. They called them, "chasseur de âme" or "soul
destroyers". The NAC marines in support quickly contracted this to CDA when
speaking of them via radio, though they use many more colourful names too.

The increasingly poor weather in combination with the CDA is posing a
significant tactical dilemma. From a military perspective, the Krak have
created terrain ideal for defence in depth, extending tens of kilometres back
from the Line. While an inconvenience for GEV and grav armour and troops, the
CDA present a substantial obstacle to wheeled and tracked tanks and grunts on
foot. These troops can charge the CDA and push over
the top, but this exposes their weaker belly armor to Krak anti-tank
weapons. The poor weather is also seeing the valles becoming patchy; with some
parts loose fine sand, others marshy and others brittle and slippery with ice.
All in all this makes travel difficult, even by foot.
This also means that cross-country maneuver is fairly restricted for
wheeled and tracked vehicles, so the use and control of the network of
transport corridors is an absolute necessity for offensive operations.

The NAC deployed on the leftmost edge of the Valles are getting the easiest
time of it, as far as terrain is concerned, as the hills they are running
along are firmer, rocker and more effectively drained. This is not to say
these units, primarily drawn from the Americas, don't have their hands full,
however. They have had to conduct attacks to dislodge Krak units from this
high ground on the rim of the Vinogradov plateau. A successful breakout up and
through the valles will depend on the ability to overcome the CDA. Due to
expediency, instead of trying to drive
directly over the defences with dozer-tanks, GEV dropped and infantry
deployed demolitions are being used to blow gaps in the defensive works.
Unfortunately this is running into problems due to the sheer quantity of
demolitions required. 9 tons of explosive per 45 minutes of attack seems like
an insurmountable drain on the supply lines here. The various engineering
units are working hard on alternative solutions, some
involving nano-gels, others brute force abrasion from sand blasters
(making use of the readily available local regolith), but for now the
explosives are the primary means of creeping forward.

Once armor is into a position, they can provide heavy suppressive fire so the
infantry can clear the Krak pits. The tank mounted machine guns prove
exceptionally effective in delivering the direct fire needed to suppress the
Krak and their heavy slug throwers. What's more, the main
gun of an MBT like a Deimos, when used at point-blank range, is a fine
substitute for indirect artillery fire. The infantry are not silent partners,
however. They provide the tanks with protection against Krak infantry
attacking the weaker sides and rear of the tanks as they push through. Close
order combined arms marked by intimate association and mutual protection is
definitely the order of the day.

The infantry often ride on the back decks of tanks, sitting under
cam-sheets or using small stealth baffles to help mask their position.
They only dismount when the attack runs into stiff enemy resistance. The
typical tactical plan currently being played out in the valles sees units
attack in two to three waves. The first almost solely consists of GEV tanks
with onboard artillery observers, who call down accurate, indirect fire on the
Krak positions. The second wave of mainly wheeled or tracked tanks follows on
the heels of the lead echelon. Two fire teams, or a single large squad
(depending on nationality) ride on the back deck of each MBT in the wave.
These infantry provide their mounts with local security, dismounting to
conduct a coordinated combined arms attack when the fighting gets thick. This
action is facilitated by
short-range HUD networks noded on infantry battalion commanders riding
in the command tanks. For the faster units, a third echelon of tanks and
infantry follows up shortly after the second wave has passed, tasked with
eliminating positions bypassed or not detected by the leading two waves.

All of the infantry I've spoken to are enthusiastic about riding the tanks. A
few admitted to being initially nervous about being on such fast moving
platforms, but they said that soon passes in the field as the tanks rarely get
to top speed in this close terrain. They all agree
that battle-riding gives them several advantages. The height of their
roosts provides good observation points and puts them above grazing fire of
foot based Krak infantry, it even puts them above the fire of many of the
Krak's beast riding cavalry. The irregular speed of the tanks, in
combination with the low armour panels and cam-sheets, makes them much
more difficult targets and has slashed their casualty rates too.

This was no better demonstrated than on August 25th, when the NAC 13th
Division lead the western edge of the Arda offensive. They began the
day's operations at 0530, after a furious twenty-five-minute preparatory
bombardment by three battalions of Royal Artillery. The initial progress was
slow and discouraging, much as it had been for the four days previous. The 3rd
Battalion advanced two companies abreast. They fairly quickly encountered
determined resistance from Krak that had partially reoccupied the last CDA
breached the previous day. The ground was just
open enough to allow for best use of the multi-wave attack and the
tank-infantry-observer and engineer teams started making good steady
progress, breaking through the toughest Krak defenses by 1100. Progress was
more rapid through the afternoon, they seized the forward ridgeline wheeled
along it to the east before rolling on to the next block of CDA a further 2
kilometres ahead. Securing the ridgeline, captured in the morning and early
afternoon, they had an excellent position to continue the attack up the valles
the next day.

While this progress must seem painfully slow to those watching from home, and
almost unending to those in the front line, we are making astounding progress.
More than anything else, it has shown how adaptable the human soldier is, how
well they show initiative and ingenuity. Let us all hope that such efforts
form the foundation of the operations that will ultimately lead us all to
victory.