Rob: initially I didn't think anything more was needed and then I wasn't sure who was writing it. With all the crazy schedule stuff going on I just didn't think about it sooner. My apologies. Here's at least a rough AAR. If others want to add details and corrections, just post them in the thread and I'll integrate them.
AAR - initial reporting completed by LT Anders Wolfram Kelswa
The Rangers approached in 4 columns with Spectre anchoring the western line then Fury then Paladin and Ehreschuld anchored the eastern line. Word of Blake forces were deployed across the line of march, separating us from the civilians we were there to save. As we made contact, the Exterminator, Centurion and Guillotine advanced on the civilians seeking to destroy them before we could link up. They in turn broke hard for the western hills seeking cover with the Powerman taking extensive leg damage just as he reached it. Smoke from the Ranger artillery provided cover for the mostly unarmed civilians as the Rampage fought valiantly to protect its charges making good use of high ground and smoke to encourage the Word of Blake to give them wider berth. If they'd had more time perhaps they might have succeeded, but the bulk of the Blakist forces prevented the faster Ranger elements from linking up before Blakist reinforcements that had been pursuing the civilians caught up. Of them the Hermes and Buccaneer were the most aggressive at hunting down and finishing off the unarmed mechs while the Wolverine supported the Exterminator and his team against the Rampage.
In the north the heaviest elements anchored the center of the field, supported by the Bandersnatch taking the prime sniper point on top of the eastern hill. While the Rangers would have expected the Awesome to hold it, the choice on the part of the Blakist was a good one. Paladin advanced into the teeth of fire from the Crab, Drillsons and Warhammer as Ehreschuld maneuvered to flank. A dogged defense by the Blakists had Paladin reeling when Ehreschuld moved into position to effectively take fire. The Longinus carrying Rippers stayed out of the initial fray and arced eastward then north to deposit the battle armor into the rear of the Ranger forces. Fire taken while inbound damaged one of the Rippers and breached the infantry compartment, injuring one of the armored infantry.
In an effort to aid Paladin's position, Ehreschuld exposed itself to draw fire which was perhaps a bit too successful. Concentrated fire by the Warhammer, Drillson and Bandersnatch breached the Avatar's right torso and connected with the gauss rifle, triggering an explosion that destroyed the engine and had Ehreschuld's C.O. ejected. Shortly before this, precision shooting by the Awesome and Flashman destroyed the Marauder's left torso and the parts of the XL engine there shutting down the Ranger's field commander.
While the Blakist had success eliminating the Ranger's CO and XO, the combined firepower of the Rangers slowly but steadily dropped units. The Rangers picked up a few unconscious Blakist pilots and temporarily captured the Blakist CO. The CO in term, demonstrated his dedication to the cause by triggering an explosives vest, injuring LTJG Damsden. Fortunately for the Ehreschuld XO, the injuries were not severe and the damage to the mech's cockpit, minimal. By the end, the Word of Blake yielded the field, limping off with the Wolverine, their battle armor, one Ripper the King Crab and the Hermes. The Hermes though took an unfortunate souvenir. The Hermes pilot focused on Spectre's damaged Dervish as it moved to disengage and with most of the Ranger attention on the King Crab and few Ranger units in position to support. While the Hermes did get some concentrated fire it was not enough to bring it down before successfully punching fire through the back of Dervish and cooking off ammo. The resulting auto-eject landed an injured SGT Vega in the grasp of the Hermes. Prize attained it fled the field.
Spectre and the Rangers' command are looking to recover the captured pilot and believe they've identified the convoy transporting him.
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Topic: FLINT Mission 1 - 9/21/58 (Read 2886 times)