AAR GOLDEN FALCON May 21st, 2011

[Komissar]

On May 20^th, 2011 Cimmerian OP: GOLDEN FALCON was held in the desert north of the Sparks, Nevada. The OP ran from Friday set-up and included night OPs. It continued Saturday ending with a dinner feast and some real-steel target practice at dusk. The event concluded on Sunday. Our group arrived for only the Saturday part of the OP.

Operators involved: Scramble, Kattiana, Sprocket as a Cimmerian, and Komissar.

This post is to report what went well, and what didn't, so that we might learn and become better solders for our battles to come. May we have many more opportunities to improve.

TEAM PREP and UNIFORM:

Note to operators: If you have a schedule which does not allow you to commit to an event, then the only RSVP choice should be NO. I will no longer concern myself or my resources to those who register under MAYBE. MAYBE will be taken as NO.

 

This OP was to have one force portraying the role of Afghan Rebels wearing Olive Drab and having a 'tribal' look. The internet easily provides endless examples of this. The opposing team was to be the American forces in ACU.

 

Two weeks prior to the OP I had posted an inquiry asking if those attending might choose to attend as the Afghan Rebels’ element. The only response I received was from Scramble and Kattiana. This uniform is easier for those operators who don't have ACU uniforms because of its unconventional look. Only three DC operators committed to the OP. They wore the Afghan Rebel uniforms, and were well prepared.

 

Scramble did the driving, and had mapping and direction for the new AO. We arrived for the briefing, chrono, and a quick greeting by the troops of the 44^th Infantry who would be standing in as the American forces.

Upon arrival, our team was told to be ready to move in 20 minutes. We were ready.

 

MOVE to AMBUSH:

At OPCOM Camp India our squad was joined by two others from the Afghan forces, and we mounted the truck. A Swiss Army six-wheel drive Pinzgauer 712M was the transport for our forces. We were delivered NW into the canyon where our team of five set up a delaying ambush for the American forces who would approach from the south. We had no intel as to whether they would be in vehicles or dismounted.

 

 Our orders were to ambush and fall back to the rock outcropping at Romeo. If location Romeo was taken we would continue to ‘fire and fall back’ until we reached our second team near location Charlie.

 

Kattiana took up position on the north side of the road. The rest of us set up on the south side with Scramble in position closest to the enemy approach. His shot would begin the ambush. We had two unknown operators with us, but the rest of us had done this a few times. Without any word we moved to settle in and wait.

The enemy arrived in a deuce and a half. Not one man on foot, but all sitting and facing inward. We had expected a line patrol or a recon vehicle, but not this.

 

Scramble let it pass and then took out the driver before moving his aim toward the troops riding in the rear. As he did this, I began firing at the rear of the vehicle and worked my fire toward the cab. Any troops luck enough to dismount moved to use the truck as protection by taking cover on the north side where Kattiana quietly shot them from behind. The two others with our squad did fire before being killed by enemy.

 

Scramble and I continued to Romeo with Kattiana covering our retreat.

 

ROMEO ROCK:

Arriving at Romeo, we took up position in the rough rock outcropping overlooking the road. The enemy had dismounted and was spreading out to advance on our position. Kattiana was in a long rock hallway taking cover from the direction of the road. Scramble, who was higher up, could cover our team. I had climbed to one side of the rock hallway with a good view but without much cover.

 

Scramble signaled that there were two enemies moving up below me and toward Kattiana. As I looked down into the hallway some thirty feet below, I could see Kattiana behind cover. Fifteen feet in front of her an enemy was advancing. I didn’t take the time to look further and sent a short burst ending his advance. A previously unseen enemy ten feet behind the one I shot quickly pointed his weapon up and killed me. I hadn’t realized that she was already aware of them, and simply letting them advance themselves into a worse position where she would have finished it. I was hasty and did not use the situational awareness of my teammates. Lesson learned.

 

Scramble and Kattiana continued on their own, and held that huge pile of rock for around forty minutes. The enemy couldn’t kill them, and couldn’t move past them. OPCOM finally requested they relinquish the position. They fell back to X-Ray where I met up with them.

 

The enemy never gained any momentum to their attack, and did not push much further than Romeo.

 

FIND CHARLIE:

As we left Romeo, Tin-Man joined up with us briefly bringing our team to four again. We scaled the near vertical rock face above X-Ray before it opened up to rough ground continuing to Charlie.

 

The larger part of our force, team GOAT, had continued with the Pinzgauer and then hiked on to Charlie where they guarded the HVT.

 

(HVT – a ‘High Value Target’ and the enemy’s objective).

 

Arriving at Kilo and could see our allied team moving north with the HVT. We soon met up at the road near map point Delta where OPCOM gave us new orders.

 

COMEDY at LIMA:

East on the road at Lima, four of our ‘Afghan rebels’ were guarding the site of a ‘helo crash’. The American’s objective was to rescue and evacuate all survivors of that crash at Lima.

 

Over our radios we heard an account of what happened at the crash site. Our four rebels set another ambush and waited for the enemy advance. The American force sent an FAV including two troops as a scout to investigate the site.

 

(FAV – Fast Attack Vehicle, or dune-buggy with an M60 gun which the passenger fires).

 

The FAV entered the crash area and started exchanging fire with the rebels. The FAV radioed back that they needed support just as our rebels took it out using an RPG. Ka-Boom! The American forces had been moving consciously and slow till this. Now they all but stopped.

 

OPCOM had given the American forces an option when this mission began. They’re team was allowed a onetime ‘air strike’ on any location they chose on the map. After the FAV exploded, there was a long delay. Then OPCOM received the request.

 

The Americans requested an ‘air strike’ at grid ‘MIKE-4’, repeat ‘MIKE-4’! OPCOM verified the request and then proceeded to grant permission for the air strike. Of course, the four troops still in the area were destroyed. And so was the crash site itself, the destroyed FAV, and oh yea, the objective . . . the survivors? No need now.

 

REBEL BREAKTHROUGH:

With nothing to defend at Lima we got our orders to escort our HVT east through the canyon to camp India. The American forces prepared to stop our advance east of Romeo.

 

Our team moved to find the enemy. Scramble went high on the north side of the canyon, and Kattiana and I went up the south. Scramble located six enemy lying in ambush on the north side of the road. They had blocked the road using the deuce and a half.

 

Our forces moved to ambush the ambushers. Scramble led the attack sweeping their right flank, Kattiana and I moved on their left. A long drawn out battle ensued as we slowly pressed them back.

 

The six-wheel drive Pinzgauer doesn’t require a road, so it drove up the bank and around the huge roadblock. I hear our HVT was killed by an enemy grenade when our transport advanced too close to the action. Oh well. The remainder of our force eventually broke through to end the OP. Another good day.

 

FEAST and FIRE:

The Cimmerians put on a fun event. Returning to camp we had Tri-tip steaks cooked on an open fire while the teams told stories about their day. Several operators took real steel up the canyon for target shooting.

 

Tired and full, our team of three had fought, climbed and hiked over several miles of rough terrain. All operators had a good time, and were looking forward to the next challenge.

We thanked our hosts and headed home. A job well done.

 

 

 

 

[Komissar]

Many thanks to the Cimmerians and the 44th Infantry! The Cimmerians hosted a rugged yet fun OP, and the 44th gave us many new challenges! The troops from the 44th had some very difficult missions, yet kept great attitudes the entire OP. They really earned my respect as operators. I look forward to seeing them on the field in the future!