BALTIC SHIELD

OPERATION PARRY

Good morning, Commander, and welcome to Baltic Shield: Operation Parry. Donovian forces have attacked the Estonian border-city of Narva, and fierce fighting is continuing in the vicinity of the main Estonia-Donovia bridge. If the Donovians can take this crossing, they can push in more forces and take the entire city. But Estonian Army units, supported by NATO EFP forces, are resisting, and reinforcements are moving into Narva along the Main Supply Route (MSR), a main road running into the city from the West.

Attempting to stem this flow, and encircle the city, the Donovians have moved additional forces to the Northwest of Narva, and are now preparing to flank around the city, cut the MSR and (while they’re at it) secure Narva Airfield.

NATO forces are pressed in every sector, however there is a single Estonian Mechanized Infantry Platoon just South of the Donovian assembly area who may be able to strike first and derail this new attack. A handful of UK support and recon units are also arriving, ready to provide recon and fire support capabilities.

Can the rapidly assembled ‘Task Force Aegis’ beat the Donovians to the punch?

Introduction: How This Works

This scenario, built within ‘Combat Mission: Professional Edition’, has been created as a ‘Tactical Decision Game’. The game casts you as the Commanding Officer of Task Force Aegis, and it is simple to play.

The aim of the game is to produce a set of short written orders for each unit under your command and then enter them in the web form below. When producing these orders, you need only to consider the scenario summary info above and the supporting orders and intelligence materials below.

Together, your orders should form an overall course of action that will achieve the objectives stated in the Briefing section below (and elaborated in the downloadable OPORD document).

Fight Club will be collating submissions over the next month, after which a panel of serving & former military personnel will review each player’s submission and select those considered to be the most promising. These will then be executed within Combat Mission: Professional Edition, with the highest-scoring submission being declared the winner.

Look out for a dedicated report and video detailing the winning entry in November...and potentially some prizes too!

Briefing and Orders

Donovian mechanized infantry - consisting of around two platoons augmented by recon and fire-support element - are pushing Southward through the Area of Operations (AO) in preparation for a decisive attack to cut the MSR and take the airfield.

Forward elements have been identified moving into a handful of advanced positions, designated for you as ‘Named Areas of Interest’ (NAI’s), while the main force is forming-up in a Tactical Assembly Area (TAA) on the Northern edge of the AO.

Task Force Aegis is ordered to investigate each NAI marked on the map (see below), clear enemy from these positions, and conduct a ‘spoiling attack’ on the TAA. This will kill the Donovian offensive before it can even get started.

A full Operations Order (OPORD) has been prepared for you, along with additional info and intel. This is written in a common professional format, and includes all the information a field commander would – ideally – be provided with when conducting such an engagement.

You can download it as a PDF below:

DOWNLOAD THE FULL OPERATIONS ORDER HERE

Briefing and Intel Assets [Click for Full Size Image]

1. MAP OF THE AO

Includes NAI's, OBJ Spearhead, and the Task Force's Deployment Area.

2. VIEW NORTH FROM DEPLOYMENT AREA

Elevated view from position immediately South of Grid AA-22. Central NS treeline and road leading North to OBJ Spearhead. Note relatively flat topography and dense wooded areas.

3. VIEW NORTHWEST OVER AO

Elevated view from vicinity of Grid AA-41, showing NAI's 1, 2, & 3. NAI 4 is beyond the right edge of the image.

4. MAP OF THE AO - Printer Friendly Edition

This has been provided for players who wish to sketch and submit a diagrammatic Scheme of Maneuver (see instructions below)

5. OPERATIONAL SITREP

Overview of the mornings events in Narva, and the Donovian advance toward the MSR and Airfield.

Now Submit Your Orders....

Please enter your orders in the below form, and hit ‘Submit’ when you’re done. Please write your orders as if you were verbally stating them to the commander of the subordinate formation.

Time is short, and there is some communications disruption, so clarity and brevity is key. There is a 1000 character limit to orders issued to each unit (increased to 2000 for the Estonian Mechanized Infantry Platoon, given it consists of 4 squads). For an excellent example of clear, simple, concise orders check out Orders: A User's Guide by Brendan McBreen and Chad Skaggs.

There is also a field for a general statement of intent, and please also enter your basic personal details too.

Remember to add a start position for each unit, using a grid reference within the Deployment Area! The full map can be found in the gallery above and below the orders submission form. References to grid coordinates, NAIs, and other landmarks will help you unit commanders enact your orders.

Finally, we are also providing a monochrome version of the map for download HERE. Please feel free to sketch your basic ‘scheme-of-maneuver’ on this. You may use standard NATO symbology, or simply provide your own markings to indicate positions and lines of movement. Just be sure to label everything!

Submissions Closed. Check back soon for results.

Thank you for Playing!