Mogadiyu assault
The Mogadiyu assault was a battle that occurred in the early stages of the New Russian Federation uprising in late 2015, which saw combat between NATO's Task Force 108 and the SRN insurgent froces.
Background
During the operation to rescue the Russian pilot Sergei Illich from an insurgent-controlled settlement in eastern Africa in December 22, Nomad Squadron intercepted a series of transmissions from Russian individuals. The transmissions, as translated by a Delta Force sergeant called Grinberg, mentioned sending transport trucks down south.
After the NATO forces returned to the front base at Hamada, Shooter Squadron commander Doug Robinson met colonel Pierre La Pointe and informed him of the radio messages from the settlement. Looking at a map in a nearby blackboard, Doug pointed out that the only major location in the south was Mogadiyu, a mountainous region filled with ancient ruins. Having overhead the situation, Josè Gutierrez, second pilot of the Warwolf Squadron, told Pierre to "give him some iron" to send the enemy "back to the Stone Age", to which the colonel replied that the ruins therein held an immense archeological significance.
As a result, William Bishop told him that any ground forces would be shredded apart in the ruins, which led Major Janice Rehl to reply that she could use her AC-130U Spooky gunship to aid their troops.
Gutierrez told La Pointe to "give him some iron" to bombard Mogadiyu, attracting the attention of Ivan Stagleishov, who questioned Guts of his plan. La Pointe explained the situation to him, causing him to immediately deny the involvement of Russians in the insurgency, and to say that a Russian attack on Mogadiyu would spark an "international outrage". Bishop responded saying that the mission could be carried out with or without the Russian military's aid, causing an angry Ivan to storm off.
Assault on the Clay City
Insertion
- "Crew, we're zero two miles from the target area. We're going to secure the drop zone for the Black Hawks, and support the forces on the ground. SO Spense, you ready on the weapons?"
- ― Major Rehl
Duirng the afternoon of December 23, Task Force 108 commenced their operation in the Mogadiyu area. The airspace of the area was cleared by Warwolf Squadron, who destroyed all rebel SAM sites in the mountains. Shortly after the weapons were disabled, Rehl's AC-130U, "Spooky 01" entered Mogadiyu airspace to commence their mission while Warwolf squadron helped a civilian aircraft being chased by enemy aircraft. The plan was for Spooky to eliminate all insurgency troops in the area to allow Nomad Squadron to land, assist a group of Delta Force squads as they prepared to set explosive charges in an underground cavern network used by the rebels, and help them as Nomad returned to extricate them from the area.
Spooky commenced its operations in the region, eliminating several rebel soldiers and vehicles moving across a hillside road. The gunship eventually arrived to a small insurgent shanty town, and used its firepower to clear the area of anti-air weapons so Nomad could land. The gunships Nomad 61 and Nomad 62 landed in a yard within the settlement, dropping off three Delta teams before departing to a safe area.
Journey toward the caverns
The soldiers began their journey toward the underground caverns by heading outside the shanty town, fighting off ground troops and guntrucks with the aid of the AC-130 above them. After exiting the town and entering an open field littered with ruins, they were met by armored vehicles, snipers hidden among the buildings and footsoldiers, all of which were annihilated by Spooky's firepower. Their mission was then further hindered by rebels manning mortars, which failed to stop them after their destruction by the gunship.
After minutes of traversing the area, the Delta Force arrived to their destination, a small entrance to the tunnels dug on the side of a mountain, which was defended by pillboxes, anti-air guns and infantry with small arms and rocket launchers. Faced by stiff resistance, SO Spense defeated any opposition in the soldiers' path, even when Spooky 01 itself came under AA fire.
The path was soon cleared and the three Delta teams entered the tunnel to carry out their mission, allowing the AC-130U to break off. Tommy, the ship's fire control officer, spotted several MiG-21bis fighters preparing to take off from a nearby airfield, and ordered Spense to wipe them out before launching. He succeeded in his task after shooting the aircraft at front, triggering a chain explosion that engulfed the three Fishbeds following it, after which Spooky 01 returned to the hillside to continue aiding Bravo.
Escape
After bombing the airfield, Spooky 01 was contacted by Bravo 8, Lt. Nicholas, who told them that the accomplished their objective, but had suffered casualties in the course of their mission. Afterwards, the Delta teams emerged from the mountain, exiting through a second entry tunnel, coming under fire from foot soldiers and vehicles.
The site was cleared by Spooky, and Nomad Squadron returned to land and pick up the Bravo teams. However, they were hit by an unexpected SRN counter-attack, with 61 taking heavy damage. The area was besieged by ground troops, armed vehicles and missile launchers, forcing Nomad 61 to flee and causing 62 to assume control of the rescue operation. Assisted by Spooky 01, the MH-60 landed outside the tunnel entrance and prepared for evacuation, taking off after all Delta soldiers were inside.
During the escape from the caverns, Lt. Nicholas broke off from the main team to search for one of his men. Shooter One requested that the Nomads left, since the operation could not be endangered because of two men. Just then, Lt. Nicholas came out and presumably reported to Nomad 62 that the man he was looking for was dead, who then reported it to Shooter One. As Nicholas emerged outside, Major Rehl decided to use the AC-130U's Fulton Recovery System to rescue the Lieutenant. Defended from rebel artillery by Spense's actions, Janice launched the recovery package to the ground, and evaded attacks as Nicholas set up the balloon. After getting it airborne, Spooky 01 made an attempt to swoop down and snatch the target, only to be forced off-course by a sudden crosswind.
A second attempt to retrieve the Fulton balloon was soon made. This one was more dangerous, as the AA weapons were more active. However, it was successful.