"Liberation of Ustio" - May 12th-13th, 1995

LIBERATION OF USTIO
Includes liberation of Directus and Solis Ortus

Combatants:

Allied Forces -------------------------- VS. ---------------- Belkan Federation
Osea ----------------------------------------------------------- Belka
-Elements of the Osean 122nd Airborne --------- Ustio-Branch Belkan Army
-Osean Air support ------------------------------ Ustio-Branch Belkan Airforce

Ustio:
-Ustian 6th Air Division
-Ustian Army
-Ustian Resistance Movement

Mission Objectives:

Allied Objectives:
-Capture/Liberate Solis Ortus and Directus
-Defeat the Ustio-Branch Belkan Army

Belkan Objectives:
-Hold Solis Ortus/Directus
-Repulse, or, if possible, destroy Allied forces.

Background:
In early May, the tide of the war had turned. In it's rapid Blitz of it's neighbors, Belka had stretched itself too thin. In the first few weeks after the initiation of Offensive Campaign 4101 (the Allied counter-offensive), all Osean and Sapin land had been liberated. Only one country remained under Belkan occupation, Ustio.

The Belkans were confident. This was no army of draftees, but the Ustio-Branch Belkan Army, which had thus far gone undefeated. Still, the Allies' spirits were high, comming off of a string of recent victories against Belka. The stage was set for the battle that would drasticly change the war.

Operation Varsity: (Liberation of Solis Ortus)
Then, on May 12th, the liberation of Ustio was put into motion. Elements of the Osean 101st Airborne, a Paratroop division, dropped into Solis Ortus, which lay just several dozen miles south of the Ustian capital of Directus, the GHQ of the Ustio-branch Belkan Military, while Ustio's 6th Air Division provided air cover.

The drop was by no means perfect. There were concentrated AA batteries in the drop zone,s which took a toll on some of the paratroopers. Platoons were seperated because of the wind, and limited ammuntion was an issue. However, the Ustians did a top notch job defending the ground units, as they quickly silenced the AA batteries and cleared out the drop zones.

The 101st was fortunate, for most of the Belkan infantry and tanks had already fallen back to defend the Headquarters in Directus. Still, the 101st fast stiff resistance as they fanned out to take Solis Ortus.

The Belkans attention shifted from the ground troops to the transports still delivering paratroops to the drop zone. Fighters were sent in to take care of the transports, but were unsuccesful due to the air cover provided by the Ustians. Eventually, the Belkans conceded defeat, and abandoned Solis Ortus for Directus. This gave the Allied ground forces a direct path into the Ustian capital. Ustio's final liberation was at hand.

Operation: Constantine (The Liberation of Directus)
The following day, 101st Airborne, as well as an Osean Army division, headed north to Directus. At the same time, the Ustian Army headed south, also towards Directus. It was a pincer manouver, to ensure the Ustio-Branch Belkan Army could not escape.

As the armies approached, the commanders of the Ustio-Branch Belkan army started to grow weary. Although their army was confident, the generals wanted to leave Ustio immeaditely, and head for the safety of South Belka. Because their general's were busy preparing to escape, their troops were forced to fight without anyone to lead them. this put them at a distinct disadvantage to the Allies, who had competent commanders at their helms.

As the Osean army engaged from the South and the Ustian army from the North, the civillians started resisting the Belkan occupation forces. They used anything they could find to fight or stall the Belkans with. In a symbolic act now repeated everynight in Directus, the Ustians broke into a church to ring the "Freedom Bell", which rang across the city, signifying that liberation had come.

With the overwhelming air coverage of the 6th Ustian Air division, Belka quickly lost air superority over the city, even with the presence of jammers. Without air cover, the Belkan ground forces were sitting ducks. During this phase of the battle, the Belkan general who was commander of the Ustio-branch Belkan army attempted to flee the city by helicopter, but was shot down by Galm team, an exspecially effective squadron in the 6th Air Division.

Within a few hours, the Belkans had lost control of all five sectors of Directus. The Ustio-Branch Belkan Army had been defeated. Although an Ace Belkan squadron did arrive, it was too little, too late. The squadron was quickly dispatched by Galm Team. There escape routes cut off, The Ustio-Branch Belkan Army surrendered.

Outcome:
With the fall of the Ustio-Branch Belkan Army HQ, the first phase of the war has come to an end. With the loss of Directus and the vast majority of the Ustio-Branch Belkan Army, the remenants fell back to Belka's first line of defence, the Hydrian line. This also signifyed a dramatic shift in the war; Belka was on the deffensive. As the Allies prepaired to invade Belka, the darkest, and bloodiest, days of the war were about to begin.The Liberation of Directus; Solis Ortus

SOURCE:
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War (The game itself)

ACCREDITATION:
Original article by Ribbon-Yellow