OPERATION DEMON HYMN - AFTER ACTION REPORT (20 JUN 2016 @ 2219)

OPERATION DEMON HYMN - AFTER ACTION REPORT

PREPARED BY: SGT Monica de Matos


SITUATION

o Enemy Forces:
 - 1x Sectoid, 3x Seekers, 11x Thin Men, armed with plasma weapons

o Friendly Forces
 - SGT Monica "Alpha" de Matos
 - SGT Lieselotte "Maschine" Faber
 - SGT Lorena "Bombshell" Kline
 - SGT Ghaith "Horus" Khadem - KIA
 - CPL Simone "Tomahawk" Ribeiro
 - CPL Beatrice "Preacher" Rydberg
 - SPC Anant Dhalon


MISSION

o Strike Team deploys to Shenzhen, China, 20 JUN 2016 @ 2219 hrs, IOT secure and escort political figure back to HQ.

EXECUTION NARRATIVE

We received the Mission Alert at 2016 hrs. The squad was assembled in the Skyranger by 2025, and we touched down in China at 2219 hrs. We touched down and located Thorne; He wasn't precisely cooperative, but moved when we told him to. Upon moving out for the LZ, we received reports of incoming hostiles, and deployed tactically to engage. I moved most of the squad inside, but kept Tomahawk, Preacher and Maschine outside to provide overwatch as we moved forward.

We immediately caught signs of movement from the other building, but I deemed it better to just keep moving for the LZ, and keep an eye out. We finally made contact when Horus advanced to scout forward. As soon as he called contact, SPC Dhalon rushed forward and managed to cripple one of the Thin Men, which I managed to finish off. The squad advanced carefully, keeping Thorne at the rear, while my overwatch element kept an eye outside.

When Horus advanced again, he alerted another pod of Thin Men, on the far side of the building. Dhalon moved up and eliminated the remaining Thin Man from the first pod, while Horus injured one of the ones outside. With the action heating up, I called in the overwatch element, but Liesel stayed out to cover the alley. That was when one of the Thin Men ducked out from behind the bus stop, and shot SGT Khadem in the head. 

Kline charged up and tossed a grenade, killing one of them, but apparently they make bus stops strong in China, and the other was unharmed, but exposed. She checked on Khadem, but it was too late. Dhalon, though apparently suffering from acid poisoning, advanced and killed the other, that had entered the store. Finally, we had action from the alleyway, but Rydberg, watching from the door way, managed to destroy the Thin Man before he'd taken two steps into the open. Faber took a shot at the other, but was only able to make it dodge back into cover. Inside, Bombshell moved up and nailed the last Thin Man with an AP grenade, but he was tougher than most, and kept coming. 

Then the X-Rays advanced in force, coming in from the alleyway. We took a toll with reactive fire, then Tomahawk burned down a Seeker while Kline finished off the wounded Thin Men with another AP grenade. CPL Ribeiro then caught movement coming in the door, and eliminated a Sectoid before it could get inside. While we were focused on the enemies within the building, a shot from the rooftop, across the alley took me straight in the chest, but my armor managed to absorb the fire without it cooking through to me. We returned fire, but it became apparent that we were going to have to clear that alley before we could get Thorne to the Skyranger.

It was Rydberg that finally put steel on target, so to speak, and put that overwatching Thin Man down. The rest of the squad shifted to focus on the alley, while we moved Thorn up in cover. Dhalon informed me that his armor was mostly gone due to the Thin Man acid, so I told him to move to my position and I'd take care of it. Before he could move, a Thin Man moved to the doorway and shot him at close range. He and Ribeiro shot the Thin Man, but it managed to duck back and avoid some of the fire. Liesel moved inside and took fire herself from a Seeker we didn't see. Kline, based on her report, lobbed her last frag grenade into the alleyway, hoping to catch them both.

In the brief lull that followed, Dhalon made his way to me, and I was able to handle the worst of his injuries, and block the pain. I told him to take it easy, but I don't think he intended to. One doesn't become an Assault specialist by taking it easy. Meanwhile, Kline and Ribeiro moved up to cover the door, so Thorne would be able to break for the Skyranger, once we knew it was clear. While focused on that, another Thin Man made it onto the roof and took another shot at me, but my repaired armor was able to take the hit. Once Thorne made it onto the Skyranger, it was time to finish this.

SPC Dhalon obviously thought so. Before I could say anything, he'd burst across the alleyway, leapt halfway up the ladder, and rolled onto the rooftop, blowing the Thin Man perched there into a greenish mist. The rest of the squad moved to support, which is when the last Seeker uncloaked, and wrapped up Tomahawk, and a Thin Man moved in to flank. Kline burned the Thin Man before it could get into position, and Dhalon blew the Seeker off of Ribeiro.

We recovered SGT Khadem's remains, and retreated to the Skyranger in good order, meeting no further resistance.


LESSONS LEARNED

o Sustain: 
 - Use of explosives to clear clustered hostiles
 - Fire team discipline

o Improve:
 - When you don't have a shot, don't keep waiting for one
 - If they don't see you, they can't shoot you