OPERATION COLD HYMN - AFTER ACTION REPORT (24 JUN 2016 @ 0331)

OPERATION COLD HYMN - AFTER ACTION REPORT

PREPARED BY: LT Oskar Lindemann


SITUATION

o Enemy Forces:
 - 22x Zombies, 6x Chryssalids

o Friendly Forces
 - LT Oskar "Armarnis" Lindemann (Germany)
 - SSG Constance "Deadbolt" Makhandule (South Africa)
 - SSG Ana Lucia "Mustang" Mardones (Ecuador)
 - SGT Lorena "Bombshell" Kline (United States)
 - SGT Shaojie "Chilong" Zhang (China)
 - CPL Svetlana "Eclipse" Petukhova (Russia)
 - CPL Jared "Mercury" Houston (United States)


MISSION

o Strike Team deploys to Port Harcourt, Nigeria, 24 JUN 2016 @ 0331 hrs, IOT disrupt Alien Terror Attack.

EXECUTION NARRATIVE

We received the Mission Alert at 0133 hrs. The Skyranger was wheels up by 0155, and we arrived at the mission site at 0331 hrs. The LZ was sparse cover, so getting into cover was our first priority, but the X-Rays made that impossible. The Chryssalids had already been busy prior to our arrival, as a large group of zombies approached as soon as we were off the bird.

SSG Makhandule reacted quickly, sending a precise rocket into their midst, scattered and injuring all of them. The rest of the squad followed up, with Bombshell, Eclipse and I firing from a stationary position while SGT Zhang and CPL Houston charged forward to put the remaining two down.

Before we could move, a trio of 'lids charged in from our left flank, two of them doubling back toward a civilian and the third coming on. Mustang pumped two shotgun rounds into that one, putting it on the ground, while CPL Houston and SGT Kline flexed left to deal with the stragglers. Kline, seeing the Chryssalids bearing down on the civilian, yelled "Grenade!" and lobbed an Anti-personnel, hoping the civilian would be able to get to cover. It paid off, as the X-Rays took the brunt of the damage and stopped in their tracks long enough for Houston, CPL Petukhova and myself to put them down. The civilian sustained minor injury from the shrapnel. Meanwhile, Deadbolt put the thrashing Chryssalid that Mustang had injured down for the count.

While the rest of the squad was focused on the Chryssalids, Zhang kept his eyes cast forward, and as such was the first to spot the incoming zombies. He managed to take one down with a targeted headshot as they approached. Eclipse, Chilong and Merc' laid into the zombies while the rest of the squad moved into position, leaving only one straggler that moved out of sight to kill another civilian. Mardones charged forward, reloading as she moved, and took him out with a burst from her shotgun. Kline and Zhang advanced toward the nearest building, with SGT Kline managing to injure another zombie in the distance as they reached their destination, with CPL Houston right behind finishing the job.

Hearing the sound of civilians dying in the darkness, I made an ill-considered move, charging past my front-line troops to evacuate a pair of civilians, and drawing the attention of several 'lids in the next building. SSG Makhandule and CPL Petukhova tried to kill the nearest as it charged me, but only succeeded in injuring it before it struck me down. As I scrambled backward from the finishing stroke, a burst of laser fire burned the X-Ray down. This gave me enough time to provide self-aid, numbing the pain and stopping the worst of my wounds.

Meanwhile, SSG Mardones chased another Chryssalid into the dark, blowing it away before it could kill another civilian. The rest of the squad advanced and reloaded, with Eclipse critically wounding the last 'lid just as it killed another civilian. This didn't stop it from taking to the roof to kill another civilian, as the first stirred and rose back to its feet, shambling toward the squad.

Mardones reacted swiftly, moving into close range and putting two blasts into its torso. The Chryssalid jumped down from the roof, and I cut loose, despite my injuries, but it was SGT Zhang who splattered it across the wall as it fell. Houston and Mak engaged another zombie inside the building as it moved into range. It kept coming, as the civilian killed on the roof arose and tumbled down, moving toward Mardones. She was waiting and with a single point-blank shot, put the creature out of its misery. Mercury, meanwhile, finished the job on the other as it emerged from the building.

I knew things were getting more dire, but instead of charging blindly ahead again, we moved forward as a squad, with Petukhova providing further aid for my injuries. Then SSG Mardones moves forward and kicks open the door, reporting multiple X-Rays within. She puts one down with her shotgun as Makhandule prepares her launcher, barely waiting for Mustang to get clear before putting a rocket through the open door. The front wall blows outward, revealing the mass of zombies within.

Kline, grenade already ready, immediately follows up, putting down two more, and critically wounding several others. Chilong and Mercury went to work, lances of energy eliminating most of the survivors, while Petukhova spots another coming out of a window to the right. As the last two zombies advance, I take a deep breath, shake off the haze of the drugs, and raise my gun. A burst into the building blows the first to pieces, then I slew my gun to the right, cutting the second in half as it advanced on a civilian. 

At that point, I had to turn command over to SSG Makhandule, as I started seeing spots. She led the squad into the final building, finding the remaining civilians and meeting no further resistance, while CPL Petukhova remained near me, providing long range support for the clearing operation.


LESSONS LEARNED

o Sustain: 
 - Explosives to soften clustered targets
 - Mass fires on groups of enemy

o Improve:
 - Never allow emotion to dictate tactical decisions
 - Ammunition management