The ISAF Army is the land-based branch of the Independent State Allied Forces military. As part of the coalition forces, the ISAF Army was composed of infantry, combat vehicles, weaponry and artillery contributed by the ISAF member states. It also features a marine landing force supported by the ISAF Navy. The ISAF Army would suffer considerable casualties during the Second Usean Continental War.[1]
History
Early engagements
In the wake of Erusea's invasion of San Salvacion and the Stonehenge Turret Network in August 2003, the nations of the Central Usea Treaty Organization reformed into the ISAF and combined their military forces to counterbalance the Erusians' technologically advanced army. However, the Erusians' blitz offensive caught the ISAF off-guard, and the loss of air support resulting from Stonehenge's use as an anti-aircraft weapon left the ISAF Army at a disadvantage; heavy losses were incurred during its defeats and subsequent retreat to the east.[2] By mid-2004, survivors of the Erusian onslaught began gathering at the northern port of Saint Ark and prepared to evacuate the Usean mainland.[3]
Evacuating the mainland
In October 2004, the ISAF Army boarded ISAF Navy vessels and crossed the Gulf of St. Ark bound for North Point. This evacuation would be the largest single mobilization of ISAF troops up until that point in the war. The ISAF Army reestablished ISAF's General Headquarters at North Point and, in conjunction with the ISAF Air Force, began setting up defenses around the island nation. For the rest of 2004, the air force would move to the forefront against Erusea, while the army regrouped and completed battle preparations for a mainland counteroffensive.[1]
ISAF counteroffensive
Beginning in January 2005, the ISAF Army would play a central role in the ISAF's efforts to reclaim the mainland from Erusian control. The amphibious landings of Operation Bunker Shot would be the first combat action the ISAF Army had seen since the evacuation more than two months earlier. Supported by long-range artillery fire and fighter aircraft launched from ISAF Navy vessels, the amphibious landing units stormed the Caranda, Crowne and Halle beaches in southern Usea. Despite intense resistance from the coastal defenses, including the appearance of several Erusian A-10 attack planes, the mission was a success, and the ISAF Army quickly established a beachhead.[4]
ISAF's southern stronghold, Istas Fortress.
The ISAF's next goal was to retake its former Istas Fortress facility in the southernmost foothills of the Lambert Mountains, east of the Chopinburg Rainforest. ISAF Air Force squadrons penetrated Stonehenge's attack range and dealt a considerable blow to the Erusian occupation forces. This victory weakened the fortress's defensive power and gave the ISAF ground forces an advantage when they later assaulted and recaptured the facility. By recapturing Istas Fortress, Erusea's defensive line in central Usea—known as the "Tango Line"—collapsed, allowing the ISAF Army to circumvent the Erusians and make a quick push towards Los Canas; ISAF ground forces would liberate the city soon after.[5]
In the wake of the Air Forces' stunning destruction of Stonehenge, the ISAF Army advanced on all fronts, steadily pushing the Erusian resistance westward. In July 2005, the ISAF Army and Navy launched a joint landing operation in the Ice Creek region of northern Usea. The Erusians responded by launching a barrage of cruise missiles at the landing forces and naval vessels. ISAF ace Mobius 1 intercepted the missiles and the invasion force secured the northern part of the continent. Over the coming weeks, the northern divisions would advance to the south and east as the southern divisions pushed northward.[6]
By July, the ISAF's northern divisions had reached the Erusian-occupied capital of San Salvacion. In preparation for the city's liberation, ISAF intelligence coordinated with the local resistance to end the capital's mandatory blackouts. At 0000hrs precisely, the city's lights illuminated the streets and ISAF ground forces stormed the capital. The tank battalions and infantry units were faced with intense urban warfare, close-quarters combat and mined roadways. Once again supported by ISAF fighter squadrons, however, the ISAF tank battalions gained the upper hand and swept the Erusian forces out of the city. Throughout the night and into the morning, ISAF ground patrols and resistance members rounded up the remaining Erusian soldiers still in the city.[7][8]
Ending the war
The ISAF Army would be at the forefront of the final two engagements of the war. On August 15, 2005, the ISAF Army and Air Force confronted the Erusians' final line of defense in the Whiskey Corridor between Amber and Lambert Mountains. ISAF tank battalions advanced their way through the sandy desert terrain and with close air support from ISAF fighter squadrons, flanked the Erusians' field HQ. Suffering heavy losses, the Erusian forces retreated to their capital, Farbanti, and the ISAF Army broke through Erusea's final line of defense.[9] It would proceed to march to the northeast until it held outside the Erusian capital.
On September 19, 2005, in a three-pronged strike, ISAF laid siege to the Erusian capital. ISAF Navy vessels bombarded the city with long-range artillery fire and deployed the army's amphibious landing teams to secure positions along the coastline. ISAF fighters launched from the carriers supported the landing teams and tank battalions, which had merged with other ISAF ground units entering the city from the east. Bolstered by close air support from ISAF fighters, the ground units overwhelmed the Erusians' remaining defensive positions and captured their GHQ. ISAF Army units would later discover the bodies of the Erusian Supreme Commander and his family in one of the helicopters that failed to takeoff near the end of the siege. Following the decisive victory, ISAF ground forces broadcast orders for the immediate surrender of Erusea's remaining forces; the war had come to an end.[10]
Ground forces
Battalions (M1A1 Abrams)[9][10]:
- Bravo
- Charlie
- Oscar
- Tango
Amphibious Assault Forces (AAV-7A1)[4]:
- 32nd Marine Command Regiment
- Caranda Beach: Units A and D
- Crowne Beach: Units B, R, S and T
- Halle Beach: Units C, O, P, Q and Y
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ Interlude 01, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ The Northern Eye, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Operation Bunker Shot, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ Tango Line, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ Breaking Arrows, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ Emancipation, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ Interlude 10, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Whiskey Corridor, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Siege of Farbanti, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.