Reich Marshal of the Belkan Reich

RM Vol 3: For a World without Boundary – Chapter 40: First Strike

For Belka military aviation branches, night operations have become a thing of normality for them. A fact that the serviced members have taken much pride in for there's no country in the entire world that can match their efficiency in night sorties. Whether it's Naval Aviation or the Air Force itself, men and women work in tandem to ensure the safest, smoothest, and quickest launch of fully armed and fully-fueled aircraft.

Aboard the RMS August von Parseval.

As part of the 2nd Carrier Strike Group, August von Parseval is a Yggdrasil-class aircraft carrier that can host 90 aircraft of various types. And right now, she is prepping her wings for sortieing against the Erusean mainland as part of a First Strike directive of Operation Rolling Thunder. A surprising move from the Belkan side, but it's an understandable one if you know the targets of this sortie.

One by one, the Bf-1 Phantoms are launched via the four catapults of the Parseval, taking off high into the starry sky like swallows receiving winds. Together, the Phantoms form up two whole wings of thirty-two aircraft, with each of them geared toward ground-striking duty with light anti-air armaments. Finally, the formation is joined by another group of five aircraft, one Fi-22 Osprey AWACS and four Do-8 Harrier jump jets as escorts. As one singular group, the aircraft speeds toward the Kingdom of Erusea, all the while the Fi-22 Osprey is jamming and confusing nearby enemy electronics and detectors.

"The primary targets are the Erusean Kingdom Chain Home radar complexes and the radar manufacturing facilities belonging to Metropolitan-Vickers and AC Cossor. Prioritize the destruction of the primary objectives, bonus points will be given to targets of opportunity like ammo depots, fuel dumps, and motor pools..." The AWACS briefed the pilots of the Phantoms. "Targets are marked on your HUD. Happy hunting, boys and girls."

Like bats out of Hell, the Phantoms spread out into smaller formations. A few fly further inland while others hang around the coastline from Southampton to Edinburgh. The latter group arms their anti-radiation missiles and launches them simultaneously at the dozen Chain Home installations. The missiles hit and blew up the entire radar chain at the same time due to their nature of eating radar waves for dinner.

"Bullseye! Bullseye!"

The preemptive removal of the radar sites allows the other Phantoms to fly inland undetected. These Phantoms are then guided by their AWACS on which targets to bomb with their payloads of bombs and napalms. Destroying the factories and warehouses belonging to the companies that produce radar equipment for the Erusean military. Understandably, the daring bomb attack that happened at midnight woke up the neighborhoods that got bombed. That said, with the Phantoms dropping their load at high altitudes, much thanks to their ballistic computers, the panicking civilians can only the whistling of ordnances dropping to the ground and the subsequent explosions.

Air raid sirens are going at full blast and searchlights are aimed high up in the air all over the Eastern cities of Erusea yet by the time they're done setting up for anti-air combat, not a single trail of a Phantom can be seen in the sky. The damage is done with many wartime facilities heavily damaged or outright destroyed. To add insult to injury, the Belkan Phantoms heavily employed the usage of napalm bombs to quite literally burn away their tracks. The napalm is used to douse the radar sites and targets of opportunity in Hellfire, eliminating the fragments of the anti-radiation missiles and scoring bonus points for High Command. In total, more than a dozen flame pillars are raised in the Eastern coastal area of Erusea. These fiery pillars will continue to burn until the next day despite the best attempt at putting them out from the Erusean firefighting brigades.

"Confirm the destruction of marked and bonus targets. Outstanding work out there, ladies and gents. The Erusean PM will be throwing a fit when their first line of defense against us just got taken out of the picture for a couple of years. They're as blind as a bat without their land-based radar installations."

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Unlike their carrier-based counterparts who seemed to go on a rampage on Erusean sovereignty, the Air Force pilots don't have much in the way of first-strike actions. After all, their targets for the night are half-finished Ustian radar installations, backed and built by the very same Eruseans that they've been blowing to bits. The objective is lacking in both difficulty and in number, meaning just a singular flight is enough, much less a whole wing of thirty like what the Parseval deployed.

That said, the Ustians are a bit more competent than the Eruseans, they guard the building materials for the radar installations well. By hosting the parts in underground bunkers, normal bombs won't be able to damage them. As such, the deployed Phantoms are loaded with special bunker-bursting 1000 kg bombs. The key special components of these bombs are a tail section with aerodynamic control surfaces, a body strake kit, and a combined inertial guidance system and GPS guidance control unit with a laser-seeker module. In the event that the bombs are needed to engage long-distance targets like enemy vessels, a jet engine tail kit can be fitted to convert these bombs into low-cost cruise missiles with a stand-off range of up to 72 km. It's known that both the Air Force and Navy are heavily in favor of this weapon kit, the Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range, they're both very cost-effective against contemporary militaries and can be fitted to all available bomb sizes and types in the Belkan arsenal. Some weapon designers even make an ungodly design for a 2000 kg bunker-busting napalm bomb that is JDAM-equipped but that design is so befuddling that no one is sure how to deal with it.

With their pylons loaded to bear, four Phantoms take off from a windy airfield in Frankfurt. Forming up around the flight lead, the Phantoms kick their engines to maximum speed, intending to make a quick-and-dirty run, breaking the sound barrier in the process. In a timespan that isn't any bit long at all for these hardened fighter pilots, the Phantoms arrive above the airspace of Ustio. Arming their weapons, the Phantoms ready themselves for tasking.

Normally, they can guide the bombs in by themselves just fine. However, they have JTAC on the ground, or well, in the air tonight. The JTAC is, from the briefing they got, bored Night Witches from the famed Ghost Divisions. They have a great many questions as to why these deadly Night Witches are bored but they're welcome to help in making the work easier for the WSOs.

Very soon, the Phantoms are given the GPS coordinates and the PRF code. The coordinates match those that were given in the brief and there are also a few more on the side too. After a concise exchange, the pilots learn that the surplus coordinates are targets of opportunity the Night Witches themselves recently identified. A motorcade carrying Erusean officers, a recently constructed supply depot, and a tank garage full of both Ustian and Erusean AFVs... Seems like this night is not that stale, after all. They now have something to boast to the ones in the Naval Aviation branch.

Lining up the drop at a high altitude, the JDAMs are deployed off the racks one by one. For stationary targets, just the input GPS coordinates are enough. Though for terminal guidance, the Witches take out their laser designators, guiding the JDAMs to hit the underground bunker and the mobile officer motorcade with devastating precision. First, the bombs strike the unfinished radar arrays, casting a yellow gloom along the Maginot backline. Then, before the officer can even contemplate what was the commotion ahead of him all about, a 1000 kg JDAM punches through the middle of his car before impacting the dirt below it, thus exploding and eviscerating everything. The underground supply depot fairs not any better, despite being buried under layers of soil and concrete, a JDAM bomb can just penetrate clean through the obstructions before finally landing on a heap of military supplies. Ration, medical crates, foldable tents, raincoats... Everything goes up in flame. The bomb itself also collapses the bunker entirely, making it so that any supply that is still left intact will be irrecoverable.

"Bingo on all targets! Look at them scurrying about on the ground like ants"

"Continue with the bombing mission, sterilize the area of any evidence."

With the order given, the Phantoms swing by for another pass on the bombed locations, dumping all of the napalm ordnances they're carrying under the wings. Soon after, the targeted locations are lit up, much like what's happening right now on the Erusean mainland. Understandably, the Ustian Loyalists freak out at the sight of the unquenchable flames that are now a familiar, and endearing sight for the Belkans.

With the targets provided by Captain Lucas Schmidt on his Darkstar and the Night Witches pacified, the Phantoms turn around, heading back to allied territory.

"Alright boys, areas are decimated. We're RTB-ing. Thanks for the guidance, good Witches."

The Night Witches send out a salutation signal in return. Their comms link goes down soon after, their job is done.

Changing to a direct line to the Reich Marshal herself, the leader of this small group of Night Witches, reports. "Yuki, the mission is over. Targets are no-factor."

"Well done, my dear Valkyrie. You can head back now, and get some rest before finishing up whatever you need to do at Luxembourg." The earpiece carried the sing-song voice of Yuki, caressing Bryn's ears and bringing warmth to her on an otherwise cold winter night.

"I will do that soon enough, Yuki." Bryn let herself smile before continuing. "I am wondering, you didn't actually need to deploy the Night Witches for this. So why were we needed?"

Yuki giggles, making Bryn imagine pictures of her dainty lips. "That's because a little birdie told me that you have been coping up in your office all day long, and on multiple occasions at that. I reckon tonight, with its clear sky, would have made for a fine stroll for you while still putting your dutiful ego at ease."

Bryn smiles wryly at the reason. "It's true that I have been... too focused on managing the 404th after a period of time away from them. Was it Brigadier Alexa or Rosa that told you that?"

"It was Mary, actually. The girl is a maid and she knows the signs of overworking when she sees one." Yuki explained. "Now I won't hold you for any longer than this. Get back to Luxembourg, and get some rest, Bryn. It won't do for you to stress yourself out when you're supposed to be the one to remind me of that."

"As you wish, my love. Be seeing you, and goodnight." Bryn bid Yuki goodbye.

In return, Yuki gives her a kiss over the radio. Bryn finds herself giggling at that, loving Yuki's small act of endearment.