M A N D A T O R Y I N T R O D U C T O R Y
Hello everyone once again and many apologies for my failure at finishing up "Operation: Rough Sands" which was supposed to be here in place for this one. I tried first with the plannedassault.com advanced web mission creator by William van der Sterren but it did not played the way I wanted. Probably because it is still heavily in development. The next way was to use MarkB50K's "Apocalypse" conquer-the-island mod and mission suite but it ended up way too complex for me. My choice was then to leave the whole Africa setting and instead opt for the RWO group made missions. So here is the faithful video game reproduction of the New Year's Eve Battle of Grozny during the First Chechen War from the point of view of the infamous Maykop Brigade. I promise there will be a desert setting one but just not now.
Grozny, Chechnya - 1995 "New Year's Assault"You are a Private in the 131st "Maikop" Motostrielki Brigade. One of handful of combat groups tasked with besieging Grozny helping to establish constitutional order in the small Caucuses Republic of Chechnya following the breakup of the USSR. The operational plan is a large multidirectional armored advance towards the center of the city. Follow your orders and everything should as planned, the enemy is expected to be weakened following our artillery and fighters-bombers attacks in the days before of the assault. As the old saying goes, this day will suddenly turn into a massacre for the Maikop Brigade and history will remember it as one of the most profound post-WWII Russian defeats. This battle also was a reminder of how little the World changed after the Cold War. Next shock came with the worsening situation after the split-up of SFR Yugoslavia.
As the BMP's are on the prowl towards the city, it is time to carefully read through the map and written orders once again...
You are in the North Tank Group and our main objectives are to advanced towards the city center, capture or eliminate any and all enemy opposition. Consider killing or escorting HVT's as they appear. Whatever happens, the Presidental Palace must be conquered if we are to ensure our control over the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria thus restoring the constitutonal order. Not much hostile resistance is expected, Grachev's plan is working.
Taking the map back into your sidepockets, experiencing your last moment of relaxed thinking you hear the disembarking orders of Sergeant Aleksandr Yeltsin amidst the very first sounds of battle and propaganda speeches being aired. "Welcome to hell!" can be hear on the field radios. "I wish I'd be right now with my girlfriend..." were the last coherent thoughts of the Private grenadier.
It burns and it is deafening. Column was ambushed just right in front of the city. Familiar cracking sounds of RPG-7V's pierce your ears. Comrades in the front had not chance of survival even as the Sergeant yelled before for all teams to disembark, deploying smoke covers whenever possible. For all the operation was worth it was worth the same as the lies that where told. There is no choice nowbut to duck for cover in the ruins or broken trees all around. Everyone is trying to find anything to hide in as the chaos erupts, bringing down the soldiers with it. Flight or fight.
You can see the last moments of the combat vehicle's crew. Big and expensive T-90's being ripped apart by hidden rebels you can't even see. You realize there is no use in firing. The Brigade's orders are being sent to push on with the assault as you notice an escaping crewmen's head being separate from the torso as he was desperately trying to climb back onto the damaged Main Battle Tank. You don't even need to look to know what the fate has in store for the BMP-2 ahead.
This is what Grozny has to offer to the Russians. Pushing those inapprotiate thoughts aside it is time to move on with the squad!
At one time, it felt like the heat of the battle so far had missed you. Now you hear a loud noise.
A Russian grenade explodes in mid-air near your location. You spit out blood and some blood starts to drip all over your face. Feeling the integrity of your flak jacket, shrapnel hitted your on the back of the head some it seems. Somewhat miraculously you failed to share the same fate of most of your comrades.
Finally there is some hope in the firearms of fellow soldiers. Adrenaline rush is still working fortunely as the battle continues. Squads left and right are being ripped apart by invisible rebels. Bang, bang bang another nameless Private has his head on no more. All combat vehicles turned into scrap, teams are being slaughtered by the Chechens dressed up just like our boys. What can be done?
You decided to check what is happening behind you. Looks like this time we were lucky not to be ambushed from behind. Breathing heavily Sergeant Yeltsin dodges out of cover. "Onwards you dogs, press on with the assault!!".
Bullets are landing on the ruins of what was once a capital city. Constant smoke is emitting from once place. That's a Chechen hunter-killer RPG fireteam firing rockets somewhere into the unknown. All squad members are on the assault and you join them lobbing HE grenades from your trusty GP-25 UGL while crouching at a destroyed statue of Lenin.
The Sergeant urges to continue on regardless of new orders sent on Brigade's the field radios. Sooner or later we'll all die in this forsaken place. Reports of other squads being pinned down or ambushed from behind, roaring of Chechen T-72A's approaching from the Presidental Palace to mop up the remains. The mind has become numb but a decision has to be made. Will your stand up and fight to the Presidental Palace as Sergeant demands or follow to voice over the field radio?
Run towards the Train Station ! / Fight on to victory !
There is a shortcut to a brigde that connect a small island the the rescue area, the train station they spoke of on radio. The map has it the place written on. All that can be down now is to sprint away with your shaken body in one piece!
Nothing the lose except your life, all words mean nothing now in your mind. The squad has been surrounded. From the wreckages some survivors of another Tank Group are emerging, running with you.
Soo close to the bridge. Gathering enough strenght to aim, knocking down onto the ground the pair. Rest will not fight a single deserting conscript while there is a whole squad up for the picking.
HE-FRAG rounds for a T-72A echoed as one of the last sounds of battle. Something keeps you thinking it might have been the squad leader and his aide now being no longer human.
A train? is that a train!? The rescue point must be near.
The tank calmly stands among the tall grass with the Interior Ministry troops. Trying to talk with them yields no results. Only the apparent CO points the towards the way into the train station. Finally resting on the cold, hard surface with the weapon thrown away. Wondering what to do in the future with the small bloodied hole on the back of the head...
All is quite in the New Year's Day.
CONTENT USED :
"The Maykop Brigade" mission made by YuriVII AKA Texkaz from the RWO group. ACE, ACEX, ACE_USNavy and ACE_RU mods all part of the Advanced Combat Enviroment module suite. Chechen Rebels by Colonel Stalger, Dead City map made by Argument and other addons used in the mission which I sadly forgot the name and author of.
SOME WORDS :
Well, that was quite exhausting especially taking into the account that it's quite late in here, where I live. I hope it wasn't too long bandwidth wise and I hope you all enjoy my crappy attempt at Visual Novel style serious drama. I wish I could make it more graphic but I'm tired.
Posting in here so I don't have to edit the blog thus risking damaging it:
There is a noticeable weird model issue on one of the Russian dismounts because he just left the combat vehicle and the game did not rendered him fully as I took the screenshot.
ARMA II engine renders in low-poly or doesn't even render models that are not used i.e. not in the vicinity of the player character by internal design. This is why this particular dismount came out as such.
The fancy mission introduction text on the right is "in pieces" throughout the journey because once again the game prioritises actual environment then the text even though it sometimes quickly displays itself just after the start. Finally it fully displays itself in the ruins screenshot.