Battle for Mercalillo 8/14-15

AMosely · 08-15-2008, 11:10 AM

Grunt once again took command of a large scale infantry (rougly three squads of 6-8) assault on the small but very heavily defended town of Mercalillo. Faced with multiple sets of D-30 artillery cannons, six to seven infantry platoons, countless armor and wheeled assets as well as an active airforce, the initial assault sustained numerous casualties - mostly from shelling. Even an abandoned castle turret was not enough to protect the troops from the barrages. The re-inforcement pilot was kept very busy shuttling in new infantrymen, and the UH60 itself was not immune from enemy fire.

Eventually most of the attacking infantry made their way downhill into a compound just north of the Mercalillo radio tower. It was in this compound that close-quarters combat ensued, claiming yet another round of friendly casualties, however the compound remained secure and the CO was able to safely meet with platoon leaders within its walls. After succeeding in taking the radio tower down, friendly forces were finally able to begin securing the city, which was declared clear after about 2 hours of combat.

Following extraction, Grunt met with troops on the airfield for a debreifing. Some points covered:

- Initial assault became chaotic when we began taking casualties. In the future, it is imperative to regroup following the loss of life in order to reasess the situation and better secure our positions.
- Despite enemy artillery being spotted, javelins were used first to take out enemy armor. This turned out to be a fatal mistake as the artillery went to work on the javelin positions. From that point on, it was very difficult for snipers and infantry to take down the enemy forces manning the artillery.
- The use of a walled compound as a forward operating post in the city was very successful, even though some casualties were taken in defense of its entry points.

All in all, a memorable mission for all involved. If this is the new, stepped up version of a domination city assault it is a welcome new challenge.

Arctic1991 · 08-15-2008, 01:40 PM

Yes, a very fun mission. Tough to keep complete organization with that many men, some with no mics, and 15+ armored units soft and hard, and multiple infantry platoons. As stated, probably having 1-2 snipers picking off arty at the same time as we fired the first javelins probably would have made it easier. But a very fun and successful mission.

Props to Grunt for great commanding as usual

**Grunt 70** · 08-15-2008, 01:45 PM

Nice concise write up Mosely. Thanks for stepping up to lead the fire team (even though I assigned it to you)

I liked doing a debrief at the base when completed. I really felt I lost effective command shortly after initial contact, until we secured the compound outside on the edge of Mercalillo. Next time the D-30's gunners will be targeted upon initial attack instead of after the primary armor threats are neutralized.

I also came to the conclusion that leading a fire team while leading a platoon is not a good idea. I had a hard time keeping track of the battle and a harder time keeping track of my own 6 man team. From now on in larger missions I'll set up a headquarters platoon including myself and a medic or two.