Operation Mountain Viper Summary

The terrain was some of the most complex I've seen since the Dragon Rogue Series at Team Airsoft in Dawsonville, Georgia. Add the elevation, starting at 4000 feet with surrounding hills averaging 6000 feet. Weather, ranging from comfortable 50s to highs in the 80s, cold rain and sunny skies, add a challenging scenario and you have Operation Mountain Viper.

This was TCA's first foray into hosting MILSIM events in New Mexico, and the turnout was exactly needed for a successful venture. Both sides came in with near equal combat strength with 32 Western Players and 28 Imperial Players.

The Initial Set, Phase 1; The Empire Defends

The opening Phase of Mountain Viper saw some great strategy by Western Forces, organized into 4 squads, and starting at their Casualty Collection Point at Hill 6000, they mission-ed themselves to attack Wendy, Tina, Sue, and Mary. Eastern Forces quickly deployed thin, having field position in the defense at STARTEX. Western Forces had to breach two minefields near OBJ TINA, which would allow for much easier movement into the valley. Western Troops also had to attempt to destroy an Imperial Ammunition Cache at OBJ MARY. If destroyed, MARY would be out of play for the rest of the day.

Eastern Forces were spread thin, and gave ground under pressure, MARY was destroyed quickly by a quick moving Western Squad that found a trail that allowed for a covered movement and assault on MARY. Western Support Gunners laid down a deadly hail of BBs from HILL 6000 onto MARY, a distance of nearly 100 meters. This came unexpectedly on Eastern shooters. The charge was set and MARY was destroyed in the first 20 minutes of the hour long round.

With Hill 6107 in Western hands, and Raak Ridge with OBJ NORA also falling into their hands, Eastern Forces gave ground from SUE, and attempted to counterattack towards NORA using the river bed in the shadow of Hill 6088. A two man Eastern Team that was cut off on the North side of Raak Ridge when NORA fell to Western seized an opportunity to conduct an end run on WENDY and TINA in the last 15 minutes of Phase 1. Eastern Troops in the holding positions thought that the Phase had gone badly for them then they found out that two of their own seized WENDY and TINA, with Western learning valuable experience about securing their rear.

Rolling into Phase 2: Give and Take by Both At STARTEX of Phase 2, each side was allowed to start forces at seized OBJs from Phase 1. Eastern Forces chose to start squads at TINA and WENDY, a small element at their CCP. Western chose to have a small squad defend SUE and NORA, with 2 elements starting at their CCP. MARY having been destroyed by Western in Phase 1, was out of play.

Eastern Forces gave ground at TINA early in the phase, but fought an intense defense at WENDY, managing multiple counterattacks threatening TINA. Eastern squads launched a two pronged pinching attacking seizing and holding NORA. With NORA in Eastern hands, they threatened SUE with BB fires at long range. The Phase ended with Eastern elements seizing SUE and holding NORA. Western Forces held onto TINA and threatened WENDY. With the Phase over, the weather turned cold with hard rain. We fell back to the staging area to get dry, eat, and wait the weather out. With weather worsening for the evening, the staff suspended Phase 3, letting players socialize, plan, eat, and get dry. Phase 4: Holding Actions

With NORA, WENDY, and SUE in Eastern hands at the end of Saturday, Sunday found OBJ MARY being "re-seeded" by Imperial Forces. Challenging the Imperial war machine to defend MARY from destruction, hold SUE, WENDY, and NORA. But to make matters Eastern would have to attack to destroy TINA and attempt to hold the others. Not an easy challenge. Western Forces held TINA and would have to protect TINA from destruction while attempting to seize SUE, WENDY and NORA, and raid to destroy MARY.

All but 2 players returned for Sunday, and everyone was excited to jump into the action. WENDY changed hands but only after a epic fight involving long range grenade throws. Western Forces fought hard to protect TINA and threatened SUE, with 2 squads attempting to destroy MARY. Eastern elements on MARY successfully prevented a flanking action by Western by constantly shifting their line to refuse giving the enemy an open flank. Eastern Players narrowly held NORA until the end of the Phase. Both sides had pushed hard during this phase but had found their pace for Phase 5.

Phase 5: All or Nothing Both sides prepared themselves for the last phase. TINA and MARY had to be destroyed, with the others needing to be seized and held.

Eastern left a holding force at MARY, reinforcing SUE, and had NORA occupied with a defending element and an attacking element meant for WENDY. Initial Western attacks towards MARY had bottomed out, and the attacking elements pressing on SUE were taking crossfires from the turtle and SUE. A small Eastern attack element early on pressed on WENDY but was taken down, and NORA was being threatened by Western elements. Two Eastern scouts slipped past Western elements in the low ground in the gap, and flanked the security elements at TINA, setting off demolition charges destroying the objective. With TINA gone, Western forces pressed harder on MARY, finally destroying it using the same techniques from Phase 1, with a closer support by fire position on the road overlooking the gap. Western troops pushed down Hill 6107 and the gap to threaten SUE, taking it but losing it in the last 15 minutes by a determined Eastern Force. In the last 10 seconds before the cease fire, a Western Force attacked from WENDY but it was not in time to seize SUE.

And so ended our first MOUNTAIN VIPER. The score at the end of the conflict, had Western with MARY destroyed, WENDY in hand, Eastern destroying TINA, holding NORA and barely retaining SUE. We hope player base enjoyed their first Third Coast Airsoft event, and look forward to their next one.