Turkey: Lightning Shield Operation, 1st Echelon Battle*
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Date: September 17, 2012*
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Battle Location:  Kafar Houm village, along the Syrian Turk Border, NW of Aleppo*
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Battle Type: Turkey B Co, 2nd Abn Bn defend Vs Syrian 1st Bn, 19th Mech Brigade assault*
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Description: The 39th Mech INF Bde at Iskenderun, VI Corps, 2nd Army, conceived the Lightening Shield Operation under directive from the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 2nd Army's plan tasks, Bravo Co, 2nd Abn, 1 Cdo Bde to execute a hasty defense along Phase Line Big Poppa to block the 1st Echelon of the Syrian forces.  B-2nd Abn must hold PL Big Poppa, preserve designated buildings and civilians, and retain unit combat effectiveness. In order to simulate these real world objectives, B-2nd Abn platoons carry a cost of 350, while helos cost 550 per unit. Additionally, designated buildings and civilian units have a cost of 999 per unit. There are six designated buildings and four civilian units; therefore, do not loose platoons, helos, designated buildings or civilians as the lost will cost dearly resulting in a defeat.*
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Narrative: Captain Yuzbas ‘Batman’ Baturaip commands Bravo Co 2nd Abn Bn. All regard Him as a fast rising 'young Turk.' His father, a Turkish national, is a physician teaching at the University Of San Francisco Medical Center, while his mother, an American by birth lectures public policy down the Bay Shore freeway at Stanford University.  Batman spent a semester at his mother’s school auditing a management course before completing a rigorous field course with honors at the US Army Combined Arms Center at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. There, while enrolled in the International program, he met an Oklahoman cowboy commanding an airborne company by the name of Percy. Batman and Percy hit it off from the 'get go.' As their friendship grew, Percy introduced Batman to country music while Batman showed Percy how to brew strong black Turkish coffee.*
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As Batman mounted his helo, he gave a 'thumps up' to his pilot. The pilot smiled, in acknowledgement, flipped on the radio, dialed up all the helos in the company, while Batman’s favorite, now the company’s motto, blared the song: 'That’s the only way I know, don’t stop till everything’s ,gone straight ahead never turn round don’t back up, don’t back down, full throttle wide open!'*
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Now in the air, while everyone was 'pumped up,' Batman jokingly reminded the platoon leaders of the importance of killing all Syrian mortars within in the first ten minutes (five turns) before Syrian scouts communicated B-2Abn positions to their mortars.  As he calmly tasked his mortar PL with destroying Syrian fires immediately, he flashed a smile at his FOO as he said a third time, 'ID those damn mortars as soon as possible.' Batman knew that the lives of his men depended on 'shutting up' Syrian mortars.*
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As the helos maintained 'full throttle' speed at minimum altitude, his mind raced through NATO, American, and Turkish doctrine for a solution as he felt in his stomach - intuition, that something was missing He recalled numerous conversations at CAC, Ft Leavenworth with Percy and others. Suddenly, slapping his thigh he quipped, ‘Bingo!' He smiled as the ‘lights came on.' Taking his command com in hand, he dialed up his childhood buddy riding 'shot' in the Rangers platoon, relaxing finally as 2nd Abn crossed the LD, resolved knowing he had the answer brought an eerie calmness that only battle commanders and good soldiers display before combat.*
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Batman reasoned the following: 'The Syrians will hear the whirl of 2nd Abn rotors, they will undoubtedly dismount, fire smoke along the ridgeline, and advance aggressive with infantry rather than motor in along the road. The smoke fires will give 2nd Abn a good fix on the Syrian mortars. My FOO will locate an OP on Lookout Ridge to coordinate Fires on the Syrian mortars until the Rangers engage the enemy mortars. Afterwards, the TF 1-39 BCT FOO will direct Fires on Little Richard.*
Speaking calmly into his command com, he said, ‘One Zulu, you got to get through those southern hills.’*
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The Ranger PL answered back: ‘Copy that. I spent many summers here as a boy shepherding my uncle’s goats. There is an old pass that the boys used to herd our goats from one side to the other. Yeah, we’ll get through it quick enough, kill those mortars, and then join you guys at Big Poppa. Over.’* 
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'Hell.' He thought aloud, the attrition rate at NTC was 47 per cent for commanders in the first hour of the fight. 'This will be over in thirty, we 'ain't' backing down, no way, no how.' His FOO was still bobbing his head and patting his foot to the beat of 'The Only Way I know' as they sped to the fight willingly, taking the odds, and the cards dealt to them as warriors.*
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Gameplay.*
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Play this scenario from the side of the Turks against the AI. Gameplay is 18 turns with visibility at 25.*
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Victory conditions*
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Destroy Syrian 1st Echelon forces arrayed east of Kafar Houm without loss of property and civilians while maintaining combat effectiveness. Moreover, player must: (1) Move civilians off map at TF 1-39 CCP, (2) Maintain flags, and (3) Designated buildings must not suffer damage.*
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Notes.*
See Shrapnel forum for additional notes and hints: http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=49388.*
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Do not use ammo containers. An ammo container when destroyed mimics a building explosion and acts as a non-revocable award of points if destroyed. Protect them, but do not use them as ammo resupply.*
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It is sufficient to filter the ATGM and AGL teams in order to expend munitions on high value targets, such as Syrian tanks. Alternately, enable ATGM and AGL weapons only when ready to fire on a high value target.*
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Use smoke judiciously. Smoke may cause the AI to rush in, whereupon a platoon’s M72 can kill light vehicles and in most cases tanks when the range is within 50 meters.*
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Keep your helos at low altitude. Do not move over a hex with a height of 25 or greater.*
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Designed by Abraham Shahadi, February 2013**
