The Battle of Jericho III

Major Rawne 001 03:46, August 9, 2010 (UTC)
 
First Contact
On August 28th 3 Covenant ships came into the low atmosphere of Jericho III. The three ships immediately glassed a 14 mile radius of the planet killing thousands of civilians. The ships docked at the center of the scorched land and began deploying the thousands of troops onto the surface. After seeing this an unknown UNSC army Colonel ordered UNSC 2nd Army Division to mobilize. He sent a quarter of his units to the local population centers and begin evacuating the civilians. The rest of his division led by the colonel himself launched a ground attack on the covenant troops. Having 200 pieces of heavy armor and hundreds of Warthogs, trucks, Pelicans, and Falcons the armored vehicles deployed the other 11,250 troops just outside of the covenant deployment area. The division immediately came under attack as they landed and disembarked. The covenant launched close to 150 wraiths with scores of specter transports to the UNSC deployment zone. Thankfully the Army's scorpions and cobras kept the covenant at bay long enough for the infantry to disembark and help hold off the covenant. After the first waves of attack were held off the Army began digging in. Making a formidable position. The colonel set up a base to the rear of the defense line. To the covenant this was an outrage and they immediately launched all their units in to attack. The colonel reported his progress to the 2 other UNSC Army divisions on the planet and the UNSC Marine forces stationed further back. On August 29th the full covenant army attacked. The army held for 3 hours but were then overran. Even though the division killed hundreds of covenant their forces still numbered in the 190,000's. 20 survivors from the division flee the covenant army. The covenant seeing these survivors gave chase to have the survivors lead them to the cities and towns of the humans.
The Evacuations
The other quarter of the 2nd division evacuated 3 towns and a full city in 5 days. As the division gave the order to evacuate the UNSC Marines escorted the convoys to the shelters and bunkers further north and north west. One convoy escorted by a full marine infantry company and half an armored company becomes under attack by Covenant Banshees and Phantom drop ships. The marines hold off the covenant air attack with Warthog M41 LAGs and the armored companies wolverines. The covenant are destroyed but the marines lost half their company and 6 civilian transport trucks.
Elsewhere, after traveling six miles the 20 survivors from the 2nd division enter the first abandoned town. They find a usable radio and request evac. After the transmission is sent the covenant attack the town. The survivors are told the Pelican will pick them in the next town. The survivors head to the pickup point but 5 soldiers stayed back in the town to hold the covenant off for as long as possible. The 5 soldiers died but killed 40 covenant, 2 specters and a wraith. Their lives though held the covenant back for 20 minutes buying valuable time for the other 15 survivors. A day later the survivors got to the town and set up defenses. They then waited for a day till the pelicans arrive. On dawn the next morning the covenant attacked. after holding them back for 15 minutes 3 Pelicans landed in the town. Two of the Pelicans were empty but the third unloaded a squad of ODSTs and 2 Spartans. The 15 survivors fell back to the drop ships while the ODSTs and Spartans held off the covenant. Once the other two Pelicans took off the Spartans and ODSTs boarded their Pelican and headed for the capitol city of Strom.
The Defensive plan
In the first week the UNSC forces were scattered all across the planet. Only when major Kelliean an ONI operative took overall command did the UNSC rally and come up with an orchestrated battle plan. With all UNSC forces at the capitol city of Strom. With the UNSC forces gathered together they picked their priorities. Major Kelliean ordered a Marine battalion to defend an ONI ICBM launch facility 40 Miles to the east of the capitol. 2 Marine companies were dispatched to hold the main highway that connects the capitol to the launch site. The rest of the forces were stationed at the capitol. Although once the UNSC found the route the covenant were taking to the capitol, Major Kelliean ordered two Army battalions to hold a small town to stall the covenant advance. The army battalions held the covenant off for 2 days but were eventually overran on the 3rd. 21 days after the covenant invaded Jericho III the UNSC navy fleet arrives. Under the command of Fleet Commander Santh Major Kelliean and Spartan leader of Spartan green team constructed a battle plan with commander Santh. After hours of arguments between the leaders they finally all agreed on an offensive plan that would cripple the Covenant. Spartan Li 008 and James 005 would lead an ODST company and an Army DMC ( Designated Marksman Company) through the miles of thick jungle to the covenant staging area and deploy the HAVOK Nuclear warhead they brought with them. On day 23 of the War for Jericho III The strike force left the capitol and headed towards the covenant staging area. After traveling for 11 days the strike force came to the mountainous peaks that are a quarter of a mile from the glassed area. The Army's DMC climbed to the top and set up a sniper position to cover the camp. Kurt 051 and William 043 then led the ODSTs to the edge of the glassed terrain. On day 36 the strike team entered the covenant camp. Fighting a running gun battle with the covenant to get to the center of the camp. Once there LI, James and the ODSTs covered one of the ODSTs explosive specialists while he armed the bomb. With the DMCs covering the strike force with their sniper rifles and Designated Marksman Rifles from the peaks further back. After an hour and a half of fighting the bomb was armed. The strike force ran out of the blast zone and met up with the DMCs. the commander of the Marksman company left a fire team behind to cover the bomb. The strike force then moved back through the jungle and headed towards the capitol. Two hours after being planted the HAVOK Nuke went off. The blast obliterated the Covenant camp and anything in it. The resulting Mushroom cloud and the EMP that goes off after a nuke rose up and engulfed the Covenant warships anchored 300 feet above the camp. The blast destroyed the ships shields and jammed their sensors. Immediately after the bomb detonated the UNSC Fleet left the debris field they were hiding in so the covenant couldn't detect them and entered the Planets atmosphere. Now the second part of the grand scheme the UNSC leaders planned went into action.
The Navy's attack
The UNSC Fleet came screaming through the atmosphere like meteors. With the covenants sensors jammed they didn't register the UNSC Fleet bearing down on them until the first MAC rounds impacted the covenant Corvette. At that point 14 other MAC rounds impacted the covenant corvette splitting the ship in half. The other ships began to fire on the cruiser. The ship absorbed 9 MAC rounds and a half a dozen Archer missiles. Before the covenant ships could move a second volley of MAC rounds tore through the cruiser. The last corvette's crew abandoned their ship after the cruiser was destroyed. The Corvette then took 5 MAC rounds. One of the rounds destroyed the ships anti gravity anchor. The ship then began too fall towards the ground. Unfortunately for the crew they were right under the ship when it impacted the earth. In less than a half hour the covenant fleet was destroyed with no UNSC ship casualties.
The covenant attack
After 11 days of walking back through the jungle the strike force made it back to strom. Two days later the covenant launch 50,000 soldiers at the ONI ICBM launch facility. The division of army troops and the marine battalion fought off the covenant for 4 days. Afterwards they were forced to retreat inside the facility. The fight was a brutal close quarters nightmare. Fighting in the tunnels that led to the launch silos that are 10 feet across with little to no cover. The defenders scattered and set up defensive positions in the launch silos covering the only way in. A UNSC pelican flew around the base observing the covenants advance. Once the defenders under the facility were told that all but 200 covenant were under ground the defenders launched one of the eight ICBM misses. The nukes target was the outside launch facility. The pelican left and headed towards the capitol leaving the marines to their fate. A few minutes later the defenders launched the seven other missiles in the silos with the launch doors still closed. The humans were instantly incinerated by the rocket boosters of the missiles and the covenants fate was sealed when the 7 ICBMs nuclear warheads went off under ground. The blasts obliterated the entire underground facility alone with every single covenant being inside as well.
On the second day of the covenant attack on the ICBM facility a second covenant force of 20,000 assaulted the marines defending the highway. The marine company's led by Captain Parker defended the first of two chokepoints on the highway. The first of which is a tunnel that passes through a mountain ridge. The 2 marine companies held at the east and west sides of the tunnel. A head of time the marines set demolition charges in the tunnel in case they were forced to fall back. After 2 hours they were forced to leave the east side and retreat to the west side. As the first covenant forces exited the west side the marines detonated the charges bringing hundreds of tons of rock on top the covenant and enclosing the tunnel. With the covenant forced to dig through the rubble the marines fell back to the second choke point which was a bridge 14 miles west from the tunnel. Three days after the tunnel was closed the covenant main force rallied with the forward elements and began to help digging. The elite commanders formed a battle plan for the upcoming attack while the grunts and drones began to move the rubble. It took the covenant two and a half weeks to dig through.
The marines knowing the covenant were going to break through left a platoon to guard the west exit of the tunnel. The platoon destroyed the first few dozen units but were then wiped out. A day later the covenant reached the east side of the bridge. The marines set up a company on each side. The single company held the covenant back for 7 days. On day eight the marines were forced to pull back onto the west side of the bridge. The marine commander captain Harker requested the support from the navy. He left a platoon of men on the east side to hold them off. At 14:24 5 UNSC navy pelicans with 5 transport warthogs were escorted by 8 Longsword fighters. As the pelicans dropped off the warthogs 4 longswords bombed the line of covenant. The warthogs sped across the bridge and picked up the last platoon. As the last warthog left the bridge the last flight of Longswords destroyed the bridge and killing scores of covenant and halting the covenant advance for another six days.
The fortifications
The marines that defended the highway were redeployed by Major Kelliean to a second ONI ICBM Launch facility in the north of the capitol. With only two ways to be attacked, either by air which the covenant have none of (or so ONI thought.) The second way is by a highway that leads between from the Capitol and the launch facility, but the only way for the covenant to get to the highway is too breach the ONI facilities and the capital's fortress walls. After so many planets fell to the covenant ONI began to fortify their facilities. Whether by making them fortresses with artillery and AA guns or an island with one way across. the base on Jericho III is armed with 100 feet high walls and towers with mounted turret guns controlled by on of the cities 'Dumb A.I.' and human controlled machine gun, gauss and missile turrets. Behind the walls are 90 heavy artillery pieces and 180 anti air guns. Enough firepower to destroy a covenant corvette. Finally beyond the ONI building itself was the capitol itself. Thankfully for the humans the wall goes around the entire city.
The covenants second advance
On the 73rd day of the war for Jericho III the covenant thought of a way to cross the canyon. Using Jet pack elites they set up a grav bridge across the canyon. By day 76 the covenant army was moving again. As the weeks went on the navy continued launch bombing runs. at one point a UNSC Frigate launched a massive Archer missile barrage. Even with all this support the covenant forces still numbered more than 100,000.
After weeks of moving the covenant came into view of the capitol. The covenant launched an attack of 10,000 troops at the wall. the defenses on the wall were too strong and 99,999 of the soldiers were killed. Over the course of the next 5 days the covenant launched attacks on all fronts. Then on the 107th day of the war the covenant caught a break. Hiding in the jungle canopy were 14 phantom drop ships. The covenant ground commander wasted no time in loading up the phantoms with a devastating force and launched them against the northern ICBM Facility to hopefully secure a northern way into the humans last defensive position.thumb|Phantoms flying to the Northern ICBM launch facility
The war in the North
The two marine companies in the northern ICBM Launch facility were extremely laid back. Hearing the distant battles in the south at the capitol an simply relaxing all together. It was a huge surprise when 14 covenant Phantoms were spotted heading towards the base over the ocean. In minutes the marines were ready. Squads armed with rocket launchers and Spartan lasers prepared to target the ships in the covenant airborne assault. The surprise attack was devastating in everyway possible. The marines were especially shocked when 8 ghost an d10 wraiths dropped from the bellies of the phantoms. Not to mention the hundreds of covenant as well. At the start the marines tried to kill the covenant as they deployed from their craft. But soon after the platoons and squads found themselves becoming outflanked. Captain Hark rallied the marines in two locations. The captain's first company went with him to defend the only exit in the facility at the south. The highway on the outside led straight under the capitol. The second company led by lieutenant Maek were dispatched to defend the Launch facilities command and control bunker. Unfortunately the Marines only shot down 3 of the phantoms as they left the facility to pick up the second wave. The captain knew more covenant reinforcements were going to come. he radioed the capitol and requested reinforcements. That night the covenant deployed 2 more waves in the area the first wave secured. With a beachhead in the facility the covenant could bring in waves of troops and supplies without being opposed. Now with close to 300 covenant and scores of vehicles the marines were outgunned. This battle was one of the fiercest in the battalions history and in the campaign for Jericho III. The facility was created similar to a large factory and city style. With storage and office buildings connected with bridges and others merely 20 feet apart the battle was fought close and personal. the defenders in the North however caught a slight break. The bunker they held was in the area of the Launch silos. This made the land in front of the bunker open and with little cover. Unfortunately though they had to feel the full brunt of the covenant attack. With 250 covenant infantry and all the covenants tanks and armor at their doorstep the marines there were fighting constantly. Dodging the wraiths plasma mortar shells and plasma fire the marines were effectively pinned down. On the south side of the complex the marines of 1st company were held up in factory like buildings along a road section that covered the exit of the facility. the company commander was pinned down in a warehouse like structure that was 4 stories high with a platoon of marines. On the opposite side the covenant were fortified in a similar structure that was 5 stories high. This fight was fought over several days and at a stalemate. Both forces were pinned down in their buildings. Both of their buildings were full of pockmarks and scorch marks. The commander knew this fight was not good. Unable to consolidate and orchestrate his forces defense in the complex each unit was forced to fend for themselves.
the next morning a Column of 13 vehicles entered the complex. They rendezvoused with the marines at the gate. The marines aid was a platoon of ODSTs led by Sergeant Tarkov. The platoon was sent by Major Kelliean to see the situation at hand. The sergeant, with the aid of a marine corporal orchestrated a plan to push the covenant back. The first job was to rally with the captain who commanded the marines in the base. Tarkov also sent a fire team of ODSTs the help out a pinned down squade 4 buildings over that the corporal sent out. Tarkov then sent his third squad of ODSTs supported by a squad of marines to secure a building on the west side of the complex. Tarkov's plan was to link up with the stranded company on the north side. This objective would be the west sides rallying point. As the teams moved out dozens of Skirmishers opened up on the way. When Tarkov's squad rallied with the captain they picked up two fire teams with them on the way, the two commanders discussed the situation. Once it was ascertained Tarkov radioed back to strom requesting more reinforcements to the facility. Unfortunately for Tarkov's squad the covenant increased their sniper activity in the area making it nearly impossible to move, Tarkov's squad was trapped with the commander. The other ODST teams made it to their objective points with little trouble. Tarkov keeping in contact with the corporal set up a fully operational base in the facilities parking lot next to the exit.
When Major Kelliean got the request for even more reinforcements she immediately sent Spartan Li 008, James 005, and Grace 093 and the ODST company that got back from the insertion mission to the complex by pelicans. the next day when the pelicans landed at the base set up by the corperal the covenant saw the threat the dropships posed. In the next wave of phantoms 7 anti air wraiths set up position around the covenants landing area. Thankfully with the arrival of 3 Spartans and a full ODST company the UNSC Forces could began the tough job of retaking the facility. Kept in contact with Tarkov and the captain, Li 008 led the new forces on the offensive. Assaulting and fortify key areas in the west with the forces at hand. Li's forces needed to rally with the trapped marines in the north of the complex. By dusk that day the UNSC forces in both the south and the marines in the command bunker finally had connecting lines. With valuable supplies coming in from the capitol the defenders in the bunker and in the southern streets, they could hold out much longer. This though the covenant could not allow. On the second night since sergeant Tarkov's squad rallied with the captain a covenant phantom drop ship entered the street flying dangerously close to the buildings. the phantom deployed 16 more covenant soldiers supported by a pair of hunters. The captain ordered his 8 rocket launchers to engage the gunship. The rockets destroyed the left primary thruster. The phantom desperately tried to hold control but the drop ship wouldn't comply. The Phantom tipped deeply to the right and smashed through the front of the covenant occupied building. The entire front wall was gone and the rest of the building collapsed in on the phantom. The marines wasted no time in seizing their maybe one chance to move. Charging across the road and into the rumble the marines killed the covenant reinforcements and any covenant to survive the building collapse. With the building section secure the marines moved on to the next block. Unfortunately this meant that the captains forces were further than all other UNSC forces in the south and they overextended.
The next morning when several pelicans entered the facility to drop off some armor and supplies they were immediately shot down by the previously unknown anti air wraiths. Unfortunately for the defenders, until those AA wraiths were destroyed the longswords couldn't take out the phantoms and covenant forces would continue to deploy. That same night the covenant launched a large attack of 150 against Grace 093's position in the west. The two platoons simply couldn't hold out and the marines scattered. Some of the forces went North to rally with lieutenant Maek while the rest followed Grace to the UNSC base in the south. Li immediately organized a strike force and led a counter attack retaking 3 sections. Li's and the Captain's lines now met. and they had a steady defensive line. Once again though both UNSC forces were split in half and ready to be slaughtered. Knowing they couldn't last long like this sergeant Tarkov led his squad into the city that night to destroy the AA wraiths. Supported by Carris 137 Green teams infiltration expert the team snuck into the dark facility at 19:00 hours. Keeping to the edge of the facility they got to the covenant staging area at 0800 the next morning. Waiting till dark to strike the team split up in fours. Each went to an AA wraith and set charges on it killing any covenant too close. By morning 5 out of the 7 wraiths were destroyed. Under the guidance of Carris 137 the ODSTs hid in a drained water main under a collapsed building for the day. When the night came again the ODSTs went out and hunted the last 2 AA wraiths. by sunrise the next morning all the AA wraiths were destroyed and the ODSTs even had enough time left to booby trap the covenant landing zone with mines and IEDs. the infiltrators headed north to try to rally with Maek and his company in the command bunker. With confirmation on the AA wraiths being destroyed the navy launched a flight of 8 Longsword fighters to engage the last 10 phantoms. The covenant drop ships were engaged over the sea by the Longswords. With no banshee escorts the phantoms were easy prey. With the phantoms destroyed the covenant forces in the facility were now cut off. The UNSC could now finally begin their offensive.
On day 121 captain Hark created a battle plan with Li 008 and fleet commander Santh. Green team was ordered to take two platoons of marines and head east to secure the covenant's beachhead. They would then wait for the UNSC frigate Not all Bad to deploy a platoon of ODSTs that were in reserve. The remaining forces in south would head north and retake the streets one building at a time. Captain Hark knew it would be a difficult job. With close to 500 covenant forces and at least 2 scores of wraiths and maybe twice as many ghosts and specters his units were vastly outnumbered. Captain Hark once again radioed the capitol for even more reinforcements. This was the third request for reinforcement major Kelliean got from the northern ICBM facility. She began to question captains ability to command. Instead of granting the request she countered with a SIT rep. The reply came as 'Sticky'. She needed all the men she could get at the capitol but she knew how important the Northern ICBM launch facility is to the capitols defense. Reluctantly she ordered two army companies to head to the facility to reinforce it. She also told the captain that the blast doors on the ICBM missiles could withstand anything but a MAC round. With this news Captain Hark ordered the navy to start sending sorties into the facility. Specifically at 2nd companies position. On the night of day 122 the UNSC frigate Not All Bad dropped the platoon of ODSTs at Li 008's strike force position. The force then moved to attacks the covenant's flank. On day 123 the strike force literally stumbled upon sergeant Tarkov's squad with Carris 137. Unfortunately even with sergeant Tarkov's ODST's they still wouldn't have enough forces to get to the bunker through the hundreds of covenant. Working with the company's lieutenant they attacked key targets and lactations. When the marines got the message that they would be getting air support, Li 008 immediately launched more daring attacks targeting covenant armor vehicles and supply caches. Li prepared to move his strike team after the two bombing runs supported by the NAVY. After the devastating attacks Li 008 and the team with him charged through the smoke killing any covenant in the way. The strike team soon made it inside the bunker. With the reinforcements the launch control bunker could now be held a little more easily. Captain Hark's progress was extremely cautious and slow going, fully securing every building. It was taking days to clear blocks. When the two army companies came the captain immediately sent them to the front. However after a day and a half of working together the army Captain didn't see eye to eye with Hark calling him too worried and jumping at shadows. Little did the army captain know that later that knight an Infiltrated elite assassinator, also known as 'Killer Shadows' was the one that killer the captain. The elite was killed minutes after.
Strom
While the battle in the north launch facility rages, Major Kelliean relies the spot the covenant put her in. With the devastating surprise air attack in the north. The forces their proved to be more difficult than expected. On top of that the capital was surrounded by covenant. Major Kelliean contacted her superiors on Reach and in Sigma Octanus systems and requested reinforcements to Jericho III. Three weeks later her answer came when 6 UNSC ships entered the planets atmosphere. the fleet deployed a full battalion to the capital supported by the ONI Spartan III Zulu team. Major Kelliean immediatly dispatched zulu team to the ICBM facility with orders to secure it. The team led by Sim A-183. He deployed his 9 man Spartan team by Falcon to the facility.
Spartans to the North
On day 132 the captain coordinated with UNSC commanders in the facility. The next day the main force would launch a counter attack. After 2 hours of strategizing the UNSC commanders had a plan. That night Spartan Zulu team launched diversionary attacks on the covenant's flanks. Tar getting with extreme precision targeting they destroyed covenants wraiths and other vehicles. By morning the Spartans drastically bruised the covenant. At dawn the Infantry of the main force launched a large attack on the west flank. While Li 008 led two platoons of men along the east front to rally with Zulu team. At midday the UNSC armor company charged the covenant forces that were bogged down in the open space of the silos.
Category:Battles