Operation Reset - Part 3

5 miles south of Sieradz July 18th 2000

Plunged into darkness, the lead driver of the convoy spots what could be lights behind them and pulls the convoy off the road into the cover of nearby woods. Strike Zulu sets camp and secures a perimeter, the night vision goggles are jury rigged to run from the batteries of the SAS teams Saxon APC. Watches are set and they get some rest while they can.

During the night the camp is attacked by a large bear which is quickly taken down with the combined firepower of 2 machine guns.  As the teams prepare to leave evidence is found of another intruder, who came and went during the night without being seen.

Continuing along the back roads and less well known routes, the convoy continues south. Around noon they spot the taller buildings of Wielun through the trees. Scouts continue on foot through the woodland with snipers for support. As they pass through the woods they find evidence that a large number of refugees camped there not so long ago. When they reach the outskirts of the town they find a mass grave, apparently full of Polish and Soviet troops.

Sneaking into town the scouts find it to be heavily occupied by soviet forces. Some engineering work appears to be underway to the east, and there are signs of small manufacturing industries working. The scouts pull back to the convoy. 

After some consideration Strike Zulu decide to skirt Wielun through its suburbs. They quickly disguise themselves with captured enemy uniforms and weapons and head out. They make good time and cut through the suburbs until they reach the main Wielun-Kepno road. In their way stands a road block of a half a dozen men and a russian BMP APC.

A Russian officer aproaches the convoy and, satisfied after questioning the lead vehicle about who they are and where they are going continues to inspect the column. The SEAL team in the second vehicle, speaking no Russian, engage the enemy. As the convoy sets off towards the road block members of the SAS team exit their vehicle and lay down surpressive fire with machinegun and RPG fire. The BMP seams impervious to their efforts, and after a well placed smoke round from the Ranger teams mortar blinds its gunner, the BMP is disabled with a thermite charge.

The convoy continues around the suburbs of Wielun, pulling of the main road and fleeing south before encountering another road block. Trying to make up for lost time they pick up speed and attempt to avoid any other towns.

By late afternoon Strike Zulu, making good time, is 10 miles north of Krakow. Perhaps because of their speed they fail to spot an ambush at the sides of the road, and drive straight into it. Coming under fire from sustained heavy machinegun fire from both sides of the road. Only the SAS team in the rear vehicle have time to react, and having Dr Czerwinski and the MCCS device, they decide to leave the convoy to its fate and take an alternative route.

After taking a longer route to avoid the ambushers, the SAS team arrives at the outskirts of Krakow. Leaving their vehicle behind they continue on foot with the professor, his device, and his research....

to be continued...

Operation Reset - Part 1

Somewhere north  of Ozorkow - July 17 2000

Operation Resets objectives are for a special forces team to capture Dr Piotr Czerwinski and any research and/or prototype for a mechanical computer chip (MCCS - Modular Computer Chip Surrogate). Dr Czerwinski will have to be extracted from Lodz University - Poland. The Team will then link up with the 5th division offensive at Kalisz, and return to the UK.  The window of opportunity is narrowing, the DIA have intercepted intelligence that suggests KGB agents will try to extract him there selves soon.

Due to this narrowing window of opportunity Strike Zulu, a US special forces team comprising of a 5 man SEAL team and a 4 man Ranger team, led by Major Billings, is due to be despatched to Lodz - Poland. Due to events in Poland they have to move fast and are short of men. Members of a combined special forces unit, commanded by the British SAS have been attached to Strike Zulu.

After a briefing and introduction on board a C-130 Hercules, Strike Zulu leaves RAF Brize Norton at 00.00. After an uneventful 2 hour flight they land in darkness in a field somewhere north of Ozorkow. They are met off the plane by their support element from the 75th Rangers, and 2 Polish guides. 

Strike Zulu heads south in darkness, lead by their local guides around the towns of Ozkorow and Zgiers without incident. The guides lead them in to the heart of the city of Lodz using their local knowledge to avoid Soviet or Polish patrols. The headquarters and supply elements of the Polish 6th Border Guard Brigade and the Soviet 20th Tank Division are both known to be using the city.

At around 03.30 Strike Zulu arrives in a large public park. While the Rangers set up their support weapons to cover the retreat, the SAS, SEALs and Polish guides scaled the wall and crossed the street to the university buildings. Dr Czerwinskis apartment was soon found in the accommodation blocks and the doctor was secured.

The teams now split up, the SEALs were remained at the accomodation block to provide cover and to guard Dr Czerwinski, while the SAS team crossed the road and entered the university complex. They found Dr Czerwinskis lab across a large open quadrangle. As they aproached the lab they noticed there were lights moving inside. The group split, one half remained near the door to keep look out while the other group stealthily infiltrated the lab. They caught a 4 man search team by surpise in the lab and quickly neutrilised them.

The SAS team collected Dr Czerwinskis notes and what appeared to be the prototype MCCS device bundled in a packing case. They began to withdraw from the university complex across the exposed quadrangle making use of the little cover available. It was here they came under fire from a concealed sniper which they could not locate, popping smoke for cover they exited on to the street.

Back in the street the SEAL team had also come under fire and reacted, surpressing the front of a building which they believed to be a hospital. Under covering fire form the Rangers, both the SAS and SEAL team retreated back to the park.

After a brief discussion they decided they would retrace their entrance route and head back to Kalisz that way. By 06.00 they wear approaching the bridge to the south of Kolo, when they encountered a large Soviet force. As they watched the soviets prepared and fired rocket batteries at targets to the South West. Strike Zulu prepared their weapons and spead towards the Soviets trusting on speed, surpise and aggresion to confuse and scatter them...

to be continued...