The purpose of this page is to illustrate and demonstrate the importance of a clear strategy backed with realistic operations supported by sound tactics in a scenario (a highly probable one at that).

Maps, facts and certain items will be real but only as a representation.The city I have chosen to represent is real and using actual map data but the rest will be represenative so don't start listing a whole bunch of "that's not true or that's not what's there."

BACKGROUND/SETTING
6 months after Z-day
Mid sized rural town formerly 15K population now down to 4500
4 months since any information or news beyond 200 miles from town
coal-fired power plant operational and supplies electric to town; 25 townsfolk current/former workers there
small farms in area supply current needs but winter is approaching and harvest was interrupted by the outbreak
it is estimated that at least 75% of the general population is dead or Zed


GRAND STRATEGY/STRATEGY
Survive, thrive and rebuild
Secure current resources; seek, locate and acquire new sources
Establish active intelligence, surveillance and Reconnaissance program to meet needs
Establish sufficient defenses (active & passive)
Ensure quality of life for town population

INTELLIGENCE
Active recon has allowed leadership ability to have current knowledge of general conditions outside of town
Threat is assessed to be very high beyond about 50-75 miles from town due to large population centers and the large amounts of fleeing displaced persons (DP). Raiders have not been a major problem for the past 2 months and those were normally observed (not direct contact) by recon forces or outposts against other surviving groups. Refugees are few but 3 of them came to the town last month claiming information that is deemed critical value.
They claim that a large amount of supplies (FEMA & State) were en route to a destination and forced to take temporary shelter in a town about 175 miles from here. This occurred sometime around the 2nd month of the outbreak. Due to the heavy traffic and clogged route (interstate) the convoy was trapped in that location. They had insufficient protective forces (state police & one FEMA security team) when ordered to move. Supposedly, the 'safe zone' destination was overrun. With no particular place to go, unable to move anyway and the zed threat growing (town normal population ~5K but DP influx caused temp increase to about 15K), the FEMA team extracated themselves leaving the convoy for recovery later. Later never came.

Recon teams have conducted 6 missions to map routes, determine threat and locate the supplies.
Two routes are assessed as having the best ability to ensure mission success (low threat, shorter distances, least traffic)
It is assessed that the target area contains close to 1K zeds with about that many in former towns along route. There are population centers that are estimated to have over 50K zed and will be avoided. The objective did not have any activity on the single mission that observed it.
The threat by raiders is unknown/not determined.


OPERATIONAL MISSION STATEMENT
It is critical for the survival of the town to acquire these supplies prior to the onset of winter. The largest and strongest force by the town (to date) is assembled to conduct the furthest goal to date. This force represents over 25% of combat power (but 75% of deployable power) and will have a reserve component/follow on forces on standby.

FORCES
Reconnaissance Units
Long range elements (LRE)
3x SUV (Ford Explorers, roof rack, push bar, 3 pax ea) (9).
Objective/Mission Area Recon Platoon: 4 basic units (48)
Basic Unit is 4 x four wheel ATV (2 pax ea), 1 Jeep or equivalent (2 pax), 1 Mother Truck Ship (Crew Cab Dually w/flatbed trailer haulting ATVs and towing Jeep (optional) 2 pax for total of 12 pax per unit

Mechanized Mobile Infantry Battalion (99th)
5 x up armored school buses with 40 troops ea plus driver (200 pax + 4 drivers)
1 x converted Coach bus as Alt CP (4 pax) plus sniper squad (6 x 2 man teams) (12 pax)

Rapid Reaction Force/Relief Force (follow-on 6 hrs after main force departure) (56)
6 x Suburban w/5 pax ea
4 x Yukon w/5 pax ea
1 x 12 pax van w/6 pax
2 x 'short' school bus w/10 pax ea

COMMAND, CONTROL & SIGNAL
1 x Modified Winnebago w/radio bank, map table, etc 5 pax
1 x SUV (towed)

Refueling element
1 x gasoline tanker
1 x diesel tanker

Plunder Package
4 x UPS trucks (4 pax)
6 x panel vans ("bread' trucks) (6 pax)
6 x cargo vans (E150/250) (12 pax)
2 x 15 passenger vans (10 ea + driver) (22 pax)
2 x Kenworth Semi w/empty trailer (4 pax)
2 x Kenworth Semi tractor no trailer (4 pax)

Medical support
3 x ambulance 2 + 2 med (12 pax)

Support & miscellanous vehicles
4 x campers towing trailers w/suppliers (8 pax)
2 x wrecker recovery vehicles (flatbed) (2 pax)
1 x semi wrecker (1)
1 x semi hauling front-end loader (2 pax)

Table of Equipment (TO&E)
Every vehicle will contain 1 shotgun + 12 rds at a minimum
99th MMIB consists of 5 platoons: 1 squad in ea PLT will be shotgun-only with common caliber handgun, 3 squad will have common rifle/caliber to PLT (2 PLTs will have SKS/AK variants, Mini-30s; 3 PLTs will have .223/5.56 AR-15s, Mini-14s, AR-180Bs, etc with squads sharing common magazine) PLT leaders will have sidearms as at minimum.
3 reloads of ready-use ammunition for magazine fed weapons (3x30 rd =90) except for SKS with 9 stripper clips + loaded weapon totaling 100 rds
Vehicle drivers will have handguns and carbine weapons (such as Marlin Camp 9 or 45, lever actions, M-1 carbine, etc)
Medical personnel will have sidearms
Plunder package personnel will have sidearms
Recon personnel have rifle, shotgun and sidearms
Sniper teams have .30 cal or greater weapons (.308, 30-06, 7.62x54, 8mm) and sidearms

MOVEMENT
Forces will move along 2 routes. One small force will move along a route to the North of the main body acting as a flanking/scouting party and enter the objective from one direction (East) while the main body moves along a wider, better road network (to accomodate the larger vehicles) and move onto the objective from the South.
Assembly areas and shelter/beddown locations plotted and alternates selected.

PLAN
Estimated to be 20 hr minimum duration mission with possible expansion to 50 hour mission
LRE #1138 & 1010 will advance before small force of 1 x bus containing 1st platoon; 2 x cargo vans; 2 x Kenworth Semi tractors (sans trailer), 1 x ambulance

LRE #1212 will advance before large force

LREs will provide latest intelligence along respective routes; early warning and route conditions

An assembly point near objective will be used to deploy short range recon unit, front-end loader and mobile infantry units to secure FEMA supply area. Extraction of all usuable supplies back to colony without casualties is paramount. Secondary mission is to locate and extract any other usable supplies. Tier 3 missions include survivor extraction, creating derelict vehicle-free roadway, recon of area.

MAP 1 Red depicts unexplored areas/no information only estimate of high threat


MAP 2 Satellite photo of objective area (truck trailer park next to large fortifed bldg (BOX) and rings around key intersections to hold/protect



MAP 3 Shows approaches of each segment. Dashed line is Recon elements and solid line main force to OBJ
Black boxed area is where main body deploys additional ATV recce units, Front-end loader, etc




Slide showing protected avenue of approach and line of communication (LOC) at critical intersection using two combat elements (can be done with one element just deploy more squads off bus)


Slide Notional interaction with local "raiders" (8 pax) and ATV recce element (4 pax).
Derelict cars depicted as dashed rectangles. Raiders are in Green. Sniper team on roof in NE bldg

Raiders challenge recce team after short conversation of "ya'll don't look like yous from around here" and "we don't take to kindly to stranger folk"

Sniper team observes interaction. Recce team mounts ATVs and heads to mobile infantry position





ATVs split egress routes to protection. Snipers disable (kill driver, front passenger) of 2nd Raider vehicle to trap 1st car.

Platoon opens fire on 1st raider vehicle. Infantry element captures sole survivor in 2nd vehicle for intelligence.


notes


Misc






Epilogue/Post Mission Brief: Best Case Scenario

Small element and main body maintained contact throughout mission duration and linked up as depicted in pre-planning.
The Objective was found intact and contained 8 tractor trailers (3 w/o tractors, 3 operational tractors and 2 non-operational tractors) plus various Red Cross and other charity supplies within the large building adjacent to the field.
The OBJ contained less than 100 zeds (most in/near the building) and were quickly dealt with. The Front-end loader cleared derelict vehicles from the main route. 2 trailers were hitched to the trailer-less tractors, the other 2 'empty' tractor trailers from the Plunder Package were loaded within 4 hours.
Recon elements found 2 gun stores: one was sacked but nearby vehicles contained usable weapons and ammo; the other store was locked down tight and untouched. A team entered via 2nd story window and a Plunder detachment of 2 vans, 2 x UPS truck and 'bread' truck were loaded down

Some additional food and fuel supplies were located.

The captured raider provided intelligence at first then clammed up. Commander deemed he be brought back (hooded) for further exploitation.

Approximately 2500 zeds destroyed expending about 3000 rounds.

The follow-on force provided protection for the convoy (7 tractor trailers, 2 UPS trucks, 2 panel vans) which set out RTB at Hour 9 of the mission.

Hour 12 remainder of force quit the OBJ for RTB. All forces back to base at hour 16.

end