Battle of Directus

The Battle of Directus also known as Operation Constantine is the military operation to liberate Ustio from Belkan rule. The Battle of Directus was important as it made the Galm Team, including it's team leader, "Cipher", popular among the Ustians.

DATE: 1630/0513/1995 AREA: Directus OPERATION: CONSTANTINE

Preparations to liberate Directus are now complete. I will now brief you on the Ustio 6th Air Division's role in regaining control of the capital.

Directus is divided into five administrative wards centering on the River Crescere. Powerful weapons have been placed in each ward, comprising of Belkan army's Ustio-branch headquarters. This battle will determine our fate, as the annihilation of all enemy forces will mean liberation for the nation of Ustio. The enemy forces are primarily comprised of ground troops, but we have received information, while not yet confirmed, there is also a squadron of hi-tech enemy fighters. Your orders are to destroy the Belkan forces and liberate Directus.

We can't afford to lose.

The Setup
In early May, the tide of the war had turned. In it's rapid Blitz of it's neighbors, Belka had stretched itself too thin. In the first few weeks after the initiation of Offensive Campaign 4101 (the Allied counter-offensive), all Osean and Sapin land had been liberated. Only one country remained under Belkan occupation, Ustio.

The Belkans lost morale after a minor setback at Solis Ortus the day before. The Osean-Ustian army coalition, spearheaded on land by the Osean Army Airborne and in the Air by Ustio's 66th Air Force Unit (commonly reffered to as the Galm Team) were able to advance to Directus from their current location.

Liberation of Directus
The following day, 101st Airborne, as well as an Osean Army division, headed north to Directus. At the same time, the Ustian Army headed south, also towards Directus. It was a pincer manouver, to ensure the Ustio-Branch Belkan Army could not escape.

As the armies approached, the commanders of the Ustio-Branch Belkan army started to grow weary. Although their army was confident, the generals wanted to leave Ustio immeaditely, and head for the safety of South Belka. Because their general's were busy preparing to escape, their troops were forced to fight without anyone to lead them. this put them at a distinct disadvantage to the Allies, who had competent commanders at their helms.

As the Osean army engaged from the South and the Ustian army from the North, the civillians started resisting the Belkan occupation forces. They used anything they could find to fight or stall the Belkans with. In a symbolic act now repeated everynight in Directus, the Ustians broke into a church to ring the "Freedom Bell", which rang across the city, signifying that liberation had come.

With the overwhelming air coverage of the 6th Ustian Air division, Belka quickly lost air superority over the city, even with the presence of jammers. Without air cover, the Belkan ground forces were sitting ducks. During this phase of the battle, the Belkan general who was commander of the Ustio-branch Belkan army attempted to flee the city by helicopter, but was shot down by Galm team, an exspecially effective squadron in the 6th Air Division.

Within a few hours, the Belkans had lost control of all five sectors of Directus. The Ustio-Branch Belkan Army had been defeated. Although an Ace Belkan squadron did arrive, it was too little, too late. The squadron was quickly dispatched by Galm Team. There escape routes cut off, The Ustio-Branch Belkan Army surrendered.

Result
With the fall of the Ustio-Branch Belkan Army HQ, the first phase of the war has come to an end. With the loss of Directus and the vast majority of the Ustio-Branch Belkan Army, the remenants fell back to Belka's first line of defence, the Hydrian line. This also signifyed a dramatic shift in the war; Belka was on the deffensive. As the Allies prepaired to invade Belka, the darkest, and bloodiest, days of the war were about to begin.