Bombing of St. Hewlett

The raid on St. Hewlett's Naval port was the first official action of the Circum-Pacific War. At 1205 on September 27th, 2010, at the same time as the Union of Yuktobanian Republics officially declared war on the Osean Federation, Yuktobanian Aviation and Naval assets launched a surprise attack on both the port and vessels of the 3rd Osean Naval Fleet, including the flagship OFS Kestrel, which were docked at the time. Nearby aircraft, including the OADF 108th Tactical Fighter Squadron, were vectored to provide support as the fleet attempted to escape the bay.

However, due to the surprise nature of the attack, many of the ships were undermanned, with large numbers of personnel on shore-leave at the time. The result was that a number of ships were crippled or sunk whilst still in port. Those that did manage to escape the port were harassed by Yuktobanian fighter-bombers as they attempted to escape the bay and make it to the ocean, whilst the friendly aircraft provided cover.

Unfortunately, simply escaping the bay would prove to not be enough; several Yuktobanian vessels attempted to blockade the bay exit. As a result, the Kestrel's commanding officer, Captain Anderson, after forming all the surviving ships into a provisional battle-fleet, directed them to push through the centre, as the airborne fighters attacked the enemy ships, clearing a path. The end result was that the surviving vessels were able to break through the blockade with no losses. The 108th Tactical Fighter Squadron returned to Sand Island Air Force Base having suffered no losses, a fact considered notable by one of the pilots following the events of their previous sortie.