Operation Doodlebug

Operation: Doodlebug, also known as the Battle of Cruik Fortress, was one of the most vital operations in the Circum-Pacific War. Cruik Fortress was the only obstacle in the path of the Osean ground forces on their way to Cinigrad, the capital city of Yuktobania. Doodlebug is well-known for failing two times before succeeding on the third attempt, notably due to the assistance of the 108th Tactical Fighter Squadron "Wardog".

Prelude
Osea's ground troops were forced to push through Cruik Fortress, the only path available through the Vladimir Mountains, if they wanted to finish the war before the holidays rolled around. Any offensive around the mountains could have taken much longer.

Cruik Fortress was heavily fortified, so most of the available ground troops were to be deployed to topple the fortress. Once this was done, the capital of Cinigrad would be ripe for the picking.

Summary
Deploying from the new HQs set up in the Jilachi Desert, the ground troops attempted the operation three times.

Attempts 1 & 2
It was on their first attempt that the ground troops realized just how difficult this was going to be. On both of their attempts, they had little or no air support, so they were vulnerable from air attacks. Cruik Fortress had two runways and four airplane hangars from which they launched aircraft to bomb the ground troops. On top of that, the fortress had numerous bunkers that caused critical damage to the troops. On both attempts, they retreated to regroup, losing more and more troops each time.

Attempt 3
This time, the Wardog Squadron was sent to assist the ground troops in their offensive on the fortress. They were to provide close air support and visuals on the fortress from the air to advise the ground troops. The troops refused to advance through the southern or the northern walls without permission from Wardog first.

It has been noted that the ground troops had a large boost in morale with the top Osean squadron being there. It was on the third attempt that they even broke through the fortress's southern wall in a record time.

With Wardog's support against the bunkers, control towers, and air units, the third attempt to cut through the fortress was a success, and Osea's ground troops were now on the northern side of the fortress.

Result
As Lieutenant Colonel Nelson stated halfway through the third attempt, "Looks like we'll be able to enjoy the new year with our families... thanks to Sand Island." With Wardog's help, Cruik Fortress fell in just a few hours.

Yuktobania began to set up a small barricade ahead of Cruik Fortress, in the urban area outside of Cinigrad. There could have been civilian casualities, but the Osean ground troops were confident in Wardog Squadron's assistance.

Trivia

 * The Yuktobanian Wisna Squadron was Cruik Fortress's main defense force. They were most likely responsible for the air attacks that crippled the ground forces' advances the first two times, but Wardog Squadron shot down the entire squadron on the third attempt.
 * Two members of Wisna Squadron are known to have survived this operation, as they took part in the Battle of Sudentor a few weeks later.
 * One of these members was a female pilot, the only one to be heard over the radio fighting for Yuktobania.