Grageo Canyon is a ravine located in the eastern-central regions of the Republic of Emmeria. This is where a major Emmerian base, the Ragno Fortress, is established.
Ragno Fortress
Ragno is a relatively large structure. It lies on top of the canyon walls. The main fortress lies inside a thick, concrete wall that is shaped like a hexagon. Inside these walls, the fortress is largely an open area, with a few buildings, including a vigilance tower. Outside the main fortress are a few gun towers located by the lower canyon walls that provide heavy anti-aircraft fire, as well as power plants and sub-stations at the northeast. A large portion of the fortress lies underground, in the form of an extensive tunnel network, including four straight tunnels that extend from one wall to another, with large platforms, presumably helipads, at each end. These tunnels are just large enough for a fighter plane to fit inside, a detail that was exploited by Emmerian ace Talisman during the Anean Continental War.
At the bottom of the canyon, next to the rivers, there are a few docks for supply ships. There is also a large dam, either to provide hydroelectric power for the fortress, keep the rivers from flooding, or both.
Anean Continental War
Early in the Anean Continental War, Ragno came under the control of the Estovakian Army. Later in the war, Emmerian forces attacked the fortress during their counter-offensive against Estovakia. The attack had four parts.The REA (Republic of Emmeria Army) 3rd Corps, 1st Brigade, 1st Tank Battalion (aka Warlock Separate Battalion), lead by 1st Lt.* Gary Campbell, made a head on attack against the Estovakians outside the fortress while heading for the structure itself. The REAF (Republic of Emmeria Air Force) 8th Air Division, 15th Fighter Squadron, led by Commander* Daniel Pollini (callsign Windhover) attacked the supply depots in the rivers, the ships at the depots, and the two substations near the dam northeast of Ragno. An REN (Republic of Emmeria Navy) helicopter unit, the 3rd Fleet, 1st Helicopter Unit, lead by Commander Richard Lee (callsign Yellow Jacket) was to attack the four main tunnels mentioned above. All three of these units were supported by the 8th Air Division, 28th Fighter Squadron (aka Garuda Team), led by an REAF captain* known only by his callsign, Talisman. After these operations, the Emmerians attacked the main above ground portion of the fortress, and were able to defeat all Estovakian forces inside the fortress. From this point on it was once again under Emmerian control.
A fourth unit was also involved. An unnamed Emmerian Special Forces unit infiltrated the fortress by another route and engaged Estovakian soldiers in the tunnels.
Sources
- Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (the game itself)
Notes
- The ranks above marked with an * are questionable. The in-game assault records show the same rank insignia for Gary Campbell, the commander of the Warlock Separate Battalion, and Marcus Lampert, Garuda Two. According to Lampert's page on AceWiki, he is a 1st Lt. Since Gary Campbell has the same rank insignia shown, he would likely have the same rank. However, it is highly unlikely that a 1st Lt. would command an entire battalion, a job that is given to a Lt. Col. in the US Army and US Marine Corps. Also, "Commander" is apparently the rank held by Windhover. However, Windhover is in the Air Force, while Commander is usually a Navy rank. In the first mission, Windhover refers to himself as "Commander Windhover of the 15th Squadron," though this is likely a reference to his being the squadron commander, not a mention of his rank. Third, Talisman is called a Captain on his AceWiki page. However, he is the commander of the 28th Fighter Squadron, and squadrons are normally lead by a Lt. Col., like the Strigon Squadron (Lt. Col. Voychek). However, these discrepancies could be caused by a different rank system used in the Emmerian Military than the one used by the US military, though they seem to share the same ranks.