Day 2- The Fields of New Cupertania- Tactical Wargaming
Today the Cupertanian and Vanirian forces were ready to try out the new weapons they had learned to use. This was to be the first war game, in which the NCOs would devise new tactics that utilized the new weapons. It was Vanir against Cupertania, in full simulated combat. It was to be open battle, no entering settlements. That would come later, in the Urban Wargame. At a signal, the two armies began to move. They were about 30 miles apart, and approaching each other. It was a Vanirian jet fighter on armed recon that first spotted the Cupertanians. He radioed back to his unit, giving the position of the opposing force. He then circles back, targeting the Cupertanians. Under a hail of simulated AAA fire, the aircraft drops two dummy bombs on a Cupertanian IFV. The bombs register a hit, and the vehicle is eliminated from the game. The fighter returns to base.
The two armies continue forward, and are now within 20 miles of one another. Cupertanian and Vanirian aircraft are both in the sky. The Vanirians are concentrating on tactical bombing, while the Cupertanians are more concerned with air defense. The fighters tangle in the air over the Cupertanian armor column. The most skilled of the Cupertanian pilots maneuvers his plane like a pro, locking on to two opposing aircraft and hitting the kill button. This registers hits on the two planes and counts them as casualties. As per the wargame rules, they return to base. The Vanirians eventually "shoot" down 3 Cupertanian aircraft and chase the others off, breaking through the air defenses to drop several tons of "bombs" on the enemy column. Several light vehicles are knocked out.
Shortly after that, the two main forces came within firing range. The Vanirian soldiers, who were more experiences, were able to react faster. The front-line tanks took aim at Cupertanian vehicles and fired with great accuracy, only missing one that they had targeted. Simultaneously, the Vanirian cannon and missile artillery opens fire on the rear of the Cupertanian force, inflicting heavy damage. By this time, the soldiers of Sir SaaM are firing back. Tanks on both sides maneuver for superior position. The artillery bombardment from the Vanirians is ceaseless, and they concentrate much of their fire on the enemy artillery pieces. The Cupertanians fire back only sporadically with their heavy guns. As the tanks and cannons duke it out, Cupertania shows its real strength: infantry warfare. The trucks, halftracks, and IFVs surge forward, charging through the Vanirian infantry formations, and taking only a few casualties. The Cupertanian infantry dismounts and makes good use of its powerful new assault rifles, heavy machine guns, and RPGs. The cut down Vanirian troopers in droves. Several tanks are knocked out by their rocket-grenades. However, once the Vanirians recover from the shock, they use their superior armor to encircle and trap the infantry. They then push inward, crushing the Cupertanian force with withering firepower. Those that are not destroyed by the tanks fall victim to highly accurate artillery fire. Halftrack guncarriers spray simulated hot lead in sheets at the surviving infantry. The firing stops for a short moment as the soldiers are struck in awe by the sound of heavy bombers flying overhead. A flight of 6-engine aircraft passes overhead and opens its bomb bays. The simulation weapons fall and carpet the battlefield, inflicting massive damage. In retaliation, the entire squadron of Vanirian heavy bombers takes wing, escorted by 2 flights of jet fighters and another flight of fighter/bombers. The jet fighters chase down the Cupertanian bombers as they return to base, shooting down 5 of the 8 bombers. The Vanirian bombers wait until they are entirely over the Cupertanian secondary formation (the rear area where the reserve infantry, reserve vehicles, and artillery are located) before dropping the bombs. Several hundred tons of explosive fall on the hapless warriors. They are largely obliterated. Several units of infantry continue to outfight their Vanirian counterparts on the ground, but the Cupertanian artillery and armor has been largely destroyed. The few Cupertanian IFVs and tanks remaining are targeted by the flight of fighter/bombers as they come down to divebombing level. They even use their cannons against the few tight-packed pockets of Cupertanian infantry remaining. They return to base, while the escort fighters remain in the air, providing air cover to keep Cupertanian bombers away.
The battle dragged on for a while longer, until finally the Cupertanian front line collapsed under the force of Vanirian armor and artillery. The Vanirian infantry fell back to regroup, while the tanks, guncarriers, trucks, and IFVs (without infantry) surged forward, cutting into the formation of reserve troops that had been pummeled by the carpet bombing and had not been expecting to fight so soon. They were easilly defeated with few Vanirian casualties. The vehicles continued on to the artillery and supply lines. Supply vehicles like fuel trucks, ammo trucks, command-and-control vehicles, and medevac vehicles were destroyed without trouble. The artillery fired a few more desperate rounds that overshot the moving Vanirians. The heavy guns and rocket batteries were abandoned as the gunners engaged dismounted tankers and IFV drivers in melee close combat. Within minutes of this occuring, the battle was over. Vanir had been victorious, but at the cost of nearly 2 flights of aircraft and 2 brigades of ground troops. Cupertania would need more practice to win, and Vanir would need more practice to win without such high casualties.
I FOUGHT in it 
