Operation Varsity
- "They're a brave bunch of soldiers. I'll give them that."
- ― Pixy
Operation Varsity,[note 1] also known as the Battle of Solis Ortus, was an operation launched by the Allied Forces as part of a campaign to liberate Ustio during the Belkan War.
Prelude
In early May, the tide of the Belkan War was beginning to turn. In its rapid advance through its neighbors, Belka had stretched itself too thin. In the first few weeks after the initiation of Offensive Campaign No. 4101, the Allied counter-offensive, all Osean and Sapinish land had been liberated. Only one country remained under Belkan occupation: Ustio.
The Belkans were confident. This was no army of draftees, but the Ustio-Branch Belkan Army, which had thus far gone undefeated. Still, the Allies' spirits were high, coming off of a string of recent victories against Belka. The stage was set for the battle that would drastically change the war.
Summary
On May 12, the liberation of Ustio was put into motion. Elements of Osea's 101st Airborne, and the 122nd Airborne dropped into Solis Ortus, which lay just several dozen miles south of the Ustian capital of Directus, the GHQ of the Ustio-branch Belkan Military. Ustio's Galm Team mercenary unit provided air cover.
The drop was by no means perfect. There were concentrated AA batteries in the drop zones which took a toll on some of the paratroopers. Platoons were separated because of the wind, and limited ammunition was an issue. However, the Ustians did a top notch job defending the ground units, as they quickly silenced the AA batteries and cleared out the drop zones.
The Belkan's attention shifted from the ground troops to the transports still delivering paratroops to the drop zone. Fighters were sent in to take care of the transports, but were unsuccessful due to the air cover provided by Pixy and Cipher, who were also helping take out the anti-air batteries. Eventually, the Belkans conceded defeat, and abandoned Solis Ortus.
Result
This wasn't a major blow to the Belkan Army, possibly because they knew they had deployed few forces into the area. However, it set the stage for the liberation of Directus, and the Allied Forces wasted no time; in fact, the next operation took place the very next day.
Trivia
- Operation Varsity is the name of an actual paratrooper operation in World War II. Both operations have the principal objective of paratroopers dropping deep into enemy territory and taking their positions until they are relieved by regular land forces.
Footnotes
- ↑ Operation Varsity (ヴァーシティー作戦 Vu~āshitī Sakusen)