Red Storm East After Action Report – Maison – Part 1

Friday, April 25^th.
After seven hours on the road, GI Gabe and I finally arrive at the Scranton Lace Co. Area of operation for Operation Lion Claws Military Simulation Series; Red Storm East!

Upon arrival I was already impressed. The number of players and quality of their equipment was a pleasant surprise. Gabe and I made our way to the registration building and introduced ourselves to OLCMSS staff. They were fun and friendly, as usual. Once we were registered, one of the Greg Brothers took us on a brief tour of the facility, once a very successful textiles factory. Riddled with debris, broken glass, stair wells, corridors and connecting bridges, this site immediately excited me. I had very little experience with 3-dimensional warfare and this was a much sought-after challenge. We would have to cover all three dimensions at once. The enemy could attack from any direction (all sides, above and below) and rear security would be essential.

After the walkthrough of the facility, Gabe and I took time to interact with other vendors and introduce ourselves to players who were already prepping their kit. The caliber of player we met initially had me slightly intimidated. These guys meant business and I was not looking forward to going up against them. Especially at night, as the majority of tan force had NODs(Night Optic Device/Night Vision).

Saturday, April 26^th: Day Two
This was the first day of gameplay. The morning started at 0530 back at our hotel. We loaded up our kit, had a short breakfast and were at the field by 0630. We set up the Airsoft GI booth, prepped our gear, attended our briefing and launched into the first game at 0900. Our objective was to cut off hostile militia forces from attacking our search team, who were looking for any game props to seize. Artillery shells, weapons caches, detonators and plutonium that could be used later in the game by whichever force it was captured by. Our squad made contact with hostile foot-mobiles almost immediately and quite honestly, we were getting our asses handed to us. Throughout the day I got warmed up. By the end of the first break I was acclimated to this 3D CQB situation. I had come to understand how to move through the field in an efficient manner that was safe for my team and myself but deadly for the OPFOR. We quickly learned to cover all doorways, cover the rear of our formation, maintain proper spacing and to be aggressive and fearless. This is how you succeed in CQB.

Part-way through day 2, I got split up from my squad. I ended up alone, making my way through building 6. I eventually found a secluded, dark and narrow stair well. This really sparked my interest because I wasn’t aware that there was another floor above me. I decided to investigate. Upon reaching the first flight, I saw a muzzle pointing down at me about 10 feet above my head. I quickly ducked under the flight and shouted “IDENTIFY”. What I got back was “SCREW YOU, YOU IDENTIFY!” so I did. “GREEN” I shouted. They replied “CLEAR. COME ON UP”. I had stumbled upon the Militia group. They were holding the attic in building 6. There were probably 7 or 8 of them on this floor, several men at each of the two stairwells, which were the only entrances to this floor, and two COs. I sort of hung out on this floor for a while, hydrated and wondered why they were just hiding up here. Eventually they let me in on their objective. They were protecting a package. Plutonium and detonators for a nuclear weapon…

Thanks for reading,
GI Tactical Maison
Stay Tuned for Part 2 of Red Storm East AAR next week!

Part 2: http://www.airsoftgitv.com/?p=7287