Gates of Guttar part 1

OPERATION SCIMITAR- Imperial forces despite being repelled on the secondary drive on FOB 173 haad now reached the gates of the Guttar hab zone.  Kharkovian vanguard forces rapidly approached the city in the early hours of the morning.  If they were to take Guttar they would effectively cut a major Stygian supply line.  Unfortunately intelligence had determined that Stygian guard units had already reinforced Guttar.  Major Konev leading the vanguard knew his mission was to seize the outskirts of Guttar then await follow on forces before trying to bull his way through the city.  In the darkness he smiled grimly.  Intel of intercepted vox transmissions from the city's edge had located a command post and a fortified strongpoint.  From his chimera Konev watched lightning strike fighters flash overhead.  Seconds later the outskirts of guttar suddenly glowed as ordinance was dropped on the two suspected targets.

Major Astar of the 78th Stygian guard cursed as the imperial jets pounded his position pinning him down.  His heavy weapon teams were likewise pinned in place unable to bring weapons to bear upon the coming Imperial force.  Grabbing the vox Astar ordered the execution of the battle plan.  The Stygian left wing would hold and form a fire base while the right wing would attack crush the imperial left flank then roll up their line like a carpet.   The darkness was filled with the sounds of engines as armored vehicles rumbled out into the first rays of dawn firing smoke grenades as they went.  With luck the stygians would emerge from the mist like smoke like spectres of doom catching the Imperials by surprise.

No sooner had the armored forces rolled out than the artillery began to reach out to hammer the advancing Imperials.  A manticore fired a rocket skyward which arced down exploding amidst the vanquisher tank stunning it and causing it to smoke.

The second Manticore also fired it's rockets screaming out and falling amidst the Imperial Basilisk.  The explosion threw the gun crew to the deck stunned while ripping smoking holes in the armor of the mobile gun.

The pair of Russ tanks on the right targeted the Imperial chimera's n the center.  Their battle cannons belching out high explosive shells that engulfed the imperial apc's .  The explosive detonation ruptured one of the chimera's fuel tanks while the other had a track blown off.

An infantry squad spotting the side of the chimera leaking fuel opened up with a heavy bolter.  The stream of shells punched into the side of the apc and set the leaking fuel on fire.  In seconds the Imperial apc was fully ablaze with it's infantry support squad rushing out to escape the inferno.

special thanks goes out to Jake Holte (seen below) for all his help with this battle report.