What a battle.
With a reasonable ticket lead, Vanguard Operations Group won its first victory. The overriding factor for this success, was partly owed to VOGs capability to take the initiative and keep it to the end of the battle and partly due to an explicit wish from Riam Pax, of not wanting to take it back.
Because of this, VOG managed to speed up the fighting around the contested flag zone at Forrest Farms. Almost round through. The increase in speed was executed through a series of ongoing attacks, entering this quite restricted field of battle, from several different angles and with forces of different sizes, however, almost always strong enough to create a large reaction from the RPX defenders. Confronted with this pattern of ongoing VOG created change, Riam Pax slowly but surely lost its otherwise solid defensive capability. A capacity we have seen Riam Pax perform solidly, from the very first preparation battle on Dovre. However, not this time.
At 3:56, while RPX was capping the Forrest Farms flag zone, VOG send it its first wave, consisting of two squads, counting 10 players in total. Perhaps both a reconnaissance and a fixing unit? Regardless, a few minutes after, RPX had hit it enough, for it to move south again and regroup. Thus first VOG attack repelled.
Below a few images from the Vanguard Operations Group buildup of attack directions.
First move by VOG, to the flag zone at Forrest Farms. Riam Pax has not yet captured it.
Very shortly after Riam Pax capture the flag zone and defeat this, the first VOG attack entering from the south
VOG respond by mobilising a larger attack force south of the flag. Meanwhile, north west of the flag, VOG has also manged to send in a small motorised team, fairly deep into the RPX rear. Furthermore, south west of the flag, VOG seem to have a flanking force ready. Perhaps for flanking security, perhaps for a flanking attack?
Riam Pax in a rare attempt to retake the initiative south of the flag. At this point almost en entire RPX squad has been send north to encounter the small motorised VOG unit. This was also the first time that VOG with a small force, managed to divert the Riam Pax concentration in the flag area.
While VOG loose the fight of the south access to the flag, it is already aiming to flank and cut of the RPX rear as well. So this is one way of speeding up the battle. Through an ongoing emphasis on putting the defending side into the reaction mode. Simply by constantly changing the direction of attack. Luck is also a factor though. The luck in this situation, is the RPX lack, of wanting to take the game to the other side. Also, note how Vanguard Operations Group keep having a strong force near the river. This force allocation was probably kept this long into the round, because of the initial Riam Pax landing, in this very area, at start of the round.
As the fighting south of the flag takes place, at the road, a fight for the access to the flag, VOG has managed to build up a stronger force in the RPX rear.
From here ill leave you with the opportunity to watch the replay. As you will see, this pattern, more or less, continues through out the round, ending however, with the fighting moving into the flag area it self.
Sum summary, the second battle of campaign 13 became a speedy battle of attrition, once again focused on a flag zone, as the main field of battle.
