Operation Ulysses

Operation Ulysses
Cerulean anti-aircraft batteries open fire on Aerlan aircraft over Čečňa
Date 1729.10 AN- 1730.7 AN Location Southern Cerulea Status Concluded
Belligerents
Aerla	Cerulea
Units involved
Aerlan Air Force	People's Air Force
Strength
Aerlan Air Force: 13,012	People's Air Force: 18,600
Casualties and losses
Aerlan Air Force: 3 Aircraft destroyed 2 KIA 3 POW Ground Personnel: 5 KIA	People's Air Force: 5 Aircraft destroyed 6 KIA Ground Personnel: 30 KIA (reported)

Operation Ulysses was an aerial bombing campaign campaign carried out against cities in southern Cerulea by the Aerlan Air Force. The campaign was launched in response to purported Cerulean involvement in the Assassination of Henry Cassian, the former President of Aerla. As most of the Cerulean Air Force found itself grounded due to a Norse-imposed armistice, it was believed that Aerlan fighters would have almost free-reign over the skies of southern Cerulea. However, due to the lack of capable bomber aircraft the operation mostly consisted of small-scale bombing of industrial and military targets in the cities of Čečňa, Skjargorod, and Valoria.

Raid on Čečňa

In the early morning hours of 15.IX.1729 AN, a sortie of F-B 1715s of 3rd Squadron, 7th Fighter Group departed from the airfield located in the city of Azula in the Six Parishes bound for the Cerulean industrial center of Čečňa. At 04:00, the F-Bs began an attack on an automotive and engine plant on shores of Lake Caledonia. A detachment of the sortie also attacked a chemical processing plant and an oil refinery. Several People's Air Force fighters were scrambled to attempt to shoot down the Aerlan fighters, although the faster F-Bs were able to outrun the Cerulean fighters. In total, 2 Aerlan jets and 2 Cerulean jets were shot down over the city.

Strike on Skjargorod

In the late evening of 20.IX.1729 AN, a Boreas radar array near the city of Yasid was alerted to incoming Cerulean medium-range missiles. Unlike previous erroneous alerts, 2 missiles struck a army barracks complex outside of Yasid. 5 servicemen were killed and 25 seriously injured in the attack.

In retaliation, the newly-constructed Boreas station in Newark launched it's full hail of 10 SRBMs towards the military and industrial targets in the city of Skjargorod on Lake Tulsa. Due to the somewhat primitive target systems in these missiles, 6 out of the 10 missiles launched fell short of their targets, striking warehouses in the industrial district.

Raid on Valoria

On New Years Day 1730 AN a sortie of F-Bs departed from the Arnold B. Kramer Air Base south of Newark that aimed to target port facilities in Valoria. The fighters were given orders to exercise caution with their operation, as Nordhær forces began to flood into Southern Cerulea. The mission was completed successfully, with several oil and fuel tanks destroyed on the docks, with damage done to a Cerulean cruiser docked at the port. The sortie also attacked Valoria's Airport causing a fuel tank to explode. The Aerlan fighters were able to shoot down 3 Cerulean aircraft during the operation, however one F-B was lost after it left wing clipped a crane during a strafing run on the port.

By this time the Armistice of Kaledonija was beginning to take its toll on the People's Air Force, with many of their fighters grounded as Normark and the Keltia Command began to demilitarize the nation. Later in the month, upon the complete demobilization of the Cerulean military and occupation of southern Cerulea by Norse forces, all future operations into Cerulea were called off.