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[furryclan] game diaries
When a game as revolutionary as Operation Flashpoint comes along, the stories told about it are guaranteed to live forever. [furryclan] reflects on tales of war.
[predaeus]: 2002-02-10: The hunter
Foreword
This map is "The Hunter" by SnakeEyes and took me 1h 54mins. I played on "Veteran". This was the gaming experience coming closest to the movie "Sniper."
The hunter
So this is it, the mission that would be the last before ending my career as a sniper. After dozens of faces killed, I was a highly decorated Sergeant. My mates called me "Bullseye" for I never missed a target. But this was a tough mission to come.
Intel had reliable info on the current position of a formerly CIA agent and known traitor. His name was Thomas Cornwell. He changed over to the Russians and gave their high command valuable information on US troop movements, resources and tactics. He was highly decorated as well. Now a general of the enemy's forces, his ass was going to be mine...
After Preach's death they ordered Bobby Bruning to my side. He was going to be my observer on this mission. I gave him Preach's equipment and told him he will do fine. This man had a weird look in his face. But this was usual in this business. We got our stuff together and headed out to the airfield. That afternoon the sun burned down on my head as we made our way to the airplane's wing, where we changed into our ghily suits and put on the parachutes. The bird was a confiscated Cessna. The pilot, a crazy guy called Jeff Terkins or Perkins or something. He said I should pay a visit to him and his family when we are back in Iowa. Nice to see somebody from around there. With the tower giving us clearance, the plane swung up into the air and we were ready to go on our duty...
The target was situated on Kolgujev. Jeff kept her low, avoiding the enemy's radar beams. He did a good job. But nobody had calculated the two SU-25 Frogfoots, owning those skies above the vast ocean. AWACS gave us a warning call and two of our birds were on their way but it would be close, very close ... too close for my taste.
Anyways, I was lucky. We made landfall before those vultures could catch up on us. There was a worried expression on Jeff's face as I opened the door and leaped out of the plane. Bobby followed instantly. And there we were hanging on our parachutes some hundred metres above enemy ground. Suddenly those two Frogfoots hurled by over our heads followed by a loud explosion. Now I knew I had to visit his family...
Bobby and I made it safely to the ground packing the chutes and hiding them under some bushes. He readied his machine gun while I prepared my sniper rifle. Both were of Russian origin because high command thought we would find more useful ammunition on the island if we had to stay longer than planned. But I did not want to stay here any longer than necessary. I checked the map and we headed straight out. I planned to approach the target from the north-west to avoid a direct route. This would lead us over the mountains and past several Russian outposts. I knew it would not be an easy job.
We stayed low using woods and bushes as cover. Moving steady and covering each other's movements, we did not make contact with enemy troops ... yet.
Suddenly a shot broke the silence...Bobby stared at me, then his body fell over. Adrenaline flushed through my veins and that was obviously the only thing that got me out of that situation alive. I immediately hit the dirt ... scanned the horizon for the enemy sniper. I lay there for a moment. I thought about carrying Bobby's body out of here but with the target still to come, I had no other option but leave him lying there. I got up and ran into the woods as fast as my feet could carry me. Left and right past the trees I was waiting for that final feeling, the feeling that would end everything here right now. But ... it would not come. I made my way out of the reach of that sniper without ever meeting that bastard again.
I stayed on the planned route, avoiding areas where fighting was going on. In fact I was not the only one on a mission on the enemy occupied island. I could hear BMPs patrolling all over the place. I kept my head low, worrying that the sniper could follow me. I steadily moved on. With time passing by I crossed several roads and I was getting close to those mountains in the middle of the island. Kilometres of footmarch made me tired but I had no time to rest, I did not want to miss that Thomas.
In the mountains a cold breeze was howling over the grassy fields. I had to watch my steps as every rolling stone could mean my death here. The hills were steep and I had to stay alert not to hurt my trigger finger on the sharp rocks. A lot of areas required a crawling approach and also some climbing but somehow I managed to pass the home of the eagles unharmed and arrived at the lower areas of the island covered with thick forests. I had decided earlier it would take too much time to make my way around the far north-west of the camp so I was on the direct route of approach now.
Again I used every tree as cover and scanned the horizon and every suspicious bush with my scope. I navigated by compass and map. The sun was close to setting.
As I arrived near the enemy encampment I decided to crawl over to the woods on the other side. Slowly I moved my hands and feet and took a look out of the high grass from time to time to check the surroundings. Suddenly I heard voices and realised I was close to a Russian patrol. I instantly duck and kept my head as low as possible to let them pass without discovering my position.
Cautiously I made my way back to the woods I came from. I just did not want to let my escape be blocked by enemy troops. I moved down to the road and thought about moving around the east. A lone guard was all that guarded the gate. But that should change in an instant. Suddenly I heard engine noise. A UAZ rushed by and into the base. Soon afterwards a Ural arrived and unloaded troops on the east of the camp. So this side was full of enemy troops no way to take a shot from there, I could not even see the target from there. So I moved back around the west to find that target that had cost Bobby and Jeff's lives.
My choice of approach got me close to a road patrolled by a BMP, although it passed by very close several times I never saw it. I made my way past that area and took highground on a hill to the north-west. This gave me a view overlooking the camp. I scanned every soldier's face in the scopes to find my target ... there he was, a man accompanied by two Spetznatz soldiers, wearing a beret. But the light prohibited the exact identification. Dammit ... I had to move in closer on the target. The forest on the slope in front of me was roamed by patrols. I could see them everywhere over that spot.
I crawled down a steep slope trying to get into cover of the trees. Luckily the high grass covered my approach again. About 20 metres away from a soldier that just taken a cigarette break, I came into position and checked the target ... and yea ... it was him.
50 metres away he was thinking about conquering the world, but as I said his ass belonged to me. I decided to get back up on that hill to take my shot from there. So I cautiously crawled back through the forest and moved up the grass covered hill.
Arriving on top I took my position on the eastern flank of a tree to avoid being lit by the setting sun. There I lay 150 to 200 metres away. A last scan for any threats then I took aim. I put the trigger finger into position and controlled my breathing as I could see the general talking to one of the Spetznatz guards. Wondering what his last words were, I triggered my weapon and sent a bullet on its way through his worthless body. At 1858 hours the general was hit by the bullet before anybody down there could hear the shot. The sound of the shot echoed from the installations building and everybody hit the dirt. Nobody caring for the dead general. I made my way out of their guns' reach.
I rushed down the hill to the north-east, close to falling over, passing some bushes, then checking the area ahead with the scope. And on I ran into the woods, hitting the dirt in some bushes. There I reloaded the weapon. The only thing I thought about now was reaching the extraction zone alive. I checked the map again and moved through the trees and bushes along my path. Realising I was now close to the beach I could hear the steady sound of the waves. I reached the facility where the Blackhawk was waiting. From a ' distance I checked the man at the gates, seeing it was a special forces on my side, I made my way onwards. The man did not even say a word. When I ran on and jumped into the chopper I heard a BMP coming in followed by a deafening explosion and smoke coming up behind some buildings. Those special forces guys were all over that place. They had MP5s and in the darkness that had already arrived on this site of the isle, the approaching soviet troops fell soon in their crossfire.
The pilot prepared the chopper for take off and one by one those guys got into the chopper. The last one getting his foot from the ground the Blackhawk took off into the darkness ... it was 1909 hours and now we had time to talk...