Evacuation from Enniottu City
Posted on May 17,2019Article Date Apr 01, 2000
By Maj John F. Schmitt, USMCR
Situation
You are the commander of a MEU(SOC) deployed aboard amphibious shipping near the west coast of Africa. Your ground combat element includes three infantry companies (A, B, and C), a light armored reconnaissance (LAR) platoon with four LAVs, a mortar platoon, an antiarmor platoon (usually attached to the companies), a heavy machinegun platoon, an assault amphibian platoon (enough to lift one rifle company), and an artillery battery. Your aviation element is a composite helicopter squadron with 4 AV-8Bs, 4 AH-1s, 3 working CH-53Es, and 10 GH-46s. Other options for ship-to-objective maneuver include light boats, landing craft, and an LCAC.*
Enniottu is a former European colony that has suffered from cultural, political, and economic chaos since independence in 1963. Enniottu City is the former colonial capital. It is densely populated, especially in the slum areas along the coast. It consists of varied urban terrain ranging from European architecture of brick and concrete remaining from the colonial period to one- and two-story wood frame structures in Middleclassville to plywood and tarpaper shanties in the slums. There are no buildings taller than three stories. Some roads are paved but have not been maintained since colonial rule. The named streets (Equality, Freedom, etc.) are twolane avenues. The numbered streets are one-lane, wide enough for vehicles single file. All other streets/alleys, especially in the densely populated parts of town, are questionable as to capacity. The terrain slopes gently uphill from sea level at the beaches to an elevation of about 100 meters at University Hill, where the American University is located. A “navigable” underground sewer system-meaning a man can move with relative ease-also remains from the colonial period. You are able to download a blueprint from your database, current as of 1952, but you have no idea of the system’s current condition. The areas immediately surrounding the city center are haphazard shanty warrens. Imagery shows four barricades emplaced within the last 24 hours: on Independence near West Beach, on Freedom and Industry near North Beach, and on Caserne near 3d St. These consist of heaps of old autos, tires, cinder blocks, felled trees, and other urban impediments.
The two main elements to be reckoned with are the Enniottu Liberation Front (ELF) and the Enniottuese Army (EA). While it is true to say that the EA and ELF are generally opposed to each other, tribal loyalties and hatreds run deeper than political divisions. At least three different competing tribes are represented in both the ELF and EA. The military situation would be unpredictable in the event of hostilities.
