Double Ambush Shatters Pact of Rome Convoy During Fierce Amalfi System Dogfight
A fierce clash between dozens of aerospace fighters has resulted in several losses as anti-fascist volunteer squadrons ramp up attacks on Pact of Rome targets across the Amalfi Planetary System. The deadly action, a double ambush, was centered around a Mongibellese arms convoy.
The ambush began as a convoy of roughly 110 transports and their escorts entered the “Drift of the Bells,” an ultra-dense asteroid field encircling the world of Sacala. The planet is one of three major, populated, contested worlds in the system.
As many as 6 squadrons of attacking aerospace craft emerged from the surrounding field: multirole, superiority, strike, and a tactical bomber squadron. The craft appeared to include Brazilian, Western, Soviet, and Independent designs, common with mercenaries and volunteers.
But the Pact of Rome, reeling from repeated convoy attacks and struggling to supply its occupation forces, had bolstered its firepower. An Italian escort carrier, hidden among the freighters, added six current-generation squadrons to the rapidly unfolding dogfight.
The attackers traded long-range missile fire through the asteroids with Italian and Pact fighters, as well as the armed escorts. But the pro-democratic forces soon closed in, their squadrons sweeping deep into the convoy’s formation where its point defense would be less lethal.
Lost in the chaos, the lingering bomber squadron achieved several kills, still operating on the periphery of the battlespace. It’s unlikely it was acting alone. A friendly, rebel early warning squadron or ECM corvette was likely nearby, helping to cut through Pact jamming.
With their main strike completed at close range, the squadrons broke for the safety of the asteroid field. Italian and Pact fighters pursued, only for a secondary flotilla of pro-democratic forces, a Scout Frigate and two missile corvettes to enter the action.
The reinforcements came perhaps prematurely, before Italian squadrons had been fully drawn off from the convoy and with its escorts still ready to intercept. But the asteroids hampered both sides, and of the hundreds of missiles fired, only a few struck home.
As the convoy reeled however, additional squadrons of rebel fighters, likewise hidden in the field, conducted a second strike on the pursuing Pact craft. After a secondary dogfight, the Convoy had mostly cleared the field, and the attack was over.
Among the forces reportedly involved in the battle were elements of the Italian Navy and the armed forces of Mongibello. The pro-democratic squadrons remain unverified, with reports naming the Red Orchestra, Wizard Squadron, Ala Centauro, and Blood Ram Squadron.
