Tactics and Strategies of
Don Karnage

By Steven Ganske ("Starkweather")

Introduction

When I wrote "A Treatise on Air Piracy," this organization was in its infancy. It didn't even possess the Iron Vulture until two months after the treatise was written. Since then, it has crushed or absorbed most of the pirate organizations in the area around Cape Suzette, and even dared to attack Cape Suzette. In doing so, this band of pirates has created the impression that it is unbeatable. This report aims to take a closer look at the tactics that this menace uses, and thereby unveil the mystique behind this organization.

General battle tactics

There seem to be three factors that govern the tactics used by Don Karnage's air pirates. The first factor is whether or not the flying fortress, the Iron Vulture, is in the immediate area, or if the air pirates are in a wolf pack away from the Iron Vulture. Generally, the Iron Vulture is considered too far away if it takes more than ten minutes to get to the wolf pack. The second factor is whether or not the Air Pirates have any information on the targeted plane, or if it is just a poor soul that blundered into the hunting grounds of the air pirates.

The third factor is whether or not the air pirates have developed a secret weapon or have a special tactic in mind to try. Examples include the lightning gun that was used on Cape Suzette, and the set of mirrors that was placed on the Twin Spires. What follows are some common scenarios and the battle tactics used, and lastly a conjecture of the long term goals of this pirate band.

Scenario 1a: Unknown aircraft blundering into an isolated wolf pack.

When targeting an unknown aircraft, Don Karnage's air pirates tend to be overly aggressive and individualistic. The air pirates will swarm the targeted aircraft with no regard for formation and will fire upon the targeted plane, presumably until the pilot offers no resistance. Of course, due to lack of skill in gunnery and overzealousness, this set of air pirates has a tendency to use shoot and salvage tactics on most normal planes. Although, there have been cases where the air pirates have fought in formation and have committed midair boardings on important looking planes. Usually this only occurs when Don Karnage personally leads the attack.

Scenario 1b: Specifically targeted plane attacked by an isolated wolf pack.

Usually, this only occurs when the targeted plane is too close to means of air support for the air pirates to risk bringing in the Iron Vulture. Also, Don Karnage almost always leads these expeditions, and thus his air pirates exhibit more restraint, mainly because the objective in these attacks are to attempt a midair boarding, then rob or commandeer the plane.

Scenario 2a: Unknown aircraft blundering into a wolf pack that is being supported by the Iron Vulture.

The tactics of Don Karnage's air pirates change significantly when the Iron Vulture is close by. His air pirates get bolder when attacking targets that would normally be avoided or only attacked on the direct orders of Don Karnage. Armed transports and convoys with fighter escorts would be two such examples.

Typically, what Don Karnage's air pirates use are 'herding' tactics, where they try to use suppression fire and their own planes to force the target into the hangar of the Iron Vulture; or in the case that the plane's pilot absolutely will not head in, then attempt a midair boarding of the targeted plane. If the air pirates are using cloud cover to ambush planes on a trade route, then the air pirates will use midair boarding tactics to quickly rob each plane that comes on the trade route.

Scenario 2b: Specifically targeted plane attacked by a wolf pack that is being supported by the Iron Vulture.

Usually when the Iron Vulture is brought in to attack a targeted plane, the object that they want to steal is either too large to transfer through midair boardings (including kidnapping victims for ransom), or is the plane itself. So thus in these raids the objective is to get the plane into the Iron Vulture's hanger through the methods I have mentioned above.

The only other occasion that the Iron Vulture is brought in for a raid is when the target is a convoy of planes with some mounted weapons or has a fighter escort. The main purpose of the Iron Vulture in these attacks can be presumed to be as a support vessel for the pirate fighters and as a psychological weapon to shatter the targeted convoy's will to stay together and to encourage the escorts to flee. This allows the pirates to focus more attention to the cargo planes themselves.

The sad thing about this is that the Iron Vulture cannot really harm the fighter escorts because most of its weaponry is geared towards long range artillery barrages of ground installations. But by distributing this information widely, the C.S.P.D. will ensure that convoys will be more effective in the future.

Don Karnage's use of special weapons and tactics

While I cannot even guess of the specific new weapons, traps, and tactics that Don Karnage will use in the future, careful study of the ones that he has used in the past does provide patterns of behavior that accompany the usage of the aforementioned. First, when trying out a special weapon or tactic; or when using one that has proved itself successful in the past, the air pirates will grow bolder and attack more frequently and attack more difficult targets. For an example of this in the extreme, look no farther than the lightning gun attack on this city.

The other attitude that I've noticed (in reference to traps) is a reluctance to abandon a successful trapping ground until all air traffic in the area stops and authorities investigate, thus rendering the trap useless in other situations. An example of this are the mirrors of the Twin Spires. I think this lack of caution can be attributed to a lack of foresight and the boldness I mentioned earlier.

I recommend that when there are significant air shipping losses in one area, then a sky police patrol should be sent out to investigate immediately, even if the location is out of our jurisdiction. If there are air pirates operating there, then they will flee before the sky police or move to attack, thus giving us justification to defend ourselves.

Long-term goals & Cape Suzette

The immediate goals of this pirate band are obvious. Get rich. However, the long term goals of this pirate band are a bit more difficult to fathom. According to what we know of Don Karnage, he has no political affiliation, no relationships, and no heir to continue his legacy. The only goal that I see him strive for is the sacking of Cape Suzette. My place is not to conjecture why this is so, but I suspect prestige and wealth to be the answer.

Of course, one may ask why he hasn't already sacked us? Most believe that it is the cliff guns that keep us safe, but those people are probably wrong. First, we must take a look at the offensive capabilities of Don Karnage's air pirates and the defensive capabilities of Cape Suzette.

Don Karnage has a squadron of pirate fighters and the Iron Vulture. Cape Suzette has the cliff guns, the sky police, privately owned defensive squadrons, the C.S.P.D., the Usland National Guard, and the Usland Navy. In a contest between the pirate fighters and the cliff guns, the pirate fighters lose. In a contest between the cliff guns and and the retrofitted railroad guns of the Iron Vulture, the cliff guns will lose out due to a lack of range. However, the time needed to shell all the cliff guns will give the various air defenses time to scramble and get into the air. And due to better training, better equipment, and numerical superiority, the defenders will defeat Don Karnage's pirate fighters and easily destroy the Iron Vulture.

So thus, Karnage's goals will be to get past the cliff guns as fast as possible and then destroy the air defenses while they are still on the ground. After that, the only thing that can immediately stop Don Karnage is the C.S.P.D., which will be swept aside before Karnage's air superiority. Of course, Don Karnage will only be able to stay for a few hours before the Usland National Guard arrives from the interior and the Uslandic Navy cuts off his escape route. But even so, he would be able to to inflict massive losses before he left.

Therefore I recommend that one of three options be pursued. The first option would be to establish a second air field farther away from the first, so that even if Don Karnage slips by the cliff guns, there would still be a chance for air defenders to get into the sky. Second would be to establish a U.N.G. base in Cape Suzette to minimize response time, or third, have a dreadnought permanently moored at the Cape Suzette harbor.

Ultimately, the reason why this band of air pirates has prospered is the fact that Cape Suzette has looked upon the issue as a chronic criminal problem rather then the dire threat to national security that it is. Don Karnage has already sacked Cape Suzette once, and there have been unsettling rumors that he is planning another raid on this city. While the security suggestions I have made above will do much to help discourage this, the best solution will be to eliminate Don Karnage and his band of robbers.

One of the best ways to start would be to starve him of out he needs most: easy targets. Convoy systems should definitely be encouraged along the major trade routes, as well as a government owned, trained escort service. While these measures will probably not immediately stop Karnage, they will definitely make life much more difficult for him, and either push him to more desperate attacks that will leave him more vulnerable, or make him leave and go terrorize someone else.

Randolph Kerinski