Malden Archipelago

DATE: 05/02/2026

TIME (GMT): 19:00

ERA: Cold War

MAP(S): Malden Islands '85

TYPE: COOP

GAME: Arma 3

EVENT: Official

AUTHOR(S): Sclembi

SLOTS: 82 / 90

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RATING: not rated yet! (0)

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On April 4th, 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev assumed the position as General Secretary of the Soviet Union. Amongst some of his first decisions as leader of a crumbling Soviet empire was the announcement of glasnost and perestroika reforms, which are welcomed by the West. However, hardliners from within the Soviet Politburo and its armed forces alike are strongly opposed to news of the impending reforms, which they see as nothing more than an act of weakness in the face of 'NATO imperialism'. The hardliners, comprising of high-ranking politicians and intelligence officials from the Committee for State Security (KGB), covertly form a plot to halt Gorbachev's measures. They succeeded in convincing one of the Soviet military's most influential Generals - a man by the name of Aleksei Vasilii Guba, commander of the 3rd Army garrison on Kolgujev, to join their cause. While the KGB hardliners arranged for two nuclear-tipped SCUD ballistic missiles to be 'diverted' to Guba's garrison, Gen. Guba prepared his own force for a full-scale invasion of the Malden islands chain. One month later, more than half of Guba's 3rd Army garrison boarded their transports and departed from Kolgujev, heading directly for the shores of the Everon Socialist Republic. On the morning of May 5th, 1985, the first Soviet troops stepped foot onto the mainland island of Everon. By midnight, the entirety of Everon was under Soviet control. Guba's forces set up their headquarters on the south-eastern corner of the island in Saint Pierre, while other troops began constructing coastal defences around the western and northern sectors of the island. Unable to contact their counterparts on Everon, the commander of the NATO garrison on Malden, Colonel Caper Blake, dispatches two helicopters in the early hours of the morning three days later on May 8th to scout ahead. When they fail to report in, COL Blake authorises the deployment of another scouting force, this time consisting of several mechanised infantry platoons. In the early hours of the morning, the NATO response force flies in via helicopters towards the town of Morton on the island's central coast. U.S. troops come under fire almost immediately upon landing and are forced to retaliate against the Soviet defenders in the town. They succeed in liberating Morton after a brief bout of fighting, and the force proceeds to split up into two elements. One half was directed north-west to retake Le Moule while the other half attacked the town of Regina located to the south-east. On May 13th, NATO forces at Morton assembled their troops for another attack against the city of Montignac located in the island's central region. Supported by air cavalry, the mechanised company was able to seize Montignac for a few minutes, but the order to retreat was issued after the Soviets dispatched a massive wave of helicopters and tanks to retake the city. The NATO assault force attempted to fall back but was completely overrun by the Soviet reinforcements.

Less than a third of U.S. troops on Everon were able to flee back to Malden, and Soviet forces were able to retake the entirety of Everon. At this point in time, local resistance fighters banded together to fight against the Soviet occupation. They were largely unsuccessful however, and incurred many losses in their failed attempts. On June 1st, twenty days after the failed retaking of Everon, the 3rd Army launched a full-scale invasion of Malden. Under the cover of darkness, Soviet Spetsnaz teams struck numerous NATO anti-aircraft batteries and other military installations scattered around the southern sector of the island. Only one attack was foiled successfully by U.S. troops. On June 2nd, Soviet amphibious forces struck the harbour town of Le Port on Malden's south-east. U.S. troops scrambled to defend the shore, but were forced to retreat further north when the entire defensive line along Chapoi and La Rivière collapses. Over the course of two more days, NATO forces continued to trade territory for time, hoping to hold out long enough for reinforcements from a U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group to arrive. Soviet forces continued their advance north and on June 5th, all available U.S. forces - including those still in training, were ordered to defend the city of Houdan at all costs. In the early hours on June 6th, a team of U.S. special forces sabotaged the Soviet tank depot at Lolisse, helping to pave the way for the NATO garrison's first attempted breakout later that day. They succeeded in liberating Lolisse while also preventing a Soviet response force from retaking it. The counteroffensive continued on, and American ground forces were eventually able to retake La Pessagne as well. The victories at La Pessagne and Lolisse marked the first time NATO forces were able to retake lost ground from the Soviets. Regrouping their ground forces, U.S. troops were poised to strike the city of Chapoi further south. Infantry squads scouted ahead and neutralised the AA defences in the city, before attack helicopters arrived to clear the defending Soviet armour. U.S. troops proceeded to liberate the city after its remaining defenders were wiped out by their air support. A platoon of American tanks later arrived to help repel another attempted counterattack by Soviet forces. On June 13th, a major assault on Goisse was detected by American recon units, which originated out of a hidden Soviet base located north of the village. Fortunately, the Carrier Strike Group had finally arrived to reinforce the garrison and several U.S. rifle platoons could be dispatched to aid in its defence. After repelling the attack, U.S. forces staged a diversionary raid on retreating Soviet forces in order to trace them back to their camp. NATO scouts managed to track their movements directly back to their base, and were able to raze it into the ground the next day. With its destruction, the bulk of the Soviet resistance left on Malden was finally broken on June 14th. However, not all Soviet forces would be eliminated until June 18th; four days after the success at Goisse.

In preparation for the upcoming counterinvasion of Everon, U.S. special forces launched nightly raids against Soviet installations with the assistance of the local resistance fighters. On June 16th, they were able to sabotage multiple tank repair depots and a munitions dump on the island's east near the villages of Levie and Laruns. Four days later, NATO forces conducted a full-scale counterinvasion of Everon. Landing on the island's north near the main airport, U.S. infantry destroyed the AA batteries surrounding the coast before attack helicopters moved in to wipe out the Soviet armoured units rushing to its defence. U.S. special forces simultaneously discovered and sabotaged another Soviet outpost in the area, this time disabling a helicopter base and preventing their pilots from reinforcing the Soviet ground counteroffensive aimed at retaking the airport.

The players will play as the invasion force, deploying onto Everon to retake it from the soviet renegades. An overarching objective will be to capture the renegade leader - General Guba - alive.