

The efforts of the marine troops, however, allowed the UN forces to gain a foothold and deploy in force, and to be able to use the Valkyrie Data gained from Operation Ouka to organize an effective assault on the BETA, while keeping their counterattack in control. On the Imperial Japanese side, both the IJN 17 th Tactical Armored Unit and their supporting submarine unit, which had previously participated in Operation 21 st, were at the forefront of this battle. The assault was carried out by a combined force of Imperial Japan and UN troops both UN troops and Imperial Japanese Marines began the assault by establishing a beachhead on the shores of Incheon, suffering heavy casualties in the process. The actual operation, however, was not carried out until the April 10. Preparations for Operation Sledgehammer for the Empire of Japan began as early as the year before at the end of 2002, even as Soviet Russia was pushing the frontlines back in Northern Siberia. The operation was the third known successful attempt by humanity to infiltrate a Hive (the first being Operation Lucifer in 1999, and later Operation Ouka on Decemto January 1, 2002), and the first successful Hive capture by humanity without the aid of superweapons. Operation Sledgehammer was the United Nations-led operation to take Objective 20, the Cheorwon Hive, on April 10, 2003. Extreme total loss of all available fighting units, Hive Reactor secured.
