| “ | This is the Osean Air Force 8492nd Squadron ... Can you see us? You can leave the rest to us. | „ |
| ~ Grabacr introducing himself, shortly before kidnapping President Harling. |
| “ | I... I never thought you would be this good... | „ |
| ~ Grabacr's last words. |
Ashley Bernitz, better known as Grabacr or Grabacr 1, is a major antagonist in the Ace Combat franchise. He is the main antagonist of Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War and a minor antagonist in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.
He is a former ace pilot for the Belkan Air Force and the leader of the Grabacr Squadron. His nationalism later leads him to become a member of the Gray Men and an instigator for the Circum-Pacific War, the war between Osea and Yuktobania. Out of all the members of the Gray Men, Bernitz and his squadron are the ones that antagonize Blaze and his squadron the most.
Personality[]
Bernitz was a vehement nationalist, and was very patriotic when it came to his country. He was willing to commit all sorts of atrocities in the name of Belka, which included the bombing of a college in Dresdene, Yuktobania, which is said to have killed several civilians. This is likely due to the Allied Forces' bombing of Hoffnung during the Belkan War, which tainted him with hatred and led him to become a war criminal just to exact his revenge on the country that had done so much damage to his homeland.
He also disliked traitors, as he was dead set on killing Wolfgang Buchner, better known as Huckebein the Raven, for having defected from Belka. However, he still maintains a sense of honor and was willing to accept defeat gracefully when he was shot down by Blaze during Operation Arcadia.
Biography[]
Past[]
Ashley Bernitz was born in Belka (then known as the Belkan Federation) in 1957. He enlisted in the Belkan military and became a pilot in the Belkan Air Force at an unknown point of his life. He became an ace pilot and the leader of a tactical fighter squadron. He became one of the Belkan Air Force's best pilots. Bernitz also harbored a grudge against fellow Belkan pilot Wolfgang Buchner, as he did not agree with his views on their country.
The Belkan War[]
During the Belkan War, Bernitz's reputation continued to rise as his squadron eventually adopted his callsign, "Grabacr", much to Buchner's annoyance. Bernitz participated in the battle over the Round Table (Area B7R), where he was seen in pursuit of Buchner after receiving the news that the latter was trying to desert. Bernitz managed to take down both Buchner and Heartbreak One, but was promptly shot down by Cipher. However, he managed to eject safely from his aircraft and returned to service.
The Unsung War[]
Following the crushing defeat of his country during the Belkan War, Bernitz joined the Osean Air Defense Force as part of an international cooperative gesture include Belkan pilots in the Osean Air Force in order to bolster their numbers. He then became the leader of a new squadron, but not much is known about his activity during service.
Bernitz later joined the Gray Men alongside his squadron, as he wanted to avenge his nation. He and his squadron adopted the new alias of "8492nd Squadron", and worked to reignite tensions between Osea and Yuktobania to bring about the Circum-Pacific War.
He was first encountered during the war during an operation to protect Osean President Harling's plane, in which he intercepted the transport plane under the disguise of being the 8492nd leader. Bernitz convinced Blaze to provide support for Harling, but his true intentions were to kidnap him and take him into the Gray Men's custody. He was later seen during the terrorist attack on Dresdene's engineering college, in which he killed several Yuktobanian civilians. However, due to the ECM jamming in the area, Bernitz and his squadron were undetected and Wardog Squadron were framed for the attack. Despite their claims about the 8492nd being present for the attack as well, they were dismissed as there was actually no 8492nd Squadron in the Osean Air Defense Force.
After recognizing Wardog Squadron as a threat, Bernitz and his men targeted them for assassination. Bernitz attempted to eliminate them in an ambush over Vladimir Mountains, following Operation Doodlebug. However, Wardog managed to escape and Bernitz had to convince Major Allen C. Hamilton, the adjutant base commander for Sand Island, that Wardog were in fact Yuktobanian spies. Bernitz later attempted to eliminate Wardog Squadron once again after they were forced to escape from Sand Island, where he encountered his old rival Buchner, but failed at killing either Wardog or Buchner. Marcus Snow later showed up to eliminate Wardog Squadron, and Bernitz, unaware that he was being tricked, believed that the threat had been eliminated.
In the later stages of the war, his unit was seen in Mount Schirm in order to assist in removing the V1 nuclear warheads for the Gray Men's use. He was spotted by Blaze, who had been sent there to take pictures of the mining complex. Bernitz failed at killing Blaze in time, but his unit was able to help escort three nuclear warheads safely away from Mount Schirm regardless. Bernitz was then seen in Pobeda Peninsula, where he attempted to prevent Yuktobanian President Nikanor's escape. There, he engaged Wardog (now known as Razgriz Squadron), and finally realized that the Razgriz pilots were not dead after all. His squadron was finally shot down soon after, but they managed to eject safely.
Bernitz was seen for the last time during Operation Arcadia, the final battle of the Circum-Pacific War, where he and Michael Heimeroth led their squadrons to fight the Razgriz in a desperate attempt to protect the SOLG, which was about to fall on Osea's capital, Oured. He was later killed in action during the final battle, admitting that he never expected Blaze to be such a good pilot before finally dying as his plane exploded.
Trivia[]
- His callsign "Grabacr" is actually a reference to Grábakr, a serpent-like creature of Norse mythology that gnawed on the roots of the world tree, Yggdrasil.
- Bernitz is one of the few Ace Combat antagonists to have appeared in more than one game, alongside Michael Heimeroth, Matias Torres and Lorenz Riedel.
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