The paper empire strikes (Shiysil frannerre tafatu)

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The Saint Parsson Campaign

The charging Frannerrri were met with Shiysili artillery fire, the barrage killed them and retreating Shiysil troops from the earlier assault. The Shiysil lines were quickly replenished with troops in the reserve within the captured city, unlike other warfronts the Saint Parsson front was rather messy, Shiysil forces had scattered dugouts and bunkers across the outer edge of the city. Their best defense was heavily reliant on their field guns and mortars to hammer advancing enemy infantry much to the chagrin of frontline troops who learned very quickly that Vokni was willing to blast his own men to buy more time. He needed a shipment of fuel to come through Tafatu to regain his armored units and aircraft and just needed a few more days to hold out. 


Shiysil front 


Shiysili forces were assessing the long and battered lines of wounded men now filing Southward to be cared for, medical supplies were running out fast at the front with many Shiysili doctors informing Vokni they couldn't keep up. Fresh troops were hard to come by as well as many were told rotations would not be happening. 

"Incoming!" the sudden rapid cracking of rifle fire and machine guns disrupted the oddly quiet Shiysil front line as Frannerri forces charged, "They're coming at us! Hold the line! Ho-" Shiysil soldiers were quickly cut down as officers ordered their men to man the front, "You will hold this line! You will hold it or die!" Officers bellowed, Shiysili forces managed to blunt the enemy assault but not without taking an alarming number of losses. Vokni would be informed making his situation even more dire, his plan to pull troops from this area to reinforce Saint Parsson was now out of the question, his troops were stretched thin and now Frannerre was on the attack shaking his entire military operation violently. 

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Casualties

Frannerre: 2,100 standard infantry, 400 heavy infantry
Shiysil: 2,900 standard infantry, 2,000 conscripts, 450 heavy infantry, 900 light infantry

[aimway921]

The capture of the supply depot was a monumental success. Not only did they suffer minimal casualties in such an operation, but they also captured enemy officers. 

The captured light infantry and conscripts would be unceremoniously executed. After all, they knew what enemy they were fighting - they would have done the same to the Ashinaran simply for the crime of not being human. Not to mention that the division waging partisan warfare behind enemy lines had no way of keeping prisoners. The two officers, however - they would be escorted to General Lishenko's HQ dugout to  be questioned for any and all information on SU troop movements, locations, supply situation, anything that would help them. Torture would be used if necessary to get the information out of them.

The supply depot itself would be looted for anything the Ashinarans could carry away and use against the enemy. Food and ammunition would take priority, as well as machine guns, both light and heavy. Several NCOs would be tasked with searching the depot for any maps or documents. They too would be brought to Lishenko to analize.

Everything that couldn't be carried away would be destroyed - including the buildings. 

[callmedelta]

The Saint Parsson Campaign

As much as he was loathe to do so, Ranulf ordered his men to pull back for a time. He needed a chance to pull his artillery closer up to the frontlines, so that when the Shysil artillery opened up, Franerre's own could provide counter-battery fire and the assault could continue. Every second was precious, but so was every man here. A balance had to be struck, and this was Ranulf's. Once the artillery was in position, the Franerri assault towards Saint Parsson began again. The first priority for the Franerri artillery would be Shysil's, even if it left the Franerri charging positions that could have been softened up.

The Shysil Front

The reports had come in to the Franerri command. Shysil was bleeding, but they hadn't broken. Evidently, more pressure had to be applied. Officers were instructed to tell their men that now was the time. Here was where Shysil would meet their fate. The slogging match would continue on and on.

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Casualties



Frannerre: 2,300 standard infantry, 300 heavy infantry
Shiysil: 3,100 standard infantry, 500 light infantry, 100 heavy infantry
Ashinara: 30 special infantry

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Saint Parsson

In an old church bell tower, Shiysilian infantry would shout the approach of Frannerri before a lucky artillery round sent them to kingdom come, raining rubble and bits of human remains down below on shaken men. Shiysil officers violently grabbed the soldiers by their collars to force them to the front line. "Get up there you coward!" with Galran supplies finally reaching them, many Shiysili had ammunition again. This didn't replenish their spirits.

The amount of death around them was staggering, desperate machine gunners fired at Frannerri infantry assaults only to beg as if the world would end for ammo, "reload reload, hurry hurry!" they would shout once the belt of .30-40 would be spent. The Frannerri were getting better at shoring up their sights to hit Shiysili popping up from their cover to fire, the trench line was a mess of soldiers hastily firing off rounds and slowly taking dead bodies out as blood flooded the soil and wooden boards they walked on. The ground would give way to their boots and show dark muddled blood ooze up making some soldiers vomit and even lose their mental state.

As Frannerri artillery struck around them and enemy soldiers fired on their position, Shiysil officers would find some of their men breaking down.

"WERE GONNA FUCKING DIE WE AR-"
'SLAP'
"Get your ass back on the firing line!"
"PLEASE NO! PLEASE I WANNA GO HOME I WANNA GO HOME"
"You fucking coward! You'll be hanged you worthless shit, now take your rifle and shoot!"

The soldier sobbed uncontrollably, taking his rifle in a manic manner and trying to fire before a bullet ripped his throat out, he gurgled the words "I'm coming home..."

Enemy artillery was countering Shiysil's, forcing the artillery corps to relocate or risk invaluable guns. To buy more time, Shiysil soldiers being taken to field hospitals were told to be dropped where they were and any able bodied man not on the front was to instead prioritize moving the artillery. Many bleeding Shiysil soldiers would be dropped on the streets of Saint Parsson to bleed out.

Only the hardened heavy infantry seemed unmoved to a degree, using mounted machine guns and ignoring the hell around them to hold the line. Vokni was also close to regaining his precious aircraft and armored units, several bombers and fighters were preparing to enter the skies over Saint Parsson and provide much needed support. 20 landships were being prepped to enter the fray from the rear line.

"Dear gods hold..." Vokni muttered.

Shiysil front


The back and forthing between Shiysil and Frannerre was becoming too much, the arrival of refueled and rearmed Longstreet tanks was a sight to behold. "Thank fuck!" one Shiysili would exclaim. The tanks pushed against the Frannerri as officers blew whistled to signal another infantry rush. 10,000 standard infantrymen joined the 30 longstreets assaulting the Frannerri. "Take them down!" the officers shouted.

Shiysil soldiers screamed as they climbed up into the open field, mostly in terror, as Frannerri small arms fire impacted hundreds in mere seconds. "Go go go go go!" thousands of young men rushed to their death, many of them knowing if they didn't go they would be shot anyway. The officers all had machine guns pointing at them to force the assault. "If you come back! You'll be shot!" The Longstreet tanks made considerable progress firing their heavy guns and providing cover against the Frannerri trench line.


Raided base

Vokni looked at the destruction, it was gone, an entire supply base. This would cripple the front line north right in the middle of an assault, "I have had enough, find them, kill them" he was done playing games with the foxes, he even ordered them to be captured alive if possible to be skinned alive. "I want coat made of their flesh."

[callmedelta]

The Shysil Front

General Ranulf rubbed his forehead, staring down at the reports that came flooding into his headquarters. There was no denying it now -- Franerre hadn't been able to break Shysil in time. Galran resupply had made it through to Shysil. Tanks were seen active along the front, and Ranulf had been relying on airpower to counter them. All of the planes were in the Marse now, along with everything else Franerre had that could hope to punch a hole in a tank. That left his frontline troops with nothing more than improvise munitions, indirect fire, and rushing the tanks down with hand grenades. Ranulf wasn't likely to get anything back soon, but he made the a note and sent it off to Marshal Zelgius. The offensives were ordered to halt -- if one part of the line grew overstretched and broke, any attacking units were at a much greater risk of being encircled and destroyed. Considering Ranulf wouldn't be able to replenish any divisions lost, that was a risk he couldn't afford. There was, however, one place that Ranulf could continue to assault. If he could take Saint Parsson, all would be worth it...

The Saint Parsson Campaign

Ranulf instructed his officers on the ground to light a fire under their soldiers. Saint Parsson had to be taken quickly before anymore. The Franerri artillery had thus far been too caught up in bombarding Shysil artillery to shoot much at the city. Commanders were initially loathe to use devastating artillery bombardments on their own city, but with the urgency Ranulf pushed them forward, such caution had no place. Pinning attacks would be used the most stubborn points of Shysil defense in place until designated times when artillery barrages were scheduled, the Franerri infantry falling back before the shells dropped and pushing forward the instant the barrage stopped.

[aimway921]

A long way home

It was time for the "Ghosts of Bordemer", as the Ashinarans in the Shyisil rear started calling themselves due to the fact that the enemy failed to find and eliminate them after a whole year of guerilla fighting, to get the hell out of dodge. After such a successful and massive raid, there was no doubt that the enemy would commit all the forces not currently on the frontline to finding them.

An organized retreat towards allied lines would begin. Light and Special Infantry squads would spread out and scout ahead, allowing the Heavy Infantry who hauled most of the looted gear - including the two tanks they stole from Shyisil - to avoid contact with enemy patrols and search parties wherever possible. Preserving lives and maintaining Shyisil's lack of understanding where the foxes are was the top priority.

Most importantly, they noted down the location of every supply depot they came across. If the Spirits were willing to let them escape, this information would be invaluable to their Franerri allies.

As they got closer to the frontlines, they would search for a sector where the Shyisil forces were in most disarray, hoping to find a spot where they could break through the lines to their allies. Once such a spot was found, several groups, each between 3 and 5 people, all of whom knew basic Franerri, would be sent to sneak past the Shyisil trenchline, then through No Man's Land, and to the Franerri trenches.

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Casualties



Frannerre: 1,700 standard infantry
Shiysil: 2,000 standard infantry, 2 light tanks
Ashinara: 0

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The Shiysil Front

Vokni was out of time. . He ordered a full assault the armor and another 45,000 troops stormed the Frannerri. The desperate assault had to result in victory as Shiysil was running on fumes with little to no morale left. 

Artillery shelling pulverized the Frannerri lines as infantry ran blindly at the Frannerre. 

Saint Parsson

With the back and forthing between Frannerri and Shiysili artillery stopping, and Frannerre shelling the city. It devastated the Shiysili defenders as shattered buildings fell apart around them. As Frannerri ground forces assaulted the city, the Shiysil forces began to break, it began at a trickle but eventually amid devastating losses sustained the Shiysil began to withdraw from the city pulling out to avoid further engagement despite their clear orders to hold the city. What few remained behind were lost and stunned at what was happening. 

Saint Parsson had finally fallen. 

The Hunt 

At long last, Shiysil found the Ashinarians, 4,000 standard infantry opened fire at the Ashinarians ambushing them and rushing them to kill. Starting a fierce firefight. 

[aimway921]

Several hundred Ashinaran soldiers were milling about the approximate location of Lishenko's HQ, getting ready to head out to scout the area in order to begin an organized retreat towards the main frontline. Their preparations however were cut short by the sudden barrage of rifle fire from the surrounding area.

The entire base was instantly on high alert. Those who had machine guns scrambled to open fire. One of the teams designated to crew the tanks was lucky to be right next to their vehicle, and they climbed inside and buttoned up as fast as they could, opening fire from the co-ax and hull MGs, as well as the main cannon.

A large portion of them were already wearing their rudimentary camouflage, consisting of foliage attached to their backs and helmets, attempted dispersing into the forest in order to level the playing field by creating more isolated pockets of firefights.

All in all, about 200 Light Infantry, 500 Heavy Infantry and 300 Special Infantry would be caught out in the open. Of them, 200 Light Infantry, 200 Heavy Infantry and 100 Special Infantry would stand and fight, while the rest would retreat into the actual base - a nightmarish labyrinth of tunnels dug into the earth, that extended across an area of about 1 square mile. 6,980 Ashinaran troops took shelter inside the tunnels.

The easiest to find entrances to the tunnel system would also be the most heavily defended ones - they would be firing posts equipped with machine guns, ready to mow down any Shyisil soldier that approached - and if they were overrun, the defenders were ready to blast the connection to the rest of the tunnel.

Once the initial firefight has died down, and only firing post engagements could be heard rattling off their machineguns here and there, 4 groups of 200 Heavy Infantry each would disperse into 4 opposite ends of the tunnels, and exit into the forest. While they Shyisil soldiers were occupied searching for entrances, they would find themselves surrounded.

The first actual major battle of Forêt de Frontagne has begun.

[callmedelta]

The Shysil Front

Ranulf felt cautiously, cautiously optimistic. Saint Parsson had been recaptured. The planes were being sent back his way, if not necessarily for the best of reasons. But at the same time, Shysil's onslaught seemed to never end. He thought they would have ran out of manpower weeks ago -- how the hell could they hope to sustain an offensive? How much more manpower did Shysil have to throw at Ranulf's lines? Ranulf had received reports about the line beginning to crack in places. That was where Ranulf directed his planes, both as a legitimate measure of fighting off Shysil's assault and as a means of boosting moral. On a similar note, the news of the recapture of Saint Parsson would be spread all throughout Franerre as a much-needed morale boost. Morale could only make up for so much, though. Ranulf had an idea to strip forces from the coastal garrisons of Pareau, but Zelgius beat him to it. Relegated to the second front again. Very well. Ranulf would have to make due with what he had.

The Saint Parsson Campaign

10,000 Light Infantry would conduct mop-up operations inside Saint Parsson itself as well as fortify the city. The remaining infantry and artillery would set to fortifying the area around Saint Parsson as well as the flanks of the hole that had been formed in Shysil's line. The city currently formed a small salient. After the fierce fighting in the city, along with the fierce fighting along the rest of the line, Ranulf wasn't confident in his ability to put pressure on those flanks and widen the salient. In the mean time, though, there was rejoicing. At least one part of Franerre had been liberated.

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Casualties



Frannerre: 1,900 standard infantry. 450 heavy infantry, 90 field guns
Shiysil: 4,500 standard infantry, 1,000 heavy infantry, 4 longstreet light tanks
Ashinara: 50 light infantry, 200 heavy infantry, 30 special infantry.

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Shiysil Front

Shiysil's mass attack began to overrun Frannerri positions at last, at a large cost, forward trench lines were finally taken as Shiysilli troops stormed them with armored units. Longstreet tanks had made a difference along with the massive human wave assault. But the Shiysil lost several tanks, choosing to deploy 30 light tanks in total for the assault and losing 4. Six others were stuck in trenches or thick mud craters and would have to be hand dug out. As Shiysil finally got a break, they would be dealt the news of losing Saint Parsson. Vokni was infuriated. He knew Azeri would want him dead soon, "Tell them to counter attack immediately!" 

Saint Parsson 

12,000 light infantry, 17,000 standard infantry, 5,000 heavy infantry, 50 field guns, 10 siege guns and 90 mortar guns were all that was salvageable from the Saint Parsson assault. The rest were either dead or shipped to safety due to injuries sustained from the fighting, Vokni's life laid at stake, Azeri would not take losing ground lightly and so...these men were ordered to attack the city once more. Artillery would fire off before scores of men charged at the now fortified city, many of them knew it was suicide. But their commanders spoke one lie one truth, "We can retake the city, if you retreat you'll be shot". 

Battle of Forêt de Frontagne

The Shiysili forces had the drop on the Ashinarians at last, sending runners to get more men, they remained down range firing at anything that moved before noticing fewer and fewer foxes. "There's no way we've cut them all down!" Fire teams were ordered to scatter and search the area for enemy forces. Searching the area for where the Ashinarians might have run off to. 

[callmedelta]

Shysil Front

Damnit! Damnit damnit damnit damnit damnit! There wasn't much of anything Ranulf could do in this situation. He had no reserves to commit beyond his planes, which were running at maximum capacity bombing Shysil's lines. His troops were already on their fallback lines and hadn't had the breathing room necessary to dig ones behind them. The greatest breaks had formed in the southwest part of the line. The farthest from threatening Pareau, but simultaneously the hardest for Ranulf to reinforce. But there were reports of breaks or near-breaks in plenty of other places along the lines. Ranulf could siphon a few troops from elsewhere, but he had to make a play with the hand he was dealt. Ranulf decided to shift his attention to the northern part of the Shysil front, redirecting his planes there and authorizing counterattacks on the small breaks in the line that had formed there to attempt to stabilize that part of the front and prevent a total collapse. To those soldiers who had been retreated in the south, Ranulf ordered them to continue the retreat and regroup in as best order as could be managed. As much as Ranulf loathed to do so, he had to retreat and let Shysil exhaust themselves in their advance.

Saint Parsson

Shysil's assault failed utterly. The defenders of Saint Parsson had them outmanned and outgunned as well as having the advantage of a defensive positions, as hurriedly as they were made, to shoot from. As much as he might have wanted to push out from the salient, General Ranulf couldn't risk a collapse of his entire line. Ranulf took 10,000 Light Infantry and sent them to the cracks in the line, as well as drawing 10,000 Standard Infantry from Pareau's garrison to reinforce the south as well.