The Assault on Nellrae

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Grinvel could sense the Marrish were being overwhelmed. Their battle lines had been steadily collapsing since the Spring weather broke the snow and ice, Muller knew if he took Nellrae then nothing stood between him and sending troops across the Southern flats into Koi and better yet attack the Marrish capital. The glory of winning the war was his, his alone and he would be the most powerful man in the Reich and likely could impose large demands on his Galran allies.



"Can you just think of it?" he spoke to himself, Galra the mighty Galra had to lean on Grinvel to win and it would show that Grinvel's military was superior to all in Ouhiri.



And so he threw the hammer at Nellrae.





100 CAS fighters with 50 escort fighters would hit targets around Nellrae, enemy defenses and infrastructure they could target.



100,000 mechanized infantry

90,000 heavy infantry

50,000 standard infantry

500 light tanks

20 new heavy tanks

40 armored cars

100 landships

200 flak trucks

1000 field guns

800 howitzers





The massive deployment was to implement three new weapons of war Grinvel had developed, the Zhest heavy tank which used 88mm experimental main guns and a pair of new G38 machine guns. The hulking tanks drank fuel but to Grinvel commanders it felt that they would not be matched by anything the Marrish could throw at them.

The G38 machine gun was brought out to finally retire the exceptionally old GMG, the older machine gun was hulking and heavy not to mention difficult to transport. But the new G38 was smaller, lighter and fired far faster. It fired so much faster in fact that it was considered to be near impossible for rounds not to connect.

Zhest med/heavy tank

The next weapon that would be introduced was the GSG-11 submachine gun, a 9mm submachine gun that would be used by heavy infantry in urban combat. It used either a 25 round magazine or a 45 round drum magazine. 

GSG-11

These new innovations while expensive were worth throwing out into the front line to Mueller who knew winning the war for the SU would be a massive boost to not only Grinvel but his own power. 

GSG-11

[Artsy Astra]

Dale Welles
Journal Entry Mynti 3rd, 1935

As I write this, Gunther has taken over driving from me in Commander Jedediah's entourage. We're taking him to the other end of the city for safety. The retreat from Flatrood was... rough. We've picked up a lot of civilians on the way from smaller towns and farms. Most of us haven't rested for more than a few hours at most. Constant marching for the other legs who cant fit in the over stocked trucks. At least they cycle when we rest. Spirits weren't low but they weren't terribly high either, but when news of our next stop broke it soared. With the war coming to a cultural pillar, no, the cultural pillar of Marrlan, Nellrae, peoples blood ran hotter than usual. Especially the Rel, Gunther and many other fellers here are itching for this fight. An ancient Rel city that remains a hub for people from all walks of life across Marrlan, libraries centuries old, and enriched with countless cultures. What civilians and scholars that still remained within the city limits would begin trying to evacuate with books and other literature as fast as possible. Large scale efforts were taken to try and preserve what was stored in the archives out east. The cities militia turned out in its entirety and alittle more. The city would most definitely not go quietly, retreat was nowhere near the forefront of anyone's mind. It was not an option. We had very little time at all to prepare before the huns were on us. We got lucky with the fort not only having some fellers staffing it, but also being so close and some of the old castle infrastructure around the city, but it wasn't going to be easy. We quickly sent word that we needed help and reinforcements were inbound from the heartland.

Marrish forces, having only arrived days prior, have very little in the way of trenches or fortifications within the city. Relying on ancient decaying fortifications and the actual advanced fort close to the city.
Marrish forces within the battle consisted of:
7,000 Militiamen
25,000 Standard Infantry
30,000 Heavy Infantry
7,000 Special Infantry
2,000 Motorized Infantry
200 Field Artillery
300 Howitzer Artillery
310 Mortars
50 Armored Cars
10 Landships
20 Tankettes

Marrish forces would continue to fortify buildings on the outskirts and inner city limits setting up chokepoints and blocking areas off from vehicle movement entirely. All manner of traps would be laid in false stronghold houses and in alley ways. Machine gunners would be posted on roofs and ordered to fire in volleys in an attempt to shoot down Grinnish bombers flying low enough.



Reinforcement from the heartland consisted of:
25,000 Standard Infantry
10,000 Heavy Infantry
100 Field Artillery
20 Armored Cars

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Grinvel ground forces would be led initially by a wave of landships attacking near the main Grinvel line, followed by standard infantry riflemen and then mechanized heavy infantry and light tanks. Grinvel bombers would successfully strike and shake up Nellrae's defenses but Marrish machine gunners would nail a few CAS fighters that flew too low sending them crashing into the downtown district. Bombers would be sent back to now hastily made airfields in occupied Northern Marrlan for another run while Grinvelian fighters patrolled the skies for enemy aircraft. 

After a few hours the sounds of machine gun and rifle fire would ripple across the outskirts of Nellrae as the horde pressed against the Marrish defenders. Grinvelian officers learning a hard lesson in the previous engagements ordered their men to use grenades prior to entering buildings, even if civilians are present. Muller would order a full assault, with his goal of entering Koi and laying siege to the Marrish capital so close he wouldn't relent until he acheived his goal.  

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Marrish defenders would fight staunchly for the outer city. Refusing to give up ground wherever possible. Armored sections would use only defensive tactics, knowing full well Grinvel's advantage. Ambushes, disabling attacks, and other opportunistic acts would plague the Grinnish armored corps. Machine gunners would continue their anti-air duties diligently. With volley firing proving effective on lower flying vehicles, the tactic would continue. Come armored cars would turn their .50's to the sky, hoping the higher powered round would reach further and have better chances at hitting enemy aircraft.

A telegram was sent to Marrish High Command to redeploy the airforce to Nellrae, citing strategic importance as paramount. Soon, the aces over Heiriss would withdraw, setting their sights on the deep blue above Nellrae.

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Casualties

Grinvel: 940 standard infantry, 8 light tanks, 10 CAS fighters, 4 landships
Marrlan: 600 standard infantry, 200 militia, 10 armored cars

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Intense dogfighting would break over the skies of Nellrae as Grinvish and Marrish fighter pilots streaked across the open blue trying to shoot each other down. 

Grinvelian howitzer guns tore at the forward Marrish defenses as landships allowed infantry to close in at the front pressing at the Marrish at the city outskirts, new GSG-11 machine guns ripped any unfortunate Marrish in the open as advancing machine gunners moved up with infantry. As the hours rolled in the initial assault, more infantry units pressed against the forward line and began flowing to the East and West creating a large frontal assault in an attempt to encircle the city. 

Mechanized infantry units spurred ahead on the Western flank to cut off any Marrish reinforcements from Bordhan, using trucks and Helftachs with mounted GSG-11 guns creating a sense of speed not seen in the war at that point. Light tanks would shore them up from the rear with nearly 4,500 standard infantry in the move to cut Nellrae off the from the West

On the East the assault was driven more by the landships not directly attacking the city, a slower advance than in the West. Eastern advances had 40 landships and 9,000 standard infantry in the effort to support the encirclement. 

Grinvelian infantry of the 34th SI, 8th Army advancing with a light tank on the Nellrae countryside

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Marrish defenders would engage with a fury surpassing that of Flatrood. Their cultural beacon would not go quietly. Infantry held their positions for as long as possible before pulling out leaving traps or otherwise destroying their positions so they could not be used by the enemy when possible. Marines shot dropped or threw impact grenades onto tank engine decks in an attempt to score mobility kills in the disorienting urban sprawl. The grenades would also be turned on the lighter armored vehicles when able, the thinner plates more susceptible to spalling and buckling under the pure explosive payload. Every inch the Grinvelians gained in the city was paved in corpses as the energized men and women fought tooth and nail, and while Marrish armor was lacking they hoped their tactics and cunning would continue to carry them through. What few decaying battlements and towers remained became strongpoints in the Marrish line as they were pressed to breaking against the combined arms onslaught. Further use of traps ambushes and the like would continue.

When the airspace permitted, Marrish bombers would attempt to fly sorties over areas thick with Infantry, but prioritized positions with armor heavily, Marrish DIY AA would continue to engage enemy fighters that flew too close and Marrish pilots would pickup on this goading Bandits into chases between the buildings to allow ground fire to reach up at them when the opportunity presented itself.

Marrish forces along the west were ready as the garrison in the advanced fort engaged the enemy flankers from their entrenched positions. The advanced for was equipped with cannons and Pom Pom's and made short work of infantry in open areas and cover with poor durability. Light vehicles were also susceptible to repeated 30mm HE strikes. Heavier Grinnish armor however shrugged these off, and typically could only be mobility killed or have other external components damaged. The garrison was only staffed by the Army and as a result, did not have as many shocktroops with grenades or signalmen with grenade tipped spears. Still, they fought hard with what few tools they had in an attempt to keep the encirclement from happening. The Garrison and the forces that had shored it up from Nellrae and the heartland was made up of: (4,000 Original Garrison) 8,000 Heavy Infantry, (4,000 Original Garrison) 8,000 Standard Infantry, 500 Special Infantry (Marines), 5 Landships, and 5 Armored Cars.

The East was not covered at all, and forces in reserve had to quickly shift to bolster the expanding frontline. 1,000 Militiamen, 9,000 Standard Infantry, 4,000 Heavy Infantry, 900 Marines, 1,000 Motorized Infantry, and 15 Armored cars were shifted to engage the surging invaders. No defenses awaited them and they quickly made what they could before the enemy could reach them.

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The intense resistance facing Grinvel forces inflicted heavy losses on their advancing platoons but were quickly replenished by the large force that had come bearing down on Nellrae, the city itself would be greeted by the cruelty of Grinvelian howitzer and field gun fire rocking the buildings and streets of the city in Marrish lines. Grinvel submachine guns became invaluable in the ambush heavy streets as infantry platoons and their armored escorts pushed deeper into the city.

The air battle over Nellrae was quickly becoming the most intense of the war over the main continent, rivaled only by the massive air battle over Ulster-Gaelia, Mueller kept his fighters in constant rotation as grueling dogfights erupted across the Nellrae skies. CAS bombers were critial in striking stubborn enemy positions, but given that Grinvel used loaned Galran Lancers for this role it would be easy to root out Marrish if they weren't dug deep in enough. The demand for airpower forced Mueller to convert some torpedo bombers from the mainland, several Luebrok A-5 fighters into ground assault fighters. Equipping them with rockets, small 200 pound bombs and 20mm rotating canons.

The Fighting in the Western country side was hell, Grinvel forces quickly found themselves bogged in the open country and requesting reinforcements from the main deployment. They had taken a brutal beating in the opening days of the Western approach. An additional 25,000 mechanical infantry, 10,000 heavy infantry, 200 light tanks and all 20 of the new Zhest med/heavy tank would be deployed to reinforce the assault. 450 field guns and 400 howitzers would redirect their fire on Marrish forces raining hell from above.

The East had a much easier time, engaging their foe with ease initially but were quickly picking up that individual platoons were outnumbered by the defenders. Another reinforcement request was put in, 10,000 standard mechanized infantry, 100 light tanks, 20,000 light infantry were sent to the East. 145 field guns and 200 howitzers would turn their fire to assist the Eastern advance.

Grinvel forces on the Western advance bogged down against intense Marrish defenses, Grinvelian infantry have taken to using the rolling countryside as cover against the intensity of the enemy.

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Casualties

Grinvel: 1,700 standard infantry, 450 light infantry, 50 light tanks, 400 mechanized infantry, 20 fighter planes, 30 field guns, 20 landships, 20 armored cars.
Marland: 2,000 standard infantry, 400 militia, 200 heavy infantry, 100 special infantry, remaining landships destroyed, 15 fighter planes.

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Shotgunners attempted to match the firepower brought about by the new Grinvelian submachine guns but even the Marines semi-automatic shotguns were not able to achieve this. What few that could be captured were taken behind Marrish lines quickly to be studied if any could be captured at all. Counter battery fire would echo out in an attempt to harass enemy IDF, while mortars would focus on encroaching forces making a peppered barrage of smoke and actual lethal munitions.

The airforce was putting up a good fight but was taking losses. Each downed plane was a high level loss that would mean the bounce back would have to recoup it and then some or  have the air war fall to the wayside. 15 fighters downed from the blue above, 10 fighters, and 5 heavy fighters. Only 5 heavies remained along with the bomber complement. General Richard Grendel made a reinforcement request, and General of the Air Force Ell Vander looked on into the sky. His fledgling was now one of the most important components of the war and his first casualty report in decades had come in. His face paled as an all to familiar pit formed in his stomach. The broom he called a mustache covered his frown as he leaned against his desk. The request was approved with no resistance, but Grendel could sense the hesitation in Vander's word choice. He had always been regarded as more compassionate than he should be by some other command staff, but Grendel wasn't one to shy way from similar feelings. 3 Recon Tri-planes, 5 Fighter Biplanes, and another 10 Heavy Biplanes would be sent form the reserve, but nothing more could be spared until new pilots had been trained and new aircraft could be produced.

The Western flank would continue to hold and call out fire missions from friendly artillery to bog down the enemy reinforcements. The fort continued to hold against the onslaught, bitterly refusing to give any ground. The troops manning the fort and the improvised fortifications around it hoped they would hold against the steel raining around them.

The Eastern flank would settle in and begin making basic fortifications when they could in breaks of the fighting. The reinforcements from the heartland would shift to further bolster the Eastern flank, sending 5,000 Standard Infantry to assist and 50 Field Artillery as well when they arrived to immediately commence counterbattery fire and assist the infantry.

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Counter batteries from Marrlan would make their point but Grinvish retaliatory strikes immediately began firing back, siege mortars continued to level the city in an attempt to dislodge forward defenders.

The direct assault on the city became a nightmarish scene of exchanged gun fire and explosions, rendering the buildings of the outer edges of Nellrae into rubble and dust. Grinvel infantry continued to use tankettes and light tanks to press forward but had to deal with the annoyances of Marrish ambushes. Despite the best efforts of the Marrish, Grinvelians would advance into the city thanks to improved urban fighting tactics learned from Flatrood and better use of armored units to cover infantry advancements.

High above, Mueller got a sense he was winning the air war, Grinvelian Luebrok fighters were taking in kills but they weren't invincible. Marrish small arms fire took out any that strayed too close to the city and Marrish fighter pilots were beginning to get a better grasp of how to fight their enemy in the skies.
He still insisted upon bringing in Luebrok HE medium bombers to pulverize the enemy lines South of Nellrae and cause a disruption of supplies to the defenders. His request would be placed on hold as the bomber fleet was still operating in Grinvel proper, having remained their after their massive bombing campaign at the beginning of the war.

Originally created as naval bombers, the Lubrok A-5 serves as a CAS fighter after its recent overhaul

In the West, new Zhest tanks made quick work of any Marrish armor that dared to come out in the open. It became quickly clear that the Marrish only had infantry and artillery defending this flank. Allowing Grinvel to push harshly following an artillery barrage. Tanks took the front of the assault with infantry filed behind them using them as cover. Outfitted Luebrok A-5 fighter/bombers began targeting Marrish artillery batteries dive bombing them directly to cull Marrish artillery support. The thick fighting was still intense even as Grinvel began gaining ground slowly, it would be some of the worst open country fighting since the outbreak of the war.


The Eastern advance made significant progress as Grinvel used artillery barrages and armored vehicles in their motorized infantry companies to great use. Rapid firing mounted machine guns tore apart Marrish infantry from atop Grinvelian trucks carrying fire teams of riflemen. Counter artillery batteries deterred large scale artillery bombardments forcing Grinvel to reset artillery units to avoid losing anymore guns. To put it bluntly, the Eastern defenses were a bad day from being broken after a solid advancement by Grinvel.

Grinvelian machine gun post outside of Nellrae

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Casualties

Grinvel: 1,400 standard infantry, 550 heavy infantry, 2,100 light infantry, 120 field artillery, 20 howitzers, 9 CAS fighters, 5 fighters, 10 light tanks, 10 landships.
Marland: 7,000 standard infantry, 1,200 heavy infantry, 2,000 militia, 100 field artillery, 200 special infantry, 8 fighter planes, 15 armored cars.

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With the air war remaining contested, some Marrish recon planes made a hazardous play regardless of the danger to scout out their positions for artillery to make better counter-battery judgements. Bombers continued their support of Marrish forces where they could, and began focusing on the flanks leaving the city to its own devices for the most part.

The outside of the city was almost completely lost, and a retreat to the mid-city was ordered to preserve manpower. An all out barrage was ordered on the edge to delay the Grinvelian advance and inflict as many casualties as possible as Marrish forces pulled in to reorganize and bolster themselves. All current tactics continued as their effectiveness was not questioned and attritional victories were paramount. General Grendel leered at the battlefield with sadness and contempt. He knew he couldn't win and it pained him. A place of learning and cultural exchange, a pillar of the Rel, and a symbol of Marrlan. Reduced to a bombed-out shell of itself that was being razed but not only the invaders whose every step was an insult, but the very people who lived in it as a means of defense.

The Western flank would see fort casemates and field guns duel against the new armored beasts Grinvel had brought to bear. What armor was sent remained hidden and relied on buildings and the very few smaller hills for cover. The infantry remained in their fortifications and positions as the onslaught continued to crash against them and ground was slowly lost. Kernal Jebediah Creek was overseeing the flank personally from the fort as he directed his forces to hold as best they could.

The Eastern flank was taking a beating, and arranged themselves desperately to absorb the hits they were taking. They intentionally gave some ground in the middle of their line in a feigned attempt to seem broken but left forces flanking it to attempt a small scale ambush and encirclement. A gamble to be sure, but one they hoped would score them more time, and potentially enemy vehicles and equipment to capture and study. Counterbattery fire would continue, but half the guns assigned to the sector would begin laying mock desperate covering fire for the retreating section of the line and further supporting other sections. Siege mortars would hammer away at assault forces to break them up as they came in.

Marrish Artillery men firing as fast as possible to cover their fronts. Water carrier trucks would host batteries down to prevent them from over heating to keep up their sustained fire, and spare artillery barrels would be swapped frequently from barrel fouling from the sheer amount of rounds being put through them.

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Like a predator smelling blood Grinvel sensed the battle turning in their favor,  a large push was ordered despite the devastating artillery barrage launched by Marrlan hammering their forward units into the city. Grinvelian forces pushed toward the heart of the city with unrelenting force and heightened morale as the sensation of achieving victory seemed to resonate with every rank of the army. 

Grinvel infantry companies began rapidly taking blocs of Nellrae thanks to better weapon technology and being able to use their armored trucks to transport troops rapidly into the city, even using their mounted and rapid firing new machine guns to pin Marrish down to allow infantry to flank them. 

Artillery barrages were ordered to conduct strikes further South into Marrish controlled sectors and do as they did at Flatrood, force confusion and disarray by hitting civilian targets for the Marrish to contend with while frontline units were left to deal with the harsh frontal assault.

At the West, Grinvel Zhest tanks were proving to be utterly worth the high price tag of being built. Along with Khangberrer and Barenkiller medium tanks the Grinvel armored assault decimated Marrish defenses rapidly, infantry surging from behind the metal beasts killed any Marrlander with fight left in them. The west was being shredded by Grinvel armored units as the tank finally made a deadly imprint on the war, it was a game changer that could completely render enemy defenses useless. 

On the East, the Marrish tactic of letting the Grinvel forces forward to be encircled would have won them the day if not for a new tactic the Grinvelians had cooked up. While they lacked radios like their Galran counterparts or even their own tank commanders, infantry used smoke cannister grenades to mark where their A-5 CAS bombers could attack. When the Marrish surrounded them, a field of smoke was popped and then followed by the loud roar of aircraft attacking the Marrish forces that went on the attack. 

The Eastern plan had failed, Grinvel forces pressed ahead and were close to breaking through. 

The battle had earned a dark achievement already in the war, being the battle with the most artillery exchange by both sides and Grinvel guns began to match the tenacity of the Marrish defenders. Rapid artillery barrages literally shook the ground and simulated a small earthquake near Nellrae. 

Both sides have fired tens of thousands of artillery rounds making Nellrae the battle with the most artillery strikes so far in the war. 

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Casualties

Grinvel: 800 standard infantry, 150 heavy infantry, 100 field guns, 10 CAS fighters, 14 light tanks, 1 medium tank
Marrlan: 1,789 standard infantry, 300 heavy infantry, 1,000 militia, remaining tankettes, 20 armored cars, 100 field guns