Battle of Calatuinn

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Calatuinn, a stretch of islands South of Ulster-Gaelia in the middle of the Shawbalt. Literally named the Tuna port, they have been settled by Gaelics well over 400 years and used to supply the Gaelic Empire across the vast Shawbalt and has extensively been used by fishing fleets to fish for tuna, cod and mackerel in the sea. They were lightly populated with old communities of fisher clans, old sea dogs, merchants and most recently hotel barons who hosted Gaelic holidays here. 

Now they were freshly occupied by the Galrans, they were crossing the Shawbalt sea with a massive force bearing for Eleria to reinforce the failed Gulliver regime. Seizing the Gaelic islands in the Shawbalt cut off supply lines to Touli and limited Gaelic reinforcements to their colonies. In order to reach their colonial empire, the UKUG had to retake these islands first. And this task fell to none other than the Royal Marines. 

Several Tython class destroyers would make approach before heavier class cruisers moved in with troop transports carrying the marines. Cruisers would open fire on the beach to soften enemy defenses as the marines began to depart. 

"Remember laddies! You are to retake these islands in the name of your king and country! The crook necks think they can keep us off our own soil? Ha! Let's show em what's for!" 

The boats immediately came under fire within the shallows as Galran machine guns came alive despite heavy shelling. Marines found themselves scrambling for cover on the open beach with several taking hits in the open falling to Galran .30-40 rounds coming out rapidly from machine gun fire. 

Some marines attempted to lay down cover fire with their Model 4 rifles, but it was difficult as enemy machine guns continued to pin them down. "Bloody shit, fuck this! Blow a red on them and call for the ship!" called out a sergeant. This was a call to throw a red colored smoke grenade toward the Galran indicating request from the nearby Cruisers to open fire. Some light flashes in the distance and then massive explosions shaking the ground and sending entire feet of dirt and sand into the air. The Gaelics surged to their feet as the machine gun ceased. "Get in there! Go GO G-" the Sergeant would find the Galrans utterly mutilated and crying from pain and one was shrieking at the loss of his eyes, shrapnel had sliced them both open and he was screaming and rolling around the gunners nest in agony. 

"Dear gods..." 
"Nah, show em no mercy, leave them to suffer" the Sergeant called out, as his men saw them in horrid condition. 

They then found themselves once again engaged with another set of Galrans attempting to hold up a sandbag position deeper inland from the beach, despite the small arms fire the Sergeant leading his group noticed the sounds of heavy ordnance and saw the Royal Fleet engaging the Imperial fleet. Several Galran warships had come rushing to meet the Gaelic forces. "Fuck, they weren't as far South as we thought" he muttered, reloading his rifle but in truth the Galran fleet was so massive they simply had the ships to remain behind to support the occupation.  

Galran riflemen exchanged fire back and forth until the marines forced a retreat, the steady landings allowed a good 800 marines on the first island and they began setting up a secured beachhead, radios were established allowing them to get some clear idea of what the naval engagements were like. Per the chatter heard on the radio, the Galrans had a sizeable fleet stationed in the Calatuinn islands, this called for a carrier and her aerial squadrons to come off the Brentrock engagement up North to assist marine operations in the islands. 

As the day dragged to an end, the marines pressed the enemy defenders into the only real town on the northern most island. Here the exhausted Galrans requested reinforcements from the other islands and their own island chains in the Shawbalt. Despite swiftly taking the island from the UKUG they hadn' t had much time to properly build defenses or prepare accordingly for a mass assault. As such the Gaelic caught them in a lesser than describable phrase, with their pants down. 

The first day saw 70 marines killed and over 90 Galran defenders dead. 2 Galran frigates began their slow decent into the sea, 1 Galran destroyer sank into the shallows and one Galran Cruiser was damaged forcing it to retreat. The Gaelics lost 2 destroyers, 1 Cruiser and 1 Corvette. 

[Greywall]

Naval engagements continued as Gaelic cruisers spearheaded Galran ships attempting a defensive line against the island chain to provide fire support for their ground forces. Gaelic torpedo destroyers took advantage of slow moving heavy ships near shallow waters and ruptured them open making them stranded on the shallows of the island, spilling staol refuse into the open sea. Galran naval command had their hands full dealing with three major engagements at the same time as their Silk Sea force was pushing to attack outer Kumo islands soon, the Gaelics hitting them in the Brentrock and now this. 

On the islands, Gaelic troops pressed against Galran defenders now aided with new Stormer light tanks to support the assault. Galra had a few Longstreet light tanks but barely settled in, they needed another season to prepare a proper defense and in the meantime were slowly retreating. Gaelic marines were swift and making progress, but command believed by next season the Galrans would have far better defenses and their objective now extended to invading the Galran half of the Calatuinn. The southern chain had long been agreed as a division between the two nations since the 1600's but the war had changed it, UKUG would demand total control from here onward. Trust was simply gone now for coexistence. 

The overall operation was going well, but Galra was scrambling a response force to engage Gaelic naval assets. Freeing up the Carrier IGS Hawthorn and over 12 battleships that were resting in Decatur port with their own escort of nearly 40 destroyers, 50 light cruisers, 20 heavy cruisers and 30 frigates. 

This detachment was being prepped for deployment South into the Silk Sea but given the severity of the Galran's situation already in the mid Shawbalt they rapidly deployed them West instead. Galra's naval situation saw the vast numbers of the Imperial Fleet beginning to stretch. A concern as the days of the war dragged on. 

Gaelic Marines firing on a Galran position in the Northern Calatuinn islands

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The loud sharp whistling of a Galran dive bomber's payload sent Marines scrambling as Galran carrier bombers attacked their position, "Get on the 30 and shoot that fucker down!" shouted a nearby officer. 

Several weeks in the humid and hot Calatuinn islands had shaped the Royal Marines into a hardened battle group, they were still fighting Galrans in the Northern section of the island chain but had over the course of the summer pushed them further and further South into their own portion of the islands. Reinforcements from Galra had made the situation complicated, fresh troops landed on the Galran controlled islands and began digging in with proper defenses, relieving the battered and shaken light infantry for heavy infantry. They even received some Longstreet light tanks and GAC-striker light tanks. 

The Royal Marines received the new Lawerance submachine gun, a .45 chambered 25 round magazine fed submachine gun that despite its awkward build definitely made a difference in the close jungle fighting of the islands. The influx of enemy reinforcements delayed launching offensive measures into the Galran south and preparation for an enemy counter offensive began. The marines hid their machine guns using foliage from the nearby trees and overgrowth while setting up field guns to be used in close proximity. 

Gaelic madman gun maker Johnny Lawerance delivers again

Out in the sea, Galra's naval reinforcements forced the Gaelics to leave the Marines on their own, dragging the enemy out to engage them on more favorable terms. Large ship engagements broke out North of the islands as Galran carrier fighters and bombers brought an early advantage sinking 3 Gaelic destroyers and 1 light cruiser. 

The battle for the Shawbalt

The Gaelic light carrier RGS Fawnrae launched her compliment of Seawolves to engage the enemy fighters as well as a small force of assblaster T-30A naval bombers with dive bombs and torpedoes to counter the Galran warships moving into shell the marines. As the marines hunkered down into their defensive positions they would all hear the thunderous explosions and firing of the ships and aircraft nearby. Right before a severe thunderstorm began to move in. The rain began to come down lightly before it turned into hard hitting pelts of water. 

The marines tried their best to find comfort, but even in this flood they just had to make due. 

The Galrans on the other hand, had decided the storm was perfect to float troops up North to retake the islands. An intimidating force of 8,000 standard infantry all armed with Talbh, Johnson rifles and machine guns. Some even had Thompson submachine guns and the new BAR auto rifle. The rain was deafening and covered up the sounds of them starting their assault but the brutal waves caused their landing craft to crash into one another giving themselves away before a hailstorm of marine gunfire erupted tearing them apart at the beach. 

Marines lit up the dark and rainy night with the only light being provided being the flash from their firearms and the Galrans desperately attempting to return fire. "Tear them up! Tear them up!" Gaelic 30 caliber machine guns fired wildly into the rainy night as some field guns erupted on the beach sending Galrans who were running blind into the air. The first wave was an utter failure forcing the entire assault to cease as the Galrans withdrew after a short 1 hour engagement in the storm. They left their comrades wailing and screaming in the dark, wounded with bullet holes and shrapnel. The marines were forced to listen to them, howling for help and begging for the pain to stop. They slowly one by one got quiet just as the rain ended. 

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Gaelic marines were locked and loaded as their boats came under fire from Galran beach defenders. The retaking of Gaelic Calatuinn had been an easy task, taking Galran Calatuinn would be a taller order. Galran infantry fired their machine guns and mortars in quick succession taking out Gaelic boats with marines. 

"Don't mind that! Focus on the beach!" a commander would call out, as if that called it forward several Gaelic destroyers fired full salvo on the beach sending shells flying over the heads of the marines. Massive kicked up sand and dirt formed a wall of explosive devastation that turned the Galrans into mincemeat. The doors fell and whistles were blown sending yelling marines storming the beach in quick succession as many charged the beach while others were gunned down, beyond the beach the massive naval entanglement continued as the Galran navy continued to fight the Royal Navy. 

Galra's naval war in the Shawbalt had become a brutal back and forth between them and the Royal Navy as Ulster-Gaelia's focus to break across the Shawbalt and reach her colonial empire became the forefront of the Gaelic war strategy. Successes in breaking the extensive Galran fleet operations in the vast western Shawbalt meant they could receive Staol and send materials to the Northeastern Reserian fronts and Koian defense. But the primary focus was containing the massive challenge that was the Galran fleet in the Eastern shawbalt. 

Galra's fleet was pushed to the brink, they needed the Silk Sea detachment, badly. But with Higgenbottom striking up victories against the Kumo Imperial fleet, that was going to be unlikely. 

After a few hours the Gaelic marines seized the first beachhead of the Galran Calatuinn islands, it was a first step in taking the entire island chain and a step closer to breaking the Shawbalt blockade. 

Gaelic marines storm the Galran half of the Calatuinn islands

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The Galran navy regrouped after the bitter stalemate following their assault on the Ulster-Gaelic islands and began deploying in force in the Shawbalt to meet the Royal Navy in the open sea, warships from the Imperial Navy were attempting to push naval and aerial support away from the Calatuinn campaign. Across the island chain several vessels engaged in heavy firefights where Gaelic carriers found themselves becoming more and more important with the changing naval doctrine Admiral Lennon was leaning toward. 

Less heavy warships in favor of fast moving cruisers and air support. t-30A (Assblasters) were outperforming Galran carrier bombers in terms of inflicting damage on enemy ships, bringing a leveled field of battle to the naval engagement that would otherwise be lopsided the moment the Galran navy sent the remaining Northern fleet into the Central Shawbalt. The Battle of Gaelia left their fleet and aerial capabilities stunted for the moment, remaining air resources were being shipped North to deal with the Lusatian airforce while Naval assets further North tried to prevent Gaelic and Lusatian shipments across the Northern Sea. 

The Shawbalt naval campaign was now the focus of the Royal Navy, breaking the Galran fleet here to allow marine deployments further long the mid isles was imperative. 



On the Calatuinn islands themselves, Gaelic marines faced heated resistance. Galran forces heavily fortified settlements on the island and fought far more fiercely than the invasion force that was on the Gaelic Northern half. Hard fought fighting would come down to two elements for victory, how much support from naval and aerial units they received and how much one side was willing to risk to win the day. Despite how hardened the marines had gotten it was harder to dislodge religious zealots from a defensive position. The Galrans holding these islands knew how important they were to the war effort, keeping the Shawbalt divided meant the war was still very favorable to the SU. 

Still the Gaelics fought on, taking the good days with the bad. 

The Royal Navy and Galran Imperial Navy are back at it in the Shawbalt

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The Royal Navy had been given a severe setback as Galran warships won several engagements near the Calatuinn islands, giving the defenders much needed reprieve and long range artillery support. Gaelic marines were forced to seek shelter and take a defensive position on the occupied portions of the islands. 

As Royal Navy ships withdrew to regroup and plan their next mode of attack, marines bunkered down as Galran forces began a brutal counter attack. Mortar strikes wildly hitting their positions all across the Galran Calatuinn islands as scores of infantry charged with armored units to retake what the Ulster-Gaels took from them.

After several hours of brutal and a desperate defense, the Gaelic marines managed to hold on but faced a growing problem in running low on munitions and ammo. Some took risks in running out of their defensive positions to retrieve Galran weapons from fallen enemy soldiers but this only got at best 30-40 rifles and some ammo pouches before Galran machine guns lit up killing a few marines caught out in the open. The marines radioed out, they were facing a dire situation, they needed ammo and needed it yesterday. The Royal Fleet had little choice but to move forward ahead of what they intended and attacking the Galran navy once more. Gaelic aircraft launched from carriers engaged Galran fighters overhead. The desperate assault would make or break the marines offensive on the islands. Losing the offensive would delay Gaelic operations in fighting the SU out of the Shawbalt, success could see the Ulster-Gaels take the Calatuinns in totality and force the Galran Northern fleet to commit their resources in earnest to a full engagement risking their carrier and heavy fleet in the Shawbalt.

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Admiral Lennon was forced to pull the Gaelic fleet back North, the assault on the Galrans near the Calatuinns to maintain marine support was a critical failure, several UKUG ships were lost while the enemy sustained few losses. Awaiting new ships from the yards and a renewed plan would have to come next season. As for the marines in the island chain it meant they were now facing Galran offensives on their positions with no naval support and low supplies. 

Galran assaults intensified, breaking Gaelic defenses and forcing marines to make a hard decision. Give up territory around the Galran islands to survive for now. Despite their best efforts the Royal Marines couldn't do much with the Galrans now having naval and air support breaking up their best defenses. Marine command in the North used radios to relay what was happening to the fleet, Lennon was preparing for a massive naval operation in the Central Shawbalt, one that would make or break the naval front between the UKUG and Galra. He would request Lusatian warships to assist him and promised that if the operation was successful it would mean reconnecting with Nowa Lusatia for the first time since the war broke out. 

The Admiral was determined to reach the Gaelic Colonies and the only way to them was directly through the Galrans. 

Gaelic marine company forced to retreat North after Galran counter offensive