Operation Korak prema Srbinu (Oflay vs. Orthoria)

[Greywall]

General Ibar Kovac smoked a large cigar as he overlooked the marching men making their way South toward the front. A well decorated general of Oflya, he had overseen the initial invasion of Orthoria and Pomaz, he swelled with immense pride and a chest full of medals awarded to him by him. 

"The Emperor of Verak will recognize me for this victory, when I have burned the Pasa trash out of here I will be made a hero. No one will match my military prowess." He muttered to himself, only a driver and his right hand nearby to hear him croon to himself. 

Oflya launched its winter offensive in earnest force, beginning in the Northwest and using extensive Veraki supplied ground vehicles. 

20,000 conscripts
5,000 light infantry,
40,000 standard infantry
5,000 heavy infantry
200 field guns
50 howitzers
200 siege guns
10,000 motorized light infantry
250 armored cars
100 tankettes
10 landships
100 medium tanks
90 light tanks

Supporting in the air were 20 medium bombers, 20 heavy fighters, 30 light bombers, 10 interceptors, and 20 CAS fighters all of Veraki origin while another 20 light bi planes, 10 heavy biplanes and 50 bomber biplanes of the Ofylan airforce were also deployed. Aerial bombardments would be launched in mass ahead of the ground assault, bombers targeted heavy gatherings of Orthorian defenders while fighters kept an eye out for enemy aircraft. 

CAS fighters flew low and engaged front line units directly to assist invasion forces approaching. The invasion plan was simple, drive down from the Northwest all the way along the coast to reach the capital and force the Orthorian government to accept Ofylan occupation. 

Ofylan domestic bomber aircraft

[omega]

Gračanin was about to sign off on an order that would either see them win decisively, or condemn them forever.

They always knew that the Oflyans would want Orthoria to capitulate as quickly as possible, it was a foregone conclusion. They would always attack from the Northwest, and they would always need to get to the main rail lines if they wanted to have any realistic chances of winning. He wouldn't allow them that chance, and neither would General Ernesto Soll, the man in-charge of the 1st and 2nd armies defending the Northwest.

Between those two armies, they had approximately 100,000 Standard Infantry, 259,000 Light Infantry, 620 Field Artillery Batteries, 400 Howitzer Artillery Batteries, 700 Mortar Artillery Batteries, 100 Armored Cars, 30 Tankettes and all 20 Landships between the enemy and the capitol of Volgora. Gračanin, Yagoda and Soll were all unwilling to put up their already abysmally small and histrionically incompetent air force, and the two Battleships they had would only provide limited support once they reached the coast.

If they reached the coast.

Orthorian troops endured enemy airstrikes valiantly, but even those would begin to wear them out if nothing was done to either clip the wings of the Oflyans or force them to withdraw due to horrific ground casualties. The single Rail Artillery Car they had was moved into position as soon as the Oflyans began attacking, and troops were moving to reorganize themselves whenever they weren't being bombed to hell and back. Applicable artillery pieces which could be depressed low enough were also used as impromptu anti-tank guns when those were of insufficient number to repel the tanks coming after the troops. They needed an edge, and they needed it now.

With a pause, he finally put his signature on the order that'd make or break his career.

Hours later, chlorine gas was deployed along parts of the front which saw the largest concentration of Oflyan troops.

[Greywall]

Oflya's advancement into Orthoria hit a brick wall made of the orthorian military, partisans, and the largest gas attack of the war so far. 

General Kovac was stunned at his better armed force being utterly sent back, many of them not returning or coming back with severe wounds including damaged lungs and burns on their flesh, for all intents and purposes the Ofylan offensive was stalled. Kovac sent word to his government, requesting reinforcements ASAP, the supply lines into Pomaz were threatened and the need for Veraki aid was paramount. The frontline became a contentious series of intense firefights between both sides, rows of coughing and bleeding Ofylans rushed to the rear vanguard as armored units were pushed forward. 

"Get them to the front! Smash the Orthrorians!" Kovac shouted, as his tank commanders looked concerned at the amount of wounded come off the front. Kovac also requested gas masks, something that wasn't exactly readily available anywhere in Ouhiri, chemical weapons were something of a deterrant more than a weapon to be used but Orthoria had opened the flood gates. The frontline gas attacks wiped out nearly 7,000 Ofylan troops and put out of commission another 10,000. 

Oflyan aircraft were immediately refueled and rearmed for another run at the Orthorian lines, several Ofylan infantry back at the front took handkerchiefs and wrapped them around their faces with a few urinating on them from an ole wives tale that would repel the chemical gases. 

Oflya would lean heavily on their armored corps to push the Orthorians back, but now severely outnumbered and battered the offensive was facing critical failure and desperately needed aid from the Verak Empire.

Veraki Stugatti light tank, Ofyla uses several of these as part of their war on Orthoria

[omega]

The answer that Gračanin was both dreading and anticipating had come after some delay. The chlorine gas attack which they had committed against Oflya was beyond successful. As a matter of fact, it helped stall out the offensive entirely.

They only had so much of it to spare, however. Chlorine gas deployment was, therefore, prioritized to areas of the front with massive enemy activity, as well as favourable wind conditions to maximize its effectiveness. They suffered casualties, yes, approximately 4,000 Standard Infantry, 11,000 Light Infantry, 10 Field Artillery Batteries, 20 Mortar Artillery Batteries, 20 Armored Cars and 6 Tankettes. But compared to enemy casualties, and the size of their army, this was but a drop in the bucket. The Orthorian military tactically kept withdrawing more and more, with Nationalist Partisans, roughly 800 of them taken from the Light Infantry ranks, harassed the enemy's logistics behind their lines. The withdrawal, of course, was planned meticulously so as to not actually withdraw from many positions, but also to force Oflyan armour into a fight it could very well lose for the first time since the invasion began. If the Orthorians played their cards right.

The defenders corralled their ground-based foes into a choke point that led to the all-important railway, only one thing separating Oflya from potential victory if they managed to take the railway - one single line of Advanced Fortifications, which was now home to a large part of the front's defenders. And given its position near the railway, every time the Oflyan airforce had to withdraw for one reason or another, trains carrying ammunition and weapons arrived, and just as quickly left when everything was deposited.

[Greywall]

Casualties

Oflya: 7,000 conscripts, 900 light infantry, 20 tankettes
Orthoria: 4,000 standard infantry, 11,000 light infantry, 10 field artillery, 20 mortars, 20 armored cars, 6 tankettes

[Greywall]

Oflya would fire off a large artillery barrage on Orthorian front line units before launching a large armored assault to hammer in the Orthorian frontline to force it to cave in and allow a direct assault of the advanced fortification, General Kovac ordered the fort to be directly attacked by Oflyan air units to soften it up while his ground forces launched their assault. 

The attack would be the largest single assault of the front since the outbreak of the war as thousands of Ofylan troops charged forward with several tanks, armored cars and landships. General Kovac would be informed that Verak was too occupied with the growing Amalian counter assault to commit further resources to Ofyla. 

Oflya begins its assault on Hristov Hill

[omega]

Hristov Hill was a quagmire back in the Civil War, and it showed. Scars from back then were visible to this day, and not all of the area was cleared of detritus, though the most used parts of the hill were cleaned up. It was also perfect for waging guerilla warfare, as the government could not be bothered destroying the many, many hideouts built within the hills and surrounding areas, especially their own. Just in case, of course.

Most of them were unusable, unfortunately, or were in areas which weren't relevant to the battle, but roughly 400 Light Infantry was capable of making use of the hideouts, taking potshots at the advancing Oflyan infantry when opportune. In addition to that, counter-artillery fire rang out from the fort line and beyond, the artillery crews working overtime to keep them firing constantly. Orthorian forces dug themselves in heavily, and this time opted not to use their precious chlorine gas - some of it had been shipped off for "testing". What that meant the troops didn't know nor cared. With 2,800 Standard Infantry, 3,400 Light Infantry, 12 Field Artillery Batteries, 20 Howitzer Artillery Batteries, 8 Mortar Artillery Batteries, 29 Armoured Cars,10 Tankettes and 2 Landships destroyed, the remaining defenders gave it their all. There would either be victory, or death.

And if they won, they'd push the Oflyans away from the coast and cast them back into the mountains - into the waiting jaws of bitter partisans, just waiting for their armies to withdraw so that they could fall prey to them...

[Greywall]

Casualties

Oflya: 200 conscripts, 10 light tanks, 100 standard infantry
Orthoria: 150 standard infantry, 100 light infantry, 5 armored cars

[Greywall]

It all came to this, decades of bitter resentment between two groups of people in the Orthorian region boiled down to a massive military battle. 

Ofylan forces following the large artillery strikes on Orthorian positions followed armored units in their assault on Orthorian frontline units, General Kovac knew this would make or break the Ofylan war effort but also a victory here would be invaluable to the SU major powers. 

For the initial phase, Ofylan armored units were making a good impact on Orthorian front line troops allowing Ofylan infantry to engage and fire at a much bigger advantage, Ofylan forces inflicted heavy losses but found the enemy capable of replenishing their losses something they were not entirely capable of doing. The attacking force was smaller but better equipped for the moment. 

Ofylan aircraft were being refueled and rearmed slowly due to poor performance issues by the airfield crews. Meaning air support would be delayed for another phase. 

Ofylan forces using SU technology to edge out the large Orthorian army

[omega]

As part of the initial defense phase of the Orthorian Armed Forces, troops were concentrated in several makeshift trench lines near the actual fortifications, which continued hosting artillery pieces that kept firing on and on. Anti-tank guns were rare, even as the actual weapons were well on their way from the east of the country to the west, where the Orthorian defense was thickest. Oflyan tanks were problematic to deal with when they covered their soldiers adequately, but if they set foot into the trenches without such support, the Orthorians were always ready with nasty surprises. There was, after all, a benefit to not dismissing veterans from the Civil War from the army.

Brave soldiers rushed Oflyans with bayonets. Smart soldiers waited just around the corner with their P-31 "Pamtivek" shotgun weapons, Orthoria's only post-Civil War domestic product. Particularly crafty soldiers usually booby-trapped whatever they had to leave behind and whatever they could actually booby-trap without exposing themselves to harm's way.

With the enemy air force out of the picture for now, General Soll, the overall commander of the troops defending Hristov Hill, ordered their Rail Artillery to add its firepower to the thunderous booms of other types of artillery which kept raining down death on the invaders and splitters.

P-31 "Pamtivek"

[Greywall]

Casualties

Oflya: 340 conscripts, 100 light infantry, 20 light tanks, 30 tankettes,
Orthoria: 200 standard infantry, 400 light infantry, 10 tankettes, 5 landships

[Greywall]

Heavy losses on both sides were leaving a bitter effect on the Ofylan troops morale as Orthorian artillery outpaced their own, making the larger enemy force even more difficult to combat. Kovac took a risk pushing his armored units to attack further with artillery filling the gaps the air force allowed with the slow rearmament and refuel.

Ofylan infantry were ordered to press against the brutal Orthorian onslaught. The sudden Orthorian attack surprised Oflyan frontline troops who were forced to scramble to defend against the attack. Panicking Ofylan troops spilled over boxes of cartridges as they tried to reload against the bayonet charge levied against them. Machine gunners kept the lines intact but were running through their stock of ammo fast, trucks were prepped to head back into Ofylan controlled territory to get more supplies as the battle was becoming a dumping pit for Ofylan ammunition. 

Ofylan troops under heavy enemy fire

Kovac's assault on Hristov was entering a dangerous phase, troops were losing steam fast and assaults on Orthorian lines were being dampened by traps and men losing the will to push forward. Finally the airforce arrived, dropping bombs across the Orthorian forces and running strafes on infantry giving some small reprieve for the Ofylan forces. 

[omega]

Anyone who was anything during the Civil War knew the four stages of surviving an aerial attack, either from bombing or from strafing runs. Drop. Roll. Get up. Repeat. That said, some of the soldiers, conscripted back in 1930 and 1931 for the reconstruction efforts, didn't have any experience with aircraft, and thus became demoralized when they saw their comrades dying. Those that lost their nerve returned to the trenches, while the brave and foolish kept on charging, Orthorian artillery never ceasing its endless barrage.

One particularly enraged officer did, however, stop his artillery unit's barrage. Fed up with having to withdraw his unit whenever enemy planes appeared, he started to defy his orders and instructed his artillerymen to "shoot those bitches down whatever the cost". How feasible that would be was anyone's guess, but, already fearing for their lives, the unit complied. Some pressure was taken off of the Oflyan ground troops, but around 50 Artillery Howitzer Batteries were now firing wildly into the air the moment any plane reared its frame into range.

Similarly, the Rail Artillery was withdrawn for fear of losing it. Marrish anti-tank guns were on their way, but they wouldn't arrive before the battle's end.

In a bold move, General Soll ordered the first three trenches (out of six total) to charge, with orders going down the chain of command to artillery crews to change their targets appropriately to the Oflyan backlines. - it wouldn't do to kill their own troops, after all.

[Greywall]

Casualties

Oflya: 450 conscripts, 200 light infantry, 10 tankettes
Orthoria: 150 standard infantry, 100 light infantry

[Greywall]

Hristov Hill was reduced to a mass of pock mocked craters the screaming of men echoed amid sounds of whistling artillery and machine gun fire. With Orthorian guns finally ceasing came the crashing of Orthorian infantry like a wave of death, "INCOMING!" Ofylan troops were forced to find cover and fire at the mass. Losing ground seized in the overall battle and falling back to battelines where machine gunners and artillery could support the defense.

Orthorian artillery smashed rear lines causing chaos, General Kovac ordered his aerial units to hit the Orthorian artillery once more but they had to again refuel and rearm after a paltry run against the enemy. Kovac was forced to send all his reserves into the battle to stop the Orthorians collapsing his lines. Nearly 20,000 men used to rotate in and out. But the large fight breaking across the frontline was underlying a major issue. Ofyla was overtly dependent on Veraki tanks and armored units to hold off large scale enemy assaults. Tanks they were facing issues with now with mechanical problems popping up as mechanics couldn't pull them off the front. Especially with the Veraki Ponco and SU Mk2 Clanker tank facing engine problems.