Battle of Ferville

[aimway921]

[OOC note: on October 5th I promised that I will make another post pertaining the troops actions, as I only wrote about the staff meeting. Here is said promised post. Technically not breaking any continuity in frontline actions because a new turn hasn't started yet.]


As they were attacking, the enveloping force saw that the enemy began to withdraw. This was an unexpected opportunity. The commander of the force gave the order to take the trench, and prepare for a counter-attack from the UST. They would need to flush out any remaining enemy soldiers from the trench, but now, with most of them withdrawing, it should be simple to overwhelm them in a bayonet charge. Ashinaran soldiers would engage in hand-to-hand combat as they jumped into the trench.

Once the trench would be taken - if it would be taken - a runner would be sent to inform the main force of the breakthrough, requesting to reinforce their newly captured line, and well as turn around any gatling guns that the UST might have left behind. Machine guns would be unloaded from Tachankas and placed in the trench, the Tachankas themselves sent back to the rear. Now it would be time to prepare for a counter-attack.

[callmedelta]

"I would love to be in agreeance with Generals Kendaya and Grendel," General Tauroneo began, passing out hastily-made copies of the report from the cavalry, "This may prove to be an issue." The report detailed a deployment and partial positions of roughly 400,000 fresh Union soldiers, though no sign of their new artillery. "I still believe it's in our best interest to hold Ferville, for precisely the reasons already said. If we are to leave the city, however, we should make sure to burn the fields around the city." He said the statement frankly, in a matter-of-fact way that made it seem it must be obvious. "While this new force presents a grave threat tactically, it may prove to be a hinderance to the Union strategically. Such a large force requires an incredibly large food supply, and without the food from Ferville, they may begin to starve in the field due to the difficulty of transporting that large amount of food from the south, not to mention that Franerre's naval blockade make any food imports impossible."

"That is a good lead in to my next point," Tauroneo continued, "Considering the issues resulting from us leaving Ferville, and the obvious threat posed by the Union's new forces, I propose that we send a small force of the coalition's best units around the Union's army to try and take the city of Juaz, or failing that, to disrupt the supply lines between here and Fuaz. With such a large deployment here, I believe it's likely that only a small garrison was left in Juaz. Juaz is the only way to connect the Union's southern heart to Tafatu, and if we can capture and hold the city we can take Okeema to the negotiating table and end this war while those 400,000 men starve away with their supplies cut off."

[Greywall]

Kendaya was visibly bothered by the notion of destroying the fields. “We need ferville too, we cannot destroy these fields.”

As kendaya spoke he was interrupted by a rebel officer coming inside, “sir sorry to bother you but Aniyah is here! She’s brought reinforcements!” Kendaya showed excitement for the first time since arriving to the city as he left the meeting to go outside and meet Aniyah. She filled him in on the arrival of 350,000 rebel infantry all armed with ‘bubba’ rifles from Marrlan.

“Where did you find a military leader among them to train that many?!” Kendaya asked, Aniyah sheepishly replied “you’re not going to like it…” as she told him of Yeeda and the defected UST pows kendaya shook his head, “are you mad?! If the Frannerre and ashinara find out this won’t be good!” Aniyah waved her hands, “they don’t need to know, kendaya they are not us, while they have fought for us they do not need to be told everything.” Kendaya didn’t like this, Yeeda was one of the UST’s best soldiers but he was also seemingly a man who bought into the myth of it being a grand nation.

“Where is he now?”
“North, his forces are going to try and circle around to attack the UST.”
Kendaya laughed, “our frannerre friend suggested the same. So let’s-“ before kendaya could finish the loud earth thundering clash of artillery shells started again, hundreds of guns firing into the city and the frontline. “We’re running out of time, deploy your forces to link up with Omani and the Marrlan. Taronki is going to attack soon.”

Aniyah left as Kendaya reentered the meeting. He filled in the coalition but left out Yeeda and the UST defectors. “We need to fight here. This battle determines the entire war.”


—UST—

Taronki had not come this far to sit by in his trench line. He needed to take Ferville and soon, he ordered a massive artillery barrage onto the city and frontline, ordering every gun to fire without pause. 200,000 infantry stretched from south to north would commence a full assault after an hour of shelling. He ordered another 70,000 to go North and try to flank around the frannerre. Genta’s forces that made it back along with his reserves would remain behind as a vanguard. Taronki knew his situation, he couldn’t hold out for a prolonged siege he needed to win now.

Gentas forces caught in the trench with the ashinara would find themselves pulverized by UST artillery obliterating the trenches into crater pot marked, grave filled fields. After the shelling concluded massive walls of men surged forward toward the front determined to take the city.

—rebels—-

The shelling rocked the tafatu hard, Omani fell his troops into the city but having almost a thousand artillery guns fire for an hour was a hell no one on touli truly knew yet. Almost every building int be eastern section of the city was in ruins and thousands of tafatu couldn’t escape the bombardment. Omani ordered to abandon the front defenses to escape it.

An hour passed before the shelling stopped, and a eerie silence filled the dust blocked skies over ferville. Omani barely escaped the shelling himself getting under a support strut as his men pulled up from the rubble in a daze, Omani had served in the UST military and fought the kithium but never saw anything like this. The horrific firepower the UST now had was unimaginable. His thoughts quickly disappeared concerning the artillery when he heard screaming from his men, “HERE THEY COME! HERE THEY COME!!!!!” Omani shuddered, “oh gods, get to the front now! We gotta hold this line!” Tafatu sprung to life as UST infantry roared at them yelling making a synchronized almost inhumane sound, the craters gave them cover to advance in but the tafatu had the rubble of the city now.

A massive firefight broke out and Omani desperately tried to organize his defense. This battle was just starting and the tafatu had been hammered hard in the center.

[Greywall]

Casualties

UST 913
Frannerre 1023
Ashinara 2093
Tafatu 3452
Marrlan 320

[Artsy Astra]

A few inquisitive heads would peek up from the trenches once the explosions halted. The veterans within the line began getting the more green troops out of their cover and despite all their ringing ears, a Rel Army officer called out, "It's over chums! Get together!" His antennae would perk up at another bout of distant rumbling, and for a moment he thought his judgment was wrong. He opened his mouth again to sound an alarm until a clutch of faint yells could be picked out from the jumble of sounds. His eyes widened as he pieced together what was coming. "Check the machine guns! Now! Those blue-shirted bastards are coming!"

What was left of the Marrlan trench line post bombardment was attempting to reorganize as the distant sound of yelling and a countless number of feet plodding towards them became audible. At least 30 of the field guns that were perched in the line in a direct fire role were gone and at least a dozen more were damaged. What few batteries were left in it hastily de-elevated their guns in preparation for what was to come and began firing. Mortars who had been moved back into the city prior were slightly luckier and also began firing when word had reached them. They had lost about 15 of their number. The howitzers that had been perched in the western half of the city received late notice of the oncoming wave and had only started preparing to fire.

Troops in the trenches and buildings who had survived and were not entirely racked with fear rose to fight. They repaired what sections they could and began engaging the advancing men. Those not in the immediate vicinity of the line would begin moving any wounded they could find deeper into friendly lines. Quite a few bands of medics began running to and from buildings looking for anyone stuck before they were crushed. A large portion of these men would also move and attempt to help the Tafatu in the area. The Rel and Shazzak in their numbers size and strength aided greatly in freeing individuals trapped under entire sections of fragmented stone and wood. Their squads roughly trailing behind them would find themselves mixed in with the Tafatu line. Heavy infantry held in reserve in the mid-city would be brought forward and the Beast Hunters who had continued turning the inner city into a fortress would be notified to prepare again for any breakthroughs.

[callmedelta]

Their positioning on the north flank of the city was a blessing and a curse for the Franerri forces in the region. A blessing in that there were no buildings to collapse on top of their forces, but a curse in that there was no cover besides the trenches for the Franerri army. Praying that whatever force the Tafatu had conjured up would hit the UST main line soon, Franerre's 40,000 cavalrymen sallied northeast to try and lie in wait for the Tafatu attack, ready to join in and cause what chaos they could. The 190,000 Heavy Infantry, meanwhile, simply hunkered down in their trenches for the duration of the artillery bombardment. The fresh 100,000 Heavy Infantry manned the main line against the UST, while the 90,000 Heavy Infantry manned a fallback line and guarded Franerre's own artillery. They could not retreat, and they could not fire back. All they could do was wait and pray. When the artillery bombardment ceased, the defensive Gatling emplacements on the front trench line had lost nearly 1/2 their guns, though the emplacements on the back line survived largely unscathed at the very least. The surviving Franerri soldier manned their trenches, ready to whether the oncoming charge.

[aimway921]

--South sector--

The few hundred Ashinarans from the group that took Genta's trench that survived after the bombardment braced themselves for the huge mass of blue advancing towards them. They had several machine guns and a couple captured Gatlings that weren't wrecked in the bombardment, and were determined to make a final stand. This trench was visible through binoculars from the main Ashinaran trench line. They have sent a runner with a simple request - once they are overrun, open up a full-scale bombardment on their position. They knew they wouldn't survive this, and would take as many enemies down with them as they could, giving their comrades on the main line some breathing space.



--Rest of Ashinara's frontline--

Ashinarans, both officers and low ranking soldiers alike, were baffled by the monumental loss of life UST was willing to accept. It was as if their main tactic was to simply bury the enemy underneath a pile of their own dead bodies.

Riflemen attached bayonets and took aim. Officers drew both their revolvers and swords. Machine gunners restocked their ammunition piles and cooled their barrels with water as much as they could. Artillery and mortar crews took aim at both Genta's trench and at no-man's-land between Genta's trench and the Ashinara trenches, ready to launch a full-scale defensive bombardment.

Their saving grace was that instead of concentrating the attacks into powerful spearheads, the UST spread their 200,000 attacking troops along the entire frontline.

[Greywall]

--UST--

The massive infantry assault formed a firing line amid the crater ruined fields of Ferville facing against the Coalition forces, UST soldiers armed with Berdan rifles were envious of the ones with Kumo bolt action repeating rifles that quickly cut down their enemies. UST artillery adjusted their aim to hit deeper behind enemy lines away from the main front to inflict damage on the rear sections and began firing without end inflicting horrific damage to the city.

--Northern Front--

The large UST detachment sent North to flank the coalition forces found themselves engaging Frannerri forces, they would press their attack hard attempting to break the Frannerre needing to take the Northern flank in order to support the main assault. They pressed hard on the Frannerre until a large swath of infantry appeared returning fire, it was the Tafatu, a vicious open battle broke out in the Northern fields of Ferville.

--Main Front--

The Ashinara caught in the trenches during the main charge were utterly wiped out by the UST as the massive wave of bodies surged across the field. They came close to overrunning the center where the Tafatu and Marrlan were located. But by some miracle reinforcements arrived just before the line fell.

In the North the UST stormed the Frannerre trench line weathering whatever resistance thrown at them and attempted to seize the forward line with haste, firing more rounds that the Frannerre were capable of returning.

In the South UST forces stormed toward the Ashinara unleashing 10mm rounds and Kumo 7.7 at the defenders at artillery shells flew overhead pulverizing the rear lines kicking up massive columns of dirt and rubble raining it down on the Ashinara below.

Taronki received word of the Kithium invasion and detached 350 field guns and 20,000 Vanguard troops to head South to support the defense but ordered Falalu to abandon his invasion of Frannerre and to dig into Do'rville instead. Falalu would have to send the majority of his forces South to deal with the invasion.

--Rebels--

"They're coming! We gotta hold!"

Private Voldu Okenta age 21

He loaded his single round of 10mm into the Berdan rifle. His hands shaking, his breathing shallow and panicked. His comrades raced over the rubble of what used to be buildings leaning against it and pointing their rifles down the open field full of charging yelling men. "OPEN FIRE!" a loud chorus of death rang from the rubble hitting the first line of blue uniformed soldiers. But they kept coming.

Okenta fired his rifle over and over, having to replace the bullet every time. His shoulder hurting from the large round. "Fall back! Fall-" his comrade was struck by a bullet falling down from his position near a collapsed wall. Okenta stood up firing his rifle and missing his target. He felt a sharp horrid pain in his chest and fell down feeling his body give out, warm wet liquid moistend his upper torso as he began to lose consciousness. "Mama...."

Voldu Okenta 1910-1931

Private Yolan Nikibunka age 24

Nikibunka was firing a gatling gun from what was left of a second story window overlooking  the ruined streets as Tafatu rebels ran from the mass of Union soldiers, enemy fire pinned most of them down as UST infantry closed in to shoot or bayonet anyone that fell behind. "Don't stop firing! You're the only reason they can get away!" Nikibunka was shredding human beings apart with the Gatling gun, his arm screaming in pain and exhaustion as he turned the rotating handle and his partner frantically keeping bullets fed into it. UST infantry began rapidly firing at the window striking his partner and then him, he felt a hot sharp pain on the left side of his face, a bullet shredded the meat off his left jaw. He cried in anguish, he cried in horror, then he remembered his sister and her cries when the UST first came. Dragging her away to be raped, then he cried in rage propping himself up and firing the gatling gun again as bullets entered him. He cut a few more down before he was finally put down, "I'm coming sister...i-"

Yolan Nikibunka 1907-1931

Tota Geeam age 18

Geeam was at the last line of Tafatu as they desperately tried to fight off the UST assault, nothing seemed to work though. They just kept coming, "We have to hold here or we die!" Geeam looked behind him at the voice that called out, General Omani, holding a revolver in one hand and a saber in the other. "We do not let them pass this line! We gonna fight them here!" he bellowed out. The UST flooded from the ruins at their line at an almost inhuman pace, "Fire!" the Tafatu rifles tore open firing at the UST who it seemed when one fell two more took the place of the dead. It didn't take long for the ground to close on them, UST rifles returned fire cutting down Tafatu, those with Kumo rifles killing in a sickeningly efficient way. 
The Tafatu suddenly found themselves out of room to move around as UST infantry closed in to engage with melee combat. Geeam barely lucked out putting a bayonet into the leg of a UST soldier but found himself unarmed when another simply stabbed him in the arm dropping his rifle, he ran back the line where Omani was firing his revolver and swinging his sword at the approaching horde. "Fight! Fight to the last man! Fight!" Omani's voice shook, this was it. They couldn't hold out. 

Then the UST suddenly began dropping dead, friendly fire from the rear began cutting them down. Tafatu infantry armed with Marrlan rifles entered the fray and began pushing back. They quickly reinforced the front line and resupplied their comrades with arms and ammunition, Geeam was given one of the strange rifles. "They call it a bubba rifle" a soldier said handing it to him before running forward to engage the UST. Geeam was still shaken by the carnage he witnessed. But the Tafatu had finally recovered their center position. 

And then came the shells. Artillery rounds pulverized the city, "Take cover!" Omani called out. Geeam ran but all he saw was a bright flash and the feeling of hot metal before everything faded to black. He was hit point blank by a Kumo howitzer round and killed instantly. 

Tota Geeam 1913-1931

--North--

Yeeda's forces arrived just in time as the UST began to press the Frannerre, "Engage them now!" Yeeda cried out, his personal soldiers were well trained. Most of them defected UST infantry but a lot of them Tafatu he trained as part of his deal for freedom. Armed with Marrlan rifles and Berdans they quickly leveled the battlefield to a stalemate. He hoped the Frannerre here wouldn't recognize him but even if they did he was wearing a Tafatu uniform and actively ordering an assault on the UST. 

[Greywall]

Casualties

UST: 2,012
Frannerre: 1934
Tafatu: 1834
Marrlan: 435
Ashinara: 9345

[callmedelta]

Franerri Main Front

With the tide of bodies rushing down on them, the battle in the forward trench line soon devolved into a melee brawl. Baronets were fixed, daggers unsheathed, and the few men with shotguns interspersed in the unit unslung them and prepared. In the rear trench line, the artillery began to hammer the onrushing UST troops, Franerri infantry and Gatlings shooting over the forward trench and trying to stem the tide however they could.

~

Franerri Northern Front

The Franerri cavalry in the north had begun to make a fighting withdrawal back to their friendly lines, until the sudden appearance of allied Tafatu forces reinvigorated them. Unable to make a dent in the large UST force themselves, they would be an anvil to the Tafatu's hammer. They stood their ground.

~

Saint Parsson

The 100,000 Standard Infantry, 1,000 artillery, and 5,000 Special Infantry assembled at Saint Parsson would begin their deployment to the UST war by taking the train to Le Troy and marching to Ferville from there.

[aimway921]

Through their binoculars officers on the main line saw how their comrades holding the Genta trench were swallowed whole. It was horrific, but they did buy them a few crucial minutes. A few minutes in which the artillery could open up on the attackers, who would hopefully be slowed by both the shell craters and piles of dead bodies from the previous month of fighting.

The soldiers did not wait for the enemy to get in range. Machine Guns upended up on the approaching blue tidal wave, mortars hammered as much as they could, being under enemy artillery fire themselves, and all riflemen began sending volleys of tens of thousands of bullets down the enemy's way.

As the first line braced for impact, the second and third lines have long since continued digging their trenches deeper and deeper, seeking shelter from the merciless artillery. They have already created a maze-like layout to their trenches a few months ago, when the ground was still to wet to create any real defenses, but since the summer sun dried out the ground, they worked hard to ensure that should the enemy break through, they would wish they didn't.

[Artsy Astra]

The Marrlan trench line would attempt to repel any leakers who came through the Tafatu line before sending large numbers of men forward to assist them. Surging ahead, the Army and Marines made for a formidable foe, screaming, shouting, and angry at their losses at the hands of the artillery. They would populate the trenches in areas where men were low and surge into buildings that had been abandoned, machine gunners quickly finding purchase and attempting to hold the line. Even a few heavy machine gun teams would begin hustling forward. Medics, following close behind the line of men and women, would continue to pick through the dead to find those clinging to life and drag them back doing triage where they could.

What remained of the field artillery and mortars would continue their barrage on the incoming enemy troops a constant stream of shells was all that awaited the blue shirts who had been ordered over the top.

"Nurse, more saline now!" The Marrlan rear line was hectic, and even with some experienced medical staff, the amount of wounded was unprecedented. The white tents were stained with blood of all types as the doctors worked with dwindling supplies to help tend to the wounded.

General Grendel would summon a messenger and send two requests home ASAP. One for 100 Fat Vienna Coastal guns. His current artillery complement couldn't hope to hit whatever new guns were bullying his men, hopefully, the bigger 200mm guns would. His second, he knew would cause more of a stir. 4,000 more men, standard infantry to shore up what had been lost and help a little more. As the Amry Mailman road away Richard could feel a pit in his stomach. He'd glance back to the noise flashes and screams and close his eyes. "Shurpis help us." He whispered to himself as he walked back into his command tent. (OOC) [Gonna roll for whether or not the DOD accepts his requests next turn.]

[Greywall]

--UST--

North

The arrival of Tafatu reinforcements brought the UST advance to a halt, brutal firefights scattered the Northern fields as infantry and cavalry units exchanged fire. It wasn't an ideal situation for the UST, the open green fields of the North hadn't been tarnished by artillery, infantry would in vain lay on their stomachs and pop up to fire at Frannerri and Tafatu forces but with little cover it was simply a back and forth between the two sides.

Main front

Frannerre front

The UST slammed into the Frannerre despite the gatling and artillery fire. The brutal display of war on full they attempted to push the Frannerre out of their trench line. They began to bunch up as the fighting up ahead bogged any advancement. UST officers ordered their men to dig into the crater pocked fields to replenish the assaults when needed. Some officers were annoyed at the lack of progress made Southward, their own advancements were tangled in the bloodied melees with the Frannerri.

Tafatu/Marrlan front

The UST didn't hold back on the Tafatu main front, despite being pushed back the fighting within the outskirts of the city became a vicious urban warzone. UST soldiers butchered by Marrlan machine guns simply influenced UST companies to bring up Kumo machine guns and return the favor. UST artillery batteries hammered the rear lines hard making enemy reinforcements come in at a trickle. 
They needed to break this line and do it now, most of the artillery was supporting the direct assault on the city. A bugle was called out and UST forces ordered another charge at the Tafatu and Marrlan. What followed was a brutal hour of fighting for what was basically a hundred yards or so of gained territory. The fighting was not going to be easy, even with superior artillery. 

Ashinara front

  

The Ashinara slew several UST soldiers approaching but didn't stall the assault much, the UST infantry like in the North would form lines firing into the Ashinarian trench before leaping into the melee that awaited them. Bunched up soldiers would be used as reserves to keep the assault ongoing and give no reprieve to their enemy. UST artillery hammered the Ashinara rear lines hard needing one of the flanking deployments to break somehow. 

--Tafatu--

It was hell. The rapid exchange of fire between infantry was something the continent of Touli had never seen before. The Tafatu were trained but nothing prepared them for the battle they were in. Even when using Marrlan guns to combat the UST Kumo rifles it still shook them to their core to see dozens fall within seconds. The Tafatu had to fall back after another UST assault, wounded and dead were shipped to the rear as reinforcements attempted to get to the front. The shelling reduced Ferville into a ruined city, its denizens watching in the West in horror as their home was torn apart. 

The mayor slumped against a birch tree knowing not even the neutrality pact could save his town. 

[Greywall]

Casualties

UST: 832
Frannerre: 452
Tafatu: 423
Marrlan: 505
Ashinara: 642

[callmedelta]

Northern Front

With the battle stabilized for the time, at least, it was time for the Franerri Cavalry to act. They weren't meant to hold the line like the infantry. The 40,000 Franerri Cavalry charged to Union infantry, their repeaters a better batch for the Union's bolt-actions than the infantry's single-shot rifles.

Ferville Front

The melee in the trenches was brutal. Three men felled by a Union bolt-action, only for the fourth to make it through and gut the Union soldier with his bayonet. A Franerri infantryman whispered a quiet prayer, then pulled the pin on his single grenade and lobbed it towards the Union soldiers who had so foolishly clumped together. The Union soldiers had spotted him, sending a bullet through his chest, but the soldier's fading hearing could still hear the dull thud of the grenade exploding and the screams of the Union troops as they were shredded by the shrapnel. One, two, three Union soldiers died as the Franerri soldier pushed his lever action shotgun to the limit, reloading as fast as he could as the Union soldiers just kept pouring over the trench. Then, the shotgun jammed, and the Franerri man didn't have time to fix it before the Union round went through his skull.

In the fallback trench line, a hard decision was made. The artillery and gatling fire let up for a moment, only long enough to allow another 20,000 infantry to join in the melee to prevent the front trench line from falling.