Scathing of South [UST - Kithium League]

[Greywall]

Casualties

UST: 93
Kithium: 72, 45 dragoons

[VoxApocrypha]

When the shelling of their forward positions began, the Kithium would respond by way of counter-battery fire, while their mortars would be used as a means of breaking up infantry assaults, their infantry already so heavily entrenched that it would be a monumental task to try to dig them out of just one of the many lines of trenches that they had set up around the city. They built the trenches in a far different manner than those they had built before, having had enough time to make them perfect for their new task.

The trenches had a flat front, facing out towards their enemies so that they could fire out and be protected. But the back of the trench was a slope - and it'd let the Kithium fire down into it with impunity from their own slightly raised trenches, elevated on the hill that the city sat on.

It was a rather neat little change that the new Field Marshal who'd arrived from the south had made them implement days before. The Kithium still would fanatically resist, infantry pouring into the trenches and rapidly manning their mortars, gattling guns, maxims and as well, filling out those trenches with so many guns that the moment the first infantry attacks were launched the UST would be met with a wall of fire from the fortified defenders. 

 Between those first line of occupied trenches, would be those that appeared to be empty, and unfinished. 
But they were specifically left that way. If any UST soldiers could get to them, they'd find the trench was *deep.*
And at the bottom, were wooden pikes, covered in pigs blood. It was just too wide to jump, and the bridges were narrow, made of a dirt wall. It was purposefully designed to break any major assault up. 

[Greywall]

UST field guns continued to fire as the infantry were ordered to advance, miles of men advanced toward the kithium line and were met with heavy resistance. UST officers insisted on a continued advance despite heavy losses, convinced the artillery could soften them up.

The UST advanced slowly due to the kithium firing from their trenches and they unable to do much. They continued the advance for now.

[Greywall]

Casualties

UST: 635
Kithium: 129

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium began to use their mortars to attack the front ranks of the enemy, chewing them up with their high explosive shells while gattling guns, rather than the maxims which were held in reserve, layed down fire into their positions. The artillery on the Kithium side began to fire from more guns now, as the rest of the crews had reached their positions. The last train full of civilians, would as well, now depart the city, while another military train arrived carrying men and material.

[Greywall]

If there was any word to describe the frontal assault it would be slaughter.

The UST infantry were helplessly cut down by mortars and machine gun fire. Officers lost control of their units as the massacre stopped all advancing forces. Several companies stranded themselves in the no man’s land firing at the kithium trench line trying to lay down some kind of covering fire. But the single shot berdan rifles were just not cutting it.


The most effective method the UST had was its artillery hammering the kithium front line, the large mass of guns firing in full sequence now and impacting the enemy.

[Greywall]

Casualties

UST: 2,543
Kithium : 1,342

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium used the constant barrage by the oppositions weapons to target the UST's own batteries, and they launched a artillery salvo against them, while the Kithium infantry continued to fire at the UST's infantry, their mortars and gattling guns scything into their advance. And more artillery and guns were added to the fighting as another 50 field guns and three thousand infantry were disembarked off of the train, and raced to the frontlines.

[Greywall]

UST artillery crews took enemy fire and had to redirect it back taking their fire off the frontal defenses. Meaning the UST infantry were now without artillery support.

The butchering was made worse when the order to surge forward was made, “not a step backward! Or you’ll be shot!” UST infantry then plunged forward their sheer numerical strength over coming the death wall of enemy fire to reach the trenches. Many fell to their deaths in spike pits however making the rest stand over them to open fire over the kithium.

The madness of war was in full effective as a brutal meleee occurred in the kithium front line.

[Greywall]

Casualties

UST: 93 field guns, 5,359 infantry
Kithium: 3,291 infantry, 46 field guns

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium had pre-sighted the trenches with mortars, and it was not long before untis operating the mortars began to lob shells into that line of trapped trenches, plastering it with high explosives, while the infantry in the Kithium lines kept pouring fire down into the enemy's advance. There was one more line of spiked trenches they'd have to face, and it had a nasty surprise hidden inside of it.

[Greywall]

The UST continued their charge, officers bellowed out threats if they were to even hesitate. The UST climbed over their dead to the next line of trenches, but before they could repurpose the captured trench line they were shelled by enemy mortars.

UST artillery continued to exchange shots with enemy artillery. But some of the guns were ordered to return support for infantry assaults.

[Greywall]

Casualties

UST: 5,983, 45 field guns
Kithium: 3,984

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium continued to stubbornly defend, their own artillery ruthlessly throwing shells back at the USTs own gunnery line. Their mortars continued to perform the role of close-range artillery support, slamming the USTs advance with shells while the Kithium Commander gave the order for the rest of the guns to open fire, the maxims they'd been holding in reserve with some of their other batteries of heavy crew-served weapons unleashing their own fire into the enemy. More Kithium infantry funneled into the trenches to replace their losses.

From the south, a small force of about five thousand was marching north, a amalgamation of various units. They'd have been communicating via courier with the city and its garrison, they choose to move to the south, to attack towards the back edges of the southern swing of the C shaped line of the UST around the town, striking at the south-west edge and adding their firepower to the defenders from a new angle of attack.

[Greywall]

The frontal assault was hell, maxim guns obliterated file and rank far faster than officers could respond to. Gruesomely the UST used fallen bodies for cover as the assault slowed, commanders ordered yet again to charge sending more to their deaths.

The demoralized loss of life was starting to weigh heavy on the Union infantrymen, but with the threat of being killed by officers and soldiers assigned to shoot men who fell back they had to push forward.

Several UST infantry companies would be assigned to deal with the flanking kithium pulled from rear of the assaulting force as they awaited their turn to move up.