BATTLE OF HALAK
The Battle of Halak was a part of the Sarnath Campaign. The Empire of Nalydia and the Gauss Dominion landed ground and naval forces to assault the city and remove the Great Marchander Guild of Commerce from power. The battle was a victory for the allies, with the capture of the city and the destruction of a GMGC division.
BACKGROUND
Following the allied victory in the First Battle over Marchand, they were left with relatively unopposed control of the space around the planet. Unwilling to risk significant collateral damage to civilians and infrastructure by an inaccurate orbital bombardment, several cities were selected as invasion targets with the aim of removing the GMGC power structure.
Halak, on the eastern coast of the single vast continent of Marchand, was selected as a target for the Empire of Nalydia supported by elements from the Gauss Dominion. ORDER OF BATTLEThe Pords deployed five divisions and six independent brigades, including the Chelcharovengrazhni, Tanaaqennürzh, Nyko Keltytnamänskaya, Kalmyzhenkamtet, and Chor Kanna Kazhel divisions. This amounted to 98,352 personnel with in excess of 1,000 direct combat vehicles of varying grade supported by hundreds of artillery pieces.
To the south, the Gauss Dominion deployed the 232nd Division supported by 5,000 Knights of Gokatoma. The 232nd boasted 85,000 personnel, including 6,000 mechs and 1,500 armoured vehicles. Against them, the GMGC mustered approximately a million professional security contractors and assorted trained militia, with two battalions of armoured vehicles numbering in the region of 1,100 vehicles. They also had significant fixed and mobile SAM and artillery elements. INITIAL MOVEMENTSPordish aerial assets fought a skirmishing campaign against GMGC fliers, securing the airspace east of the city and luring them beyond SAM coverage. Once the Pords had established air superiority they began landing in the seas. Despite interference from local aquatic predators, the Pords were able to advance on the city from the east and create beachheads along the entire length of the seaport district in the east of Halak.
GMGC COUNTERATTACKThe GMGC began throwing units in three major thrusts against the Pords, hoping to pin them back against the sea. Columns supported by armour moved in a pincer attack from the north and south, whilst a centre mass of infantry advanced from the direction of Mount Borque. In tandem with this, artillery from the promonitories north and south of the seaport unmasked and began firing at the Pordish advance.
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DOMINION ADVANCE
Whilst the GMGC began focusing on the Pordish seaborne assault, the Dominion forces south of the city began their attack. Supported by holographic decoys, they advanced in two main thrusts towards the southern suburbs, quickly overrunning the skeleton defenses there and pushing into the south of the city proper. Knights of Gotokoma began deploying to the tunnels and underground systems of the residential districts, hoping to flush out irregular defenses. Despite taking some losses, they were able to minimise ambushes and flanking attacks by the defenders against the regular Dominion forces above.
PORDISH ADVANCE
Pordish artillery quickly reduced the exposed enemy firebases on the promontories north and south of the city. Meanwhile, ground forces north of the river were able to defeat the GMGC thrust there and counterattack, threatening to turn the left flank of the defenders' position in the city. The enemy began to collapse back towards their headquarters and Mount Borque, whilst in the south their denser formations, backed by Merger abominations, managed to temporarily prevent the Pordish from breaking out beyond their beachheads.
Advance Pordish troops and the newly-arrived Dominion columns from the south were able to stall and disintegrate the southern GMGC armour thrust, however, and casualties rapidly mounted on both sides as the district south of the river witnessed intense close-quarters conflict, with thousands of soldiers and vehicles pouring in to a section of city only a few kilometers square.
Advance Pordish troops and the newly-arrived Dominion columns from the south were able to stall and disintegrate the southern GMGC armour thrust, however, and casualties rapidly mounted on both sides as the district south of the river witnessed intense close-quarters conflict, with thousands of soldiers and vehicles pouring in to a section of city only a few kilometers square.
FALL OF MOUNT BORQUE
The GMGC reserve artillery on Mount Borque began to open fire at this point, targeting the south of the city heedless of friendly fire and collateral damage. The positions on Mount Borque were quickly targeted by allied artillery and air assets before the Pordish right flank moved directly south to assault Mount Borque and cut off the regional headquarters.
At this point, surrounded on three flanks and with their artillery and armour support eliminated, the remaining GMGC positions south of the river began to withdraw westwards in an attempt to avoid encirclement. This devolved into a general rout, with thousands of personnel being captured or killed as they withdrew. Pordish infantry captured the GMGC regional headquarters and Bailiwick Bulger, area commander of the Guild, finding that most of his general staff were already either dead or missing.
At this point, surrounded on three flanks and with their artillery and armour support eliminated, the remaining GMGC positions south of the river began to withdraw westwards in an attempt to avoid encirclement. This devolved into a general rout, with thousands of personnel being captured or killed as they withdrew. Pordish infantry captured the GMGC regional headquarters and Bailiwick Bulger, area commander of the Guild, finding that most of his general staff were already either dead or missing.
AFTERMATH
The Nalydian Empire temporarily occupied the city of Halak