Battle of Kalmar (Land Battle) [GRAAL]

[Empire of Ezria]

Battle of Kalmar

Belligerents: Graal Hegemony vs Dronav Holdworlds

Backstory: Following their victory at the Battle over High Hroth, Graal troops have begun disembarking outside the small Dronavi surface city of Kalmar which straddles the main highway leading to the Dronavi underground and its capital. At the outskirts of the city, a thin Dronavi defensive line awaits. The Graal are attempting to land at three landing zones outside the city code named Sword, Mothgrog, and Krush where the advance Graal units are reporting heavy fighting from dug in Dronav troops.

Points of Interest:
War Hardened: The Graal are warriors. They have been bred to fight and die, there is no better environment than the trenches of a far away battlefield or the helm of a battleship. All Graal have increased combat prowess and morale because of their Brutal trait.

Limited Support:
It will take time for Graal landing craft to offload heavy pieces of artillery from the transports and use them for effective fire support (1 turn). Meanwhile, the Graal fighter craft can only launch limited sorties for the moment as the landing ships carrying them were not designed to be carriers. Once the landing zones have been secured, Graal engineers will have to build a landing strip so that the fighters can be effectively utilized in the land campaign to claim High Hroth.

Unfamiliar Terrain:
The Graal are not familiar with the terrain, they have not conducted any research to prepare them for the 'inferno' conditions they face on High Hroth which are far more difficult than anything on Sorguth Prime.

High Morale:
The Graal are invading the Dronav Homeworld, as a result Dronavi troops have extremly high morale and will fight tenaciously to keep the enemy at bay.

Forces:
Graal Hegemony:
-- 6 Infantry Armies (1 at 50%)
-- 1 Artillery Division
-- 1 Fighter Wing


Dronav Holdworlds:
-- 1 Infantry Army
-- 2 Planetary Conscript Armies

Post Order:
-- Graal Hegemony
-- Dronav Holdworlds
-- ModMark

[Theopolis]

CHAPTER II

Graal 2nd Army

47th Earthshakers Infantry Division

2nd Regiment, 5th Company, Thunderers Squad

" Why's it so frakkin' hot, Chief! " One of the lumbering Pups' near the middle of the twelve man squad complained, not the first or last of the day. Thunderers Squad was one of millions of squads in the Graal 2nd Army, part of a huge invasion force on the Dronavi homeworld. The world was hot, excruciatingly hot, even for a Graal. Volcanic ash rained down for most of the day and in the distance, huge volcanoes coughed and choked putrid smog, sometimes with lava quickly following. The ground itself; rocky, without any vegetation and even seething with steam in some places was uncomfortable for the Graal to sit down on. Thunderers Squad was no different than the rest, they were the perfect template however to truly display the agony of the average Graal soldier during the Graal-Dronavi War.

" 'Cuz the little Dronavi have been buildin' and creatin' and tearin' their world apart for ages. The tectonic plates are all jacked up, the oceans all dried out! We're standin' over millions of factories right now, under 'da planet. Now enough talk, keep movin' and keep your eyes on the front! " To their left the Bloodmaw Squad traveled and to their right the Lethaltooth Squad walked. The city of Kalmar, one of only a half dozen surface based cities on the planet loomed in the distance against a backdrop of rocky spires, but somewhere in the sullen fields of crags and outcroppings was a thin line of Dronavi defenders; hunkered down to prepare against the inevitable Graal assault. They were ill equipped, only one regular for every three soldiers, and they had no armor, artillery or air support. What hope did they have?

Chief Lork was knocked out of his stupor when the pitter patter of a Dronavi Heavy Machine Gun nearly cut one of his soldiers in half, they all dove, took cover and reported their own situations.

" He's on the ridge! Dronavi Cuppo Type HMG Chief! " One of the soldiers near the front, his back to a huge rock that concealed him from the machine gunner shouted. He took a glance and spotted four helmeted heads, the machine gunner's support no doubt. It was the perfect position, with a quick, but cautious glance to his left and right he saw the soldiers of Lethaltooth and Bloodmaw also pinned down by the machine gunner's continuing, swiveling gaze. To take him out meant the death of soldiers, there were better ways to die.

" Call it in, there might be a Mothgrog in the area! " Chief Lorkin shouted, and a particular voice responded with an affirmative.

" [COM>Artillery HQ Dispatch] This is Thunderers Squad, 5th Company, 3rd Regiment .. at 566.21, 433.22 requesting Mothgrog barrage on a forward Dronavi position! "

The chatter that returned was static and hectic, as the Mothgrog Division that landed with the army was loaded with requests for artillery barrages on entrenched Dronavi, of which they had no true defense against. The comtech peaked his head over the small rock that concealed him and nodded, and within twenty minutes a screaming barrage of purple came across the horizon and slammed into the small ridge, decimating it and the small Dronavi nest that sat upon it. " Forward, " came the cries from across the line as thick debris filled the air, " Forward! For Graal! "

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Graal 2nd Army

Graal High Command

Landing Zone Mothgrog

" The entire army is advancing within two days of each other, another Lintsyian Incident* won't be a problem. We think the army will reach Kalmar within two weeks, after the Dronavi Defensive Line is broken, taking the city should be relatively easy, as what recon sorties we've launched indicate their military presence in the city is much smaller than on their Defensive Line outside of the city. " The Graal who spoke was Mil-Mognosh Gurr, Commander of the 1st Dragonwings Fighter Squadron. He was solely in charge for intelligence in the area, but his fighters were having difficulty landing on the rocky planet surface without proper landing strips, but the Graal had decided to commit all troops to battle, when Kalmar was taken they would have Dronavi landing strips to use.

" And Dronavi resistance? " Another commander asked.

" They have assembled around 400,000 soldiers here; mostly conscripts and militia to a single line outside the city to stop our advance. If we can break through, we can utilize a pincer movement or attempt to storm past them to take the city's defenses and turn them against them. They are intending to stop us it seems, instead of delay us, but they are both outnumbered and outgunned. "

" And the Gnatar? "

" He is not involved, this is entirely a military operation right now.

[/blockquote]

[Dronav Holdworlds]

Dronavi First Host
Kalmar City
The Dronavi Forces in Kalmar have been spending their weeks of waiting well. The Göngbrotsjór had prepped several hundred streets and buildings as booby-traps set to explode and collapse at the press of a button or the pull of a string. The triggers are kept simple so even the conscript units will understand their use. The majority of them are miners and factory workers so basic machines and explosives are well within their grasp. The moment the Graal infantry landed all the mortars available were unleashed on the Graal in an attempt to goad them into charging into the city. To this effect the Dronavi deployed 3,000 men 1/3 of them regulars to preform hit and run attacks on the Graal to give them tangible targets to chase into their doom. General Drenz Has sent 40,000 regulars down one of the stable chasms to flank the Graal. Having given orders that they are only attack after the main Graal infantry had moved out. They would take out or capture the enemy artillery and turn it on their previous owners. The remaining 60,000 regulars have been dispersed amongst the irregulars to keep them in line and fighting. They were prepared to make the Graal pay for every inch of Dronav soil.

[Empire of Ezria]

Moderation Mark

Initial Landing:
Without rail gun's or dedicated anti-air regiments that would've been found in armored or artillery divisions, the Dronavi defenders were forced to rely on man portable air defense systems (MANPADS) and point defense weapons to offer any kind of contest as the Graal troop ships descended. As expected, most of this fire wasn't very effective and if the Graal troop ship Harbinger of Doom hadn't been damaged in the fight over High Hroth then it no doubt would've made it to the surface unscathed. Unfortunately, the damage to the hull was severe and when several Dronavi missiles struck it, the Harbinger was forced to make an emergency landing just outside of Landing Zone Krush. The burning ship quickly disgorged thousands of survivors of the Third Army who hastily began dragging dead and dying comrades out of the ship. It will take time to restore order to the already battered Third Army.

Engagement:
The first Graal to set foot on the Red Planet were also some of the first to go down, cut to bloody bits by Dronavi heavy machine guns as they surged forwards. The roar of Dronav mortars and small field guns sent shells punching into the enemy ranks, but the Dronavi lacked the heavy guns and armored tanks that would have enabled them to deal with the Graal more effectively.

The Graal faced the heaviest resistance just beyond Landing Zone Sword (Center Line) where Dronav regulars intermingled with militia were entrenched behind barbed wire and dug into fox holes and makeshift pillboxes. Graal artillery had yet to offload in great enough numbers to clear a path for the Graal and thus the bulk of the Graal infantry remained crammed into the landing zone, firing back ineffectually while they attempted to grab whatever cover that they could as they were funneled into killing zones. By the end of the first hour, hundreds of Graal corpses littered the ground and it would get bloodier from there.

At Landing Zone Krush (Left flank) and Mothgrug (Right Flank), the circumstances were different. The bulk of the troops that the Graal were up against were not professional soldiers, but hastily conscripted militiamen. But militiamen that were motivated to fight to the last man to protect their families in the Dronav undercities. At Landing Zone Mothgrug, the Graal even made progress inching their way towards the Dronavi defensive lines. The Brutality of the Graal made them eager to engage the enemy that were cowering behind earthworks, so much so that they were fierce enough to charge machine gun nests to engage the Dronavi crew in hand to hand or work their way up to pillboxes to place thermal charges and blow them sky high. It was a vicious fight of blood, guts, and eyeballs up close. The good news for the Graal was that after four miserable (and costly) hours, they had managed to unload four field batteries that were ready to be put to use.

Dronavi Flanking Attempt (Krush):
The Dronavi force of regulars had been lying in wait, using the conditions of the planet and the hell it played with the Graal sensors to remain concealed in a small network of chasms and tunnels. When the time was right, they emerged and began to move to attack the massed Graal troops at Landing Zone Krush who were inching their way towards the Dronavi defense lines. The Graal were momentarily taken aback by the force that had arrived on their flanks, and were caught in a crossfire. However, the Graal numbers were far too numerous to be overwhelmed by the small strike force. The Dronavi punched a small hole into the Graal lines, but they would never reach the artillery pieces as the Graal quickly brought up fresh troops (more and more were disgorging from the landing ships and being brought up to the front) and threw them into the fight. The Dronavi were beaten back with heavy losses, but the main front was holding steadfast against the Graal assault.

GRAAL:

LANDING ZONE SWORD:
STATUS: Graal troops are pinned down.
--1 Graal Army at 85%
--1 Graal Army

LANDING ZONE MOTHGRUG:
STATUS: The vanguard of the Graal landing force has penetrated the Dronavi first line of defense where the troops are stubbornly resisting before balling back to secondary defensive positions.

--2 Graal Armies

LANDING ZONE KRUSH:
STATUS: Graal troops are advancing slowly due the arrival of Dronavi regulars on their flank, which have been fought off. The lead elements of the formation are now moving to their objectives. Survivors of the Harbinger are making their way into the fight and the artillery is being offloaded even under constant barrages.

--1 Graal Army at 35%
--1 Graal Army
--1 Artillery Division

DRONAV:
--1 Infantry Army at 80%
--1 Planetary Conscript Army at 90%
--1 Planetary Conscript Army

[Theopolis]

Graal 2nd Army

Graal High Command

Landing Zone Mothgrug

" How fares the war, Mil-Mognosh? " Mognosh Bock inquired to a nearby Graal Mil-Mognosh who was surveying a map. The Mil-Mognosh looked up, saw it was the Mognosh of the Navy, scowled and returned to his map. Mognosh Bock merely chuckled. For Bock the war was already on it's way out, with the Dronavi Fleet crushed, there was little else for the Graal Fleet to do. Sure, some Dronavi destroyers intercepted some Graal shipping; but it was meaningless in the long run. The Dronavi destroyers would eventually have to return home for fuel, food, et cetera and the Graal Fleet would be waiting for them. " Onward then, " Mognosh Bock croaked and continued on toward the continuing descending dropships in the distance, his own personal craft was there and he would soon return back to the Fleet.

While Mil-Mognosh Tuthra didn't answer, the war was faring rather well. His 11th "Esharan Crushers" were executing a well planned assault up the middle with only a few thousand casualties to it's name. The real game changer here was the complete disembark of the 1st "Nemean Slayer" Artillery Division and the Mothgrog Assault Units. These four-treaded crawlers bolstered huge 320mm cannons that could barrage enemy units from miles away, and they did just that; battering the enemy Dronavi Defense Line with heavy, indirect fire before the infantry units moved in for an assault. Although the Mothgrog's had bee delivered along the right flank, they were quickly reshuffled to the center where the intended breakthrough was about to happen.

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OPERATION FULL DOWN

Graal 3rd Army

14th Killsnappers Infantry Division

1st Regiment, 2nd Company, Blackmaw Squad[/color]

" For Graal! " The soldier shouted, raising the Graal Hegemony flag (which, strangely enough was the same flag as the ancient Graal Confederacy) and a half dozen soldiers charged up the hill that he stood on. A large concentration of troops had been ordered straight up the center as soon as the Mothgrog Assault Unit's arrived to help with indirect artillery fire. Operation Full Down was the intended break through of the Dronavi Line with the entire Graal 3rd Army (100,000 Graal), the maintenance of the line via the slowly advancing Graal 2nd Army also in the center, and a sweeping round about maneuver to the west to cut off the entrenched Dronavi who might attempt to retreat as their front flank slowly broke. A daring move, but one that was approved by High Command even before the Battle of High Hroth had fully ended.[/blockquote]

[Dronav Holdworlds]

Operation Gather and Pull
Dronavi First Defense Line

"Hurry it up, set the trips and get going now!" Sgt. Kolax was yelling at the irregulars as they moved to execute their orders and move further down the trench lines. High command wanted them to pull back from the trenches outside the city setting traps as they went both to make artillery targeting harder but to wear down the Graal hoping their impulsiveness would get the better of the leading them into the traps set in the trenches and possible fire from their own batteries. While the the irregulars' lack of discipline annoyed him the Esharan reporters were infuriating. They almost acted like this was a pleasure outing. Count on Eshara to send cameras when guns and ships were needed. He made them pack up and move out like all the others. Once they left the front line they'd stop at a new prepared position closer to the city where the Graal would be caught in the trenches with little room to maneuver and could be mowed down by the the HMG's waiting there for them. The withdrawal was planed to be orderly with units moving leapfrog some units moving while the others provided cover fire and set traps. Kolax was unsure how well the irregulars would preform but he'd keep them in line and doing their jobs if it was last thing he did.

[Empire of Ezria]

Moderation Mark

Engagement:
The pummeling of the Dronav center by the Graal artillery left many reeling, but it was hardly an exact science. The occasional Graal shell sailing into their own ranks due to communication difficulties and the sheer heat of the planet interfering with the generally accurate sensors of the Graal guns. It was not however, enough to stop the main assault from smashing through the lines. Foxholes and pill boxes had been flattened by the artillery shells, but it had also chewed up the ground infront of the Graal making it difficult to slog through the area in their many thousands.

It made for easy pickings as Dronavi machine gunners left alive swept the advancing force. But it was like trying to stop a tsunami from overrunning the shore. Soon, the Dronavi were in embarking on a fighting retreat. What was left of the center and right flank giving way slowly, while the left flank of the Dronavi line was cut off trapping the Dronavi Third Army as the Graal encirclement was completed. The remnants of the Dronav army withdrawing back towards the City of Kalmar. The fierce fighting on the left flank and Dronav minefields hampered a more aggressive pursuit by the Graal.



26th Infantry Regiment, Alpha Company, First Platoon:
Arik and what was left of his men scrambled out of their redoubt. A Graal artillery shell annihilated their position a moment later as the ten men eased their way against the trench wall, leaving behind a collection of his dead friends and kinsman behind them. Graal troops were punching through the lines all over, despite desperate Dronavi resistance. A quick peek over the trench confirmed his fears, the breakthrough had overrun a large portion of the Dronavi defenders, leaving them cut off as what was left of the center and right flanks began a fighting retreat back towards Kalmar. He and his men were going to die, it was only a matter of time Arik realized. He'd never get to see his newborn baby or his wife waiting for him, now no doubt crammed into a Dronavi refugee center in the capital. It wasn't blind rage that consumed him but cold realization as he hastily jammed a fresh magazine into his assault rifle.

'' What do we do sarge? '' One of his men, a conscript not even old enough to grow a beard asked him.

'' Let's see how many we can kill. '' Arik knew that there was no real chance that he could break out. But he would kill as many Graal as he could to protect his wife, with that thought in mind he and his men stepped up onto the firing step on the trench wall. What was left of the First Platoon accounted for twenty six Graal troops before they were overwhelmed. No one lived to witness their heroism.


----------------------------------------
52nd Infantry Regiment, Talon Company, Third Platoon:

The pups were eager for Dronavi blood, it took restraint (and a few blows) to keep them from charging the Dronavi lines while the artillery fire was still ongoing. It was a tense twenty minute bombardment, the ground chewed up in front of them like a titan had emerged from the bowels of High Hroth to smote the Graal invasion force.

When the shelling finally stopped, leaving only wisps of smoke and destroyed defenses to mark the target that was when Uruk shoved the nearest Graal pup forward. '' NOW! '' The troops charged towards the Dronavi lines, the scarred veteran in the lead as the increased 'pop' of Dronavi assault rifles and machine guns increased. Uruk leapt into the nearest trench, just as rounds spat death over his head from a nearby assault rifle sending several of his pups down in a wild heap of broken and bloodied limbs. They were expendable as far as he was concerned as the Graal trooper began to advance through the trench. The first Dronavi defender he saw died quickly with a burst from his shotgun, he rounded the corner to be confronted by a Dronavi machine gun nest. It's two operators far too pre-occupied to notice Uruk and his platoon. In the few seconds it took to pull the trigger, the two were slumped over the machine gun that they had been trying to unjam. Uruk paused to ease out his war knife and calmly cut a few Dronav ears off to wear as trophies.

'' GO! GO! '' The advance continued.


SUMMARY:
--Remaining Dronavi troops have withdrawn into Kalmar and are preparing to retreat back to the capital.
--1 Dronavi Army is cut off but buying time for the remaining Dronavi troops to escape
--Graal are hampered in their pursuit of the remaining Dronavi force by minefields and mop up operations of pockets of Dronavi defenders that have become cut off.

GRAAL:
--1 Infantry Army at 30%
--1 Infantry Army at 70%
--4 Infantry Armies
--1 Artillery Division


DRONAV:
--1 Infantry Army at 75%
--1 Planetary Conscript Army at 50% (CUT OFF AND SURROUNDED)
--1 Planetary Conscript Army 90%

[Theopolis]

Graal 2nd Army

The desert heat of Gruul was no comparison to the heated rock the short beard's called High Hroth. The temperature gauge read 287 Gu*, a temperature that had never been recorded on Gruul. It was no matter, Jurg swept the sweat from his huge, hairless forehead, depressed the clutch, slipped the truck into fifth gear and rode on. He was the seventh truck in a twenty-two truck convoy that was responsible for maintaining Operation Full Down. While the Graal 2nd Army rolled forward through the heavy trenches and no man's land between the Graal Armies and the Dronavi Resistance Line, the Graal 3rd Army maintained the front and kept supply units moving along. Along the road small dispatch stations were set up where the wounded were collected and food and ammunition deposits were dropped.

The convoy turned along the makeshift road, more like marked indicators in the sullen dirt where the wheeled trucks could move. The convoy pulled into the dispatch station and Jurg pulled his truck into the line, pulled it out of gear and hopped out. He meandered to the back, unhooked the latch and dropped the gate. Several soldiers rushed up and began handing the crates of ammunition and medical supplies out of the back. Jurg was a Graal, but Jurg hadn't yet seen war. He hadn't been alive for the Great Solar War and hadn't seen combat here, but he saw remnants of it.

A few thousand feet to the left, a Mothgrog sat .. it's two left treads blown to oblivion. It now was used as a sign to indicate that this particular spot was DISPATCH STATION 224 and no efforts had even been made to remove the Graal pilots from it's mangled cockpit. In the distance he saw two Mothgrog's with a swarm of infantry around them pull up to a nearby hill, raise their cannons and loose a volley that shook the very earth beneath his feet. He turned away and took a few steps across the road and entered the Medical Tent to fetch a drink. He approached one of the half dozen water tanks and extended a hand to turn the spout until another Graal gave him a shove.

" You don't need water, pup! You don't know war, yet! " The Graal that had pushed him was missing his right arm from the elbow up, the nub wrapped in a bloody blue bandage. " They need water! You, go! " He pointed to the rows of wounded Graal; some moving, others still. With a snarl, Jurg turned back and returned to his truck, which was nearly unloaded. When the truck was finished, he signed the completion form on a piece of flimsi and joined the other trucks in the convoy back south to get more supplies.

He wasn't fighting. He wasn't a soldier, but he hoped that Graal knew victory. As the truck started it's long groan to start up and he backed it up onto the road. He looked out the window back to the tent and saw the one armed Graal glaring right at him. He extended a fist out the window and roared with all the air in his chest. " For Graal! "

The Graal raised his hand, but no fist was available, only a bandaged stump. He returned the war chant.

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Operation Full Down continued with all due haste, but the Graal Armies slowed their advance to ensure that the Graal 2nd Army was well supplied and that the Dronavi Encirclement was complete and that the Dronavi would be either Annihilated or Taken Prisoner. Any attempts to surrender by the Dronavi would be accepted.

*287 Gu: About 129 degrees Fahrenheit.

[Empire of Ezria]

Moderation Mark

Summary:
With a great boom, one of the hab blocks of Kalmar began tumbling down blocking off the main road from which the Dronavi were retreating on. Similar echoes throughout the city confirmed that the Dronav would rather blow it up then leave it intact to the Graal. The tons of rock and steel effectively neutralized any chance of a swift follow up attack. It would take days if not weeks for the Graal to clean through the mine fields set outside the city and then begin moving tons of rock and debris out of the way to get down Highway 161. The Dronavi holdouts fought stubbornly, many being killed before they were captured. In the end, only a few thousand prisoners would be taken (mostly when the ammunition had run out) due to the Dronav's High Morale.



GRAAL:
--1 Infantry Army at 28%
--1 Infantry Army at 67%
--4 Infantry Armies
--1 Artillery Division


DRONAV:
--1 Infantry Army at 75%
--1 Planetary Conscript Army destroyed.
--1 Planetary Conscript Army 90%