Ablaze Ch.2: Contact at Ruthvale
A short chapter on the day after the invasion started.
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May 20, Y874 - Kargona - 40 miles inside Coralus - Noon
An endless column of tanks races down the road, past Gardurze Falksen. They are his tanks, the tanks of Fourteen Corps.
"To the last stop!" Gardurze shouts to the unbuttoned tank commander.
"All aboard for Bloven!" the commander shouts back to the wolf as the Jagger rumbles by him.
Over the course of two days, eight counter-attacks have been launched by the Coralian, and all were beaten back. Fourteen Corps is now racing east, deeper into Coralus, pushing ever closer to the Coralian capitol of Bloven. Already, Kargan forces are two hundred miles inside Coralian borders. It is actually working; the Lightning Battle Plan is working! Coralus did not expect armored warfare on such a scale, or the battle plan that they, the Kargans, have used. Actually, Coralus doesn't have sufficient countermeasures either. It seems their military is lacking in everything. The supposedly vicious air force is consisted of Postwar Era fighter aircraft, as is everything else in their inventory. Of course, the only real exception is the Gladiator-2, an actual modern MBT.
At sea, Kargan subs are ravaging AON convoys trying desperately to transport much-needed supplies from Trunicia to Contrael. On some occasions the Coralians put up a good fight, but they are evidently under-equipped and starting to run low on supplies.
Volt laughs to himself softly. Right there was Falksen, Gardurze Falksen! He is the father of Kargona's tank arm, and the creator of the Lightning Battle Plan. Kern, who is also outside of the tank's hatch, ponders at Volt's earlier comment.
"How long do you think it'll take before we reach Bloven?" he asks, grinning.
"I'd say we get there in another two weeks. We're about forty miles in already, and we've broken through the Coralian main defenses," Volt responds confidently. Kern leans forward, resting his head on the pintle-mounted G68 general-purpose machine gun in front of him.
"At this rate, we're going to take Contrael before we know it!"
(.....)
"What are those tanks doing?" a Coralian Lieutenant Colonel asks. The fox studies a group of Kargan tanks through his binoculars. A force of Kargan heavy combined elements, likely from Armored Brigade 6 that recon reported in the area, gradually makes its way down a paved road in the distance. The mix of tanks and mechanized infantry carriers is about a company in strength. A column of Jagger main battle tanks precede forward on the road, while a few others flank them, their treads leaving deep marks in the grassy terrain. Following behind the tanks are several mechanized fighting vehicles.
Fortunately the skies are clear today, but it's not the weather that the AON Colonel is concerned with. A major counterattack was launched by his fellow Coralians on the other side of the front, and Kargan air elements are currently occupied with CAS missions there. This leaves only a pawful of fighter aircraft, mostly air-superiority fighters, with the job of striking ground targets in his area of operations. Thus, the fox feels reasonably safe enough to lie prone on the hilltop and observe enemy movement.
Today is only the second day into the war, and apparently the Coralian government has both underestimated the enemy's military strength and overestimated its own. Popular belief was that the NSU would replicate the Last War by first eliminating the minor AON countries before focusing all its might on Coralus and Agrium. Instead, Kargona cut off the central Contrael nations from the sea, their only viable escape route. A single mechanized division was tasked with taking down central Contrael. Meanwhile, the rest of the military immediately launched an offensive against Coralus while Arcania took on Agrium. Needless to say, the Coralians are rather unprepared for this war.
This is further emphasized by the current situation. The Kargan Air Branch has almost completely wiped out the Coralus air force. Convoys bringing badly needed supplies are constantly raided, with throughput estimated at around 10%. The aging fleet is having trouble effectively engaging the enemy. Kargan tanks easily broke through the border defenses, with reinforcements pouring through the newly created hole. Friendly troops along the border were forced to retreat, or be encircled. Now the enemy is about fifty miles inside Coralus with their eyes on the capital, Bloven!
"What? Let me take a look," the husky next to him, his executive officer, asks. The fox paws over his binoculars, pointing to a paved road in the distance.
"Along that road there, the tanks are avoiding Ruthvale altogether!" the fox says in disbelief. The tank battalion was stationed at the town of Ruthvale to defend it from an impending attack by approaching Kargan tanks, tanks that are completely avoiding them! This didn't make any sense. If the tanks advance right past Ruthvale, their flanks would be left vulnerable, and of course they could be cut off. If Coralian officer waits for the company to advance further, he can launch an attack on their flanks and have a decent chance of emerging victorious. Of course, it would only be a local victory and have little effect on the strategic level.
"What are they trying to do?" the husky mutters. The mechanized force, about the size of a company, continues to advance further east. They are heading east...then he suddenly realizes. It is so simple, ingenious, outrageous, and risky.
"They're bypassing us, they're heading directly for Bloven!" the XO says.
The realization hits the colonel like a brick wall. They are sacrificing their protection for the offensive, and in this scenario, that offensive means everything.
"Damn it...damn it!" the fox exclaims. "Bloven falls, the rest of Coralus follows!"
This might just be their chance. If he waits for the Kargan armor to pass, he can cut them off and destroy them. He can't achieve a strategic victory, but the fox is damned sure he could win on the tactical level and make a difference, however small it may be in the grand battle plan.
(.....)
While moving through friendly territory, it is permitted for tank loaders and commanders to be unbuttoned and observe through the tank's hatch. However, in a firefight, standard operating procedures and common sense dictate that all hatches should be closed unless spotting (although this is discouraged) or operating the machine guns mounted on the roof. But again it changes when moving through enemy territory but not under fire.
Volt is spotting through the Jagger's hatch, head only slightly poking outside the protection of the turret. A few trees loosely line the side of the road, and the cool air blows through the wolf's exposed fur. He could almost say it is nice to fight in Coralus, with its beautiful environment and terrain, and its pleasant temperature and weather. If only he could rip off the tanker's helmet confining his head, ears especially. Due to the design of the helmets, tankers are forced to fold their ears down, pinning them under the helmet for extended periods of time. As if that wasn't enough, a bunch of cumbersome radio equipment for communication on the company-level and down has to be shoved into their ears. Fucking SOP, Volt thinks to himself. Well, it did have its purpose in the end. The tanks of Alpha Company roll down the road at around twenty miles per hour with the mechanized infantry following immediately behind. The rest of the 2nd Battalion is a few miles back up the road.
Without a warning of any type, one of the infantry fighting vehicles near the back of the column explodes. All the vehicles halt almost immediately.
"Coralian armor, five o'clock, cresting the hill!" the radio quickly spits out.
Volt turns around and quickly sees tanks on a hill they just passed, Coralian tanks with their signature block-like turret.
"Sten, engage tanks at four, range two thousand! Fire when ready!" the wolf shouts as he drops down into the turret. Sten is already quickly rotating the turret, and the driver also turns the tank to both face the enemy faster, and point the stronger frontal armor against the enemy. The rest of the Coralian tanks fire, hitting a few exposed vehicles. All Kern needs to hear is that they are targeting enemy armor. He pulls out a 120mm APFSDS and rams it into the gun's breech.
"Loaded!" Kern shouts.
"1-3, round out!" Sten shouts.
The wolf presses down on the trigger, firing the powerful 120mm main gun, causing the tank to lurch from the exploding propellant. The large tungsten dart flies through the air, easily cutting through a Gladiator-1's armor and causing the ammunition inside to detonate. The rest of A Company's tanks also fire back as the Coralians reload. The IFVs stuck on the open road quickly pull behind some trees for cover, allowing the infantry to dismount. Kargan ATGM teams set up their equipment and fire back, with lethal precision.
Fighting in relatively flat terrain with little cover, the Kargans are at a disadvantage. The Coralians utilize the hills for defilade, putting the battle in their favor. The Kargans call in support. All available air elements are sent to relieve A Company. The rest of 2nd Battalion is also pushed forward to relieve the company. Only after two and a half hours with heavy air support and the rest of their battalion arriving to their aid is the Coralian attack repulsed.