Greatest Battles Fought by Your Nation

[Blakullar]

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What was the greatest battle that your nation has ever fought? Where (and when) was it fought? What war (if any) was it a part of? How many combatants were on each side? Did your nation win?

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There are a few candidates for 'greatest battle ever fought by the Mechanocracy of Russia', excluding cataclysmic confrontations in the Second World War waged by our predecessor state, the Soviet Union. Just two of the greatest (so far) are, in chronological order, listed below.

The Charge over the Grosser Priel (20/11/2142) is one of them. This ferocious confrontation between the Eighth VDV Regiment, which sent an armoured brigade close to seven thousand-strong, and as many as 100,000 troops of the European Federation, took place during the Second Russo-European War, fought from 2141 to April 2145. The Eighth VDV, commanded by the legendary warrior General Elena Trotskaya and fourteen additional supersoldiers from the Chthonian brotherhood, was deployed to assault the weakest point in the Szczecin/Trieste Line, Europe's strongest defensive 'wall' protecting Germany and the rest of central Europe from invasion - the Totes Gebirge mountain range, the centrepiece of which was the peak of Grosser Priel in Austria. Although it was the weakest point, it was still immensely strong, and it took the Eighth VDV nearly six hours just to dislodge the first line. Things took a turn towards a bloodbath, however, when Federal commanders, seeing that Trotskaya's troops were making headway, panicked and rushed out all of their remaining armoured units in a desperate counter-charge. What transpired next has entered the great mythology of the nation as one of hell's battles: casualty figures vary, but the most conservative figures place the dead at 5,500 Mecharussian troops, including eight Chthonians, and 74,000 dead Federal troops. Either way, the victory for the Mecharussian side was near total, with European morale along the entire Szczecin/Trieste Line dropping like a lead balloon once news of the defeat at Grosser Priel broke and allowing forces up north to invade Germany. To this day, the gates of the Totes Gebirge remain an untouched graveyard as a silent reminder of the horrific conflagration that transpired there.

The other is the Battle of Ludendorff Bridge (2/10/2144). On the flip-side to Grosser Priel, this was a Thermopylae-esque battle fought by the Third Odessa Regiment, which dispatched a six thousand-strong brigade to seize the bridge at Remagen over the Rhine during the Second Russo-European War. However, they were confronted by the Hell Brigade - the elite of the European Federation Enforcer Corps' formidable military forces. So began a long siege in which a piecemeal force of thirty Federal troops managed to hold off a battlegroup nearly 200 times their size for three weeks. The Europeans were hopelessly outnumbered and heavily outgunned, but they had already blown up the bridge when the Russians got there, orbital bombardment support was disabled by Frenkish ASATs (the New Frenco Empire had been supporting the European Federation) and a tank group sent from Frankfurt (which had fallen the day before the battle) was held up by resistance. On the Friday of the third week of the siege, the Hell Brigade finally ran out of ammunition, allowing the Odessa Regiment to cross the Rhine with ease. When they reached the Federal positions, it was found that they had all committed suicide to avoid being taken prisoner. Thus ended the only true setback faced by the Mechanocratic Armed Forces in the Second Russo-European War, but it was serious enough that it stopped them from advancing further: the Hell Brigade's final stand had bought Federal forces enough time to fortify the nearby E31 motorway, creating a stalemate from Ijmuiden in the Netherlands to Chioggia in Italy that lasted until March 2145, the month that the Siege of London took place. As for the Hell Brigade, they were given a soldiers' funeral after the war by the Odessa Regiment in honour of their valiant last stand, with the families of the fallen men and women attending the event at the Golden Meile stadium on the European side of Remagen.

[Gigaverse]

There were several that could have earned the title. A few were during World War III (Reich-Sphere World War timeline) against Nazi Germany, one during the second phase of the Second War in Heaven, and the last marking the start of Phantom Crusade - both the military expedition and the eponymous organization.

• The Battle of Tokyo (1973) in WWIII was, ironically, fought between two Imperial political factions, Shukyu-ha (Japanese for "Old Guard") and Ishin-ha (Japanese for "Reformist Faction") - the former of whom was, until that point, the government; but the latter of whom had overwhelming popular support. With the previous surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Old Guard, where the Pacific Armada composed of warships from several navies were targeted along with the center of Eastern Pacific Government-General, most members of the Co-Prosperity Sphere had switched recognition over to the Reformist government. The Reformists' alliance landing was followed by their call for uprising throughout the archipelago, before their full-scale offensive against the capital began. Besieged and threatened with popular opinion, the paranoids within the Old Guard held everyone in Tokyo hostage and decided to pull a "last stand" against the foreign invaders. Political pressure gave way for military action, and after half a month along with hundreds of thousands of casualties and innumerable defections, Imperial General Headquarters finally raised the white flag on July 13th, 1973. World War III did not end there, but a part of it was indeed wrapped up - not before killing countless more people than the Germans were already doing, however.

• The Battle of Korea (late 1973-early 1974) was another long and bloody battle, taking place almost immediately after the above Battle of Tokyo. Free-for-all warfare among various Korean nationalist organizations and the local Old Guard-dominated Government-General led to chaos and deaths of scales resembling the Fall of Moscow in World War II. Then, the Nazi Party, believing it can make the stalemate in Manchuria and the little lands left of the Russian Republic by mounting a full-scale invasion of Korea by way of paratroopers, immediately approved said plan without consulting and despite protests from Wehrmacht commanders. Then, the Reformists and their Sphere allies showed up, deciding that they would be the ones to break the stalemate and regain lost Siberian territories as part of their "Meat Grinder" strategy. After months of city-to-city urban warfare, the Reformists' alliance finally wrestled control of the peninsula over all other factions and swept Korea clean of German presence, as Wehrmacht officers had correctly predicted. This event was one of many of the War's turning points, as the Wehrmacht began exhibiting much greater dissatisfaction towards the leadership in Welthauptstadt Germanien.

• The Battle of Terra (Date: [DATA EXPUNGED]) was both the end and the darkest period of the Second War in Heaven, which had originally liberated the world from the clutches of the False Gods. Motivated by various factors - most prominently hatred, the human-supremacist Purist Faction launched a battle of unseen proportions throughout the entire Core System, in a desperate attempt to stop the Imperial government from expanding to accommodate "impure mutants" - who had previously been designated "human subspecies" due to their great similarities to average humanity in most aspects. Rampaging and massacring everywhere they went, the Purists however refused to make use of latest technological breakthroughs and magical knowledge. Although eventually failing to produce any change and the Purist Faction's leaders were kept under the watch of the newly-regrouped Holy Office of the Inquisition, the cataclysm was however notable for being the first planet-scale rebellion to affect the rest of the space-spanning Empire, the first to widely employ magic alongside cutting-edge technology (at least, on the Imperial government's part), and served as the catalyst for the eventual transition of the Empire to become the Holy Imperium, not so long after.

• The Battle of Mount Immerus (Date: [DATA EXPUNGED]) allowed renegade Knight Marshal Phantom of the Calvarian Order/Order of the Skull to openly challenge his Order and become a formidable force on his own, operating completely independently of the Order. Having previously been suspected as being responsible for several strange events on planet Necrocaelia, the Knight Marshal held three of the Order's most powerful figures beside him and the Grand Master as hostage, easing the battle as largely between him and the Calvarian Grand Master. Surrounded on all sides of the Mountain and with little forces at his disposal, the Knight Marshal still managed to flank and cause massive damages to the Order's armies, forcing the Grand Master to retreat. Once having returned the hostages to the Grand Master, Knight Marshal Phantom would declare the name-change of his then unorganized supporters into Phantom Crusade. It could also be considered the first battle of the expedition of the same name.

[Anollasia]

What was the greatest battle that your nation has ever fought?

The Battle of Avon

Where (and when) was it fought? What war (if any) was it a part of?

It took place near the village of Avon (now a suburb of Jefferton) from August 23 to September 10, 1760. It was part of the Anollasian War of Independence (1725-1760).

How many combatants were on each side?

Anollasians had an approximate amount of 400 000, while the British had approximately 700 000 troops.

Did your nation win?

Yes, after warrior Richard Shephard killed many of the British troops, giving the Anollasians an advantage. As a result, we became completely independent.

[Newne Carriebean7]

What was the greatest battle that your nation has ever fought?
in terms of sheer numbers, the Battle of Huston. the battle began on May 3rd, 1924 and ended on July 19th,1925, after a defeat at chargen's bluff the previous week ago,when the Baron Count of Baja California Jared Hunter led the army of the empire, a total of 3 million strong, almost 3/5ths of the entire Carriebeanian army to the city of Huston to try and win the war. he sent a messenger into the city to ask if the Texans would surrender. the messenger came back with a head missing a a pineapple stuck to it instead with the words 'go to hell' imprinted on it. the 239 Carriebean heavy cannons fired the same afternoon onto the city of 150,000 people. almost one tenth of the population fled within the first day, and the convoys of people were caught by the Carriebean Calvary, which burned the civilians alive for spite at killing a Carriebeanian officer over a disagreement with time.

the carriebeanian air force bombed the city daily, the emperor, David III, began to devote more and more troops away from the campaign onto a grand offensive along the entire front, into the city of Huston. by mid October of the year, over 300,000 people were fighting in the city, and hundreds more flooded in daily, Jared Hunter was appointed the commander of the Huston Front, and began several offensives around the city to build forts and bombard the enemy. by December, the city was encircled and the Americans controlled only 3/10ths of the city, and food was running low. but on christmas day, 1925, over 350 tanks and a quarter of two million men advanced around the carriebeanian Imperial Army, which cut off their supply routes. but the city fell on January 14th,1925. Hunter had a problem now, he controlled the city, but he needed to leave the city, he began operation gobstopper, where he tried a total of 27 different assaults and breakout attempts lasting a week every month until July 10th, when the Americans broke through the siege defenses of the carriebean forces, and american General Douglas MacArthur accepted the surrender of Carriebean general Hunter's starving 2,063,303 surviving troops, one of the largest carriebeanian surrenders until two weeks later, with 3,000,000 men
Where (and when) was it fought?
Huston,Texas, from May 3rd,1924 to July 10th,1926
What war (if any) was it a part of?
the Carriebeanian- American war( January 1924-October 1926)
How many combatants were on each side? Did your nation win?
the american numbers, based on records were 3 million men in the siege at all times, the carriebeanians had an equal number of troops, however, both sides were receiving reinforcements and so these numbers fluctuate in the records.
The carriebeanians lost 695,388 killed and 241,309 wounded, along with 2,063,303 captured forces.
the Americans had lost 123,567 killed and 294,116 wounded, leaving a total of 2,583,317 men in fighting condition.
no, the carriebeanian forces had suffered our equivalent of Stalingrad, and were never able to go on the offensive for the remainder of the war.

[Aterria]

What was the greatest battle that your nation has ever fought?
The Battle of Paris (Not Greatest, but certainly one of the bloodiest)

Where (and when) was it fought?
Paris, France, July 1951 - January 1952

What war (if any) was it a part of?
The 2nd Eurasian War

How many combatants were on each side?
An estimated 2.5 million Aterrians, 800,000 French, and up to 1.5 million Germans + 600,000 other Axis. (500,000 Italians)
Some ~1-1.5 million civilians were caught in the crossfires.

Did your nation win?
We won, although casualty rates were staggering (around 1.7 million if figures be used)

The Battle of Paris was one of the culminating events of the 2nd Eurasian War. A few years back, Aterrian troops had landed on the Iberian peninsula, and were fighting a low and arduous war towards Germany. It was by July 1951 that large portions of the Aterrian military and elements of the Free French forces had finally reached within 100 miles of the French Capital. Unfortunately for them, there had been plenty of time for the Axis powers to prepare, and many multitudes of defenses: ranging from bunkers and trenches to naval fortress emplacements and missile batteries. Despite the availability of nuclear weapons, the French had specifically argued for the Aterrians to not use them, after all, this was their homeland, and they didn't want it irradiated. So what followed was a long slog towards Paris. It took many months, and near constant fighting cost Aterria thousands of men every day. Despite massive setbacks, we pushed on, and finally reached the city. By that point, what was left of those miles of country we passed had been turned into a rubble-strewn, desolate wasteland, filled with the rotting bodies of dead soldiers and burning husks of destroyed vehicles. By that point, French leadership had thought if would be easier just to nuke the nazis.

The battle at Paris wasn't much better than the fight getting there, and is often argued as being far worse. Street to street fighting took quite a toll on Aterria's inexperienced conscripts, and tanks didn't really help. The battle was finally ended when a 200 kiloton bomb was detonated in city center, wiping out the last Axis resistance. We didn't realize that thousands of our own troops where in that area. Needless to say, we won, but we definitely hope a battle like that won't ever occur again.

Ending figures place Aterrian loses at 1,167,000 dead and 654,000 wounded. French loses rose to 590,000, including 310,000 dead. The Axis powers suffered an estimated 1,389,900 dead and 578,200 wounded.

[WTF State]

The freedom war against the nation killers as we call them. They came and started bombing us, and they used the Topol-M nuke to Destroy our last country killing millions, only five millions of us survived.

[Merchpolis]

Greatest battle was a series of skirmishes along the Southern coast of the Disputed Lands during our war of Independence. We lost most of the land battles but maintained enough control over the seas to be de-facto independent.

[Outer Sparta]

What was the greatest battle that your nation has ever fought?
Liberation of Antioch (or Second Battle of Antioch, Second Siege of Antioch)

Where (and when) was it fought?
Antioch, 1998 of January

What war (if any) was it a part of?
Sparta-Thebes War (1993-1998)

How many combatants were on each side?
Sparta: 3 million
Thebes: 4 million

Did your nation win?
Yes, and it marked the beginning of the end for Thebian occupation of Sparta. In the early stages of the liberation, Leonidas had gathered many troops and air personnel to the city outskirts. Antioch was a stroghold for Thebes, and the only way to reach Sparta was to attack Antioch, because Thebes held a blockade on Sparta, the capital, preventing access to the capital. Extensive raids destroyed Thebian outposts, and on January 1, 1998, the liberation started. Millions of Spartan troops charged into the city, while Thebian troops were defending their stronghold. The Spartan air force cut off supplies by destroying various farms owned by Thebes in rural Antioch. With Thebes desperate, they decided to massacre the civilians, much to the anger of Sparta. They then encircled the city on February 18, cut off all Thebian supplies for good, and demanded them to stop the massacre and surrender the city, or else they face the harshest of consequences. Thebian forces got a message from their leader, who refused to surrender nor retreat, and have the air force of Thebes come to support them. It was an utter failure. The SAF intercepted the incoming jets to Antioch and took them all down, with help from Knossos. Meanwhile, in Antioch, the Spartan Army took the city on February 28, ending Thebian occupation. Casualties were enormous; 500,000 for Sparta and 3.9 million for Thebes, which was practically their whole army, with the rest held prisoner. In addition, 1.1 million civilians are estimated to have been killed in that one battle, with half of them killed by Thebian forces. Leonidas was able to march into Sparta, break the blockade, and defend Parliament, and was declared a war hero for this battle. Antioch began rebuilding, and has a gigantic peace garden in the middle to remember this liberation and for the hard work of the Spartan Armed Forces.

[Herador]

What was the greatest battle that your nation has ever fought?
Two, depending on what criteria: The Battle of the Bulge (specifically the siege of Bastogne), in which ~800 Heradorian tankers spread across three companies fought, first in their modified M8's (upgunned to the Sherman's 75mm). When the M8's ran low on fuel and ammo and largely froze over, the tankers then used their M1 Carbines and guns stripped from their M8's in continued defence. Fewer than 200 Heradorians would leave Bastogne alive.

The greatest battle in terms of Heradorian soldiers involved and enemies killed is the Battle of Ahvaz during the second Gulf War. A Heradorian Cavalry Task Force engaged a force of Iraqi Republican Guard tank units retreating away from the main Coalition force towards Baghdad. Over a period of several hours the Heradorian forces engaged and destroyed somewhere in the realm of 90 tanks.

[The Soviet German Union]

What was the greatest battle that your nation has ever fought?
The Blockade of Leningrad
Where (and when) was it fought?
1941 - 1944
What war (if any) was it a part of?
The Great Patriotic War (aka. WW2)
How many combatants were on each side?
Attackers: 800.000 (German Reich)
Defenders: 1.100.000 Total: 900.000 (Soviet Union), 200.000 (Soviet German Union)
Did your nation win?
Yes, the Comintern won. After several years of siege, the Germans were beaten back.

[United Sates of Merica]

*Siege of Acre
* Bannockburn

[Oceara]

Largest Space Battle - Battle for the Aziria System (2600 AD), Ocearan Victory. Nearly 2 Billion warships deployed.
Most well-executed space battle plan - Elyse's Triumph (3108 AD), Crushing Ocearan Victory. 200 Million warships deployed.
Largest Land Battle - Battle for Delius-IV (2892 AD), Pyrrhic Ocearan Victory. 1.16 Trillion Combatants Deployed(Including non-sentient robots).
Most well-executed land battle plan - Boarding of the Alluxian Star (2600 AD), Crushing Ocearan Victory. 200 Ocearan Special Forces deployed, 750 Ocearan power armor troops deployed, 1,200 Alluxite special forces deployed.

All of these occurred during the 508 Years' War(2600-3108 AD) which was Oceara's largest scale war to date, where Oceara stood alone against 480 other interstellar empires(Briefly 481) in a war of complete domination over the M82 Galaxy. The War was so cataclysmic that the galactic population of 3108 AD was a little less than half of what it was in 2600 AD.

[Secilian Federation]

G

[Rebirth Union]

From bigger to smaller wars.
Tasmanian Intervention (1993-2000)
Rebirth Union was growing rapidly in the 90's, and was a nation that originated from war-torn Tasmania. In the early 20th century, Tasmania was nothing but a bunch of nations competing violently for the entire island, and in the 90's it still was nothing more than that. President Daniel Sydney decided to send troops into Tasmania to help the southwest nation of Tak-Tak, a once okay nation seeking peace that was bombed and downgraded into the stone age (which it was then renamed to Tak-Tak). It was the only nation that wanted to help Rebirth Village during the early 1900's. The Tak-Takans were given Unitarian guns and helped to stop the other countries which wanted to enslave everyone. Unfortunately, Tasmania was completely a guerrilla warfare battlefield, which prevented much progress since the other, smaller armies were always on the go. Northwest Tasmania was the main target, and 1,120 of their soldiers were killed while a whopping 1,800 Unitarian soldiers were killed as well as 2,000 Tak-Takans. The remaining troops were sent home scarred, and the intervention was considered worthless making it the nastiest war of Rebirth Union.

The War on Immature Brats (1987-1989)
No. This wasn't a joke. Teenagers and kids began a rebellion over all adults and authorities and wanted to overrun the government with the ideas of fascism and destroying all Unitarian culture. By 1988, over 200 teenagers were in it and killed an approximate 120 people from simply burning work buildings, making this the deadliest terrorist attack on Rebirth Union. Since they had no knowledge over how to plan attacks, the threat was quickly neutralized by 1989 when the military and law enforcement found their biggest hiding place in rural Oakland, arresting all of them and sending most to the Jack (The biggest Unitarian prison in Jackson Megacity) for arson as well as murder.

[The Republic Of Arkan]

Two battles, both key in history.

What was the greatest battle that your nation has ever fought?
The Battle of Arkania. A three day battle that showcased Arkanis's (Later known as Arkan) air and ground forces against Uliv's ground and oceanic forces over the island city of Arkania.

Where (and when) was it fought?
In/Over/Around the island city of Arkania. March 18, 706 - March 20, 706

What war (if any) was it a part of?
The Arkanian Civil War (704-707)

How many combatants were on each side?
Roughly 50,000 Arkanian's against 40,000 Ulivian's. Arkanis lost 1/3 of it's force, whilst Uliv lost 2/3 of it's force.

Did your nation win?
Arkanis won the bloody conflict, leaving half of of the collective forces dead, and nearly 30,000 civilians killed. After Arkania, Arkanis forces swept back down into the mainland country, and, a year later, would lead into...

What was the greatest battle that your nation has ever fought?
The Siege of Uliv

Where (and when) was it fought?
In/Around Uliv. April 30, 707 - July 17, 707

What war (if any) was it a part of?
The Arkanian Civil War (704-707)

How many combatants were on each side?
Started as 10,000 Arkanis Siege troops against roughly 50,000 Ulivian troops, ended as roughly 80,000 Arkanis Troops against 4,000 Ulivian troops.

Did your nation win?
Yes, which would lead to the end of the Arkanian Civil War. The three month siege was planned by commander Adren Sasa, who's son later would become the first leader of Arkan, David Sasa. Uliv surrendered the next day, leading to nearly 2,000 executions over the next four years, until the next civil strife, in 714. That would go on till late 718, once again seeing Arkanis defeating the rebels. Sadly, Adren Sasa was killed off during this war due to a sniper.

[New Phyrreus]

The Battle at Zarkin-Vygora, 912 BCE. Part of the Szardarian incursions of 919 - 912 BCE.

Background

Relegated to an almost semi-mythical confrontation in Phyrrean Culture is the battle at Zarkin-Vygora, waged in late May of 890 BCE, being that it was a decisive turning point in the prevention of the spread of Szardarian influence, and of securing the prevalence of Phyrrean civilization since. The Szardarians had been a loose collection of nomadic fiefdoms and clans indigenous to the Eastern Steppes; subsisting in mostly hunter-gatherer communities and often sending trade West. In 923 BCE the Chief of the Karzin Tribe, Palkov IV, perhaps the most influential and warlike of the Szardars, found his power usurped by his son, Varsuk, (often called Varsuk the First, the Vengeful, or the Terrible in later texts) who set about establishing a ruthless hegemony over other tribes, and proclaiming the first 'Szardarian Empire'. To the West however, the client nations of the Misaelian league, concerned over the unity of the Szardarian clans, attempted to provide military support to his father in his struggle to regain power, in order to remove this threat to the East. The Battle of Khalkin in 920 BCE ended in disaster for the 12,000 men of the first coalition, with agile Szardarian cavalry outflanking and encircling the compact phalanxes of Chaea and Aetol. Varsuk infamously paraded his still-breathing father in front of his capital at Tzelvod impaled on a stake, as well as the Chaean general Versumnos and the Aetolian Prince Arminius - Varsuk soon set his eyes West. Chaea and Aetol were infuriated, and called upon the Misaelian League to mobilize its army to destroy this barbarian Varsuk. They took 40,000 men East as part of the second coalition, winning major preliminary victories at Harsin and Khorvul in 918 BCE, but were hindered by a strict scorched earth policy, and were unable to bring about a crushing defeat upon the seemingly inexhaustible supply of Szardarian infantry. The light Szardarian troops were unable to tackle the heavy Misaelian phalanxes easily, despite their number. Varsuk instead relied upon his skirmishers and weak infantry to draw them into a narrow passe at Volgo in 917 BCE, whereupon they were massacred to a man. Varsuk's general, Azdrubal, led a second army to the North East across seemingly impassible mountain routes - this razed the Corvoan capital to the ground in 915, as well as the city states of Varseia and Phylium in 914. The Misaelian league was in crisis; its senate at Selacuse was divided upon those who argued for unity, those who wished to sue for peace, and those who wanted to withdraw their troops for their own defence. Phyrreus was at this time primarily a naval power, its main contribution in the Misaelian league was the command of its fleets against the roving flotillas of Szardar in the Carnal Sea, as it only employed a small 1,000 strong band of infantry for its own defense. Severus IV, the nation's current Strategos, offered the Misaelian Senate his command to lead a third coalition against Szardar - if only to increase Phyrrean standing on the continent - though few headed his call for troops. The now stateless and leaderless Varseian army offered its full strength, as did Lhysus, Gordaia and Chaea - bringing the strength of the third coalition to around 30,000.

Severus brings Azdrubal to Battle

Azdrubal's army, now weary from their march, attempted to retreat West to link up with Varsuk's main force and march on the capital at Selacuse. Severus gave chase to the army, and in doing so took his forces away from the defence of the capital - whose denizens began to flee in panic. Seizing an opportunity for glory, Azdrubal turned his army around on the main road toward the city, and marched at full speed. Believing he had outmaneuvered Severus, he discovered to his great surprise in early April to find 30,000 Misaelians drawn up in two lines on the road between he and his prize, with their backs to the river Zarkin - Severus' scouts had deceived him into thinking his main force was some 10 miles to his East. With his 70,000 strong army short of food, exhausted and discontented he was forced to give battle despite wishing to wait for Varsuk's reinforcements. In typical Szardarian fashion, light infantry would swarm the bristling spears of the phalanxes piecemeal and fall back in the hopes of luring soldiers away from their shield wall. This failed to happen, and Azdrubal was then forced to order his entire army forward in order to 'break up' the dense formations for the cavalry - his cavalry however had been 'allowed' to plunder Severus' baggage train to his rear, and were quickly dispatched by waiting skirmisher units. Azdrubal's infantry had, at appalling cost, managed to overwhelm the first line, and rushed to attack the phalanxes behind, but were quickly driven back. Severus then ordered the second line forward, and soon the Szardarians found themselves trapped between two massed blocks of troops. In their panic to escape, some 60,000 Szardarians were killed - most when rushing toward the cruel waters of the Zarkin, they were hacked to pieces.

Confrontation with Varsuk at Vygora

Azdrubal journeyed south to meet up with Varsuk with the remnants of his army, and told him of his crushing defeat. Varsuk was unsympathetic, and had his general impaled as he had done his father some 7 years previous. He still had a huge force of over 110,000 troops with which to counter Severus, however he chose, instead of marching to meet him, to lead his army toward Phyrreus. Severus, knowing he had been outmaneuvered, force-marched his army for 20 days, covering an astonishing 150 miles to encounter Varsuk's forces at the sun-beaten gates of the town of Vygora - 5 miles from Phyrreus and already evacuating its citizens by sea. His army however was battered and exhausted, having lost 5,000 men to Azdrubal and to their brutal journey. More to his horror, were the 18 war elephants Varsuk had brought with him, and that were now directed toward his own troops, along with the dense lines of Szardarian infantry. Severus arranged his men into a wedge shape, unable to counter the inevitable flank attacks, but placed at the fore his weakest and most exhausted infantry, while on the flanks were his cavalry, and his own Phyrrean band. Varsuk, knowing Azdrubal's attempt to lure the Misaelians from their phalanxes failed at the Zarkin, opted to go for a quick, crushing blow, and sent his elephants and 80,000 of his soldiers straight toward Severus' troops. Many of the beasts' encounters with the 16 feet long Sarissa of the infantry were enough to deter them from their attack, and as a result many stampeded back through the ranks. Those that didn't, however, cut swathes through the lines, and the wedge was forced back as the weight of the infantry impacted its apex. In an unprecedented display, Severus' skirmisher troops and heavy cavalry managed to sufficiently pin down the remaining 30,000 Szardar infantrymen, left under Varsuk's Captain Mamluk that their advance to the far left and attempted encirclement of Severus' phalanxes came to a complete halt - Mamluk ordering them into defensive schiltrons to avoid the weight of the cuirassiers' charge. The troops attacking the flanks of his army faced an great line of jagged steel, quickly were they hemmed in and dispatched - however his centre was beginning to seriously waver, and fell back. Varsuk, sensing the imminent collapse of the line, ordered in his prize cavalry from the flanks to break through and finish the remaining soldiers, though amidst the packed infantry their effectiveness was reduced almost to nought, and they proved easy pickings for the archers - nonetheless, Severus' centre was now almost at breaking point. At this crucial stage, Severus' flanks were now at the forefront of his army, and he order them toward each other perpendicular to his centre line. The result was that the great bulk of Varsuk's army were caught in a vicious pincer, and inexorably surrounded and packed in tightly. Unable even to swing their weapons, crushed by the heat and incredible weight of the phalanxes, they were viciously cut down - along with Varsuk himself, slain by a several sword thrusts and an axe blow. In all, around 86,000 Szardarians were killed for the equivalent of 12,000 Misaelians.

Aftermath

Severus' third coalition had suffered grievously - only 12,000 of his original 30,000 men remained alive, and of these 4,000 were wounded. They had however laid waste to the goals of the Szardarian empire, which in its campaigns had lost almost 300,000 men, and over half of these to Severus - a blow from which it would never recover. After Varsuk's death, it collapsed once more into a number of warring tribes. The Misaelian league had lost over 70,000 trained men, however, and thousands more civilians. Such destruction paved the way for the Phyrrean rise to dominance - showing itself a true military power both on land and at sea. It also prevented the almost inevitable destruction of Phyrrean culture, as well as the likely influx of the significantly more regressive Szardarian way of life. It's this turning point, as well as the allowing Phyrreus to effectively 'hegemonize' the remaining states of Misaelia, that cements the battle at Zarkin-Vygora as our culture's most famous.