13th of April 1929
Southern Smirsja, Northwestern Indianum
The march of a million boots echoed across the land, engines roaring alongside it. It was the sound of the eastern men, the Skartentine Ground Forces. Proud warriors of the Kingdom, these men were in their great majority veterans, some from the Nine Years War and some from the more recent Consolidationist Insurgency. But nevertheless, they had all seen combat in some way. Already proficient with the tradition of war, these men were ready to throw their lives in danger to secure the interests of their nation.
Their objective was somewhat simple. Upon being notified of the green light, they would advance through the border into Manchukuo and secure the Manchurian Coast. Reports were that, in the east, The Manticoran forces had already made great advancements, and that the Nihonese concentrated their lowland troops on this region. According to their information, the Royal Navy would be taking hold of the bay as to make sure that further reinforcements would not arrive. This offensive would be made many times easier, given the fact that the attack would be opening yet another front against the already fighting Nihonese. With the advance of the Manticorans through the Prairies, the Officers of Skarten knew that Victory would soon come.
It was early in the afternoon when it happened. The roughly 2.6 million men present there were waiting, preparing for their orders to initiate the attack on Manchukuo. It was in this late afternoon, that the news were given. The Kingdom of Skarten had, at last, declared war on the Nihonese. Immediately, messengers ran across camps, spreading the news to those who needed to know it. The commanding personnel were swift, and soon the first phase of their plan of attack was put in motion.
With their directives given, it was time for the Artillery men of Skarten to shine. And soon, the quiet afternoon was there no longer. Cutting through the skies like Heralds of Death flew shells, shells in numbers too great to be counted. Aimed upon any position of importance nearby the border of Smirsja with the Nihonese Colony, they fell upon the earth like strikes from a vengeful god, their highly explosive content welcoming those around it to the warmth of fire and the coldness of death. And so, civilian and soldier alike, they perished, both fort and city being caught within the man-made hellstorm.
To one present within the range of this attack, it would appear as if the very core of the earth shook as the sounds of the falling ammunition made even those who were able to escape its destructive gasp suffer, their ears bleeding as everything around them fell apart.
This pandemonium would continue, minute after minute, hour after hour, shell after shell. Deep into the night the barrage resisted, explosions lighting up the land like fireworks on a new year's sky. Not satisfied by the mere bombardment, The Royal Air Force was called in. Into the heart of Manchukuo, Nocturne Bombers struck, their attacks covered by the mantle of darkness. Military Positions, cities, all that posed a possible threat to the Skartenian advance would be targets to the wrath of Skarten.
Skartenian Artillery Men Utilize a Howitzer
It was early in the morning when the sound of falling shells stopped. For a moment, peace was able to, at last, return, as the soothing sound of the morning wind flew. Sadly, this quietness did not last for long. From the north, the war cries of two million souls could be heard as their assault began. The Skoczek Offensive had, at last, begun! Aided by tanks, from light to heavy, trucks, motorcycles and armoured cars, the Skartenians began their attack. At their front would be the deadly rain of artillery, always careful not to hit their own men, and the ever-courageous planes of the Air Force, who served as scouts, fighters and bombardiers at the same time.
Striking from the north, they advanced, knowing they would be engaging an amount of roughly one million Nihonese soldiers, knowledge that came from scouting missions and skartenian collaborators on Manchukuo. Many of the new tools of war which had been recently introduced saw, at last, their first results in action. The combined arms of the Rifle Regiments and Mechanized Divisions fell upon the Nihonese, their artillery support solidifying their doctrine of superior firepower. Cavalry Divisions, albeit in lesser number, still roamed around, either using their superior mobility to strike against Nihonese Armoured Divisions with Anti-Tank Rifles as well as engaging less defended groups of soldiers if such was determined to be viable. It was time for the Skartenian Eagle to Rise once Again!
13th of April 1929
Northwestern Manchukuo, Snowy Bay
The salty air of the sea filled the nostrils of sailors as they manned their titans of steel. Great ships they were, those of the Skartentine Royal Navy. Newly-introduced ships such as the heavy cruiser SSK Paula of the recent Kasandra Class were present, showing the ever-developing might of the naval forces of Skarten. The duty of these ships was, for these moments, easy. Having sailed from Skartenian ports, they sailed through the seas southwards towards the Nihonese-Held part of Snowy Bay. According to naval scouting planes and submarines, the entirety of the Nihonese coast in Manchukuo was clear from military naval activity, save from a motorboat here or there.
This was, of course, great. A lack of Nihonese ships meant that there would be no combat and the bay would be simply taken by them. Of course, there was no doubt that the Navy of Nihon would, at some point very soon change this, lest they give the Coalition complete control over Manchukuo, but for the moment, their presence was none, and that would allow for rapid completion of their objectives in this early period of the war.
With Snowy Bay now under their finger, the second phase of their mission was initiated, as the Colonial Flotilla was allowed to return to the guarding of the coasts of Smirsja. The Royal Fleets present, however, still had much to do. Completing their blockade, the capital ships of the Skartentine armada turned their weaponry to the Manchurian coast. And with the command of a whistle and a siren, they began to fire, raining destruction upon the coast, adding more names to the already extensive list of dead Nihonese. Things, for the moment, seemed as if they were going according to plan...
SSK Paula Heavy Cruiser
13th of April 1929
Near the Ironton Islands, Niebieski Sea
On the other side of the world, a similar flag flew in the sea, reminding those near it of the nation who commanded these ships. This fleet was a mighty sight, being composed of many, many ships of all shapes, sizes and roles. It was the Skartentine Battle Fleet, ready to deliver a powerful blow to their enemies. Their first goal in the war was to secure the Ironton Islands, an archipelago just south of Skarten, as to prevent the Nihonese from launching attacks into their mainland. Accompanied by the Royal Marine Corps, hope among the ranks of the Skartenian Royal Navy was high.
It was reported, through their scouting missions, that there were, overall, two Rusklandr Battleships, as well as a few cruisers and destroyers, were the only force guarding the area. This was, at the same time, good and bad. For one, there was the fact that, albeit able to pose resistance, even in the worst case scenario, these two dreadnoughts would not be able to deal a crippling amount of damage to the battle fleet, which boasted numbers many times higher than the naval force in the archipelago. However, the flotilla in question was from the eternal rival of Skarten, Ruskland. At first sight, one might be happy that this was a chance to sink two battleships of their hated enemies, but destroying their vessels would, to a certain extent, likely result in an all-out war between Ruskland and Skarten. Now, this was not the first time they would have went to war, not even close. But even then, the opening of a second front in the war against the Nihonese was not something the High Command of Skarten wished. But war was war, and if those ships stood against their target, then they would fall.
Making part of the fleet were countless ships and vessels, such as the mighty SSK Renata of the Angela Class or the modern SSK Grażyna Aircraft Carrier of the Renata Class, between many other ships. Aided by Torpedo Bombers and Naval Fighters, the power of the Battle Fleet was a great one. Battle was fast approaching, and the sailors of the Skartenian Navy would make sure that it ended with the Rusklandrs dancing with the fish.
They were here, a whole swarm of them. A plane on patrol had spotted them earlier, and whatever forces they had in Ironton were readied to fight. But from the start, it appeared to be a losing battle. Two battleships, a cruiser, and five destroyers? They might as well given up by then, but they refused. Better broken than bent by a Skartenian. A destroyer screen was at front, scouting for the battlefleet, and the remaining ships were arranged in a triangular formation, with the cruiser at the tip and the Gullstadt-class Battleships, Gullstadt and Dunwich, on the sides. They were nearly ten miles away from the islands when the destroyers found them. Everyone tensed up, and the light drizzle starting and the forboding clouds on the horizon did not help one bit to the tension growing like a weed.
In the Skartenian Battle Fleet, the situation was rather different. As they continued to advance, loud sirens broke the sounds of the sea, as reports of a hostile fleet were given by naval scouting aircraft. As the sirens of war touched, men rushed to the battle stations. On Air Craft carriers, pilots rushed to their planes, the droplets of water falling upon them. According to forecasting, a storm would be coming soon, which would make flying more difficult. They knew, then, that if they were to successfully aid the navy in this battle, they would have to release their payloads before this gale began. The combat stations had been manned. Aircrafts began to take off, rising into the sky. The Rusklandr fleet had been spotted. Immediately, the ships of the Skartenian fleet steered towards their positions in the battle formation. The time of battle had arrived.
The two battleships got into formation as quick as they could, into a position where they could fire a full broadside. The Gullstadt trained its sights on a cruiser, and managed to score a hit. The Dunwich on the other hand, fired upon a destroyer, successfully hitting it and dealing heavy damage to it. The rest of the fleet began preparing as well, destroyers readying their guns and firing at anything they could fire at and have a decent chance of hitting. The lone cruiser on the other hand, went slightly ahead of the battleships and began firing at their targets with its guns. It successfully scored a brutal hit on the destroyer, ripping it into pieces and sending her crew into the depths.
The Skartentine Fleet watched as the Rusklandr began their attack, damaging one of their cruisers and destroying the destroyer SSK Gilinsky from the fire of the advancing cruiser. Now with a clear broadside and in battle formation, the fourty capital ships of the battle fleet returned the hostile strike with a salvo of fire. The shells made their way through the sky, descending then into the enemy like vindictive spirits of the dead, lighting up the seas as explosions landed left and right. A rain of fire and steel, the naval projectiles hit their targets with great accuracy, the advancing cruiser who had sunk the Gilinsky exploding like a barrel of gunpowder. By the end of the salvo, the entirety of the Rusklandr destroyer flotilla would be wiped off the map, being sent to the bottom of the sea to rest. Even the two giants of their armada, the Dunwich and the Gullstadt, were not free from damage, their starboard and stern respectively suffering damage.
The Dunwich explodes as cruiser shells enter the wound at her starboard, making it worse. Then another hits, and another, and it becomes a downpour of steel and fire. The Dunwich sinks, to the bottom of the seas, or rather, the blobs of steel that used to be the Dunwich. The Gullstadt was luckier than her sister ship, all shells fired at her miraculously missed and she was also able to find an opportunity to fire back, it scores a perfect hit on a capital ship as a massive fireball is seen in the distance. The storm has intensified greatly by now, and using this to her advantage, Gullstadt slips southward. Her crew transmits a single message to Nihonese command on Ironton:
"THE SKARTENIANS ARE HERE".
The ship in question that had been hit was the SSK Szwarzman, an veteran Mirosława Class battleship of the nine years war. The lucky shell had hit it's bow Keel, causing great damage and disabling it's engines. It would be towed back to their homeland for repairs. Nevertheless, with one of the Rusklandr battleships being sunk and the other slipping away in the storm, celebration rises amongst the rank of the Skartenians. The Naval Planes had been recalled, being now stored so that they would not be lost in the upcoming tempest. But regardless of that, they had won the battle. With their only considerable threat now out of the way, the Skartentine Battle Fleet continued at higher speeds towards the Ironton Isles.
Over an hour later, they had, at last, arrived on the Ironton Archipelago. The storm continued on strong, the darkened skies falling down the earth as thunderbolts and lightning struck left and right. Despite the decrease in visibility, the two main islands that constituted the greatest part of the archipelago were visible. The sailors returned to their combat stations, preparing to launch their move on the Nihonese. The capital ships of the armada positioned themselves, and soon a hailstorm of shells flew just like the rain which fell upon them, as a naval barrage begun. Salvo was followed by salvo, as any military fortification in the islands was targeted by the naval weapons. This was not all that the fleet did, however. Even during the barrage, ships and submarines patrolled the archipellago, searching for any possible threats.
A fair distance behind the battle fleet was yet another formation of ships. Made up mostly of transports and it's escorts, this flotilla was the group tasked with transporting the Royal Marine Corps towards their goal in the Ironton Islands. As soon as the bombardment was finished, they would land on the shores, assaulting the Nihonese positions and taking over the archipelago for the Kingdom of Skarten. Their rightful force would not be stopped!
Skartentine Battleship Delivers a Salvo