Darner Peninsula War (IC)

[Finarune Valley]

https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=544896

OOC:

Presidential Palace, Finarune City

In the opulent palace where President Ledger Uouston ruled his small country from, a great meeting was being held between the military leaders of the various branches. While usually this would mean a clash of strong personalities a shared sense of anxiety filled the chamber. The anxiety of if this aggressive plan would work at all.

"We have support from all those nations right?" President Uouston spoke aloud to Lt. General Graham Amster, the Principal Staff Officer for the entire military.

The old man with answered quickly, "Of course they will assault the Crysuko positions soon enough and with our forces pouncing on their colonial army we should have no problem reaching the Rune River border within day or two." Amster answered in a reassuring tone.

"I just hope our intelligence is right and Crysuko doesn't retaliate with one hundred thousand men at our border before the weekend." Uouston spoke out.

"No Mr. President, we will take this. The Crysuko will fight but how hard will they fight for this? A peninsula in the middle of one of their "backwater" colonies? We have this with no doubt and with the time coming I think it is time for all us to prepare." Amster proclaimed and Uouston nodded in agreeance as the time reached its climax.

January 19, 2024 Near the border with Sun Hill

The glistening droplets of cold rain showered over a quiet land. The last quiet this place would have for sometime as a large buildup on the Finarune Valley border was quickly assembled. If Operation Wildfire would have any chance of success it would be due to the speed that was intended to take the Crysuko forces by surprise.

The forested valleys and hills that made up the border between the two nations was one that had just few checkpoints. The Finarunians only keeping a few roads that lead to Crysuko open at any given time and at this hour of night the roads were completely empty of civilians. However, a distant drumming of various vehicles came crashing though the night and straight towards Sun Hill right over the border.

Sun Hill was one of the larger communities in the Crysuko-Finarunian border with around 2,800 people calling it home and the vast majority supporting a reunion with their old republic. This night it was to happen. As the time hit 0200 various groups of DFUF rebels began their righteous assault on various government buildings in Sun Hill and other border communities. Most were lightly armed with various pistols and scattered rifles ranging from older model SKS to Mosin-Nagants. It did not matter to these secessionists what they carried as long as they could fight against the Crysuko forces. Most groups targeted police stations first in this grand distraction campaign, with the DFUF force in Sun Hill numbering around 50 rebels starting a barrage at the station attempting to break the spirit of the officers and loot the weapons that were held within its walls.

These small skirmishes were just the beginning as around 1,500 troops of the Finaruinan army came barreling into the border towards Sun Hill. This forces consisted mostly of lightly armed Infantry with armored carriers leading the charge. Intermingled with this force was a tank platoon using the C1 Ariete Main Battle Tanks to destroy any surprise heavy vehicles the Crysuko might have. Behind this force in the Finarune Valley were various anti aircraft guns and artillery pieces ready to support and take out any enemy forces that would threaten the column. This was not it however, as what was happening here at Sun Hill was not an isolated event as an even larger force of the 2,000 was being deployed to attack and secure Braunt and Narrow Ridge. While an Infantry battalion of around 500 was to take Hartin Crossroads.

Meanwhile, in the gulf of Darner another force was being launched, the Mirage a landing craft was being escorted by the Spectre and Apparition two fast attack crafts towards the town of Port Hickory. On the craft was 300 of the finest Finaruian Marines, the pride of military who were starting another front in this conflict with the objective being to take Port Hickory (pop. 4,000) and secure a buffer zone around the strategic port. Assisting the marines would be one of the largest groups of DFUF rebels numbering around 800 that were already starting the battle.

The war was to begin and with Finarune allies coming into the fray it was now time to see how the Crysuko would respond.

[Crysuko]

Port Dusk

Major General Javier Rojo Vasquez was not pleased to be dragged out of bed in the wee hours of the morning by reports of an attack incoming from the Finarune section of the island. He sat at a conference table while the officers present dictated the situation to him. "The enemy has attacked on a wide front" the officer reported grimly. "The area between Sun Hill and Hartin Crossroads has been entirely overrun, we have also lost contact with Braunt and Narrow ridge. Port Hickory has also fallen. 4th and 5th regiments are falling back behind the Rune river, 6th is retreating to Trenton. Forces at Summersbury, Argleton and Mortlake are current mustering and organising." The report concluded.

Vasquez took a swig of black coffee and wiped a hand down his tired face. "Get in contact with all regiments outside the peninsula, and order them to form a defensive line between Whitepool and Mortlake. Tell 6th to dig in east of Trenton. and we will send the first artillery battalion to support them. Second battalion will move to Argleton to prevent them from cutting us through the middle, engineering battalion will join them. If we can get some ramparts and trenches around the town and lock down the bridges, they won't be able to blow through easily" He ordered carefully, clasping his hands together tightly to avoid showing an anxious tremor. "As for our air assets, scramble fighters and have them strike enemy units at Sun Hill and Port Hickory, if they have any armor then his is to be a priority." he continued. "Lastly, drag the sailors out of their bunks and tell the naval squadron to get between the port and Longfellow island, prevent them from reinforcing." He concluded. A chorus of "Yes sir!" went up before communications went about relaying the orders.

Radio chatter of Crysukon forces at Sun Hill
"We're pinned down!"
"I'm hit! I'm hit!"
"Anybody cover me, incoming armor!"
"Watch your left!"
"Where's the reinforcements!?"

Initial disposition of Crysukon forces:

[Finarune Valley]

Sun Hill 0600 January 19th,2024

In just hours the border towns were completely overrun with Finarune soldiers and DFUF rebels who celebrated by taking any sort of weapons from the scattered Crysuko forces. The towns themselves were relatively unharmed with a dash of broken windows and bullet holes covering some of the businesses. Hartin Crossroads on the other hand had suffered. The Crysuko garrison in the town nearly collapsed the DFUF rebels who were sent to take the barracks they occupied with a resistance that the poorly trained rebels could not break. It took the full might of the 4th Infantry Battalion and hastily set up light batteries to finally break the force, but errors in the shelling caused some downtown buildings to be damaged during the 1 hour engagement. What remained were 20 or so Crysuko soldiers who surrendered to the army. These troops would be some of the first captured during the this great blitz across the towns.

As other forces in Sun Hill and Narrow Ridge collapsed a great prison camp was being set up on Littner Island for the combatants. This was all part of the strategy, for months the troops on the ground had been hammered in the art of compassion, in order to gain the favor of international nations in this war, the Finarunians were going to fight this war as cleanly as possible. Under no circumstances were surrendering soldiers to be shot at or otherwise harassed, after all, if international hearts could be won it put even more pressure on the Crysuko to come to terms with losing this territory. While this compassion was to be met with disarmed soldiers the same could not be said for the pockets of fighting around the Rune River. The main arch of the Finarune army was still fighting to secure the Rune River. Groups of Crysuko soldiers were causing problems and slowing down the line about half a kilometer away from the river edge. Such measures called for more firepower as four F-16 Fighting Eagles were scrambling to meet the line near the Rune River and to pressure any pockets of resistance.

Meanwhile, near the border on the Finarunian side hundreds of conscripts are being pulled into the fighting with many being mashed into much needed anti-air batteries. This was always General Amsters worry, the air superiority the Crysuko had over the small Air Force. If this war was to be successful these air operations must be smothered out by any means necessary, even if the conscripted forces were to using slightly outdated weaponry it would still cause some sort of headache to the upcoming storm.

FINARUNE CAUSALITIES AS OF 0600 HOURS JANUARY 19th

DFUF
WIA: 67
KIA: 30
MISSING AND CAPTURED: 0

FINARUNE ARMY:
WIA: 42
KIA:15(7 of these in the battle of Hartin Crossroads rest in skirmishes)
MISSING AND CAPTURED:0

1 disabled BMP-3 (Hit by explosive disabling right track outside of Narrow Ridge)

FINARUNE MARINE AT PORT HICKORY
WIA: 9
KIA: 4
MISSING AND CAPTURED: 0

[Crysuko]

Port Dusk, command center

The second report came in, more bittersweet this time. Vasquez had toyed with the idea of attempting to hold Summersbury, he realised that doing so would result in an awkwardly long salient which would in turn cause troops stationed there to become encircled. He didn't like having to give ground, but the Mural was his best bet of establishing a strong defence. Once battle lines had solidified, he could begin to take back lost ground and teach these upstarts a few lessons in humility. Most of the regimental HQ units had reached their designated positions, but it would take some time yet for all of them to move in and begin to fortify themselves behind the river. It was tenuous, but the fight was far from lost.

Argleton
The local trade unions had decided to take action of their own, as all Crysukons undergo national service, the GIU (General Industrial Union) and TLU (Transportation and Logistics Union) leadership held talks over militarising their members, and have since decided to do so. Bands of semi-organised armed workers have taken to the streets to build sandbag bunkers, barricades and other makeshift fortifications, TLU have also begun converting box vans and other large trucks into makeshift armored vehicles, armed with whatever weapons can be requested from local armories. Similar situations at GIU/TLU holdings in Whitepool and Mortlake have also been reported.

Current disposition of Crysukon forces.

[Finarune Valley]

Rune River 1900 January 19th, 2024

The pockets of Crysuko resistance were nearly crushed and now scores of Finarunians soldiers were pouring into the newly acquired territories. It was for atleast a moment, a wonderful feeling for the nation. They had successfully pulled off a surprise attack and secured the border towns from North to South, all now under the control of the Republic. Meanwhile, those who stayed faithful to Crysuko were being quickly pushed behind lines to POW camps that were being hastily set up. While the military aspects of Operation Wildfire were succeeding the more mundane points were underwhelming. such as where to bring the injured troops as any points in the nation could be in firing range for an aggressive Crysuko counter operation, additionally, civilians were dangerously close to the border with Crysuko and were being pushed out to the inner city causing some hard feelings as neighborhoods became ghost towns.

While the day was success the coming ones were to be a true test. Already reports of the forming storm of the Crysuko forces came pouring in as they were making a stand at the Mural River, the final objective in achieving victory. If the Finarunians could break this line it was all but assured that the peninsula would fall under the control of the Finarune Valley. In the coming hours the troops would reorganize, and fix the destroyed bridges over the Rune River for a strike at Summersbury and Argleton. While the majority were reorganizing, DFUF forces around the Mural River were to commence any sort of action against the Crysuko, whether it be ambushing lone military trucks to arson attacks on trade union buildings the objective was to demoralize before the main battle….

[Crysuko]

Mural river line, Argleton
The town had become increasingly militarised, as Finarune consolidated their conquests, almost all of the regular forces save for those left behind to prevent landings behind the lines had reached the river and begun digging trenches and basic ramparts to give themselves a defensive edge behind the river. Every bridge would be rigged with explosives such that if they threatened to fall, any attackers would be sent plummeting into the churning waters of the Mural. In Mortlake, Argleton and Whitepool The unions continue to field larger militias, with the first improvised armored vehicles patrolling the streets. An attempted arson at a steel mill in Argleton was thwarted by union militia.

The small naval squadron continued their patrols near Port Dusk, paranoid about an attempt to circumvent Crysukon defences in the area.

A GIU/TLU armoured truck on patrol in Argleton.

[Stella Nera]

Northern Ocean, Above Darter Islands
The Estoria crossed the threshold into the land of the shining civilization known as Finarune Valley, answering her call for assistance against the evil socialists of Crysuko. Just above the Darter Islands, she made her way towards the target landing site, in a small cove above the city of Mortlake. From here she gracefully took her first thrushes in a foreign land, her maiden voyage in international territory. Although she had seen her share of adventures in Stella Nera's realm, this marked the first time any warship of the Unified Terra made their way beyond her world, and it was none other than the esteemed Estoria, the mighty nation's greatest and most advanced battle vessel.

Northern Ocean, Cove Above the Rune River, to the Northeast of Mortlake
Approaching the Landing Site, it become all too apparent that despite the ship's great combat abilities, this di not make up for a lack of ports. Seeing nowhere to land, the situation complicated, now with no landing site in sight, they were stuck with two options.

Option 1: Withdraw into friendlier waters and land the troops at a port possibly nearby Cadlin Barrack, or Finarune City itself. However that plan was not practical as it would require the troops to manually advance to their target from much farther than originally planned, and it gave time to the enemy to prepare defense, as it seemed Crysuko was doing so, positioning their forces along the river to the West.

Option 2: press on even further, assault the position and attempt a landing at Lantern Cove: Also impractical, as it would mean the 500 troops would be deep behind enemy lines, and it still placed them quite far from their original target. Although it could prove a faster alternative to landing in friendly waters, it was riskier as it meant attempting to land at a hostile port, deep in enemy territory.

La Ferra Suprema, watching the situation from a control room back in the motherland, knew both options were bad and as they were limited to modern tech, they were forced to fight with such weaponry, something they were heavily unused to. A third option crossed their mind, however with its own problems.

''Commander, Aslanov I propose an unusual alternate solution. As both options put us at either end of the landmass and would mean our forces would have to travel too much distance, I suggest one that would allow us to make our original target landing in order to secure the target region before significant defense muster there,'' La Ferra Suprema spoke in a clear and calm voice, concealing the slight unease they were feeling inside, to the Commander onboard the Estoria.

''Yes your greatness, what is your solution to this great dilemma?'' The commander asked.

''If you use the emergency life rafts, you should be able to move the soldiers stowed onboard and allow their transfer onto the mainland.'' It is risky because they will be more open to attack on the water during the transition but there isn't a better option, all the ports are too far off from the target location. Crysuko probably isn't expecting an attack from the North anyway, since most of the conflict is concentrated to the southeast, on the Darner Peninsula.''

''Is that an order then, seeing as there are no alternatives? The commander asked for confirmation.

''Order has been issued, you are to evacuate the Estoria onboard her life rafts, once the great ship gets as close to shore as possible. Crysuko will take time to respond. Unless ''Defense'' Army Group B remains onboard, there will not be enough crew onboard the man the warship. However, we need them to execute our plan, I therefore order the full evacuation of the ship. Put her on autopilot, and set her trajectory for friendly waters. Leave 15 crew on board to guide her to Finarune City. She will be quite open to attack but to my knowledge and our intelligence there shouldn't be any ship nearby as of now, they all seem to be concentrated in the area around Port Hickory.

This is our only realistic course of action now. Unfortunately we were only able to send 500 troops here due to the anomaly and we also lack other tech that is excluded from this realm. We cannot overpower the enemy or outclass them. We must use only what were able to send on this mission. Evacuate the Estoria immediately, the entire crew and the troops riding along except for 15 to steer her to friendly waters. The 485 of you are to land at the original designated location. Understood commander?'' She asked in a voice that clearly was of someone irritated, probably due to the severe limitations' and conditions of the mission.

''Yes your greatness, we will begin evacuation and subsequent landing immediately!''

Operation Aqua Devil Commences:

The operation aimed to secure the Mortlake region kicked off as soldiers onboard the Estoria pack their supplies with them onboard the life rafts. They had to leave behind their heavy artillery and weaponry, but were able to take with them lighter gear, and the chemical and biological agents along with them, so the original purpose of the plan could still be carried out. They were also able to bring some of the drones and flamethrowers, mines, shovels, and machine guns, requiring some soldiers to concentrate on holding on to the gear while others focused on rowing and guiding the rafts through some rough but not unexpected waves to the shoreline.

The winds were nothing unalike what they had been expecting, harsh but tolerable weather blessed the Stella Neran soldiers that began the risky descent onto the landing site. All in all, the 485 soldiers of Army Group A, B, and C, endured the might of the sea and her battering waves, as they held on for dear life, rowing the rafts toward shore, now only some distance away. If they were able to land, it would mean they could continue the next phase of the plan.

Target Landing Site:



View of Landing Site:

[Stella Nera]

Target Landing Site, North of Mortlake:

The troops, soaked with the water of an alien ocean, one they had never seen before, crashed onto the jagged rocks of the shoreline. Apart from being entirely drenched from head to boots in the heavy wetness of the waves. Feeling somewhat refreshed from the relatively short distance from the Estoria to the beachhead, all 485 troops left the drifting waves as they emerged over the rocks and sand, as the vast mainland came into view ahead. Some had minor injuries, and a couple received small cuts from the rocky front, but all had crossed the watery stretch. Thankfully for Stella Nera's forces, while rough, the beachhead was not overwhelming with sharp rocks, allowing for a difficult but manageable crossing.

Into view came the lake that was the regions treasure, and the ultimate objective. The soldiers loaded their weapons off their rafts and re-organized into their respective Army Groups.

Army Group A went ahead, eyeing the massive lake in front of them. Crysuko had mustered forces along the river, making that region more difficult to access, and the forces of Crysuko outnumbered the Stella Nera's, and they had equal technological power in this realm. Uneasy about the original plan to secure Mortlake, the lake and the rivers around it, the Commander put in charge of the operation, Alexei Aslanov.

Commander Alexei Aslanov:

Dear great leader, terrific news for you! We have reached the beach, with only minor, irrelevant injuries amidst our soldiers. We are receiving intel that Crysuko has positioned some forces closer to the river/lake region. Requesting permission to make modifications to original battle plan accordingly.

La Ferra Suprema was sipping a cup of her favorite drink, in her chamber listening to an instrumental rendition of the national anthem, when the transmission was received. Connecting immediately to the conversation, she listened to what Commander Alexei was suggesting.

La Ferra Suprema:

What are your suggestions, Commander Aslanov?

I'm suggesting that instead of going the original route which would force our troops to face the larger army assembled ahead of us head on, we divert to the unprotected stretches of the lake and take it hostage as the original operation mandated.

Are you suggesting you are incapable of handling the enemy on your own? La Ferra Suprema asked in a disapproving voice

I'm only suggesting the safer option, which is to take the lake under our control without having to fight Crysuko. We would have to ditch our plan to snatch the rivers and the town of Mortlake, but we would still hold the region as our hostage

It is not a bad plan, Commander. But I suggest you have more faith in the power of your men, our glorious army. Besides, from what I'm aware of, there are significantly fewer forces near Mortlake than the rest of the mainland. I know you were not able to take the regular attack drones with you, but you still have the kamikaze variants, and your flamethrowers, shovels, and mines. If you reach Mortlake before too much of Crysuko arrives, you can prepare for a defensive battle, and let the army of Crysuko march to their death. I have confidence in our ability to win this battle. We need to control as much of the region's critical points as possible to have maximum bargaining power. Once we dry the masses of Crysuko in the area, we could seize our objectives and force the conflict to a ceasefire.

It is a bold plan, great leader. If that is what you are ordering me to do, I will do to the best of my ability to fulfill it. If the plan, for whatever unlikely reason, doesn't go smooth, I do believe we should retreat to the lakefront

That was what I was about to suggest, good eye Commander. The lakefront is the superior objective. Also, a large percentage of the population that region are ethnically from Finarune, we should be able to recruit them to our side. Make sure to keep the chemical and biological agents secure at all times. We don't want the enemy to take our ultimate bargaining tool.

Of course, great leader. What if they attempt to encircle us? We could probably hold out, but if they siege long enough the other contingents of the Crysuko Army would arrive. What should we do in that scenario?

Release the agents on the town, then. If we cannot secure victory, we must at least deny the enemy theirs as well. The chemicals should make the nearby land inarable, and the biological ones will spread a lethal illness across the region. Its meant for the taking of our objectives, though, because of course Crysuko could just quarantine the area to minimize damage. We definitely need to secure the waterfront. If you have no escape, then I forbid your surrender. You must fight to the death as is our tradition, or else you won't be welcome back home.

Sighing, the Commander agreed to the demands of their supreme leader.

Yes your greatness, it will be done to the last man if we must. Stella Nerans do not know the meaning of surrender! With that, I believe our goal now is clear. We will make some small adjustments to the plan, based on your suggestions, we will take Mortlake, and prepare for defensive conflict with your due permission of course, great leader?

I confirm that, now obtain success on the battlefield. Good luck Commander Aslanov. Best regards from Stella Nera.

And with that, the signal was cut abruptly. Commander Aslanov gathered his men and told them of the new modified arrangements.

Alright men, we are to focus our attention now on Mortlake. We have been tasked to invade it and set up defenses against the Crysuko Army which will surely attempt to re-take the lakeside town. Army Group A, at the front, in regular formation. Army Group B, remain at the rear, in the case we reach the town after Crysuko. Its a race to get there now. and Army Group C, you are to remain in between us. The future of this region may depend on us reaching the town first. No man rests until next nightfall. Once we cross the Rune river, Army Group C, you are to go around to the east of Mortlake and draw the Crysuko forces their away from the town. This plan rests on us drawing them away and us reaching it before more contingents arrive Everyone understand!?

A jubilant

Yes Sir!

was heard amongst the 485 soldiers. And so they all began the march, or more accurately, great race to Mortlake.

[Crysuko]

Mortlake, town center.

Colonel Talbot had been tasked with holding the town, his second regiment has almost entirely mustered to the region, and with the town directly on one of the major crossings of the Rune, as well as the valuable farmlands around the area, much of his thousand strong regiment was bunched up in and around the town, with only some forces positioned slightly further south where the river was slightly more shallow in case foward contingents of the Finarunians should attempt to probe their defences. It was at that moment that a new report came to him from the leader of a scouting section which can been patrolling in the northern reaches outside the town, in case of any attempts to slip past them. And it seems that someone had been doing exactly that.

The lieutenant in charge reported. "We briefly managed to spot them marching in the direction of the northern gate of the town. And judging by the battle formation and bearing of arms, suffice to say they aren't friendly." he said sternly. Talbot leaned forward, steepling his fingers. He would have precious little time to figure out a plan, let alone a more intricate one. "The best we can do for the time being is to have all forces in the town pivot north, and dig in between the lakeside and the river as best they can. We may be able to play mobile defence somewhat, depending on their numbers. Keep battalion mortar teams evenly spread, at least until the direction of their attack becomes apparent."

The lieutenant nodded at this "I'll have this reported right away, sir. But what about the union irregulars in the town?" he asked. Talbot considered this "Send feelers out so they can be on alert, but don't let them all the way in. If they panic and do something hasty then that could undermine our defences. We can also send for air support if necessary". The officer saluted and left to distribute the orders, leaving Talbot alone. His heart began to thump. Battle would be met soon, and both the people and soldiers here would rely on him to provide competent leadership. Well, only one way to find out if he was up to the task.

[Finarune Valley]

Mural river line, Argleton
The town had become increasingly militarised, as Finarune consolidated their conquests, almost all of the regular forces save for those left behind to prevent landings behind the lines had reached the river and begun digging trenches and basic ramparts to give themselves a defensive edge behind the river. Every bridge would be rigged with explosives such that if they threatened to fall, any attackers would be sent plummeting into the churning waters of the Mural. In Mortlake, Argleton and Whitepool The unions continue to field larger militias, with the first improvised armored vehicles patrolling the streets. An attempted arson at a steel mill in Argleton was thwarted by union militia.

The small naval squadron continued their patrols near Port Dusk, paranoid about an attempt to circumvent Crysukon defences in the area.

A GIU/TLU armoured truck on patrol in Argleton.

(Image)

January 20th, Rune River Line

The great offensive had temporarily halted as the army consolidated itself for the next push. Forests and farmland awaited the battlegroups but it would be grueling as the the Finarunians suspected that the Crysuko would attempt anything to slow down the force. However, something else was brewing near Port Dusk something that hoped to throw off the Crysuko…

A weapon that the Finarunians were sure that the enemy had no idea about, it was the RFVN Poltergeist, the sole submarine that the country owned now closing in to Port Dusk. The anti-submarine capabilities of the Crysuko were thought to be weak and if this great sub could strike at the small fleet, sinking atleast one of the ships, the morale of the nation would be at a fever pitch. As the ghost approached the fleet, its focus was upon a corvette warship farthest from the port. The [i]Poltergeist /i] would launch 8 torpedoes towards the fleet focusing primarily on the corvette and small naval ships it thought would have a hard time countering its attack. Once launched, it was to quickly leave the area of carnage and return to port as it was far too valuable to lose in any prolonged battle with the Port Dusk defenders.

It was reaching its point of attack and was now awaiting the orders…

[Crysuko]

Mortlake, barracks.

Colonel Talbot awoke with a jolt, coated in a cold sweat, his hands shaking. A terrible nightmare had gripped him the previous night.A mysterious enemy force had manifested from the north, threatening to undermine his position entirely. His dragged a hand down his face, and put his uniform on. Even when he reached his office, one of the staff present noticed his ill state. "Are you alright, sir? you look somewhat unwell". The NCO noted. Talbot sighed and shook his head "I just had this awful, awful dream about our position being undermined from the north by a hitherto unknown enemy force." his replied, trying to hide the tremor in his voice.

The corporal produced an intelligence report, setting it on Talbot's desk. "Nothing of the sort to worry about, sir. All quiet here, thus far". Talbot nodded, and gave a polite salute. "Thank you, corporal. Dismissed". The corporal returned the gesture, and left. Talbot took a swig of coffee, and let out a heavy sigh, feeling the residual anxiety abate as his read the report. "Just a nightmare brought on by anxieties over the war" he assured himself. "that's all".

Argleton, GIU/TLU run autos factory
A foreman had gathered a team of his finest engineers and experts to tackle a serious problem. "Comrades, the armour we have producing has had a great success in establishing our presence, and I am sure would be an asset in the fight against the invaders. But a problem remains, we lack the equipment to produce bona fide modern military vehicles which could stand up to at least light anti-armour weapons." He took out a blueprint, rolling it out on the table in front of him. "Which is why we have sent for more industrial machinery and equipment from the motherland, once we have it, we can begin to produce vehicles which will truly strike fear into our enemies!"

[Gonswanza]

IC:
Even as the war rolled on, slowly, Gonswanza had decided to help out with limited outreach, shipping over autonomous systems to be remotely controlled from deep behind the limes. They have yet to arrive, however, but the deployment was hidden from the world.

ISIC:
What was less obvious was the small swarm of drone bombers being tended to within international waters, a tender aiding in the process, before engines are fired up for launch. This would be a first, given most interventions saw the use of drones and infantry, but here they were being used to support another nation remotely without Gonswanzan boots on the ground. This was to prove a point, though local infantry obviously had to make up for it.

IC:
In other news, a satellite peers over the battlefield, eyeing the area, before passing on.

ISIC:
Image data from space and terrain mapping will assist in driving the mission. The drones get their data, as the Executioners, fully armed, take flight.

[Finarune Valley]

January 21st Rune River Line

Finally, after forming the battle groups and where they would be positioned huge waves of Finarunains soldiers would cross over the river, which was in a mild flood stage around the bottoms. This caused groups of troopers to be caked in the mud but this did not stop the next plan of action. Now it was small companies that had objectives of capturing the many family farms that dotted the landscape. Priority would be set on families that were considered “loyal” to the Crysuko nation. Meanwhile, a 3,000 strong force was to barrel towards Summersbury to capture the major town of the region. It was to include a small bombardment of the area to break the spirits of any defenders and the few F-16s were to provide cover for the military operation.

As this was going on, groups were already securing parts of the rural countryside with a notable action being a skirmish 5km southeast of Summersbury.

A company of conscripted Finarunians soldiers were ordered to capture the Castle Tree Farms, a small corn growing family operation. The family was thought to be Crysuko loyalist from informants and as such were a priority to secure. However, when the soldiers approached the farm in a convoy of military transport trucks, sniper fire occurred from a thick tree-line to the right.

In the ensuring firefight, one Finarunain driver was severely injured by the Crysuko loyalist with 3 more suffering minor injuries. The loyalist were captured after 10 minutes of heavy gunfire in the treeline with one dead and 4 captured. Once the farm was searched an additional 4 people were captured by the company the area was searched throughly for any other resistance fighters who escaped the exchange. However, this would not be the last skirmish in this campaign…

[Crysuko]

Behind the lines

The Crysukon main forces has been welcoming a steady stream of refugees crossing the bridges, though it was proving difficult to tell if they were in fact a fleeing, displaced civilian or potentially and enemy spy. As such, IDs wold be stringently checked, and those who had none or couldn't be verified would be held until they could, or would be arrested as an infiltrator. Though thus far this hadn't needed to happen. The main forces were also ware of Crysukon partisans and armed loyalists behind the lines, and had begun to establish contact with some of the more organised cells hiding in the forests and hills of occupied territory. Already several parachute drops of arms, ammunition and explosives had been made along with long range radio equipment to allow them to better co-ordinate their attacks.

Finarunian forces moving along the main roads would find sniper attacks and roadside bombs a persistent annoyance, while patrols in more rural areas wold be beset by prepared ambushes, land mines and punji pits. In Summersbury, there would be a spate of graffiti around the town designed to remind the invaders that the fight wasn't over.

SUMMERSBURY IS CRYSUKON
DEATH TO FINARUNE
KILL ALL INVADERS

Along with effigies of their leader hanged from bridges and trees.

[Gonswanza]

ISIC:
After the launch of drones in international waters, operation "Global Hawk" pushes through, with the D-60s now racing for Finarune city to help strike against vital areas of infrastructure or air defenses, priority changing based on whether or not air defenses responded, with the strike coming from over the sea, and from the northeast, though the drone controllers intend to then double back, and later strike from the south.

SIC:
Obviously, the drone units to be operated from within Crysuko soon arrive, being unloaded from heavy transport aircraft, as the ELT-105s are also released with limited bodies from Gonswanza to assist in training local units to the tanks prior to their deployment to the frontlines. The effort taken would also involve training drone pilots to the drones, which included the Ripsaw system being introduced to operators, though the only system not being offered for training was the D-16 Archangel, instead being serviced by purely Gonswanzan crews as the operators were safe in a remote station far from the region.

IC:
Obviously, the arrival of Gonswanzan gear would likely be notable, though the public may see the new tanks being paraded about in exercises between Crysukon forces and Gonswanzan trainers, with a limited press release having the Gonswanzans gloating about their limited presence in what amounts to a "small localized counter-insurgency effort", glossing over the grim reality of the conflict. When asked about the F-16-like aircraft, however, the cameras are cut off before they could pan over with the broadcast being cut abruptly.