11-16-2020, 04:51 AM
(Joint post with [nation]Shuell[/nation])
November 15th
Zapotlán
On the northern end of the rapidly shrinking perimeter, a mix of Huenyan, Kerlian and Milintican forces had been tasked with defending Huaxtihe Air Base and Shoreside Park, the center of allied air defenses. Colonel Moteudil, previously of the Imperial Army and now with the Huenyan Army, was in command of the forces defending the northeast quadrant of Zapotlán.
When the attack began, Moteudil found himself in a far different position from his counterparts in the rest of the city. The bulk of the enemy action had been to the south, as enemy forces had surged through the large park at the southeast end of the city to the Intra-Xiomera Canal. His forces had only faced token resistance, which had puzzled the allied commanders.
But now, the plan that the Imperial forces had was becoming clear. Imperial forces had already cut off the southern end of the canal, preventing any reinforcements from that route. Now, in the large swath of parkland to the south and east of the air base, a new surge of enemy attackers was coming. His scouts had reported that a combined force of the unknown "elite forces" added to Xiomera's military, along with a very large Iskirami contingent, were advancing rapidly towards the air base. If the base was taken, it would become extremely difficult for allied forces to reinforce themselves.
Moteudil ordered his units to advance southward to relieve the positions under attack, and halt the attacking force before it reached the base. He also urgently radioed for reinforcements, only to be told by the allied command that none were available. The entire front was under a sustained attack, and Moteudil would need to do the best he could with what he had.
As Moteudil's forces moved southward, the defensive positions they were meant to relieve were already under attack.
The forces of the Grand Xiomeran Expeditionary Brigade, commanded by Brigadier General Omar Ibn-Basam Sadak, rapidly advanced towards the air base in armored vehicles, supported by friendly rocket artillery and elite Xiomeran soldiers. As much as he would have preferred to lead his men from the front, the Brigadier General knew that to do so was needlessly risky, even by the standards of the Iskirami. As such, he had taken a position away from the fighting, instead commanding his soldiers via radio.
Observing the base from binoculars, Sadak allowed himself to grin as he witnessed a salvo of rockets strike both Huaxtihe Air Base and Shoreside Park, serving to destroy both their air defenses and any planes still on the runways. Short bursts of machine-gun fire from the mechanized infantry meant that even the bravest soldier would hesitate to try and return fire, allowing the Iskirami inside to dismount as they approached the air base.
Alongside the Iskirami, the attacking Xiomeran soldiers dismounted as well from their APCs under the covering fire of their guns. Moving quickly, they began approaching the perimeter of the base.
Inside the base, Col. Moteudil ordered any planes that hadn't already taken off to get in the air as quickly as possible. The booming explosions as the rocket fire began hitting positions on the base underscored the urgency of that command.
Even as they took flight, however, the planes from Huaxtihe found themselves under attack from the Xiomeran air cover that was supporting the assault on Zapotlán. Dogfights began taking place between allied and Xiomeran fighters. Under cover from the fighters, a group of Imperial Apacan multi-role fighters swooped over the air base, utilizing their tactical bombing capabilities along with some well-placed missiles to further weaken the base's defenses prior to the ground assault.
Under pressure from both on the ground and above, the allied forces began pulling back to the interior of the base, doing their best to return fire while in retreat.
Sitting a safe distance away from the fighting, Iskirami mortar teams expertly bombarded enemy soldiers using the coordinates provided by Xiomeran radio operators. Although far less devastating than rocket artillery, the mortars were successful in suppressing and disorganizing the retreating soldiers. Accurate rifle fire from afar served to pick off exposed combatants - the Iskirami being particularly adept at the role due to the landscapes of their homeland.
With the enemy forces having been routed, the soldiers of the Brigade and the special forces they were partnered with advanced further into the air base, using whatever they could for cover.
As the attackers advanced, Col. Moteudil ordered a general retreat from the base. His forces began to fall back westwards, seeking to cross the canal and using it as a natural barrier. With a contingent of his own men, the Colonel did his best to provide cover for the retreating forces. Using the various buildings of the air base as cover, they began laying down delaying fire, trying to slow the enemy advance enough to allow a somewhat orderly retreat rather than an all-out rout.
As the Imperial forces began to face slightly more organized resistance, air support was requested by General Sadak - both to ensure the Huenyans were unable to cross the canal, and to provide precision air support alongside the mortar crews in order to destroy enemy cover. The soldiers of the Grand Brigade split off into fireteams and began to sweep and clear the airbase, focusing on the buildings they had detected enemy infantry entering, while relaying coordinates over radio to friendly mortar teams.
General Sadak didn’t have to wait long to get his wish. The Imperial Air Force was already in position, and soon began targeting both the buildings on the base and the retreating allied forces. While sporadic anti-air fire from the ground was still occurring, much of the defenders’ ability to fend off the aerial assault had already been destroyed.
The remaining allied forces were already either crossing the canal, or retreating to the nearby fleet embarked offshore. With his remaining contingent now sitting ducks, Col. Moteudil had little choice. From the base headquarters, he wearily sent a message requesting terms of surrender.
As the combat in the airbase slowed to a halt, with little resistance to the Imperial advance, Brigadier General Sadak returned a message, informing Moteudil to order his remaining men to surrender to allied forces in the area - presumably to be taken into custody as POWs.
The Colonel issued the order to surrender, and soon, resistance at the base ground to a complete halt. Moteudil had managed to at least accomplish getting most of the defending allied forces out of the trap. But for himself and his men, a humiliating surrender to the Xiomeran and Iskirami force, followed by a trip to Xiomeran POW camps, was all they had in their immediate future.
With northeastern Zapotlán secured and the air base now taken out of allied hands, the Xiomerans and Iskirami could rest before being called on for their next mission - the final push into the center of Zapotlán.
November 15th
Zapotlán
On the northern end of the rapidly shrinking perimeter, a mix of Huenyan, Kerlian and Milintican forces had been tasked with defending Huaxtihe Air Base and Shoreside Park, the center of allied air defenses. Colonel Moteudil, previously of the Imperial Army and now with the Huenyan Army, was in command of the forces defending the northeast quadrant of Zapotlán.
When the attack began, Moteudil found himself in a far different position from his counterparts in the rest of the city. The bulk of the enemy action had been to the south, as enemy forces had surged through the large park at the southeast end of the city to the Intra-Xiomera Canal. His forces had only faced token resistance, which had puzzled the allied commanders.
But now, the plan that the Imperial forces had was becoming clear. Imperial forces had already cut off the southern end of the canal, preventing any reinforcements from that route. Now, in the large swath of parkland to the south and east of the air base, a new surge of enemy attackers was coming. His scouts had reported that a combined force of the unknown "elite forces" added to Xiomera's military, along with a very large Iskirami contingent, were advancing rapidly towards the air base. If the base was taken, it would become extremely difficult for allied forces to reinforce themselves.
Moteudil ordered his units to advance southward to relieve the positions under attack, and halt the attacking force before it reached the base. He also urgently radioed for reinforcements, only to be told by the allied command that none were available. The entire front was under a sustained attack, and Moteudil would need to do the best he could with what he had.
As Moteudil's forces moved southward, the defensive positions they were meant to relieve were already under attack.
The forces of the Grand Xiomeran Expeditionary Brigade, commanded by Brigadier General Omar Ibn-Basam Sadak, rapidly advanced towards the air base in armored vehicles, supported by friendly rocket artillery and elite Xiomeran soldiers. As much as he would have preferred to lead his men from the front, the Brigadier General knew that to do so was needlessly risky, even by the standards of the Iskirami. As such, he had taken a position away from the fighting, instead commanding his soldiers via radio.
Observing the base from binoculars, Sadak allowed himself to grin as he witnessed a salvo of rockets strike both Huaxtihe Air Base and Shoreside Park, serving to destroy both their air defenses and any planes still on the runways. Short bursts of machine-gun fire from the mechanized infantry meant that even the bravest soldier would hesitate to try and return fire, allowing the Iskirami inside to dismount as they approached the air base.
Alongside the Iskirami, the attacking Xiomeran soldiers dismounted as well from their APCs under the covering fire of their guns. Moving quickly, they began approaching the perimeter of the base.
Inside the base, Col. Moteudil ordered any planes that hadn't already taken off to get in the air as quickly as possible. The booming explosions as the rocket fire began hitting positions on the base underscored the urgency of that command.
Even as they took flight, however, the planes from Huaxtihe found themselves under attack from the Xiomeran air cover that was supporting the assault on Zapotlán. Dogfights began taking place between allied and Xiomeran fighters. Under cover from the fighters, a group of Imperial Apacan multi-role fighters swooped over the air base, utilizing their tactical bombing capabilities along with some well-placed missiles to further weaken the base's defenses prior to the ground assault.
Under pressure from both on the ground and above, the allied forces began pulling back to the interior of the base, doing their best to return fire while in retreat.
Sitting a safe distance away from the fighting, Iskirami mortar teams expertly bombarded enemy soldiers using the coordinates provided by Xiomeran radio operators. Although far less devastating than rocket artillery, the mortars were successful in suppressing and disorganizing the retreating soldiers. Accurate rifle fire from afar served to pick off exposed combatants - the Iskirami being particularly adept at the role due to the landscapes of their homeland.
With the enemy forces having been routed, the soldiers of the Brigade and the special forces they were partnered with advanced further into the air base, using whatever they could for cover.
As the attackers advanced, Col. Moteudil ordered a general retreat from the base. His forces began to fall back westwards, seeking to cross the canal and using it as a natural barrier. With a contingent of his own men, the Colonel did his best to provide cover for the retreating forces. Using the various buildings of the air base as cover, they began laying down delaying fire, trying to slow the enemy advance enough to allow a somewhat orderly retreat rather than an all-out rout.
As the Imperial forces began to face slightly more organized resistance, air support was requested by General Sadak - both to ensure the Huenyans were unable to cross the canal, and to provide precision air support alongside the mortar crews in order to destroy enemy cover. The soldiers of the Grand Brigade split off into fireteams and began to sweep and clear the airbase, focusing on the buildings they had detected enemy infantry entering, while relaying coordinates over radio to friendly mortar teams.
General Sadak didn’t have to wait long to get his wish. The Imperial Air Force was already in position, and soon began targeting both the buildings on the base and the retreating allied forces. While sporadic anti-air fire from the ground was still occurring, much of the defenders’ ability to fend off the aerial assault had already been destroyed.
The remaining allied forces were already either crossing the canal, or retreating to the nearby fleet embarked offshore. With his remaining contingent now sitting ducks, Col. Moteudil had little choice. From the base headquarters, he wearily sent a message requesting terms of surrender.
As the combat in the airbase slowed to a halt, with little resistance to the Imperial advance, Brigadier General Sadak returned a message, informing Moteudil to order his remaining men to surrender to allied forces in the area - presumably to be taken into custody as POWs.
The Colonel issued the order to surrender, and soon, resistance at the base ground to a complete halt. Moteudil had managed to at least accomplish getting most of the defending allied forces out of the trap. But for himself and his men, a humiliating surrender to the Xiomeran and Iskirami force, followed by a trip to Xiomeran POW camps, was all they had in their immediate future.
With northeastern Zapotlán secured and the air base now taken out of allied hands, the Xiomerans and Iskirami could rest before being called on for their next mission - the final push into the center of Zapotlán.
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