Battle of Saybrook
| Battle of Saybrook | |||||
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| Part of 1991 Bjeorg Conflict | |||||
Old Saybrook, the site of the Point Alpha landings and the Massacre of Old Saybrook | |||||
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Federal Supporters |
Rebel Supporters | ||||
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Zamastan
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Bjeorg
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The Battle of Saybrook was fought during the 1991 Bjeorg Conflict and consisted of Zamastanian forces landing at two fishing villages in Bjeorg, establishing zones that would be used for their ground incursion into the province alongside Maximusian forces.
At 4:00 in the afternoon on July 30th, Zamastanian forces began landing in the southern Bjeorg fishing villages of Old Saybrook and Glouchester, referred to by the Zamastanian command as Point Alpha and Point Beta respectively. The attack began with four bombers striking separatist turret emplacements. Unknown to command, however, Xiomeran mercenaries were in the proximity of the landing zone and had finished unloading and distributing weaponry to the militia in the fishing towns. Among the weapons were the XM-4, which was the most advanced portable SAM that Xiomera had available. They made their debut during the landings, when three of the four bombers were shot down on approach, killing two of the pilots and causing another to eject.
The landing at Old Saybrook were met with unexpected firepower from the separatist resistance. Two Zamastanian soldiers were killed as they disembarked from the landing craft, and another two were killed as the soldiers began moving through the village. It was in this village that Commander Austin Wilson and two of his men committed a war crime when they fired upon groups of captured insurgents and villagers that they had gathered in a clearing next to the landing zone. A soldier named James "Perch" Chulayan killed Commander Wilson and the two soldiers that followed his lead. Their bodies were then moved to make it appear as if they had been killed in battle. Approximately 27 people were killed in the Massacre of Old Saybrook, but the event was never confirmed until 2019 when a soldier who was present at the battle, Nicholas Henners, exposed the killings after years of silence. Secretary of Defense Curtis Fondaden was questioned by a Congressional subpoena session.
At Point Beta (Glouchester), which was six miles north of Old Saybrook, Zamastanian troops met heavier ground resistance than anticipated. The bombers launched in this area of battle managed to evade enemy missiles and destroy all heavy turret installations, allowing for smooth landings from the craft. Once the ground forces entered the village, however, they were met with sporadic ambushes from houses and hidden fox holes. By the time reinforcements from additional landing craft arrived, 21 soldiers had been killed.
The two landings are classified as into and overarching, individual battle, due to their proximity and the fact that soldiers from each landing area helped coordinate and reinforce their counterparts in the other. The battle cemented the presence of Zamastanian soldiers and their supply line on the Bjeorg province for the remainder of the conflict.