First Battle of Mons Dei

The First Battle of Mons Dei marked the opening battle of the War of Golden Succession, setting off a conflict that would claim the lives of millions. Though the defending Imperial divisions were caught off guard it ended in little more than a tactical victory for the Weigari Independence Army, and in fact, claimed more rebel lives than Macabee and Killian combined. Nonetheless, it proved to be quite the shock to the Empire and ultimately persuaded the rise of the indegenous population in Sarcanza and the invasion of Southern Macabea by Haven. In the end, as said before, it would spark a war that would last the ages and see the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and millions of civilians. For the general simplicity of the battle, ironically what it would forge would be just opposite.

Background

As the Weigari Independence Army, fresh from over three months of training at the Fields of Glory, formulated under the leadership of Weigari general Karl Bietz and Prince Heinrich Catalán, the situation in the city of Weigar proper was intensifying. Although it was already occupied by two Waffen-SS units Fedor I found it proper to begin the deployment of three Waffen-SS mechanized divisions under the sole command of Colonel-General Francies Grenöt. Suddenly, the military situation for General Karl Bietz turned around and risking comprimization of the rebel army he was ordered by Heinrich for an immediate offensive east. The resulting operation was dubbed Operation Valkyrie and called for a lightning offensive straight into the lines of the three divisions before the saw, or expected, a large, trained Weigari army. In effect, it was to completely destroy the three divisions, opening the road to Fedala and thus allowing an easy and quick end to the war. Both Prince and General understood that an Imperial defeat at Mons Dei would mean a wider support for the rebellion, both internally and internationally, and they were correct in their stipulations.

It was also understood that theere was only one form Weigar could win the war without outside support, which was by and far unlikely with an allied Haven to the south (although Haven would turn out to be a foe), a silent Zarbia to the east, and a potentially hostile region around them. In fact, the Empire had the region so tightly held together that Weigar expected the complete oppposite to happen, and instead witness dozens of armies converging to put down the rebellion. Therefore, the sole method of victory would be a shattering of the Imperial front and then a sudden campaign southeast to Fedala. To this effect, the army forged at the Fields of Glory were built to attack in mass, as a hammer. This hammer struck on 14 May, 2016, setting off a war that would be the bloodiest Macabee History.

The State of the Macabee Defense

The three divisions that deployed west of Mons Dei, preparing for further deployment to Weigar to put down the light violence that was polluting the city, were amongst the worst in the Waffen-SS. Formed under the rule Emperor Jonach I they were composed of the criminals swept off the streets of Hailandkill, as a general program of army expansion through the use of foreign manpower, thus allowing the Empire to allot the majority of its population to its massive industrial power. As a whole the Waffen-SS, trained to kill, were proved to be some of the most effective fighters in the world, but unfortunately of the thirteen mechanized division the worse three were sent to Mons Dei. Arguably, it wasn't foreseen that they would be threatened by a much larger rebel army, but in retrospect it was one of Fedor's largest mistake to send in the Waffen-SS as opposed to conventional military units. Nonetheless, the two units already in Weigar were both Waffen-SS as well, one of them being a Geisenfried air assault group and the other a special operations assault group composed of Doomish soldiers, and so at the time it made sense to keep uniformity of command, especially since it was unknown that there was a conventional ground army between them and the Fedalan divisions. It was rather ill-fated that these three divisions would be sent to their deaths due to an unforseeable event.

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Weigari Held Territory After Mons Dei

There have been certain accusations from post-war historians that the Empire really did not wish to see the truth and that it was Fedor's fault that those men died. Their argument suggests that it was horrible intelligence work on the part of IINSA and an atrocious underestimation of the potential of Weigar to commit itself to a fullscale war. There's certain evidence that supports the argument to an extent, including that it was a known fact that Prince Heinrich had fled from Fedala to Weigar a few days after the accension of his son, Fedor I, to the throne. Assuming Fedor knew the ability of his father to rise against the throne one could assume it was obvious that there was soon to be problems. However, even assuming the former, it could also be assumed that Fedor thought that it would be centralized in the city of Weigar itself, thus why he had opted to occupy the city istead of securing the countryside. Under this supposition the lack of reconnaissance can be somewhat pardoned on Fedor's part, as it was simply unthinkable that his foe would be able to produce such a powerful army. A second piece of evidence brought forth for the argument was the release of information of IINSA activity within Guffingford. Declassified post-war, it brought shouts from the anti-war sector of the Empire and from the general Guffingfordi population. It also brought allegations that IINSA was focusing less on what was important, internal security, as opposed to its operations outside the Empire - which, in fact, saw the deaths of five agents. Understandably however, the job requirement of IINSA was never internal security, but security within the Empire by the means of her propigation elsewhere. In other words, to smash the problem before it kindled. If in fact this was the wrong policy it means that the consequences were disastrous.

There were also palpable malfunctions in the logistical network leading to the three divisions, including insufficient truck transport and the fact that most of the logistics sector was given leave for two days as to rest them for the eventual operations inside Weigar. The massive disregard for the divisions' wellbeing has also been a point of criticism on the administration's taking of the rebellion in the first few days, which proved to be crucial. Arguably, a better fed army would have been able to stop the Weigari offensive in its tracks, ending the rebellion early and eventually avoiding the deaths of millions. The administration argues back that such a conjecture can only be made in restrospect since they never expected the division to need such a grand logistical network, as there was no major combat to be expected. Nevertheless, literature on the subject continues to be published including the most infamous work by Army General Constanz Geret, Icebreaker. Geret claims that the Imperial defense is unfounded since such logistics are absolutely necessary for the upkeep of what are some of the most well armed soldiers in the Empire. to date, the administration has not responded to his book, instead charging Geret of treason for the fact that he refused to raise a hand against Weigar, although he was in the Imperial Army. To date, Geret has still not been prosecuted due to widespread support for his cause.

In the end, whether or not it was Fedor's fault that the three divisions were destroyed is irrelevent. What is relevent is the fact that they were destroyed. Their destruction would in due course start two wars; the War of Golden Succession and the post-war literature battle.

Operation Valkyrie

Operation Valkyrie kicked off 0300 hours (three in the morning) 14 May, 2016, with a massive armoured offensive straight into Imperial lines. Two Weigari armoured divisions were ordered by Bietz to begin to probe the lines for a potential hole. The fighting was harsh with heavy use of older anti-tank ordnance against rebel T-72s and T-80s. In the face of the pressure exerted by the frightfully huge armoured columns sported by Weigar a hole cracked in the area of the 3rd Waffen-SS Panzergrenadier Division in the southern sector. The fighting still raged rather brilliantly with multiple attempts by Grenöt to plug the hole in his southern flank. Commanding officer of the sector, Captain Frederik Lorns, annotated in his diary that '[Mons Dei had been] the hardest fighting he had ever seen in his life.' Unfortunately, Captain Lorns' defensive sector became the Schwerpunkt of Operation Valkyrie. Exhilirated by such an early success Bietz decided to throw in another armoured battalion in an attempt to open a gap within the Waffen-SS' lines, ultimately causing a rupture and an eventual Imperial retreat that would attempt to reforge the gap by at least three thousand meters. An early defeat was staved off by a quick deployment of Killian armoured and mechanized personnel on the southern flank of the rebel advance although, unfortunately, a quick counterattack was made impossible from the traffic jams fabricated by quick moving vehicles. Ability to engage nonwithstanding, it forced Bietz to peel off certain armoured units from his attack in order to form a screen to the south.

On the 15th a Killian offensive struck at the screen, under the command of Colonel Tom Straffaers . Four hundred and fifteen Panzer XI BredtSverts led the offensive under the command line of 'let's rock and roll', followed by two hundred and fifty-six SOV-6 [| Infantry Fighting Vehicles]. The immediately devolved into a large revolving armoured battle, which resembled the Battle of Pokhlebin (a minor battle of the Second World War), between around six hundred armoured fighting vehicles. As the Killian armour engaged the T-80s and T-90s, the rebel armour focused on the destruction of the infantry fighting vehicles that had begun to unload the mechanized infantry. It was a slaughter on both parts, with over a third of the Weigari armour destroyed in the battle. By a stroke of luck, however, Colonel Tom Straffaers was killed, leaving the armour in command of a tank commander under the name of Jimmy Wilson - a man that would make a name for himself throughout the war. The fighting in southern Mons Dei had been a pyrrhic victory for the rebel armour and it would foreshadow the nature of the fighting and of the end victory. It was only through the death of the Killian command that the screen held. Without command the Killian line was forced south where they set up a starting line for future combat operations around Mons Dei, and where they could lick their wounds.

All the while, the fighting to continously widen the breach in Captain Lorns' sector continued throughout the day. The 15th saw a secondary operation against the same focal point under the command of Major General Franz von Seydlitz. Seven thousand Weigari infantry attempted to infiltrate the gap, but they were met by heavy fire and a very elastic line which would by the end of the day form a 'bulge' to attempt to hold back the complete breakthrough of Weigari assets. An Imperial counter-attack attempted to strike the 'bulge' from the north, marking one of the sharpest engagements of the battle, but in the end the light armoured vehicles sported by the counter-attacking mechanized soldiers failed at the cost of over four thousand lives. The death toll for the second day of fighting had been preposterous, with at least eleven thousand men left to rot within the bulge. More importantly, with the counter-attack being an utter and costly failure it seemed as if the 3rd Waffen-SS Panzergrenadier Division had expended all the resources it could expend returning the initiative to General Bietz - it would ultimately cost them the battle.

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SOV-6 Infantry Fighting Vehicle

On the 17th, after a brief respite, Bietz continued his offensive, finally breaking through the 3rd's defense and allowing his armour to encroach upon the rear in a wide encirclement manuever. Limited counter-attacks launched against the head of the pincer, however, forced Bietz to stop the offensive for the day after loosing half a squad of T-80s. Even so, the lines were no longer manageable, with the division brought down to around two thousand men by the end of the third day, making chances for an Imperial victory rather bleak. The 18th saw a renewed effort although it too fell short after a second Killian counterattack to the south. The latter was met by a renewed effort by reinforced armour battalions. A very interesting tactic developed in which the less advance rebel armour would simply target the treads of the BredtSverts from a longer range, thus rendering them immobile, and allowing the T-80s and T-90s to sweep in from behind. On the 19th and 20th the attempt to encirclement the 3rd Waffen-SS Panzergrenadier Division was completed as the 1st and 2nd finally withdrew from Mons Dei in the face of superior rebel firepower. To the south anti-tank guns continued to pelt Hailandkill armour that continously pressured the southern screening force. On the 21st Hailandkill finally pulled back after overall commander Captain Jack Ryan ordered a withdrawl in the face of mounting casualties, against the suggestions of his subordinates who urged him to move reinforcements. Lieutenant Jimmy Wilson was able to persuade a double throng offensive into the screen's defenses, but Ryan's decision to not reinforce and instead call for a post-battle withdrawl would give Bietz his victory and cost the lives of the rest of the 3rd-Waffen SS Panzergrenadier Division. Understandably, the last Killian offensive of the battle on the 22nd, ended in failure. A final communiqué from the Fedor administration sealed the Killian offensive, as well as the fate of the encircled division.

The Encirclement

Allowing the 3rd Waffen-SS Panzergrenadier Division

Conclusions