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The Liberation of Borovanger

Serenierre

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People's Commonwealth of Borovanger

30. June. 1957

The High Command of the 5th Shock Army had been established in a small chateau in the countryside of the newly occupied territories in Greater Borovanger. From this quaint location, General Renaudierre and his staff were commanding the invading forces all across the front. That morning, the General sat in his office with three secretaries busily working on the reports that had to be despatched back to the High Command in Villesen. The men under his command had succeeded in advancing up to the Bergante River. The quick advance to this point had been predicted in the planning stage, given the strategic and geographical weakness of the entire eastern bank of the river plains - purely from a defensive point of view.

General Renaudierre knew that two possible avenues were open before him in attempting to cross the Bergante River. Either break enemy lines in the north or in the south. Both were rewarding but both had their own set of risks. He had, in consultation with his subordinate officers, decided that breaking the Prometheist lines at the Isla del Santa Miguel, which was topped by the ancient abbey of the same saint, would be the better bet. There were several reasons for why the southern invasion route was thought to be better to forge a crossing into enemy territory. First and foremost, the river, itself, was calmer in the south. It was narrower and easier for the pontoon bridging brigades to erect their make shift crossings. Towards the north, if by fighting or sabotage, the Bergante Bridge was destroyed, the pontoon brigades would be hard-pressed to cover the distance with a strong enemy presence on the other side. The very presence of a river island made it easier for the thrust to continue from there. First, it was thought, the military would force pressure on the southern flank of the enemy's lines and once the Prometheists redeployed to support the southern units, the second prong would commence its attack on the defensive positions leading up to the bridge.

The General, in addition to deciding the strategy, had also gotten confirmation that a strict no-prisoner policy would be followed on the Isla del Santa Miguel. This was important. The Serenien Military was to be brutal. If the Prometheists wanted total war. They would have total war. No prisoners. No mercy. The orders from the High Command were clear and the General had no qualms about issuing it.

BATTLE OF ISLA DEL SANTA MIGUEL

It was clear, from signal interception and from intelligence reports, the Prometheists were digging in deep into the battle on the Isla del Santa Miguel. Advance reconnaissance teams also indicated that it seemed that civilians had been commandeered into digging the trenches and strengthening the defences of the island. Infantrymen from the Serenien military had spent the entire day setting up their own positions across the embankment opposite the island. The destruction of the aerial bombardment had left its mark. Thick black plumes of smoke rose high into the sky. The fire of the bombs had raged the whole night through.

With mortars and howitzers firmly positioned, the infantry units had commenced an aggressive volley of artillery barrages. Even the tanks, with their massive 100mm guns aimed at the direction of the island, fired without much restraint. Under the directives of General Renaudierre, there was to be no difference between civilian and military personnel on the island. Shoot, fire, kill. It was almost taken for granted that the bridges leading up to the island would be mined.

Lt. General Henri Lamont was the commander of the 12th Armoured Division and was charged with the task of invading the island. This specialised armoured division was geared for such operations which required amphibious undertakings. The would begin the assault. These amphibious tanks would establish the beachhead. His tanks would be supported by . And these APCs would bring over a brigade or so of elite commandos who would hold back the enemy. They would do this supported by the artillery assault of the infantry divisions from the other side of the riverbank and by aerial coverage from the Serenien Air Force. This would let the pontoon brigades to establish their crossing points and allow for greater numbers of soldiers to cross over to the island.

A major concern for Lt. General Lamont was the presence of potential landmines along the riverbank and fighters had been going over large strips of the embankment strafing the sand with their guns, blowing some to reveal where they had been cloistered. Clearly some minesweepers also had to go first before the non-armoured units made it across. Additionally, it was stated that prior to the commencement of the amphibious invasion of Isla del Santa Miguel, the heavy bomber air wing had to bomb the abbey and the fortress with napalm - a horrible chemical substance whose fire was particularly nasty and hard to extinguish.

BATTLE OF THE BRIDGE

The Serenien military was met with fierce resistance here. Several brazen and downright stupid Prometheist soldiers had attacked the tank tracks and shown a ferocity that had left the troops amazed at how hard they fought. Though, even that could last only so long. The Serenien Military here had received orders to slow down and grind on slowly, engage in as many skirmishes as possible and drain the enemy's strength. This battle would be particularly horrible. Given the closeness of the Bridge to the capital, the defensive preparations here were much better and were definitely slowing down the assault.

The infantry dug in deep to defend their gains and the armoured divisions were positioned as conventional artillery. The fighter-bombers were strafing enemy positions and dive bombing key targets. The skirmishes were aimed at keeping the enemy here under a stream of constant attacks - low-scale and low intensity but ever steady. The psychological impact from this, not to mention the physical damage, would be enough to weaken the enemy for when the actual assault would commence.

Valera, Province of Saro
Confederation of Borovanger

30. June. 1957

Capitaine Generale Rollet had returned to the frontline at this most stubborn city. Rollet had been promised cover by the Serenien Navy and that is what he had gotten. One , three and seven had arrived from Monserans and had hammered the port of Valera and then proceeded to finally blockade the port and hence seal off the city from the sea as well. The success of that operation, combined with the ever brighter news of Serenien Military advances against the Prometheists, had emboldened the Revolutionary Guardsmen, who had thrown themselves into battle head first. The restraint had vanished from Rollet's men and they pounded the enemy pillboxes and bunkers and forced their way into the city. Even though the fighting was brutal and bloody as each block was fought for brick by brick, Rollet felt secure taking such bold actions here, given the fact that they were no longer the only Serazinist army in the conflict. The stalemate had to be broken.

From Villesen, Rollet had been directed by his commander to ensure that he makes it clear to the BNA leadership that they would be spared if they surrendured before troops got to their location. The news had been broadcast on open frequencies and specific mention was made of the main commander of the BNA. If that man swallowed his pride, he could spare the citizens' and the troops' lives. It was a desperate situation for them. Though, it was also communicated to Rollet that upon the acceptance of prisoners belonging to the BNA high command, they were to be arrested and handed over to Directorate 77.
 

Bezonvaux

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The Serenien firebombs devastated the defenders of the Abbey, the fire spread quickly and many of the defenders were trapped in the ruins and engulfed in flames, with a lucky few managing to escape the inferno and flee to the safety of the Bergante River. even among those lucky enough to survive many suffered horrific burns and had to evacuated to the capital for treatment where the sight of the burned men in the hospital were used as propaganda to incense the war-weary public into a righteous anger against the invaders. Regrettably the hospitals in greater Borovanger lacked the necessary expertise and equipment to deal with this number of burn victims and as such many of those injured at the Isla del Santa Miguel died of their injuries.




However the Island was quickly reinforced by fresh troops as to not leave the island vulnerable to attack, along the Bergante river the mine-laying was continuing in earnest with the engineers working throughout the night to complete the mining of the river, similarly the civilian Working Battalions were were made to work almost non-stop in order to fortify the Prometheist defenses.








Bergante Bridge, 08/07/1957.




The endless Serenien attacks were taking their toll on the defenders of the bridge, the constant skirmishes prevented the defenders any chance to build further defense or rest. while the attacks themselves were fairly minor their sheer frequency was beginning to sap the defenders will to fight.




Ministry of Defense, Greater Borovanger, 04/07/1957




Colonel Javier Carita walked into Field Marshall Blum's Office, ordinarily of course the Field Marshall would never listen to such a radical plan, but of course the Commonwealth was desperate for anyway to counter the Serenien Invasion. " Field Marshall Blum,sir I have here a new plan for how the Commonwealth wages war, given the success of the Royalist Cruzados I want to the Commonwealth to establish a Comité de guerra irregular ( Committee of Irregular Warfare). This Committee would train our best men in non-traditional warfare, these men would then infiltrate behind enemy lines and then harass their supply lines and generally commit acts to weaken their ability to fight". The Field Marshall looked up from the papers Javier had shown him" This is all very well and good but time is a precious resource that we have little of, the amount of training required for these men to be effective would take too long and we need every man on the front lines, this plan certainly has merits but not enough for us to divert our resources towards such an endeavor".




At this Javier looked nervously at his feet and spoke" what if sir I could tell you that there were some fifty men that I have trained myself who are ready and able to take part in commando operations against the Serenien forces".




Faced with this news Blum was somewhat taken aback " you mean to say you have gone counter to the orders from high command and equipped and trained Commonwealth soldiers , subverted much needed men and resources for your little experiment! Colonel frankly I not know If I should have you court-martialed for insubordination or commended for your initiative. However since you have the men already trained it would be wasteful not to use them, every well your Comité de guerra irregular shall be given the green light but..but you shall be relegated from your front-line post to train additional men, however if these little experiment goes wrong you will be solely responsible...dismissed Colonel".
 
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Serenierre

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4. July. 1957

BATTLE OF ISLA DE SANTO MIGUEL

The fire-bombing raid on the abbey had gone well. The Serenien Air Force would mount another such raid that night. Yet again, the heavy bombers loaded with 800,000 pounds of heavy general purpose bombs would conduct a raid on the abbey. With the fires now suppressed, the explosive bombs would go much further in diving in deep into the defensive positions of the enemy. The fighter-bombers and jets were continuing their sorties and keeping the skies solidly friendly. This would be the last time they could bomb the site since when Serenien troops would be on the island, such a vast air raid could not be conducted.

Lt. General Lamont, commander of the 12th Armoured Division, had also communicated to the air force that they needed to bomb certain pathways in the river and the riverbank on the other side to neutralise mines that had been laid and to clear a pathway for the upcoming amphibious assault of the island. The artillery from the infantry corps had aimed their guns squarely at the key target points of the river crossing operation.

By the 5th of July, just after the air raid by the bombers, the amphibious operation began. The amphibious MA-17 tanks and the PA-17 vehicles started to cross the river as the rocket artillery and howitzers boomed behind them. Landing their shells and rockets on the enemy positions on the island. The commando units on the PA-17, upon landing on the riverbank would follow in the tracks of the tanks that were following certain paths where the planes had bombed out the majority of the mines. But obviously, not every mine could have been bombed out. So some tanks and APCs were unlucky and a good number of men died in this phase of the operation.

Once the troops had made it across, they would establish a beach head and then hold firm, allowing the pontoon brigades to create a provisional bridge to allow some more infantrymen to make their way over to the island. When that is done, the troops would begin to push forward into the island. Fighting to push back the Prometheist troops to the bombed out ruins of the abbey. There was some concern in the High Command what would happen in the fight in the catacombs that accompanied the abbey. It would indeed be a brutal fight.

On the 5th of July, the heavy bomber fleet would conduct another devastating raid on the roads that led up to the Isla de Santo Miguel. The destruction of the roads and railway tracks that led to the Abbey would go a long way in disrupting the supply lines of the defenders on the island and also cripple the infrastructure for any possible deployments to the island... and close the way for retreat for any troops from the island. This was to be a fight to the death.
 

Bezonvaux

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BATTLE OF ISLA DE SANTO MIGUEL, 6/07/1957.

There was precious little of the Abbey left, between the Serenien bomber and the firebombing most of the island was made up of charred ruins. The fighting on the island was incredibly brutal with the Prometheists engaging in brutal close quarters combat against the invaders. while there was little left of the Abbey there remained plenty of cover and the Prometheists were able to use this to ambush the Serenien forces at every opportunity.

fresh reinforcements were being sent onto the island it was imperative for the morale of the nation that the Isla de Santo Miguel remain in Prometheist hands, The joint Royalist-Prometheist high command was adamant that the if Greater Borovanger was to survive neither the Island and the Bergante Bridge must not by taken by the Serenien Army, The Prometheist Field Marshall Jules Blum declared" At the Isla de Santo Miguel we will bleed the Sezeranists white"!

With the creation of the Comité de guerra irregular the Prometheist commandos were ready to begin their mission to destabilize the Serenien war effort, however there remained the small problem of how they would get behind the enemies lines, the Serenien forces were massed along the entirety of the Bergante River making a crossing virtually impossible, likewise the Serenienese air superiority meant that any airborne deployment was equally impossible. therefore a more radical strategy would have to be devised, one such plan was for the Irregulares to cross into Bourgogne and then travel across that border and into Serenien occupied territory, but such a move could be politically disastrous a was ruled out.
another more reasonable plan was to launch feints across the front-line and in the chaos have the Irregulares slip into the occupied zone amid the chaos, however this plan was unpopular due to amount of men and material that would be lost. regrettably for the time being it seemed that the Irregulares would not see action for the foreseeable future.
 

Bezonvaux

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Borovanger City, Commonwealth of Borovanger. 19/07/1957.

Maria had been waiting for close to three hours to receive her rations there wasn't much to now these days anyway before the war she and her family had run a small corner shop,now her family's shop and many like it were closed due to the war, the line for the Ministry of Public Welfare distribution centre stretched down the street, she had had to get in line hours before the centre opened to be guaranteed getting any supplies.Ever since the the Serenien Invasion supplies food had grown short. most of those waiting in line were women, nearly all the men had been conscripted into the army or were employed in areas vital to the war effort.

Finally she made it to the front of the line were a man stamped her ration-card and directed her to where she could pick up her supplies, judging by his missing arm he had served on the front-lines at some point, It seemed the only men that came back from the war were broken in some way she could only home her sons were luckier.

Vegadeo, Saro, Confederation of Borovanger, 19/07/1954.

The people of Saro were renowned for their support of the Church and the Monarchy often in that order, thousands of them had flocked to the Royalist banner however with Saro under Sezeranist occupation they where now left in a difficult position, the Saroesque people were staunchly catholic and almost universally anti-Marxist despite the best efforts of the Sezeranists to ingratiate themselves to the populace many continued to fight on for the Royalist cause sabotaging roads and vehicles and assassinating Marxist officials. Bands of Cruzados took to the hills and continued to harass patrols and isolated outposts.
 

Serenierre

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23. July. 1957

BATTLE OF ISLA DE SANTO MIGUEL

The island had a heavy presence of soldiers. Four and a half thousand men had crossed over onto the island and were ruthlessly cutting down enemy positions. Much of the ruins of the abbey, at the surface had been taken down and now the battle in the subterranean catacombs remained. It had been decided that flamethrowers would be used to clear the entrance to the tunnels and other such superficial entrances. Orders had been given to use chlorine gas in the catacombs if the enemy soldiers continued to resist too much. There were no international laws which prevented the Serenien military from using these chemical weapons in tactical military operations. The aim of the troops on the surface was to take control of the other side of the island and secure the bridge which connected the island to the other side of Greater Borovanger. Once that was done, the island would be secured and the enemy forces picked off bit by bit. Orders had been received not to take any prisoners. It was clear that breaking the back of the enemy at the Isla de Santo Miguel would significantly weaken the resolve of the Prometheist military and force back the front a considerable distance.

BERGANTE BRIDGE

The Air force had been given orders to bomb the bridge and ensure its destruction. As such, fighter bombers had commenced raids on enemy positions all along this portion of the front and pounded the bridge with significant payloads. Enemy positions too were strafed and bombed. The infantry men and the tanks were ordered to begin an assault on enemy positions once the Bergante Bridge was knocked down or atleast partially destroyed. This would trap the Prometheist troops and allow a complete gutting of their ranks by the start of the forward thrust.

Vegadeo,
Saro, Confederation of Borovanger

23. July. 1957

The populace of these newly liberated towns were still sceptical of the Revolutionary Guards, even though they had spent no expense at keeping these ungrateful folk fed and provided for. They had fallen prey to the anti-Serenien propaganda by the Kadikistani puppet regime of Macqueda. They thought that Villesen was godless too, which it was not. In Marxist Serazinism, the Church was a vital tool for social upliftment. This was a critical difference between Leninovism and Serazinism. But the damage had been done. Brigands had been disrupting patrols and supply trucks on and off across the Province of Saro. Whenever they were caught, retribution by the Revolutionary Guards and the Red League was quick. Usually, they would arrest them and send them off to a facility operated by the Directorate 77. The Directorate had been inundated with such miscreants and had taken to tying cement blocks to these troublemakers and dumping them off of the ships and patrol boats in the ocean. Drowning them had proven to be quite effective and economically feasible.
 

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the Battle of Isla Del Santo Miguel


the battle for the island was growing increasingly brutal, Serenien forces were using flame throwers to try and oust the Prometheist forces from their positions, the Prometheists however continued to send men into the battle in the attempt to halt the Serenien advance, if the Island was taken then the Bergante Bridge would no doubt be next.


more and more men were being sent onto the island, given the close quarters combat they would encounter many had chosen to forgo the standard issue rifle in exchange for more practical weapons such as hand-axes and cudgels in fact so great was the demand for these weapons that numerous workshops were exclusively making such weapons. with the Serenien forces practice of not taking prisoners there was little incentive to fight fair...for those on the Isla Del Santo Miguel it would be victory or death.


recently the Prometheists fighting in the Isla Del Santo Miguel had been reinforced by the Royalist Albacente Division, the newly raised division was full of elan and were certain they would triumph over the Serenien forces, after all they had beaten Serenierre in the past why would now be any different?

Banyuls-sur-Mer, Albacente, Royalist Stronghold, 28/07/1957.

The Allied High Command was still attempting to deal with the Serenien invasion, more men would be needed, but unfortunately most of the manpower avaliable to the the Royalist and Prometheists had already been mobilized and where engaged in combat. But Raimundo Sotelo Commander of the Allied High Command had a solution to this problem, the nation of Geotri had already invested heavily in the Royalist cause so hopefully they would be open to sending more men to aid in the war effort..in exchange for resources and for priority to be given to Geotrian enterprises once the rebuilding of Borovanger was underway, that being said such a move would be a provocative move and could result in further destabilizing the region, but it was decided that the risk was worth it Geotri would be approached and asked for an increase to their forces already in Borovanger.
 
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Bezonvaux

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Greater Borovanger- the road to Isla Del Santo Miguel

The first Brigade of the Albacente Legion had taken to travelling at night and sleeping during the day to avoid the enemy aircraft which dominated the skies, even so they still suffered from aerial attacks. it was also slow going with most of the main roads little more than craters forcing them to march through the fields which were quickly turned to sludge under their feet. The Albacentians had left Banyuls-Sur-Mer in high spirits, ready to smash the Serenien invaders...already the reality of what they were facing was setting in, by the time they reached the front line they were bone-weary and filthy almost unrecognizable from the neat ordered columns that had left Albacente.

The first Battalion was to to assigned to the Isla Del Santo Miguel, the rest of the Legion was dispersed along the front to reinforce the Prometheists. The Allied High Command feared that the Prometheists forces might not be able to mount a sustained resistance in the face of the Serenien Military's technological and numerical superiority, the deployment of the Albacente Legion was something of a symbol, showing the Prometheists that the Royalists had not abandoned them. It was also a pragmatic move..if Greater Borovanger and the Prometheists fell then the Royalists would be caught between Serenierre and Munez's the Confederation of Borovanger.
 

Serenierre

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3 August 1957

BATTLE OF ISLA DE SANTO MIGUEL

With two thirds of the island under the control of the soldiers of the Serenien Army, the fighting had entered its terminal phase. The final push, so to say, before the defenders would come crashing down to their deaths. The elite commando units had been actively engaging enemy pockets of resistance but the deep catacombs and the ruins of the abbey and other such buildings had provided excellent cover for the defending garrison. Casualties had been high on the Serenien side but the advances had made up for those precious lives which were lost in the fight.

In a clandestine meeting of the Serenien War Cabinet that past week, it had been decided to deploy chlorine gas to clear out the catacombs once an entry point had been established at one of the pillboxes which were connected to entire labyrinthine complex of tunnels and caves under the Abbey. As it is the battle had dragged on for far longer than anticipated and cost more lives than expected. There was no appetite to clear out the catacombs using conventional means.

The Army had managed to enter two such pillboxes the previous week and so the planning had been in place to go through with the gas attack. That entire week, the frontline troops on the island had been on alert and their gas-masks were on the ready. On that day, the third of August, the order was despatched from Villesen to commence the gas attack to clear out one portion of the tunnels and catacombs. At noon, with the heat of the Gallian sun upon them, the 455th Special Engineers' Brigade commenced the detonation of a heavy payload of gas cylinders. Barrels were rolled down into the catacombs and set off. It was expected that on smelling the strange smell of gas, the troops which survived the initial effect of the gas, holed up inside as they were, would try to escape like rats. At this point, Serenien infantry men with flamethrowers and assault rifles would massacre the enemy troops. According to the military's intelligence, the Prometheists did not seem to have gas masks on the island as none of the bodies of fallen enemy troops indicated that the gas masks were part of their soldiers' kit - as it was with Serenien troops on the island.

On the surface, it seemed that snipers had taken hold of positions across the former abbey, with clear views of the island. This was quite damaging to Serenien morale. But the troops had been identifying key areas for the fighter bombers to raid. Given the nature of the defenders positions, the air force was now heavily bombing Prometheist positions on the island with napalm. The sticky incendiary would do much greater damage now than conventional bombs.

Aerial reconnaissance had told Serenien commanders that reinforcements to Santo Miguel had been despatched from the capital and so it was imperative that the siege of the island was broken and the island quickly captured. Though the air force had done excellent work in cutting down the organisation of the unit that was redeploying, enough had gotten through to shore up enemy positions. There was intense pressure on the commanders to achieve the goals set by Villesen. Generalissimo Serazin had stated that the first commander who could conquer the island would be promoted to a Grand Marshal in the army. The historical importance of a victory at Santo Miguel was too much to pass up for the sake of propaganda.

BATTLE OF BERGANTE BRIDGE

The aerial campaign had attacked the bridge severely. Once that had happened, the infantry had unleashed its artillery and mortar fire on the defending line of Prometheist troops leading up to the bridge. The tanks had charged ahead firing at the tougher positions. The goal here was to kill as many Prometheist troops as possible. To shock them and to whet the appetites of the Serenien troops, who had for so long been forced to stay in defensive posture, back into offensive mode.

AERIAL BOMBARDMENT OF BOROVANGER CITY

The urban areas under the hold of the Prometheists had gone relatively unscathed so far. However, that night a heavy armada of bombers raided the capital of the Prometheist Commonwealth and dropped 800,000 tons of incendiary bombs. A second similar raid followed later in which more such bombs were dropped across the city but this time they included a few heavy general purpose bombs as well. The Prometheists would be made to feel Villesen's wrath even before any troops crossed the Bergente River. How much of this relentless campaign could a country so small actually endure?

The campaign would continue over the next week. The bomber armada, escorted by jets, would traverse the skies over the city and drop a wide assortment of munitions. The goal of this part of the war effort was to destroy the heart of the Prometheist nation. In the campaigns of the Red League, the key word had been tact and strategy. The Military, however, was in no mood to play that game. The Serenien military meant business and it did not care how it achieved its goals. After all, many impressive promotions and awards awaited those who satisfied the Generalissimo.
 

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BATTLE OF ISLA DE SANTO MIGUEL
4th of August, 1957.

Despite the brutality of the Serenien forces none of the Prometheists could have expected the enemy to stoop to the use of chemical weapons, this latest Serenien atrocity had resulted in hundreds of outright deaths, and many more cursed to suffer. Desertion was at an all time high and worse was the widespread threat of mutiny with many units simply refusing any orders to advance. The Prometheist High command paralyzed with indecision with them reluctant to repress these mutiny's in part for fear that they would spread to other units and cause the front line to collapse, and also on politically many felt uneasy about forcing their comrades back to the front at gunpoint. Many like Field Marshall Blum still called for the Island of Saint Micheal to held to the last man claiming that the loss of the Island would result in a massive loss of morale, while others were beginning to question the wisdom behind the High Command's strategy stating that the massive casualties incurred were far worse for morale of the men than the loss of the Isla de Santo Miguel.

Meanwhile on the Island the fighting continued with Serenien forces using flamethrowers and napalm to oust the remaining Prometheist defenders from their positions, with several of the Prometheist regiments refusing to advance reinforcements were slow to arrive resulting in much of the Prometheist territory being lost. The Serenien aerial bombardment had managed to destroy the few remaining Prometheist sniper nests.


BATTLE OF BERGANTE BRIDGE

The savagery of the Serenien offensive took the Prometheists by surprise and several units were routed by the enemy but a counter-attack by a detachment from the Albacente Legion under Captain Henri Calvert managing to halt the enemy advance long enough for engineers to blow the bridge in order to deny it to the enemy and to allow the Prometheist defenders to regroup on the far bank of the river.

BOROVANGER CITY
Despite the city's myriad air raid shelters and anti air defenses the city was devastated by the Serenien aircraft, the fires quickly blazed out of control with the majority of the city's firefighters having been conscripted there were few left to fire the infernos that raged across the city. While hundreds were killed by the bombing itself many more were killed as a result of the fires.
 

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BATTLE OF ISLA DE SANTO MIGUEL

6 August 1957

It was clear that the back of the Prometheist defenders at the Isla de Santo Miguel had been broken. The use of the chemical weapons to disrupt the tunnels had been successful and a large number of enemy troops had died. With their morale crashing, the Serenien Army had proceeded to intensify its operations all through the island. No prisoners. Shoot to kill. Those were the orders. The majority of the island had come under Serenien hands and would remain so. Men from the 14th Infantry Division had been relentless in their assault on the enemy positions. They took casualties too, but the sheer wave of the offensive was such that it seemed to have overwhelmed the enemy.

With the Prometheist share of the island reduced to just 10% or so, the Commander of the 15th Infantry sent an ultimatum of surrender to the Promethiest commander of the island's garrison. They had 24 hours to respond. Failure to do so would result in an all out assault. As he had sent the ultimatum, Lt. General Millerand knew the place in history he had won for himself. He would long be remembered as the Conqueror of Santo Miguel. The commander of the first Serenien Army to take this island and its abbey. The tides of history were a majestic thing when they propelled one further into the direction of glory.

But it was clear, and this had been communicated to Villesen, that the battle would be over within a few days. When that would happen, Serenien troops would cross over to the other side of the Bergante River and then the inevitable fall of Prometheism in Gallia would follow.

BATTLE OF BERGANTE BRIDGE

The Bergente Bridge was destroyed. The Goal was met. There was now no way for the enemy to open a second front in the north. The advance of the shock armies had rattled the Prometheists and broken their main defensive lines. However, the advance had been halted when fortified positions were reached. At this point, the assault was stopped and defensive positions re-established. It was clear that with the bridge knocked down, the enemy positions on this side of the bridge would have no means of getting heavy weaponry so there was no risk for an offensive operation to commence.

The armoured divisions from the north were now to be redeployed to the south to take the fight deeper into Greater Borovanger, now that the crossing from Santa Miguel would be possible soon.

SKIES OVER PROMETHEIST BOROVANGER
The bomber raids had taken to carpet bombing cities all across the Prometheist countryside. Though special attention remained focused on the capital of the rogue Prometheist regime. But lately, the Air Force had chosen to disrupt the infrastructure of the industrial and agricultural base of the country. Two dams had been targeted and several granaries too were bombed. The goal was now shifting to disrupt water and food supplies to the enemy's cities. And in a few days, the power plants, as identified by aerial reconnaissance, would be bombed as well. How long could the Prometheists last?
 

Bezonvaux

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First Ministers Office, Borovanger City Commonwealth of Borovanger, 19/08/1957.

The Commonwealths leading politicians and generals had convened this emergency meeting to discuss the war against Serenierre. Everyone there could agree it was going poorly, but none of them were quite sure how to proceed. Field Marshall Blum and his fellow officers wanted to continue the war despite the heavy losses already suffered by both the military and the civilian populace. However a good deal of the civilian government led by the Minister of Agriculture Emilio Vargas called for the Commonwealth to surrender to Serenierre in order to " save the people of Borovanger from unnecessary bloodshed". Francois Valois had remained silent in these discussions however many felt that due to his close friendship with Field Marshall Blum that he would side with the military and continue the war.

it was during the third hour of debates between the pro and anti war factions that Valois finally spoke" Everything that I have done, I have done for the good of the people and now we must now put our pride aside and surrender...I do not say this lightly but I truly feel that this choice is the best for our people, we could fight on but what would it achieve? most of the country is in ruins already to continue fighting is nothing short of madness, we must look to the future after the war the country will need to be rebuilt and we cannot rebuild our beloved nation if all that is left is ruins". with this announcement the room was shocked into silence, Blum and the other generals present were shocked and stunned, Blum spoke" While I can understand the First Minister's decision I cannot condone it, we made a pact with the Royalists and I do not intend to break, you might surrender but me and my men will fight on, under the Royalist banner if need be". With that Blum and the rest of the Generals left the room, The remaining politicians set to work finalizing the Commonwealth of Borovangers surrender.
 

Serenierre

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20. AUGUST. 1957

Ceasefire & Capitulation negotiations
A document was signed that day between the representatives of the Serenien Military and the Prometheist leadership. A ceasefire was struck and a momentary calm prevailed over the ravaged land of Greater Borovanger. All across the front, where there had been battles and skirmishes, now finally the dead could be buried and given their final rest. The flag of Serazinism flew over the ruins of the Abbey of Santa Miguel, the first Serenien banner to have conquered this fabled island fortress, long denied to many commanders sent by Villesen to destroy the Borovangerese. The capital of the Prometheist regime lay bombed out. The roads and railway, gutted. And thousands of Villesen's tanks and troops stood ready to push forward from the Isla de Santa Miguel onto the interior heartland of Greater Borovanger. This was how the situation stood when the two representatives from either side penned their signatures on the document that had been labelled a "ceasefire agreement".

With that matter resolved, Lt. General Villepin spoke to his Prometheist counterpart. It was impressed on the Prometheist representative that anything short of unconditional surrender was unacceptable. But he laid it plainly that, if the Prometheist regime capitulated as was demanded, the civilian populace of the region would be left untouched and the terrors of the war could end for them. The Lt. General also informed his Prometheist counterpart that if the regime's leadership surrendered now, they would be kept in the detention of the Serenien Military, which was an entirely better state of affairs for them than being handed over to the authorities of the Confederation of Borovanger, which would condemn them as traitors and summarily execute them. But, he added with a smile, that these were only suggestions for consideration. Though the implication behind that smile was anything but suggestive of such an equal footing being afforded to the Prometheists. A shrewd man would understand.

Military Command - Eastern Bank of Bergente River
General Renaudierre had been informed by his operatives and sources that Field Marshal Blum had retreated from the Prometheist capital and was headed in the direction of the city of Vallespir. This city had escaped the bombing raids and its defensive fortifications were still very much intact and well provisioned by a robust supply chain of the combined enemy forces from the north. He had heard the news quietly. That battle could wait. For now, the troops on his southern flank needed to rest after the brutal campaign in Santa Miguel and the troops from the northern flank were in the middle of their redeployments. Intelligence had suggested that the Field Marshal had managed to significantly bolster his own anti-air defences in the city by packing the AA guns tightly and had been assisted by foreign sources as well, though that remained unconfirmed, though for the doubts that lingered, it was thought best to refrain from sending any bombing raids on the city just yet. But irrespective of the situation in Vallespir, the Serenien Army had to recuperate.

Revolutionary Guards HQ - Saulot Province
While the Serenien Military had pushed on to the south, the Revolutionary Guards had shored up their strength by remaining in reserve positions all along the northern front and kept the subversive activities of partisans to a minimum. Now, with the successes in the South, it would soon be the Revolutionary Guards who might be called upon to launch an offensive to counter the enemy in the northern front. Though this would prove problematic as some of the units had still not been refitted and restocked following the end of the Saro Campaign, due to a diversion of supplies to the military's thrust into Prometheist territory. Time would tell what happened.
 

Bezonvaux

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20. AUGUST. 1957


Ceasefire & Capitulation negotiations

The Prometheist representative Foreign Minister Rodrigo Gomez was disappointed by the Serenien Generals confrontational attitude, he had hoped that they might be more accommodating, but then again why would they be? after they were the winners and could do whatever they damned well please. " Well General this all looks to be in order, however I feel I must ask for a few small amendments on behalf of my government, these detention camps which you will place us in are to be regularly monitored by observers belonging to a neutral third party, to ensure that international laws are being upheld, Also may I inquire as to what will happen to those Borovangen soldiers who have laid down their arms? now our two countries are at peace will they be held in camps like the civilian government or will you continue to execute them?Gomez personally didn't trust the Serenien General any farther then he could throw him but it wasn't like he had any other choice.

Vallespir, Greater Borovanger. 20/08/1957.

When Blum and his men quit the capital they took with them all the weapons and ammunition that they could carry, already the civilian populace had been mobilized to construct defenses around the city.
 

Serenierre

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20. AUGUST. 1957

Ceasefire & Capitulation negotiations
Lt. General Villepin responded to his counterpart, "I would like to correct you Mr. Gomez. Following the signing of these documents, the People's Commonwealth no longer exists. In our eyes, only the Confederation is the true representative of the people of Borovanger. The civilian government of the former People's Commonwealth will be detained but shall not be sent to a jail or a prison. The Prometheist leadership shall be taken to a Chateau in eastern Borovanger, close to the international border. Here, they shall be allowed to remain with the estate. But of course the estate itself shall be guarded by the military. But they shall not be subjected to any hardship, rest assured. Of course, the Red Cross shall be present and is designated by the Government as the sole international observer allowed in our camps and prisons."

"The Military personnel shall be sent to prison camps and accorded the degree of respect the troops of a fallen power are always given. Three meals and bed to sleep in. Though they shall be prisoners of war, obviously a status that shall not be the same as the one given to the leadership of the Prometheists. Though I must remind you, former Minister Gomez, this is an unconditional surrender. The People's Commonwealth is not at liberty to dictate its terms. I hope that you and your former colleagues shall appreciate the accommodations at the chateau we have selected for you."

Chateau - Prison for Prometheists

Though designated a chateau, the original building had long since been blown to bits by the military campaign. Now, in the historical grounds stood a large building of concrete and steel. It was modern but by no means a "chateau". Inside there were 150 jail cells. This would be where the Prometheist leadership would led to until the authorities in the Confederation of Borovanger decided what to do with them at the end of the war.
 

Bezonvaux

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20. AUGUST. 1957


Ceasefire & Capitulation negotiations

Gomez could do little else but agree to the Serenien demands, certainly a secluded chateau would be a better cage than some Marxist prison " very well then sir, you leave us little choice but to accept".Despite just agreeing to this armistice Gomez couldn't help but feel uneasy about the whole thing..he could only hope that history would not judge him or his government too harshly.

after the meeting he wrote a letter to his wife telling to get herself and the children out of the country, even though the war was other he doubted anyone was really safe.



Vallespir, front lines, 3/09/1957.

Field Marshall Blum strode past the defenses, they seemed to be progressing according to schedule, but even so he worried that they would not be built in time. refugees continued to arrive in Vallespir from the former Prometheist Commonwealth many remained fearful of the Serenien forces despite the armistice. Many of the refugees were turned away...Blum could not waste the precious few resources he had on non-combatants, everyone in Vallespir had to fight or work towards the war effort there could be no dead weight.

all men from the ages of 15-65 were conscripted into the army or in to the work battalions, the women were sent to the factories and workshops. supplies such as food and medicine were supplied by the Royalists in Albacente, here at Vallespir Blum would make Serenierre bleed.


Borovanger-Bourgogne border

Every since the Armistice with Serenierre was announced thousands of people living in the former Prometheist Commonwealth were attempting to flee the approaching Serenien forces, a good deal of those refugees headed north towards the lands held by the Royalists many more headed east towards Bourgogne, the roads leading east were a clogged with thousands of people trying to escape the war.
 

Serenierre

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25th August 1957

Borovanger City, Occupied Borovanger
The Serenien Military marched into the former capital of the Prometheist State. The first Serenien military to have the honour to destroy the Borovangerese troops at the majestic Bergente River. Many columns of tanks and trucks passed by as they took their positions all across the bombed out city. The newspapers across the world would read that Serenierre's military has defeated yet another faction in this wretched war.

6th September 1957
VALLESPIR FRONT

The Revolutionary Guards were on the move again. With firm orders from the top, they had to take out the forces of Field Marshal Blum. Though it remained to be seen how they would manage that, given the fact they were already stretched thin. But they established the initial camps and established the most basic of defences until more troops could arrive from further to the south. At this point, if the Fascists to the North or the soldiers from Blum's contingent were to attack, the Revolutionary Guards would genuinely be in a bind.

VILLESEN, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF SERENIERRE

Generalissimo Serazin had been informed of the refugees collecting on the Burgo-Borovanger frontier. He had immediately despatched a message to the Government in Chagny to ensure that the frontier over there remained closed. He did not want hostile forces and enemies of the Confederation of Borovanger slipping through and claiming the status of an asylum seeker. It was hoped that the Government of [MENTION=26]Bourgogne[/MENTION] would see the situation in much the same way.
 

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8th September 1957
VALLESPIR FRONT.
The Marxists resources were stretched thin, now was the perfect time to strike, with the collapse of the Prometheist government the Sezeranists and their Borovangen lackeys had rushed to take as much territory as possible, however their impetuousness had left them vulnerable. Field Marshal Blum was going to punish them for their over confidence. Every available man was being readied for a new offensive. Even with such a high chance of success any offensive would rob the Junta of much needed resources which could be used to reinforce their defences. However typical of members of the Borovangen military the Junta opted to launch the offensive as soon as possible.


Borovangen-Burgundian Border
Thousands continued to stream into Bourgogne from the war torn nation, this latest wave of refugees were predominately men formerly belonging to the Prometheist army fleeing imprisonment at the hands of the Serenien army and conscription at the hands of Blum’s Junta.
 

Serenierre

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VALLESPIR FRONT
24. September. 1957

Pandemonium. Over much of September, the Revolutionary Guards' northern legions and regiments had been beaten back ruthlessly by the ferocious assault of the remnants of the former Prometheist army under the command of Marshal Blum. The casualty rate was high and large tracts of land in Saulot Province were lost as the Revolutionary Guards had to perform a series of tactical retreats to positions where they could be better supplied and their defensive positions could be held tighter.

Further south in the country, the commanders of the successful Serenien Army had seen with concern how the forces under Blum's command had pushed back against the RG. The propaganda victory of the destruction of the Prometheist state had been severely weakened by the events of September. The northern front had been stabilised by the presence of additional troops from the Serenien Army. But even then, only the defensive position could be strengthened. The September Campaign would have had the effect of bolstering the resolve of partisans and weakening the perception of Serenierre as an unstoppable juggernaut moving briskly through the Borovangerese countryside.

It was expected that a protracted trench warfare would take hold in northern Saulot as neither side, for now, was strong enough for major offensive campaigns. The Serenien troops were exhausted and needed to recuperate and Blum's men, from Serenien intelligence, were not numerically strong enough to continue to push deeper into the territory of the Confederation of Borovanger.

Would the Fascists in the northern provinces strike next? That part of the front had been particularly aggressive at first and the defensive lines had been drawn stronger here. Though the nervousness was palpable among the Revolutionary Guardsmen who manned this front. But they stood strong, ready to defend the front against the fascists of Ortega's army.
 

Bezonvaux

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Field Marshall Blum's Office, Vallespir police station, 10th of September 1957.

Blum had called a meeting regarding the Junta's future, the leading members of the military were attending along with the few civilian administrators who had not yet fled for Bourgogne. Given the ad-hoc nature of the Junta little had been decided about the path that the Junta would take, Officially the Prometheist Commonwealth had capitulated to Serenierre yet Blum and his men continued to fight on the question was what would they be fighting as?

Some officers like Colonel Leopold Ferreira were calling for Vallespir to be annexed by the Royalists and for the Prometheist soldiers to be formally integrated into the Royalist army, and its territory likewise coming under the Royalists control, the more conservative officers supported this plan many of whom had aligned themselves to the Prometheists for political reasons rather than ideological.

Some of other officers present and most of the civilians felt that the Junta should declare itself the rightful successor to the Prometheist Commonwealth, however Blum felt it was too presumptuous to declare themselves the new Commonwealth given that they only controlled the one city and declaring a second Commonwealth would likely antagonize their Royalist allies which they depended on now more then ever.

Eventually after hours of discussion It was decided that the Junta would continue to fight under the Royalists but maintain their local autonomy until such a time that the war was over.
 
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