Alyeskan war: Difference between revisions
→Counter attack in the blissards
Dutch-ODST (talk | contribs) |
Dutch-ODST (talk | contribs) |
||
Line 41:
By the 1st of December 1978, the front was such that ANAN forces had managed to secure the western border regions with Tussland, the southern areas of Alyeska. At the same time the Russians despite experiencing a great deal of setbacks, had managed to take the core regions of Alyeska as well as maintain control of the island Shiskov, which allowed Russian forces to maintain constant attacks upon ANAN positions.
====
“''In wargames before the conflict…we always assumed that the Russians would fight hard but at some point would break…we were wrong…those Ruskies they did not break .. not the slightest.''” - Major-General Raul Miralles, of the 332nd Marine Division
It was in June 1978, that the time had come, at least in the eyes of the military strategists of ANAN, to deal with Shiskov Island. It was a large heavily fortified island that was a base of operations for constant sorties against ANAN forces in the south, west and north. It also proved to be the principal area from which counter-offensives were launched. In other words at least to the Strategists of ANAN, to liberate Alyeska, the island would need to be captured.
It was well known at least that this would not be easy, intelligence had estimated that a total of 5 divisions would be present on the island, some 130,000 men in total, including a strong air defence network. This in combination with it being easy to resupply by the Russians for holding the island allowed the Russians to hold at bay ANAN naval efforts. All of this was hampered by the small distance between the mainland and the island itself. It was thus understood by all that to capture the island a heavy price was going to be paid. It was thus that this task was given to '''Lieutenant-General Joost Wessink''', of the Korps Mariniers of the Nieuw Nederlandt Staatse Vloot, he was principally tasked due to his reputation of being an efficient soldier and ability to plan large offensive operations, but mainly he was politically able to ensure no conflict was present between his commanders. It was thus on the third of June 1978, after spending two months getting his forces ready, training them up in New France for this operation, that Operation “Wodka Slachter” was launched.
'''D-Day June 1978'''
It was on the 6th of June 1978, at precisely 05:31 local time, under the cover of intensive hostile fire from the Russian islands that the first landing craft landed upon the shores. It was Marinier second-class Klaas Weademan, that first left the amphibious landing craft, it was that he was the first casualty of Operation Wodka Slachter. He was killed by soldiers that were dug into the woods, it was after he was killed that pre-sighted artillery opened fire upon the shores. What followed was a landing operation that cost the lives of some 7,000 marines to break the initial shore defences, defences that were some 11 meters from the sea. It was brutal but it was at Kaap beach that the first breach was made.
It was in the breach that the marines of the 1st division of the Korps Mariniers, were able to secure the first island, while it was cleared rapidly f Russian troops, they withdrew to other parts of the island, for the entire island was a massive fortress. While they did clear the island the Russians kept on the artillery sorties upon their positions and thus fighting quickly went underground and devolved into brutal hand-to-hand combat. It was slow and brutal but in the end, the Marines were able to link up the numerous beaches and create a foothold, at around D-day +11. Fighting was brutal but over the following month the entire island was cleared out but only after thousands of Marines were killed in the end tens of thousands of Russians were killed in the fighting, while nearly 90.000 Russians were taken as prisoners of war.
{{Timeline and Lore}}
| |||