Battle of Kasenberg

Battle of Kasenberg
Part of the East Vierz Front of the Great War
Luepolan troops in a destroyed area of the city
Date 13 October 1944 – 4 May 1945 (6 months and 3 weeks) Location Kasenberg, Lonzig, Vierz Empire Result Vierz victory
Belligerents
Luepola Vierz Liberation Army Vorochia	Vierz Empire Savland
Commanders and leaders
Anton Marusić Emil Hužak Anton Ilić Grigor Peřišić Mladen Krasănski Petăr Kraľević Yuri Kovalchuk Hans Friedmann	Hermann Eschau Helmut Bergmann Adrian Ullrich Marcus Jung Lukas von Kohlberg Dennis Schiller Terje Elstad
Units involved
Votanska Front 5th Army 1st Liberation Division 11th Army 17th Army 20th Army 26th Army 4th Army	Army Group South 3rd Army 4th Army 9th Army 10th Army 2nd Army
Strength
Total: 1,575,459 men 3,800 artillery pieces 1,400 tanks 800 aircraft	Total: 1,678,385 men 3,100 artillery pieces 1,100 tanks 1,270 aircraft
Casualties and losses
Total: 985,348 655,584 killed or missing 329,764 injured or sick	Total: 918,924 560,687 killed or missing 358,237 injured or sick

The Battle of Kasenberg (Vierz: Schlacht um Kasenberg; Luepolan: Kasenbergska Bitva) was a decisive battle in the Great War, fought between the Luepola and the Vierz Empire over the Vierz city of Kasenberg from October 1944 to May 1945. With the participation of over 3 million personnel, 2 million military casualties, and over 50,000 civilian casualties, it remains both the largest and bloodiest battle in world history.

The failure of Operation Magni in 1942 left much of Vierzland's southern flank vulnerable, but both Luepolan and Vierz forces focused their efforts on the Battle of Vyzinia. Luepola's failure to conquer Vyzinia led to it refocusing its efforts on conquering southern Vierzland with the aim of forcing a quick surrender. Luepolan forces launched Operation ________ in the summer of 1944, and reached the outskirts of Kasenberg in October. The Luepolan Air Force subjected the city to days of bombings in preparation for their invasion of the city. On the ground, the Luepolan Votanska Front engaged the Vierz Southern Army Group within the city limits, where the battle transformed into close quarters urban combat.

For months, neither side gained a definite advantage, as both armies were generally just trading control of various parts of the city. The intervention of the Savic 2nd Army and the Vierz 5th Air Fleet helped turn the tide in favour of Vierzland, with Vierz aerial forces laying pervasive damage to Luepolan logistical networks. Luepolan forces became outmanned and outgunned, and were pushed out of the city borders in May 1945. Fighting continued in the outlying suburbs for weeks, but Luepolan forces were forced from the metropolitan area entirely by the end of the summer.

Over 90% of the city was destroyed after almost seven months of fighting. Thousands of civilians were evacuated and became internally displaced due to the destruction of their homes. Before the war, Kasenberg was the second-largest city in Vierzland; it fell to the fourth-largest as a result of the battle.