1997 Sable Conflict

1997 Sable Conflict
Top left: Notreceauen Prévoyance Labbe combat aircraft conduct close air support operations in defense of the encircled 5e Brigade d'Infanterie de Montagne outside of Sable. Top right: Notreceauen infantry from the 14e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins, 5e Brigade d'Infanterie de Montagne during the Battle for Sable. Bottom left: Lumenic infantry from the 1° Reggimento Cacciatori advancing towards Notreceauen positions outside of Sable. Bottom right: A forward air controller from the 100th Special Tactics Team embedded with the 3/1 Alpino Para-Rifle Battalion observing the Sable Gap.
Date May 1, 1997 - August 31, 1997 (3 months, 4 weeks and 2 days) Location Lumenic - Notreceauen border within the Vi Castis Mountains Result Sable reverts from de facto Notreceauen control to full Lumenic control.
Belligerents
Luminerra	Notreceau
Commanders and leaders
Lorenzo II Franco Corsa	Hector Tremblay Simon Duguay Edmond Béringer
Strength
Initial: 21,000 Peak: 36,000	Initial: 6,550 Peak: 31,400
Casualties and losses
1,412 killed 3,142 wounded 53 captured
X civilians killed

The 1997 Sable Conflict was an armed conflict fought from May 1 until August 31, 1997, between the armed forces of Luminerra and Notreceau. The combat was generally confined to the area around the town of Sable, a border town between the two nations located in the Vi Castis Mountains. The conflict ended on August 31, 1997, when the government of Notreceau agreed to turn over control of Sable to Luminerra, which is known to the Lumenic people as Sabaiza.

Background

The ownership of the town of Sabaiza has long been contested by both the Lumenic and Notreceauen governments. Following the liberation of Notreceau in 1979, the Notreceauen government in exile removed itself from Onara and returned to Réuvières, reestablishing the borders based upon Notreceauen maps and claims. During the continuing conflict, no military control was established over the town, and passage between Luminerra and Notreceau was largely unrestricted, thereby allowing the situation to exist without the two nations coming into conflict over the de facto repossession of Sable by Notreceau.

With the end of the Omandan Continental War in 1994, Allied forces were being brought home from northern Omand and rapidly drawn down. However, upon returning home from the front, the Notreceauen 5e Brigade d'Infanterie de Montagn was assigned to the Sable area, with the 14e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins establishing its headquarters in Sable itself. The Luemnic governemnt protested this action, claiming that the town was within Lumenic borders and that Notreceauen military forces had no authority to occupy Lumenic territory following the end of the general disbandment of the Allied Nations. The Notreceauen government countered that the town itself was rightfully part of Notreceau, and therefore positioning a military force along a contested region of its southern border was proper.

Timeline of events

Perpetration

The initial battle plan called for one parachute battalion, the 3/2 Alpino Para-Rifle Battalion to be parachuted into the area as part of the initial attack, with the goal of securing the town, with the reaming forces of the 12th Royal Infantry Division pushing across the border and linking up with the parachute forces. The use of air assault forces were not considered due to the towns extreme elevation, and the problems inherent with operating helicopters at high altitudes. However, reconnaissance activity conducted by the Lumenic Air Force and members of the Cacciatori Alpini team selected to insert across the border at the start of the operation, determined that there was a full brigade operating in the area around Sable, as opposed to the single battalion initially anticipated.

With this discovery, the plan was modified to include three parachute battalions, all drawn from the involved Alpinisti brigades. An ad hoc Gruppo Tattico or battle group, was formed and included the 3/1 Alpino Para-Rifle Battalion, 3/2 Alpino Para-Rifle Battalion and 3/3 Alpino Para-Rifle Battalion of the 1st Alpino Brigade. Gruppo Tattico Corsa was commanded by Tenente generale Franco Corsa, the brigade commander of the 1st Alpino Brigade. Due to the high and varied elevation of the town, and the limited confines of the anticipated landing zone, it was decided that only infantry would be dropped into the town, as there was an extremely high chance that any airborne combat vehicles dropped could land off target in the valley below or worse, be destroyed on landing by the rough terrain.

Initial attacks

The initial assault against Notreceauen forces began at 0330 am local time. Pathfinders from the 3/1 Alpino Para-Rifle Battalion had been infiltrated across the border into the area surrounding Sable through the previous week. Their mission was to locate and designate targets for destruction prior to the initiation of a parachute assault against Sable proper. The pathfinders were to pinpoint and designate surface-to-air missile sites and Notreceauen early warning radar instillation before converging on Sable to direct airstrikes against targets in the town and to assist the Aisling parachute forces in ultimately securing the town.

The initial airstrikes were carried out by Altomare A.86 Ombra aircraft from the 77° Stormo. The stealth attack aircraft were able to avoid detection by the remaining Notreceauen radar instillations and destroyed approximately 85% of their designated targets.

In an attempt to provide further protection for the transport aircraft ferrying the parachute forces, a diversionary air attack was launched at 0445 local time. Initial attacks were carried out by aircraft of the 41° Gruppo Squadrone Elettronica flying Altomare E.93 Ciclone against surface to air missiles installations and early warning radar facilities within the target area, followed by aircraft from the 51° Stromo "Cavallo di Battaglia" and escorted by fighters from the 32° Stormo. The A.79 Ciclone attack aircraft and their escort of C.87 Ciclone fighters were directed to launch a large scale attack against Notreceauen Air Force installations in and around Passerville, as well as the Notreceauen naval facility in Passerville. It was hoped this maneuver would draw a large response from the Notreceauen defenders, and thereby give the transports a good chance of reaching their target without being intercepted.

The aircraft transporting Gruppo Tattico Corsa took off from Bagini Royal Air Force Base at 0515 hours and, escorted by fighters from the 37° Stormo, moved towards the airspace above Sable.