Operation Anicetus (DW)

Operation Anicetus (DW)
Erebonian and Rubrumian troops in the Sutherland Province
Date 12 September 2042 - 25 December 2042 Location Erebonian Empire Result Allied Victory Seleucid Failure Allied Winter Counteroffensive of 2042
Belligerents
Erebonian Empire Rubrum United Kingdom Nibelheim-Saxe-Hanover Zanarkand New Akiba Nihhon-koku Calvard Alteria Autocratic East Europan Imperial Alliance Louis Ferdinand I Dalmasca and Nabradia Jutland-Gimli	Deseleni Forces Resurrected Seleucid Empire Seleucid Militesi Seleucid Midgar Seleucid Georgian Principality Autocratic East Europan Imperial Alliance under Seleucid Control
Commanders and leaders
Eugent Reize Arnor III Victor S. Arseid Erwin Neithardt Alexander Vander Richard Walter Yonaharu Susaya John Callard Minoru Yamada Kiriya Kitagawa Yamato Kitagawa David MacDonald Francis Kretschmann Louis Ferdinand I Friedrich Albricht Alexander von Gneisenau Felix Claus Gruber	Adrianos Kallou Eleftherios Rondides Rafail Kostakis Loukas Tavoularopoulos Telemachos Petrotis Grigorios Miratos Theofylaktos Vlahides
Strength
Frontline Strength: (by December 2043) 3.5 million troops 11,000 tanks 7,200 artillery 3,500 aircraft 15,000 vehicles	Frontline Strength: (by December 2043) 4.2 million troops 7,000 tanks 5,000-9,000 artillery 4,980 aircraft 20,000 vehicles

The Operation Anicetus (12 September 2042 - 25 December 2042) was the codename for the Seleucid invasion of the Erebonian Empire, which started on 12 September 2042 during the Deseleni War. The operation put into action the Resurrected Seleucid Empire's ideological goal of creating a world empire, and subjugating the entirety of the world under its control, as well as repopulating the world with pure-blooded Seleucids. The plan was aimed to use Erebonia's landmass to support an invasion of the Lucis Isles and conquering Alteria's oil reserves. Their ultimate goal included the eventual extermination, enslavement, Seleucidisation, and mass deporations to create more living space for the empire.

Despite the awareness of the Seleucids of the well known Erebonian Winter, the Seleucids expected Erebonia to fall before autumn. However, Erebonia's heavy forestry, as well as mountainous and rocky terrain favoured the Allies. Despite his age, Field Marshal Kiriya Kitagawa opted that the Allies must conduct a combination of Guerilla tactics and regular infantry attacks and raids to slow the Seleucids in time for the Winter. The Seleucids were shocked that Erebonian resistance to invaders was high. The Erebonians adapted well into the thick forestation of their land. Painfully slowing the Seleucids. Despite it, the Seleucids continued to push. Seleucids would arrive by the outskirts of the capital, Heimdallr only by 21 October 2043, which by the time, the Erebonian Winter had begun.

Despite their preparedness, the extreme cold climate halted the Seleucids advance and progress into Erebonia. By Winter, the Allies further intensified their raids and ambushes, hence the Seleucids could not penetrate and march into the capital during the Battle of Heimdallr. By November, temperatures dropped below 55 degrees, which caused the 2042 Erebonian Blizzard. The Blizzard would cause extensive damage to the Seleucid War Machine. The extreme temperature eventually caused the final stall for the Seleucid Advance. The Allies would successfully force the Seleucids to retreat from the Heimdallr Province by December with the Battle of Heimdallr and the subsequent Allied Winter Counteroffensive (2042). The Seleucids had confidently expected a quick collapse of Erebonian resistance as with the rest of their conquests, but the Allied forces absorbed the Seleucid Imperial Army's strongest blows and bogged it down in a war of attrition, for which the Seleucids were unprepared. The Seleucid's diminished forces could no longer attack along the entire Zemurian Front, and subsequent operations to restake the initiative and drive deep into Erebonian territory, such as in Operation Tellemachus in 2043 eventually failed, which resulted in the Seleucid Army's retreat and collapse. The failure of the operation would mark the first defeat of the Seleucids on land

Invasion

Battle of Heimdallr

Main article: Battle of Heimdallr (DW)