Battle of Loukussa

Battle of Loukussa
Part of Prodavan War
Date 15th - 21st March 1991 Location Loukussa Province, Prodava Result Vionna-Frankenlischian Victory
Belligerents
Vionna-Frankenlisch	Prodava
Commanders and leaders
Major General Phillip Walman Brigadier Sir George Montclair	General Solomon Warabe al-Salah
Units involved
12th Cavalry Brigade 1st Guards Grenadier Brigade 4th Infantry Division	11th (Loukussa) Division
Strength
20,000	18,000
Casualties and losses
1,154	7,000 Killed and Wounded 4,000 Captured

The Battle of Loukussa (or the First Battle of Loukussa) was a decisive battle during the Vionna-Frankenlischian Operation Towton, during the opening days of the Prodavan War. An Imperial force under the command of Major General Phillip Wallman, opposed by ill-prepared Prodavan forces under General Solomon Warabe al-Salah, captured the important Prodavan industrial city of Loukussa in a series of assaults lasting six days. Loukussa was the first major battle of the Prodavan War.

Background

The violent coup of Black February brought down the old Prodavan Sultanate and replaced it with a new Republic. Hoping to take advantage of the political instability in Prodava to take back lost territory, Vionna-Frankenlisch declared war on 14th March 1991. The Imperial Army and the Vionna-Frankenlischian government were confident of a short, easy conflict to retake certain lost areas of the Ceasian Princedom and two offensives were planned to quickly and decisively scare the new Prodavan government into ceding territory.

The twin offensives were both planned for the opening of the war, one from Teutonberg named Operation Teuton and one from Grythshead named Operation Towton. Teuton, the larger of the two operations, was aimed at reaching the city of Ramubad and linking up with the strong royalist underground there. Towton's objective was the important industrial city of Loukussa. Taking Loukussa would stop all production of war material in northern Prodava. Major General Phillip Wallman had command of the twenty-thousand men of Operation Towton and they marched across the border between the Duchy of Grythshead and Loukussa Province at 0620 on 15th March.

Opposing Forces

Prodavan

The Northern Military District consisted of six divisions and twenty Bedouin Guard garrisons. It came under the overall command of General Hasan Hadi and had 18,000 men in the direct vicinity of Loukussa with another 12,000 to the south in Thralkeldia. Prodavan forces at the battle were commanded by 11th Division commander, General Solomon Warabe al-Salah and were divided into four units:

• 11th (Loukussa) Division - 8 battalions in 2 brigades - 12,000 men (General Solomon al-Salah)
• 64th Artillery Regiment - 4 batteries - 900 men (Major Zuyad Mehmet)
• Loukussa Bedouin Guard - 3 squadrons - 300 men (Boyuk Yusuf Najim)
• Loukussa Town Militia - 18 companies - 4,800 men (Colonel Farak Najeed)

The four batteries of the 64th Artillery Regiment were equipped with old Imperial 5-inch field howitzers and civilian labourers dug emplacements for them on all sides of the city to defend against an attack from any direction. Rifles used by the Prodavans varied between units. The army used Mausers which had been recently delivered, the Bedouin Guard used short Berthier Carbines and the militia mostly used Krag-Jorgensen rifles from old garrison stocks.

Imperial

Walman's Corps was just over twenty-thousand men strong. He had 2400 horse, 14,000 infantry and a strong artillery train, he also had the 800 crack dragoons of 8th Pathfinder Regiment. Major General Walman's force was also divided into three main units:

• 4th Infantry Division - 10 battalions in 2 brigades - 13,000 men Major General Phillip Walman
• 1st Guards Grenadier Brigade - 4 battalions - Brigadier - 4,000 men William Hunter, Baron Llyne
• 12th Cavalry Brigade - 4 regiments - 2,400 men Brigadier Sir George Montclair

In addition, Colonel Sir Caelan Holland commanded the significant artillery train of the Imperial force. This consisted of:

• 1st Siege Regiment, Royal Artillery - 12 guns in 3 batteries
• 2nd Siege Regiment, Royal Artillery - 12 guns in 3 batteries
• 5th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery - 18 guns in 3 batteries
• 6th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery - 18 guns in 3 batteries
• 8th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery - 18 guns in 3 batteries

Montclair's Attacks: 15-16th March 1991

The Imperial column was headed by the 12th Cavalry Brigade and the 8th Pathfinder Regiment which moved quickly towards the city, encountering no resistance. 8th Pathfinder, an elite unit of hand-picked dragoons, scouted the road to Ladlin, a vital crossroad village along the highway to Loukussa which commanded the heights above the city. There, the regiment entrenched itself to defend the incredibly important strategic point. Any counterattack from the south or west would have to come through Ladlin first and a successful Prodavan counter-offensive would cut the Imperial force in half should Ladlin be captured. Major Elias Horke, commanding 8th Pathfinder, was ordered to hold the position without thought of losses.

First Fighting: 1300, 15th March

Brigadier Sir George Montclair commanded 12th Cavalry Brigade and his dragoons and light horse were ordered to advance ahead of the slow infantry column and hold the entrances to the city for the main force. At 1pm on 15th March, the lead elements of Montclair's brigade came under fire from scouts of the Loukussa Bedouin Guard. The Prodavan forces, under the command of General Solomon al-Salah, engaged Montclair's brigade in dogged skirmishes as it approached within five miles of the city. Though Montclair's reports state no losses during this period, the constant threat of ambush and snipers had a strong morale effect, especially with no infantry in support. At 1730, Montclair halted the brigade to prepare his attack on the city's outskirts.

12th Cavalry's organisation had not changed since the Great War and it consisted of four regiments of cavalry, a battery of horse artillery and a small variety of support arms including medical, signals and a squadron of the Imperial Machine Gun Corps. Sir George Montclair organised his attack in three prongs. The Middle Frankenlisch Dragoons would lead a central thrust supported by the machine guns and horse artillery. On the left and right flanks respectively, Sir John Monkton's Hobelars and the Richmond Light Horse were to skirmish with the Prodavan defenders. MacCaernholm's Lancers were kept in reserve.

The attack began at 18:00 and met almost immediately with difficulty as a lack of cover made skirmishing tricky. Monkton's Hobelars withdrew in confusion when Sir John was hit by shrapnel and lost an eye. Pressure thus relieved on their weak left, the Prodavans were free to turn their guns against the Imperial center where the Middle Frankenlisch Dragoons made their advance. With the machine guns out of range and the field guns of the horse artillery were unable to get a proper firing angle. With no answer to the Prodavan howitzers, the attack was withdrawn with minor casualties.

Second Attack: 2100, 16th March

Overnight the wounded were tended to and the dead buried. Most of 16th March was spent in reconaissance. It seemed the Prodavans had yet to realise their massive superiority in numbers and equipment as Al-Salah ordered no sallies or counterattacks. Patrols, mostly from MacCaernholm's Lancers, mapped what they could of the Prodavan positions. Sir George Montclair planned a night attack to sweep the Prodavan batteries from the plain and open up the outskirts of the city to assault. The four regiments of Montclair's brigade drew up as night began to fall and all twelve squadrons were in position by 2100. At the head of the brigade, Sir George Montclair led the advance after a lightning quick preliminary bombardment.

Unwilling to launch illumination flares, Montclair's attack fell into disorder almost immediately. Five minutes after setting off, the rightmost squadron (C Squadron, the Richmond Light Horse) of the attack became seperated from the rest of the brigade by a clump of rocks. B Squadron of the same regiment became seperated a minute later in similar circumstances and the two squadrons combined trailed off to the right. In the confusion they overrun a Prodavan gun pit and then turned back. Unable to carry the captured gun back, Sergeant D.H. Mullins destroyed it by detonating its ammunition. This, predictably, caused significant confusion for both sides. Sir George Montclair had actually realised quite quickly what had happened and kept the advance going steady. Monkton's Hobelars on the left, however, assumed they were under fire and sped up before the recall was sounded. For their part, the Prodavans responded to the threat quickly and began firing with their field howitzers. No shells struck but Montclair called off the attack anyway as the situation was unlikely to improve had it continued. The only casualties of the action were fourteen Prodavans killed when the gun pit was overrun.

Imperial Main Force arrives: 16-17th March

Defence of Ladlin: 16th March

Main Article: Battle of Ladlin (1991) An excessive supply train and a lack of motor vehicles hindered the advance of Major General Walman's main force. Though Montclair's brigade and Major Elias Horke's Pathfinders had struck quickly ahead to their objectives, the initiative was temporarily in the hands of the Prodavans. Adina Sassin al-Sassini's 28th (Thralkeld) Division was the closest division of the Northern Military District to Loukussa and marched quickly against Ladlin to cut off Montclair's brigade from the advancing main force of Walman. The four other divisions of the district were assembling in Jukul to make the journey to Loukussa by train but there were not yet enough rail carriages. Al-Sassini's division was not expected to permanantly hold off the Imperial main force but rather to take Ladlin and delay Walman long enough for the divisions in Jukul to reinforce Loukussa. Major Horke's 8th Pathfinders had entrenched themselves solidly in the high ground around Ladlin and, when battle was joined at 1300 on 16th March, proved incredibly difficult to disrupt. The forced march from Thralkeldia had forced the 28th Division to leave much of its ammunition behind and the Prodavan artillery ran dry early on in the battle. Skrimishing from range with the well-dug-in Pathfinders ended fruitlessly and Al-Sassini was forced to send his men into successive waves of attack. The 28th took heavy casualties in nine hours of fighting and was forced to withdraw empty-handed when the 1st Guards Grenadier Brigade arrived late on the 16th.