Battle of Safashar (1951)

Battle of Safashar
Part of Domlandian Civil War
Domlandian soldiers fight outside Safashar square, 22nd November
Date September to December 1951 Location Safashar, Khorrambid Prefecture Result Domlandian Republic victory
Belligerents
Domlandian Republic	Eastern Biggonia Alliance
Commanders and leaders
Ghani Nazaniin	Some guy
Strength
85,000 soldiers 2,000 artillery pieces 300 tanks	40,000 - 55,000 militants 200 - 500 artillery pieces 30 - 50 tanks

The Battle of Safashar, also known as the Siege of Safashar, was the final major battle of the Domlandian Civil War and is viewed by some historians as the end of the Domlandian Wars of Independence, although many Biggonian historians dispute this. The battle was fought in Safashar, the last major stronghold of the Eastern Biggonia Alliance (EBA) and capital of Khorrambid Prefecture. The battle lasted from early September to mid December, with Domlandian authorities declaring the city cleared of Biggonian fighters on the 13th December and the EBA leadership officially announcing the city as having fallen on the 17th December.

Opposing Forces

Domlandian Republic

Despite incurring substantial losses during the preceding Civil War, by September 1951 the Domlandian Army had reached a new height of strength, especially in terms of material quality and logistical capacity. In fighting immediately outside Safashar during Domlandian efforts to encircle the city, the Domlandian Republic committed 9 divisions, of which several were under full strength, with the final total approximately 60,000 men. Once Domlandia began to advance into Safashar proper, they had assembled a force of 12 divisions, titled the 3rd Domlandian Army Corps.

Corps	Corps Commander	Division/Unit	Divisional Commander	Divisional Strength (% of peak)
III Corps	Field Marshal Zarang Jagdal	3rd Rifle Division		11,560 (77%)
		5th Motorised Rifle Division		8,000 (67%)
		6th Armoured Division		3,950 (33%)
		8th Rifle Division		9,240 (62%)
		9th Rifle Division		2,800 (19%)
		12th Motorised Rifle Division		6,260 (52%)
		13th Armoured Division		7,310 (61%)
		14th Shock Division		5,500 (68%)
		27th Rifle Division		13,950 (93%)
		28th Shock Division		3,120 (39%)
		29th Motorised Rifle Division		12,000 (100%)
		Free Biggonian Brigade	Karl Moshiri	1,200 (80%)

Throughout the war the Domlandian Army had enacted major reforms which transformed their previous armed forces which fought in the Domlandian War of Independence against Biggonia into a modern fighting force, utilising an effective and centralised Command and Control system alongside a bureaucratically organised general staff. In spite of these improvements, political inteference still remained in Domlandia's officer corps, especially considering the fact that many new politicians were former members of the military during the War of Independence. This inteference was at its worst after the encirclement of Safashar was concluded, at which point former war hero and current president Ghani Nazaniin began to personally oversee operations to clear the city, causing tension with the official commander of III Corps; Field Marshal Zarang Jagdal.

In terms of strategy, the Domlandian Army's main plan was to first encircle Safashar before mounting a large scale assault to fully clear out the city, in the process killing or capturing the EBA's leadership. It was also hoped that this encirclement and urban assault would lead to most or all of the EBA's remaining forces to be wiped out, bringing the conflict to an end and preventing it from spiraling into a costly guerilla war. However, exact methods differed on how to clear out the urban centres differed. Whilst President Ghani Nazaniin favoured a slower advance, utilising large amounts of artillery to reduce Domlandian casualties, Field Marshal Zarang Jagdal preferred a much faster advance in order to preserve civilian infrastructure and rapidly end the battle by capturing their leaders; along with his own belief that prolonging urban warfare through caution would actually lead to greater casualties in the long run, as he had observed in the gruelling urban sieges which characterised the Domlandian Civil War. Ultimately strategies were mixed, with some sections of the city being taken only after intense artillery bombardments and firefights lasting weeks, whilst others were taken in an afternoon by armoured spearheads supported by infantry.

Biggonian Rebels

By the time of the Eastern Biggonia Alliance (EBA)'s last stand at Safashar, from an organisational point of view their army was in tatters. At the rebellion's height, in 1949, many former soldiers of the Imperial Army as well as new recruits who recieved formal training were recruited into units with a modern organisational structure. In essence, this was a proper, standing army which formed the elite core of the EBA's armed forces. Although they were often better trained and more battle-hardened than their militia counterparts, the true strength of these units came from their organisation, staff structure, and priority on modern equipment. Due to these formalised units being formed far earlier into the EBA's lifespan, they were each organised, trained, and equipped by the individual Prefecture which raised them; owing to the far more structure of the EBA in 1949. During the opening phases of the battle, as Domlandians fought to encircle Safashar, the EBA's army numbered around 12,500. However once the Domlandian advance began into the city proper, the heavy use of these army units in particular had whittled them down to just 6,000 men. Of particular importance was the loss of armour, with it being estimated that the EBA rebels had only a dozen armoured vehicles once the assault on the city began.

Numbers as of 1st September

Prefecture	Unit	Unit Commander	Strength (% of peak)
Khorramibid
Prefecture 2
Prefecture 3
Prefecture 4

Numbers as of 1st October

Prefecture	Unit	Unit Commander	Strength (% of peak)
Khorramibid
Prefecture 2
Prefecture 3
Prefecture 4