August Offensive
The August Offensive (known to the Syarans as Operation Aspidoon) were a series of military operations carried out by the Syaran Commonality Armed Forces within the disputed territories along the Syara-Ruvelkan Border beginning on 3 August 2008. After the failure of negotiations through July 2008 to bring an end to the burgeoning Zemplen War, Syaran Central Command devised a series of limited offensives aimed at securing the disputed territories of Tarnova, Rostuša, Zemplen, Armavir, and Imerti from Ruvelka, hoping that their loss would convince Ruvelka to agree to a ceasefire. The SCAF had been able to mobilize faster than the Imperial Armed Forces of Ruvelka and hoped to achieve a similiar success as they had in the Imerti Conflict three years earlier. Syara alread posesed majority control over Zemplen and Imerti, but Ruvelkan forces had made significant inroads into both regions as well as Armavir, and controlled Tarnova and Rostuša almost completely. The Syarans hoped that their superiority in armor and artillery would allow them to rapidly overwhelm Ruvlekan forces along the border.
The Syaran National Army began shelling Ruvelkan positions in the early morning of 3 August, and by 0900 local hours Syaran mechanized infantry backed up by tanks and self-propelled artillery had assaulted Ruvelkan positions in numerous locations along the border. Ruvelkan forces were driven from Zemplen and Imerti entirely by 6 August, and despite several attempted counter-attacks were unable to regain a foothold in either region. In Armavir Ruvelkan forces managed to halt the initial Syaran attack but were afterwards subjected to whithering Syaran shelling that the Ruvelkans lacked the ability to counter. On 7 August Syaran tanks broke through near the towns of Hraskem and Luzela, forcing the Ruvelkans to withdraw from the region entirely. Ruvelkan defenses in Tarnova and Rostuša proved stiffer, but on 20 August Ruvelkan forces were forced to retreat from Rostuša after Syaran troops breached Ruvelkan defenses along the Targodanski Forest. In Tarnova Ruvelkan forces managed to tie down Syaran armor in and around the regional capital of Ronova, but by 12 August renewed Syaran assaults had surrounded the city. A breakout attempt on the 14th was partially succesful, but by 17 August Syara had control over all of Tarnova.
On 18 August Executive Dragomir Zhelev issued a unilateral ceasefire for Syara, but it was broken almsot immediately by clashes between Ruvelkan and Syaran troops. Sporadic engagements continued until the 28th when Syaran forces were ordered to dig in. Syaran hopes that Ruvelka would sue for peace were dashed when Ruvelkan Chancellor Edviná Molnár announced the Principality would not negotiate so long as Ruvelkan soil was occupied by Syaran troops. The failure to secure a ceasefire would lead to a change in Syaran strategy and the commencement of Operation Aspis.
Background
Following the outbreak of initial fighting along the Ruvelka-Syara border in May of 2009, a temporary cessation of hostilities followed in July as both nations agreed to attend negotiations held by the Organization of Tyrannic Nations. However after two weeks of inconclusive meetings both sides broke off efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting; the Syarans would not stand down their forces until Ruvelkan troops had pulled out of the disputed territories and the Ruvelkans would not pull out until the Syarans had stood down. On 26 July Chancellor Edviná Molnár ordered the full mobilization of the Imperial Armed Forces of Ruvelka, which was answered by the Syarans on 28 July. Ruvelka boasted a larger standing military and deeper reserves, but by the end of July the Syaran Commonality Armed Forces had succesfully stood up some half a million troops along the border, faster than their Ruvelkan counterparts were able to. Aware of Ruvelka's numerical superiority, Syaran Central Command deemed it a necessity to seize control of the disputed regions before Ruvelka could bring it's sizeable armies to bear.
Fighting between Ruvelka and Syara was concentrated in five main regions; Zemplen, Imerti, Rostuša, Armavir, and Tarnova. By 1 August 2008 Syaran forces were in control of most of Zemplen and Imerti, but Ruvelkan troops had infiltrated both regions while also held majority control over Armavir, Tarnova, and Rostuša. Syaran intelligence estiamted that nearly 5,000 Ruvelkan troops were inside Zemplen, while another 2,000 were in Imerti. Almost 40,000 Ruvelkan troops were in Armavir and Tarnova, which share a direct border. By the end of July Syara had positioned nearly 40,000 troops in Zemplen with another 25,000 on the border with Tarnova.
Planning
By late July the Syarans had mobilized several divisions along the border and enjoyed a temporary numerical superiority. Although Ruvelka fielded a larger armed forces and more extensive reserve system, the complex nature of Ruvelka's mobilization with regards to the Territorial Defense Forces and Imperial Army meant that the Ruvelkans were still in the process of mobilizing their troops in late July. Syaran Central Command, assessing the situation on 27 July, determined that a series of rapid strikes into the disputed territories could be sufficient to drive the Ruvelkans from the border and place Syara in a position to make demands. While fighting intensified in Zemplen and Imerti, the Syaran National Army deployed elements of the recently mobilized XX Corps along the Armavir-Tarnova border. In Rostuša the Syarans deployed III Corps, in Zemplen the VI Corps, and in Imerti II Corps. All together the Syarans had amassed nearly 200,000 troops along the disputed regions, supported by over 4,000 armored fighting vehicles and over 2,000 artillery pieces.
The Ruvelkans became aware of Syaran intentions sometime on the 1st of August but were uncertain how best to respond. Chancellor Molnár favored a pre-emptive strike by the Ruvelkan Imperial Fusiliers backed up by airpower from the Ruvelkan air force, but faced opposition from her cabinent and the Imperial General Staff. Members of the Ruvelkan government were worried that a pre-emptive strike would play negatively towards the international community, while the Imperial General Staff did not believe Ruvelka could launch a succesful offensive yet. Insistence towards action by the Chancellor resulted in the Ruvelkan air force bombing suspected staging areas for Syaran forces between 2-3 August, hoping to disrupt Syaran movements. In the evening of 2 August Ruvelkan forces stationed in Armavir and Tarnova were ordered to assume defensive positions and prepare to repel an imminent Syaran offensive. Between Territorial Defense Forces, Imperial Army, and Fusiliers the Ruvelkans fielded some 150,000 troops along the disputed territories, but were lacking in armor and artillery compared to their Syaran adversaries.
Course of the battle
Arvamir and Tarnova
Around 0300 on 3 August 2008 the Syarans began firing rockets into Ruvelkan positions along the border, following by sustained shelling of known Ruvelkan positions between the border and the Arany-Erdo Forest. By 0900 the 7th Mechanized Infantry Division was on the road towards the regional capital of Hrachn. In the north the 30th Mechanized Infantry Division advanced along the highway linking the Syaran city of Rimpava towards Luzela. The Syarans hoped to outflank the defending Ruvelkan 5th Infantry Division in between Hachn and Luzela. The Ruvelkans had deployed themselves in a series of staggered lines between both cities, lacking the manpower to hold both and risking being outflanked by concentrating on one they had attempted to disperse their forces to cover as much ground as possible.
Further south the Syaran 56th Mechanized Infantry Division crossed the border and seized control of the highway connecting Armavir and Tarnova south of Hraskem, cutting off the Ruvelkan 15th Infantry Division from it's planned route south. The 15th Infantry Division had been positioned along the highway north of Sodec and Hraskem to protect Ruvelkan supply lines running from Ruvelka into Amavir through the Pudenci-Hraskem road network. In Tarnova itself the Syaran 47th Armored Cavarly Division met little resistance as it advanced, as the Ruvelkan 85th Cavalry Division had withdrawn east towards the regional capital of Ronova. The Syarans siezed Sodec on 4 August but initial attacks on Hraskem were repulsed by elements of the Ruvelkan 15th Infantry Division.
After brief fighting on 4 August the Ruvelkans elected to abandon efforts to defend Hachn to avoid being entangled in costly urban combat while the Syaran 30th Mechanized Infantry Division was still operating north of Luzela. Supported by recently mobilized Territorial Defense Forces the Ruvelkans took up defensive positions along the outskirts of the city and the Arany-Erdo forest while the bulk fo the 5th Infantry Division reoriented itself north twoards Luzela. The Ruvelkans attempted to recapture Soden on 5 August but were thwarted by Syaran heavy artillery, which the Ruvelkans had no answer for. Between 5-7 August the Syaran 47th Armored Cavarly Division attempted to assault Ruvelkan forces in and around the regional capital of Ronova but were unable to break through the heavily entrenched Ruvelkan defenders.
On 7 August the Syarans launched a dual armored offensive towards Luzela and Hraskem, which succesfully broke through Ruvelkan lines by the late afternoon. Following a renewed thrust from Hachn by the 7th Mechanized Infantry Division Ruvelkan positions in Amavir began to collapse. On 8 August Debrecen ordered a withdrawal through the Rejtett-Erdok Forest. Despite Syaran efforts to cut off the Ruvelkan retreat through the highway towards Pannonhalma significant numbers of Ruvelkan troops were able to escape. With Amavir secure the 56th Mechanized Infantry Division was deployed to Tarnova, capturng Vazkeny along the way. On 10 August the 56th Mechanized Infantry Division and the 47th Armored Cavalry Division launched another assault on Ronova, forcing the Ruvelkans to pull back their defenses closer around the city. Under whithering shelling the Ruvelkans were unable to prevent the Syarans from seizing control of the Ronova-Albertirsa Highway and the Ronova-Aszód Highwy, surrounding Ronova.
Facing encirclement the Ruvelkans of the 85th Cavalry Division, already reduced to just 50% of their tanks, elected to break out in the direction of Albertirsa on 14 August. Supporting by diversionary attacks by Ruvelkan helicopters several battalions managed to slip through Syaran lines and return to Ruvelkan territory, but in doing so lost much of their heavy weapons and equipment. By 17 August the Syarans were in control of virtually all of Tarnova.
Imerti and Zemplen
Having temporarily withdrew during the lull in July, Syaran forces in Zemplen and Imerti resumed their offensive posture in August in time for Operation Aspidoon. Although the Syarans had withdrawn the Ruvelkans were only in partial control of Zemplen and Imerti, having concentrated their forces around the capitals of Sapron and Túrkeve. On the morning of 3 August elements of VI Corps advanced into Zemplen and Imerti from their staging positions within Syara, encountering minimal resistance from the Ruvelkans. The Syaran advance was marked by an abundance of caution, as the Syarans had expected to face dug in Ruvelkan troops throughout the road network leading to the regional capital of Sopron.
Most of Zemplen is dominated by the so-called "Pentagon Loop", a highwy system built by Syara in the 1990s that connects the five minor cities of Livska, Devir, Otorovo, Iaza, and Breju. The highway and the cities themselves form a loose pentagon shape around Sopron, which itself is linked with each of the cities. The Syarans launched their offensive on as many routes as possible to try to overwhelm the Ruvelkans, with the 38th Mechanized Infantry Division advancing from Kedziebrzych towards Iaza, the 34th Mechanized Infantry Division advancing from Tomakow to Breju, the 32nd Armored Cavalry Division advancing from Luntemir towards Liuska, and the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division advancing towards Devir.
Although the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division had teh shortest route to take towards Sopron from their staging grounds in Kutnikin Syara proper, their drive ended on 4 August when their main column was bombed by fighters from the Ruvelkan air force. Over a hundred Syarans were killed with many more wounded, leading the division to take up positions in Devir and await further Syaran forces. The defending Ruvelkan 45th Mechanized Division had taken up positions outside of Sopron with the intent to fall back to Sopron once their forward positions were overrun, but by the 5th the Ruvelkans were under heavy artillery fire from the lead elements of almost three Syaran divisions. By noon on the 5th the Syarans had ruptured Ruvelkan positions outside Sopron and were beginning to roll up the various defensive lines of the Ruvelkans. After a failed counter-attack on the right flank of the 38th Mechanized Infantry Division by Ruvelkan Fusiliers, the Imperial General Staff gave the order for Ruvelkan troops to withdraw from Zemplen.
Around the same time Ruvelkan troops in Imerti were ordered to withdraw as well, but by 5 August the only Ruvelkans in Imerti were elements of local Territorial Defense Forces backed up by a handful of companies from the