Battle of Sárkeszi

Battle of Sárkeszi
Part of Zemplen War
File:Sarkezi1.jpg Ruvelkian Fusiliers fire on Syaran positions
Date 18 November - 7 December 2008 Location Sárkeszi, Ruvelka Result Ruvlekan Victory
Belligerents
Ruvelka	Syara
Commanders and leaders
General Király Júlia Colonel Fazekas Renátó	Lt. General Yeprem Derderian
Units involved
6th Infantry Division 17th Mechanized Division 12th Fusilier Regiment	Battlegroup Derderian
Casualties and losses
2,671 killed 128 missing 6,471 wounded	2,333 killed 332 missing 5,129 wounded 1,109 captured

The Battle of Sárkeszi was an engagement between Ruvelkan and Syaran forces during the Zemplen War. The battle took place during the Ruvelkan Winter Counter-Offensive which was attempting to dislodge Syaran forces from the positions they had taken during the preceding months of the war. Ruvelkan forces were attacking as part of an effort to secure the usage of Highway Route 148, which runs east-west through Sárkeszi and served as the main supply route for Syaran forces in northern Ruvelka. Ruvelkan forces consisting of the 6th Infantry Division, 17th Mechanized Division, and 12th Fusilier Regiment conducted the attack against the ad hoc Syaran force known as Battlegroup Derderian, a roughly corps sized element composed of armor, mechanized troops, with artillery and helicopter gunship support. Ruvelkan forces began their attack on the 18th of November, and by November 22nd had seized control of Objective Rubin, which was then used as an anchor point to reach the ultimate objective of Phase Line Kovács. Syaran forces consisting of armor and mechanized infantry counterattacked on November 29th by attempting to outflank the 6th Infantry Division, but after seven hours of heavy fighting were repulsed. Sárkeszi itself was recaptured by the 12th Fusilier Regiment on December 5th, after which Syaran forces withdrew further west. Sporadic rear guard action continued until the 7th. Syaran forces would eventually recapture the city in March 2009 during Operation Zlaten.