Desopya Campaign

Desopya Campaign
Part of the Divide War
(Clockwise from top left) Cacertian warships prior to the invasion. Syaran riflemen assume defensive positions. A Cacertian airship launching for a recon mission. A Cacertian Type 2 heavy tank during the August 1918 offensive.
Date 8 April 1917 - 22 September 1918 (1 year, 5 months, 2 weeks, 1 day) Location Desopya District, Syara Result Syaran Victory
Belligerents
Cacertian Empire Andria	Republic of Syara
Commanders and leaders
Cianna Davion Lea Davion Demetria Marik Bertino Bassadoar Orsa Calderara Ristoro Ziani	Zoran Milaković Zoran Uzelac Edward Kralj Atanas Endekov Cvjetko Dorić
Strength
42 Infantry Divisions (630,000 Infantry) 12 Shock Troop Battalions (9,600 Shock Infantry) 3 Railway Batteries (6 Railway Guns) 20 Armored Companies (375 Tanks) 4 Airship Squadrons (12 Airships)	4,000,000 4,455 guns 850 aircraft
Casualties and losses
104,567 killed 173,323 wounded	310,000 killed 525,000 wounded

The Desopya Campaign was a campaign of the Divide War that took place on the Desopya peninsula in the Republic of Syara between 8 April 1917 and 22 September 1918. Following the Royal Navy’s inability to force Syara into a decisive naval battle, Cacertian military leaders decided to launch an amphibious landing of Royal Army components on the peninsula. The aim of the campaign was to eventually capture the Syaran capital of Zovahr and force a surrender, but the Royal Army encountered stiffer than anticipated resistance. After fifteen months of fighting and several attempted offensives, the campaign was abandoned and the invasion force withdrawn. The end of the Desopya campaign was a major Syaran victory and led to the eventual withdrawal of all Cacertian military forces from Eracura.

Background

Cacertian Strategy and the Desopya Peninsula

Before the plan for a land operation had been conceived, the Cacertians had hoped to draw the Syaran Navy into a pitched battle where superior Cacertian armor and gunnery would likely end in a decisive victory. The Royal Navy, at the time of the launch of the naval campaign, consisted mostly of dreadnoughts characterized for their slow speed and big-gun configurations. Grand Admiral Cianna Davion ordered a large portion of the Cacertian Northern Fleet into the Sundering Sea under the command of her grand-niece Lea Davion as a show of power. When talks with Syara began to deteriorate, the mission shifted from a show of power to a military campaign and Lea was later ordered to engage and destroy the Syaran Navy.

Lea spent nearly two months on the hunt and managed to engage the Syaran Navy in two battles, both of which were inconclusive. The CRN was unable to pursue the Syarans by virtue of the fact that Syaran ships, despite being less armed and armored, were faster and were capable of outrunning the Royal Navy. Lea's initial requests to High Command to launch a ground campaign were denied until the loss of a handful of dreadnoughts to Syaran guerrilla naval tactics prompted a re-evaluation of the Cacertian strategy. Cianna arrived in the Sanguine Sea in November 1917 and reaffirmed the Royal Navy's inability to catch Syaran naval forces in a major battle. Coastal batteries prevented the Royal Navy from entering bombardment range of most Syaran port cities and the restrictive terrain of the Sanguine Sea and the Sundering Sea made it difficult for the dreadnoughts to maneuver.

The difficulties of the Royal Navy had not been anticipated by strategists in the Cacerta and, even after a land campaign had been approved, it would take another several months before Royal Army forces could mobilize.

The Desopya Coastal Plain sits between the Dazin River in the east and the Xhemal River in the west, the latter which flows from the south and leads to the Syaran capital of Zovahr. Desopya forms a slight curve inward, ending in two peninsulas named after their port cities; Korzhany in the West and Lira in the east. The interior of the coast dips further in the Timotej Sound, while the western half of Desopya forms the southern half of the Strait of Syara, while the Lira Peninsula forms the southern half of the Veylo Channel. From the mouth of the Xhemal River, the city center of Zovahr was only 76 kilometers away.

However, a drive towards Zovahr was more difficult than it seemed. Although it reached nearly 20 kilometers inland at it's peak, the average depth of the Desopya Coastal Plain was only 8-10 kilometers (hence why it was alternatively known as the Desopya Coastal Strip). Further inland the elevation rose steadily and the terrain grew more rugged, leading to the Kotev Plataeu and the Nitchov Hills, both of which were outside the range of Cacertian naval gunfire to the frustration of Cacertian planners. Both of these positions, if occupied by defenders, would be difficult to assault. Further south the two areas met in the Andreev Forests, a more than 150 square kilometer area defined by thick brush and woodlands, illsuited towards rapid offensive movements. While the Traikov Valley offered a flatter terrain choice, it led away from Zovahr, forcing a path through the Andreev Woods in order to reach the Syaran capital.

Order of Battle

Cacertian Forces

Initial Invasion Force
The 5th, 6th, and 9th Field Armies formed the main body of the initial Royal Army invasion force that landed on the shores of Syara on 8 April 1917 and suffered the most casualties of all the field armies deployed as a result.

Commander-in-Chief, Cacertian Invasion Forces: DivGen Bertino Bassadoar

5th Field Army (61,600 Infantry): BrigGen Lauretta Grimani

9th Grenadier Battalion

10th Grenadier Battalion

5th Guards Rifle Division

6th Guards Rifle Division

7th Guards Rifle Division

16th Rifle Infantry Division

6th Field Army (33,200 Infantry): BrigGen Agnolo Barbigia

11th Grenadier Battalion

12th Grenadier Battalion

13th Grenadier Battalion

4th Guards Grenadier Battalion

17th Rifle Infantry Division

18th Rifle Infantry Division

9th Field Army (90,000 Infantry): BrigGen Giovanni Foscarini

8th Guards Rifle Division

9th Guards Rifle Division

19th Rifle Infantry Division

20th Rifle Infantry Division

21st Rifle Infantry Division

22nd Rifle Infantry Division

Second Wave
The second wave of Cacertian forces made up the bulk of all Cacertian forces deployed during the Divide War. Large regiments of traditional infantry were deployed from staging grounds in Andria supported by heavy artillery, railway guns, and airships. The counter-attacks staged by Syara during the winter required the Royal Army to balance out its expeditionary force between line infantry and breakthrough infantry. The Cacertian Second Wave, under the command of Division General Orsa Calderara, was deployed in April 1918 after the battlelines solidified in the spring.

Commander-in-Chief, Cacertian Second Wave: DivGen Orsa Calderara

1st Railway Artillery Battery (3 280mm Railway Guns): Col Maffeo Accottato

2nd Railway Artillery Battery (3 360mm Railway Guns): Col Fiora Albergati

The twelve airships deployed in support of the Cacertian Second Wave were commanded by officers of the Cacertian Royal Air Fleet and marked the first major combat deployment of the newly founded military branch. They were led by Aerial Division Admiral Isabella Matelizi from her super-airship Rimini.

Commander-in-Chief, Cacertian Aerial Forces: AerDivAdm Isabella Matelizi

1st Aerial Expeditionary Bomber Squadron (4 G4 Super-Airships): AerDivAdm Isabella Matelizi

HMA Rimini

HMA Ancona

HMA Bergamo

HMA Carrera

1nd Aerial Expeditionary Gunship Squadron (4 G3 Gunships): AerRAdm Alesso Gonzaga

HMA Sanreno

HMA Ercolano

HMA Potenza

HMA Padova

3rd Aerial Expeditionary Recon Squadron (4 G2 Reconnaissance Airships): AerRAdm Stefano Carafa

HMA Lucca

HMA Sorrento

HMA Matera

HMA Prato

Third Wave
The third and final wave of Cacertian troops landed in Syara in August 1918 and consisted primarily of armored companies consisting of Type 1 assault tanks and Type 2 heavy tanks. Accompanied by several Guard Rifle Divisions and under the command of General of Armed Forces Demetria Marik, the third wave made up the bulk of the Cacertian August offensive and the Empire’s final attempt at breaking through Syaran defenses.

Commander-in-Chief, Cacertian Third Wave: ArmGen Demetria Marik