Operation Kontos
Operation Kontos, also known as the 1st Balatonalmádi Campaign or the Balatonalmádi Bloodbath, was an offensive carried out by Syara during the Zemplen War.
Following the failure of Operation Hippikon in October, the Syaran Commonality Armed Forces attempted to maintain pressure on the Imperial Armed Forces of Ruvelka by launching a major offensive in the Balatonalmádi and Kiskőrös Districts of western Ruvelka. Four Syaran armies, 6th, 4th, 9th, and 8th, would carry out an encirclement of three Ruvelkan Fronts (11th Kiskőrös, 2nd Székesfehérvár, and 8th Balatonalmádi), destroying 75% of Army Group Center in the process and blowing a massive hole through the Ruvelkan front line. The operation's success would also cut through the Sarvárda-Püspökladány Highway, bisecting the Ruvelkan Fronts and cutting off Army Group South from the rest of the Ruvelkan armies.
The Syarans began their attack on 4 November and initially made good progress in 6th and 8th Army's sectors, but Ruvlekan General Eliska Hanáková quickly deduced the Syaran intentions and purposefully gave ground against 8th and 9th Armies, while grinding down the 4th and 6th Armies which were still recovering from the fighting in October. 9th Army's advance into the Balatonalmádi District became overstretched as Ruvelkan infiltrators and airstrikes hammered Syaran supply lines, while the increasingly rough terrain inhibited major Syaran mechanized operations. On 12 November the Ruvelkans launched a counter-attack against 8th Army, which had become exposed due to 9th Army's slowing rate of advance. Although the Ruvelkans lost the cities of Vyerhnyasty and Starolaiv, by 18 November it was clear the Syarans lacked the means to continue carrying out offensive operations and Syaran Central Command ordered an end to the offensive.
Despite gains in some sectors, the end of Operation Kontos left the Syarans in an awkward position with their various corps and armies holding an uneven front line with limited ability for lateral support and regrouping. The approaching winter and snowfall caused the Syarans to temporarily suspend many of their operations, granting the Ruvelkans a much needed period to rest and refit. Many of the gains the Syarans made would be lost during the Ruvelkan Winter Counter-Offensive, which took advantage of the poor positioning of many Syaran units.