Battle of Bertenau

Battle of Bertenau
Part of the West Vierz Front of the Great War
Vierz troops beside a destroyed Apelian tank
Date 11 May 1943 – 7 August 1943 Location Bertenau, Hauvel, Vierz Empire Result Vierz victory Failure of Operation Faucille Stabilization of the frontline in Vierzland Renewal of the Apelian offensive in Borland
Belligerents
Apelia	Vierz Empire
Commanders and leaders
Abel Mallaire Jules Charbonnier Ignace Delisle Gaylord Trudeau	Hermann Eschau Reinhold Tausche Gotthard Auspitz Jürgen Streicher Georg Dannecker
Units involved
Army Group Serres: 2nd Army 3rd Army 13th Army 5th Army 17th Army	Army Group West: 5th Army 6th Army 7th Army 3rd Armoured Corps
Strength
Total: 1,030,000 men 1,700 tanks 830 aircraft	Total: 710,000 men 1,570 tanks 480 aircraft
Casualties and losses
Total: 158,000 missing or killed 700–800 tanks damaged or destroyed 288 aircraft destroyed	Total: 89,056 missing or killed 300–400 tanks damaged or destroyed 112 aircraft destroyed

The Battle of Bertenau was a military engagement of the Great War between Apelia and Vierzland on a 200 kilometer-front on the outskirts of Bertenau, then the third-largest Vierz city. It occurred between May and August 1943. No fighting occurred in Bertenau itself, but large confrontations happened in nearby settlements such as Lettern and Oppitz.

Bertenau was a primary political and military focus of Apelia and the Socialist Internationale. The Apelian strategic offensive, Operation Faucille, saw the capture of the Vierz cities of Salzdorf and Tillena and the near-encirclement of the Borish capital Anderveld. Apelian forces rapidly moved towards Bertenau through seemingly-undefended territory.

Vierz defensive operations frustrated Apelian efforts, as Army Group West was able to secure additional divisions from the Eastern Front and slow the Apelian advance. Apelian forces were split between simultaneous offensives in Borland and Vierzland and became unable to break past Vierz defensive belts. The Apelian offensive totally froze on 7 August 1943 and resulted in the end of Operation Faucille as an operational failure. The battle was a significant blow to the SIC offensive against Vierzland as a whole and resulted in Apelia shifting its overall strategic focus towards the ongoing Battle of Borland.