Battle of Dasht-e-Namak

Battle of Dasht-e-Namak
Part of the Western Theater (Siduri War)
A Mansuri soldier approaches a Shirvani Agrius
Date 12 September - 24 October 1936 Location Dasht-e-Namak Desert, Mansuriyyah Result Common Axis Victory
Belligerents
Mansuriyyah Cacertian Empire	Shirvani Dominion Republic of Syara
Commanders and leaders
Tariq Urgani Asad Sadeghi Abdullah Hawzari Eloisa Pensiero	Zamin Seyrangil Turan Bakirgil Teymur Seyfullali Vezenko Penkov Deliivanov
Units involved
3rd Army Group 9th Army 11th Army Cacertian Corps	Army Group Tau Tenth Army Thirteenth Army Syaran 51st Corps
Strength
575,000 troops 3,200 tanks 2,000 artillery pieces 1,300 aircraft	450,000 troops 2,750 tanks 2,500 artillery pieces 1,000 aircraft
Casualties and losses
39,544 killed 78,560 wounded	42,712 killed 92,600 wounded 27,000 captured

The Battle of Dasht-e-Namak (12 September - 24 October 1936) was a battle of the Siduri War that took place on the Mansuri Front between the Common Axis powers of Mansuriyyah and the Cacertian Empire against the Inner Sphere composed of the Shirvani Dominion and the Republic of Syara. It was the largest tank battle fought in the Western Theater.

The battle was the culmination of an elaborate deception effort by the Mansuri military, which became aware of Shirvani desire to attack Mansuri forces located in the Dasht-e-Namak Desert in eastern Mansuriyyah through partially decrypted Inner Sphere codes. Upon confirming the intended target (made possible by deliberately leaking that Mansuri forces were short on drinking water, which Shirvani intelligence then reported through the compromised channels), General Tariq Urgani devised an operation to draw in the Inner Sphere for an attack on the Varzaneh Oasis before utilizing airborne drops behind Shirvani lines and then counter-attacking through the southern edge of the Dasht-e-Namak. Urgani had under his command the 3rd Army Group to carry out the operation, namely Asad Sadeghi's 9th Army, Abdullah Hawzari's 11th Army, and Eloisa Pensiero's Cacertian Corps of three divisions. All together the Common Axis forces numbered 575,000 troops, over 3,000 tanks, 2,000 artillery pieces, and 1,300 aircraft.

The Inner Sphere forces of Army Group Tau were led by General Zamin Seyrangil. Underneath his command were Turan Bakirgil's Tenth Army, Teymur Seyfullali's Thirteenth Army, and the Syaran 51st Corps under Vezenko Penkov Deliivanov. The Shirvani and Syarans combined fielded 450,000 troops, 2,750 tanks, 2,500 artillery pieces, and 1,000 aircraft assigned for the operation. Seyrangil envisioned a two-pronged attack on Mansuri forces around the Varzaneh Oasis, before pivoting north to seize the Shazdeh Oasis. It was assumed by Seyrangil that once repulsed the Mansuri would fall back to defend the capital of Al-Jadidah further west. Seyrangil coincided his operation so that it would occur alongside the Syaran amphibious landing at Juwaiqi Bay along the western coast; this was later rendered moot by Syaran defeat at the Battle of Qalaat al-Janaq.

In order to draw in the Inner Sphere Seyrangil ordered Mansuri forces to dismantle much of the elaborate defensive networks across the Dasht-e-Namak, hoping that the Shirvani would over-commit and be vulnerable to counter-attack, while also preventing the Inner Sphere from using the Mansuri's own defenses against them. To further cement the deception, Urgani leaked further information claiming that the Mansuri were having to withdraw further west to a shorter defensive line to compensate for their worsened logistical situation. Preparations were made to pivot much of Thirteenth Army and the Cacertian Corps further south to skirt the edge of the desert along the railways through the city of Zarand.

Army Group Tau began its offensive on 12 September, and as planned ruptured the thinly held Mansuri lines east of the Varzaneh Oasis. Mansuri forces of 9th Army gave ground willingly, and by 24 September had been driven from the Oasis entirely, leaving in under control of the Shirvani Tenth Army. By 28 September the Shirvani were approaching the city of Zarand and engaging portions of Hawzari's 11th Army. On 30 September Sadgehi's largely uncommitted 9th Army counter-attacked within the vicinity of Zarand, halting the Shirvani advance westward. Hawzari's 11th Army and Pensiero's Corps began moving south, skirting the edge of the desert via the Kashmar railway and positioning themselves south of the main battlefield. On 1 October Mansuri airborne forces conducted a large scale airborne drop behind Shirvani lines, exploiting the logistical limitations of the Inner Sphere's advance that had left them dependent on a single avenue of advance between the Varzaneh and Zarand.

Mansuri airborne forces were able to destroy several ammunition dumps utilized by the Shirvani, largely eliminating the advantage the Inner Sphere held in artillery. Utilizing the cover of sandstorms Hawzari was able to redeploy much of the 11th Army without being noticed by the Inner Sphere. Under attack from multiple directions Seyrangil ordered Army Group Tau to fall back, hoping to consolidate his position before resuming the attack. On 6 October the Common Axis forces began a general counter-attack across the Dasht-e-Namak, and by 10 October had driven the Inner Sphere back east past the Varzaneh Oasis. On 12 October Hawzari's 11th Army linked up with Sadeghi's 9th Army, effectively encircling the entirety of Army Group Tau.

Faced with impending disaster, Seyrangil ordered a break out attempt through the Khor Plains, spearheaded by Bakirgil's Tenth Army while Deliivanov's Syaran Corps counter-attacked Hawzari's 11th Army and Pensiero's Cacertian Corps. A massive armored battle broke out along the Khor Plains, involving over 2,000 tanks on each side. In the ensuing melee which ranged from 12-15 October Bakirgil's Tenth Army managed to break through the Mansuri perimeter, while Seyfullali's Thirteenth Army was barely able to disengage and withdraw through the gap created by the Tenth Army. Deliivanov's Syaran 51st Corps, holding the southern flank, was annihilated with over 90% of its troops killed, captured, wounded, or missing. By 16 October Seyrangil managed to withdraw what remained of his forces and took up defensive positions near the Shirvani-Mansuri border.

The battle was a decisive defeat for the Inner Sphere and a major victory for the Common Axis. Army Group Tau had lost any remaining offensive capability, weakening Inner Sphere forces along the border and failing to accomplish its goal of removing the strategic threat posed by Common Axis forces in Mansuriyyah. Dasht-e-Namak was the last offensive conducted by the Inner Sphere into Mansuriyyah, and the last major offensive operation conducted by the Shirvani Dominion prior to the invasion of Shirvaniya in spring 1937. Coupled with the Battle of Tân Xuyên on the Quenminese Front and Operation Agrianos on the Tennaiite Front, the three defeats were responsible for the launching of Operation Scylla, which concluded with the Inner Sphere's defeat at the Battle of the Sabri Sea and marked the beginning of the end of the Siduri War.