Battle of Dhahr al-Baydar Pass

Battle of Dhahr al-Baydar Pass
Part of the Western Theater (Siduri War)
Mansuri troops retreat from the Pass
Date 12 March - 16 April 1935 Location Dhahr al-Baydar Pass Mansuriyyah-Ruvelka Border Result Syaran victory
Belligerents
Mansuriyyah	Republic of Syara
Commanders and leaders
Harun Aziz	Petre Yurukov
Units involved
7th Corps 11th Mountain Infantry Division 21st Infantry Division 22nd Infantry Division 7th Independent Mechanized Brigade	38th Corps 87th Infantry Division 24th Light Infantry Division 36th Motorized Infantry Division 43rd Light Mechanized Division
Strength
80,000 troops	110,000 troops
Casualties and losses
6,400 killed 13,000 wounded	7,100 killed 16,000 wounded

The Battle of Dhahr al-Baydar Pass was a battle fought between the Republic of Syara and Mansuriyyah during the Siduri War on the Western Theater. The battle is often cited as the beginning of the invasion of Mansuriyyah by the Inner Sphere.

Mansuriyyah's alignment with the Common Axis following the outbreak of the Siduri War made it a target for the Inner Sphere during the invasions of October 1934. Launching from occupied Ruvelka, the Syarans attempted in invasion of Mansuriyyah itself. Inital attempts during the Winter of 1934 however met with failure; in December the Syarans were repulsed from the border by stiff Mansuri defenses and forced the Army of the Syaran Republic to halt it's efforts until spring. The Mansuri Army used the winter lull to shore up it's defenses along the border, building bunkers and fortifications along the Ruvelkan-Mansuri border to halt future assaults. One of the most crucial junctures was the Dhahr al-Baydar Pass in the western section of the Matra mountains, which led into the heart of Mansuriyyah's major population centers. Although the Mansuri Army was aware of the vital importance of the the Pass, threats from Allamunnika forced the Mansuri to disperse much of it's armed forces across it's wide borders.

The Syaran 38th Corps began it's assault on the Dhahr al-Baydar Pass on 12 March 1935 with a sustained artillery barrage that continued for several days, but generally failed to dislodge the Mansuri defenders. Bombings from the Syaran Army Air Corps failed to do much damage either, forcing the Syaran infantry to attack the Mansuri lines head on. For the first two weeks the Syarans made little progress, but by the start of April Syaran heavy artillery finally began reducing Mansuri fortifications, while the Syaran infantry were able to steadily push back the Mansuri defenders. On 9 April the Syarans finally broke into the central valley of the Pass, threatining to punch straight through into the Mansuri interior. General Harun Aziz responded with the deployment of 7th Corps Independent Mechanized Brigade, which threw the Syarans back. On 12 April the Syarans responded with another attack led by the 43rd Light Mechanized Division. Running low on ammunition, Aziz ordered the Mansuri forces to fall back to their secondary positions, but the breakout of the 36th Motorized Infantry Division on the Mansuri left flank threatened to upend the entire Mansuri line. Aziz instead ordered a fighting withdrawal during which the bulk of 7th Corps escaped, with the Syarans unable to prevent the retreat due to their slow optempo.

The Syaran seizure of the Dhahr al-Baydar Pass paved the way for a general invasion of Mansuriyyah but the Syarans would make little progress, forcing Allamunnika to launch it's own invasion of eastern Mansuriyyah in the summer.