Battle of Zenzeli
| Battle of Zenzeli | |||||||
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| Part of 2019 Invasion of Vyzhva | |||||||
 Vyzhvan tank abandoned near Zenzeli | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kolodoria | Vyzhva | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Rainars Kļaviņš Gothards Dreimanis | Some guys | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
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15th Corps
11th Corps
25th Corps
2nd Corps
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II Corps
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| Strength | |||||||
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270,000 troops 2,760 tanks 1,800 artillery pieces |
70,000 - 100,000 troops 1,250 tanks 560 artillery pieces | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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349 killed 1,285 wounded 63 tanks destroyed |
~5,000 killed ~15,000 wounded 20,000 captured ~750 tanks destroyed | ||||||
The Battle of Zenzeli was a three day tank battle that ocurred between 19-21 February 2019, during the 2019 Invasion of Vyzhva, between armored forces of the Kolodorian Ground Forces and the Vyzhvan People's Mobilization. The primary participants were the regular and reserve forces of the Vyzhvan II Corps against the armored forces of the Kolodorian First and Second Army Groups. The battle was the culmination of the opening stages of the Kolodorian invasion, which focused on encircling and destroying II Corps to pave the way for the introduction of Kolodoria's reserve corps for the drive on Prognoi.
With over 4,000 tanks involved overall, Zenzeli was the largest tank battle of the conflict, and the largest tank battle on the continent since the Vinyan War. The Kolodorians succeeded in breaching the secondary lines of the Vyzhvans and proceeded to engage and destroy multiple Vyzvhan regiments over the course of the battle. By the end of the battle around 750 Vyzhvan tanks had been destroyed, in addition to 5,000 Vyzhvans killed and 20,000 captured by the Kolodorians. The battle allowed the Kolodorians to complete their destruction of II Corps and marked the beginning of the march on Prognoi.
Background
Kolodoria invaded Vyzhva as part of an international coalition following the Avallone Bombings. As part of Operation Sidewinder, the Kolodorian First and Second Army Groups had been assigned to destroy the Vyzhvan II Corps along the eastern border and to eventually capture the city of Prognoi. Over the previous few days the Kolodorians had already broken through the Ullan Line along the eastern border, while in the north Second Army Group had reached its objective at Phase Line Korin, pinning II Corps in place. As part of follow up maneuvers, 2nd and 25th Corps were to help swing around and encircle the Vyzhvan forces to prevent their withdrawal further east.
Hoping to ensure the complete destruction of II Corps, the Kolodorians amassed a massive force of some 270,000 troops and nearly 3,000 tanks. Four armored divisions, five mechanized divisions, and two infantry divisions were assigned to the task. In order to maintain pressure on the Vyzvhans, 15th and 11th Corps were to press on from the north and east, while the 2nd and 25th Corps carried out the maneuvers south and west to complete the encirclement. The state of Vyzvhan II Corps at this point during the invasion is difficult to determine. Pre-war strength of II Corps was four divisions, and in theory mobilization of Vyzhva's reserves should have boosted it to eight divisions. Disruption of Vyzhva's strategic command and control however had crippled Vyzhva's ability to effectively employ its reserves, forcing local commanders to execute pre-war plans with limited ability to coordinate with other regional commands. The Kolodorians estimated they faced between 70,000 to 100,000 Vyzhvan troops, supported by more than a thousand tanks and over 500 artillery pieces.
The battle itself is named after the town of Zenzeli, where the initial engagement of the battle occurred, though throughout the next three days fighting raged over several dozen square kilometers.
Battle
The Kolodorians had identified Zenzeli as a major target during their pre-invasion planning. It was the only major urban location in AO Verdict and straddled the main highway running towards Prognoi. Having been repulsed from the Ullan Line, Vyzhvan forces had fallen back to secondary defensive positions, with Zenzeli serving as the primary staging area for the 3rd Armored Division. Although the Zenzeli River ran through the town, its slow moving waters and lack of depth led II Corps to avoid using it as a major defensive line.
The Kolodorians began shelling Vyzhvan positions at around 0700 local time on 19 February, firing over 3,000 shells over the course of an hour. Having already broken through the Ullan Line, the 9th Armored Division of 15th Corps advanced within 15 kilometers of Zenzeli, engaging Vyzhvan defenders around the outskirts of the village around 0900. The 9th Armored continued to engage the Vyzhvans until noon, when elements fo the 29th Mechanized Infantry Division began appearing to the north of Zenzeli and began fording the river, intent on crossing and appearing behind the 3rd Armored Division. Efforts to halt the crossing by local Vyzhvan reserves failed, allowing the Kolodorians to position most of the division across the river before the end of the day.
Further to the north Vyzhvan forces were in disarray. The loss of the 15th Infantry Division at Phase Line Korin left II Corps with a depleted northern flank that was in theory supposed to be plugged by the 17th Armored Division. However, the division evidently never fully mobilized, leaving major gaps along its area of operations. As 11th Corps advanced south it ran into the 17th Armored Division, engaging several battalions of armored vehicles and infantry along a series of hills designated 18 through 31. In spite of stiff resistance from Vyzhvan armor, the Kolodorian 210th Mechanized Infantry Division overran the defending elements of the 17th Armored Division over the course of four hours, including securing the high point in the local area, Hill 27. By 1700 local time the Kolodorians had closed the gap between the two army groups to just 23 kilometers.
Sporadic fighting broke out throughout the night, but with of the reserve divisions of the Kolodorians lacking modern night vision devices, the Kolodorians refrained from any major night assault. Temperatures dropped to 20 below freezing, forcing both sides to run their engines for an extended time before they were ready for action. Kolodorian artillery continued to fire throughout the night, shelling Vyzhvan forces behind their defensive positions. On the early morning of the 20th the Kolodorians renewed their offensive, with the 29th Mechanized moving south to cut off Vyzhvan forces in Zenzeli itself. Sensing the impending Kolodorian drive, the 3rd Armored Division attempted to pull back across the river, while the Kolodorian 9th Armored Division, which had been holding just outside Zenzeli itself, began pushing inward. In the ensuing engagement more than 70 Vyzhvan armored vehicles were destroyed in addition to over 400 Vyzhvan soldiers killed.
11th Corps resumed their drive south, pressing into the remnant of the 17th Armored Division throughout the early morning. Further west the 201st Armored Division had begun their sweep out to the west, behind the rear echelon of II Corps as part of the Kolodorian encirclement, while the 100th Armored Division did as well in the south. Heavy snowfall throughout the day slowed down the rate of advance for the Kolodorians, but by 1500 L the Kolodorians had closed the gap between the two army groups to less than five kilometers in some sectors. Friendly fire soon became an issue, resulting in the Kolodorians order a halt to the 15th and 11th Corps for the rest of the day. After heavy fighting for two days, II Corps had been coalesced into a loose perimeter that in many sectors barely moved past their own staging area. Around 1800 L the 75th Armored Division, forming the southern flank of 15th Corps, engaged in a five hour long battle with Vyzhvan armored forces from the 51st Mechanized Division, destroying over a 100 armored vehicles, though in the confused night fighting lost 24 of their own, several to friendly fire.
The snowfall ceased in the early morning of 21 February and by dawn the sky had cleared, given the Kolodorians near perfect visibility. By now the two army groups had surrounded II Corps on all sides and began their final assault. Over the course of nine hours the Kolodorians proceeded to destroy more than 500 armored vehicles, annihilating the 34th and 37th Infantry Divisions and the 51st Mechanized Division. Although many of the Vyzhvan regulars fought to the death, most of the Vyzhvan reserves were surrounded and forced to surrender, resulting in 20,000 prisoners caputured by the Kolodorians. Despite fierce resistance on occasion, the disoriented Vyzhvan forces were unable to put up effective or coordinating resistance, allowing the Kolodorians to destroy the Vyzhvan II Corps piecemeal. By the end of the day AO Verdict had been liquidated, and there was nothing between the Kolodorians and Prognoi.
Aftermath
The largest tank battle of the invasion ended in a crushing Vyzhvan defeat. Despite its considerable combat power in theory, and the at times fanatical efforts of its soldiers, II corps was unable to leverage its forces effectively. The failure of II Corps to prevent the maneuvers of the Kolodorian forces crippled Vyzhva's ability to influence the outcome of the battle. The destruction of II Corps also ended Vyzhva's chances to halt the Kolodorian invasion in the east, while also ensuring that the Kolodorians would face no major obstacles on their march towards Prognoi, which was now wide open and defended only by isolated companies and understrength militia battalions.
In the three-day fighting II Corps suffered an estimated 5,000 fatalities, with another 15,000 wounded. 20,000 Vyzhvans were captured by the Kolodorians, who also recorded the destruction of around 750 Vyzhvan tanks, in addition to over 1,500 other armored vehicles, trucks, and engineering vehicles. At least 200 artillery guns were also destroyed. The Kolodorians recorded 349 fatalities of their own, at least 78 of which are believed to have been the result of friendly fire. 63 Kolodorian tanks were destroyed in addition to 112 other armored vehicles, while two Kolodorian helicopter gunships were shot down. An additional 1,285 Kolodorian personnel were wounded in the fighting. These losses represented only a small portion of Kolodorian forces available for Operation Sidewinder, and thus the KGF was free to push on Prognoi largely unhindered.