Sieuxerrian-Saintonge War

Sieuxerrian-Saintonge War
Part of the Casaterran Front of the Pan-Septentrion War
Date 11 June 1937 – 4 April 1943 (5 years, 9 months and 24 days) Location Saintonge and Sieuxerr Result Saingtonian loss
Belligerents
Sieuxerr Supported by: New Tyran Sylva	Saintonge Ostland Template:Country data Kerenevoi
Commanders and leaders
Napoléon IV	Charles III
Strength
6,500,000 (March, 1942)	1,100,000 (March, 1942)
Casualties and losses
400,000 dead	300,000 dead

The Sieuxerrian-Saintonge War, known in Sieuxerr as the Guerre de la Troisième Coalition (War of the Third Coalition), was apart of the Pan-Septentrion War and focused mostly between Saintonge and Sieuxerr with nominal and mostly materiel support from their respective allied powers.

Forces

It contained thirty-two infantry divisions, roughly half of these divisions were comprised of pre-war professional troops, while the rest were a mixture of pre-war reservists and recently mobilized draftees. This would result in a varying quality in terms of each division which would result in dire effects. In addition to the infantry were some fourteen tank brigades, allocated to one per corps with armies getting one as well. Each of these infantry support tank brigades on paper were to have some ninety tanks, however many of these were under-equipped, some having only enough to fill out singular tank platoons. The divisions also tended to all lack adequate anti-tank equipment as well. In total, roughly 650,000 Sieuxerrian army personnel with some 700 tanks and 6,000 tube artillery were present at the start.

Conduct of operations

Situation Noir: June 1937

Main articles: Situation Noir, Battle of the Moselle, and Battle of Montberthault

Starting before sunrise on 11 June 1937, the combined Casaterran Axis forces started a series of airstrikes on key Sieuxerrian Army and Air Force locations. These strikes were mostly effective, however certain strikes on rear area airfields were many of the Sieuxerrian Air Force's interceptor fighters were of varying quality. Many planes were destroyed, however many pilots and non-aircraft vehicles were left intact, allowing for these pilots and vehicles to be moved to rear-areas and equipped again with new aircraft. One of these wings, the 21st Fighter Wing would become vital in the later Battle of Líme, generating the most aces out of any combat unit in the Sieuxerrian Air Force during the Pan-Septentrion War.

As airfields were hit, other locations were hit such as ammo depots, radio posts, and also known command buildings. Many of these locations had been found during a period of radio-interception operations and rear-area reconnaissance conducted by the Saintongian Department of Public Relations and Intelligence, known as DEPRI. After the majority of airstrikes had ended, DEPRI agents conducted a series of sabotage missions against communication centers and storage depots, these strikes would further complicate and compromise Sieuxerrian response for days until much of the area would be overrun.

With the end of the airstrikes, artillery from ground forces began to bombard close Sieuxerrian positions. Many of the fifty divisions the Axis had committed to the front launched their assault. Saintongian Army Group North, AGN, would cross the Moselle River, it had its three armies along with an additional corps attached from the Kerenevoian Army Group "Henze", AGH. In the south, across the Vassivière Lake, was the rest of the Kerenevoian AGH and the Ostlandic Army Group "Oehlenschläger", AGO. In total the force had over 1.4 million personnel, 2,300 tanks, and over 10,000 tube artillery.

Opposing them would be Army Group 2 with its three armies and ten corps. In total they contained thirty-two infantry divisions, eleven tank brigades and five cavalry brigades. In the south many frontline units were overrun within hours, from there, rear echelon forces also were overrun in rapid succession. The Ostlandic and Kerenevoian operations were also supported by very well timed and coordinated airstrikes from a mixed unit of close-support aircraft. In the north the situation was initially the same, however units were bottle-necked by the limited bridge crossings. This gave certain Sieuxerrian units time to prepare for action and either sit and fight or to start withdrawing to better positions. With the cut communications, many units were unable to contact higher command elements to inform them of the invasion. This would culminate with the Army Group command, Army General Marcel Barbeau not knowing of the ground invasion for hours after it had started, only knowing of the airstrikes.

By the 21st of June, Axis advances were very worrying. The southern forces had advanced some 130 kilometers and were posed to keep up the momentum. In the north, many units had been pushed back by the serious Saintongian thrust, however as they had time to prepare properly and the fact that the divisions were well trainned and equipped, Saintongian advances were slowed down. At max, only a push of some sixty kilometers had been achieved. Losses were high for the Sieuxerrians, almost half of the entirety of its 5th Army had been destroyed or surrounded by the southern advance, with the surviving elements of 5th Army and the retreating forces of 4th Army being simply unable to mount any real defense. In the north, 3rd Army had been seriously diminished, but was putting up effective resistance to Saintongian forces.

The Sieuxerrian situation kept deteriorating as the southern advances kept pushing further and further by late June. Within a few days the majority of the 5th Army had been pushed between the Kerenevoian advance and Vassivière Lake, leaving only less than 20% of the 5th Army and 4th Army to withdraw. In an emergency action, 3th Army was pulled from its positions in the north and began to form a new defensive line to secure the withdraw of 4th and 5th Armies. This was done at signification cost to materiel for the Sieuxerrians, as the near uncontested Axis air superiority caused great havoc for daytime troop movements, however with the communications situation still critical, nighttime movements were even more difficult. 3rd Army secured the withdraw of its allied armies while it mostly had expended its own abilities. By the start of July, Sieuxerrian forces were in a state of retreat from Axis advances. Much of Army Group 2 had been totally destroyed or rendered combat ineffective and it was unable to form itself up, allowing for Axis forces to push easily through the Dutoit Mountain Pass. These advances were massive, some 300 kilometers by mid-July.

One problem for the Axis was the southern Pyrenees Mountains. Army Group 4, which had situated itself along the Sieuxerrian-Karpatyian border effective positioned its mountain fighting forces along the Pyrenees. These divisions, which were drawn from experienced local mountaineers were highly effective in resisting Ostlandic attempts to assault the mountains. They would be able to do this until a month later when a second round of offensive actions would make their position untenable.