219 – Tank Defense (3) – Battle of Aros
At the time the 87th Division, led by Enoch Levandel, successfully captured the enemy’s tribute, the Polania Expeditionary Forces Command was also preparing for a battle of souls.
The mission given to the Expeditionary Force Command is to quickly exhaust the offensive capability of the Reinhardt Army, which has been attacking the Republic of Polania.
If the front lines are fixed, no matter how strong Reinhalt is, it will not be possible to penetrate the fortifications of the Polania Army, which will go out for space defense, as easily as it is now.
Reinhardt’s hammer and anvil tactic failed when the Reinhardt Airborne Forces, which had already descended to the rear, collapsed due to the intervention of the expeditionary force headquarters.
Then, the target Uk ranians should focus on was Reinhardt’s main force, which had pushed up to Bzura, and a strong armored force.
It was clear that if this armored force could be crushed, Reinhalt would immediately face the end point of the offensive.
However, there were not one or two things to check before that. The first thing Commander of the Expeditionary Force, Geor Vasilovsky, did was to take back most of the command of the Polania army deployed in the southern direction.
“Pass command? What nonsense is that now!”
“Is it normal for a person to have different limbs commanded by a different head? Monsters don’t look like that either.”
This is not an empty word, the Reinhardt army was very powerful. Even the Uk ranians, who had given the empire a shot at consumption, were unbearably burdensome opponents.
In this situation, confusion arises in the chain of command?
Let alone a counterattack, even the opportunity for a final counterattack was lost, and Polania’s defenses were almost certain to collapse.
“Besides, you are the ones who created this sadal. As the commander of the Uk ranian expeditionary force entrusted with full authority by His Majesty King Orlando I, I cannot leave the future of my country in your hands.”
The Polanian Republic Army could not respond to that.
Because it was true.
“If you do not want to hand over command, I will withdraw my support for the Republic of Polania.”
In addition, it was not only the commander of the Expeditionary Force that put pressure on the military.
Lieutenant General Sonny Zeppelin arrived throughout Polania as the head of the Expeditionary Force Headquarters’ Magical Staff Office.
Strictly speaking, the Republic of Polania, which does not have a national grand mage, was not protected by the international grand mage conference.
In reality, the Archmages belonging to the Imperial Alliance declared their participation in the war as retaliation and response to Polania’s ‘declaration of war on Soviet’ at the meeting.
The Mage’s intervention was canceled due to opposition from Sonny Zeppelin of the Freedom Alliance and Uk ran.
“I don’t know why you still don’t admit that we are the only country that can provide practical help to Polania in a situation where the whole world is turned upside down.”
“Lieutenant General Sonny Zeppelin!”
“This is a recommendation not as the Chief of Magical Staff, but as a member of the 12 Archmages, Archmage of the Sky, Sonny Zeppelin.”
Sonny Zeppelin’s eyes flashed. The Polania generals gathered in the left shook their shoulders at the clear concentration of mana.
“I still remember that old man belonging to Reinhardt was Dwayne, the Great Mage of Disaster. If the Reinhardt Empire starts deploying great mages in earnest, it won’t be a problem for the front lines to collapse, right?”
The great mage itself is a powerful deterrent. A de facto strategic weapon that differs in rank from first-class mages.
A powerful fortress map.
As for the tank troops running on the land.
Even the foot soldiers who bravely run towards the enemy.
I was still powerless in front of the great mage’s firepower. Pollania, who did not possess such power, had no way to respond.
“Remember, my existence is one of the reasons why Soviet and Reinhalt didn’t send the Great Mage to the front line.”
Sonny Zeppelin muttered in a low voice. It was clearly hostile, but none of the Polania officers showed any displeasure.
To be precise, I couldn’t reveal it.
The reason why the Soviet Empire did not immediately launch a counterattack against Polania, starting with the Great Mage, even though its territory was invaded, was because the Great Mages of other countries also joined the war as soon as they intervened.
Mutually Assured Destruction.
Pollania’s advance on the Soviet Empire was also a conclusion made conscious of such an aftermath.
A baseless belief that at least the whole world will not run towards ‘ruin’ together.
However, the Free Democratic Republic of Prü, which had been an indirect suppressor of Polania, was preoccupied with engaging in an all-out war against Adaliya.
The United Kingdom of Britain was slightly reluctant to send direct combat troops.
Under these circumstances, if even Sonny Zeppelin of Uk ran withdraws.
It is certain that Polania will collapse helplessly under the attacks of the great mages from the north and the south at the same time.
No matter how warlike and proud the soldiers of Polania are.
I’m not crazy enough to turn my eyes away from the facts.
“Soviet Empire is raging in the North, and Reinhardt’s Empire is raging in the South. I woke up the beast that was sleeping in my cave alone and dragged it to the battlefield. If you are going to say that without understanding the situation until now, I will let the Uk ranians withdraw.”
Sony Zeppelin’s supporting fire made Commander Geor’s tone even more aggressive.
Based on the full consent of President Joseph Faust, Polania delegated command of the Uk ranian-Pollania Combined Forces to General Geor Wasilovsky.
Now soldiers who were simply armies of different countries are united under one flag.
“The 87th Rapid Response Division under Major General Enoch Levandel succeeded in catching the tributes who were advancing in the direction of Gdankow. With one corps level reinforcement delayed, this is our last chance to counterattack.”
The Northern Army of Polania was fighting desperately against the increasingly powerful Soviet Army.
I was able to vomit most of the territory I had occupied, but I was holding on with only one thought to not cross the border.
In other words, it’s time to put a powerful hook into Reinhalt’s chin.
The staff of the Expeditionary Force Headquarters was in serious trouble about how to blow his fists so that rumors of good blows could spread.
After a few days and nights without a single member of the staff, a conclusion was reached.
“We will crush Reinhardt’s main armored force here, in the wide plain, ‘Aros’.”
“We have gathered all possible armored forces in the Republic of Polania, excluding those currently deployed on the northern front.”
“The skies above Aros will be taken over by the 1st squadron of Colonel Roxanna Elim, who has switched missions with the 2nd squadron.”
“The enemy force expected to encounter is one group army level. There are about 300 tanks.”
“Proceed with supplying AS-1s to the magicians of Polania. The lack of anti-tank power is made up with magicians!”
Aros.
Because it is the main granary and wide plain of Polania, it was the most suitable section for the maneuvering of the Uk ranian and Polania armored forces, which were not yet highly mobile.
As long as there is a hole in the defense line centering on Bzura anyway, if Aros, which is easy to maneuver a tank, is given up, Polania will not be able to recover.
It was a strategic point that the Allied Forces must not let go.
However, the Reinhardt Empire was in urgency as well.
When Reinhardt’s commander heard that command of the Polania army in charge of the southern sector had temporarily been transferred to the Expeditionary Force HQ in Uk ran, Reinhardt’s commander became even more anxious.
In fact, looking at the simple battle situation, Reinhalt never seemed to have an advantage.
The tribute, which was deploying in the direction of Gdankow, was cut short by the Uk ranian task force that suddenly jumped out and pounded.
The relief force led by Lieutenant Colonel Johannes von Weissenberg, who was considered a promising armored commander, also failed to penetrate the enemy defenses.
In the meantime, the Polania fortress line in the western direction, which had not yet been captured, remained intact.
The troops in the eastern part of Polania, who had been isolated right after the fall of the Bezura fortress line, are fighting to the point of declaring a decisive battle.
Reinhardt’s offensive capabilities were being consumed faster than expected.
Not only that.
Even though the Soviet Empire launched a full-scale counterattack, the northern frontline was still entrenched.
Obviously, if you can push it, you can push it, but the Emperor of the Soviet Empire didn’t move properly for some reason.
In the Reinhalt Empire, doubts were growing about the lukewarm reaction of the Empire to Sobie, which became the party to the war, despite participating in the war to help the Soviet Empire.
In this situation, there was also a fear that the armistice with Soviet and Polania would be concluded and the front would be terminated prematurely.
If I did, it was clear that I would end up living in a duck egg in the Nakdonggang River.
“Then, shouldn’t we achieve at least the goal set at the beginning? Securing the Aros region is indispensable in order to further secure the sphere of influence of the eastern part of Polania and Gdankov.”
Aros was a strategic point in Polania and also the headquarters of grain production.
If you occupy this place, you will be able to continue to apply pressure against Polania even if the frontline is hardened, or you will be able to get much better terms in the later peace negotiations.
“Gather all available forces to secure Aros. This is your last chance to launch an offensive.”
“Uk ranian forces have already begun to gather around Aros. We have to destroy it before we can build a more dense defense line!”
“Contact Luftstraßenkrafte. Gather all the bombers and fighters!”
“Still, thanks to Lt. Col. Johannes’ buying time, we were able to divert some of our isolated armored forces. Why don’t we bring him into this battle one more time?”
Reinhalt’s military also began to attract souls.
Tank versus tank.
Air to Air.
Infantry versus infantry.
Artillery versus Artillery.
The final and biggest battle between the Allied Forces and the Reinhardt Army, set in the vast plain, is right around the corner.