Mount Bijaro Campaign
| Mount Bijaro Campaign | |||||||
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| Part of the Corum War | |||||||
 Summit of Mount Bijaro |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Confederacy of the Dispossessed
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Unknown | |||||||
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 East Zimian and Wallisian War League
| Local forces
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The Mount Bijaro Campaign was a military offensive in Corum, in which the armed forces of the East Zimian and Wallisian associated realm of Western Corum attempted to clear the northern slopes of Mount Bijaro and the surrounding area of fighters aligned with the Confederacy of the Dispossessed. The campaign resulted in the annexation of the region by Western Corum on 10.X.1752 AN.
Background
In 1750 AN, East Zimian and Wallisian forces in the exclave of Western Corum launched Operation Pulse. Although the operation's relatively limited objectives were swiftly achieved, it soon became apparent that the majority of Dispossessed fighters in the area had simply withdrawn further into the interior. Of particular concern to the West Corumians was the concentration of enemy combatants believed to be regrouping in the fastness surrounding Mount Bijaro on the New Batavian border, which if left unchecked, could threaten communications with the inland city of Assek.
Planning and preparation
Preparations for a follow-up offensive began soon after the formal conclusion of Operation Pulse in XV.170 AN. The first few months of 1751 AN saw a major reorganisation of the 2nd "Corum Electric" Division, with the 4th Brigade at Corum Electric City swapping its two mechanised regiments for one from each of the 5th and 6th Brigades; this allowed units depleted during recent operations to rest and rebuild, while maintaining a strength of two operational brigades on the territory of the Assek Protectorate. Orders for additional drones and quadwalkers were also placed in this period.
The operational plan called for the 6th Brigade to advance slowly eastward towards Mount Bijaro, drawing the attention of the enemy and hopefully fixing them in place. The 5th Brigade would meanwhile push around the northern edge of the uplands, where the terrain was more easily navigable, passing through the sites of the former cities of Mathura and Frankstown before driving southwest towards the New Batavian border. It was hoped that this enveloping manoeuvre would trap the majority of the Dispossessed forces against the mountain where, cut off from external reinforcement, they could be safely contained and ultimately reduced.
Order of battle
- 2nd "Corum Electric" Division
- 5th Brigade
- 6th Brigade
East Zimia and the Wallis Islands:
- 2nd Ground Attack Wing
Campaign
Initial advance IV-V.1752
Fighting began shortly after midnight on the morning of 9.IV.1752 AN, with a mass drone attack on pre-identified Dispossessed concentrations over the border. Soon afterwards, the 6th Brigade crossed the line of contact in the south, its forward elements screened by quadwalkers in an attempt to limit human casualties. Moving slowly under the cover of an overhead drone swarm, the West Corumian columns advanced several kilometres on the first night, before halting to rest. These tactics were to be repeated on subsequent nights. Operating mostly under cover of dark, the West Corumians used their drones' thermal imagers to identify and engage enemy targets well in advance of their spearheads, driving the enemy before them.
Forty-eight hours after active operations began in the south, the 5th Brigade launched its own offensive. In deliberate contrast to the 6th Brigade's slow and methodical approach, the West Corumian forces further north advanced considerably faster, quickly gaining considerable ground: the 14th Mechanised Regiment entered the ruins of Mathura on 20.IV.1752 AN and its sister unit, the 10th Mechanised, captured Frankstown on 4.V.1752 AN.
Sparkstown
On 18.VI.1752 AN, the West Corumians began constructing a military base and civilian settlement on the site of the former city of Frankstown. Renamed Sparkstown, the new town was intended to serve as a forward military headquarters for the next phase of operations, as well as the future administrative centre of the surrounding region under West Corumian rule. Sparkstown, together with the surrounding area, was formally annexed by Western Corum on 10.X.1752 AN.
Winter operations VI-XI.1752
Following the capture of Frankstown/Sparkstown, offensive operations in the north ceased for the duration of the southern hemisphere winter. It quickly became apparent that the logistical challenges of supplying the 5th Brigade had been underestimated, and the bulk of the brigade's operational manpower would be required to secure its increasingly long lines of communication back to the railhead at Assek; in these circumstances, the planned southwards drive to the New Batavian border was deemed impractical until further supplies and reinforcements could be brought forward during the winter months.
The campaign's focus instead shifted to the south. The 6th Brigade continued its methodical advance, seeking to maintain the pressure on hostile forces throughout the winter, when food and shelter would be harder to find. As in earlier campaigns, the enemy proved elusive, the majority electing to withdraw rather than risk likely destruction at the hands of a materially superior opponent; the constant disruption and deteriorating weather nevertheless began to gradually attrite the Dispossessed cadres, who lost many fighters to starvation or exposure as they pulled back deeper into the Green. Despite this success, the constant pace of operations was also taking its toll upon the West Corumians, with the 6th Brigade's quartermasters reporting mounting losses of drones and quadwalkers.
Renewed offensive XII.1752
The 5th Brigade resumed active operations on 6.XII.1752 AN. A scratch battalion group drawn from the brigade's 10th Mechanised Regiment, together with the newly-arrived Queen Electra's Dragoon Guards, launched a fresh offensive towards the New Batavian border, some 130 km to the southwest. West Corumian forces successfully reached the border a week later; however, comparatively few Dispossessed fighters were captured and it quickly became apparent that the delay had allowed most of the surviving enemy to escape to the east.
In the west, lead elements of the 6th Brigade had reached the lower slopes of Mount Bijaro by beginning of the month, and the flag of Western Corum was finally raised atop the summit on 21.XII.1752 AN.
Aftermath and analysis
The campaign largely succeeded in its goal of removing the Dispossessed's presence around Mount Bijaro. In addition, Western Corum's territorial expansion afforded increased security for the crucial communication routes linking Assek to Corum Electric City and the coast, which were now only vulnerable from the north. On the other hand, notwithstanding their tactical success, West Corumian forces had failed to eliminate the threat posed by the Dispossessed: as in previous operations, the bulk of enemy combatants had once again managed to escape into the Green, from where they would continue to pose a threat.
