Battle of Krantbuurg

Battle of Krantbuurg
Part of Meckelno–Nü Krantisk War
Date 5.XII.1753 AN–20.I.1754 AN (63 days) Location Krantbuurg, Lac Glacei Result Krantbuurg falls to Meckelnburghish forces NKR command in Balduvien surrenders
Belligerents
Meckelnburgh	Nü Krantisk Repüblik
Commanders and leaders
Yvette Royston Flæmingr Périgord Jules Sneijder	Unknown
Units involved
1st Armored Division 2nd Battalion, Arctic Rangers 12th Fighter Wing 251st Bomber Squadron	NKR study groups
Strength
7 strategic bombers 86 main battle tanks 16,500 soldiers and airmen	Unknown
Casualties and losses
524 killed in action 1,311 wounded 1 reconnaissance UAV 2 assault helicopters 9 main battle tanks 16 infantry fighting vehicles 17 prison camp evacuees	Unknown

The Battle of Krantbuurg was the first major engagement of the Meckelno–Nü Krantisk War, itself part of the NKR insurrection, following a six-month siege against the city of Krantbuurg in insurrectionist-controlled Lac Glacei. The battle was conducted by the Meckelnburgh National Guard, with support by the Royal Meckelnburgh Air Force, against irregular "study group" fighters of the Nü Krantisk Repüblik.

Background

The war was declared in IV.1753 AN by the United Kingdom of Meckelnburgh following various crimes of genocide committed by the Nü Krantisk Repüblik in the wake of its insurrection against the government of Lac Glacei. A rapid attack against western Balduvien resulted in swiftly reaching Krantbuurg in VI.1761 AN. The city is a notable symbol of the NKR, with its namesake in the Crandish people.

Following failed surrender demands in VII.1761 AN from Meckelnburgh to forces of the NKR, the siege against Krantbuurg began with shelling against armed and fortified positions, as well as administrative centers in downtown. The 1st Armored Division of Meckelnburgh took up positions around the city with an especially fortified eastern guard, preventing the resupply of the city by anything other than permitted food, water and other heating supplies.

With the protracted siege, further action was finally deemed necessary, though expected to be a costly engagement. Compounded with the terrorist attack against Salem on 9.IX.1753 AN, patience for a diplomatic solution ran out.

Order of battle

The majority of the offensive was conducted by the 1st Armored Division, the only division in the Meckelnburgh National Guard and operational unit of the Metropolitan Armored Brigade, Western Armored Brigade and 1st Motorized Infantry Brigade. The land forces were lead in the field by Cpt. Gen. Flæmingr Périgord, with Col. Gen. Yvette Royston as commander of all forces on the Krantbuurg Front.

Units of the Royal Meckelnburgh Air Force were commanded in a combined fighter, bomber and assault helicopter task force by Air. Cmde. Jules Sneijder. Further support was provided by the 2nd Battalion, Arctic Rangers and the Army Intelligence Battalion of the Royal Meckelnburgh Corps of Signals.

Course of the battle

First week of the battle (5–11.XII)

Downtown Krantbuurg after a round of artillery fire on 5.XII.

5.XII

In the early morning of 5.XII.1753 AN, aircraft of the RMBAF 251st Bomber Squadron's Flights Alpha and Bravo began a divided attack against southwest and northeast Krantbuurg, attacking communications systems and outlying defensive guard posts, downing local television and radio throughout the city. Elements of the Western Armored Brigade and the 5th Regiment Royal Artillery proceeded into the southern suburbs of Krantbuurg with 44 main battle tanks.

Simultaneously, the Metropolitan Armored Brigade shored up the outlying guard to the north and east of the city. The division artillery, the 7th Regiment (Rkt) Royal Artillery, engaged in tactical strikes against administrative headquarters in downtown Krantbuurg, igniting a two-block blaze around city hall.

Some 30 minutes after the battle began, the RMBAF official Tweeter account posted a lone gif with the line "Surprise motherfucker."

By mid-afternoon, brigade artillery of the Western Armored Brigade launched tactical strikes against management offices of Krantbuurg International Airport south of downtown, before the 351st Helicopter Assault Squadron dropped a battalion of special forces rangers on the outskirts of the airport. Urban combat and hand-to-hand fighting continued for hours as the force of 450 rangers progressed in a costly struggle, aided mostly by the rangers' training compared to the irregular insurrectionists.

Krantbuurg International Airport was secured by special forces shortly before dusk, with the Western Armored Brigade taking up a forward post in the airport. The 1st Mobile Infantry Battalion placed a guard around the airport to resist further attempts to reclaim the airport as night fell. During the evening, up four blocks of downtown Krantbuurg were engulfed in flames.

6.XII

Aerial reconnaissance of Krantbuurg International Airport in preparation for capture.

On the second day of battle, light rain fell over Krantbuurg, reducing access for artillery fire and close air support. The Western Armored Brigade focused on airport repairs to support the forward basing of aircraft, resulting in the arrival of the 122nd Fighter Squadron that evening for forward deployment. The Army Battalion of the Royal Corps of Signals began an extensive drone reconnaissance project over southern Krantbuurg, losing one UAV in the process, but identifying the location of a NKR-run prison camp southwest of the city.

7.XII

As the weather cleared on the third day, the Western Armored Brigade Reconnaissance Company in tandem with the 351st Helicopter Assault Squadron launched a raid against the prison camp in southwest Krantbuurg. A light artillery barrage 100 m away against guards on the west side was followed by a charge of Strider CV Combat Vehicles into the fences of the camp. Vicious combat followed, including a focused use of hand-to-hand knives, bayonets and point-blank autocannon fire against the defending NKR forces.

After one hour of attack, assault helicopters landed in the center of the prison camp, beginning the evacuation of over 150 victims and political prisoners of the NKR's genocide. All prisoners who could be found were loaded onto helicopters, with the loss of one carrying 17 prisoners downed by NKR anti-aircraft fire. After a two-hour raid, the Battalion Reconnaissance Company began its planned escape from the camp, arriving back to Krantbuurg International Airport.

Forces of the 4th Regiment Royal Artillery in the Metropolitan Armored Brigade to the north continued shelling downtown against administrative centers of the NKR and against armories in the industrial district throughout the day.

Nimbo B-4 Executioner on bombing raid over Krantbuurg on 9.XII.

8.XII

In the early morning hours, the Metropolitan Armored Brigade began a movement southward into the industrial heart of Krantbuurg, aiming to capture the city's power station and establishing a new base of operations. Much of the industrial area had been leveled by bombing during the siege, attacking stores of any munitions, weapons or other materiel stored there. Close quarters fighting erupted amongst the rubble, making slow forward motion towards the city powerplant with dismounted mechanized infantry units.

Significant casualties were incurred with the loss of five infantry vehicles and 165 troops on the side of Meckelnburgh, out of around 5,000 total in the entire brigade. The armored brigade reached the power station by nightfall. However, a team of NKR irregular soldiers had laid a trap to sabotage the station, causing the deaths of a dozen troops in the explosion and plunging the entire city of Krantbuurg into darkness.

9.XII

With power gone in the city, the Royal Air Force was limited to clear daylight hour bombing raids against NKR positions. Using precision-guided bombs accurate up to 10 m, the 251st Bomber Squadron conducted attacks in downtown Krantbuurg against entrenched NKR forces in barricades along streets in the city centers. Laser-guided bombs were used by the 122nd Fighter Squadron attacked positions on the edge of the suburbs.

The Metropolitan Armored Brigade Reconnaissance Company engaged in a probing mission towards downtown Krantbuurg, finding stiff resistance from NKR forces, but heavily damaged infrastructure and abandoned defensive positions.

10.XII

An attempted high-speed incursion in the east side of Krantbuurg to provide weapons and ammunition to defending NKR forces was stopped by a company of the Royal Tank Regiment on patrol, resulting in the deaths of 32 NKR fighters and the capture of 47 more. The supplies included small arms as well as an assortment of anti-tank weaponry. Those captured were brought to the Metropolitan Brigade headquarters for interrogation and placement in a makeshift prisoner of war jail.

The brigade armored reconnaissance company, on information gathered by the Royal Corps of Signals, found a light-guarded cache of materiel in a warehouse in a small town to the east of Krantbuurg. All resources were confiscated and carried off by the brigade logistics battalion through the early evening.

11.XII

Continued hand-to-hand and close-quarters urban combat continued in north Krantbuurg as the Metropolitan Armored Brigade secured the last of the industrial district, establishing a front just north of downtown. The 251st Bomber Squadron softened targets on the northern perimeter of downtown to deny hidden defensive positions shy of the heart of the city. Most shelling against positions in Krantbuurg ceased in the afternoon after targets outside of the urban office core were eliminated over the previous week.

Subsequent fighting (12.XII–14.XIV)

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Winter Blizzard of 1753 (14.XIV–16.I)

As the battle progressed through its second month, a massive blizzard struck south-central Balduvien in XIV.1753, one of the largest in recent history. The blizzard provided constant ground cover, prohibiting air operations throughout the region. Meckelnburgh, while equipped to survive the harsh northern Micras weather, was nonetheless bogged down in deep snow and unable to make notable progress into Krantbuurg.

Meckelnburgh engineering troops worked constantly to provide supplies and repair critical infrastructure throughout the encircled region of Krantbuurg. Nevertheless, NKR forces engaged in relentless guerilla tactics against power and gas systems in the city. It is estimated that over 3,000 civilians in Krantbuurg in NKR-controlled and near front-line areas froze to death over the course of a month.

Fall of Krantbuurg (17–20.I)

With the clearing of the Winter Blizzard, the forces of the 1st Armored Division choked off all access to the central business district of Krantbuurg on 17.I, jamming all communications and seizing materiel hidden amongst the center defense. A final bombing raid over the city targeted city hall and the administrative headquarters of the NKR. In an act of desperation, forces of the NKR on 18.I leveled portions of the east downtown to create barriers to tank and mobile infantry forces, and urban defenses amongst the concrete destruction.

Mortar fire throughout 19.I decapitated much of the remaining leadership in Krantbuurg and pushed out defensive positions within the downtown area. Fierce hand-to-hand combat in east downtown slowly pushed out remaining defenders throughout the afternoon and evening, at the cost of over 100 casualties. Dismounted infantry took offensive positions in the destruction of east downtown.

On the morning of 20.I, Meckelnburgh forces cleared out the standing buildings in the central business district, and an armored task force surrounded city hall. A final demand for surrender was given to the NKR command staff, which was accepted at 1450 that afternoon. Members of the 2nd Battalion, Arctic Rangers took final control of NKR headquarters and took remaining forces as prisoners of war, eventually returning them via airlift to Battleferd Point.

Aftermath

The fierce urban assault lasted 63 days, with around 20 days without territorial progress during the Winter Blizzard of 1753. Meckelnburgh sustained over 3% killed in action with 11% casualties in total across all forces. The casualties on the NKR side remained unknown due to the irregular forces and lack of clear numbers of combatants.

Meckelnburgh victory in the Battle of Krantbuurg completed operations against the NKR in southern Balduvien, hampered by the smaller country's limited ability to project ground forces deep into former Lac Glacei. The chief command of the NKR in Balduvien was eliminated with the capture of the canton's capital. Meckelnburgh established the Transitional Security Administration in West Balduvien in Krantbuurg to manage the occupied territories until a new organized government could take control of western Balduvien.

After regrouping, the 1st Armored Division would move north and take the final pocket of NKR resistance in the shorter Siege of Baltdun, conducted in tandem with the Royal Meckelnburgh Navy, bringing a conclusion to the Meckelno–Nü Krantisk War on the Krantbuurg Front.