Conquest of Helfrich Island
| Conquest of Helfrich Island | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Gerenia
| Natives of Helfrich Island | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Gebreel Siman | Various | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 1,200 | Unknown | ||||||||
The Conquest of Helfrich Island (Gerenian: Marbreg'at Bare Hälfrič) was a military campaign directed by Gebreel Siman with the intent of establish Gerenian dominance over Helfrich Island, which was inhabited by Gerenian citizens and indigenous peoples. The military actions lasted eleven days, though the first actions of the war begun on 2 April 2013.
Background
- See also: Helfrich Island
Helfrich Island is located near the northern coast of Gerenia, and it has not been claimed by any Nation by the time the Gerenian People settled in northern Apollonia. Some Gerenians moved from their nation to the island, eventually establishing several coastal villages.
During early 2013, the Gerenian government decided to claim sovereignty over Helfrich Island, encouraged by both the desire of many of its inhabitants (mainly those of Gerenian roots) to gain the island for the Republic, and the possibility of expansion to the north.
Conflict
Gerenia sent scant troops to Helfrich Island, trusting on an easy victory over the local population. The Expeditionary Force, led by Gebreel Siman, was composed of the 2nd Jungle Brigade and some minor units from all over Gerenia. The 1,150 soldiers landed in the southern shore of Helfrich Island on 14 April 2013. Instead of landing rapidly, as expected, the Expeditionary Force encountered heavy resistence from the local population. However, the Force managed to disperse the defenders after almost two hours of fight.
Following this event, called since then the Battle of Kestpun, the Force advanced into the island, where the natives of Helfrich applied guerrilla tactics against them. The 2nd Jungle Brigade, specialised in combat in forests, and with the help of Gerenian sympathisers, took the villages of Arĵan and Mousčat on 22 April. With roughly a third of the island under Gerenian control, and as the rumours concerning an eventual surrender of the natives increased, the Expeditionary Force headed for the town of Valad, on the eastern shore. The local garrison at Valad surrendered on the 24th without fighting, and they agreed to give up the town by the following day; nevertheless, only four hours before doing so, a number of irregular units burst into Valad, and with a sudden, violent attack obliged the Expeditionary Force to retreat. At the same time, the ship Hakvarel was sunk, and 44 mariners died.
The Valad Happening impressed the Gerenian commanders, who planned to send a second Expeditionary Force to the island. The natives, on the other hand, were unable to take advantage of their victory due to their scarce resources and to the fact that the conflict divided the population of the island. The supporters of the annexation pushed the local authorities for ending the war, one of their main arguments being the necessity to avoid more casualties in both sides.
Between the evening of the 24th and the evening of the 27th, the natives of Helfrich and the Gerenian commanders agreed on the terms of the annexation.
