Battle for Phoenix

[Desertfox]

Morning, January 2nd, 1917



"Sergeant Angel, Sanford Police, reporting sir!"

"Glad to have you, how many do you have?"

"Six police officers, plenty of weapons, and some local ruffians."

"Can you hold the Sanford district by yourself, can't spare anyone else..."

***

CLANK

CLANK

WOOOOOSH

CLANK

"It won't start Colonel [Vogel]."

"Well better find a way to fix it, there's a war going on out there."

BOOOOOM

***

"General [Veers], leading units of the 6th Infantry have reached the outskirts of Phoenix."

"Any resistance?"

"None yet, the rebels appear unorganized, outgunned, and outnumbered. We should attack
immediately."

"No, we wait for the entire 6th to arrive, then we crush them..."

***

"Colonel [Skywalker], we have received reports that the 6th Infantry has reached Phoenix, the 8th is three days behind. Our forces in the city cannot hold against that firepower. That's two complete divisions. We have to reinforce them now." 

"No, we march, but North..."

[Desertfox]

Time to finish this....



January 8th

Battle of Phoenix begins...


Forces:

Loyalist/Monarchists (46,000 troops):
6th Infantry Div 23,000
18th Infantry Div 16,000
61st Infantry Brigade (part of 18th) 3,000
8th Heavy Artillery Brigade 1,000
Royal Guard 1,500
Loyal Police/Garrison 1,500

Dispositions: Loyalist Police units are being besieged inside the city.  6th Infantry, 8th Artillery, and the Royal Guard are besieging the city. 18th Infantry is moving to reinforce the planned assault, ETA January 11th (due to delays caused by rebel activity). 61st Infantry is four days behind the 18th.

Plan: Crush the rebel forces in the city and open the harbor. Use victory to obtain support from loyalist elsewhere and from other countries.

Rebels (20,000 troops):
501st Infantry Brigade 5,000
13th National Guard Brigade 4,000
Misc National Guard 3,000
Partisans/Irregulars (inc Metropolitan Police) 5,000
49th Infantry Batt 1,000
Marines 500
1st Heavy Lancers (cavalry) 500
Mercenaries (mainly Japanese) 1,000

Dispositions: The National Guard units, most of the irregulars, and the marines are inside the city. Some of the mercenaries are already in the city, the rest together with the 49th Infantry will arrive on the 12th. The 501st Infantry and the 1st Cavalry are maneuvering outside the city.

Plan: Hold on long enough for reinforcements (in the form of the NSEF) to arrive, blockade the Loyalist forces until they surrender.


January 9th

After a heavy artillery bombardment, Loyalist forces begin advancing into the city.


January 10th

Loyalist forces making slow but steady progress into the city. Fighting is heavy, rebel forces without artillery support being forced to retreat.


January 11th

The arrival of the 18th Infantry allows the Loyalists to launch a major assault. Several Loyalist pockets in the city relieved. The 6th Infantry is in sight of the government buildings where the majority of the loyalist forces inside the city are trapped. Rebel forces on the western side of the city in danger of being cut off.


January 12th

Arrival of reinforcements and artillery (in the form of Japanese 75mm mountain guns) allows the rebels to mount a  counterattack from the eastern side. The counterattack is stopped but it forces the Loyalists to stop their advanced due to the danger of their leading elements being cut off.


January 13th

"Black Friday" (to be expanded)

[Desertfox]

Friday the 13th begins with a massed artillery bombardment as the Loyalists prepare their final assault. The initial assault by the 18th Infantry manages to relieve Loyalist troops trapped in the government buildings. The advance is finally stopped by the arrival of Japanese mercenaries. However, a second assault by the 6th Infantry breaks trough and victory seems imminent as the Loyalist forces near the water's edge...

Sergeant Reynolds eyed the advancing loyalist infantry. This time there was no retreat, there just was nowhere else to go. His troops would fight and die where they stood. Two reinforced squads was all that was left of his company, and the enemy was throwing at least two probably three companies into the assault.

"Hold your fire men and make sure the first shot counts..."

BOOOM

BOOOM

"Get down! Here they come!"

BOOOM

The next minutes passed in a blur, something hit the Sergeant in the shoulder and then the world went black. When he woke up, the fog of war covered everything. The barricade that his men had defended lay in flames, his men strewed about. Boots, the sound of running boots made him turn to the right, loyalist troops running towards him. Another assault? Reinforcements? Then out of the smoke behind them an apparition, a massive steel beast rose then dropped before spewing fire out of its nose. Green uniformed soldiers followed the beast, Royal Guard? It was over...


Some of the units involved:

[Desertfox]

"Sergeant! Are you still with us?"

"W..hat  is goi...ing on?"

"I am Captain John Riley, Commanding Officer 49th Infantry, Irish Battalion. We have them on the run."

"But the... the beast?"

"That would be Colonel Vogel and his tank, some help from our Japanese friends. Come, we have to get you and your men to our field hospital."

***

Same day, hills outside Phoenix.

Colonel Skywalker observed the supply convoy with contempt. The enemy was not expecting them and was not taking any precautions. Despite partisan activities the Loyalist where taking a very cavalier attitude to transporting their supplies. They would pay for their insolence.

"Lancers! Present arms! At a gallop, charge!"

The loyalist never knew what hit them.  The shock of getting ambushed by the 500 strong 1st Heavy Lancers at pointblank range was too much. The thousand man loyalist unit was annihilated. The forces besieging Phoenix, would not get their ammunition today.

***

January the 13th would be a turning point in the civil war. It would mark the Loyalists furthest advance and their first major defeats. It would mark the old cavalry's last victory and new cavalry's first action. The appearance of  the tank in the streets of Phoenix completely destroyed the moral of the loyalist soldiers that faced it. Meanwhile, the 1st Lancers would force General Veers to move units from Phoenix to hunt down and destroy the 501st. They would meet, two days later... 

[miketr]

When the tide starts to turn against the Royalists Iberia will quietly offer a place to bolt for those interested.  It will be made clear that Iberia is NOT offering a place to setup base for a future attempt to restart the civil war but merely a place to go into exile. 

Historic Example of such movements
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_%C3%A9migr%C3%A9

OOC I am not expecting to get any people in economic terms out of this merely that Iberia as a Monarchy wouldn't be interested in letting Royalists get shot in the streets; brings up bad memories of the Red War in Iberia. 

[Sachmle]

Brandenburg would make the same offer, with the same requirements. We will not be the festering pool for Anti-Republicans to rearm and regroup, only somewhere for them to not be shot or hanged.

[The Rock Doctor]

The Republicans can rest assured Gran Colombia will take them in when the tide turns in a couple of years.

[Carthaginian]

The Confederacy notes that they do not recognize the 'republican' government, and will continue to recognize the Royalist government-in-exile, wherever it may establish itself.

The Confederacy also opens it borders to the Republicans.

[ctwaterman]

The Mods and Desert Fox I think are all aware of what I have been doing... I wonder do the Royalist need a brigade of 1910 Armored Cars... I have one lying about  ;D

[Phoenix]

The Celestial Throne in its devine person offers refuge to both sides of this horible conflict whatever the outcome.  Lord Henry is further reminded that the throne never forgets a favor.

[Desertfox]

Exiles will be sent to Italy. This has been worked out behind the scenes.

Why do you guys think I'm going to shoot them? I am much to evil for that, besides bullets are expensive. Better to send them penniless far far away, and force the Italians to waste money keeping them alive (and comfortable).

You can send the Royalists the armored cars, but you would have to fight through the Swiss navy to land them. That's why the battle is raging in Phoenix, the Royalists are trying to open communications with the outside world.

[ctwaterman]

Obviously I will have to resend that PM .....

I have no intentions of Fighting through the Swiss Navy several thousand miles from my nearest port its not worth my effort.

[Desertfox]

January 14th

With tank support, the rebels launch a major offensive. Advance is rapid as the loyalists put up no resistance against the tanks, that is until all three tanks break down. Resistance stiffens and the advance grounds to a halt. With the rebel counterattack stopped, General Veer pulls two brigades and sends them back to counter the unexpected threat to his rear. The day closes in silence as both sides consolidate their positions and rest.

[Desertfox]

January 15th

Colonel Skywalker is in a though position. The 61st is moving in from the North, with a brigade from the 18th and a crack brigade from the 6th moving in from the South. He decides to eliminate the weaker force first and orders the 501st North. Leading units from both forces meet during the afternoon. The commander of the 61st thinking its just a small rebel unit launches an immediate attack. The leading battalion of the 501st retreats in the face of the loyalist attack. The 61st pressed the attack only to run into the rest of the 501st. The leading battalion of the 61st is shattered but the rest of the 61st manages to withdraw as Skywalker does not want to needlessly exhaust his already tired men with another battle imminent.

Skywalker sets his camp a mile to the Northwest of a small lake. Directly South of the camp is a small ridge, and to the Southwest a thick forest. The Loyalists (18th and 6th) set camp 4 miles to the South. They outnumber him more than 2 to 1 (8,600 to 4,000). 

[Desertfox]

January 16th

General Veers decides to hit the rebels while they are still tired and weak. The 6th and 18th wake up and prepare for a pre-dawn assault on the rebel lines, only to find a number of their sentries dead from crossbow bolts. The assault begins with the 6th on the right flank (with the lake to their right) and the 18th on the left. Facing them are only two companies from the 501st, dug in the ridge. The rebel forces put up a stiff fight but simply cannot resists two full brigades and are overrun.

The loyalist forces cross the ridge only to notice that the rebel camp is empty. At that moment the rest of the 501st exits from the forest and hit the 18th in the flank. Surprised, stunned, and already demoralized, the 18th disintegrates completely. Veers is able to maneuver the 6th and allows the remnants of the 18th to retreat. However, he is pinned with the lake to his rear. In the meantime the 1st Lancers have overrun the loyalist camp and artillery. Veer's still has the larger force but is low on ammo, has lost his artillery, and now has the rebels between him and the rest of his forces near Phoenix. He retreats to the North, aiming to circle behind the 501st and rejoin his army of Phoenix. The 501st for its part is unable to give chase as the men are completely exhausted. They will follow two days later.


A quick and dirty map of the battle is attached. Black is rebels (501st), yellow is Loyalists (6th & 18th).