Dying New Galasia

[Aerandariel]

9 DOSA, 1584

Three days after the Battle of Xiansai ended in an Angirisian victory, the Empire made its move.

From three bases in southern Aranoch, the Imperial Legion began its approach towards the Galasian border. 150,000 men, spread out across six divisions and commanded by General Belisarius, moved right up to the Angirisian-Drazen border ready to move on the northern city of Rhine once Belisarius gave the order. They expected stiff resistance, but figured the city would likely fall once a significant show of force was made prevalent. To soften the Regime defenses at Rhine, the Imperial Air Force launched five separate air strikes targeting military installations and fortifications all across the city and surrounding areas. The northernmost divisions of the Imperial Navy's blockade force fired cruise missiles at the same time, enabling a one-two punch.

At dawn, the Empire attacked. Bombs rained down on the still-sleeping city, sending much of the city into an awakened panic. Though the attack was anticipated, the Regime forces did not seem to be fully aware of what was happening until about an hour after the attack began. The primary targets were much of the Regime's anti-air defenses and airfields outside Rhine to prevent the Regime from initiating bombing runs on Aranoch, Xiansai or Westmarch. Also targeted were arsenals, shipyards and manufacturing centers; all in an effort to cripple the Regime's war efforts out of Rhine.

With Rhine still reeling and almost no Regime reply as of yet, the initial attack was largely successful. Three factories, two arsenals and a shipyard were destroyed. Two more factories and another shipyard were heavily damaged. Six anti-air batteries were wiped out, along with at least 600 Regime troops. About an hour and a half in, the Regime counter-attacked. Anti-air fire littered the morning sky, as Regime forces tried desperately to halt the offensive. The airfields the Imperials were trying to hit had not been hit yet, and several Regime fighters took to the sky to begin a daring dogfight over the city. At least fifty planes were now in the air, with the Regime outnumbering the Empire almost two to one. Belisarius ordered more planes into the air to establish superiority. The Imperial bombers, nearly helpless against jet fighters, began to scramble and try to unload their payloads before being shot down. Meanwhile, the Imperial Navy ships in the Angirisian Gulf saw the danger, and immediately began focusing their cruise missile attacks on the airfields outside of Rhine to stop the Regime Air Force from sending up any more fighters.

Forty-five minutes elapsed before the first Imperial fighters arrived on the scene. Already, Regime pilots had taken down eight Imperial bombers and were closing on two more. Those two were saved by the timely arrival of two Imperial Air Assault units coming from the Seven Tombs Base. Now, the fight began in earnest. For two and a quarter hours, the two Air Forces clashed. 19 Regime planes were shot out of the air, 15 Imperial planes went with them. It was essentially a draw. Air superiority had not been established, but it didn't matter. Much of the anti-air defenses in and around Rhine were shattered, but the airfields largely remained intact. Even though the Regime could still put up planes, they had no support from the ground.

With the skies still contested, Belisarius could not afford to send in ground troops to attack the city just yet. He stayed his hand, content to allowing the Air Force and Navy to do further damage it could to the Regime's Air Force. He figured one more push should break the Regime's defenses and allow Legion troops to move in and capture the city.