Battle of Provins

The Battle of Provins was a large-scale battle between the United Nations Space Command and the last major military forces of the United Rebel Front fought in early 2536 that saw a pyrrhic UNSC victory on the planet of Provins, and the URF crippled militarily and unable to contribute to an insurrection for the remainder of the Human-Covenant War.
== Prelude ==
Throughout the opening years of the Human-Covenant War, the United Rebel Front suffered heavy losses as many of the planets they were operation on were glassed by the Covenant. The planet of Provins, which had been under URF control for some time, was spared from much of the early fighting, and the URF's remaining commanders decided to rally the majority of their military resources there, establishing heavy fortifications and bases on the various islands they rallied on.
Word of the URF's efforts inevitably reached the Office of Naval Intelligence. After spies confirmed the reports and rumors, Ignis Corps, an elite multi-branch unit, was equipped for battle and dispatched on the UNSC Arcadia's Revenge to attack and eliminate the last of the URF in a massive multi-island assault aided by local Colonial Police Force units.
== The battle ==
=== Opening engagements ===
After UNSC forces established contact with the Colonial Police Force, a joint assault began on the beachhead of the largest island. Taken by surprise from the initial assault, the URF was not able to effectively mobilize in the opening parts of the battle, resulting in numerous losses and the remaining troops in the area being forced to retreat as Ignis Corps spearheaded the charge, capturing several miles of territory inland from the beach landing zone and establishing forward operating bases in the secured territory.
Resistance grew as UNSC forces pushed further inland, with URF tanks beginning to roll up to the front lines and insurrectionist troops hiding in buildings in the various towns scattered across the island, such as Montignac. Despite this, they only slowed down UNSC forces as they continued pushing inland towards the planet's capital city. Further forces were deployed and by the time the town of Montignac was captured, the entirety of URF forces had mobilized, with dozens of warthogs and numerous air assets attacking Ignis forces. Air assets continued to strafe UNSC forces as they charged across Provins's open fields to the capital.
=== Battle in Provins ===
"We need more reinforcements at Provins. It's a meat grinder over here."
- Ignis Corps soldier
URF forces rallied at the town of Provins, setting up a brutal multi-layered defense of city. The first wave of 60 UNSC troopers to reach Provins were wiped out, followed shortly by the second wave of equal size, which called for a large amount of reinforcements. Ignis mobilized heavy armored vehicles such as M808B Scorpion tanks to break the defenses at Provins and passing UNSC Pelicans would airdrop supplies to assist, while numerous waves of armored vehicles assaulted the attacking UNSC units.
The defenses were strong, but weakened by the first two waves, the third wave of Ignis soldiers to Provins with armored vehicles overwhelmed and finally took Provins. Smaller battles continued to break out on the other islands and in the other towns, with Montignac facing a small URF counterattack and UNSC forces suffering losses in the town of Meaux, while the town of Tyrone and the Provins Space Elevator were captured easily by Ignis. 
=== "Murder Valley" ===
With Provins and a number of other key strategic points captured, the URF, having lost a great deal of their forces in Provins, was extremely diminished, but continued to assault UNSC forces as they moved on their remaining defense positions on the islands. By nightfall, infantry and armored units charged at enemy-occupied towns and began taking them at remarkable speed. URF air units remained at a distance, taking cheap shots at Ignis soldiers and dropping paratroopers into contested towns. Heavy fighting and casualties continued throughout the night, and by the early morning, only on major stronghold remained in Rebel Front control.
Ignis infantry attempted to make a push in ahead of their other units, underestimating the defenses of the remaining URF soldiers and suffering heavy losses as a result. The survivors fell back and warned the others approaching. Ignis marines would eventually dub the location "Murder Valley" due to the heavy UNSC casualties. Ignis would continue attempting to send infantry and light vehicles at the town, only for them to be wiped out.
Survivors would retreat to the nearest captured town under the cover of smoke and await reinforcements. Once reinforcements arrived, they hid their advance through a wall of smoke, and successfully avoided the URF defenses. Fighting quickly broke out in the streets of "Murder Town" as infantry and light vehicles advanced into the town, with more being dropped off by air support. By midday, URF forces had retreated.
Remaining URF forces rallied at a small fortress named "Castle Everon," but UNSC forces stormed and overwhelmed them in minutes, concluding the battle in a UNSC victory.
== Aftermath ==
The battle gained much fame among members of the Ignis Corps, existing as an inside joke between them. As a result of the battle, the United Rebel Front's military was considered defunct in the aftermath, and as such, the URF was unable to engage in any insurrection attempts for the remainder of the Human-Covenant War.
Category:Gamestrider1
Category:Battles
Category:Battles of the Human-Covenant War
Category:Insurrection
Category:Ignis Corps