First Battle of Nebral

The First Battle of Nebral was a battle fought between Conservative and Expansionist forces in the town of Nebral on Santmal on day 131 of 10 BGA during the Pan Galactic War. The battle was a Expansionist victory.
Two depleted Hargig regiments (totalling 1,171 soldiers) led by TO DO were attacked by Expansionist forces composed of one depleted Koykinax division (totalling 14,335 soldiers) led by TO DO and TO DO depleted Salak TO DO (totalling TO DO soldiers with a combined total of TO DO) led by TO DO whilst defending the village of Nebral.
==Prelude==
The village of Nebral formed part of a small salient in the Conservative eastern front on Santmal and was used as an observation and communications post as well as a front line medical station. The Expansionists saw Nebral as a possible point of attack and TO DO, commander of the corps occupying the Nebral sector of the front, decided to neutralise the threat in an attack and readied a Koykinax division and a Salak TO DO to perform the attack, putting TO DO and TO DO in joint command of the operation.
Due to the size of the Nebral salient, the Conservatives had not seen it as strategically important and only sent two battalions accompanied by ten snipers, a platoons of five TO DO tanks (although three of these had to be moved from the front line due to mechanical issues) and 4 mortar crews to occupy the village using the existing ancient defensive embankments and two newly constructed guard towers in the north-west and south-east coners of Nebral for defence.
An initial Expansionist assault with the intent of capturing Nebral Hill in the south-west corner of the village failed making it clear to TO DO and TO DO that the small garrison in Nebral would not give in easily. The night before the attack would see Nebral come under Koykinax mortar fire from the twenty crews at the division's disposal before the infantry and armour would move in to attack at dawn. The Koykinax would attack the south and east sides of Nebral as well as Nebral Hill whilst the Salaks would attack the north side of Nebral.
After the Battle of Nebral Hill, TO DO requested reinforcements from TO DO (commander of TO DO) who sent one additional battalion with a note which read: 
With these new reinforcements, TO DO formed a defensive perimeter using Nebral's existing fortifications and additional fortifications constructed from sandbags and barbed wire. TO DO left a smaller force to defend the western edge of Nebral than the other sides as it faced Conservative held territory. The two TO DO tanks at TO DO's disposal were held in the village square to be sent to whichever flanks were attacked by Expansionist armour. Also in the village square was TO DO's mortar crew which would fire upon the attacking forces during their approach.
==Battle==
===Initial assault===
During the night before the battle, the Expansionists launched a preliminary mortar bombardment on the Hargig positions in Nebral. The bombardment was effective, claiming 34 of the 231 Conservatives killed during the battle and causing damage to small sections of the defensive embankment and many of the loopholed buildings in the village. Nebral Hill was heavily bombarded during the night because of its strategic value to both the Expansionist attackers and Conservative defenders and to weaken the heavy resistance previously encountered on the hill during the Battle of Nebral Hill but, because of the defensive positions constructed during said battle, the two brigades stationed on the hill suffered few casualties.
The Expansionist forces broke camp and deployed for battle under the cover of night during the second period. TO DO placed the TO DO Legion south of Nebral and the TO DO Legion east of Nebral with the TO DO Legion spread between the east and Nebral Hill with four and six cohorts respectively although these included those that had sustained losses in the Battle of Nebral Hill. TO DO ordered the Salaks to deploy north of Nebral and to remain hidden until the order was sent to attack after a sizeable portion of the Hargigs were committed to defending against the Koykinax attacks.
The Koykinax began their advance with bayonets affixed before daybreak and were approximately 600m away from Nebral as Iksrat rose, their tanks were spotted by the south-east sniper team in the morning light and the Hargigs responded by mounting a defence of small arms fire as TO DO moved the two TO DO tanks from the square to defend the eastern and southern gates.
The Salaks in the north received the order to advance from TO DO during the second day-quarter as an additional brigade had been moved from the north along with both tanks to counter the Koykinax attack. Under the cover of the previous night, the Salaks had managed to get within approximately 250m of the Hargig defences without being spotted and charged the defensive embankment from these positions upon receiving the order to attack. The north bank was quickly overrun and hand-to-hand combat ensued as the Hargigs attempted to pull back into defensive positions within the village itself, this withdrawal being aided by the actions of the snipers in the north-west tower who continued to fire at the Salaks even after their tower had been set alight.
===Urban combat===
The Salak vehicles advanced from their hidden positions in a depression to the north after the northern Hargig defences had been neutralised and entered Nebral. The vehicles proceeded slowly down the main road as they encountered several uncoordinated ambushes from the well-loopholed buildings that flanked their route, the Hargigs would pull out of these positions once the Salaks opened fire and move up to the next building, continually trying to force the Salaks back or slow their advance. The majority of the Salak infantry, however, would move through alleyways and side streets, often engaging in hand-to-hand combat and suffering high casualties from concealed Hargig positions within the village.
The condition of the north flank was unknown to the defenders on the southern and eastern sides of Nebral until smoke was spotted coming from the burning north-west tower and the Salak vehicles reached the aid post and mortar crews in the village square and began firing their medium machine guns at the Hargigs' rear, inflicting many casualties and weakening the defence against the Koykinax advances. The Hargigs pulled back into the village, using the loopholed buildings to attack passing expansionist troops and staging small ambushes in the narrow side streets. TO DO gave the order to retreat towards the end of the fifth period but not all of the Hargigs received this order and so many held their positions within the village. Because of this, the Expansionists were forced to enter each building and search for Hargig soldiers thoroughly, slowing their advance. The Hargigs that had retreated regrouped in a set of defensive trenches on the edge of a wood located approximately 2km west of Nebral.
===Hargig counter attack===
At the beginning of the seventh period, the Hargigs advanced towards the town from their new positions as the Expansionists continued to clear small pockets of resistance within Nebral, often handfuls of soldiers in single buildings, and began to improve Nebral's western defences. When the Hargigs were approximately 350m west of Nebral they came under fire e from machine guns and rifles located on Nebral Hill and in the buildings on the western edge of Nebral resulting in heavy losses (with 87 killed and a further 52 wounded in the attack) and causing TO DO to call off the counter attack and order a retreat back to the woods.
By the beginning of the fourth night-quarter, Hargig resistance within Nebral had been neutralised and the town was under complete Expansionist control.
Category:EventCategory:BattleCategory:UNFINISHED