Battle of Nebral Hill

The Battle of Nebral Hill was a battle fought between the Conservative and Expansionist forces on Nebral Hill near the village of Nebral on Santmal on day 126 of 10 BGA during the Pan Galactic War. The battle was a Conservative victory.
Two Hargig companies (totalling 200 soldiers) led by Captain Hortag and Captain Carto were attacked by Expansionist forces composed of a Koykinax cohort (totalling 450 soldiers) and two Salak companies (totalling 750 soldiers with a combined total of 1,200) led by Legionnaire Hidgrad with three TO DO vehicles whilst defending the village of Nebral from the South-West atop Nebral Hill.
The Conservative forces managed to hold the hill but would, however, loose Nebral after the First Battle of Nebral on day 131 of 10 BGA.
==Prelude==
Due to its location and altitude, Nebral Hill had historically been a key feature in Nebral's defenses as an observation post and strongpoint from which to launch counter-attacks from higher ground. It is because of this importance placed upon the hill that two companies were dispatched armed with additional ammunition, light and medium machine guns and anti-tank rifles to hold it by TO DO.
The Expansionists also placed much emphasis on capturing Nebral Hill for the same reasons of observation and altitude and thus initially aimed to capture the hill before the village. TO DO, commander of the force tasked with capturing Nebral, sent Legionnaire Hidgrad in command of two Koykinax cohorts and two Salak companies with three Salak medium machine guns mounted on off-road vehicles to capture the hill. Knowing that the rocks crowning Nebral Hill would provide ample defilade for the Conservative defenders, the troops were provided with anti-tank weaponry, light machine guns, flamethrowers and grenades to clear the hill. The capture force bivouacked on the south bank of a small stream some 1.5 km south of Nebral and prepared for an assault at dawn.
Captains Hortag and Carto observed the Expansionist force moving along the stream during the night and immediately requested reinforcements, mortar strikes on the bivouac, entrenching tools and coils of barbed wires, the request for reinforcements was denied as TO DO believed that the relatively small force observed may be a diversion but the entrenching tools and barbed wire were supplied and by sunrise a chest-height trench had been dug around the top of Nebral Hill. The mortar strikes on the Expansionist camp were largely ineffective due to the poor visibility, with most mortars landing north of the camp.
==Battle==
Towards the end of the second night-quarter, the joint Koykinax and Salak force began to move up the southern slope of Nebral Hill and were immediately met with concentrated rifle and submachine gun fire from the hill's rocks, the Expansionist troops sought cover in three columns behind the vehicles which were now providing suppressing fire during the advance.
As the advancing force neared the summit of the hill, the Conservative fire from the rocks dwindled and the Expansionist troops began to spread out and form a single advancing line. When the expansionist troops began to spread out, Hortag's company, concealed in the trench, revealed themselves and opened up concentrated small arms, medium machine gun and anti-tank rifle fire which stalled the Expansionist advance and neutralised the flamethrowers that had been spotted by Carto's company during the initial approach.
The vehicle covering the Expansionist's right flank was immobilised when its engine block was destroyed by an anti-tank rifle but its machine gun remained operational although this too was destroyed later by rifle fire, the other vehicle-mounted machine guns were rendered ineffective by sustained and accurate fire killing their operators. Because of this, nobody crewed the guns and the vehicles pulled back to avoid their loss.
Captain Carto was killed during the fighting by a burst from a Koykinax light machine gun as she exited cover to administer aid to a wounded comrade behind a nearby rock at which point Lieutenant Patrell took command of the company.
Nearby companies defending the south and west banks of the village and the snipers holding the two defensive towers attempted to provide additional fire but due to the Expansionists being largely out of sight of their positions, their attempts were ineffective.
The firefight continued until the fourth period when the Expansionist forces began to run low on ammunition and had sustained numerous casualties. Some attempts were made by Koykinax centuries to charge with bayonets affixed but these were isolated attempts and easily repulsed by the defenders. The Salak infantry in the center and on the left had sustained a higher percentage of casualties than the Koykinax forces on the right flank and were easily routed. The Koykinax, seeing the gap opening in their lines and the risk of being flanked also retreated. The Hargig companies did not pursue the Expansionists due to their lack of ammunition and exhaustion.
Category:EventCategory:BattleCategory:UNFINISHED