Battle Of the Varadei Isles

## Battle Of The Varadei Isles/Archipelago

Map of the Greater Varadei Archipelago in 1940 (Blue - Velitalia, Beige - Hangry and Yellow - Cavaria)

### Belligerents:

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-First Coalition:
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His Majesty's Royal Armed Forces (Velitalia), Grand Army of the State (Haerdravo), Royal Nederskjender Forces (Navy and Air force only)

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-League Aligned Forces:
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Grand United Military (Cavaria), Royal Military of Maratvya, Hangrian Defence Force

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-Internationale:
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Kopultri People's Military (Navy and Airforce Only), People's Military of Velčuk

### Outcome:

Velitali Victory - Internationale Satisfied, League Defeated

The Battles in and around the Varadei Islands were the most brutal of the whole Velitali-League war of 1940-1945. They resulted in an outright Velitali Military Victory at the Battles of Velchen, Off Varadei, and Ipritszeny, and the Internationale won various skirmishes against the Hangrians, winning them control of the Hangrian Claim for a brief period before being forced to hand it over to the Velitalis, in return for a substantial payment and a non-aggression pact.

## Initial Coalition-League Engagements

### **Destroyer Action of the 20th Llanthyme 1940**

The Destroyer Action of the 20th Llanthyme was an indecisive engagement between the Velitali Destroyers HMRS *Haerhyre,* HMRS *Impereden* and HMRS *Onslaught* against the League Destroyers CRS *Adoró* and CRS *Apatin*. *Adoró* and *Onslaught* engaged first, resulting in the Cavaran destroyer being lightly damaged. *Apatin* then attempted to make a torpedo firing pass on *Haerhyre* and *Impereden*, but of eight launched only one managed to glance off of *Haerhyre*. *Haerhyre* broadsided *Apatin*, and destroyed it's B turret. Thereafter *Adoró* sighted the Velitali Light Cruiser HMRS *Pulsidahyre*, and so the Cavarian ships laid smoke and disengaged.

### **Cruiser Action of the 3rd Gradathyme 1940**

The Cruiser Action of the 3rd Gradathyme 1940 was a brief engagement between the capital cruisers HMRS *Varena* and ERS *Gliae* near the Island of Muchel. The battle was a decisive Cavarian Victory after *Gliae* sunk *Varena* with primary gunfire. The engagement begun when *Gliae* sighted *Varena* and fired upon it with it's foremost 4 barreled 11 inch gun turret, one shell striking *Varena's* frontal gunnery primary rangefinder, which resulted in the frontal and midships turret firing 6 poorly guided 10 inch shells which missed the *Gliae.* *Gliae* then turned so it's aft turret could fire, and delivered a full salvo of 8 11 inch shells, striking *Varena'*s bridge and killing the Velitali ship's bridge crew, and also starting a fire in a now disabled A turret on *Varena*, which caused the A turret's magazine to detonate, sinking the ship with all hands.

### **Fleet Action of the 15th Gradathyme 1940**

The Fleet Action on the 15th Gradathyme was a decisive engagement between the Cavarian and Nederskjender Navies, as the Cavarian navy attempted - and failed - to prevent the Nederskjender fleet from entering the Varadei Archipelago. This engagement also contained the first capital ship clash and sinking, when the Cavarian Battleships ERS *Ewaltera* and CRS *Ligae* engaged the Nederskjender battlecruiser RFS *Nederskjend* and battleship RFS *Laachtspringst*, resulting in the sinking of *Ligae* by primary fire from *Laachtspringst.* Along with *Ligae*, two Cavarian Heavy Cruisers, three Light Cruisers and nine Destroyers were also sunk, for only one Nederskjender Heavy Cruiser and three Destroyers. Cavarian Sea Lord Fleud would later remark:

> "We have historically always underestimated and then overestimated the capabilities of the Nederskjender Armed Forces. With the sinking of the *Ligae* it is safe to say yet another underestimation has brought shame to me and those who answer to me."
>
>

On the other side, Nederskjender Supreme Admiral Laachtspringst remarked:

> "As of the [15th Gradathyme] let it be known that even the pride of the seemingly overbearing Cavarian League's military is inferior to the seemingly underdog Nederskjender Navy. May a blow from the north and a blow from the south put down this foul League."
>
>

### **Cruiser Raid On Eprache**

After their defeat by the Nederskjender Navy on the 15th, the Cavarian 3rd Fleet - now headed by ERS *Ewaltera* fled to Eprache island to repair. Once there, the Haerdrav Capital Cruiser *Marshal's Adjutant Radaťev* and Destroyers *General Azčel* and *General Reťčzel* entered Eprache port whilst the Cavarian Fleet was still docking. In the resultant chaos ERS *Ewaltera* and ERS *Mettal* were sunk - a battleship and a capital cruiser, however a broadside from ERS *Sea Lord Fleud* crippled the *Marshal's Adjutant Radaťev* and the Haer fleet disengaged. *Marshal's Adjutant Radaťev* would not sail again for almost five months after the battle, however was awarded the Cross of Nation and State for it's daring engagement. Both Haer destroyers disengaged, with only *General Azčel* reporting two 4 inch gunnery hits which did negligible damage. This battle took place on the 16th of Gradathyme, and the Haer ships' retreats were covered by elements of the now present Nederskjender Fleet.

#### Controversy

There is some controversy regarding the sinking of ERS *Mettal.* Haer sources commonly state that it was torpedoed whilst seperating from the ERS *Ewaltera,* however no confirmation for this has been found other than the reports of the Haer Captains. Analysis of the wrecks have revealed that it is most likelythat only ERS *Ewatera* was sunk by the Haerdravs whilst still being moored to *Mettal*. The sinking of the larger and heavier battleship is believed to have pulled the smaller Capital Cruiser down with it as it sank.

### **Fleet Action of the 30th Gradathyme 1940**

The Cavarian 1st Fleet, in response to the raids on Eprache and the Nederskjender victory at the Varadei Straits, sailed to shatter the Haerdrav Navy, based in Čevyurk, however Velitali Code Breakers new of the 1st Fleet's advance, however, unbeknown to them the surviving ships of the 3rd had merged with the first, now headed by the Sea Lord Fleud himself, and his eponymous ship. Upon reaching Čevyurk, they found the harbours empty and their return blocked by the scrambled Haer Navy and much of the Velitali Grand Home Fleet. However, the battle was indecisive as both sides were hesitant to commit their capital ships to the fight, for fear of irreparable damage. The only major battleship action was when CRS *Cavara* broke formation and charged the positions of the Velitali Battleships HMRS *Feldenhyre* and HMRS *Folkden III*, both of which fled at flank full to evade engagement by the faster battleship, *Folkden III'*s engines suffering major overheating and forcing the battleship to disengage. However before *Cavara* could get into range, it was intercepted by the Haer Battlecruiser *Marshal's Adjutant Řadekzii,* which scored a hit upon the Cavarian ship's bridge, forcing into to turn back only to be caught in a hail of Velitali and Haer destroyer's torpedoes, which it swerved to avoid, only then to take a full salvo from HMRS *Feldenhyre*, which totally destroyed the ship in a major blast that was seen clearly from the coasts of Haerdravo.

## Internationale Incursions into Hangrian Waters

### **Flotilla Action of the 7th Gradathyme 1940**

Whilst to the east Velitali and Cavarian ships exchanged blows, an Internationale flotilla of 6 ships lead by the Kopultri Flotilla Keader VKP *R11 'Deleçul Gates'* and consisting of VKP *V17*, VKP *V13* and VPS *Gardačin,* VPS *Čežkö* and VPS *Dyabrožny* engaged the Hangrian Destroyers *Plasketenjesti* and *Hrejesti*. Both Hangrian Destroyers were sunk by *R11* or *V17* when both torpedo ran the Hangrian ships after a brief exchange of primary gun fire and strafing by a pair of Valču heavy fighters, which had missed during an attempted bombing run. *Plasketenjesti* managed to shoot one of the heavy fighters down, but the other one survived the engagement, after strafing *Hrejesti* and causing it's torpedoes to detonate in their chutes, before the torpedo hits from the Kopultri ships occurred. As such, some Valču sources claim that their heavy fighter in fact sunk the *Hrejesti.*

### **Flotilla Action of the 11th Gradathyme 1940**

The Flotilla Action on the 11th Gradathyme was between R11's flotilla and the Hangrian Coastal Defence Ship *Hangry*. It lasted only a few minutes and seemed as just a stand off until *Hangry* fired it's primary cannons, crippling *V13* and forcing the Internationale Fleet to disengage.

### **Battle of Hrejesti**

The Battle of Hrejesti occurred on the 11th of Gradathyme,1940, primarily between the Hangrian Coastal Defence Battleship *Hangry* and the refitted aged Kopultri Capital Cruiser (Reclassified from Battlecruiser) VKP *Ivramenții*, with minor air support from the Seaplane Cruiser VPS *Natyl*. At dawn of that day the *Hangry* had seen off *R11*'s flotilla, heavily damaging *V13* with 11.5 Inch Gunfire. After this was reported, it was decided the only local Capital Cruiser should be dispatched to sink the Coastal Battleship, and so VKP *Ivramenții* was sent. The engagement begun when *Ivramenții* hit the *Hangry* with three of four 13 Inch Shells from it's frontal quad turret, disabling one of *Hangry'*s secondary turrets, and rebounding off the A turret. The A and X turrets - the only turrets on the Coastal Battleship - fired their four 11.5 inch cannons, and struck the *Ivramenții'*s prow. The Kopultri capital Cruiser attempted to assume broadside positions, however the *Hangry* launched it's torpedoes and forced the *Ivramenții* into a vicious turn, however avoiding all the torpedoes. At some point one of *Ivramenții'*s dual midships 13 inch turrets fired, however both shells rebounded off of *Hangry'*s armour belt. After this, the Valču Aircraft Cruiser VPS *Natyl* dispatched two dive bombers, one of which struck the A turret of *Hangry* with a 500kg bomb, outright disabling the turret. Thereafter the Hangry's crew surrendered and the ship was beached on the island of Hrejesti by Kopultri Trawlers for repairs, before being taken to the Kapruș Island Kopultri People's Museum of Warfare, the single largest military museum in the world - whose collection includes almost 35 historic Kopultri Capital Ships.