Siege of Kalaroos

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**NOTE: THIS PAGE IS NOT COMPLETE OR COMPLETELY ACCURATE**

> I could only watch in horror as my squad was decimated. Each bullet fired meant another man dead. It was horrible, and there was nothing I could do to stop it...
>
> Karostainian Sergeant at Kalaroos

The **Siege of Kalaroos** was an important battle fought over the city of Kalaroos. It was part of a larger Polmarian offensive in 1926 and resulted in a resounding victory for Polmaria. A large percentage of the Karostainian army was destroyed or surrendered during and following the siege, which later culminated in the Karostainian surrender following Operation Two-Leaf Clover and the Landings at Kurisal-Este.

## Timeline

### Initial Fighting (2/28-3/8)

Following skirmishes around the Camarian-Karostainian border, such as the Polmarian breakthrough at Felmas, Polmarian troops were spotted roughly 20 miles from Kalaroos. Karostainian defenders at Kalaroos opened fire with artillery, although this maneuver was rather ineffective due to the lack of munitions and inaccuracy of the guns. By the 28th of February, Polmarian troops made it to the city limits, and by the 1st of March, Polmarian troops had breached the fortifications surrounding the city. Due to rebel activity, much of the Karostainian lines were in heavy disrepair even before Polmarian troops arrived.

For the following week, Polmarian forces consolidated their position on the outskirts of the city and Karostainian forces fortified themselves inside of the urban sprawl of Kalaroos. Minor gunfights happened in various locations around the city between Karostainian and Polmarian scouting parties, but no major battles occurred until mid-March.

### General Offensive (3/12-3/26)

Following the week of indecision and caution on both sides, the leader of Army Group Kalaroos gave the order for a general offensive to be organized on the 12th of March. Across the city, various Polmarian infantry units attacked strategic points of interest. The Karostainian forces gave a wildly disorganized and varying defense, with some locations, such as Orange Square, being so well fortified that they held for weeks, and others, such as the Kalaroos Bank and the majority of the Kalaroos Factory Sector, being captured in hours or days. Nearly a thousand were captured in the Factory Sector alone, amounting to over half of what remained of the 14th Infantry Volunteer Regiment, which was in charge of defending the Factory Sector. Colonel Yastou Baker, the 14th's commanding officer, would flee the Factory Sector along with the remaining fourth of the 14th Infantry Volunteer Regiment and be integrated into the 3rd Infantry Division.

Orange Square was a monument to the Lord, the very first leader of Karostain, and the very center of the city. Following the initial breakthroughs into the city by Polmarian forces, Orange Square was converted into a pseudo-fortress. Sandbags, wooden bunkers, MG nests, foxholes, and even anti-air and anti-armor emplacements surrounded the plaza. Manning the fortifications were the hardened 4th Ranger Brigade, C Company of the veteran 33rd Paratrooper Division, and the majority of the 1st Infantry Division.

### Battle for Orange Square (3/12-3/30)

Because of the Square’s location within Kalaroos, it was the primary target for Army Group Kalaroos, and both sides knew it. Immediately after the start of Polmaria’s general offensive, the 23rd Camarian Infantry Regiment and 9th Platoon of the Royal Infantry were dispatched to take the square. Faulty reconnaissance had reported a small, makeshift series of fortifications, when in reality the 23rd and 9th Infantry had just begun an attack on the single most entrenched location in the city. Within an hour, 12 Royal Infantry soldiers and 20 Camarian soldiers were dead or wounded. Only 1 Karostainian had been killed and 6 had been injured.

For days, both sides traded fire into the night. The 23rd Camarian Infantry Regiment had taken over half casualties before reinforcements from the Camarian Provisional Guard and 3 tanks from the 4th Armored Battalion had arrived to reinforce Polmarian forces, and even that did little to turn the tide. The Battle for Orange Square would continue for much of the siege.

The last element of Polmaria’s general offensive was an attempted push into the residential sector of the city, which was beaten back by elements of the 3rd Infantry Division and Kalaroos Brigade.

### The April Offensive (Operation Hector 22, 4/2-4/6)

Having reorganized the majority of their forces in the residential district, Karostainian leaders decided the time for a counteroffensive was nigh. On April 2nd, an assault (Called Operation Hector 22) with most of the Karostainian forces outside of Orange Square was launched on the Factory Sector. General Kurstan Hasti of the 3rd Infantry Division was placed in command of the operation, and after a day of almost nonstop fighting, around a quarter of the factory was recaptured.

Suddenly, snow began to fall across the city. Snow then turned to blizzards in some parts of the region. Hundreds died or lost limbs to frostbite, as such weather in mid-Spring was seen as impossible. Scientists and historians generally agree this freak weather pattern was because of aftereffects from the cataclysm.

Taking advantage of the confusion, and graced with several new shipments of munitions, the Karostainian artillery batteries begin a 2-week-long barrage of the city, which, according to soldiers and civilians present at the city, turned the sky orange. This barrage caused huge issues for logistics and troop movement for both sides and resulted in heavy Polmarian casualties.

### Blood-Soaked Snow (4/6-4/23)

Following the sudden ‘winter’ of sorts, Karostainian forces dug into the heavy rubble created from the artillery barrage for a defensive war. Polmarian officers, however, believed that the enemy morale was on the brink and that a final battle could tip the scale of the battle enough for a decisive victory. Seeking out personal glory, Sr. Lt. Caspian Leneov of the 23rd Camarian Infantry Regiment pushed his overextended and exhausted forces towards the Karostainian holdouts in the Factory Sector.

This counterattack failed miserably, however, and results in the loss of 5% of the remainder of the 23rd Infantry. Undeterred, Sr. Lt. Caspian moved his forces towards the residential sector instead despite the incredibly low morale of his troops and is halted once again with heavy casualties. The troops of Company H, Fox Troop, upon hearing of a potential third offensive, take the initiative and summarily execute Sr. Lt. Caspian. Surprisingly, this is overlooked by Polmarian high command simply because the 23rd Camarian Infantry Regiment was too great to lose, and Chf. Cpl. Jaqen Velov was allowed to succeed Sr. Lt. Caspian.

### Tunnel War (5/1-5/8)

With both sides reinforced, Polmaria especially, any possible offensives had been rendered impossible now that snow had set in. However, General Kurstan Hasti saw the writing on the wall: the longer he allowed Polmarian forces to build up forces in the city, the worse it would become for his forces. Thus, he contracted several civilian companies and obtained detailed blueprints of the city layout. After reviewing them, he issued shocking orders to his men:

Flank the Polmarian lines via the sewer system.

Under the cover of darkness, the remainder of the 14th Infantry Volunteer Regiment as well as A Company of the 33rd Paratrooper Division entered the sewer systems. After hours of trekking under the city, Karostainian scouts emerge behind Polmarian lines. After brief firefights, the Royal Infantry determined where the Karostainian forces were coming from, and entered the sewers in response. In a move that shocked both Polmarian and Karostainian leaders, the commanding officer of this flanking maneuver, Lft. Cmdr. Menac Hasti ordered his men to fall back and barricade themselves further down the sewer system, allowing the Royal Infantry to successfully gain a foothold in the tunnels. This was largely blamed on Menac's incompetance-- many suspected his swift promotions were only due to his connection to General Kurstan Hasti.

### Foreign Intervention (5/4-5/13)

With offensives no longer possible, both sides began to call in their allies abroad. Volaysian support companies arrived on the side of Camaria, assisting in logistics and acting as reserve soldiers. On the Karostainian side, an unknown Dersochian secret service platoon arrived in the city not long after. With replenished ranks, Karostainian forces scouted out Orange Square and prepared an assault.

### Second Battle for Orange Square (5/13-5/20)

Polmaria, having captured Orange Square just before the ‘winter’ set in, spent the majority of its time nursing its wounds. Karostainian High Command, assuming they could push Polmaria out of Orange Square and perhaps the city if they launched a surprise offensive on the mostly-destroyed Orange Square through the snow, mustered their forces. The remainders of the 3rd Infantry Division (which itself was now composed of incorporated survivors from the disbanded 1st Infantry Division, 14th Infantry Volunteer Division, and 4th Ranger Brigade), Kalaroos Brigade, and limited elements of the 21st Armored Battalion, were tasked with assaulting Orange Square. However, Karostainian nobility and upper command deemed Kurstan Hasti ‘too powerful’ and transferred him to a different front. A less competent yet more loyal general, Kalrud Hosef–Prince of Inner Legarinia–was appointed in his stead by Emperor Kalrudas with the backing of representatives of the GROR.

Kalrud, now in charge of one of the largest military formations in Helinskan Karostain, decided to go on the offensive. He was quoted as saying: “Orange Square will be mine. The Lord and His Majesty have decreed it to be. They did not specify how many lives it would take.”

The offensive had initially gone well for Karostain. Their forces caught the occupying Polmarians by surprise and inflicted moderate losses, nearly driving them from the Square, but fresh Polmarian reserves hastily mounted a valiant defense, keeping the Square firmly in Polmarian hands. As Kalrud's army prepared a second attack, a massive 2-month-long snowstorm began, rendering their plans impossible.

### Great Freezing (5/23-7/19)

The snowstorm, termed the 'Great Freezing' by Karostainian soldiery and civilians in the nearby regions, would end up killing and wounding far more men than the limited combat seen in this two-month period. However, the Polmarians would end up weathering the storm far better than the Karostainians thanks to their superior supply lines as well as the experience of the elite Camarian Provisional Guard.

By July, the storm had begun to fade and offensives were continued.

### Polmarian Advances (7/10-7/31)

The Karostainians, gravely wounded by the Great Freezing, were immediately assaulted by Polmarian shock troops near the conclusion of the snowstorms. Despite punching deeply into Karostainian lines and creating a vulnerable salient, Kalrud failed to capitalize on this opportunity in any meaningful way. Frustrated with upper level incompetence, Leftenant Callious Vercan commenced an independence pincer attack on the Polmarian rear echelon to encircle and destroy the enemy vanguard, but was just barely beaten back due to a lack of support from other allied units. Once word of this attack reached Kalrud, Vercan was dismissed and arrested for insubordination.

Over the next few weeks, Karostain would lose nearly all of their holdings in the city, their momentum entirely killed and their high command frozen.

### Karostainian Surrenders (8/4-8/9)

By August, the largely fragmented and disparate Karostainian army groups began to surrender *en masse*. Select troops still loyal to Kalrud managed to escape the city, leaving Sedcav Yusoru and Hans Pekoads bickering over succession and further compromising Karostainian combat efficiency. By the time that Yusoru proclaimed himself interim General, the battle was lost.

On August 9th, Yusoru issued his unconditional surrender to Polmaria, bringing the battle to a close and leaving Kalaroos firmly in Polmarian hands.

## Order of Battle

### **Second Kingdom of Polmaria**

* **Duchy of Camaria**
	+ **Army Group Kalaroos**
		- 23rd Camarian Infantry Regiment - Sr. Lt. Caspian Leneov, later Chf. Cpl. Jaqen Velov
		- 82nd Camarian Reconnaissance Troop - Sr. Lt. Gelen Ranov
		- 111th Camarian Reconnaissance Troop - Lt. Anton Cenelac
		- 31st Camarian Infantry Regiment - Lt. Maj. Elias Cordov
		- 4th Armored Battalion - Maj. Nicholas Welren
	+ **1st Home Army - Sr. Gen. Otto Andor**
		- 152nd Platoon - Sr. Lt. Gabriel Fiske
		- 9th Platoon - Lt. Maj. Grigori Tansov
* **Republic of Volaysia**
	+ 53rd Infantry - Lt. Samuel Raeli

### Karostain and Allied Forces

* **Karostain Holy Empire**
	+ 1st Infantry Division - Brig. Gen. Hans Pekoads
	+ 3rd Infantry Division - Gen. Kurstan Hasti, later Kalrud Hosef
	+ 14th Infantry Volunteer Regiment - Col. Yastou Baker
	+ 21st Armored Battalion - Cmdr. Yestave Culdos
	+ 4th Ranger Brigade - Brig. Gen. Sedcav Yusoru
	+ 33rd Paratrooper Division - Gen. Aseli Olica
		- A Company - Lft. Cmdr. Menac Hasti
		- C Company - Lft. Callious Vercan
	+ Kalaroos Brigade - Col. Scarlet Kanina
* **Dersochian Empire**
	+ Unidentified Secret Service Platoon - Unknown