Tamil Nadu War

## War Aims

In order to halt the ever-increasing expansion of Tamil Nadu, Kerala recruits Karnataka to form a coalition in late winter of 300 NE against that country. They fail to add Andhra to their list of allies. This means they will be walking into the war outnumbered, but based on initial troop placements and population distribution, a fast strike over land could put Tamil Nadu on their heels. Tamil Nadu, however, wields a more powerful navy than that of Kerala and Karnataka combined. Kerala could quickly lose their grip on the Maldives if a naval defeat occurs, and Tamil Nadu would be free to maneuver their elite Marines wherever they chose.

## Battles

Battle of Nagercoil: On March 1st, 300 NE, Kerala's I Corps engaged Tamil Nadu's 12th Division at Nagercoil. Kerala's 1st Division led the attack, while their 8th Division moved through the high ground to the north to cut off the 12th Division's line of retreat. Skilled maneuvering on the part of the 12th Division held off the 1st Division's initial assaults, but by the 6th of March, the 8th Division had fully moved in behind the 12th. This, however, left a small gap open to the north, which the 12th Division exploited to escape Nagercoil with the majority of its troop strength intact.

* Casualties:
	+ Kerala: 6,432
	+ Tamil Nadu: 2,816

Battle of Palakkad: On March 1st, 300 NE, Kerala's III Corps and Tamil Nadu's VIII Corps began a months-long standoff between Palakkad and Coimbatore. While Tamil Nadu met initial success, pushing past its border with Kerala, Kerala's 7th Division held the high ground northeast of the city, making it difficult for Tamil troops to advance. More high ground to the south prevented Tamil troops from flanking that direction, forcing them to focus on taking the high ground. With the 7th Division dug in deep and supplies being rerouted to more pressing battles, the Tamil VIII Corps made little progress until late May. On the 28th, they managed to uproot the 7th Division from its positions, and an improvising battalion commander ensured that the 7th Division became trapped against a lake. During the resulting slaughter, the survivors of the division surrendered. Kerala's 2nd and 6th Divisions continued to fight well into June, but by the 18th the 6th Division was so badly mauled that it was folded into the 2nd, and the force retreated.

* Casualties:
	+ Kerala: 27,618
	+ Tamil Nadu: 15,585

Battle of Krishnagiri: While known as the battle of Krishnagiri, because that town was at the center of the battle, this battle really covered a swath of territory 100 miles wide. With the majority of Karnataka's troops originating from Bangalore, the Tamil 36th Division abandoned the border city of Hosur quickly, retreating to Krishnagiri. They were pursued by Karnataka's I, II, III, and IV Corps, which made up the entirety of Karnataka's 1st Army and half of their 2nd. As 11 Karnataka divisions established a front line, three Tamil divisions arrived as reinforcements. Karnataka pushed their advantage early, taking the town on March 4th. On the 8th, however, 4 more Tamil divisions arrived. To avoid overextention, the Karnataka troops halted their advance. Karnataka's 9th Division arrived at the front on the 10th, but had hardly had time to dig in before they were attacked by Tamil Nadu's entire 5th Army, moving west from Chennai. Karnataka's flank quickly began to collapse. With reinforcements not due for at least another week, Karnataka retreated to positions centered at the town of Hosur. With 5th Army troops continuing to arrive, Karnataka maintained a slow withdrawal toward Bangalore. By the 21st, the front line became a bulge, with overwhelming Tamil strength threatening to encircle the entire army of Karnataka. A desperate intervention by Karnataka's 3rd Army, arriving on the 24th, stemmed the tide, as their 10th Division blocked further advances by the Tamil 26th Division. For the month of April, the front remained a stalemate. In early May, Karnataka's troops began to make progress along the southern edge of the front, loosely linking up with the troops near the Bhavani River. The front line, end to end, was now 236 miles. With a war of attrition still occurring on the front lines for the months of May and June, Karnataka began accepting refugees from Kerala into its ranks. The isolation of Kerala's army at Kozhikode happened quickly in late June, as Tamil troops flooded north between the Bhavani River and the coast. Karnataka's troops along the Bhavani River finally abandoned their positions on July 2nd and fled to Mysore. Karnataka needed to withdraw quickly and abandon the city of Bangalore to retain any hope.

* Casualties:
	+ Karnataka: 223,856
	+ Tamil Nadu: 211,873

Battle of Kanyakumari: While Kerala's fleet guarded the Maldives, Karnataka's fleet guarded the tip of the peninsula. On March 8th, Tamil Nadu's 1st Fleet arrived and forced Karanataka to retreat but at a high cost, losing 3 patrol boats, 2 frigates, and one of its cruisers, while sinking 4 patrol boats and 3 frigates.

* Casualties:
	+ Karnataka: 360
	+ Tamil Nadu: 450

Battle of the Bhavani River: On March 14th, in an effort to break the stalemate at Palakkad, Kerala's 5th Division and Karnataka's V Corps attacked across the Bhavani River. They were met by Tamil Nadu's well placed VII Corps, resulting in a similar stalemate to the one occurring just over 20 miles away. The 5th Division secured positions in the Nilgiri Hills, and although they could not managed to cross the river, the Tamil 16th Division could not force them out of their positions. Karnataka's 4th Division attacked along the Thengumarada River, but was badly beaten by the Tamil Nadu 3rd Division, and dug in. The Tamil 8th Division, however, serving as the rear guard for the 3rd, was forced into a wild retreat by Karnataka's 17th Division, forcing the 3rd to also retreat. The line then remained fairly steady until early June, when the crumbling of Kerala's 7th Division jeopardized the security of Kerala's capital, Kozhikode. Kerala's 5th Division withdrew to the capital, while Karnataka's V Corps took up defensive positions in the highlands east and west of the Thengumarada River.

* Casualties:
	+ Kerala: 2,322
	+ Karnataka: 4,560
	+ Tamil Nadu: 4,561

Battle of Thiruvananthapuram: After escaping encirclement in Nagercoil, the Tamil 12th Division rushed northwest toward Thiruvananthapuram, cutting off Kerala's I Corps HQ. When Kerala's 1st and 8th Division arrived in pursuit, the 12th withdrew to the north of town and established defensive positions. The next day, three Tamil divisions landed by sea and encircled the city, forcing Kerala's troops to surrender on the 30th of March. An attempted intervention by Karnataka's fleet resulted in its destruction, leaving Karnataka without a navy.

* Casualties:
	+ Kerala: 4,562
	+ Tamil Nadu: 2,222

Battle of the Palani Hills: In the most heroic stand of the Tamil Nadu War, Kerala's 3rd Division and II Corps HQ took up positions in the Palani Hills to block the Tamil III Corps' approach to Kochi. From March 16th to the end of April, the division inflicted heavy casualties on Tamil troops. On April 29th, the Tamil 15th Division broke through the 3rd Division's lines, and the gap was flooded by the rest of the III Corps. The force began to move west, despite continued harassment from the 3rd Division, with combat in the hills dying out by the beginning of June.

* Casualties:
	+ Kerala: 18,899
	+ Tamil Nadu: 41,323

Battle of the Maldives: On March 29th, with Tamil Nadu's 2nd Fleet consolidated into its First Fleet, a naval battle ensued in the Maldives. By March 30th, nearly both fleets were entirely in flames. The Tamil transports, however, had been kept out of the battle, and landed their Marine Brigade on the island of Male that morning. Kerala's Marine Battalion surrendered after 3 hours of fighting.

* Casualties:
	+ Kerala: 1,989
	+ Tamil Nadu: 1,799

Thiruvananthapuram Riots: On March 31st, multiple militia forces rose up in Thiruvananthapuram and briefly regained control of the city. After 72 hours of Tamil search-and-destroy missions, the perpetrators were eliminated.

* Casualties:
	+ Tamil Nadu: 2,343
	+ Civilian: 15,876

Kollam Riots: On April 15th, 3 days after the occupation of Kollam, similar riots occurred. They were unsuccessful, and resulted in harsh repression.

* Casualties:
	+ Tamil Nadu: 963
	+ Civilian: 16,322

Battle of Kochi: On May 1st, the Tamil I Corps, consisting of their 38th, 18th, and 12th Divisions, encircled the city of Kochi. Kerala's 4th Division held their ground briefly, but collapsed on the 4th day as the Tamil 15th Division approached. Most of Kerala's command structure was also located in Kochi, with only a small group of their top commanders escaping the city on Kerala's last 2 remaining patrol boats. The battle persisted, however, as militias joined with remnants of the 4th Division to continue inflicting casualties on the Tamil forces. This delaying action lasted through June, and resulted in harsh repression.

* Casualties:
	+ Kerala: 17,893
	+ Tamil Nadu: 25,342
	+ Civilian: 15,888

Battle of Thrissur: In early June, the Tamil IV Corps finally entered the war, taking charge at the Battle of Thrissur. The 2nd Division fought a delaying action, then retreated north with the III Corps HQ to Kozhikode.

* Casualties:
	+ Kerala: 486
	+ Tamil Nadu: 516

Battle of Kozhikode: In late June, four Tamil divisions, the 12th, 15th, 18th, and 38th, surrounded the last of Kerala's forces at Kozhikode. Fighting with aid from militias, Kerala's III Corps, with its 2nd and 5th Divisions, defended the capital to the last man. The fighting did not end until August 30th. The Tamil I Corps was converted to an occupation force and would not fight another battle.

* Casualties:
	+ Kerala: 40,800
	+ Tamil Nadu: 51,618
	+ Civilian: 18,360

Battle of Mangalore: On July 1st, the Tamil Marine Brigade landed in Mangalore to cripple Karnataka's trade ability. Militias fought viciously against them, and the city was too large for the marines to hold. Instead, they secured the port, and repelled militia attacks until the Tamil 23rd Division arrived and finished the job.

* Casualties:
	+ Tamil Nadu: 2,343
	+ Civilian: 19,813

Battle of Bangalore: On July 5th, with Tamil troops threatening to encircle the entire Karnataka army, Karnataka positioned its V Corps (11th, 15th, and 25th Divisions) south of Bangalore and its VI Corps (5th, 7th, and 14th Divisions) northeast of Bangalore as a final delaying action to withdraw the majority of its army. 6 Corps, comprising 16 divisions, manage to escape encirclement. Karnataka's V and VI Corps are trapped in the city of Bangalore, but their numbers serve to prevent Tamil Nadu from advancing, allowing the escaped divisions under the command of the 2nd and 3rd Armies to establish a new front line beginning 40 miles north of Tumakuru. Using reserve troops and militias, Karnataka reconstructs 3 of the lost divisions, the 5th, 7th, and 11th, to ensure that the line stretches from the border to the coast. The noose around Bangalore finally ends up closing on the 20th of July, but only a handful of the defenders of the city surrender, and they are backed by militias. Tamil Nadu's V Corps leads the assault, but is so badly beaten that it is recycled into other units. In the month of September, their VI Corps faces the same fate. With the rainy season ending, the fight endures into early December, when significant resistance finally ends.

* Casualties:
	+ Karnataka: 118,636
	+ Tamil Nadu: 155,889
	+ Civilian: 50,444

Battle of Mysore: On July 6th, as the encirclement of Bangalore was proceeding, Karnataka's VII Corps faced off against Tamil Nadu's IV and VII Corps. With the help of local militias, Karnataka managed to inflict heavy casualties, but was unable to hold any strategic position for long. The Corps' numbers were whittled down bit by bit, and the remaining garrison surrendered in early October.

* Casualties:
	+ Karnataka: 55,840
	+ Tamil Nadu: 75,830
	+ Civilian: 24,318

Battle of the Shimoga Line: As of October 10th, the defenses at the Shimoga Line included 19 Karnataka divisions spread fairly loosely. When the sieges at Bangalore and Mysore were finished, 25 Tamil divisions, along with a brigade of Marines, marched north to face them. Karnataka was aware that they needed a decisive victory to have any hope of winning the war. Karnataka appealed to their neighbor, Andhra, for help, but their request was denied. On December 28th, the Tamil 3rd Army smashed into Karnataka's western flank, against the greenest troops Karnataka could muster. The 3rd Army, veterans of the Mysore siege, routed Karnataka's VI Corps. The attack then commenced all along the front, and the Karnataka line crumbled within days.

* Casualties:
	+ Karnataka: 195,836
	+ Tamil Nadu: 88,620

## Aftermath

With no real army left, Karnataka accepted unconditional surrender on January 2nd, 301 NE. Kerala was fully annexed into Tamil Nadu, while Karnataka was converted to a confederation of smaller puppet states, to be absorbed later. Kerala lost 120,000 men in the war, plus 66,000 civilians. Karnataka took nearly 600,000 military casualties, along with 95,000 civilian casualties. Tamil Nadu suffered the most military casualties, at 684,000. After the war, Tamil Nadu changed its official name to the Tamil Empire, and began distributing propaganda to its new constituents in order to strengthen the manpower of the empire.