Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Myrentas II - Sartosan Attack: The final nail in the Imperial Coffin


The Sartosan Rangers crossed the Ornz by boat in the middle of the night of 0405.007M42. Nearly half the regiment had crossed before they were detected and the mists which are so common in the Ornz valley in the spring saved most of the remainder from death as the Imperial heavy artillery opened up on the UFP troops. Over ten thousand men had managed to cross the river by daybreak and the Tallaxian engineers had bridge the river in a number of places.

The UFP attack came in the marshes in the middle of the Ornz valley and the Sartosan Rangers were the ideal troops for the job. The jungles and forests of Sartosa had conditioned the hardy fighters to difficult terrain and they quickly out manoeuvred the Librian 57th troopers. Sentinels gave the Sartosans close armour support while the Librian heavy tanks floundered in the mud, despite their rough terrain modifications.

The UFP attack came in the marshes in the middle of the Ornz valley and the Sartosan Rangers were the ideal troops for the job. The jungles and forests of Sartosa had conditioned the hardy fighters to difficult terrain and they quickly out manoeuvred the Librian 57th troopers. Sentinels gave the Sartosans close armour support while the Librian heavy tanks floundered in the mud, despite their rough terrain modifications.

The Sartosan performance did owe a lot to the UFP fleet advisors who were instrumental in guiding and aiding the Sartosan officers on the ground, particularly when the Sartosans, new to advanced warfare, struggled to keep pace with the rapidly changing face of the battle.

Even so the Sartosans had succeeded and even the most optimistic of Imperial generals realised the game was up. In the north even the Tau managed a spectacular advance against the Praetorian Guard, inflicting heavy losses. At 5:17pm local time on 0607.007M42 Lord General Lenord declared a full-scale withdrawal and prepared to leave Myrentas II with as many troops as he could. By now the remnants of the Praetorians, Librians and Scyllians were in full retreat, and the fall back risked becoming a rout as the Tau approached from the north and the Tallaxians, Sartosans and Hartak 7th Legion approached from the east. He needed time for his troops to disengage. Time which could be bought by the Blood Martyrs’…

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