Tau breach Lenord Line

The tau were not slow to learn from their first failed assault across the river where the static imperial defences put up stiff resistance. Patiently the tau ran a number of reconaissance missions, feeling for weaknesses in the imperial line.

On 2801.007M42, two weeks after the first attack on the imperial lines the tau launched their second attack across the river. This time the operation began with concerted bombing raids by tiger sharks against the southern half of the Lenord Line, defended by the Librian 101st. The objective was not to destroy the bunkers and static emplacements but to eliminate as many enemy vehicles as possible. Trucks, tanks and mobile guns were turned into wrecks as the tau aircraft bombed up and down the line of defences. This seriously hampered the 101st’s ability to manouvre and paved the way for phase two of the operation.

At dawn fifteen hunter cadres led the assault across the Orns on a narrow spearhead, aiming for the lightly defended marshland which was the only weakness in the Lenord line. Unhappily for the defenders this area of boggy ground also represented the boundary between the librian 101st and the Scyllian 4th regiment. Communication was poor between the two forces and the tau easily broke through, penetrating over forty kilometres.

Once the bridgehead had been secured the tau poured more cadres into it, breaking out to the north and south. Lord commander Lenord finally realised the tau strategy as a diversionary assault against the defenders around Allentown pinned the 101st down at the front line, allowing the tau breakthrough units to encircle the Librians, who none-the-less put up stiff resistance.

In the north there was no diversionary attack and the Scyllians withdrew once the trap became apparent. However this allowed the tau to widen their bridgehead and by the end of 2901.007M42 a seventy mile gap in the imperial line had been forced open, and the tau were only 25km from the main imperial base at Gethsemane. Though the tau advance halted late in the day the imperial position was now dire, with the Librians fighting to avoid encirclement and the Scyllians racing south to try to plug the gap in the imperial line.