Mordecai: Novgorod Guard retake Sathugar Mines

The response to the loss of the southern Sathugar mines on Mordecai Secundus was not long in coming. General Kutuzov met with his generals and they considered the strategic situation. Fully recapturing the lost ground would be almost impossible given the current logistics problems being faced by Kutuzov's armies, but a tactical victory could be achieved if the mining installations could be retaken.

With that objective in mind the Novogord Guard launched an attack on the weakest portion of the chaos defences, identified as the non-astartes elements of the nurgle aligned "House of Escher". this force, now defending the mines, comprised of a traitor guard formation, including large numbers of Leman Russ battle tanks and several super-heavy vehicles.

The Novgorod were similarly equipped, and the loyalist shadowswords scored an early victory by incapacitating the enemy super-heavy tank formation. On the imperial right flank, the forces of chaos advanced, and at one stage looked likely to overwhelm the Novgorod defenders who had taken positions in the mining facility at the outset of the battle, while on the left, the main thrust of Novgorod mechanised forces attempted to outflank the traitors. Both sides utilised air support, but anti air defences were unusually succesful in downing enemy aircraft.

The outflanking move was a success, as the fast moving chimeras overwhelmed the lightly defended chaos lines. In the centre and on the right flank however, the entire battle hinged on whether the Novgorod could hold onto their positions. As the battle continued, the House of Eschar launched ever more desperate attacks againts the dug in imperial infantry, culminating in a tank assault into the mining facilities themselves. This did not succeed however, and the stubbornness of the Novgorod guard broke the morale of the traitor guard, securing victory for the Imperium. By the end of the first week of 06.022M42 the Imperium had regained the Sathugar mines, achieving their limited objective as they searched for ways to redress the strategic imbalance.