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Fall of the Great Divide

With the city of Oshi in Pantorran hands, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the valley fell- the Serapin was the best line of defense the rebels had here. Regardless of the fate of the valley, they could make the Army’s advance slow and painful- a battle of attrition against the 1st Division.

The full force of the Army was marching across the Serapin at crossings secured by Kester Falls and Oshi, quickly establishing a front with over 5,000 personnel. Under the cover of sustained, heavy artillery fire against rebels beyond, they continued to advance rapidly until they reached the beginning of the valleys opposing side. This was an area where it was always known that the rebels had an advantage- they occupied the high ground, and the Army expected heavy casualties. Marching upland, enemy artillery retreated backwards and fired intermittently while armored vehicles faced their turrets to the rear and fired as they moved. The sluggish advance was costly to the Army, but within a few hours the rebel flank had been sufficiently broken. With sustained air support from stealth F-35C aircraft, the Army was eventually able to eliminate most of the enemies heavy caliber artillery and tanks, denting the impact of the uphill advantage they enjoyed. By the time the rebel flank broke, and the valley fell, the 1st Division was a heavily battered unit. In total, across all conflicts in the valley and with the artillery engagement, enemy missile strikes, and this final front line push, they had sustained 1,900 casualties- almost 3 Battalions worth of men killed or injured. Additionally, 20 tanks, 95 IFVs, 40 heavy trucks, 30 MPVs, 30 artillery guns and 7 HIMARS, 3 ADATS, and 4 NH90 helicopters had been lost. The rebels sustained 1,700 casualties, along with 45 tanks, 80 IFVs, 60 heavy trucks, 18 artillery guns, and 2 MIM-23 Hawks destroyed.

The battle had taken a heavy toll on both forces, but the rebels had retreated to even higher ground. The 1st Division was blunter, and would likely not be able to pierce rebel defenses deeper into the mountains without result and refitting with more armored vehicles. To accommodate this, Fuller order the mobilization of the 3rd Division, now headquartered in the province of Syracuse near the Great Wall of Arritrium. The 6,300 strong force would march to the great divide and join forces which the 1st Division. The 2nd Division was also activated and deployed to the Serapin along the border between Dayton and Orius, securing the border region along the river and to the sea. The 4th Division remained in Arritrium, undeployed but mobilizing. 75% of active combat personnel would now be deployed, 3 of 4 Divisions.