Operation Heaven's Fall

No, captain. There will be no surrender for them. Arcadia has sat on its rotten throne for too long. Times have changed and they shall learn it the hard way. Open fire!

— Anastasia Romanov

Even in a conflict as monumental as the Anastasian Wars there are moments that stand out. Vorozheno, where the new age of warfare began. Brunheim, where the cruelty of the conflict came to the fore in all its maddening scale. And Tilea, a triumph so grand that many say it could have won Anastasia the world.

Prelude - The Tide Turns

by Jimbowyrick

By early 1772 IE, the Anastasian warmachine seemed unstoppable. Small setbacks aside, Ruthenian armies had consitently dominated the battlefields of Aeteria and brushed aside every coalition formed against them. The tide seemed to turn, however, as both the Carolingian Empire and United Republics of Arcadia had joined the war and began a full-scale mobilisation of their armed forces.
With the superpowers of the age now comitted against Anastasia, the time seemed right for coalition forces to go on the offensive. In a move that surprised everyone, the URA managed to gather its fleets in less than a month, massing them near the archipelago known as the Tilean Bow in June 1772. Located about a third of the way between Colombia and Tyrrhenia and prepared to advance.
Unknown to the Coalition, this move had put the URA fleet directly in the path of the advancing Ruthenian navy. Seeing the danger her new enemies posed, Anastasia had decided to go on the offensive.

Dance in the Skies

Advanced elements of the two fleets encountered each other in the early morning hours of July 17th. Chaos reigned for a few hours as both fleets scrambled to send reeinforcements and gain an opening advantage. By 1 PM, the two fleets were drawn up into battle formations. Fighting was done mostly by the airplanes as URA airships retreated to defend the Tilean coasts against expected landing attempts. They formed a mixed air-land defensive network across the length of the Tilean Bow, planning to draw Ruthenian forces into a slow battle of attrition.

by arnjeca

Rather than advance, the Ruthenian fleet remained stationary and continued to batter URA lines with swarms of attack planes. Specialised anti-airship planes like the Norozov-213 wrought havoc among the Arcadian lines, which could only react at a snails pace due to conflicts in the command hierarchy.
Despite their losses, the Arcadian navy remained confident, however. This changed when at 7pm, the rear of the URA line was battered by strikes from above. Having made use of a freak current, Anastasia had managed to position a part of her fleet nearly five kilometres above the battlefield.
Covered by heavy clouds, they had moved into position above the URA forces and proceeded to unleash a savage bombardment. Swarms of dive bombers descended to add their own payloads and cut through their enemy like butter. Airships were destroyed by the dozens and the URA line descended into chaos.

Close Quarters

Like so many times before, the Ruthenian navy began to overwhelm their opponent through sheer aggression. Moving into the chaotic URA lines they engaged in boarding actions, veteran Ruthenian marines making short work of the often inexperienced Arcadian counterparts. Within two hours, nearly twenty URA airships had been captured and just as many destroyed. The Arcadian line was breaking apart and only the swift action of Admiral Custer prevented total collapse.

Sheer Panic

Custer's action saved the URA navy for the time being, managing to halt the Ruthenian assault long enough for their rear lines to regroup in a looser formation. Increasing cloud cover and the onset of darkness stopped the bombing campaign for the time being. Having lost nearly a fourth of its strength in the first day, the URA forces were in a state of panic and Custer had to use all of his skills to prevent a mutiny. Using the night as cover, URA forces regrouped.

Sir, you have to break off the engagement! The enemy is not attack our ships again. The damn bastards are going for the islands! They are trying to cut us off from our AA network.

— Admiral Custer to Admiral Irons

Death Troopers

by Neisbeis

Ruthenian attacks continued as morning dawned on the 18th of July. Their effectiveness had lessened considerably, however, and strengthend Custer in his belief that he could force his enemies into a costly battle over the islands, where anti-aircraft emplacements would give the Arcadians a considerable advantage.
He failed to realise that the bombing attacks were now targeting the land fortifications in specific patterns. The purpose of these patterns became obvious when at 9 AM, the Ruthenian's launched a mass paratrooper attack from their position high above.
Nearly 5,000 elite soldiers, the Death Corps of the empress, landed in the previously cleared zones and overwhelmed the surprised defenders. A near simultaneous assault by the navy prevented any reeinforcements and within an hour, most AA emplacements had been taken.

Burning Sky

by Morphling

Throwing all her forces into a final attack, Anastasia virtually annihilated the URA forces. Marines began to land across the Tilean Bow and further fleet elements began to appear behind Arcadian lines. By noon, the Arcadian navy had virtually ceased to exist and any remaining resistance was moped up by the 22nd. About forty ships under Admiral Custer managed to escape, however.
Within three days, Anastasia Romanov had virtually broken the might of Arcadia, her fleet enjoying near total superiority along the realm's western coast. Tilea was turned into a base from which to supply the invasion of the heartland. And as a shocked world looked on, Anastasia was about to unleash the bloodiest chapter of the war: a direct invasion of the United Republics of Arcadia.

In one blow she had brought down one of the great powers of the world. Is it truly so strange that we thought her invincible back then?

— Mikhail Kusnetzov, Ruthenian Admiral

Included under Conflict

The Anastasian Wars

Conflict Type

Battle

Battlefield Type

Air

Start Date

17.07.1772 IE

Ending Date

21.07.1772 IE

Conflict Result

Decisive Anastasian victory. Arcadian navy shattered. Prelude to Operation Thunderstorm.

Location

Tilean Bow

United Republics

led by Admiral Timothy Irons

~ 155.000 Soldiers

~ 417 Airships

~ 2,000 Planes

Defeat Imperial Forces.

Army Destroyed.

Anastasian Empire

led by Anastasia Romanov

~ 117.000 Soldiers

~ 410 Airships

~ 1,128 Planes

Conquer the Tilean Bow.

Light Casualties.

by Martechi

Aeterian Warfare

War in Aeteria is one of air and land. The former is the venue of transport and skirmish, airships rarely engaging in direct combat. Planes are often used to engage in lengthy duels. The goal is to drive off the enemy fleet, make room for manuever and land in areas without strong AA coverage. Its a slow, methodical dance among the clouds that can often last weeks.
Anastasia made these rules obsolete. Speed, direct ship-to-ship combat, boarding actions, paratroopers and a focus on aggression and large-scale coordination made her army and fleet the most effective in the world. Unorthodox tactics, inlcuding an army led by the empress herself, forced the rest of Aeteria to either adapt or become undone.

Currents and Streams

Air currents are the main avenues for fast transport across the Cloud Ocean. Their speed can shorten travel times from weeks to days and hours. The way they are layered and intertwined makes it difficult to fully use them in battle, however. The result is that battles between fleets largely occur on the same level, roughtly across a height of one to two kilometres.

Springboard

The Tilean Bow is a small formation of islands stretching for roughtly fifteen kilometres from north to south. The line of islands is roughly shaped like a bow, giving the formation its name. Located about a third of the way from the Colombian Archipelago, it is one of the few areas in the vast void that separates Colombia from Tyrrhenia. As such it is of great importance for traffic and trade, the small islands covered to the brim with airfields, storage units and repair plants. Since 1602 IE, the Bow had been under Arcadian dominion and been fortified against Albians raids.

Admiral Custer

Carles A. J. Custer is arguably one of the most important military minds of modern Arcadian history. At the Battle of Tilea, he was originally supposed to command the URA navy but got removed at the last moment in favour of Timothy Irons. His actions during the battle saved the lives of several thousand Arcadian soldiers and he would go on to gain great acclaim during the defense of the homeland. As of 1793 IE, he is a national hero and favoured candidate to win the 1794 Arcadian Presidential Election.

by redfiretrees