Battle of Sharia and Asmana Disaster

The Battle of Sharia occured after the failure of Golubov, and would be the deciding battle of Ios in eastern Viemeo since Ceshal troops were starting to push back Ios.
Ios also bombed the Asmana naval and air base in Asmana on April 29th, which damaged the air and naval force of Ceshal, but they were back up and running not long after due to repair yards not being damaged. They still managed to kill over 1,000 naval crew and 10 ships were sunk. This also boosted the idea of Ceshal entering the war within Ceshals citizens.

The Conflict

Prelude

Raph had a plan to push his tank divisions through Kena to hit Kena's resources, and starve Kena of their resources. Trench lines were a large part of Kena's defense against Ios, so it would be relatively easy, or so Raph thought.

Deployment

Raph deployed almost 3,500 tanks, more than 500,00 men and 10,000 guns/artillery.
Kena & Whena deployed 6,000 tanks, more than 600,000 men, and 18,000 guns/artillery.

Battlefield

The battlefield were plains and mountains, with trench lines in between. At the end of battle, wrecked tanks and craters filled the battlefield.

The Engagement

First, Kena and Whena flew their planes in with newly trained pilots and better equipment than Ios first thought. (This was due to deception tactics) The Steel Powers gained air superiority within weeks and the Ios air force mostly withdrew after multiple defeats.
Ceshal also sent in their tanks with strong armour to assist, and as Ios sent in their tank divisions, a tank battle commenced. Artillery bombardments continued through the first days, which wiped out many of the SP's tanks and Ios's as well. This battle was the most brutal in terms of artillery strikes, and gave birth to a new kind of improvised mine. A crater mine is a improvised mine dug inside a crater (usually formed from an artillery strike) these came in many forms, but a commonly used mine was a ammo box. An ammo box doesn't need extra explosive material, since the ammunition itself can explode once punctured with a pin, normally from a pressure plate as seen below.

The Iosian tank divisions that spearheaded the attack stalled due to bad weather and mud, so a stalemate happened for a few weeks.
After the rain ended and the mud (mostly) cleared, the Iosinan advance continued, but not for long. With little fuel, the advance stopped again, and the SP tanks still defending the line held out for 6 more days. The Iosians usual bombardment technique also couldn't work with mountains in the area, which also helped the SP defense. When more Ceshal reinforcements arrived afterward to relive the troops, Ceshal air force also helped to push back the remaining Iosian air force.
The Sharia mountain pass was a key point for the movement of supplies for the Iosian troops fighting past the mountain range, but this location was bombed excessively through the battle. Half of the planes that Ceshal used were outdated, but they still caused panic through the supply line, and delayed weapon deliveries.
-Destroyed Iosian tanks, April 21th 1913-

Chegao Gunships did manage to cause many more casualties on the Amica frontlines, especially with the 122mm howitzer the Iosians often armed with cluster shells to kill many soldiers in a large area. When Ios did use their tank for attacking instead of entrenching it, these tank battle lasted a few hours, with close tank conflicts and artillery barrages climaxing the event, with each side losing many crew and tanks.
With the combined power of Ceshal and the SP, they began a counter offensive, and many Iosians abandoned their tanks due to their fuel stretching thin with their fuel hungry machinery. The Iosians were pushed back further than they were before, back into Ostrens territory, and with Ceshal arriving, things weren't looking good for Ios in the Eastern Front.
-SP plane lodged inside heavily damaged house-

-Iosian fighters on their way to Asmana, April 29th 1913-

Included under Conflict

Eastern Front

Conflict Type

Battle

Start Date

March 8th, 1913

Ending Date

May 10th, 1913

Conflict Result

Steel Powers Victory

Location

Viemeo

Belligerents

Ios

• Dictator Powers

Led by

• Adi Raph

Strength

The Iosian Military was a force to be reckoned with in World War One in many occasions. They were properly trained, with more than sufficient military power.

Casualties

Over 150,000 men dead or wounded

Objectives

To push back the Kena trench line.

Steel Powers

• Steel Powers

Led by

Strength

The Steel Powers were composed of Whena, Kena and Ostren. They were very strong after they made many machines of war (tanks, aircraft, land frigates, etc) since their metal industry was powerful. They also had specialized soldiers to fight in cold weather against the Ios troops.

Casualties

Over 90,000 dead or wounded

Objectives

To defend the trench line and launch a counter offensive.

Ceshal

• Amica Powers

Led by

Strength

Ceshal was a strong combatant in WW2, and had a very strong air force to support their troops. They also had very good training for their troops and special forces.

Casualties

over 2,000 dead or wounded

Objectives

To support the SP.