Little Great Wars: Azurian Campaign

The story continues...

Azurian defence lines about Azmezidon

Having secured a strong foothold upon Azurian territory, the Ruberian army struck out along the Azaen-Azaris railway, following the defeated defenders of Azaen. Meanwhile, the main body of the Azuria III Corps advanced westward to reunite with its defeated Division. At Azmezidon the Corps Commander, Marshal Count Gevrey-Chambertin decided to make a stand behind Le Laizon, a slight stream that ran northward from the marshes between Azmezidon and the outlying village, Ouezy, to the northwest on the Azaen road. A chasseur regiment each from the 16th Brigade was set to garrison Ouezy and, south of there, Chauvigny. The rest of the Division was dug in before the town itself, the line extending southward. 

Campaign Map: Situation 15th June. Azurian I and II Corps
still distant from the battle front.

North of Azmezidon stood a considerable woodland, Bois de Magny. Within the feature, and to the north, elements of the battered 4th Division had dug themselves in, to cover Le Laizon with rifle, artillery and machinegun fire. Possibly the least convenient aspect of this whole defensive line was the more considerable stream behind it - the river Dives. Deeming the river crossings over the stream adequate to permit a retreat, should one be needful, Marshal Gevrey-Chambertin was rather confident in his selection of battlefield. 

4th Division defences behind Le Laison creek.

But well he might have been. He had to make a stand somewhere, to allow time to bring up Marshal Paullac's I Corps into the theatre. The future of II Corps, somewhere down Azarseille way on the Mesogesean coast, had been waiting upon the outcome of the wrangling in Azurian Strategic Command to decide whether the Corps might embark for the Turcowaz theatre or remain to drive out the Ruberian invaders. However, the situation on the west coast had occasioned its hurried withdrawal, and that formation was close by Azreux, whence it might send troops by train to succour the embattled IIIrd.

At this point I should mention that troops could travel by train, a Division at a time, taking ONE activation to entrain; one activation to travel 8 hexes; and one more turn to disentrain. Neither I nor II Corps were location at a railway station, but one was within a day's march of either. Whether they knew it or not, the Ruberians might have to hurry their campaign.

Ruberia's III Corps roll forward.

This was to be a battle, then, between the respective III Corps of both armies. But where the Azurian were offering battle with no prospect of support, close behind the Ruberians, IV Corps was approaching along a secondary road that passed through Quatre Puits towards Chauvigny and Azmezidon itself.

The Azurian forces comprised:

III Army Corps, Marshal Gevrey-Chambertin

• 4th Division: 17th - 22nd Infantry Regiments
• 5th Division: 23rd - 28th Infantry
• 16th (Light) Brigade: 39th, 40th Chasseurs-a-Pied
• 3rd Mitrailleuse Battalion
• 3rd Light Cavalry Brigade: 5th, 6th Lancers
• 95th and 96th Field, and 194th Medium Artillery
• 205th, 206th, 253rd (pack) Supply Columns.
  
  Note that 4th Division had taken losses in the battle of the 11th June.

General view of the task to be accomplished

The Army facing the Azurians would be attacking 'by the left': III Corps beginning the action, with IV Corps coming up on their right. This oblique attack by successive formations were to have an unexpected effect that did not help the Ruberians.
The Ruberian Expeditionary Force (REF) army was organised as follows:

Commanding in Chief: Field Marshal Montgomery J. ffotheringarnish-Ptarmigan 

I Corps - still disembarking on the beach at Ouarmentville-sur-Mer

III Corps: Major-General Garnet Lord Garnet

1st Division:

• 7th Brigade: 13th, 14th, 15th Infantry
• 8th Brigade: 16th, 17th, 18th, Infantry

2nd Division: 

• 9th Brigade: 19th, 20th, 21st Infantry
• 10th Brigade: 22nd, 23rd, 24th Infantry

3rd Light Horse, 5th Light Horse
3rd Gatling Battalion
4th RFArtillery, 12th RMArtillery
7th, 8th Transport columns.

IV Corps: Lt-Genl Sir Redmond Rosewall, Bart
3rd Division:

• 11th Brigade: 25th, 26th, 27th Infantry
• 12th Brigade: 28th, 29th, 30th Infantry

4th Division: 

• 13th Brigade: 31st, 32nd, 33rd Infantry
• 14th Brigade: 34th, 35th, 36th Infantry

4th Dragoons, 6th Lancers (attached) 
4th Gatling Battalion
5th RFArtillery; 13th RMArtillery
9th, 10th Transport columns.
 
Note that III Corps had taken some losses in the previous battle.

View from behind the Bois de Magny

As dawn broke over the plains west of Azmezidon, the Rubeian infantry of III Corps were already in motion. The absence of IV to their right, still marching up to the field of battle, the III Corps lines tended to spread out over and beyond the rail line towards the town. This extended the III Corps front which rather weakened the attack by 2nd Division against the enemy positions dug in behind the Laizon creek. for all the artillery support they were getting, 9th and 10th Brigades were struggling to get forward to the stream at all, let alone to cross it.

Azurian trench lines

About midmorning IV Corps arrived in the field, to find that elements of III Corps had encroached across their front. Leaving them with a narrow sector in which to mount their assaults. Although this had the virtue of lending weight to IV Corps attacks, this was proving costly to III Corps. 3rd Division quickly bayoneted 40th Chasseurs out of Chauvigny, and pressed on towards the entrenched positions under the Azmezidon's precincts.

General view along the front lines.

Meanwhile the other outlying town changed hand three times before 7th Brigade finally evicted 39th Chasseurs. Then they had to force the defile of the road bridge over the marshes beyond, and that took even more time.

III Corps finding the going tough...

It was elements of 4th Division that quickly broke into the Azuria defences in front of the town. Thirty-fourth Infantry swarmed into the town and reached the railway station on the east side. They might have broken out into the open beyond, but for the Azuria mitrailleuse drawn up in front of them. Sprayed with machinegun fire 34th Infantry stalled, and became pinned down. 

This penetration into the town was not well supported, as the determined Azurian defenders refused to allow a widening of the breach in their defence line, and 1st Division was having a hard time to force the bridge crossing, and then to force their way into the town. Altogether, IV Corps was having the devil's own time expanding upon their early successes.

Breakthrough? But no break out. 34th Infantry
under MG fire on the east side of the town.

III Corps was finding its own successes slow in coming and dearly bought. Apart from the time taken to take Ouezy, the first river crossing was thrown back at once. The supporting gunfire from the entire III Corps artillery eventually induced 17me Infantry to fall back from their field works, a retreat quickly followed up by 10th Brigade. This slight success led to a renewed effort that gradually edged the Azurians out of their earthworks, fighting all the way. 

As the day ended, the street fighting continued with the railway station in Ruberian hands and a tenuous salient under counter-attacks from Azurian infantry. III Corps were across the stream in strength, but the Azurians had reformed a tenuous like along the Dives river. 

Ruberia finding it hard to widen the breach...

But losses among both sides had been heavy. His Corps exhausted and on the brink of dissolution, Marshal Gevrey began to pull out his command. For their part, the Ruberians were glad to see them go. They had been in a fight, no error, and although their own losses did not exceed those of the enemy, they had to be mindful of the army's situation: and invading army in the midst of a hostile population. 

The situation still in doubt when his command's exhaustion 
suggests to the Azurian Marshal it was time to leave...

To be continued...