Battle for Bellock

Battle for Bellock
Part of Northern Territory War
Date 12 September 1914 - present Location Bellock, Rotgeheim Result Ongoing
Belligerents
Rotgeheim	Fuerstenburg
Commanders and leaders
Fedor Hampel Jürgen Siegling	Jannick Tanneberger Uwe Heilmann Tobias Loeb
Units involved
13th VS-Mountain Division Dinslaken 26th VS-Mountain Division Langemarck	2nd Armored Division 16th Infantry Division 218th Cavalry Brigade
Strength
41,366 troops	45,000 troops 100 tanks 55 fighter planes
Casualties and losses
Dead: Wounded: Missing: Captured:	Dead: Wounded: Missing: Captured:

The Battle for Bellock is an ongoing engagement between the Rotgeheiman Verteidigungsstaffel and the Military of Fuerstenburg. It began on 12 September 1914, when Fuerstenburg troops entered the northern section of the city following an artillery bombardment. Numerous casualties have been inflicted on both sides as the fighting continues.

Background

Opening Hostilities

Artillery Bombardment

At 6:00 a.m. on 13 September, artillery units of the Fuerstenburg military established south of the Schillinger River began to open fire on Bellock. Evacuation of the city's civilian population was ordered the night before, so little civilian casualties were suffered. Heavy property damage was inflicted on the northern half of Bellock (the city was divided in half east-west by the Strittmatter River), and fires broke out in the surrounding forests. Military casualties of Rotgeheim during the bombardment were also low.

Reconnaissance and Probing

The first units to engage the Rotgeheiman defenders were fighter bombers assisted by reconnaissance aircraft. The fighter bombers of Fuerstenburg were tasked with eliminating the larger defensive positions occupied by the Rotgeheiman troops, but these strafing runs were thwarted by the anti-aircraft defenses of Rotgeheim. Several planes were caught in the thick flak provided by the anti-aircraft defenses and subsequently crashed into the city.

Small bands of infantry were dispatched by Fuerstenburg to test the defenses of Rotgeheim firsthand. These infantry bands were met by experienced veterans of the Verteidigungsstaffel (locally known as Sturmgrenadiere; this roughly means "Assault Grenadiers" or more literally "Storm Grenadiers"). The highly advanced weaponry and experience of these men were too much for the small groups of Fuerstenburg infantry. All small groups were either destroyed or repelled.

Attacking Waves

At about 12:00 p.m. waves of infantry started to advance over the bridge into the southern side of Bellock. The Sturmgrenadiere stationed on the farthest extent of the battle were overrun, despite their technological and tactical advantage. These waves of infantry advanced seemingly unaffected by the defenders within the city itself. The first wave, comprised of solely infantry, advanced into a small forested section of the city and were wiped out completely by Sturmgrenadiere lying in wait within the treeline. The second wave, consisting of Fuerstenburg infantry and armor, was just entering the city at this time and was unable to assist their comrades. Rotgeheiman StuG VI assault guns were deployed to the battleground at about this time to provide indirect fire support to the defending infantry and to bombard the advancing troops with high explosive rounds.

Continued Combat

Rotgeheiman Air Presence

Turning the Tide

Rotgeheiman Counter Attacks