Battle of Arteska

The Battle of Arteska was an engagement in the First Harbinger War, fought between Fasdia and Brachyuria on the 24th of October, 1968.

The primary location of the battle was Arteska Island, one of the smaller islands of the Arteska archipelago, which housed a Fasdian naval base containing a small runway for military aircraft. The Brachyurian Navy (including the constituent marines) represented the entirety of Brachyuria's forces in the battle, fighting against infantry and armoured vehicles of the Fasdian army and marines, a small force of local navy vessels and aircraft flown by marine and navy pilots.

A Brachyurian naval bombardment of the island focusing on the naval base would begin the engagement, and while not particularly damaging to the base the defenders were not able to effectively counter this threat. Brachyurian marines then came ashore along the northern coast and attempted to ascend the central hills to seize the base, only to be beaten back by Fasdian defenders set up along the ridge line. The ground combat turning disastrously against the invaders, a hasty incursion into the interior waters of the ring-shaped archipelago by the Brachyurian navy would leave them vulnerable to fire from concealed coastal guns on the south side of the island, and were also at this time attacked by recently arrived Fasdian submarines.

The Brachyurian fleet would shortly afterwards disengage and retreat, leaving behind an estimated over 400 killed, about 120 wounded and 95 sailors and marines captured to Fasdian casualties of around half this amount, along with the loss of 32 warships of various sizes. Though the naval base was partially destroyed in the latter stages of bombardment, the death toll, ineffective infantry combat and eventual retreat of the Brachyurian forces marks the battle a Fasdian victory. The disastrous form of the Brachyurians is commonly attributed to around two thirds of the 600 marines becoming intoxicated shortly before the battle, although complications with the naval command structure also played a major part in their poor performance.