Battle of Hellslow

The Battle of Hellslow was a small-scale engagement during the First Continental War, in which the remaining combat ready units of the San Seranam Defense Force were all but destroyed buy a surprise air attack from Sinovian forces.

San Seranaman Retreat
Before the battle actually occurred, the remaining units of the San Seranam Defense Force fell back after the Sinovian breakthrough near Fort Alarmi rapidly. The disorganized forces made their way down the main highway running across the country until they reached the isolated mountain town of Hellslow, the town in question was the closest passage around the Felgras Mountains and was a clear strategic point. Expecting an impending Sinovian assault, the commanding forces of the SSDF ordered the construction of a defensive line in preparation.

Sinovian Plans
Realizing that their time spend securing additional oil wells in the region allowed the SSDF to dig in, the Sinovian military ordered a halt of Army Group North so proper reconnaissance could be done on the valley leading through the mountains. When it was discovered that defenses had been prepared along the ridge line to the north of the town, the Sinovian command prepared for a three pronged assault of the town itself.

The first prong of the attack was going to take place on the ridge directly overlooking Hellslow, as drone footage showed a large gathering of San Seranaman T-64 and T-72 tanks, along with a handful of large-caliber artillery positions which could eliminate the Sinovians before they could reach the town. Sinovian command made this position the top priority, and the rest of the assault would not continue until Hellslow Heights was secure.

Second, a larger collection of armored units and mechanized infantry would push up the main avenue through the center of Hellslow and neutralize any resistance from the town itself. Arial reconnaissance showed emplacements scattered around the area, and would require rigorous searching to take out.

Finally, a small detachment of special forces would enter from the rear of the town and locate and kill any SSDF commanders they could locate, all the while cutting off any path of retreat to the east.

Arrival of Colonel Godino
Roughly one day before the Sinovian forces planned to attack Hellslow, a company of San Seranaman Marines arrived from the east under the command of Colonel Godino. Godino, a renowned veteran of the Sinovian-Seranaman Border War of 1840 defied orders from Andorra and took a small detachment of his Marines to bolster Hellslow's defenses.

Dawn Airstrikes
Before any troop movement occurred, at 6:15 that morning a pair of Sinovian Air Force SU-34 Fullbacks dropped multiple satellite guided bombs onto Hellslow Heights, destroying most of the artillery, tanks and left any surviving infantry disoriented and panicked. Shortly after, a squadron of Mig-23's entered the combat area, and began surgical strikes on exposed tanks and infantry, killing dozens of soldiers and knocking out a confirmed 12 tanks.

Assault on Hellslow Heights
As soon as the smoke cleared following the initial bombing run on the cliffs, Sinovian infantry moved into Hellslow Heights. While there was initial concern as the attacking Sinovians couldn't get their armor onto the Heights, the airstrikes had cleared the cliffs of all SSDF armor and artillery, leaving only a handful of infantrymen unprepared for the attack, and the Heights was quickly placed in Sinovian hands.

Armored Attack in Hellslow Proper
After the primary armored column got word of the success on the cliffs, they pressed onward along the main road into Hellslow. The Air Force continued to pound SSDF positions from above, killing many of the defenders before they could engage the attacking Sinovians. After reaching the town, the advancing force lost a small number of tanks and APC's to landmines, and not to the defenders themselves. Once the column entered the denser area of Hellslow, they began taking fire from the defenders who survived the airstrikes hidden in houses and on rooftops. The resulting firefight grew in intensity as the advance was stopped so casualties could be evacuated, after an hour of back and fourth combat, the SSDF forces withdrew further to the east, and began piling into cars, trucks and whatever military vehicles remained and prepared to retreat.

Special Forces Attack
Once the attack by the armored force in Hellslow began, a Sinovian special operations unit was inserted behind the town via helicopter. The force moved undetected through the eastern edge of Hellslow, and then began searching every building while the battle raged only a few hundred yards away. Eventually, the unit found and eliminated the SSDF command and control center, killing multiple officers, seizing intelligence and destroying communications equipment. However, they were engaged by the last two tanks and APC's that the SSDF had remaining, along with the surviving infantry as the unit moved to secure the eastern road, and lost nearly half of its operators as the retreating San Seranamans blew through their defenses and fell back to Andorra.

San Seranaman Losses
The loss at Hellslow was devastating to the SSDF, the battalion defending the Felgras Mountain pass were the last forces in the north of San Seranam, and the highway leading into the heart of the country was now free to the Sinovian military. The heavy armored losses were unexpected, and the destruction of 24 tanks marked the end of the SSDF's armored divisions and the amount of infantry lost defending Hellslow was more than the high command was willing to sacrifice.

Alongside this loss, every Marine brought by Colonel Godino was killed by the opening barrage of Sinovian airstrikes and had no impact on the battle. Godino himself was located in the command and control center when the Sinovian special operations unit raided the building, and Godino was killed while defending his temporary office. When they realized who they had shot, the commanding officer of the unit ordered multiple pictures of Godino's corpse be taken and sent back to Sinovian commanders, who released the images to news networks around the continent. The public nature of Godino's death, and the loss of a notable war hero caused a great deal of damage to San Seranam's morale.

Sinovian Gains
The Sinovian military declared the small number of casualties a necessary loss. Hellslow became the new forward operating base for Army Group North, and was a stepping point for the further invasion of San Seranam. The news of the complete domination of its Air Force spread to the other nations involved in the region, and the central highway was open to Sinovian armor.