OOC Source: The Independent Barents ObserverRapa Pile: Its been several months into the conflict between Vascania and Deltaria over the status of Rapa Pile, a important archipeligo on the Dovani continent. Last month, in a striking blow to Deltarian prestige, one of its destroyers the DNS Horam was sunk by Vascanian aerial forces originating from the VIS Sagana. Furthermore a Deltarian Slava-class cruiser was damaged by naval forces. This was the largest naval loss of Deltaria in its last 200 years and marked the brutal nature of the conflict between the two great powers. Navy Staff Command, determined not to let the sinking of the Horam go unpunished, devised a plan to strike back at the Vascanian navy and put it on the back foot. Just a week after the attack on the Horam the Second Carrier Strike Group of the Deltarian Navy finally arrived from the east, pinning Vascanian naval forces in Rapa Pile in between the first and second naval strike groups of Deltaria. This "surrounding" maneaouver opened up a possibility for the admiral in command, Admiral Zbyněk Kubát, to execute his plan. Together with the second strike group and the unknown number of Deltarian submarines down below he lured the Sagana, using several smaller boats in the fleet to try and make it seem like the Deltarian formation was vulnerable.
After 2 days of cat and mouse the Sagana, together with 4 of her escort ships, found themselves just a mile outside of the range of Vascanian coastal batteries, opening up the window of opportunity for the Deltarian Navy to strike. The jets roared of the deck of the DNS Mrazek and missiles from the Gorshkov frigates and remaining Slava-class cruisers launched from the launchers. Within just 20 minutes of combat two more Vascanian destroyers layed at the bottom of the sea. Not out of the full effectiveness of the Deltarian attack, but because they put themselves between the missiles fired by Deltarian units and the VIS Sagana, desperately trying to protect the only Vascanian carrier from sinking. One eye witness on board of the DNS Voravek, a Gorshkov frigate, described the scene as, "A group of bees trying to defend the queen, perishing themselves". As the VIS Sagana tried to get away and its jets entered a dogfight with R33-C jets from the Mrazek it seemed like the suicide tactic of its escorts might have saved the Sagan from potential catastophe. But that showed not to be the case as, just before the Sagana got back into the range of coastal defensive batteries, a torpedo originating from a Deltarian diesel-electric submarine suddenly penetrated its lower deck, opening the large hull of the carrier and pouring in sea water at an alarming rate. While Admiral Kubát saw his chance to end the carrier once and for all he was prevented from doing so as his jets, still in dogfight with their Vascanian counterparts, reported a large amount of Vascanian gunboats approaching. With the Sagana still partially mobile and in range of coastal batteries and the carrier group its air wing in a aerial battle it became impossible to pursued the carrier, as the Sumrak submarine was forced to move back due to a lack of fuel.
LandingThe VIS Sagana, though not sunk, was heavily damaged. She was able to move to port on her own but was tilting right along the way, with around 100 of her crew killed in the initial blast or by drowning. It was a significant blow to the Vascanian navy, which would now likely have to put its only carrier in port, giving the Deltarian Navy mostly naval supremacy. As the Deltarian fleet destroyed the remaining Vascanian air wing, at the loss of 6 of its own jets, the second carrier strike group, just 2 days after the large naval battle, saw its chance in the east and, with permission from high command, launched "Operation Settling Sun". With the Vascanian Navy in dissaray Deltarian missiles hit coastal batteries while OKOB hackers and SDI agents dismantled as much of the central defense network as they could. In the cover of the early morning, 5 days after initial bombing for Operation Settling Sun commenced, 5.000 Deltarian marines launched a amhibious assault on coastal positions surrounding Rapa City as well as launching a direct assault on Rapa City harbour. Covered by aerial bombardment, made possible by the destruction of dismantling of most of the missile defense network, the marines stormed key positions in the weakest points of the line, scouted earlier by sattelite images and SDI scouts. With the marines came the new infantry assault vehicles and several older vehicles in the arsenal, specifically designed to aid the marines and eventual regular troops landing in such a assault. The Vascanians, tired from 5 days of heavy bombardment, tried to valiantly defend against the initial assault but failed to do so, allowing the marines to take several suburbs of Rapa City, 2/3rd of Rapa City Harbour and the city outpost on the west of the island, firmly establishing a beachhead. In the operation a deltarian destroyer was sunk as it hit a mine, forcing a cruiser in the fleet to pick up the still surviving crew. Around 14 Deltarian jets from the second strike group were also shot down by still functional defenses and between 100 to 300 marines have been killed or injured. Overall Deltarian naval command is talking about a resounding victory, made possible by the large absence of the Vascanian navy, still recovering from the attack just days before.
Observers are talking about a big victory for Deltaria, which is now preparing to move regular forces into the beacheads that have been established and push onward throughout the main island. A estimated 132.000 troops have been brought by the combined first and second strike groups as well as several transports reportedly on their way, together with hundreds of pieces of equipment all in an effort to take Rapa Pile and especially Rapa City as soon as possible.
The initial attack on Rapa Pile by marine forces of Deltaria drawn up by our own newspaper artist