Wednesday, April 8, 2009

War of South India

Cochin assimilated Travancore and Calicut states through peaceful means.
Then fearing the increased might of Cochin, Madras and Carnatic kingdoms attacked Cochin.
There were three fronts - Kazarkode, Palghat and Trivandrum. In early reverses entire Kazarkode District, Walayar sector and Parassala sectors fell into enemy hands as the border security forces were throroughly runover. After initial two days it became a war of attrition on land while total war was being waged in air. FABs at Palghat, Calicut and Parassala came under heavy bombing in the initial hours of combat and a totalof 93 UCAV-F (Hornet) were destroyed in the skirmish for only 15 enemy casualties.
Then the RCAF went into full battle mode. The Mig29/Su30/Mig35 regiments scored a kill ration of 20:1 against a vastly numerous enemy force. The Hornets showed off their combat potential with a kill ratio of 15:1. After the first day air neutrality was achieved and after 60 hours air superiority was achieved.
RCAF now went into full offensive mode. 20 UVAV-B (Raven) regiments were tagged for air base neutralisation. They accomplished this with assistance from 30 regiments of Hornets.
By the end of the first week RCAF had won complete air superiority over Carnatic and Madras Kingdoms. But this was at the cost of 220 Hornets, 50 Ravens, 20 Mig29s, 15 Su30 and 6 Mig 35.

War for Royal Cochin Navy started with the torpedoing of CNS Amindvi, an ASW Frigate in the international waters 200 km north of Lakshadweep. The vessel sank with its 150 sailors and 25 officers. Fleet 02 which had charge of Arabian Sea and Fleet 01 which had charge of Indian Ocean/BOB went into full War readiness. FL02 sailed towards Karwar and FL01 sailed towards Chennai and faced aerial attacks from mangalore, Tuticorin and Rameswaram AFBs. The Mig29Ks and Hornets which were on BARCAPs repulsed these waves at a kill ratio of 50 :1.

Task Force Alpha of which the sunk frigate was a part of proceeded to perform a shore bombardmet of Mangalore. Task Force Bravo laid an ambush which decimated a Madras task force targetted for an invasion of Andamans. In this classic operation Madras Navy lost its aircraft carrier MNS Goundar, a Battle cruiser and 3 submarines. Task Force Charlie destroyed the Carnatic aircraft carrier RCS Gowda and its escort ships on the approaches to Calicut port. The submarines of RCN were on full war mode and had a license to kill. In a classic operation 2 SBZs of FL02 sunk the Battle cruiser RCS Mysore at Karwar Naval Base.
On the land front RCA had faced early reverses. After initial loss of Kazarkode, Walayar and Parassala regions the RCA strengthened its defenses. I Corps which comprised the I and IV ACR and II Mech Divisions was assigned Kazarkode sector. II Corps which comprised II,III and V ACRs and I and II Mech Divisions was assigned Walayar sector.
III Corps which comprised VI,VII ACRs and IV Mech Division was assigned Parassala sector. A fourth and fifth Corps were being assembled as Reserve Divisions. They were to be formed into 4 ACRs and 6 Mech Divisions.

After first 2 days of compabt initiative was won by RCA. A massive attack on all three fronts was launched. RCSF commandoes had infiltrated enemy lines and launched covert strikes against enemy's communication lines. The stealth UAV Raptor proved its mettle in battlefield surveillance by plotting the enemy logistic lines, main concentrations and by locating command HQs.
In a coordinated attack at 0230 Ravens struck at all enemy logistics lines, Mig35 squads dispatched all the command centres with cluster bombs. The attack helicopters of all teh army Corps with attack helicopters from RCAF decimated the Shock Armor Corps of the enemy. At the same time Missile Boats and SBMs of RCN were bombarding all the important cities of Madras and Carnatic.
The Palace and Royal Assembly in Chennai were reduced to rubble. In a 6 hour long barrage all the naval bases were foreclosed and ships in harbor sunk.
The Army I Corps decimated the opposing I Wodeyar Shock Armythrough a massive artillery barrage, MRLS attack and first field use of MS 155 mm Artillery units.
At the end of the day I Corps had captured Mangalore district, II Corps had captured Coimbatore District and III Corps had captured Kanyakumari District. After being augmented by an ACR and a Mech Division each, the three Corps began moving towards the enemy capitals. By the seventh day the Fleets had reached their destinations and port facilities were captured. Marine Commandoes from FL01 captured the Palace and Secretariat in Chennai. 12th SF Battalion from Nilambur para dropped into Bangalore and held the King of Carnatic, Rajendra Wodeyar hostage.
On the eighth day the Strike Corps reached the capitals and enemy units began to surrender in number. On the tenth day formal surrender was signed by the two belligerent nations.

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