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DispatchFactbookHistory

by Kafair. . 24 reads.

The Battle of New Jerusalem, 1847 (Alt-History), the Ottoman Reclamation Campaign, Story of Yohann al-Galish

The Afternoon of the 23rd of September, 1847
Yohann al-Galish, Captian, Kafairian Army

He glanced to either side of him. The massive plumbs of dust that were being kicked up by the marching lines of troops, all dressed in mix of uniforms. Some wore upon their heads bandannas, others turbans, and some nothing, as shades of blue, grays, yellows, and greens mixed, moving in a mass. The past 35 years have been nothing but war, as the Fledgling Kafairian state warred against the weakening Ottoman empire.

He looked ahead, where a man, dressed in a navy blue turban, upon which a Turban helmet, covered in gold and silver, sat. His armor gleamed, and a stolen dark blue cape flowed behind his horse. The horse was armored like a cataphract, with the rider wearing substantial but not as heavy armor. Beside him rode a much smaller man, wearing a simple green robe and a Dastar Bunga. A unit of 30 proper horsemen rode around them, as the General and Priest of Heaven discussed their course of action.

They had 32 thousand troops, veteran campaigners of the Blue General Itchka Siem Harik. They had followed him across the Gaza strip, into Egypt, through Arabia, and into Lebanon, and now they were on their way back to New Jerusalem, to reclaim the city. The Ottoman Sultan İkinci Mahmut had launched a bold yet undeniably effective strike into the Kafairian heartland, and while the Ottoman relief force. for this thrust was crushed at the Battle of the Seven Dunes, in Lebanon, the 47 thousand strong Ottoman force, consisting of ex-Janissaries (after they were dissolved in 1823), Standard Ottoman Foot troops, a contingent of Arabian Cavalry, and 12 massive cannons, had taken the City of New Jerusalem, Kafair's Capital.

Itchka raised his hand in a fist, calling for the troops to hold position. Yohann turned, and echoed the motion, as did the rest of the officers throughout the line, the men coming to a disorganized stop. Itchka rode his horse up to the edge of the large dune they had stopped behind, looking up. Before them was a sheer cliff, which the men knew was topped by the legendary Fortress of Masada. A garrison of Ottoman troops, acting as a early warning unit, held the fort, with about 1,429 men. Itchka followed back an order. He wanted 4000 men. They would scale what is now the modern day Snake Path. He called for the rest of the troops to set up camp, and to be ready to move. He then called a officer's meeting, which Yohann soon found himself standing in.

While exact details over the meeting are lost, it is known Yohann was chosen to lead the attack. He mustered his 4000 men, picked from the more mountainous cities within Kafair. He then ordered his men to begin to hike up. It would take them close to two hours to reach the top, at which time them fanned out. Ordering them to load their guns, and being yet unseen by the Ottoman troops, who were still watching the Kafairian camp below, he then lead them quietly, towards the fortress, and as night rapidly approached, he ordered them to attack, with them firing their stolen Ottoman rifles at the guards. The alarm was sounded, and a fire fight erupted. A brave flanking action by Major Marvez al-Balall, along with already wavering Ottoman moral, crushed the guards, leading to the majority surrendering.


The Second Battle of Masada
Casualties: 253 Kafairians Dead, 648 Ottomans Killed, 781 Ottomans Captured


The Morning of the 24th of September, 1847
Yohann al-Galish, Captian, Kafairian Army

Upon taking the fort, a garrison of 1 thousand were left behind, and were ordered to begin to rebuild and shore up the defenses of Masada. The 3 thousand others made their way back, and rejoined the main force, which them set out on a march once more for New Jerusalem. Yohann took his place, and was given command of the Blue Star Guard, the most veteran active unit within the fledgling armed forces. This command was shared with two other officers, who would be killed in the coming battle. Taking the Guard, along with a large force of Cavalry from the rest of the army, he led the force ahead of the rest of the army. By the second day out, the city was beginning to fill their view. He ordered a halt, outside the boundaries of the city, on flat, open land.

Composition of the Blue Star Guard:
774 Heavy Horsemen
3000 standard foot troops (guns and swords)
865 Elite Veteran Guard (Same as Foot Troops, better training and moral)
547 Nomadic Horse Archer Cavalry

Before them was arrayed a vast Ottoman army, outnumbering them heavily, at nearly 7000 men. But, Yohanns force possessed more numerous and superior cavalry, along with nomadic horse archers. The Ottomans, having sallied out with the majority of their troops, brought with them their cannons, along with their own nomadic levies, in the form of archers and foot troops. The Ottoman general, Ayhan Hikmet II, had used up too much of his gunpowder taking the city, and was now without it in a large enough quantity, meaning his army was without the otherwise devastating amount of firepower it would of had. Arraying his men in a tight center formation, with cavalry in arrowhead formations at the wings, Yohann began his advance towards the Ottoman army.

Symbols:
Horse with Swords: Melee cav, anything from light troops to heavy cav
Horse with Bow: Horse Archers
Circle with Lines: Commander
Bow: Archers
Crossed Spears: Standard Foot Troops
Crossed Scimitars: Elite Veteran Guard
Crossed Downwards Swords: Foot Levies
Cannon: Take a Wild Guess
Colors are For distinction of Type and Army
It was clear in a direct fight, Yohann had no chance. Much of the ottoman army wielded swords and spears, and were packed tightly together. Yet, the Ottomans fielded their levies at the very front. A mistake. He ordered his nomadic horse archers to begin to rake the middle of the ottoman line with arrows, and to either side, his horsemen readied. Then, he ordered them in, towards the levy heavy middle. The untrained levies, at the sight of the approaching horsemen thundering towards them, began to fear. Then, the arrows hit, like lightning from the sky. A few began to step back, only kept in place by the trained foot troops behind them. And then, the crack of guns. The Kafairian front line had fired, ripping into the levies. And, perfectly timed, the horsemen slammed into them, swinging swords. The horse archers behind them fired more and more, over and over, felling more and more bodies. The levies broke, running back, and hitting the line of Ottoman foot troops like a wave, the cav continuing on. Then, Yohann called them off, and they wheeled off, before they might be encircled. On both sides, the levies, numbering about 3000 strong on their own, were crushed. Then came the ottoman response, their cannons firing, blasting holes in the ground and in the Kafairian troops at the wings.

Forming up again, the horsemen rush in again, this time with the main kafairian line right behind them. And so they hit the ottoman wings, with a similar effect to the fire time. And under the cover of withering arrow fire, the Kafairian Line hit, and brutal fighting ensued. And unlike their levies, the Ottomans were skilled, and gave ground only if taking with them 5 men for every one of theirs. But even they couldnt hold off the horsemen on the flanks, and soon enough, both flanks collapsed. The cannons and very light horsemen guarding them were captured, the Ottoman force encircled, and eliminated. The Ottoman general, Ayhan Hikmet II, would be taken in, as a POW, and eventually executed. Were it not for the fleeing levies disrupting the Ottoman line, the battle may of turned out very differently. Yet, the Blue Star Guard lost its two other commanders leaving Yohann alone in the post. He set up camp, and soon enough, the Blue General Itchka Siem Harik, and the Priest of Heaven arrived.


The Battle of the Jerusalem Plains
Casualties: 1,321 Kafairians Dead, 3968 Ottomans Killed, 2540 Ottomans Captured, Roughly 496 Escaped


The Night of the 24th of September, 1847
Yohann al-Galish, Captian, Kafairian Army

Continuing on, the army soon reached New Jerusalem, where what remained of the Ottoman army, perhaps 5 thousand men, were hunkered down. Whatever cannons were left in the city would fire in defiance, and the captured Ottoman cannons with the army answered, blowing holes in Ottoman defenses. The city's walls held up to the attack though, and the army hunkered down, encircling the city and settling down for the night. They would begin, under the cover of darkness, start assembling siege towers and staring out the defenders.

The Morning of the 25th of September, 1847
Yohann al-Galish, Captian, Kafairian Army

The 6 towers began their assault, rolling up towards the walls. Multiple cannons and gunshots ripped through them, hitting men within, and destroying two of the towers, but the rest made it. The Blue Star Guard rushed out, and, in close combat, cleared the walls. Forming up their guns, the foot troops began to open fire from the walls, down onto the defenders below them, who retreated deeper into the city.

The gates would be thrown open, and horsemen thundered in, racing through the wide main road of the city towards the fleeing troops, and slamming into them. They massacre the troops who tried to fight, and soon enough, the rest of the defenders surrendered.


The Siege of New Jerusalem
Casualties: 482 Kafairians Dead, 2475 Ottomans Killed, 1975 Ottomans Captured


Thus ended the Ottoman Reclamation Campaign. Yohann would soon become a general of great renown, and would be present during the pivotal Battle of the Chasm, which would truly eliminate all Ottoman presence to the East. He'd die in 1924, and be given a State Funeral.

TG me if you want to see more of this style of writing!

Kafair

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