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The Invasion of Sicily; Operation Huskey 16thC Style!
Topic Started: Oct 3 2010, 12:36 AM (571 Views)
Andalus[Byz]
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(This is the map plan I propose to use. Red is Azraq, Blue is Seljuq and Green is Andalus.)

January 4th 1501

It was a bitterly cold day when the ships came into sight. As if replaying a scene from seven centuries before the galleys, dhows and ships came in on the morning tide towards the beaches. Logistics being what they were, only a small force could actually be moved and landed, but it was a powerful one regardless. Three fleets, united in a common purpose, moved towards the beaches of Sicily.

Landing on the south of the island, along broad beaches, were the armies of Andalus. 10,000 soldiers in the first wave supported by fifty war galleys. To the south east of Sicily were the armies of the Seljuq sultan, while to the east came the Caliph's own forces.

As the war galleys ground up against the sand the soldiers on board jumped down and splashed gratefully ashore. They wore only light armour and carried mainly bows and light swords so as to make their movements easier. As soon as a ship landed it was pushed back out to sea to begin the journey back to Malta, a four day round trip, to pick up more supplies and soldiers.

So far there had been no resistance, but that might well change.
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Azraq[OSI]
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Gulf of Noto, South of Syracuse

As the sun began to crest over the Eastern horizon a massive silouette of ships and sails could be seen against the breaking dawn. The great mass moved towards the beaches immedediately South of Syracuse, touching down in the Gulf of Noto just north of Avola.

As the galleys ground to a halt against the sand of the idyllic beaches 10,000 Azraqi troops briskly stepped off the ships and began unloading supplies. The troops were lightly armored and primarily equipped with bows, short swords and several javelins. Seventy five Azraqi war galleys would serve a supporting role for this first wave, also travelling between Malta and Sicily to load and unload supplies and troops.

Several small units of Azraqi soldiers began securing the immediate vicinity around the landing area and preparing for the march North to Syracuse.
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British Empire
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South West of the Azraq landing the Seljuq fleet made Preparations to land. It was the Kingdoms job to secure the left flank of the Azraq Army and the Right flank of the Andalus army and then to push into the interior of the Island. Being the smallest of the two armies it was no surprise that the Slejuq force was placed in between the two larger armies and to be honest the kingdom preferred it this way.

As the ships made land fall there was little to no resistance on the beach and a 5 mile perimeter was quickly secured. 5,000 of the initial 15,000 had landed. the force was made of medium armored swordsmen, archers, and cataphracts. (Heavily Armored Knights. The Shock soldiers for the kingdom). they hoped the rest of the 10,000 man force would be on the beach within the next couple days. For now a beach head was secured and a messenger sent in both directions to make contact with our allies.
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Andalus[Byz]
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The small town of Ragusa had barely a thousand residents, and only a dozen soldiers, to face the landing. In the days following the invasion the Muslim armies had established fortified camps on the hills overlooking the beaches, and these gradually became emplacements with dug trenches and stakes forming a considerable barrier to any enemy advance.

Still, aside from skirmishes with local forces, no enemy army had been seen. With this decided, messages were sent to the armies of Azraq and Seljuq, asking them to meet at Ragusa for a council of war.

Therefore, two weeks after the invasion begun, five thousand Andalusian troops marched in and set up a temporary camp overlooking the village where the leaders of each army could meet.

General Hasan al-Isir was the Andalusian warrior chosen to conduct his Kingdom's strategies. He had now more than twenty thousand warriors landed in Sicily, and was already scouting west towards Masala and Palermo, but made no decisive move without informing his allies. This was a coalition after all.
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Azraq[OSI]
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Following the initial landing forward elements of the Azraqi vanguard secured the town of Avola after a brief skirmish with several dozen militia outside the village. Within as many hours the once scenic beaches around the town were swarming with thousands of troops as wave after wave made ground. With the landing area now secure Azraqi soldiers made camp along the eastern end of the Iblei mountain range and over the next several days military engineers and Azraqi troops worked to fortify the positions against a potential attack.

General Dahr al-Sistani lead the main force and on the march north along the coast to Syracuse The ancient city of Syracuse was now a shell of it's former self and after brief skirmish with several hundred local militia the city fell to Muslim forces. Meanwhile just North of Augusta the second wave consisting of 15,000 Azraqi troops supported by 75 war-galleys made landfall just north of the city, where they immediately secured the city and grouped up with the southern force.

When General Dahir al-Sistani received the message from his Andalusian counterpart he immediately prepared a small detachment of his personal cavalry reserve and set off for Ragusa at a brisk pace. The General arrived in Ragusa and was ushered by Andalusian soldiers to an encampment overlooking the village.
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Andalus[Byz]
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General Hasan greeted his ally warmly as he entered the compound. Unlike many of the leaders of Andalus, he actually had a personal connection to the Caliphate - his wife was a minor relation of the Caliph himself. Therefore he was fullsome in his enthusiasm for the alliance.

Stepping forward, he clasped hands with General Dahir.
"Welcome, General. Thank you for attending my summons so quickly. This is nothing so much as an informal council to keep each of us apprised of information as it comes to hand."

He gestured to the north and west, towards Palermo.
"I have recieved word of a body of formed troops some two thousand strong holding the passes through the mountains. From Messina I hear of a force of similar strength defending around the Mountain of Etna. Other than that, I have heard of no sizeable force of Christians in all Sicily. Is that the news that you hear also?"

Other than those few thousand Christians, all that seemed there to fight were militias - no army had arrived from Italy as yet.
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General Ali Hasem had landed with the first 5,000 soldiers on the beaches to personally command and co-ordinate the beach assault. He was please to see everything going very smoothly. no doubt do the the extremely light resisted encountered so far. Ali Hasem was hand picked by the crown prince to lead the main army on the island. The two had been great commanders together in other conflicts and hoped to continue their success here in Sicily.

After another day on the beaches the current total of the forces was 8,500. still some 6500 had yet to land when the General received a messenger from his Andalus ally requesting a meeting. He quickly sent a servant to retrieve his horse and gathered a dozen of the Kingdoms Elite Janissary Guards and rode hard for the Andalus camp.

When they arrived he was quickly lead into the command tent where the other two General were already discussing strategy he assumed. He greeted both Generals warmly and told them of the light resisted encountered thus far.
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Azraq[OSI]
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General Dahr had no connection familial or otherwise in al-Andalus but being a devoutly religious man he admired their willingness to begin this Great Crusade against the infidel states. The General stepped forward and grasped his allies hand firmly "Greetings General" Dahr spoke as they entered the large tent that had been set up for the meeting.

At that moment they were joined by the Seljuq General Hasem as he entered the tent, and General Dahr al-Sistani warmly greeted the Seljuq General. The General also held the Seljuq Kingdom in the highest regard, a true god-given ally unlike the apostate regime in Samarkand. "General Hasem, greetings"

General Dahr nodded as both men spoke, waiting for them to finish. "We have encountered no significant resistance since our landing. As far as enemy activity my scouts, like our Andalusian brothers have confirmed the presence of several thousand troops near Mount Etna, likely the combined militias from Messina and Catania as well as as another force of similar size and strength holding the mountain passes. Azraqi intelligence and my scouts have found no sign of any Christian force on the island, and no indications of any large-scale force from Italy or elsewhere. Operations up to this point have gone smoothly on our end."
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Andalus[Byz]
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General Hasan greeted the Seljuq warlord warmly and invited him to join their discussion.
He was pleased to discover that his intelligence was correct, and that no massive army of Christians waited to pounce in the mountains of Sicily.

"This is good news. Then, I believe we should press ahead with plans we made at Malta. My forces will head for Masala and Palermo, leaving a reserve force here which can move to your aid if you are attacked," he nodded to his two allies.
"My fleet will be instructed to move north and block the straights if possible, and give us warning of any enemy forces that approach. Within a month I believe this island will be entirely under our control."

He was confident, and with good reason; no sizeable enemy force was present, and they had more than enough soldiers to deal with those that were here. Fortresses could be blockaded and bypassed.
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Azraq[OSI]
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General Dahr was gratified that his intelligence had been corroborated, for he did not want to be caught off guard by any infidel forces. He listened to his Andalusian counterpart as he spoke, nodding in agreement "I concur, Azraqi forces will begin the second phase immediately. A reserve force will be stationed in the eastern end of Iblei Mountain range, also ready to maneuver in case either of your positions are attacked. The main force will continue as planned; moving to secure Catania and engaging the enemy near Mount Etna. Once the enemy has been routed this force will be split into two groups; the first of which will be a small, more mobile force that will be dispatched to secure Cefalu while the main body of troops moves on Messina and it's straight. A portion of the fleet will continue to support our logistical operations and cover our rear positions, while the remainder will support the Andalusians in blockading the straight and scouting for signs of enemy activity" The General concluded. Dahr was pleased with the rapid progress he and his allies were making in this campaign. Although the Papal States had fallen a few years ago he had expected more resistance from the heathen states in response to this attack, but the Great Crusade itself had only just begun.
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Andalus[Byz]
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The course of the next few weeks was relatively simple. The Andalus troops advanced along the south coast of Sicily, often dropping raiding forces ahead of the main body. A wide skirmish chain was established to stop any ambushes. Towns faced by the huge army usually surrendered, and a customary per head tax was paid for protection. However, property and life was respected - as much as was possible anyway!

The cities of Masala and Palermo were bigger issues, being heavily fortified and defended by the local populace. These defences were usually bypassed however, and Masala capitulated after a week on promise of safe conduct for any who wished to leave, and had the means to do so.

Resistance was generally weak, though parties heading inland were often harassed by militia. Regardless, as a month after the invasion was reached, the Andalus army approached Palermo, having effectively conquered half the island of Sicily.

The campaign was, in short, going very well!
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The Seljuq advanced through the center of the island had gone well. A few hiccups here and there but everything was on schedule. The army had suffered light casualties. 12 in all mostly from hit and run tactics from the local militia. One death however was a low level diplomatic official sent to the town of Buccheri. He was executed after he had given the town the Suljuq demands for its surrender. Of course this act couldn't go un-punished. The town was sacked. Its buildings burned to the ground. the men were executed and the women and children taken as slaves for the army. Such acts would not be tolerated from heathens.

OOC: the seljuqs tend to be less for-giving then say the Andalus army. Remember my Kingdom does not tolerate christianity. A possible disagreement that could arise between the allies.
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Azraq[OSI]
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Once General al-Sistani returned from the meeting the main Azraqi force, now totaling over twenty thousand troops marched north up the coast towards Catania. Smaller villages and towns surrendered in the face of the Muslim army, with property rights respected as much as possible.

The Azraqi Army was modeled after that of the Rashidun Caliph Abu Bakr and as such the soldiers were required to follow a strict code of conduct and discipline, scrupulously obeying the command of their superiors or face punishment. In towns that fell peacefully the soldiers had strict orders not to kill monks, priests, women, children, the slaves, the sick and the aged. They were not to sack any peaceable town or village, or destroy or ravage any arable land. There was to be no wanton pillaging, no trees were to be cut, and no crops were to be burnt or destroyed.

For weeks now Azraqi scouts had been swarming the hills around Mount Etna, consistently spotting a sizable force near the mountain itself and reporting that the city of Catania was heavily fortified and defended by it's citizenry. Scouting parties in the center of the island reported several ambushes and hit-and-run attacks from enemy partisans, totaling 14 deaths since the initial landing.

Within a matter of days the main force arrived and occupied the area immediately south and east of Catania, in the shadow of Mount Etna. The Azraqis referred to the great volcanic mountain by it's Arabic name Jebel Utlamat "The Mountain of Fire". After two weeks of both naval and land blockades the citizen garrisons in Catania relinquished control of the city to the Azraqis, and the port city fell to Islamic forces.

With Catania now secure General Dahr al-Sistani focused his attention on the sizable force that had gathered near Mount Etna. As was the custom the General offered the enemy three alternatives, namely acceptance of Islam, payment of Jizya or face judgment by sword.
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Andalus[Byz]
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The commander of the Christian armies at Etna was a Neapolitan soldier named Grimeldi, and he was one of the few experienced leaders in Sicily. Extended absence of Papal authority had left defending the island without central command or resources.

However, Grimeldi was confident about his position. The narrow pass was as much of a barrier as Thermopylae had been to the Persians, and even with his limited forces Grimeldi was confident he could hold out for a while, maybe even long enough for friendly reinforcements to arrive and save him.

Therefore he proudly unfurled the banners of the Papacy and of Sicily, and prepared to meet the Azraqi attack....
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