Battle of Mu Nae (Cruentusian War)

The Battle of Mu Nae

Taung Involvement
===Sinyan Involvement

Initial Successes
"At first the assault on Mu Nae was going well. Then setback after setback, and loss after loss made what was going to be a quick and decisive win into five years of hell."

- excerpt from Commander Skardan Karanga's memoirs

After the bloody battle in orbit above Mu Nae and the successful capture of the orbital space stations, the Taung troops began embarking on masses of dropships to prepare for landing on Mu Nae's surface. Hoping to take out the majority of the Sinyan defenses, anti-aircraft batteries, and shield generators, the Taung Mandalore-class cruisers began to glass areas deemed important to the Sinyan war effort on Mu Nae by Taung Intelligence with their mass drivers and rail guns. The bombardment was largely successful: killing thousands of Sinyan soldiers on the ground, destroying their power plants and shield generators, demolishing lines of bunker and trenches, and causing massive civilian casualties when stray missiles impacted in cities.

Deeming the Sinyan defenses to be sufficiently weakened, the Taung commanders gave the go ahead for landing on the surface via dropship. Encountering brief anti-aircraft fire from the Sinyan batteries, which was quickly silenced by further bombardment by the Taung Mandalore cruisers, the Taung dropships landed in and around the capital Ahpla and other major cities and towns, disgorging their soldiers from their dropbays. The Taung forces began their slow, but steady advance into the cities, fighting with the inexperienced and horribly equipped Sinyan soldiers. Sinyan defenses were overwhelmed and forced farther and farther back towards the city centers.

The opposing forces fought in bloody house to house, building to building, and street to street fighting, hoping and attempting to gain a foothold and drive back their enemies. The Taung, due to their superior training, equipment, and intelligence, got the overall better of the fight, limiting casualties but inflicting massive casualties on the Sinyan defenders. Warships wrecking on the surface from the space battle in orbit over Mu Nae made matters worse, as entire units and city blocks were destroyed from the falling debris. Bodies and burned out vehicles littered the streets.

Civilians were shown no quarter, butchered mercilessly in the streets by the Taung invaders. Prisoners were treated even worse. They were executed for surrending, as the Taung believed it to be disgraceful to surrender and depriving of honor. Attempting to find a breakthrough in the Siyan lines of defense, the Taungs massed their armies and assaulted one position in the Siyan line, overwhelming it and driving into the Sinyan rear. The other Sinyan positions, taken by surprise by the Taung assault from the rear, were defeated, killed, and had their equipment confiscated.