1931 Battle of Himlavård
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The 1931 Battle of Himlavård was a battle that took place between the morning of 13/02/1931 and the evening of 15/02/1931 between the armies of Grenneria and Corstaea, with Corstaea on the offensive, intending to cross over the Himlavård mountain range and set up a supply line from Tolred to Roslaya to facilitate an invasion of Grenneria. The attack was ultimately repelled by Grennerian forces, including the final known large scale deployment of horse cavalry in history. The 1st Cavalry Regiment “Iron Wings” was hailed as the decisive factor in the outcome of the battle.
Prelude¶
In the 32 years since the peace agreement that followed the 1898 Liberation of Amaransk, tensions between Corstaea and Grenneria remained high. The Corstaean people were becoming increasingly nationalistic during this time, which led to the election of many nationalists and militarists, who ultimately saw fit to invade Grenneria on the grounds of suspected large scale espionage after the successful capture of one Grennerian spy. The Grennerian military was prepared quickly enough to meet them at the foot of the mountain on their own territory, due to the rapid response from their spies.
Battle¶
The Grennerian army sent three regiments of unknown strength up the mountain days before the battle began to prepare a defensive trench network and supply line, and be prepared to send reinforcements as needed, while the Corstaean army sent an unknown number of forces to the mountain.
While any precise numbers are unknown from both sides, it is known that the Grennerians were outnumbered, and the Corstaeans were unprepared for the battle, expecting no resistance so early.
The battle commenced at approximately 10:00 with the Corstaean army taking heavy casualties in the surprise before setting up their own defensive line through the first night, which then turned the battle into one of attrition with a Corstaean advantage.
The Iron Wings regiment joined the battle at approximately 16:00 on the final day of battle and took the Corstaeans off guard by utilizing a sacrificial detachment as a distraction to successfully attack undetected from behind enemy lines.
Aftermath¶
The battle ultimately saw the all Corstaean forces wiped out, and was considered by the Grennerian government to be a decisive and absolute victory, despite nearly all of the Grennerian forces also being lost in the battle. Numbers are unknown from both sides due to the Corstaean government of the time destroying records, and the Grennerian government suppressing and embellishing information for the sake of propaganda.
Grennerian propaganda hugely pushed the importance of the Iron Wings regiment in the battle, painting them as national heroes worthy of honors. It was the last known usage of horse cavalry in a large scale battle by any nation, which contributed to the story of the Iron Wings making international news and becoming famous around the world.
Exactly one year after the battle, a statue of the regiment commander who died in the battle, Mili Denisovich Serov, was erected in Roslaya near the road used by the army to reach the battle, depicting him with feathered wings on his own back in place of the decorative metal wings carried by the horses of the unit in remembrance of him. It has been a constant target for vandalism since its construction, mainly by spirits and those who believe the story of him dying in battle to be a fabrication.