Battle of Omsk

Battle of Omsk
Date	May 19th, 1980 - June 12th 1980
Location	Omsk, Russian Republic
Result	Decisive Chinese Victory

The Battle of Omsk was the first operation in the second invasion of the Russian Republic as mostly carried out by the Chinese forces. The battle itself ran between May 19th 1980 and June 12th, 1980 when Republican forced eventually surrendered the city and retreated west. The battle relied on a sudden and rapid surge of troops into the region after weeks of Chinese and Siberian skirmishes against Russian forces to disorient Republican command and strip them of positions or assets.

The Chinese push west used concentrated armor to spear-head the drive west. Anticipating the same level of organization out of the Republicans that the Chinese experienced in the first invasion. However with the Republican command weakened with the earlier arrest and assassination of Dimitriov the competency and equipment was not there to mount a manageable defense and the Russian forces were quick to withdraw into the city itself and then abandon it.

Background

The city of Omsk had been where the combined Chinese and Siberian forces were first stalled in their first invasion. In this first campaign the Republican forces had shown more resolve on account of nationalism raised by their president Dimitriov than from earlier post-Tzarist pseudo-leaders in the Russian far-east. In this effect the Chinese and Siberian forces were threatening to route and attempts to outmaneuver the Russians were defeated in the field short of the city. When Dimitriov threatened to gas China with supposed supplies of VX the Republic was forced to the table by international demand, where their president was arrested by the Chinese as per the peace agreement.

Commanded by Huei Wen there was little intention to be caught off-guard again as last time. Preparations for the invasion as a whole and even the invasion of the west was planned out over several years of reconnaissance work against the Russians, as well as to give time to Siberia to address its internal strife, including threats for the entire state to collapse and the Turkic state of Sakha to become independent of Communist rule.

Huei Wen and the Manchurian People's Army were appointed the head of command of Chinese forces in 1978 by Beijing, citing numerous discontents with the previous field Marshal's - Ho Shao - ability to carry out orders in Russia and for China's sloppy defeat in Russia. Huei Wen requested and ordered considerable recon and espionage over the Republic and utilized the library of photographic information captured over Russia by early GHH models during the initial VX scare to identify and target key installations. The goal and mission of Huei Wen being to destabilize and weaken the Russian effort by controlling the Russian country-side and various key non-urban functions so as to create isolated pockets of improperly supported Russian units to mop up.

For the initial phase to work, Huei Wen recognized the due importance of capturing Omsk early to establish a front in Russia. To support the attack, he ordered an independent regiment to follow through operations in the Russian far-north to locate and capture "Site 62-69", an unknown ex-prison complex which had been identified as being turned into a military base in the Russian far-north. By capturing this, Huei Wen cut over the Russian ability to out-flank the Chinese from the north.

Battle

Communist forces formally engaged Republican forces at the village of Kalachinsk east of Omsk on May 19th. Swarmed by Chinese armor and Russian forces the small Republican defense was easily defeated and the small town quickly converted into a forward operating position. Chinese heavy guns were deployed to outside the village to bombard Omsk. After a day of wait the Chinese re-mobilized for Omsk on May 20th.

Chinese armored columns entered the city and created a breach for the infantry to enter the city the following day.

Chinese armored and mechanized divisions quickly sought to divide the city up to isolate and eliminate enemy targets within. The Republican forces were inevitably forced across the Irtysh river.

The assault lingered for several days after before the city broke down and the Republican army fled west giving up the city to the Chinese. Chinese bombing runs had disabled and destroyed the rail and air links into town. Though the Chinese in the end tried to take the remains of the Omsk airport Russian artillery destroyed the rest of the infrastructure and destroyed the runway.