Battle of Kaizaruka
| Battle of Kaizaruka (Mirselec Kaizaruka ta Kakobe) | |
| Fourth Global War | |
| Date | 29 September 1944 - 1 October 1944 |
| Location | Southern Sea of Aiza, near Kaizaruka Rocks |
| Result | Decisive Risevan Victory |
| Combatants | |
| Risevne | Barise, Kavena |
| Commanders | |
| Auseri Sosten, Berin Agamerk | Jarn Masun, Erian Hars |
| Strength | |
| 3 battleships, 5 fleet carriers, 8 cruisers, 25 destroyers, 11 submarines, 38 support vessels |
4 battleships, 6 fleet carriers, 5 light carriers, 11 cruisers, 26 destroyers, 14 submarines, 66 support and landing vessels in convoy |
| Casualties | |
| 1 cruiser, 3 destroyers, 1 submarine sunk, 53 planes lost | 1 battleship, 3 fleet carriers, 4 light carriers, 6 cruisers, 13 destroyers, nearly 60 support vessels sunk |
| Notes: {{{notes}}} | |
The Battle of Kaizaruka, known in Mirselec as Kaizaruka ta Matnaira or the Great Victory of Kaizaruka, was a major naval battle fought in the Sea of Aiza between the navies of Risevne, Barise and Kavena. The battle resulted in a decisive victory for the Risevan Royal Navy, whose forces sunk 3 heavy carriers and crippled another two without suffering major damage to their capital units; at the same time a huge convoy of nearly 60 ships, meant to supply and reinforce the invasion forces on Garmagos Island to the southeast, also came to grief after being viciously attacked from the air and sea.
Background
The Battle
29 September
30 September
It was on 30 September that the first serious attacks were launched on both sides, which were now around 216 marine miles from each other; as the morning briefing for the day ended at 0825, Admiral Agamerk sent a message by wireless to the entire fleet, as well as to all the carrier pilots, which read: Now is the time to do your utmost; your King, your Nation and your People expect nothing less of you.
1 October
Aftermath
Just 40 minutes after the last sortie from KV Ainzera had landed and the battle was considered over, Admiral Sosten debriefed his staff officers onboard his flagship; during this brief he made a rejoinder to his colleague's exhortation at the critical stage of the battle the day before, saying "Our battle has ended in victory, and you have done well. Shame be upon anyone who belittles in any way the worthy men who joined this battle." This message was later broadcast to the pilots in the respective carriers.
The immediate results of this defeat, in any case, were at once clear; with both the Kavenain and Barisem fleets so badly damaged, the armies of the two countries fighting against Risevan forces on Garmagos Island would be trapped and cut off from either resupply or reinforcement, while the Risevan navy could finally move in to play the role of supporting the defenders with devastating effect. The very next day after the battle carriers began flying attacks on enemy positions all along the landing beaches, and two days after the battleships moved in to bombard the attackers in the same way they had bombarded the beach before their own assault. The victory at Kaizaruka made victory on the island much more certain.
In the long term the numerical superiority of the two navies, which had kept the Risevan forces at bay for so long trying to find a decisive encounter, was badly dented if not destroyed. Against 11 Risevan fleet carriers the navies of Barise and Kavena used to muster 25; now they could put together 19, of which 5 were crippled. Most grievous though was the loss of hundreds of experienced aircrew on board the lost carriers as well as the surviving ones - 412 planes were lost, many with the loss of their well-trained pilots.
