**Official Statement**

I have received reports that the campaign is nearing its end as Doge Gerry and his 8,000 men from Ulster are surrounded in Hålogaland thanks to the advance of the Swedish, Mamluk, and Finnish armies. This news brings great jubilation to the crowds throughout Neovarissian Sweden who celebrate that the nightmare of Ulster's advance may finally come to an end after all the bloodshed they have wrought upon our sovereign land. 

However, the Crown emphasizes that we cannot falter until the forces of Ulster are destroyed and Doge Gerry himself is dead or in custody. Thus, we urge the armies our combined armies to land the killing blow and end his reign of terror once and for all.

**The Battle**

Swedish forces numbered around 8,700 men after leaving others to garrison Norway. This force is composed of around 6,500 Infantry organized into 5 brigades of 1,300 men each and 2,167 horsemen who are a mix of Dragoons, Cuirassiers, and Arquebusiers. 

This is supplemented by 2,465 men of the Mamluks, most of whom are themselves Mamluk soldiers while a small contingent of Bedouins have joined.

This puts the total number of Anti-Gerry Coalition forces to 11,165. We hold both numerical and technological superiority over Gerry thanks to our muskets and pistols.

The battle began with a short artillery bombardment to weaken Gerry's lines, with a light 3 pounder gun brought with each brigade to increase firepower.  

This led to an immediate charge aimed at attacking our cavalry. Öfwerste Befälhafware af Hären Psargrímr was initially caught off guard by this vigorous charge by an outnumbered, poorly supplied, and attrition ridden army. Luckily, between each cavalry company was a small contingent of Infantry, which used their muskets to slow the Ulster advance, before the cavalry charged, firing their pistols at close range before entering the melee.

Due to the heavy armor of the Ulster infantry, the swords of the cavalry were ineffective, and they thus sustained casualties among the lighter cavalry. However, they only needed to buy time for the infantry to reload, as when they had finished, the cavalry pulled back. The infantry then let roar a deafening salvo at near point blank range against the Irish infantry who pulled back for now.

On the left flank, the Mamluks responded to their charge with a volley from their horse archers who aimed to gradually wear down the Irish charge. once the Ulster men were close enough to the Mamluk front lines, their heavy cavalry charged forth. The clash of steel between the two was more effective due to the Mamluks' armor. The combined assault of arrow fire and heavy cavalry gradually wore down the Galloglass.

Lastly, the center lines held firm, with each brigade only firing once they saw the whites in the enemy's eyes. Thanks to effective drilling in countermarching, they were able to unleash a steady stream of volleys against the Galloglass charging them. This softened the charging infantry but did not stop them, as a melee ensued between pike, sword, axe, and even muskets as clubs.

(I'll end here, if you guys want to add to the battle in any way go ahead, if not I'll just make a post on how it ends).

**Naval Campaign**

With the fleet arriving at Kattegat, we confronted the medieval galley fleet of Ulster. Their ships were intended to fight naval battles the way they were fought in the medieval era, by ramming into the sides of ships, while peppering them with missiles. This made them large with a great degree of control thanks to the oars. However, they lacked any form of gunpowder weaponry, leaving them vulnerable.

Our fleet are composed entirely of sailing ships as they are much more useful for travelling through the harsh conditions of the Baltic, especially in the East. While they lack the maneuverability of galleys, they have far more space for supplies and space for a large number of canon.

It is due to this that the risky decision was made to anchor down and create a wall of ships. Normally, this is suicide in medieval naval warfare, of which the Ulster fleet is versed in. However, our intention of doing so was to lure them into charging our broadsides, as once they were close enough, we began to fire our canons.

The barrage was desperate, with each canon being reloaded as quickly as possible as each cannoneer knew failing to fire enough could be the death of them. This tactic was successful, as the constant stream of canon fire caused many ships to slow as they became more and more damaged. Those who did not eventually sank due to the damage.

Unfortunately, it did not all go perfectly as many of the ships who closed in were able to loose arrows, bolts, and rocks from mangonels which killed a number of sailors, marines, officers, and even 2 captains. The biggest loss however, were two Danzig ships as they were not properly built for war and were hastily converted. They did not have naval canons but land canons, which made them slower to reload on a cramped ship. This slower rate of fire was enough to allow a galley to crash into and sink them. Luckily two other ships turned and fired down on the galley which sank two of their own, finally sinking it.

After several hours of this cycle, the Irish fleet fled, leaving the Gulf of Kattegat open and allowing for naval travel between Albion and the Baltic.

Battle of Hålogaland