| Humel Barracks Raid | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Dirty War | |||||||
 Location of the raid, in eastern Humel, Alkavon. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 PRA (Humel Brigade)
|
 Imperial Army (Humel Garrison)
| ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1 brigade (8 ASU's - 64 men; 4 ASU's in reserve) | 1 battalion (700 men) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 10 dead 14 injured |
83 dead 110 injured | ||||||
The Humel Barracks Raid was an attack on the Humel Imperial Barracks in Humel, Alkavon by the People's Revolutionary Army. It was highly significant in that it was the first major attack by anti-Imperial forces since the end of the First Narik War three years previous. 64 Imperial soldiers were killed, including 24 civilians working for the Imperial Army. 10 PRA volunteers were killed in the attack, and 1 unaffiliated civilian also died. The attack was the biggest success against the Imperial Army in a single operation during the Dirty War.
The raid[]
The attack was sudden: 8 active service units, comprising of 64 men, emerged from the countryside and immediately ambushed the barracks, killing the guards and blasting their way in using high explosives. At least 20 soldiers were killed in their beds, and 32 Imperial soldiers died within the first 45 seconds, as the volunteers went from room to room, slaughtering any Narik who they came across. After nearly 45 seconds of massacre, the Imperial soldiers returned fire, and a gunfight broke out through the corridors. The 80 volunteers swarmed in, giving the unprepared Imperial soldiers little chance to defend themselves adequately. After 3 minutes, the PRA continued their massacre, moving into the officers mess hall, killing 8, before shooting dead 11 soldiers in the gym.
Within 5 minutes, the PRA fled, with only 4 of their number dead. However, while fleeing the barracks, they were cut off by Imperial reinforcements, who cut down 6 PRA in the ensuing firefight, which also claimed the lives of a further 2 Imperial troops. The remaining 60 or so volunteers escaped into the hills, with cries of "Our Day Will Come". The automatic weapons, along with the highly powerful explosive used by the PRA resulted in shockingly high casualties for the totally unprepared Imperial troops, most of whom were killed when unarmed. 25 civilians: 4 cooks, 14 civilian administrators, 4 civilian engineers, and a local caught in the crossfire, were also killed in the raid.
Reaction[]
The attack sparked anti-Imperial riots in Red Stad and surrounding towns, as people called for an end to Narik rule. The attack was a deep concern for the Narik government, as it proved that not only were the PRA far from undefeated, but that the mainland was far from being stable. It also showed the deep unpopularity of the Imperial rule on the mainland, and showed just how close the country was to again exploding into bloody warfare.