Cronan Theatre of the Second Great War

The Cronan Theatre of the Second Great War was one of the secondary theatres of combat during the Second Great War. It saw continued fighting of varying intensity across the Southern portion of the continent as well as smaller island raiding actions in the Polynesian Sea, Sea of Orixtal, and Okatian Sea. The war in Crona started later than the outbreak of hostilities in Sarpedon and Levantia, due to the delayed entry of The Cape into the conflict. Despite continued engagements and conflicts elsewhere, the Second Great War in Crona ended with the joint Arco-Capetian Armistice of 1943, also known as the Songun Declaration, which ended open hostilities between the two nations. Arcerion and Burgundie fought The Cape in several major land engagements along the Capetian Peninsula, as well as significant naval actions throughout the Songun Sea.

Prelude to War
Prior to the war, Arcerion had just concluded several years of direct combat operations against Ardmore, during which its Armed Forces were unsuccessful in their attempt to uphold the Ardmori Royal Family and prevent the Kingdom of Ardmore from collapsing. As part of the withdraw, Arcerion helped resettle thousands of Ardmori citizens and was undergoing a significant economic and cultural post-war boom from both the Ardmori intelligentsia that had emigrated, as well as the significant investments from wealthy Ardmori businesspeople who fled the new communist regiment of the Ardmori Cooperative.

By 1934, Arcerion was a modern, industrial state with a strong, diversified economy and was considered to be one of the fastest growing nations in Crona. By this time, The Cape had a newly formed socialist government, and there was no normalized diplomatic relationship between Kurst and Cape Town. The Cape's new government was seeking to engage with larger economies to help export raw natural resources and finished goods to help boost its flailing economy that was struggling to compete with its northern Neighbor, Paulastra, and was becoming increasingly threatened by the Arcer economy, which was set to collapse most native industry in The Cape by the mid-1940s due to its pro-business and free market policies. On New Year's Day the Cape prepared a delegation to travel to the now wartime capital of Caphiria, Venceia.

Caphirian Affair
The Capetian delegation depart by seaplane in April of 1935, arriving in Caphiria two weeks later after engine trouble forced them to remain in Pelaxia for several days for engine repairs. Upon arriving, the delegation offered to enter into an alliance with Caphiria, from which Caphiria would be free to use Capetian bases and also stage troops in the South of Crona. Strategically, the Cape allows Caphiria to place significant pressure on St. Brendan's Strait, effectively jeopardizing the Western approaches to the Odoneru Ocean and preventing Urcea from receiving a significant amount of trade. In return, the Capetians would receive a significant amount of industrial planners and civil engineers from Caphiria to help mold their economy along socialist lines with expertise provided from their new Sarpedonian allies. Concurrent to this, Caphiria would send several battalions of troops to help train the Capetian Armed Forces, which were now in their infancy as a professional fighting force, still relying heavily on conscripts and draftees. Caphiria also agreed, that in return for raw materials to assist its war effort, that it would send the Cape enough weapons and technical experts to both equip several divisions as well as begin local, licensed weapons manufacturing, with the eventual hope it would be able to resell these to the Caphirians to support their own war effort.

Urcean intelligence services however had both intercepted telegrams and letters from the Capetian delegation after their arrival in Venceia, but they had also been able to spy on the Capetians during their brief stop in Pelaxia, learning of these plans, transmitting them back to Urceopolis. Significantly concerned that this would not only widen the scope of the war, but also severely impact the Western Odoneru, the Urcean Consul in Arcerion provided an intelligence docket to the Arcer Prime Minister, informing him of both Caphirian and Capetian schemes to destabilize Crona. Fresh from their loss in the Ardmori Civil War, the Confederate Parliament was hesitant to get involved in what was quickly becoming a world war of industrial scale, and quietly sent the Foreign Secretary to Cape Town to personally deliver a letter of protest over the matter, informing the Cape that any actions that were taken in this manner would be considered a direct threat to the economic sovereignty of Arcerion.

Little happened in the months following diplomatically, but Cahpiria and The Cape secretly signed agreements and moved ahead with their plan. Caphirian soldiers appeared in June of 1934, and began training the Capetian defence forces, with weapons and equipment as available flowing in through Eastern Ports. Its lack of a national intelligence service meant that Arcerion's access to information that indicated the Cape was arming itself and that Caphiria was already staging the submarine tenders and building the facilities necessary to support commerce raiding ships came only sporadically from the Urcean Defense Attache in the New Archduchy. By the summer of 1935 however, it was becoming explicitly clear that The Cape's military was burgeoning and Caphirian ships had already made several port calls into the Eastern parts of The Cape, ferrying advisors, equipment, and intelligence. On 14 November 1935, a Caphirian submarine that was based out of the newly constructed submarine pens in the Eastern Capetian Peninsula sighted what it assessed as a cargo freighter bound Eastward for Levantia. Based on radio communications that Caphiria had intercepted from the vessel, it was able to ascertain it was indeed an Arcer-flagged vessel, although it was confirmed to be carrying both steel products such as road wheels for tanks, as well as some chemical compounds required to manufacture ammunition. It torpedoed the vessel, the SS Finch, which was lost with all hands and sunk quickly due to its explosive and heavy cargo. Arcerion did not learn of its sinking until two weeks later when the company lodged a formal protest after sailors from a Burgoignesc vessel chartered out of Equatorial Ostiecia found flotsam belonging to the Finch. Enraged, the Arcer government summoned the Caphirian Consul in the New Archduchy to answer for the ship's sinking and the loss of two dozen crew. The Arcer government acknowledged it was carrying weapons and other materiel required for the Levantian war effort, but it reminded Caphiria that Arcerion was both neutral and the ship was privately owned and operated. Embattled, the Caphirian Consul conedd it was unfortunate but that the vessel was a legitimate military target. Arceiron expelled the Consul via rail, however his expulsion was leaked in the Kinnaird Financial Times, and he required escort from members of the Royal Arcerion Constabulary to avoid being assailed on his exit. The Arcer government also sent telegrams and diplomatic letters to the Capetian government, who were now emboldened with several divisions and a fledgling armed forces, which rebuked the claims as 'Capitalist Slander,' insisting Arcerion had made itself a combatant by supporting Urcea and its allies.

Arcerion, believing that Caphiria was biding its time until it could finally close off the Songun Straits and use The Cape as its Cronan base of operations, sent a telegram to the Urcean Defense Attache in the New Archduchy, requesting a diplomatic presence in Arcerion with requisite defense officials to begin secret plans for "joint defense of economic and sovereign interests."

Early War (1935-1938)
The early phases of the war little resembled the violent clashes of armies between Levantia and Sarpedon. Arcerion submitted a formal declaration to The Cape on Christmas Day, 1935 that the two countries were now to be diplomatically disconnected and Arcerion considered there to be an open state of hostilities between The Cape and Arcerion due to the Caphirian Affair and insistence of Capetian leadership on hosting Caphirian soldiers, sailors, and air crew.

Arcer Response
The Confederate Parliament was initially hesitant to be dragged into another war not even half a decade after the first. Hawkish Members of Parliament who called for entering the war on the side of Urcea and Burgundie were often shouted down, reminded of the ills of war and told that Crona was thus far untouched by the horrors of the conflict. But after the Caphirian Affair and the sinking of the SS Finch, public opinion shifted wildly against Caphiria and its allies, specifically new communist Capetian government officials. Arcerion's long held grudge against the Cape for its control of the Songun Straits meant that it now had reasonable casus belli to fight its Southern neighbour.

Preparations for the war began immediately. Little concerned about Northern neighbours such as Kelekona and Tiechaxha, Arcer forces moved to the southern governorate of Moorden, and began training heavily for coastal defense against what could be a possible invasion. The Arcer Air Force and Nava Service began shifting major assets to Chester-on-Moore and the Southern coastline of the nation, protecting its access to the Songun. Of note was the Royal Arcerion Submarine Service, which began patrolling and foraying further into the Songun Sea conducting reconnaisance, intelligence gathering, and infiltration of Capetian waters in preparation for a larger campaign.

Arcerion also invited significant staffs of Urcean and Burgoignesc defense attaches, arriving through the New Archduchy and travelling to Kurst across the nation via the National Railway Service. The most important of these were Burgundian officials who helped to coordinate Operation Flyhook, one of the major long-term combat operations against the Capetian Navy, a joint action by Arcer and Burgoignesc ships.

coordinate economics w urc

a few raids and bombing actions

Capetian Response
sad lads

prep begins

caphirian anger that things got messy

cape stuck between 3 fronts for maritime fighting

"The Quiet Front"
1935 is mostly plans

so is front half of 1936

some small naval actions

nothing else major till lightfoot

Leadup to Lightfoot involve UR naval action and amphib island landings in the East Orixtal and Polynesia

Operation Lightfoot
"For the finch" telegram

Mid War (1938-1940)
More fighting in Sarpedon and Crona in 1938. Capetian forces are making gains by this point (?). Faneria reaches its greatest point of advance (?) before newly available R&IA troops and Urcean military as well as improved Fiannrian army jointly push back Fanerians and surround their breakthrough. General fighting everywhere.

lightfoot done by 1938, arco withdrawal from mainland (occupies islands until end war)

1939 1940 commando raids along the coast of the cape to keep them down and out

Late War (1941-1943)
submarine actions and convoy running

continued commando raids (solemia islands, lotoa, escal, coribus)

End of Hostilities and Armistice
full arco withdrawal

prevention of the cape from being major combatant or supporting caphiria

strengthened arco-burg relationship, arco-alstinian relationship, and burg-alstinian relationship

Alstin acquired territorial possessions in the Orixtal, Polynesian, and Cathay

---Existing Lore---

During the Second Great War Acer submarines saw extensive action against The Capetian Navy, operating in the Songun Sea and the Polynesian Sea. This was part of the larger Arcer naval mission to deny the Capetian Navy freedom of navigation and freedom of movement in the Songun sea, as well as conduct sea lane denial and commercial raiding to prevent the Cape from receiving the necessary materials and supplies it required to sustain its own war effort. Arcer submarines achieved the most success, as the Arcer surface fleet and Capetian Navy's capital ships never engaged directly in a major battle, the largest being a few smaller flotilla-sized actions between groups of escort ships that happened to make chance contact. Submarines operated under the umbrella mission of Operation Forefront, however under the command of Rear Admiral Lawrence Arthur Coxley, who was acting as Commander, Submarine Force, the Arcer Subsurface fleet operated under Operation Flyhook, which was the sea lane denial, commerce raiding, and minelaying conducted by the submarine force at this time.

Overall, Arcer submarines achieved great effect, sinking dozens of Capetian, Caphirian, and Corummese-flagged merchantmen, as well as a number of smaller Capetian warships of corvette and frigate-size. Moderate damage was done to Capetian major capital ships, although none were sunk, just forced into shipyards for repairs. During the war, four Arcer submarines were damaged by enemy fire or anti-submarine warfare, and an additional two were lost. His Majesty's Arcer Submarine Superior, was destroyed by enemy surface vessels, likely due to depth charges and being unable to surface in 1951. HMAS Typhoon was lost with all hands during an emergency dive rehearsal as part of crew training in the Malentine Sea, where it sunk to 300 meters and was destroyed. The legacy of the war continues to influence modern Arcer submarine doctrine. An emphasis on torpedo and mine warfare are consistently emphasized as the most important aspects of the Service's capabilities, and while it maintains the ability to launch cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles, these are considered of secondary nature.