Sudmoll Island Conflicts

The Sudmoll Island Conflicts is a collective name for numerous border clashes between the Stenzan People's Collective and Burgundie over the island of Sudmoll, which lies just off Stenza's coast. Although the conflicts never escalated to a full-scale war, tensions have been frequent and high around Sudmoll throughout recent history, with naval forces of both sides coming close to armed or even engaging in confrontation multiple times.

Fishery disputes (1922-1934)
One of the first issues the Stenzan People's Collective faced after its independence from Corumm during the Stenzan Civil War was defending its borders from possible foreign intervention. The new country's opinion was that Sudmoll was occupied Stenzan land, and as such should end up under Stenzan control eventually. These claims were officially declared in 1924, after which Stenzan fishermen started to disregard any claim of Burgundian territorial waters around Sudmoll. Although diplomatic complaints soon arrived from Burgundie, it was not until 1928 that the Burgundians from Sudmoll replied with any sort of force. This was when Stenzan and Burgundian fishermen started fighting over fishing spots around Sudmoll. The situation remained relatively peaceful bar a handful of incidents between fishermen over the coming years, with both sides frequently objecting the presence of each other's fishermen in 'their' territorial waters.

First clashes (1934-1951)
Tensions rose in 1934. While the Great War was kicking off and devastating other parts of the world, Stenza was neutral and had finally accumulated enough naval power to take a stance on the Sudmoll affair. After being sufficiently pressured by the fishing industry, the Stenzan Navy's 2nd Squadron, which at the time consisted of four destroyers and a light cruiser, set out to Sudmoll with a marine division in tow on December 13th, 1934. This force, which intended to take Sudmoll and absorb it into the collective, was initially successful in its mission. Only token Burgundian resistance was met, with only a Chiondi class Aviso standing in the way of the Stenzan naval force. The Aviso was sunk during a brief naval battle, after which the Stenzan fleet steamed ahead with the intention of landing the marines.

The invasion would have meant Stenza's entry into the Great War if it were not for the alarming warning from within the Party that taking Sudmoll might mean facing the wrath of not just Burgundie, but also its allies. Stenzan military leadership was promptly ordered to cancel the assault, and the fleet returned home with Sudmoll in sight. This brief state of conflict set the stage for future clashes to follow.

Stenzan forces laid low for the rest of the Great War out of fear for LOTA retaliation, with the closest calls being Stenzan aircraft buzzing Burgundian and other LOTA naval vessels while the Stenzan Navy protected Stenzan fishermen in international waters. Stenzan forces became slightly more aggressive again after the Great War, with Stenzan Navy ships poking territorial waters around Sudmoll and sometimes trying to protect fishermen fishing in Burgundian waters. Most of these attempts did not return in violence however, seeing the arrival of Burgundian forces would mean a retreat of the Stenzans during these confrontations. This situation would persist until the early 1950s.

Continued clashes (1951-1983)
more lore on low intensity poking and stuff

1984 Sudmoll Conflict
almost war

After the conflict (1984-2022)
quieting down

Current day (2022-Present)
The fall of the Stenzan People's Collective and the rise of the Republic of Stenza meant a formal peace agreement between Stenza and Burgundie that outlined the immediate cessation of any remaining hostilities and opening of diplomatic ties between both nations. Going forward, those from Stenza and Sudmoll would be able to travel freely between both territories while trade was encouraged. The availability of Stenzan commodities lowered the cost of living in Sudmoll, which no longer had to rely on nations further away for trade.