Sudmoll Island Conflicts

Sudmoll Island Conflicts
Date 1934-2022 Location Polynesian Sea Result Stalemate Mutual agreement to cease hosilities Start of diplomatic relations between Tierrador and Burgundie. Open travel and trade between Sudmoll and Teschego.
Belligerents
Tierrador	Burgundie
Commanders and leaders
Various	Various.
Strength
TDF Peratra Command Teschego State Patrol Tapkoii State Patrol Organization mostly depended on the time period, however it fully included: 5th Fleet 7th Fleet 6th Destroyer Squadron 10th (Reserve) Fleet 11th Submarine Squadron	Revenue Guard Okatian Sea Station Sudmoll 3rd Cutter Pod 5th Cutter Pod 2ns Life Saving Squadron Revenue Guard Tainean Sea Station, Port de Vent 7th Cutter Pod Navy of Burgundie Sudmoll Flotilla 18th Aviso Division 4th Aviso Divison 37th Destroyer Squadron Army of Burgundie Sudmoll Garrison 9th Coastal Artillery Battery 7th Coastal Defense Regiment Sudmoll Defense Auxillary Force Burgoignesc Foreign Legion Umardi Askari
Casualties and losses
1 Frigate 1 Destroyer 2 Aircraft	2 Aviso's 2 Frigates 2 Aircraft 4 fishing trawlers

The Sudmoll Island Conflicts is a collective name for numerous border clashes between Tierrador and Burgundie in Polynesia, which lies in between the Tierradorian overseas Commonwealths of Teschego and the Saukhin Islands. Although the conflicts never escalated to a full-scale war, tensions have been frequent and high mainly around the island of 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 that both Teschego and the Saukhins faced after its incorporation into modern Tierradorian politics was defending its borders from possible foreign intervention. The new country's opinion was that Sudmoll was occupied Tierradorian land, and as such should end up under the Teklan's control eventually. These claims were officially declared in 1924, after which Tierradorian fishermen started to disregard any claim of Burgoignesc territorial waters around Sudmoll. Although diplomatic complaints soon arrived from Burgundie, it was not until 1928 that the Burgoignesc from Sudmoll replied with any sort of force. This was when Tierradorian and Burgoignesc fishermen began 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 Second Great War was kicking off and devastating other parts of the world, Tierrador remained neutral, while finally accumulating enough naval power to take a stance on the Sudmoll affair. After being sufficiently pressured by the fishing industry, the Tierrador 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 Burgoignesc resistance was met, with only a Chiondi class Aviso standing in the way of the Tierradorian naval force. The Aviso was sunk during a brief naval battle, after which the Tierradorian fleet steamed ahead with the intention of landing the marines.

The invasion would have meant Tierrador's entry into the Great War, and while the Teklan was confident in their ability to take on Burgundie's navy, there also was the possibility of dragging in their allies, which included the likes of Urcea, Alstin, Arcerion, and Cartadania. Eventually, Tierradorian 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.

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

Continued clashes (1951-1983)

Starting in 1951, the Tierradorian approach to the Sudmoll affair became more aggressive, with frequent Tierradorian military incursions into Sudmoll's territorial waters and airspace to emphasize the Teklan's belief that the island is theirs. This, in response, led to a buildup of Burgoignesc forces on the island, with Tierradorian aircraft being intercepted and escorted home by Burgoignesc fighters, and Tierradorian ships being met by their Burgoignesc peers to be guided out of Sudmoll's waters. These incidents became a sort of routine for both nations, with incursions happening as often as weekly. While the bulk of these incidents were resolved peacefully, it was not uncommon for either side to not back up until warning shots were fired or the risk of violence became imminent.

The naval altercations during these years led to quite a bit of damage on both sides, with naval collisions being quite common when both sides were adamant about their courses and unwilling to change course. Jury rigged solutions to these incidents became common during the 1960s and 1970s, with Tierradorian warships operating near Sudmoll being seen having strengthened bows and other means of structural reinforcement. Smaller, faster craft were known to dart in from of larger enemy ships, dragging heavy lines that would foul the propellers and render the ships useless, having to be towed back to their respective ports. The frequency of these incidents also meant a near-continuous stream of diplomatic protests, with both sides spending a lot of time in various international courts trying to gain compensation for the damage caused.

The incidents during these years were not only military in nature, however, with the fishery disputes continuing throughout the decades. Tierradorian and Burgoignesc fishermen were commonly seen fighting overfishing spots in international waters, with both nation's naval forces and Coast Guards being busy dealing with maritime law enforcement in the area.

Operation Kipling

Main article: Operation Kipling

From 1966-1983 Burgundie and its allies (namely Urcea) were fighting a series of anti-communist civil wars in Audonia and Alshar that later became collectively known as Operation Kipling. There was genuine fear that this would spill over into the Okatian Sea, which neither Tierrador or Burgundie could afford. The era was characterized by a massive build-up of Burgoignesc intelligence units in Sudmoll, tasked to discover the extent of the Tierradorian nuclear weapons program and its manufacturing capabilities. On a number of occasions Burgoignesc spies were caught in Tierrador and pushed the Teklan to increase their isolationist policies. As a reaction, Tierrador counterintelligence operations became commonplace in Sudmoll, along with some activity occurring in Equatorial Ostiecia.

On the high seas, every interaction was regarded as a potential igniter for a full-scale war between the two nations. It was later estimated that 1 in 5 ships operating in and around Sudmoll in the 1970s was an electronic listening ship from either side of the conflict. Damage to ships was limited to collisions and fouling and both sides were sure to steer clear of arming or firing weapons in a way that was unmistakenly provocative. Not to say that live fire didn't occur, it was just most often nowhere near the opponent's vessel. In the air things were not as intense. The flyers of the Tierrador Air Force were fairly cavalier and conducted flyovers of Sudmoll's airspace and would buzz Burgoignesc ships. This came to a head in 1967 after Burgundie had installed a complex new radar-activated anti-aircraft defense system. The system had only been activated a week when a Tierradorian bomber did a flyover along a common flight path. While technically a violation of Sudmoll's airspace, the flight path was known by all parties and was considered an allowable risk. The radar-activated system picked up the bomber and launched two missiles. The bomber crew was stunned and activated their flares a little too late, only deterring one of the missiles. The second missile hit and downed the bomber. Tierrador protested citing past precedent and not being informed of the new triggers for engagement. The world court sided with Burgundie as it was a textbook violation of their airspace and cited that adversarial nations do not, and should not, disclose defensive systems parameters.

Despite the ongoing straining of bilateral relations between Tierrador and Burgundie, Tierrador eventually entered Operation Kipling on the side of Burgundie in 1972, deploying 6,000 troops to Umardwal. This move largely had to do with Tierrador's continued influence on former Burgoignesc colonies in Audonia, as they wished to protect their own national interests in the region. That same year, the TDF established two regional commands, the TDF Peratra Command in September 1972, and the TDF Umardwal/Tapakdore Command in November. However, despite the cooperations in those areas, the conflicts in the Okatian Sea continued. In 1973, another aerial catastrophe occurred. In a series of escalating shows of strength both navies called in air support. As the seas and clouds became more and more congested with ships and planes, a pair of Tierradorian and Burgoignesc fighters collided mid-air killing both pilots immediately. Commanders on both sides immediately recognized the danger and ordered their subordinates to stand down. A diplomatic effort was made and both sides agreed to hold the other blameless.

Okatian Maritime Retrofit Program

A patron 68 Gardefangearitome OMReP, air-filled fender

Due to the increasing frequency of marine interception carried out by both sides and the escalation of collisions, minor ramming, and propeller fouling, in the late 50s and early 60s, individual ship captains of the Navy of Burgundie and the Revenue Guard started to jury-rig protective materials onto the gunwales of their ships and boats. In 1964, the Navy instituted the Okatian Maritime Retrofit Program (OMReP). OMReP was as much about research and development as it was about damage mitigation. The Program evaluated hundreds of ideas between 1964 and 1972 on how to reduce damage from ship-to-ship collisions and anti-fouling technology. In 1968 they recommended the construction of enormous air-filled fenders to be thrown over in the event of an imminent collision. When the Stenzan maritime forces started to reinforce their prows and crush the air-filled fenders, the OMReP experimented with water-filled fenders. They were successful but incredibly heavy and reduced maneuverability, making the ships even more dangerous to operate. In the early 70s the program returned to the air-filled solution but went to a rapid inflating blister design that could expand to an even larger size than was previously possible with the rigid design of the previous decade. Minor design improvements have been made since the Patron 74 Gardefange Maritime OMReP, but the system of rapidly expanding blisters remains functionally the same in modern retrofits for Burgoignesc service in the Okatian Sea.

1984 Sudmoll Conflict

July 27th, 1984 marked a flare-up in the Sudmoll. A routine incident between a Tierradorian destroyer and a Burgoignesc Frigate escalated when the Tierradorian ship fired its torpedoes at short range, devastating the Burgoignesc warship before it could mount a response. The act of aggression turned out to be part of a larger plan, for a larger Tierradorian naval force moved in to clear the way for a mounting amphibious force. Throughout the day, Tierradorian and Burgoignesc naval and air forces exchanged fire with low intensity, climaxing in a Tierradorian air raid on Burgoignesc naval facilities on Sudmoll.

The day ended with multiple aircraft and ships destroyed on both side, with the defending forces losing two Frigates an an Aviso while the Tierradorians lost a Frigate and a Destroyer. Tensions were rising swiftly, with both sides preparing for a full scale conflict. The threat of a larger Burgoignesc reaction over the small island was enough to scare the Tierradorians, and conflict was avoided through swift diplomatic action. Walakee officials and the Burgoignesc met throughout the night, with both parties eventually agreeing to return to the status quo as a better solution to all out conflict.

After the conflict (1984-2003)

The Walakee State fell in 1989 after the Ten Cities' Uprising, and the current edition of the Woqalate had been reinstated in power. Immediately following that, Tierradorian forces had reduced their attempted takeovers of Sudmoll, owing to a complete overhaul of the country's foreign policy and overall national strategy. As a result of this, the waters around Sudmoll gradually became more peaceful minus a few "get-back" incidents by Burgoignesc fishermen in the waters surrounding Teschego and the Saukhins.

The Salmon Wars were a group of small maritime conflicts that indirectly stemmed from the Sudmoll conflicts, where Burgoignesc trawlers and fishing vessels deliberately violated Tierradorian waters in and around the country's mainland. The Tierradorian responses to the violations were more aggressive than that of the Sudmoll conflicts, though it never escalated into all-out conflict.

Task Group Clearwater

Task Group Clearwater (TG Clearwater) was formed in 2026 to demine the high traffic waterways between Teschego, Sudmoll, and the Saukhin Islands, which had been heavily mined during the Sudmoll island conflicts. Per the Clearwater Treaty of Maritime Cooperation signed by Tierrador and Burgundie in 2025, it stipulates that a dedicated, joint mine countermeasure naval unit will be created and each navy must dedicate at least one mine warfare ship to the unit at any given time. The unit is to be subordinate to a joint command by the Tierrador Navy and the Navy of Burgundie. It is further stipulated that the naval unit will be allowed safe harbor, refueling, and light repairs at any naval base in either country. It is lastly confirmed that the naval unit will actively, thoroughly, safely, and expeditiously engage in mine warfare in any waters mined by either party with the express purpose of engaging and damaging the other party. This allows for either nation to maintain maritime minefields with the purpose of general, national defense.

The task group currently consists of:

Ship	Picture	Navy of Origin	Role/Type	Notes
VNB Seeker		Navy of Burgundie	Minehunter	N/A
WNV Maté Kolazar		Tierrador	Frigate	N/A
WNV Xašoi		Tierrador	Frigate	N/A