Ardmori Civil War
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The Ardmori Civil War, also known as the Liberation War in the Ardmori Cooperative, was a military and civil conflict that lasted four years (1927-1931) in Southern Levantia. Ardmore had undergone a significant period of industrialization and rapid urbanization in the wake of the industrial revolution. Massive social unrest caused by economic disparity and a rigid class system led to a series of open riots and protests against the Royal Family of Ardmore and the resulting crackdowns created a significant split between pacifist factions (Appeasers) and the hardline Royal family members (Loyalists). The conflict would eventually engulf the entirety of Ardmore, with its colonial troops from Arcerion entering the fray on the Loyalist side, and eventually withdrawing after the armistice negotiated by Kiravia.
| Ardmori Civil War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 (Clockwise from top left) members of the Arcerion Parachute Regiment converse before a patrol; International Brigade fighters of the Ardmori Socialist Front conduct an assault; Royal Ardmori Army troops patrol streets during attempts to quell riots and insurrection; Ardmori Socialist troops search a town for Loyalist collaborators. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Colin III | Ros Mac Daibhéid | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| significant | significant | ||||||
Background
Industrialization in Ardmore was mostly centered around rapidly growing urban centres in the South of Ardmore, on the island of Great Ardmore. Due to the vast amount of manufacturing, industrial plants, and refineries that had sprung up as corporations and business capitalized on the amount of cheap labour available on the relatively poor islands, the vast majority of the wealth in Ardmore, as well as the economic progress was centralized in the North, in the Capital City of Rosmore due to the nationalization of many companies and the social and political upper class being disproportionately settled there.
Unions for the betterment of labour conditions and working conditions in the factories and plants in South Ardmore began to take hold, particularly in Dunvál, the largest city in Great Ardmore. Members of the New Worker's Party began to hold open rallies, organized by a prominent pair of shift managers in the city. Ardghar Mac Shuibhne had been educated in Vithinja, as a student of new political theories based on syndicalism policies. Ardghar's contemporary, Ros Mac Daibhéid, was a socialist politician and labour leader who had been ejected from the Ardmori Parliament following a series of political stunts involving bringing child labourers and victims of industrial accidents into the Ardmori House of Commons.
Union Protest
Ardghar and Ros Mac spent most of 1926 speaking publicly in pubs, dance halls, and poor houses across Great Ardmore. The focus on the South Islands was largely due to the lessening Royal presence, as the Royal Army was undergoing a period of austerity and budget cuts, with Regiments withdrawing closer to garrisons and away from the industrial centres. This was combined with a significant amount of corruption amongst the Ardmore Royal Constabulary, the national and federal police and internal security force that protected the Crown's interest. Another major concern was the lack of a try gendarmerie to deal with the subversive activities of Ardghar and Ros Mac, giving them freedom of movement. The largest rally in Kilkken was held at the shift change of three neighbouring factories in the town's Northern District. Over two thousand shift workers, child labourers, and union activists listen to speeches on worker reform, industrial safety improvements, minimum wages, and pensions for long time employees. Ardghar had bribed sympathetic police officers who ensured the rally went unhindered, and over a thousand of the participants signed up for the New Worker's Party, which by the end of 1926 was nearing 10,000 members across Ardmore and was looking to establish other chapters and groups in the Northern Islands.
Despite protests from the educated Ardghar, Ros Mac demanded a political stunt outside of the Royal Palace in Rosmore. Ros Mac was determined to take the fight to both the Parliament and Royal Family, and planned a large protest on the day of the communion of several junior members of the Royal Family. The event was likely to have both King Coilean Ó Canann, as well as Prime Minister Teigue Ó hAinle, with several members of the cabinet and senior Royals. Planned for November 11th, 1926 several hundred protestors boarded vessels from Dunvál, arriving the day before the ceremony in Rosmore, staying in pubs, poor houses, and Salvation Army kitchens overnight before the event.
The Royal family was shocked when several hundred angry protestors descended onto the Rosmore Cathedral, and despite attempts by Ardghar to keep the union members and sympathizers peaceful, violent clashes broke out between police, Royal Guardsmen, and union members. The clash was over quickly, but it prevented the King and members of the Royal Family from entering the Cathedral, and several dozen policemen and union members were seriously injured, and at least two cabinet members were accosted by the crowd before swiftly being rescued by police. The King concluded that what had gone on thus far was unacceptable, and what was seen as a passing political fad was now quickly becoming an insurrection that threatened his hold on the Kingdom. Between Ardghar and Ros Mac, a serious rift emerged as they differed not only over politics and suggested courses of action on how to run the campaign to revolutionize their nation, but also on how to deal with the resulting fallout. Ros Mac, the militant communist who demanded a violent revolution to overthrow the ruling class for the workers saw this clash as the first battle in a war for a New Ardmore. Ardghar however was concerned that their activities would now draw the ire of the Royal Family, Constabulary, and ultimately the Royal Army.
Royal Crackdown and Suppression
Ros Mac's insistence on a show that would attract political and international attention continued to drive a wedge between the leadership within the socialist ranks. This discontent allowed infiltrators from the Constabulary and officers/investigators in plainclothes to begin to subvert efforts by Ros Mac to continue planning and executing strikes and events. The intelligence network that was created allowed for the Constabulary to head off strikes, box in protests, or arrest perpetrators before many of the events began. The slow decline of events thanks to effective policing and intelligence work however did not culimnate with the arrest or killing of any of the senior leadership, many of whom had fled to Vithinja for continued education, military training, and political campaigning for additional support.
By the end of 1926, the uprising had been reclassified by police as a "nuisance" and officers and intelligence officials were reassigned. However, Ros Mac, recently returned from a speaking tour at many prominent Levantine universities and colleges, organized a labour event using different agents, means, and methods to ensure it achieved surprise. Arriving the night of January 4th, they set up picket lines and strike areas to prevent steel workers from getting into their factory, organizing and modelling the event as a union signup initiative, to encourage the factory workers and smiths to join his cause rather than continue to be abused by the upper classes of Ardmori business and government. By midday on the 5th of January, the Constabulary had received a formal complaint from the factory senior management, and embarrassed that they had not effectively ended the dissent, sent over two hundred officers to clear out the disturbance. The resulting clash resulted in the deaths of several dozen Union members and several constables, the event, 'Red Wednesday' becoming a rallying cry for the Ardmori people, and the Union leadership finally had scored a political and strategic information victory over the Royal Family.
Socialist Uprising
The outpouring of international condemnation was strong, and foreign support and weapons began to flow into the North and South Islands. Ardghar and Ros Mac finally sat down to create a campaign plan based off of lessons they had learned at training camps in Vithnija. However, their tact was different and were unable to overcome disagreements, parting ways to stand up similar, but different organizations.
The Royal Family, appalled that the socialist uprising was now turning into a full fledged rebellion, began tasking the Army with hunting down the dissenters and subversives, essentially in an attempt to go onto the offensive and crush the communists. Lacking the effective equipment or training to do so, the clumsy attempts by the Army were either thwarted by sympathetic soldiers leaking plans of attack, or through commander's general incompetence at combatting insurgent forces. Weapons continued to be smuggled in, stolen from private warehouses, or looted from Army store depots throughout Ardmore, as Brigades of socialists began arming themselves.
Early War (1927-1929)
Initial Conflicts
Ardghar and Ros Mac by March of 1927 were barely on speaking terms, with their respective aides and advisors communicating by letter and telegram to communicate the respective leaders' intentions. Ardghar formed the National Ardmori Front (NAF), his effort to still achieve a political solution, and with only a singular brigade of supporters and not nearly enough equipment, withdrew to a satellite island to leave Ros Mac's newly established Ardmori Liberation Army (NLA, sometimes referred to as the 'National Liberation Army') on the North Island near Killinmuir, a major port city, and to continue to receive weapons and foreign fighters into the fledgling Liberation brigades (LBs).
Ardghar's strategy was to win over the support of the local populace with an increased reliance and effort to conduct union sign ups, political petitions, and where necessary apply armed force to force Royal sympathizers out when necessary. Favouring a long-term solution, and working with the Crown to show that they would not concede their demands but rather wished to work towards a common solution for the establishment of a Constitutional Republic, this was wildly opposed to Ros Mac's plan, which called for the violent overthrow of the Royal Family and government through a bloody revolution and national struggle against the upper classes.
Battle of Hellman
| Battle of Hellman | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Ardmori Civil War | |||||||
 National Liberation Army irregulars rout after being engaged by Royalist forces outside of Kilinmuir, March 1927. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Royalists | National Liberation Army | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| General Kenneth Dunsworth | Ros Mac | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| 2 Infantry Brigades | 2 Liberation Brigades (understrength) | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ~8,000 | ~6,500 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 500-600 | ||||||
Hellman, a small community in the suburbs outside the largest city of Kilinmuir, was a convenient location for Ros Mac's 1st and 2nd Liberation Brigades of the National Liberation Army. Deploying 2 infantry brigades, the Chief of the Army General Staff, General Dunsworthe had both the initiative and the element of surprise. Attacking mid-morning on March 12th, they engaged elements foraging for food and shaking down civilians in outlying villages, infantry and armoured car units managing to rout the counterattacking forces, which lacked heavy equipment and weapons and were routed back to Hellman proper. Ros Mac, panicked at the thought of losing everything so early in the campaign, ordered a general retreat. In the ensuing panic, much of the 2nd Brigade was badly mauled by Royalist forces during their retreat Northward.
Ros Mac's decision was to withdraw to the port of Tuton, where they had been smuggling most of their light weapons and preparing trucks to establish motorised regiments to more quickly move about the country. The garrison commander, upon learning of the rout, began to prep the town for an urban defense, including a heated argument with the Harbourmaster's Office regarding sinking coal freighters in the port's mouth to prevent the Royal Navy from entering. On the March to the Southeast, Ros Mac was now relying on veterans and former Army officers to stall and delay the Royalist forces as they chased them up the Northern coast along the Ardmori Gulf. The 2nd Brigade was now nearly half strength with deserters and casualties, many of the wounded forced to be left behind due to the lack of ambulances or horse carts from which they could transport the non-ambulatory. The larger loss was the multiple caches of weapons, including machineguns, that had been left in Kilinmuir and Hellman. The Battle was considered a defeat for the Socialist forces, and as they withdrew towards Tuton they would continue to lose support, many of those no longer believing in Ros Mac's ability to command a military force and flocked to join Ardghar's Ardmori Front.
north island, loyalists smash commies
Battle of Tuton
arrival of Arco paras, catch brigades retreating from hellman and destroy them, prevent them from evacuating most troops from the port
North Islands Campaign
-Infighting amongst commies allows Prince Regent (King is trapped on South island) to use Arco troops and Ardmori troops to solidify position and secure north island (Operation Treble)
Invasion of South Ardmore
Operation Pike
-Invasion of south island -initial success
-commies reform against new threat to the revolution
-few key battles, at least 1 stalingrad esque
Urcean Diplomatic Intervention
Urc basically ceases all economic support to Ardmore, orders all key allies to as well
Ardmore now only supported by Alstin and Arcerion
Government and military begin to collapse
Battle of Elliston
arco paras and light rifles battling in hills, commies lose
Siege of Wolford
tobrukl-esque, commies caught by loyalists
Battle of Dumbarton
commies relieve Taetal, loyalists get beaten
Late War (1930-1931)
Retreat from Wolford
-ardmori troops begin to break with mass execution of royals and armori government officials
-wavering ardmori support increases burden on arco troops
Royal Moorden Regiment & Arcerion Tank Regiment
Evacuation of Taernsby
-arco generals see writing on the wall, begin an evacuation a la Manila to get loyalists to the north island Battle of Taernsby as its first major engagement, where two tank companies supported by an armoured reconnaissance battalion conducted a counter attack to engage communist forces, which lacked anti-tank weapons and were beaten back, giving time for Arcer forces to evacuate civilians and noncombatants through the port.
Battles of the Southern Marches
See: Operation Smatter
-retreat to north island (make it seem like a long march type deal)
Armistice and Legacy
-generic status quo
-armstice negotiated by @Kir ?
-2 countries emerge -arco withdrawal from Levantia