Ardmori Civil War: Difference between revisions

| image            = Ardmori Civil War 4pic.PNG

| caption          = (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.

| combatant1        = Ardmore<br>{{flag|Arcerion}}<br>{{flag|Alstin}}

| commander1        = King Coilean Ó Canann

| units1            = Royal Ardmori Army<br>Royal Ardmori Navy<br>Ardmori Air Corps<br>{{army|Arcerion}}<br>{{flagicon|Alstin}} [[United Republic Navy]]

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.

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.

[[File:Spring 1927.png|thumb|Spring maneuvers by the Royalist Forces, Liberation Brigades, and the arrival of the Arcerion Parachute Regiment Battlegroup, January-May 1927. ]]

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.

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.

-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)

-initial success