Sudmoll Island Conflicts: Difference between revisions

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* 1 Frigate

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.

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 [[List of aviso classes of the Navy of Burgundie|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.

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.

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 of their courses and unwilling to change course. Jury rigged solutions to these incidents became common during the 1960s and 1970s, with Stenzan warhips operating near Sudmoll being seen having strengthened bows and other means of structural reinforcement. 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. Stenzan and Burgoignesc fishermen were commonly seen fighting over fishing spots in international waters, with both nation's naval forces and Coast Guards being busy dealing with maritime law enforcement in the area.

Some of the highlights during this era are the 1967 shootdown of a Stenzan bomber and the 1973 collision between a Stenzan fighter and its Burgoignesc counterpart.

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.