Talk:Second Great War: Difference between revisions

# With battle lines being drawn in Western Sarpedon, @Aciria is induced by the allies to join the war on April 6th, 1935. Aciria is promised the @Burgundie controlled island of Port Arleau and the Caphirian held island of Lides, with Port Arleau being ceded by 1940 and Lides going to Aciria in hypothetical post-war peace deal.

# Fiannria informs Urcea and Burgundie on March 13th 1935 that its intended deployment of resources to the east in defense of Burgundie possessions may no longer be feasible given Fanerian progress and essentially issues an ultimatum to the southern Levantine allies to give it some relief. Faced with these tough choices, Urcea ultimately diverts some forces from Dericania as well as the intended reinforcements from Talionia for a nothern campaign designed to open overland supply routes and more readily contest the Vandarch, as well as opening the Carolina-Grand Canal for wartime business. The Northern Campaign is launched on April 14th by Urcea from the south and a limited Fiannrian force from the north. Urcea first violates Anglei's neutrality, but occupies its capitol rapidly and says it intends to respect the country's non-involvement so long as transport and trade through it is accepted. The two allies then launch a joint offensive into what is today Hollona and Diorisia on April 17th. The area, occupied by the Derian Republic's Autonomous Vandarch Area (essentially a local warlord controlled territory), is quickly dispatched by pressure from both fronts. Based on their earlier backchannel negotiation attempts, Urcea has a somewhat novel idea: rather than restoring the Elector of Diorisia or the multitude of small princes and prince-bishoprics, Urcea reaches an agrerment with the Church and Elector for later compensation and consolidates the area into the Provisional Republic of Hollona and Diorisia. The Republic, called collaborators by some, empowers some local revolutionaries sympathetic to the allied cause, and propaganda campaigns begin regarding the "inherent differences" of the Hol/Dio people who have always fit awkwardly into Derian national identity. The Republic's creation comes with an intentionally ambiguous relationship to the HLE, non-participating in its institutions but final status to be determined after the war.

# The lack of reinforcements leads to Talionian defense forces adopting a national redoubt strategy, retreating to the southeastern tip of the country for the most part by April 10th and "turtling", essentially, behind pre-constructed defensive perimeters. WIth Urcean naval ability, it is anticipated that these forces will be able to be resupplied for some time. Some delaying efforts are made to stop the Caphirian advance, and the Caphirians had not been ready for another offensive until around May 1st, and accordingly their occupation of the lightly contested areas does not fully occur until April 23rd. Caphiria maintains a "siege" force but redeploys the bulk of its Talionian-facing forces to western Urlazio and the western front of Sarpedon in order to coincide with a general offensive on the western front to begin in June. While Caphiria had intended to take the entire Kingdom and use it as a springboard to launch raids into Crotona and potentially Urcea proper in order to induce them to leave the war, Aciria joining the war has heightened the priority of the western theater for the Caphirians and accordingly the besieged position in Talionia will suffice.  

# Caphirian Legions begin their general western offensive on May 15th following weeks of light skirmishing. At this time, Caphirian borders reach to the sea and Pelaxia and Cartadania are both isolated from each other. Naval linking efforts are partly successful as Burgundie navy is involved in the Kindreds, but the Caphirian navy is still at full strength and the area is hotly contested. Caphiria basically intends to push on Alahuela rapidly to knock them out of the war and create a puppet government allowing them to isolate Aciria and Pelaxia in the Kindreds. By this point, however, Vachena is pretty much overrun and Cart has forces (and ports) to spare. Caphirian forces feint into Pelaxia but launch essentially a combined arms blitzkrieg into Cartadania with the beginning of the offensive, opening up a major hole in the Cartadanian lines that isn’t closed until they’ve advanced 75 miles in the first four days. Despite being overcommitted basically everywhere else, Cartadania requests Burgoinac marines from nearby colonies as reinforcements and they are granted. Most Allies (correctly) suspect Vallos will not be a major theater of combat

# General campaigning in Sarpedon occurs from May to October 1935, primarily involving Caphirian breakthrough efforts in southeastern Cartadania. Caphiria loses the initiative by June and a new stalemate occurs, though the intended effect of giving Vachena some room to breathe is acheieved. In Levantia, Burgundie's borders are now largely secured and allied forces, especially the R&IA with limited Fiannrian support, shift priority to continually widening the northern corridor, believe that to be the best path to success. Allied forces spent the summer subduing modern Kronenia, which is accomplished by the end of this period and allied forces are threatening Corcra. In the east, Corummese forces begin the siege of Ayermer and spent the summer fighting in Rusana, having successfully ejected Burgundie coastal forts and trade factories. Pukhgundi area's "confederation of princes", the Corummese-funded organization leading the war effort, splinters on 18 October with a contingent of local princes returning to their alliance with Burgundie, leading to a massive and bloody civil war which lays the groundwork for the later ethnic divisions which would establish Peshabiwar as independent.

# November 2, 1935. At the battle of the Adonaire Strait - the Urcean term for the opening between Talionia and former Veltorina which provides access to the Urlazian Sea - most of Caphiria's best and biggest capital ships are sunk or heavily damaged in the major naval turning point of the war. Though Urcea's capital ships were outnumbered, the fleet sent to stop the Caphirians included a small number of aircraft carriers diverted from elsehwere. The carriers had mostly scout planes and a few planes with ground attack capabilities. As the Urceans began to lose the battle, quick thinking pilots used the attack planes to bomb the Caphirian ships, which only had limited anti-air complements. This only really worked as it was a crystal clear day wherein otherwise pilots untrained in naval navigation would have had significant difficulty in their task. As it was, it was clear that naval air power was the future at the end of the day, with the Caphirian ships either sent scurrying back to port where they would remain for most of the rest of the war or sitting at the bottom of the Urlazian Sea. The battle, simply known in Caphiria as the "Naval Disaster", was kept from the public for decades; the ships that were destroyed were gradually reported as losses throughout the next few months, depicting them as replacable attrition rather than a devestating loss. '''(To be totally revised)'''

# November 10, 1935. In response to its loss at the Adonaire Strait, Caphirian high command authorizes the use of unrestricted submarine warfare. Current naval construction is halted, and in the years to come submarines will be the primary construction of the Caphirian navy.