Popular Democratic Front and Operation Featherlite: Difference between pages

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{| align=right cellspacing=0 width=350px class="infobox toccolours" style="padding: 0.8em 0.8em 0.8em 0.8em; margin: 0em 0em 0.75em 0.75em; background: #fcfcfc; vertical-align: middle; border-h: 1px #c6c6c6 solid; border-top: 1px #c6c6c6 solid; border-left: 1px #c6c6c6 solid; border-right: 1px #c6c6c6 solid; border-bottom: 1px #c6c6c6 solid; border: 1px #c6c6c6 solid; font-size: 85%; span: 1px #c6c6c6 solid;"
{{Infobox military conflict
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#b40404" height=4px |
| conflict          = Operation Featherlite
|-
| width             =  
| style="font-size: 10.2pt; background: #fcfcfc; text-align: center;" colspan=2 | '''Popular Democratic Front'''<br>'''''Plānothāruaritaver'''''
| partof            = [[Telekonese Conflict]]
|-
| image            = Operation Featherlite.PNG
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#b40404" height=4px |
| image_size        =  
|-  
| alt              =
| align=center colspan=2 style="padding: 0em 0em 0.5em 0em; text-align: center; background: #fcfcfc;"| [[File:Adobe Acrobat Reader icon (2020).svg|200px]]<br><small>Symbol</small>
| caption          =  
|-
| date              = 7 October - 19 November 1986
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#b40404" height=4px |
| place            = [[Foxhey Governorate]], [[Arcerion]], [[Crona]]
|-
| coordinates      = <!--Use the {{coord}} template -->
| '''Headquarters''' || Viskonsin Hall<br>[[Kartika]], [[District of Coīnvra]]
| map_type          =
|-
| map_relief        =
| '''Secretary-General''' || Alun Saxarnon
| map_size          =
|-
| map_marksize      =
| '''Chairman''' || [[Féraluir Sekerin]]  
| map_caption      =
|-
| map_label        =
| '''Whip''' || Matéus Salomon<br>
| territory        = * [[Arcerion]] regains control of Gibson Gap and Foxhey Islands
|-
| result            = Decisive Arcer Victory
| '''Platform''' || [[Kirosocialism]]<br>{{wp|Left-wing nationalism}}<br><br><small>'''Factions:'''</small><br>{{wp|Liberal socialism}}<br>{{wp|Communism}} · {{wp|Titoism|Convism}}<br>{{wp|Religious socialism}}
| status            =
|-
| combatants_header =
|<br>
| combatant1        = {{flag|Arcerion}}
|-
| combatant2        = {{flag|Kelekona}}
| '''Newspaper''' || ''Guardian of Truth''
| combatant3        =
|-
| commander1        = VAdm Lawrence Thistle<br>LGen Stephen van der Berg
| '''Electoral Symbol''' || [[File:Trefoil knot icon.svg|100px]]
| commander2        = Various
|-
| commander3        =
| '''Herring Sea Islands''' || {{Infobox political party/seats|24|40|#b40404}}
| units1            = 1 Rifle Brigade<br>7 Rifle Brigade<br>11 Parachute Brigade<br>
|-
| units2            = 22nd Motor Rifle Brigade<br>71st Motor Rifle Brigade<br>98th Naval Infantry Brigade
| '''[[Federal Stanora]]''' || {{Infobox political party/seats|100|545|#b40404}}
| units3            =
|-
| strength1        =
| colspan=2 | <hr>
| strength2        =
|}
| strength3        =
| casualties1      =
| casualties2      =
| casualties3      =
| notes            =
| campaignbox      =
}}
'''Operation Featherlite''' was the military landing of [[Arcerion|Arcer]] troops supported by aircraft and naval vessels on the islands of [[Foxhey Governorate]], in an effort to retake the strategically important [[Gibson Gap]].
== Background and Preparation ==
The [[Arcer General Staff]] had undergone preparations to retake the islands in the [[Gibson Gap]]. The movement of three brigades, notably 7 Rifle Brigade, with its mountaineering and cold weather experience, and a large contingent from the [[Arcerion Parachute Regiment]] as part of 11 Parachute Brigade. Arriving in [[Craigfearn]], they quickly began coordinating plans for landings and recapture of the islands, beginning first with coordinating efforts with the [[Arcer Air Force]] and [[Royal Arcerion Naval Service]].


The '''Popular Democratic Front''' is a [[Caucus (Kiravian politics)|caucus]] in the Kiravian [[Federal Stanora]] made up of political parties and independents promoting a common platform of {{wp|socialism|socialist}} policies drawn mostly from the [[Kirosocialism|Kirosocialist]] tradition. The PDF was organised after passage of the [[Antipartisan law in Kiravia|Anti-Party Law]] as the successor to the People's Alliance, which had previously formed to take up the mantle of the [[Kirosocialist Party]] after its dissolution.  
The Arcer Air Force would be required to ensure air superiority was achieved over the islands to allow the ships of the Royal Arcerion Naval Service the ability to ferry and land men, equipment, and supplies to support the brigades that were preparing to land.  


<!-- Despite some electoral support in areas where Kirosocialist policies had been popular and where economic liberalisation had not been kind to local industries, the PDF failed to mount an effective opposition to liberalisation, and was gradually edged out from most of its support base by the [[Caritist Social Union]] and [[Coscivian National Congress]]. From 21189 until 21203, the PDF was a rather minor presence in federal politics, with its share of seats in the Stanora decreasing in each election, but some of its member parties retained varying degrees of power and influence in the politics of certain states. Since 21203, PDF affiliates have launched an electoral resurgence at the state level and begun increasing their federal representation. -->
The [[Arcer General Staff]] prepared three brigades to seize the islands. 1 Rifle, 7 Rifle, and 11 Para were all moved quickly to Craigfearn and began preparations to retake the four islands of [[Foxhey Governorate|Foxhey]]. The Arcer Air Force began preparations with aerial reconnaissance flights, early usage of satellite photography, maritime reconnaissance, and working with [[Arcerion Special Operations Command]]. Members of the Special Arcerion Service Regiment had been conducting raids and reconnaissance of [[Kelekona|Kelekonese]] positions and facilities since the war's outbreak, and this helped build the intelligence picture required for the Air Force to strike.  


==Platform==
The [[Royal Arcerion Submarine Service]] during this time had its new ''Dolphin''-class diesel electric attack submarines shadow the Kelekonese Navy, and had been conducting attacks on supply ships and other vessels bringing commerce into the Northern Malentine Sea. Sorties from [[Chester-on-Moore]] were constant and proved to be effective, as the Navy's blockade of the Warrington Strait prevented new ships from entering the Malentine Sea.
===Near-Term Objectives===
[[File:Shot down Kelekona aircraft.jpg|thumb|Gun camera footage from a ''Goshawk'' fighter aircraft of No.19 Squadron, Arcer Air Force shows a Kelekonan fighter being shot down over Larton Island. ]]
Provided below is the official common platform of the PDF for upcoming electricians and legislative cycles:
Preparations focused on the landings, and a Task Force (Task Force 86) was organized around the Arcer aircraft carrier, the ACS ''Kurst'' and placed under the command of Vice Admiral Lawrence Thistle, who would work closely with the land contingent commander, Lieutenant General Stephen van der Berg. Plans were for a short but aggressive air campaign, followed by landings in Farnsworth, followed by Swindon and Gramsby. During the preparations for the operation, a surprise attack by several Kelekonan destroyers and frigates on [[Port Gibson]] damaged much of the runway and support facilities. With the main military airfield in Foxhey damaged, the Arcer Air Force was forced to sortie out of Dunborough, Craigfearn, and Kinnaird. The extended times would only be cut down once the smaller runway at Farnsworth could be repaired, and with some sorties being conducted by the Naval Air Arm from the ''Kurst''.
The date of the invasion was set for 7 October, as the weather forecast predicted clear skies that would be favourable for air-ground coordination, and Task Force 86, now comprised of over thirty warships and supporting vessels, moved into the Malentine to avoid Kelekonan spies and reconnaissance and to maintain operational surprise.  
*Establishment of a {{wp|socialist market economy}}
=== Air Combat ===
*Nationalisation of the Kiravian energy sector, mineral resources, railways, airlines, telecommunications infrastructure, and flannel cloth industry
From 1-7 October, the Arcer Air Force engaged in fierce dogfights over Foxhey, the Gibson Gap, and the Malentine Sea. Strikes against Kelekonan positions on the smaller islands were frequent, as the Air Force prepared the area for landings. The dogfights also saw the first uses of air-to-air missiles in Crona, with Arcer Goshawk fighter aircraft engaging older Kelekonan fighters, which were mostly armed with guns or very early missile designs. The Air Force was ultimately successful, and by 6 October the Kelekonan Air Force sorties remained outside the Gibson Gap, with Arcer fighters conducting combat air patrols over the islands and attacking surface-to-air missile sites. The Arcer Air Force also conducted additional aerial reconnaissance during this time as part of the bomb damage assessment after its strikes. Arcer fighters would continue to remain in support of ground troops as operation shifted from a prepatory phase and began to focus on the landings.
*Equalisation of health outcomes through a federally-financed, provincially-administered single-payer public healthcare system
== Land Battles ==
*Eradication of urban homelessness, slums, rural vagrancy, and substandard rural housing through an aggressive ten-year project of federally-financed social housing expansion
[[File:7 October Map.png|thumb|Troop positions as of 7 October 1986. ]]
*A more robust and redistributive tax regime over financial transactions to curb speculation and manage negative externalities.
Failures by diplomats to resolve the crisis meant that a military conclusion to the conflict was the only remaining option, and the operation was approved by the Arcer General Staff to commence as planned in the early morning hours of 7 October. Task Force 86 moved off the coast near Farnsworth during the evening of October 6th, and a heavy bombardment of Swindon began during the night by fighter bombers of the Arcer Air Forcer and Royal Arcerion Naval Service. Swindon was defended by elements of the Kelekonan 71st Motor Rifle Brigade, which was spread out between the two islands of Swindon and Gramsby. In the dawn hours of 7 October, two battalions of Arcer infantry loaded onto helicopters to land on Swindon and secure the beachhead.
*Aggressive development of rural broadband guaranteed internet access for all Kiravians
=== Swindon ===
*Restructuring labour negotiations nationwide to a government-mediated tripartite model
The assault on Swindon caught the Kelekonan defenders by surprise. A and B Companies, 1st Battalion, Royal Arcerion Regiment quickly took over key objectives on the city's outskirts, and air strikes and naval gunfire from offshore Arcer naval vessels quickly overwhelmed the Kelekonan defenders, which were unprepared and many were caught sleeping or killed as they hastily attempted to occupy fighting positions. A final wave of helicopters landed C Company 1 RAR and additional troops from the Kinnaird Grenadier Guards, which secured Grey Beach, a popular tourist beach on the city outskirts. Kelekonan forces inside the Grey Resort had garrisoned it, and held it for most of the morning despite a heavy volume of mortar and machinegun fire. Eventually the deputy commanding officer for the 711th Motor Rifle Regiment surrendered the town, and the Task Force moved to the shoreline and began the process of landing additional troops.  
*Inclusion of the right to strike and the right to unionise in the [[Statute of Liberties]]
*Centering employment and domestic productivity in trade policy
*No economic integration or enhanced migration régime with [[Mid-Atrassic Crona]]
*Increased investment in nuclear energy, scientific research, and space exploration
*A government-mandated inflation target for the [[Reserve Bank of Kirav|RBK]]
*A return to {{wp|armed neutrality}} with a moratorium on overseas military deployments; withdrawal from the [[League of Nations]] and independence for Kiravian League mandates.


===Ideology===
Engineers and signals personnel quickly set up command posts and cleared minefields laid by the Kelekonans, and two battalions of the Royal Easthampton Borderers moved Northwest inland to engage in a running battle with the battered elements of the 712th Motor Rifle Regiment which were retreating to the smaller port town of Golworth on the island's North shore. 1 Rifle Brigade continued to mop up around Swindon as small pockets of Kelekonan regular troops were in the surrounding foothills and harassed the town with mortar fire. Overhead, the Arcer Air Force had prevented the Kelekonan People's Air Force from engaging forces as they were vulnerable during landing, and a naval detachment (TF 86.1) had landed a company of the Royal Regiment of Arcerion Engineers (RRAE) to repair the damaged runway at Farnsworth, which would be operational by October 12th.
The party identifies [[Kiravian Marxist philosophy]], {{wp|Arab socialism|Coscivian social-nationalism}}, and {{Breakfast burrito|rGyanarajsism}} as the theoretical foundations of its ideological system.
=== Gramsby ===
Kelekonan High Command had reacted poorly to losing Swindon, and managed to use civilian boats and fishing trawlers illegally taken from the local Arcer populace to ferry their troops under the cover of darkness from Swindon to Gramsby, to the East. The 71st, now at half strength, began digging in and preparing for a more deliberate defensive battle as Arcerion no longer had the element of surprise. Van der Berg and Thistle worked with the Arcer General Staff to establish what conditions would allow for a quick movement to Gramsby. A date for the next island hop was set for October 16th, and van der Berg tasked the Royal Easthampton Borderers to conduct a daring night air assault against the island's southern shore. Engineers had constructed a hasty air landing strip on Swindon, and in the early morning 1st Battalion, REB loaded onto medium helicopters to be inserted under the cover of darkness. Elements of both the Arcerion Parachute Regiment's Pathfinder Company, as well as the Arcerion Commando Regiment had conducted over-the-beach infiltration of the island and assisted with siting and marking landing zones. It also represented the confirmation of night vision capabilities, as the entire operation was undertaken under the cover of darkness.
[[File:REB lower decks.jpg|thumb|A mortar team from the Royal Easthampton Borderers pose for a photo during the evening of 16 October, 1986 while waiting to board helicopters to conduct an air assault on Gramsby.]]
At daybreak, 1st Battalion had already marched inland, liberating a number of small villages and having engaged numerous Kelekonan rear-area units. Kelekonan forces dug in on the beach were flanked and fixed against the Malentine Sea by the 2nd Battalion, REB supported by mortars from the Royal Moorden Regiment. Mass surrenders occurred, as most of these troops were conscripts and had limited resupply due to interdiction by Arcer ships and aircraft. The remainder of 7 Rifle Brigade was landed along with 11 Parachute Brigade, and the pair in tandem conducted an advance to contact until they reached Gramsby, placing two thousand Kelekonan troops into a cauldron, with the bluffs around the town's outskirts occupied by Arco forces and the Kelekonans unable to evacuate due to marauding Arcer fighter bombers. Reports that the Kelekonans were attempting to destroy the port facilities quickly forced action and General van der Berg ordered the Arcerion Parachute Regiment to fight into the town to secure the port facilities. By 19 October, the town was secured and the remaining Kelekonan troops had surrendered.  


==Currants==
Kelekonan high command, now having lost two islands and struggling to maintain their grip on the Gibson Gap began plans to conduct an offensive on Dunborough. Concurrently, the Arcer General Staff prepard plans for Larton, the largest of the occupied islands, and garrisoned by high quality troops of the 98th Naval Infantry Brigade.
[[File:Ribes rubrum a1.jpg|thumb|''Ribes rubrum'', long used as a symbol of the Kiravian Left]]
=== Long March at Larton ===
Kelekonan troops on Larton had dug in multiple defensive fighting positions, laid minefield and concertina wire, and forcibly evicted Arcer families so they could turn the farmhouses into pillboxes and bunkers owing to the small basements hewn into the island's rock. Kelekonan Brigade staff of the 91st used the remnants of the 71st (two understrength battalions) to reinforce the town of Larton. On October 25th, Task Force 86 moved into the Gibson Gap from its staging area near Farnsworth. Kelekonan reconnaissance and naval intelligence had identified this and sent a mass wave of fighters and fighter bombers in an attempt to sink as many troop carrying vessels, supply ships, and if possible the ACS ''Kurst''. The Arcer Air Force responded, and the resulting Battle of Larton Shore saw the destruction of fourteen Kelekonan planes, with eight more damaged, for a loss of six Arcer aircraft and eleven damaged. Ships within the Task Force did incur some damage, with the civilian-hired freight vessel the ''SS Yuletide'' struck by bombs and set ablaze, and the ACS ''Reacher'', a destroyer also damaged by both Anti-ship missiles and bombs, but was able to limp back to Farnsworth's port facilities for emergency repairs, and then eventually to Port Gibson.
[[File:Larton liberated paras.jpg|thumb|Members of F Company, 2nd Battalion, Arcerion Parachute Regiment wait for further orders after the surrender of remaining Kelekonan troops in Larton. ]]
With the air and sea secured, General van der Berg ordered a landing in the cove on Larton's Southeastern shore. Reconnaissance showed it did not have any Kelekonan troops defending it, and the intelligence estimates were confident that a landing could be conducted uninhibited.


<!--Most tendency groups are organised as a interstate conferences of state-level parties. However, the SPKF, SPKU, and RCKK are federated parties with nationwide Central Committees and operate as multi-state political parties under [[Antipartisan law in Kiravia|political party control laws]].
On October 27th, the Royal Moorden Regiment led 7 Rifle Brigade ashore as they landed on Larton. With no enemy contact, reconnaissance patrols and screens were established as the rest of the Brigade landed, setting up light artillery pieces and air defense systems. Reconnaissance patrols determined the Kelekonese had primarily garrisoned the Southern Cape of Larton, and van der Berg quickly moved the Arcerion Fusilier Regiment Southwest to engage them. There, two battalions of the Fusiliers encountered an entire regimental group dug into the beach. It was the first documented use of bayonets in modern Arcer history, as the Commanding Officer of 2nd Battalion, Lieutenant-Colonel Jerry Sherwick, ordered the battalion to close with the Kelekonan positions as they were outnumbered and relied on violence of action and surprise.
 
With large elements of the 98th fixed in the South, van der Berg ordered the remainder of 7 Rifle Brigade to march to Larton overland, where they conducted a long ruck march that was dubbed 'Long March at Larton.' Poor weather conditions and harsh terrain meant that the soldiers were both fighting Kelekonan forces as well as the elements, with a number of Kelekonan and Arcer troops succumbing to the cold and becoming exposure casualties. Arriving at Larton, the Royal Easthampton Borderers and the Royal Moorden Regiment worked to clear the town, which by October 31st was liberated. Remaining Naval infantry from the Kelekonan Army, which had inflicted serious casualties on both the RMR and APR during the fighting withdrew in good order to the North, delaying as they prepared to be evacuated to mainland Kelekona or Sharnwick. Arcer troops in the town, once reasonably certain that the last Kelekonan troops had been mopped up or taken prisoner, pooled what little sweets, candies, and chocolate they had in their rations and held a small Halloween event in Larton's Catholic Church, doling out the goods to children in the town.  
The tendency groups currently operating within the PDF are:
[[File:1 November troop placement.png|thumb|Locations of forces as of 1 November, 1986. ]]
 
=== Surrender of Sharnwick ===
*'''Socialist Party of the Kiravian Federacy (SPKF)''' - Federation of Palæo-Orthodox and Neo-Orthodox Kirosocialist parties united in 21207 under [[Féraluir Sekerin]], healing the rift between the old-guard "Continuity Kirosocialists" (who held closely to the policies of the Kiravian Union and attributed the fall of the Kiravian Union to counterrevolutionary subversion) and the reform-minded Neo-Orthodox parties who recognised the role of Kirosocialist policy failures in the Union's collapse and need for some degree of policy adaptation within an orthodox Kirosocialist framework. Since its formation, the SPKF has emerged as the largest and most powerful tendency.
== Casualties ==
*'''Socialist Party of the Kiravian Union (SPKU)''' - Grouping of Palæo-Orthodox hardliners who opposed the SPKF merger and explicitly reject the legitimacy of the [[Constitutional history of Kiravia|current Kiravian constitution]].
== Aftermath ==
*'''Kirosocialists 2 - Dialectic Boogaloo (KS2DB)''' - Loose grouping of heterodox Kirosocialists, whether descended from dissident factions suppressed within the Party during the Kiravian Union or formed around new ideas and alternative models of political organising after the end of Kirosocialist rule. This faction acts less as an ideological tendency advancing a common agenda, and more as a technical group working to prevent the orthodox factions from imposing a strong ideological line on the PDF as a whole.
== Cultural Impact ==
*'''Socialist National Union (SNU)''' - Conference representing mainly [[Kiravian social nationalism|Kiravian Social-nationalists]] who have dropped orthodox Kirosocialist commitments to class struggle, comprehensive social control of the means of production, and the construction of "socialist culture", returning to the classical teachings of Kiravian social-nationalism before the movement's merger into the Socialist Party. Also includes the non-socialist Kirav First Party and some "Kirosocialists of the 212th century".
[[Category:Arcerion]]
*'''Noontide Group''' - A grouping of socialist and left-wing populist parties working outside the confines of traditional Kirosocialist ideological frameworks and party structures. Includes many parties organised among non-Coscivian minorities, e.g. [[Camhchéachta]] and Tryhstia's Partido do Tarabalho, as well as "post-Kirosocialist" parties like Fariva's New Direction Party.
*'''Alliance for a New Socialism''' - Conference of the state-level Kirosocialist parties that largely acquiesced to the post-Union political and economic liberalisations, moving toward "Kiro-social democracy" and "New Kirosocialism".
*'''Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats''' - A grouping of more Western-style social-democratic, democratic socialist, eco-socialist, and left-progressive parties from outside the Kirosocialist tradition. The PASD is the smallest tendency in terms of elected representatives and party membership, but has a growing presence at the local level in some cities.
*'''Revolutionary Committee of the Kiravian Renaissance''' - A party of Shaftosocialists, {{wp|Conservative socialism|Conservative socialists}}, and Social Convists originating from the left-wing current that once existed in the [[Renaissance Party]]. Adherents of this current remained in Great Kirav after the Renaissance Party's flight to [[Æonara]], where some were accepted by Kirsok as members of its United Front.
*'''Kiravian Proletarian Parties''' - Faction representing the more expressly communist and/or convist elements that have always existed as a minority within the Kirosocialist movement and remained within the Socialist Party and its successors rather than join the CPKF or CPGK.
*'''Union of Religious Socialists''' - Grouping of religious (mostly {{wp|Christian socialist}} and {{wp|Islamic socialist}}) parties, most of which joined the PDF after expulsion from the [[Caritist Social Union|CSU]] for their anti-capitalism and radicalism.
-->
 
==Organisational Relations==
The [[Minor_Kiravian_Political_Parties#CPKF|Communist Party of the Kiravian Federacy]] and the Existential Humanist Party (Marxist), while not members of the PDF caucus, do have formal relations with it and coöperate with it on many initiatives. The [[Minor_Kiravian_Political_Parties#CPGK|Communist Party of Great Kirav]] rejects coöperation with the PDF and CPKF, which it has denounced as reformist and revisionist. The PDF has a tense relationship with the [[Social Democrats KF]].
 
The PDF and its members retain strong ties to {{wp|organised labour}}, particularly the [[Pan-Kiravian Congress of Trade Unions]], which is considered its ''de facto'' labour wing.
 
==Voter Base==
A considerable portion of the caucus' voters belong to Antaric Coscivian ethnic groups. Antaric Coscivians were generally supportive of the Kirosocialist régime and did well under Kirosocialist rule. The same can be said of many East Coscivian ethnic groups, such as the {Muśkem}.
Pretannic Celts, especially those living in mining areas of [[Etivéra]], [[Váuadra]], [[Íarthakelva]], [[Atrakelva]], and [[Kiorgia]], are a very strong demographic for the PDF, having wavered very little in their support for socialist parties since the Kirosocialist Period.
 
Although numerically insignificant in federal elections, various small and marginal ethnic groups that benefitted from government development projects under Kirosocialism, such as the [[Kiʞik language|Kiʞik Coscivians]] and the [[Ethnic Groups in Kiravia#Salyar|Salyar]], continue to support socialism and provide an important source of votes for PDF affiliates in state and local elections.
 
==Provincial Affiliates==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
[[File:Flag of Somaliland (Orange).svg|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Andrēdan'''
*People's Mudžahidín of Andrēdan
<br>
[[File:ArgéviaFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Argévia'''
*Equality Party
<br>
[[File:TealEnsign-Light.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Aventurine Bay'''
*Workers' Party
<br>
[[File:CascadaFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Cascada'''
*Socialist Freedom Party
<br>
[[File:TealEnsign-Light.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Daridia'''
*Party for Bread & Roses
<br>
[[File:EtivéraFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Etivéra'''<br>{{Infobox political party/seats|1|5|hex=#b40404}}
'''Change To Win Coalition'''
*United Socialist Party
*Social-National Party
*Etivéran Socialist Party
*Socialist Liberation Party
*New Socialist Party
*Transformational Socialist Party
<br>
[[File:FarivaFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Fariva'''
*New Direction Party
<br>
[[File:HanoramFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Hanoram'''
*Kirosocialist Party
<br>
[[File:TealEnsign-Light.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Herring Sea Islands''' {{Infobox political party/seats|2|3|hex=#b40404}}
*Transformative Party of Working People
<br>
{{col-break}}
[[File:IlánovaFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Ilánova'''
*[[Camchéachta]]
<br>
[[File:IlfenóraFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Ilfenóra'''
*Socialist Party
*Christian Social-Ecologist Movement
<br>
[[File:IntraviaFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Intravia'''
*Democratic Worker-Farmer-Miner Party
*Socialist Labour Party
<br>
[[File:IrovasdraFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Irovasdra'''
*[[Camchéachta]]
<br>
[[File:KaviskaFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Kaviska'''
*New Union Party
*Socialist Alternative Party
*Democratic Labour Party
*Revolutionary Committee of the Renaissance Party
<br>
[[File:KannurFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''[[Kannur]]'''
*Socialist Party
*Convist Party
<br>
[[File:KorlēdanFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''[[Korlēdan]]'''
*Red Star Party
<br>
[[File:MetreaFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''[[Metrea]]'''
*Socialist Party
*Christian Liberation Party
{{col-break}}
[[File:SerikordaFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''[[Serikorda]]'''
*''numerous''
<br>
[[File:SuderaviaFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''[[Suderavia]]'''
*Convist Party
<br>
[[File:SydonaFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''[[Sydona]]''' {{Infobox political party/seats|2|4|hex=#b40404}}
*Socialist Party of Sydona
<br>
[[File:UmcaraStateFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''[[Umcara]]'''
*Revolutionary Committee of the Umcaran Renaissance Party
<br>
[[File:Flag of Ontario (Green Ensign).svg|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''[[Verakośa]]'''
*Working Families Party «I'm Tired!»
<br>
[[File:VôtaskaFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''[[Vôtaska]]'''
*Vôtaskan Socialist Party
*Independent Socialist Party
<br>
{{col-end}}
 
===Other Affiliates and Observers===
[[File:MetreaFlag.png|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] '''Metrea'''
*Coscivian-Cetacean Communist Party  (''observer'')
[[File:Flag of the Republic of Sonora.svg|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] [[Ethnic groups in Kiravia#Qódava|Qódava Nation]]
*Great Socialist Party of Qódava
[[File:Bandeiramucuri.jpg|text-bottom|frameless|upright=0.1]] [[Tryhstian Littoral]]
*Partido do Trabalho
 
 
[[Category:KRV]]
[[Category:Kiravian political organisations]]
 
[[Category:IXWB]]

Revision as of 16:55, 15 May 2023

Operation Featherlite
Part of Telekonese Conflict
Date7 October - 19 November 1986
Location
Result Decisive Arcer Victory
Territorial
changes
  • Arcerion regains control of Gibson Gap and Foxhey Islands
Belligerents
 Arcerion  Kelekona
Commanders and leaders
VAdm Lawrence Thistle
LGen Stephen van der Berg
Various
Units involved
1 Rifle Brigade
7 Rifle Brigade
11 Parachute Brigade
22nd Motor Rifle Brigade
71st Motor Rifle Brigade
98th Naval Infantry Brigade

Operation Featherlite was the military landing of Arcer troops supported by aircraft and naval vessels on the islands of Foxhey Governorate, in an effort to retake the strategically important Gibson Gap.

Background and Preparation

The Arcer General Staff had undergone preparations to retake the islands in the Gibson Gap. The movement of three brigades, notably 7 Rifle Brigade, with its mountaineering and cold weather experience, and a large contingent from the Arcerion Parachute Regiment as part of 11 Parachute Brigade. Arriving in Craigfearn, they quickly began coordinating plans for landings and recapture of the islands, beginning first with coordinating efforts with the Arcer Air Force and Royal Arcerion Naval Service.

The Arcer Air Force would be required to ensure air superiority was achieved over the islands to allow the ships of the Royal Arcerion Naval Service the ability to ferry and land men, equipment, and supplies to support the brigades that were preparing to land.

The Arcer General Staff prepared three brigades to seize the islands. 1 Rifle, 7 Rifle, and 11 Para were all moved quickly to Craigfearn and began preparations to retake the four islands of Foxhey. The Arcer Air Force began preparations with aerial reconnaissance flights, early usage of satellite photography, maritime reconnaissance, and working with Arcerion Special Operations Command. Members of the Special Arcerion Service Regiment had been conducting raids and reconnaissance of Kelekonese positions and facilities since the war's outbreak, and this helped build the intelligence picture required for the Air Force to strike.

The Royal Arcerion Submarine Service during this time had its new Dolphin-class diesel electric attack submarines shadow the Kelekonese Navy, and had been conducting attacks on supply ships and other vessels bringing commerce into the Northern Malentine Sea. Sorties from Chester-on-Moore were constant and proved to be effective, as the Navy's blockade of the Warrington Strait prevented new ships from entering the Malentine Sea.

Gun camera footage from a Goshawk fighter aircraft of No.19 Squadron, Arcer Air Force shows a Kelekonan fighter being shot down over Larton Island.

Preparations focused on the landings, and a Task Force (Task Force 86) was organized around the Arcer aircraft carrier, the ACS Kurst and placed under the command of Vice Admiral Lawrence Thistle, who would work closely with the land contingent commander, Lieutenant General Stephen van der Berg. Plans were for a short but aggressive air campaign, followed by landings in Farnsworth, followed by Swindon and Gramsby. During the preparations for the operation, a surprise attack by several Kelekonan destroyers and frigates on Port Gibson damaged much of the runway and support facilities. With the main military airfield in Foxhey damaged, the Arcer Air Force was forced to sortie out of Dunborough, Craigfearn, and Kinnaird. The extended times would only be cut down once the smaller runway at Farnsworth could be repaired, and with some sorties being conducted by the Naval Air Arm from the Kurst. The date of the invasion was set for 7 October, as the weather forecast predicted clear skies that would be favourable for air-ground coordination, and Task Force 86, now comprised of over thirty warships and supporting vessels, moved into the Malentine to avoid Kelekonan spies and reconnaissance and to maintain operational surprise.

Air Combat

From 1-7 October, the Arcer Air Force engaged in fierce dogfights over Foxhey, the Gibson Gap, and the Malentine Sea. Strikes against Kelekonan positions on the smaller islands were frequent, as the Air Force prepared the area for landings. The dogfights also saw the first uses of air-to-air missiles in Crona, with Arcer Goshawk fighter aircraft engaging older Kelekonan fighters, which were mostly armed with guns or very early missile designs. The Air Force was ultimately successful, and by 6 October the Kelekonan Air Force sorties remained outside the Gibson Gap, with Arcer fighters conducting combat air patrols over the islands and attacking surface-to-air missile sites. The Arcer Air Force also conducted additional aerial reconnaissance during this time as part of the bomb damage assessment after its strikes. Arcer fighters would continue to remain in support of ground troops as operation shifted from a prepatory phase and began to focus on the landings.

Land Battles

Troop positions as of 7 October 1986.

Failures by diplomats to resolve the crisis meant that a military conclusion to the conflict was the only remaining option, and the operation was approved by the Arcer General Staff to commence as planned in the early morning hours of 7 October. Task Force 86 moved off the coast near Farnsworth during the evening of October 6th, and a heavy bombardment of Swindon began during the night by fighter bombers of the Arcer Air Forcer and Royal Arcerion Naval Service. Swindon was defended by elements of the Kelekonan 71st Motor Rifle Brigade, which was spread out between the two islands of Swindon and Gramsby. In the dawn hours of 7 October, two battalions of Arcer infantry loaded onto helicopters to land on Swindon and secure the beachhead.

Swindon

The assault on Swindon caught the Kelekonan defenders by surprise. A and B Companies, 1st Battalion, Royal Arcerion Regiment quickly took over key objectives on the city's outskirts, and air strikes and naval gunfire from offshore Arcer naval vessels quickly overwhelmed the Kelekonan defenders, which were unprepared and many were caught sleeping or killed as they hastily attempted to occupy fighting positions. A final wave of helicopters landed C Company 1 RAR and additional troops from the Kinnaird Grenadier Guards, which secured Grey Beach, a popular tourist beach on the city outskirts. Kelekonan forces inside the Grey Resort had garrisoned it, and held it for most of the morning despite a heavy volume of mortar and machinegun fire. Eventually the deputy commanding officer for the 711th Motor Rifle Regiment surrendered the town, and the Task Force moved to the shoreline and began the process of landing additional troops.

Engineers and signals personnel quickly set up command posts and cleared minefields laid by the Kelekonans, and two battalions of the Royal Easthampton Borderers moved Northwest inland to engage in a running battle with the battered elements of the 712th Motor Rifle Regiment which were retreating to the smaller port town of Golworth on the island's North shore. 1 Rifle Brigade continued to mop up around Swindon as small pockets of Kelekonan regular troops were in the surrounding foothills and harassed the town with mortar fire. Overhead, the Arcer Air Force had prevented the Kelekonan People's Air Force from engaging forces as they were vulnerable during landing, and a naval detachment (TF 86.1) had landed a company of the Royal Regiment of Arcerion Engineers (RRAE) to repair the damaged runway at Farnsworth, which would be operational by October 12th.

Gramsby

Kelekonan High Command had reacted poorly to losing Swindon, and managed to use civilian boats and fishing trawlers illegally taken from the local Arcer populace to ferry their troops under the cover of darkness from Swindon to Gramsby, to the East. The 71st, now at half strength, began digging in and preparing for a more deliberate defensive battle as Arcerion no longer had the element of surprise. Van der Berg and Thistle worked with the Arcer General Staff to establish what conditions would allow for a quick movement to Gramsby. A date for the next island hop was set for October 16th, and van der Berg tasked the Royal Easthampton Borderers to conduct a daring night air assault against the island's southern shore. Engineers had constructed a hasty air landing strip on Swindon, and in the early morning 1st Battalion, REB loaded onto medium helicopters to be inserted under the cover of darkness. Elements of both the Arcerion Parachute Regiment's Pathfinder Company, as well as the Arcerion Commando Regiment had conducted over-the-beach infiltration of the island and assisted with siting and marking landing zones. It also represented the confirmation of night vision capabilities, as the entire operation was undertaken under the cover of darkness.

A mortar team from the Royal Easthampton Borderers pose for a photo during the evening of 16 October, 1986 while waiting to board helicopters to conduct an air assault on Gramsby.

At daybreak, 1st Battalion had already marched inland, liberating a number of small villages and having engaged numerous Kelekonan rear-area units. Kelekonan forces dug in on the beach were flanked and fixed against the Malentine Sea by the 2nd Battalion, REB supported by mortars from the Royal Moorden Regiment. Mass surrenders occurred, as most of these troops were conscripts and had limited resupply due to interdiction by Arcer ships and aircraft. The remainder of 7 Rifle Brigade was landed along with 11 Parachute Brigade, and the pair in tandem conducted an advance to contact until they reached Gramsby, placing two thousand Kelekonan troops into a cauldron, with the bluffs around the town's outskirts occupied by Arco forces and the Kelekonans unable to evacuate due to marauding Arcer fighter bombers. Reports that the Kelekonans were attempting to destroy the port facilities quickly forced action and General van der Berg ordered the Arcerion Parachute Regiment to fight into the town to secure the port facilities. By 19 October, the town was secured and the remaining Kelekonan troops had surrendered.

Kelekonan high command, now having lost two islands and struggling to maintain their grip on the Gibson Gap began plans to conduct an offensive on Dunborough. Concurrently, the Arcer General Staff prepard plans for Larton, the largest of the occupied islands, and garrisoned by high quality troops of the 98th Naval Infantry Brigade.

Long March at Larton

Kelekonan troops on Larton had dug in multiple defensive fighting positions, laid minefield and concertina wire, and forcibly evicted Arcer families so they could turn the farmhouses into pillboxes and bunkers owing to the small basements hewn into the island's rock. Kelekonan Brigade staff of the 91st used the remnants of the 71st (two understrength battalions) to reinforce the town of Larton. On October 25th, Task Force 86 moved into the Gibson Gap from its staging area near Farnsworth. Kelekonan reconnaissance and naval intelligence had identified this and sent a mass wave of fighters and fighter bombers in an attempt to sink as many troop carrying vessels, supply ships, and if possible the ACS Kurst. The Arcer Air Force responded, and the resulting Battle of Larton Shore saw the destruction of fourteen Kelekonan planes, with eight more damaged, for a loss of six Arcer aircraft and eleven damaged. Ships within the Task Force did incur some damage, with the civilian-hired freight vessel the SS Yuletide struck by bombs and set ablaze, and the ACS Reacher, a destroyer also damaged by both Anti-ship missiles and bombs, but was able to limp back to Farnsworth's port facilities for emergency repairs, and then eventually to Port Gibson.

Members of F Company, 2nd Battalion, Arcerion Parachute Regiment wait for further orders after the surrender of remaining Kelekonan troops in Larton.

With the air and sea secured, General van der Berg ordered a landing in the cove on Larton's Southeastern shore. Reconnaissance showed it did not have any Kelekonan troops defending it, and the intelligence estimates were confident that a landing could be conducted uninhibited.

On October 27th, the Royal Moorden Regiment led 7 Rifle Brigade ashore as they landed on Larton. With no enemy contact, reconnaissance patrols and screens were established as the rest of the Brigade landed, setting up light artillery pieces and air defense systems. Reconnaissance patrols determined the Kelekonese had primarily garrisoned the Southern Cape of Larton, and van der Berg quickly moved the Arcerion Fusilier Regiment Southwest to engage them. There, two battalions of the Fusiliers encountered an entire regimental group dug into the beach. It was the first documented use of bayonets in modern Arcer history, as the Commanding Officer of 2nd Battalion, Lieutenant-Colonel Jerry Sherwick, ordered the battalion to close with the Kelekonan positions as they were outnumbered and relied on violence of action and surprise. With large elements of the 98th fixed in the South, van der Berg ordered the remainder of 7 Rifle Brigade to march to Larton overland, where they conducted a long ruck march that was dubbed 'Long March at Larton.' Poor weather conditions and harsh terrain meant that the soldiers were both fighting Kelekonan forces as well as the elements, with a number of Kelekonan and Arcer troops succumbing to the cold and becoming exposure casualties. Arriving at Larton, the Royal Easthampton Borderers and the Royal Moorden Regiment worked to clear the town, which by October 31st was liberated. Remaining Naval infantry from the Kelekonan Army, which had inflicted serious casualties on both the RMR and APR during the fighting withdrew in good order to the North, delaying as they prepared to be evacuated to mainland Kelekona or Sharnwick. Arcer troops in the town, once reasonably certain that the last Kelekonan troops had been mopped up or taken prisoner, pooled what little sweets, candies, and chocolate they had in their rations and held a small Halloween event in Larton's Catholic Church, doling out the goods to children in the town.

Locations of forces as of 1 November, 1986.

Surrender of Sharnwick

Casualties

Aftermath

Cultural Impact