1949 Christmas Massacres
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| Part of the Third Civil War of Caphiria | |
| Date | December 24–25, 1949 |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Operation Purple Paladin |
| Target | Galdo Bertocca |
| Casualties | |
| 24 civilians | |
The 1949 Christmas Massacres were the culmination of the Third Civil War of Caphiria that happened between Christmas Eve and Day 1949. Imperator Magasevetus had been in a civil war against his Prime Minister, Galdo Bertocca. Magasevetus was able to triumph over the Bertoccan Fascists and regain complete control over the Imperium in 1955, in part due to the end of the Great War a few years earlier.
Because the effects of the war were still fresh, after a formal trial completed in 1958, Magasevetus decided to exile Bertocca and about 170 captured Bertoccan Fascists to the Tryhstian Littoral, a coastal territory on the south-western coast of Great Kirav. This decision was highly unpopular as seemingly all of Caphiria was in agreement that Berocca and all of his followers were traitors and should be hung as such. This in turn drove Magasevetus to paranoia in fear of being assassinated himself. This paranoia continued for about a year until the fall of 1949 when Magasevetus began his succession plans.
In an attempt to strengthen post-war Caphiria, would abdicate in 1960 to his son, Magasevetus II. At the same time, Magasevetus held a secret meeting with the Chief Executive of INS, Caphiria's domestic intelligence and security agency. Together, they formed what was called Operatio Purpura Paladinus - Operation Purple Paladin. This operation was very simple in scope: Find and kill Bertocca.
INS sent an elite team of 9 to the coastal island Seia, off of County Nuvôn, Korlēdan, which was the last known location of Bertocca. According to the post-mission report, the INS team arrived in Seia on 24 December at 10:16 PM. However, according to flight data, the team actually arrived 12 hours earlier at 10:6 AM. Originally, this missing time was overlooked as the Chief Executive of INS had personally scrubbed it from the records, but he had kept one physical record and turned it in as evidence in the trial against Magasevetus. The 12 hours document a gruesome scene of mass murder and executions; over 47 people were taken from their homes, tortured, and then killed after which they were dumped on highways, in fields, under a bridge, left hanging from a tree. 24 unarmed villagers were additionally slaughtered.
The missing 12 hours were originally referred to as the "1949 Christmas Massacres" but over time it has evolved to contain the entire Purple Paladin operation.