13,989
edits
Second Great War: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m
→Beginning of hostilities
| Line 67: | Line 67: | ||
March 1934 saw a flury of militia activity throughout Dericania, alarming the authorities of the various principalities there. Due to limited central control, some cells loyal to the Republican Front began a series of terror attacks on 14 March 1934. On 17 March, the State Treasurer of [[Lapody#Verecundia|Verecundia]] was killed in a car bombing, precipitating the need for Imperial action. The [[Imperial Diet]] met on 24 March 1934 in [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] rather than Corcra due to threats in the city. The Diet gave the Emperor authority to deploy the [[Royal and Imperial Army (Urcea)|Royal and Imperial Army]] to Dericania in order to combat the terror crisis. Deployments were scheduled to begin on 2 April, accelerating the need for the Republican Front to take action. Accordingly, the Provisional Assembly of the Deric Republic issued its Proclamation of the Deric Republic on the morning of 29 March 1934 and issued orders for a "general insurrection of the Derian nation". By the end of the day, the majority of principalities in Dericania were actively combating Republican Front militia forces, signaling the beginning of open war. Who fired the first shots remains a point of contention, but it is generally accepted that Republican Front militia in the city of [[Hollona and Diorisia|Mesellianum]] began firing on palace guards at 8:48 AM Urceopolis time, making them the first shots of the uprising. Although the uprising appeared to be relevant only to Dericania and Levantia, these shots are regarded by most to be the first shots of the Second Great War. | March 1934 saw a flury of militia activity throughout Dericania, alarming the authorities of the various principalities there. Due to limited central control, some cells loyal to the Republican Front began a series of terror attacks on 14 March 1934. On 17 March, the State Treasurer of [[Lapody#Verecundia|Verecundia]] was killed in a car bombing, precipitating the need for Imperial action. The [[Imperial Diet]] met on 24 March 1934 in [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] rather than Corcra due to threats in the city. The Diet gave the Emperor authority to deploy the [[Royal and Imperial Army (Urcea)|Royal and Imperial Army]] to Dericania in order to combat the terror crisis. Deployments were scheduled to begin on 2 April, accelerating the need for the Republican Front to take action. Accordingly, the Provisional Assembly of the Deric Republic issued its Proclamation of the Deric Republic on the morning of 29 March 1934 and issued orders for a "general insurrection of the Derian nation". By the end of the day, the majority of principalities in Dericania were actively combating Republican Front militia forces, signaling the beginning of open war. Who fired the first shots remains a point of contention, but it is generally accepted that Republican Front militia in the city of [[Hollona and Diorisia|Mesellianum]] began firing on palace guards at 8:48 AM Urceopolis time, making them the first shots of the uprising. Although the uprising appeared to be relevant only to Dericania and Levantia, these shots are regarded by most to be the first shots of the Second Great War. | ||
The uprising occurred strongest in the [[Lapody|Lapodard]] speaking portions of Dericania, and by the end of April 1934 roughly two thirds of modern Lapody were in the hands of forces loyal to the Deric Republic. Pro-Imperial forces were more successful in the [[Rhotia|Rhotian]] speaking portions of Dericania in the first months of the war, resisting total state collapse in many places for several months; despite this, the uprising was strong and numerous here as well. The scale of the uprising surprised Imperial authorities, and the intended 2 April deployment of the Royal and Imperial Army was insufficient in scope to combat the entire uprising. A general mobilization was proclaimed in [[Urcea]] on 10 April. The forces immediately available and en route to Dericania were halted in western Rhotia, both to secure the border of Urcea as well as to reevaluate where forces were most needed. | The uprising occurred strongest in the [[Lapody|Lapodard]] speaking portions of Dericania, and by the end of April 1934 roughly two thirds of modern Lapody were in the hands of forces loyal to the Deric Republic. Pro-Imperial forces were more successful in the [[Rhotia|Rhotian]] speaking portions of Dericania in the first months of the war, resisting total state collapse in many places for several months; despite this, the uprising was strong and numerous here as well. The scale of the uprising surprised Imperial authorities, and the intended 2 April deployment of the Royal and Imperial Army was insufficient in scope to combat the entire uprising. A general mobilization was proclaimed in [[Urcea]] on 10 April. The forces immediately available and en route to Dericania were halted in western Rhotia, both to secure the border of Urcea as well as to reevaluate where forces were most needed. Burgundie would eventually require significant aid. The first of the Deric principalities to collapse was [[Hollona and Diorisia]], whose elector fled to [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] in early May. As of late April, [[Fiannria]] was still actively involved in the distribution of arms and funds to the Republican Front. | ||
===Burgundie falters=== | ===Burgundie falters=== | ||
The proclamation of a unified Deric state caused significant concern in [[Vilauristre]], causing [[Burgundie]] to issue an official proclamation denouncing the Deric Republic on the afternoon of 29 March. The proclamation did not, however, commit Burgundie to any particular course of action; though the Derians were sworn enemies of the Burgoignesc people, the nation was completely unprepared for war and traditionally maintained a very small military presence in [[Levantia]] vis a vis its overseas possessions. Despite this semi-neutral position, the relative weakness of Burgundie at the moment of the uprising as well as historic enmity led Derian militias, particularly from Lapody, to begin small incursions into eastern Burgundie on 4 April. In some places, the incursions took the form of a disciplined military occupation, but in most places it was paired with atrocities against ethnically [[Bergendii]] civilians. On 8 April, the Great Prince met with senior advisors from the [[Army of Burgundie]] who told him the small [[Army_of_Burgundie#Metropole_Forces|Metropole Forces]] would not be able to retain control of most of the country and that it would take time to redeploy its considerable colonial forces from [[Alshar]] and [[Audonia]]. Accordingly, they were pulled back to a defensive position within the [[Belrac caldera]] with [[National Gendarmerie of Burgundie|National Gendarmerie]] forces joining them, functionally conceding the northernmost part of the country to the advancing Republican Front forces. On 9 April, the Great Prince issued a formal request to Emperor Niall II asking for Imperial forces to intervene. The Emperor granted this request and, with the approval of the [[Government of Urcea|Urcean government]], redirected XII Corps of the [[Royal and Imperial Army (Urcea)|Royal and Imperial Army]] from western Rhotia to eastern Burgundie, arriving there within a matter of days. XII Corps and the small Metropole Forces managed to solidify the defenses of the caldera and expand outward from its passes, reclaiming some of northeastern Burgundie. On 10 April, the Great Prince ordered the gradual redeployment of the [[Army_of_Burgundie#Foreign_Legion|Foreign Legion]] to Levantia, intended to be rotated out gradually in order to avoid the appearance of weakness in its colonial possessions. These redeployments were discovered by [[Corumm]]ese intelligence beginning in July 1934, and such redeployments later in the year would inaugurate the [[Second_Great_War#Burgoignesc_weakness|beginning of the Eastern Theater of the war]] in September. A general mobilization was declared in Burgundie also on 10 April. | The proclamation of a unified Deric state caused significant concern in [[Vilauristre]], causing [[Burgundie]] to issue an official proclamation denouncing the Deric Republic on the afternoon of 29 March. The proclamation did not, however, commit Burgundie to any particular course of action; though the Derians were sworn enemies of the Burgoignesc people, the nation was completely unprepared for war and traditionally maintained a very small military presence in [[Levantia]] vis a vis its overseas possessions. Despite this semi-neutral position, the relative weakness of Burgundie at the moment of the uprising as well as historic enmity led Derian militias, particularly from Lapody, to begin small incursions into eastern Burgundie on 4 April. In some places, the incursions took the form of a disciplined military occupation, but in most places it was paired with atrocities against ethnically [[Bergendii]] civilians. On 8 April, the Great Prince met with senior advisors from the [[Army of Burgundie]] who told him the small [[Army_of_Burgundie#Metropole_Forces|Metropole Forces]] would not be able to retain control of most of the country and that it would take time to redeploy its considerable colonial forces from [[Alshar]] and [[Audonia]]. Accordingly, they were pulled back to a defensive position within the [[Belrac caldera]] with [[National Gendarmerie of Burgundie|National Gendarmerie]] forces joining them, functionally conceding the northernmost part of the country to the advancing Republican Front forces. On 9 April, the Great Prince issued a formal request to Emperor Niall II asking for Imperial forces to intervene. The Emperor granted this request and, with the approval of the [[Government of Urcea|Urcean government]], redirected XII Corps of the [[Royal and Imperial Army (Urcea)|Royal and Imperial Army]] from western Rhotia to eastern Burgundie, arriving there within a matter of days. XII Corps and the small Metropole Forces managed to solidify the defenses of the caldera and expand outward from its passes, reclaiming some of northeastern Burgundie. On 10 April, the Great Prince ordered the gradual redeployment of the [[Army_of_Burgundie#Foreign_Legion|Foreign Legion]] to Levantia, intended to be rotated out gradually in order to avoid the appearance of weakness in its colonial possessions. These redeployments were discovered by [[Corumm]]ese intelligence beginning in July 1934, and such redeployments later in the year would inaugurate the [[Second_Great_War#Burgoignesc_weakness|beginning of the Eastern Theater of the war]] in September. A general mobilization was declared in Burgundie also on 10 April. On 20 April, Urcea and Burgundie signed the Pact of the Sea of Istroya, referred to as the "Istroya Pact", which pledged common cause in this war and also allowed for later integrations of the militaries and economic apparatuses of both countries. After the war, this Pact would form the basis of the [[Levantine Union]]. | ||
===Embargo declared=== | ===Embargo declared=== | ||
Almost immediately after the beginning of fighting, it was patently obvious that many of the rebels were armed with forces manufactured in [[Caphiria]], with many even being surplus Caphirian military arms. After two weeks of debate, on 14 April the [[Government of Urcea|Urcean government]], in consultation with the Emperor and Imperial Diet, proclaimed a formal embargo of all trade goods coming in and out of the [[Holy Levantine Empire]] from Caphiria. The [[Royal Navy (Urcea)|Royal Navy]] was deployed to form a blockade around [[Dericania]] and Burgundie. Caphiria issued several formal protests, both on the grounds of disruption of legitimate trade as well as for accusations against its national honor. The Royal Navy's interdiction efforts were largely successful even as smugglers occasionally managed to continue to land crates of supplies in and around [[Alba Concordia]]. The embargo forced Caphiria to direct | Almost immediately after the beginning of fighting, it was patently obvious that many of the rebels were armed with forces manufactured in [[Caphiria]], with many even being surplus Caphirian military arms. After two weeks of debate, on 14 April the [[Government of Urcea|Urcean government]], in consultation with the Emperor and Imperial Diet, proclaimed a formal embargo of all trade goods coming in and out of the [[Holy Levantine Empire]] from Caphiria. The [[Royal Navy (Urcea)|Royal Navy]] was deployed to form a blockade around [[Dericania]] and Burgundie. Caphiria issued several formal protests, both on the grounds of disruption of legitimate trade as well as for accusations against its national honor. Notably, the embargo did not cover Caphirian traffic to [[Zaclaria]] given the official neutrality of both countries, enabling continued supply to parties who would eventually be combatants in the Eastern Theater. The Royal Navy's interdiction efforts were largely successful even as smugglers occasionally managed to continue to land crates of supplies in and around [[Alba Concordia]]. The embargo forced Caphiria to direct arms and funds to [[Faneria]], who would then direct them across the [[Vandarch]] into [[Hollona and Diorisia]]. The sudden influx of arms and resources into modern day Rhotia greatly weakened the Imperial cause there. | ||
The new northern supply line created an inadvertent diplomatic crisis that would slightly undermine Caphiria's plans in Levantia. Fiannrian intelligence reported, as of around 1 June 1934, that Caphirian arms and resources were flowing into its chief rival, Faneria. Fiannrian leaders understood the purpose but also were concerned that plans for another Kin War were afoot, delaying Fiannria's decision to declare independence from the Empire and halting the supply of Fiannrian arms and ammunition to Derian rebels. The Fiannrian supplies ceased not only due to the realization that Fiannria may need the Empire's continued existence in the event of war with Faneria, but also due to need for itself to rearm. Historians believe that Caphiria had no intention to spark a northern war, and that Faneria was intended purely as a pass-through; the record shows, however, that Faneria did indeed retain a significant amount of arms and ammunition intended for the Derians for itself. In light of clear Fanerian rearmament, Fiannria pivoted to a state of declared neutrality and that it would not recognize the Deric Republic "unless so recognized by either the Holy Levantine Empire generally or Urcea and Burgundie specifically", but also that it would not render aid to the Empire. These maneuvers effectively ended Fiannrian support for the Derian cause and laid the groundwork for the eventual opening of the northern theater of the war. | |||
===Nationalist summer=== | |||
The late spring and summer of 1934 saw a gradual solidification of the war's eventual lines of battle in [[Dericania]], as those regimes who would be toppled were largely ousted by Republican Front forces by July and pro-Imperial principalities had solidified control by around the same time. In a few instances, local princes and the Imperial authorities were able to make accomodations with nationalist groups in modern Rhotia, leading to the defection of a small number of Republican Front forces in exchange for liberal reforms. In one case, [[Rhotia#Orclenia|Orclenia]], the local ruling Duke agreed to transition the duchy to a republic upon his death. | |||
During this period, fighting was constant, but large scale battles had yet to occur as neither side was able to achieve a satisfactory concentration of forces. Republican Front forces struggled to unify their militias as they overcame local resistance, while Urcean mobilization slowly increased their deployment in Dericania to a full eight corps, spread out thinly throughout the country. Large scale skirmishes occurred throughout Dericania, producing some casualties and large scale exchanges of territory due to opposing forces retreating. Republican Front forces managed their first large concentration of forces and artillery at the Battle of Marmande in early September. Marmande, a small town north of passes through the Belrac caldera, was a vital railway junction for the region north of the caldera. Derian forces won the battle, sending a combined force of Urcean XII Corps and Burgoignesc National Gendarmerie into full retreat into the caldera. The military disaster was the first major Derian victory of the war. | |||
=Sarpedonian Theater= | =Sarpedonian Theater= | ||