Normark-Cerulea war of 1727

Operation Northern Mist
Part of Wars of the Disinherited
Date 22.I.1727 AN – Location Cerulea • Normark Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Raspur Pact  Raspur Pact  Normark (Lead nation)  Nouvelle Alexandrie (Combat aviation and logistical support)  Benacian Union	Cerulea
Units involved
Keltia Command  Nordhaer  Federal Forces of Nouvelle Alexandrie	People's Armed Forces People's Army People's Air Force People's Navy Red Guard KGB
Strength
Personnel: 321,614 Active service: 106,138 Reserves: 215,476	Personnel: 295,598 People's Army: 51,835 People's Air Force: 18,600 People's Navy: 16,500 Red Guard: 208,645
Casualties and losses
North Caledonia 2,330 KIA + WIA Air war over Stoličnaja Krlska 81 F-9 Ashavan II shot down 43 KIA 38 POW	North Caledonia 9,766 KIA + WIA 14,275 POW Air war over Stoličnaja Krlska 49 aircraft shot down

Background

• 17.XIII.1726 AN: With immediate effect from midnight on the morning of the 17th, all adult male subjects of Normark between the ages of sixteen and forty-five were prohibited from leaving the country. Concurrently, all male members of the House of Einhorn between the ages of fifteen and sixty-five were instructed to return to Elijah's Rest within seventy-two hours of the issuance of the general summons being made.
• 18.XIII.1726 AN: Previously designated border crossings points between Cerulea and Normark are blocked by detachments of the Elian Militia. Ostensibly the closures are to prevent violations of the travel bans instituted on the previous date. Notably these measures were not however implemented on the border between Normark and Mercury.
• 19.XIII.1726 AN: Further declaration of a "National Emergency". The Chief of Operations of the Nordhær instructed 38,417 telecommunications employees and 19,208 postal workers across the realm to send out news of the declaration to the 159 second and third line regiments scattered throughout the far north of Keltia to begin mustering their reservists. The Nordhær requisitioned from Jernbanekompaniet i Normark and Trans-Keltia Railways 5,700 locomotives, 12,500 passenger coaches, and 153,700 freight cars. The mobilisation transports started moving immediately upon their assembly at railway marshalling yards. Effectively disrupting the operation of the Trans-Keltian Express within Normark. Einhorns received at Elijah's Rest by the King: Stefan Einhorn, Valde Einhorn.
• 20.XIII.1726 AN: Amnesty offered by the crown to those living descendants of Riccard Amundsson who would present themselves to the crown as part of the summons of the Einhorns, excluding the sons and daughters of Knotaric, who remained attainted as traitors.
• 21.XIII.1726 AN: Hitherto quiet about events in Normark, the Cerulean government began mobilising its own forces along its long borders with the Green, but with extra focus along the border with Normark and adjacent border areas. Commissar for foreign affairs, Ilia Abram Shvets, decried the Norse provocations and urged calm and peace, as well as a "return to the fruitful cooperative atmosphere that Cerulea and Stormark achieved around the time for the Cerulean Extradition". After that statement, Shvets was asked "Stormark? You mean Normark?", whereupon Shvets replied, "Yes, indeed, but for me, they're pretty much the same. Like Stormark, Normark has a perverse colonial attitude that needs to be stomped out. We need an auspicious occasion to save us from the Stormark-like imperialism we see in Konungsheim."
• 22.XIII.1726–24.XV.1726: Deployments of Nordhær regular forces sees the Red Division and 1st Logistics Brigade of I Corps concentrated at Galvø, whilst the first wave of mobilised reservists were assigned to formations within II (Reserve) Corps and deployed to bailiwicks along the frontier with Cerulea. 30,000 Nordhær personnel, both regulars and reservists, were accordingly assembled at forward deployment points formed out of a series of fortified encampments.
  • During a similar period, Keltia Command identified Cerulean formations including the 38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade and the 103rd Separate Guards Airborne Brigade as having been moved into northern Caledonia, estimated as having a combined strength of 6,150 paratroopers.

Campaign

Engaged formations

Keltia Command

Banner Group North

Formation	Commander	Subordinate Formation	Commanders
1st Echelon
Red Division	Generalmajor Odin Christianssønn Einhorn	6th Command & Control Regiment	Oberst Sigmundr Birgir Tarjeisson
		3rd Brigade of Foot	Brigadier Ottar Einhorn Mossing
		4th Brigade of Foot	Brigadier Otto Einhorn al-Osman Kåveland
		4th Commissariat Regiment	Oberstløytnant Åsgeir Einhorn al-Osman
1st Reserve Division	Generalmajor Stefan Einhorn	10th Command & Control Regiment	Oberst Emil Josef Tarjeisson
		1st Reserve (I Slevik) Brigade	Brigadier Oddvar Einhorn al-Osman
		2nd Reserve (I Jelsinga) Brigade	Brigaduer Alexander Einhorn Mossing
		1st Reserve (I Eikbu) Demi-Brigade	Oberst Áki Friðrik Tarjeisson
		9th Commissariat Regiment	Oberstløytnant Vidar Einhorn al-Osman
2nd Echelon
Security Police Division	Generalmajor Oddbjørn Gruntland-Einhorn	Regional Security Command Detachment "Normark"	Oberst Torbjørn Einhorn al-Osman
		Regional Security Command "Nyland"	Oberst Markus Arnoldssønn Einhorn
		Regional Security Command "Østfold"	Oberst Filip Einhorn Dahle
		Regional Security Command "Dalen"	Oberst Arnhöfði Einhorn Tarjeisson
18th Vanguard Division	Archon of the Third Degree & General Fredrik Michael Tarjeisson	1st Einhornselskapet Brigade	Brigadier Auðun Fredrik Tarjeisson
		2nd Einhornselskapet Brigade	Brigadier Valde Einhorn
3rd Echelon

Peoples' Armed Forces of Cerulea

Formation	Commander	Subordinate Formation	Commanders
Headquarters
Central Garrison	Generál-Leytenánt Anatoly Gogol	336th Missile Artillery Brigade	Generál-Mayór
		465th Missile Brigade	Generál-Mayór
		111th Artillery Brigade	Generál-Mayór
		188th Engineer Brigade	Generál-Mayór
Eastern Operational Command
11th Guards Mechanised Brigade	Generál-Mayór Valentin Mischkov	11th Guards Mechanised Brigade Headquarters	Polkóvnik
		153rd Independent Guards Communications Battalion	Podpolkovnik
		9th Independent Guards Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare Battalion	Podpolkovnik
		249th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment	Polkóvnik
		1073rd Independent Material Supply Battalion	Podpolkovnik
North Eastern Operational Command
19th Mechanised Brigade	Generál-Mayór Georgi Ourumov	19th Mechanised Brigade Headquarters	Polkóvnik
		97th Motor Rifle Regiment	Polkóvnik
		1081st Separate Material Supply Battalion	Podpolkovnik
		74th Separate Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion	Podpolkovnik
38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade	Generál-Mayór Stefan Orlov	38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade Headquarters	Polkóvnik
		381st Guards Airborne Battalion	Podpolkovnik
		382nd Guards Airborne Battalion	Podpolkovnik
		101st Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion	Podpolkovnik
103rd Separate Guards Airborne Brigade	Generál-Mayór Arkady Koskov	103rd Separate Guards Airborne Brigade Headquarters	Polkóvnik
		357th Guards Airborne Battalion	Podpolkovnik
		572nd Guards Mixed Artillery Battalion	Podpolkovnik
		116th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile and Artillery Battalion	Podpolkovnik
120th Guards Mechanised Brigade	Generál-Mayór Grischka Meyer	120th Guards Mechanised Brigade Headquarters	Polkóvnik
		339th Guards Rifle Regiment	Polkóvnik
		310th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment	Polkóvnik
		1045th Guards Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment	Polkóvnik

I.1727

• 22:
  • Without the issuance of any prior ultimatum or formal declaration of war, Krlsgorod is bombed by four waves of F-9 Ashavan II aircraft, flying under the insignia of Normark, whilst Nordhær troops cross the frontier into Caledonia from the directions of Eikbu, Galvø, and Slevik.
  • Command and control nodes, as well as critical infrastructure such as international airports and railway marshalling yards, in Kaledonija, Krlsgorod, and Škoda were struck by an unidentified type of ballistic missile, presumed to be variants of the S-3 Schlächter provided to Normark by the Benacian Union.
  • Surviving members of the largely defunct Nordisketing assembled in Elijah's Rest to hear a proclamation from the throne read by the Prime Minister, Ragnar Filip Tarjeisson. "Having long heard the groans of our Nordic cousins, who languish under the foul tyranny of false egalitarianism, we, mindful of our duties as humanists towards our neighbours, are committed to the liberation of our kin and the establishment of a reorganised nation under our protection and tutelage."
  • The Cerulean People's Air Force claimed to have shot down twelve intruding enemy aircraft during the day's series of air raids for no losses of their own.
• 23:
  • Bulletin from Keltia Command stated that three enemy aircraft had been engaged and "forced to ground" during the course of the previous day's sorties, in turn acknowledging one allied aircraft as having returned in a damaged condition whilst another had been regretfully lost owing to mechanical failure, with efforts to recover the pilot being ongoing.
  • A storm system developing over Lake Caledonia restricted air operations by both sides, with planned air raids against targets in and around Krlsgorod being cancelled.
  • 3rd Brigade of Foot, advancing along the Galvø axis in northern Caledonia, reported to be heavily engaged in fighting against border guards under the command of the Cerulean KGB.

II.1727

• 1:
  • Elements of the Cerulean 19th Mechanised Brigade, reinforced by mobilised reservists of the Red Guard, begin to concentrate around Kaledonija.
  • Impacts from multiple suspected short-range ballistic missiles reported in Jelsinga. Electronic communication and information networks are "throttled" in the immediate aftermath, most probably in an effort to prevent the circulation of images of destruction or news of civilian casualties.
  • Detachments from the 38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade begin to engage the 3rd Brigade of Foot in forested and wintery conditions, where movement on both sides were impeded by heavy snowfall - a consequence of the previous day's storm.
  • Concerns in Keltia Command that the appointment of Einhorn family members to leadership positions in the invasion force meant that the lessons of the Liberation of Dalen had not been learnt.
• 2:
  • 2nd Reserve (I Jelsinga) Brigade, reinforced by contingents of Elian Militia, departed southwards into the Green of northern Keltia.
  • 38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade engaged on its right flank by regimental battle groups of the 4th Brigade of Foot and obliged to withdraw before lines of communication towards Kaledonija was cut off.
• 3:
  • Red Guard militia engaged by vanguard of the 1st Reserve (I Slevik) Brigade and obliged to retire towards Kaledonija.
  • 357th Guards Airborne Battalion of the 103rd Separate Guards Airborne Brigade moved by road to reinforce the 38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade and counter the flanking manoeuvre of the Nordhaer.
  • Emergency services respond to a serious fire at a fuel depot attached to the Sårensby Industrial Area. Sabotage suspected.
• 4:
  • Further ballistic missile launches from inside Cerulea, this time towards Elijah's Rest, foiled by ABM interceptors fired from Citadele Alexandrin.
  • Main lines of resistance bypassed by 1st Reserve (I Eikbu) Demi-Brigade, further threatening the right flank of Cerulean forces in northern Caledonia.
  • Defensive positions prepared around Kaledonija occupied by 19th Mechanised Brigade, comprised of two manoeuvre infantry battalions, a motor-rifle battalion and tank battalion, and rear area support elements.
  • Elements of the 120th Guards Mechanised Brigade on the road towards Kaledonija from Krlsgorod.
  • Logistics convoy of the 9th Commissariat Regiment out of Slevik shot-up by Cerulean attack helicopters. Dozens of support vehicles left burning or abandoned. Land Forces Command angrily demands that the Army Co-operation Corps of Aerospace Forces Command at least try to live up to its name by providing combat air patrols over advancing formations.
• 5:
  • Raspur Pact recon assets detected air defence equipment, including surface-to-air launchers, being moved into concealed positions around Krlsgorod, Kaledonija, Lujamaa, and Škoda.
  • 1st Reserve (I Eikbu) Demi-Brigade engaged by 357th Guards Airborne Battalion as it attempted to cut into the rear of the 38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade from the east. Attacking Cerulean force was comprehensively outgunned at the initial encounter and was subsequently broken up by two pincer-attacks conducted by the second and third regiments of the I Eikbu.
  • Reflecting fears of a sabotage campaign within Normark by hostile forces, the ESB (Keltia) Security Division was reactivated by the mutual agreement of Keltia Command and the Honourable Company.
• 6:
  • Aerospace Forces Command refused to authorise combat sorties by first line airframes in southern Caledonia until Cerulean air defence network neutralised. Relations with Land Forces Command further deteriorate.
  • Armed Forces Headquarters demanded capture of Kaledonija before enemy defensive line can consolidate.
  • Alerted to the presence of enemy forces to its rear, 38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade attempted to disengage from the 3rd and 4th Brigades of Foot and resume retreat towards Kaledonija.
• 7:
  • Red Guard counterattacks against the 1st Reserve (I Slevik) Brigade, lacking artillery and armour support, are repelled with heavy losses for the attackers.
  • 8: "Second Echelon" of the invasion, comprised of Elian Militia and 18th Vanguard Division contingents, begin to muster at Jelsinga and Galvø respectively. Aerlan pattern rifles and machine-guns were widely seen amongst the assembling forces.
• 12: Encirclement of the 38th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade and 103rd Separate Guards Airborne Brigade, along with ad hoc KGB, border guard, and Red Guard units, is completed - resulting in the creation of a pocket of enemy forces trapped by the Nordhaer.
• 16: After four days of continuous bombardment, without resupply, and unable to form viable defensive positions, Cerulean paratroopers broke up into small detachments and attempt to force their way out of the encirclement that had closed about them. The majority would be killed or captured during the course of their night-time attempt at crossing the lines.
• 24: By the end of the month, 4,759 paratroopers, along with a motley assortment of Red Guard militiamen and KGB officers had arrived in Kaledonija. Placed into the Drooningfort and on Braun Cairn Hill south of the River Albanmach as a reserve for the garrison of the town.

III.1727

• 1: Warbands, comprised of mounted contingents and convoys of all-terrain vehicles, travelling under the banner of the Green Einhorns were reported to have begun raiding border communities in the Ashkenazi Autonomous People's Republic.
• 2:
  • Benacian Union announced decision to dispatch an expeditionary force in support of Normark's campaign.
  • Eastern Operational Command of the Cerulean People's Armed Forces activated in response to raiding from the Green in Ashkenazi Autonomous People's Republic.
• 3: 11th Guards Mechanised Brigade mobilised at Škoda and assigned to the Eastern Operational Command.
• 4: Third echelon formations of the Nordhaer begin to assemble in western Normark.
• 5: Large scale air interdiction and air defence suppression campaign begun by the Normark Air Fleet of Nouvelle Alexandrie and the Army Co-operation Corps of the Nordhaer with the objective of gaining air supremacy over Stoličnaja Krlska.
• 15: The onset of the thaw heralded the beginning of the "muddy season", making off-road movements and the occupation of dugouts into occasions for increased misery.
• 17: Pause in the air campaign. Normark Air Fleet endured heavy losses albeit at the cost of unsustainable losses for the Cerulean People's Air Force and ground-based air defences.
• 20: Gennady Voljakov, Admiral of Caledonia, a figure long accused of being the instigator and beneficiary of piracy on Lake Caledonia, is received in Elijah's Rest as a guest of the crown.
• 21: x43 [[|Javelin F-18|F-18 Cyclone]] and C-12 Sojourner assigned to the Wechua Air Fleet and tasked to conduct a strategic air campaign against Cerulea. Haifan airbases made available to allied aviation assets by the Imperial Federation.

International reaction

•  Aerla: The news of war between Normark and Cerulea was a call for concern for the government in Noursala, always paranoid of regional instability reaching their doorsteps. Curiously enough, several Noursala Military-Industrial-marked crates of weapons and ammunition were observed being transferred over the Normark and Aerla's shared border near Port Aerla.
  • Soon after the outbreak of the war, Boreas Program early warning stations were placed on high alert for any unidentified foreign aircraft or missiles entering Aerlan airspace.
  • In III.XV.1727, a Voice of Aerla report stated that several Cerulean families were apprehended by Republican Border Service officers at checkpoints in the Six Parishes attempting to seek refuge from the war. The Commissioner of the RBS, Dillon Lowe, stated that these families would be considered as "foreign alien refugees", and would be sent to processing centers for temporary accommodation.
•  Floria: Floria has called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and would provide refuge to those affected. Floria also refused to provide military and logistical support to Normark despite still being members of the Raspur Pact after a membership referendum.
•  Mercury: Mercury has temporarily suspended border crossings to and from Normark, including those of the Trans-Keltian Express.