Chastisement of the Inharmonious

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Chastisement of the Inharmonious
Date 15.III.1745 AN – ongoing Location Oportia, Central Eura Status Active conflict
Parties to the conflict
Raspur Pact  Committee of Euran Salvation  Constancia  Zeed  Natopia  Nouvelle Alexandrie	National Salvation Council
Commanders and leaders
Giakoumis II	Joseph Fouche
Units involved
Trans-Euran Command Aqaba Banner Command 504th Army (Prosgeiosi Basileus) 505th Army (Aqaba Province) 512th Army Nivardom Banner Command  509th (Surenid) Army Constancian Expeditionary Force 501st Army Constancian Foreign Legion Black Banner Fleet Expeditionary Air Group	Oportian Security Forces Oportian Army Oportian Navy Oportian Aerospace Force Oportian Home Guard Joint Border Forces Oportian National Gendarmerie Oportian Special Commands

The Chastisement of the Inharmonious, also known as the Salvationist Conflict and as the Fourth Euran War, is an ongoing military conflict that began on 15.III.1745 AN when Oportia's National Salvation Council launched the catastrophic Operation Lightning Dawn, a pre-emptive strike against Committee of Euran Salvation forces in Zeed, Constancia, and Nouvelle Alexandrie. The operation's devastating failure, which resulted in the bombardment of the Oportian capital Vanie and massive military casualties, has unified regional powers against the military government established under Joseph Fouche. The conflict takes its name from the Constancian Imperial decree that characterized the military regime as fundamentally "inharmonious" with regional stability in Eura.

The conflict represents the culmination of escalating tensions following the 1744 Oportian coup d'état and the subsequent authoritarian consolidation under the National Salvation Council. The military government's implementation of the "Four Pillars" policy, the systematic purging of democratic institutions through the Vermian Recalibration System, and the aggressive Operation Sovereign Bastion security campaign created alarm among regional powers. The disastrous Operation Lightning Dawn, which was fatally compromised by intelligence leaks through Sarbanes-Lopez CyberSecurity and resulted in over 1,200 Oportian military casualties, has provided the Committee of Euran Salvation with both justification and demonstrated capability for coordinated military action against the regime.

Under the operational framework of the Committee of Euran Salvation, the coalition includes forces from Constancia, Zeed, and Nouvelle Alexandrie, with additional support from Raspur Pact allies. The operation aims to eliminate the current regime, with the failed Lightning Dawn assault providing powerful justification for intervention. The National Salvation Council, led by President Joseph Fouche, has characterized the conflict as foreign aggression despite having launched the initial assault.

The conflict's outcome will likely determine not only the future of democratic governance in Oportia but also the balance of power in Eura and the effectiveness of international coalitions as guarantors of regional stability.

Diplomatic efforts

• Mehrshahr Meltdown
• Fontainebleau Conference

Timeline

Prelude

XIII.1744 AN

• • XIII.10: Operation Sovereign Bastion launched by the National Salvation Council in response to Assault on Naya:
    • 04:00: Emergency session of National Salvation Council convened following security briefings on the Naya attack.
    • 06:30: Council President Joseph Fouche orders immediate mobilization of all reserve units across Oportia.
    • 08:00: Operation Sovereign Bastion officially declared with martial law extended to all border federal cities and regions.
    • 10:15: Emergency Decree No. 45 issued placing all foreign nationals from Committee of Euran Salvation member nations (Constancia, Suren Confederacy, Zeed) under enhanced surveillance and travel restrictions.
    • 12:00: Coastal Defense Command redirects all available naval assets to Oportia's main maritime approaches.
    • 14:30: 1st and 2nd Mountain Divisions ordered to establish defensive positions in Oportian highlands along border regions.
    • 16:00: All airports placed under direct military control with civilian flights suspended indefinitely.
    • 18:00: National broadcast by President Fouche declaring that "foreign aggression will be met with total resistance" and announcing comprehensive security measures.
  • XIII.13: Days after the Assault on Naya, Trans-Euran Command, following the political direction of the Committee of Euran Salvation authorised the deployment of the 1634th ESB-Jörmungandr Division of the ESB Corps into the Ecclesiastical Mountain Republic in an effort to ensure that there would be no spillover into Constancian territory of instability in the Durranian mining communities of Oportia.

XIV.1744 AN

• • XIV.2: The 2nd Directorate (Surenshahr) and the 3rd Directorate (Rusjar) of the General Inspectorate of Eura and Corum was directed to coordinate on all matters frontier security with the State Protection Authority of Constancia and the Garrisoned Police Force of Zeed.

A political cartoon published in The Times of Alduria-Wechua in Punta Santiago, Nouvelle Alexandrie after the Mehrshahr Meltdown. The cartoon depicts a baby dressed in a general's uniform symbolizing Oportia, crying in a high chair, while diplomats from Constancia, Zeed, Natopia, and Nouvelle Alexandrie attempt to calm him.

• • XIV.8-12: Mehrshahr Meltdown leads to the suspension of the Joint Border Forces.
  • XIV.13: National Salvation Council declares "Maximum Alert Status" nationwide following the Mehrshahr Meltdown. Emergency Decree No. 50 is issued, suspending all cross-border trade and transport to Committee of Euran Salvation nations. Curfew extended to 18:00-06:00 in all border areas.
    • 06:00: National Salvation Council orders immediate recall of all reserve Oportian naval vessels from foreign ports to Oportian territorial waters.
    • 08:30: Emergency evacuation of classified government archives and state records to secure underground facilities at Naval Base Montségur and other undisclosed locations.
    • 10:00: National Salvation Council activates "Fortress Oportia" national defense contingency plan, mobilizing all military reserves and implementing stringent martial law protocols across the entire country.
    • 11:45: Emergency Decree No. 51 implements nationwide food rationing system under Department of Public Information supervision; distribution centers established in all 33 federal cities.
    • 13:30: All foreign aid workers, international observers, and non-essential diplomatic personnel ordered to evacuate Oportia within 48 hours citing "national security imperatives".
    • 15:00: Military forces commandeer all private radio and television transmitters nationwide; Department of Public Information assumes direct control of all broadcast communications.
    • 17:15: Emergency Decree No. 52 authorizes creation of "People's Defense Militia of Oportia" recruiting civilian volunteers for homeland defense under Oportian Security Forces command.
  • XIV.24: Within days of the Mehrshahr Meltdown, the 5th Mountain Division of the Armed Forces of Zeed is ordered to march into the northern Garujulia region.
  • XIV.25: National Salvation Council declares "Condition Red" alert status as Zeedic invasion is deemed "imminent"; all Oportian Security Forces units ordered to maximum combat readiness.
    • 05:30: Final phases of mandatory civilian evacuations from Central Euran District and other border zones completed; estimated over 47,000 residents relocated to inland emergency shelters.
    • 08:00: Oportian Security Forces engineers activate defensive minefields along all major approach routes from Zeed; anti-tank barriers deployed across mountain passes and bottlenecks.
    • 13:00: Systematic destruction of border infrastructure initiated; bridges spanning the Zeed-Oportia frontier and critical tunnels demolished by military engineers.

XV.1744 AN

• • XV.5: Elements of the 12th Vanguard Division seen on the roads leading through the mountain passes into Ḡur Ostan.
  • XV.6: Oportian intelligence reports confirm Committee of Euran Salvation forces operating in multiple Oportian border regions; National Salvation Council activates all reserve surveillance units.
    • 04:30: Operation Steel Ring initiated; complete sealing of all Oportian borders with deployment of Oportian Security Forces units and defensive systems.
    • 07:00: Heavy artillery batteries positioned at all known mountain passes and strategic chokepoints along the Zeed-Oportia frontier.
    • 09:15: Emergency ammunition production facilities activated at classified locations.
    • 11:00: Intensified guerrilla warfare training programs implemented for People's Defense Militia of Oportia units across all 33 federal cities.
    • 13:30: Strategic military reserves repositioned to secondary defensive positions in preparation for potential breakthrough attempts.
  • XV.9: The sudden appearance of C-11 Mula transport aircraft in airports throughout the Raspur Khanate and Suren Confederacy, all sporting the hastily painted livery of the Honourable Air Corporation, could not help but become a source of comment and curiousity throughout southern and central Euran.
  • XV.10: Oportian Security Forces anti-aircraft defense systems repositioned to protect critical installations including Alexandrium mining facilities and government facilities.
    • 06:30: National Salvation Council issues directives that authorize the immediate destruction of all Alexandrium extraction and processing facilities if enemy capture becomes imminent.
  • XV.18: A further wave of mobilised personnel from the ESB Corps arrived in the EMR, bolstered by hired contingents from the Southern Apollonia Logistics & Security Group and Regiment of the Blackfriars'.
  • XV.19: The 5th Armoured Division and 7th Cavalry Division of the 509th (Surenid) Army moved up to the frontier with the Central Euran District, forming Operational Grouping "South" with further support echelons located in Surenshahr.
    • 02:30: Oportian Central Euran District Command orders immediate reinforcement of remote outposts; emergency supply convoys dispatched from Nasimshahr Air Base to forward positions.
  • XV.20: ESB-Jagdverbände personnel conducted civil-military capacity building training with the Constancian Foreign Legion at the latter's cantonments in Vey.
    • 9:33: Oportian Security Forces activate "Desert Shield Protocol", which are destructive scorched earth preparations initiated across Central Euran District to deny resources to advancing enemy forces.
    • 10:30: Nasimshahr Air Base placed on maximum alert; fighter squadrons scrambled to reinforce Central Euran District no-fly zone enforcement.
  • XV.21: The Trans-Euran Railway and Pan-Euran Highway are abruptly closed to all civilian traffic in Constancia. No explanation for the abrupt government appropriation of rolling stock is given.
  • XV.22: The Grand Commissariat of Eura and Corum began to issue mobilisation papers to the employees of subordinate entities, including corporations involved with the Trans-Euran Railway.
  • XV.23: Leave was cancelled for personnel of the General Inspectorate of Eura and Corum, as well as for its subordinate entities, with all required to be at their duty stations within forty-eight hours.
  • XV.24: Call-up papers issued for members of the Constancian Home Guard, including those in the 1st Reserve, normally not called upon for active service.

I.1745 AN

• • I.6: Benacian Union to supply Constancia with an unspecified, but expedited, quantity of military equipment and related materiel under an agreement for the forgiveness of certain debts accrued during the Shiro-Benacian War.
  • I.9: Fatima Al-Khamenei announced the formation of the 20th Vanguard Division, a paramilitary arm of the Nationalist & Humanist Party of Oportia, in a video clip released upon her arrival in Rusjar, following a rupture in the relationship between the party and the National Salvation Council.
  • I.10: Unusually high levels of naval and aviation activity in and around the port of Arak indicated that the Black Banner Fleet and Expeditionary Air Group attached to the 501st Army of the Imperial Constancian Armed Forces had been ordered onto a heightened alert status.
  • I.11: 1800th (Daniel Dravot) Brigade and 1668th (Timūr al-Osman Taraghay) Brigade declared operationally ready in the Ecclesiastical Mountain Republic, following on from snap drills conducted by the General Inspectorate of Eura and Corum.
  • I.12:
    • Arriving at Arak and Astérapolis were contingents of the regular Constancian Army and the Constancian Foreign Legion, by road, sea, and air, consistent with the 501st Army begin brought up to its full wartime establishment strength, equivalent to two combined arms corps.
    • Fontainebleau Conference commenced. Agencies, subordinate entities, and affiliates of the Raspur Pact are obliged to devote time to the discussion of the Oportian Question.
    • The National Salvation Council authorizes "comprehensive infrastructure resilience assessments" for critical transportation networks, with engineering teams conducting detailed surveys of bridges, tunnels, and key roadways. Simultaneously, several major highways undergo "routine maintenance closures" that install reinforced barriers and checkpoint facilities described as "improved traffic management systems."
  • I.13:
    • Satellite images obtained via commercial sources appeared to show four Javelin F-18 Cyclone deep strike fighters parked on a runway adjacent to Fort Demetrios Thesalonikis, cantonments of the Imperial Constancian Armed Forces outside Aqaba. Considering the number of hardened shelters, and the regular predictable path of commercial imaging satellites, speculation is rife that the presence of the aircraft was something that Trans-Euran Command wanted to be noticed. The Cyclone, a high speed stealth aircraft with a potent multirole missile payload, was widely believed to only be operated by the Benacian Union and Nouvelle Alexandrie.
    • The Committee of Euran Salvation initiates "interoperability standardization protocols" between Zeed, Constancia, Nouvelle Alexandrie, and Natopia military communications systems, conducting extensive testing of joint command structures and establishing redundant communication networks that enable seamless coordination between coalition forces during "potential emergency response scenarios."
    • Giakoumis II, in his remarks to the ambassadors attending at his morning audience: "A Fourth Euran War would benefit no-one apart from the wretched curs who have hitherto been our common and mutual foe. Yet this unwarranted, and unlooked for, streak of aggression and paranoia manifested by the little gentleman in Oportia may soon trap us all upon the path to that unsought destination."
  • I.14: The 6th Motorised Division and 14th Motorised Division of the Armed Forces of Zeed, supported by considerable warbands of tribal militia, began to advance into the Ashad Republic on the south-western frontier between Zeed and Oportia. The Babkhi majority within Ashad had been stirred up accounts of recent raids on Oportian cities by Azad Eura in recent months, and new warbands were rumoured to be forming, sensing the opportunity for war and plunder.
  • I.15: Echo Radio Network hosted an in-depth interview with the NSC's head of the army, Jean-Pierre Montcalm. When pressed on the size of the Constancian-led force amassed on Oportia's frontiers, Montcalm responded with mockery and scorn. Noting that Constancia relied upon the Home Guard to bulk out its available manpower, Montcalm observed that: "Their Home Guard is essentially hue and cry with uniforms and an unstandardised assortment of cast-off weapons." When asked about the Armed Forces of Zeed, Montcalm was obliged to apologise to the interviewer for breaking out into peels of laughter. He would subsequently observe that the professionalism of Raspur Pact forces was notoriously poor, as evidenced in their decades-long record of failure against the Confederacy of the Dispossessed.
    • Sarbanes-Lopez CyberSecurity technicians at the Nakhjavani Tower in Pax begin detecting unusual electromagnetic signatures and network traffic patterns as Department of Internal Security personnel conduct classified planning sessions three floors above their server rooms. Regional director Miguel Santos-Rodriguez initiates enhanced monitoring protocols to investigate the anomalous signals.
  • I.16: Ground-based air defence systems of the Imperial Guard were observed to have been deployed onto the heights overlooking the imperial cities of Asterapolis and Petropolis, whilst vehicle checkpoints controlled by the State Protection Authority had proliferated in both locations - to the chagrin of commuters.
  • I.17: Negotiations between the Imperial Constancian Armed Forces and the Surenid Forces of the Home Guard for the transfer of Surenid aviation and maritime assets onto the formal establishment of the ICAF appeared to breakdown following objections from the Surenshah. Four Surenid F-19 Greystrikes subsequently "buzzed" Raspur Airport in what appeared to have been an intemperate show of strength.
  • I.22: Trans-Euran Command representatives at the Fontainebleau Conference requested the temporary transfer of air defence destroyers, minesweepers, and attack submarines from the Keltia Command and Tapfer Command areas of operation. The ostensible purpose of the request would be to bolster maritime security along the Zeedic Shore, in view of the developing status of the naval branch of the Armed Forces of Zeed. Were such a request to be approved it would necessarily entail the commitment of Natopian and Alexandrian naval assets to the region during a period of heightened tensions.
  • I.23: Following consultations between the Federal Navy Command and Natopian Defense Force counterparts, the governments of Nouvelle Alexandrie and Natopia each approve the temporary transfer of naval assets to Trans-Euran Command.
    • President Joseph Fouche delivers heated public address condemning the approved naval transfers, declaring that "foreign warships massing near Oportian waters under the guise of 'cooperation' represent a direct threat to our sovereignty" and warning that any vessel approaching Oportian territorial limits will be "met with the full force of our coastal defenses." The Coastal Defense Command placed on heightened alert status; with all naval patrols increased by 40%.
  • I.24-25:
    • "Training Exercise Blue Sky" - Oportian air force conducts extensive aerial training operations in international airspace across southern Eura, focusing on long-range navigation capabilities and coordinated flight patterns involving multiple squadrons across several operational sectors. The exercise, featuring over 40 aircraft including Javelin B-15 Airspark strategic bombers and AH-75 Cobra attack helicopters, represents the largest Oportian air operation since the conclusion of the Corsair Resurgence. While military exercises are routine, the scale and timing of Blue Sky draws significant attention from regional observers, particularly given the absence of standard diplomatic notifications to neighboring capitals.
      • Intelligence analysts in Constancia and Zeed note the exercise's unusual focus on precision strike formations and electronic warfare capabilities, with flight patterns extending unusually close to coalition territorial boundaries. The operation is widely interpreted across Committee of Euran Salvation capitals as a deliberate demonstration of military capabilities and potential saber-rattling by the National Salvation Council.
    • NSC announces scheduled repositioning of naval assets for "fleet modernization and strategic readiness assessment", vessels from outlying stations return to primary naval facilities for comprehensive operational evaluation.
    • Oportian merchant marine initiates planned maintenance cycle for commercial vessels, with ships temporarily stationed at various regional ports for "routine inspections and equipment upgrades", with government officials affirming it is "standard procedure for maintaining fleet operational standards".
    • Operation Lightning Dawn planning phase begins within a small cell of the Department of Internal Security, operating from facilities in the Nakhjavani Tower. The six-week planning process maintains operational security through compartmentalization and code names, with Naval Carrier Group Fouche designated as the primary strike force. Intelligence preparation relies heavily on outdated assessments with critical gaps regarding enemy capabilities.
  • I.26: Federal Forces of Nouvelle Alexandrie initiate "Operation Maritime Fellowship," a series of joint naval exercises with Natopian forces in the waters southeast of the Southern Aldurian Riviera, near Valenciana. The exercises, focusing on "rapid deployment coordination and logistics interoperability," involve practicing amphibious assault techniques and establishing secure communication protocols between the two navies' command structures.
  • I.28-29:
    • The NSC implements comprehensive "civilian emergency preparedness exercises" across border areas in Oportia, involving coordinated evacuation protocols and emergency response training for local populations in collaboration with local disaster management authorities. The large-scale drills, described by the Department of Internal Security as "routine preparedness measures for potential natural disasters or security incidents", involve the temporary relocation of residents from designated zones while emergency services practice rapid response coordination. The exercises draw attention from neighboring intelligence services due to their unprecedented scope and proximity to borders with Zeed and Constancia, with some analysts noting the unusually thorough nature of the evacuation procedures.
    • The Department of Internal Security activates the "Strategic Resource Protection Initiative" for critical Alexandrium mining operations, implementing enhanced security protocols and facility hardening measures in response to ongoing regional tensions. The comprehensive program includes infrastructure upgrades, perimeter security enhancement, and emergency contingency planning for valuable extraction sites across Oportia's desert regions. Several major facilities, including those operated by Vormouna Minerals Corp, begin scheduled "infrastructure modernization" programs requiring temporary operational suspensions for safety inspections and equipment installations.

II.1745 AN

• • II.1: National Salvation Council proclaims "National Resilience Week" as a comprehensive civil defense awareness campaign, featuring public education programs on emergency preparedness, community resilience training, and patriotic demonstrations across all federal cities. The week-long initiative includes coordinated drills involving emergency services, military units, and civilian volunteers practicing response protocols for various crisis scenarios. National Youth Service members participate in large-scale exercises demonstrating disaster response capabilities, while local authorities conduct assessments of critical infrastructure and supply chain resilience. Regional observers note the timing and scale of the preparations, with some analysts suggesting the exercises represent unusually thorough preparation for extended emergency conditions.
  • II.2: Armed Forces of Zeed implement "warfare readiness certification" for multiple motor-rifle battalions, conducting extensive training exercises in terrains similar to Oportia's most arid regions. The training emphasizes rapid movement across difficult terrain, coordination with tribal militia units, and establishment of forward operating bases in resource-scarce environments.
    • State Protection Authority establishes "enhanced border monitoring stations" equipped with advanced surveillance equipment officially designated for "customs enforcement and anti-smuggling operations." These facilities, positioned at strategic intervals along the Constancian-Oportian frontier, provide comprehensive electronic surveillance capabilities while maintaining the appearance of routine border security.
  • II.3: Port Félix Arsenal Raid: Operation commences with simultaneous attacks on all four gates of arsenal complex by "Army of Democratic Liberation" (380 ODC fighters plus ~150 local volunteers).
    • 05:30-06:15: Dawn assault phase; 1st Guard Company surrenders almost immediately after Colonel Marie-Claire Rousseau announces resistance identity through megaphones.
    • 06:15-08:00: Systematic seizure of complex; most intense fighting occurs at administrative building where Arsenal Commander Victor Beaumont barricades with 40 loyal guards.
    • 07:45: Beaumont and remaining 17 loyalists overwhelmed and captured; Commander treated with dignity for propaganda value.
    • 08:00-10:30: Liberation of 127 political prisoners, including former Chamber of Deputies member Sophie Marchand, former mayor of Gaulain Antoine Roussel, and labor leader Marie Duclos.
    • 10:30-14:00: Active recruitment phase; 89 former guards join resistance immediately, additional 114 request safe passage home; nearly 300 local civilians volunteer.
    • 14:00-18:00: Phased withdrawal conducted as victory parade through Port Félix streets; thousands of residents line streets cheering despite regime retaliation risks. Colonel Rousseau announces ODC forces will remain to protect city and establish democratic governance following overwhelming popular response.
  • II.4: Establishment of Liberated Zone of Port Félix (450 square kilometers, ~35,000 residents), which is the first territory completely freed from NSC control since 1744 coup.
    • NSC President Joseph Fouche initially attempts to minimize the Port Félix Arsenal Raid as a "foreign terrorist" attack on "lightly defended supply depot".
  • II.6: Underground newspapers in Oportia circulate detailed accounts of the Port Félix Arsenal Raid with photographs of liberated prisoners showing torture evidence.
  • II.7: New Alexandrian intelligence confirms with sources in the Democratic Restoration Committee that the photographs and testimony coming out of Port Félix regarding torture of prisoners is true. The Council of State announces a new 15 million New Alexandrian écu humanitarian aid package for displaced Oportians and recalled Ambassador Carlos Mendoza from Vanie for consultations, effectively downgrading diplomatic relations with the National Salvation Council. Natopia soon follows suit.
  • II.8: The New Alexandrian State Department establishes an "Oportian Refugee Assistance Coordination Office" in Punta Santiago, officially tasked with processing asylum applications and providing humanitarian aid to displaced Oportians. The office, staffed by personnel with extensive regional experience, begins conducting "comprehensive interviews" with recent arrivals to assess their needs and backgrounds, with particular attention to individuals with knowledge of resistance activities.
  • II.18: Liberated Zone of Port Félix recaptured by NSC forces after 15 days of democratic governance.
  • II.19: Mass executions begin at the Port Félix Municipal Stadium and continue over the next five-day period until 23.II.1745 AN, with security forces forcing families to witness the killings of suspected collaborators. International monitoring organizations estimate that between 340-450 civilians were executed during this period, though exact numbers remain disputed due to the regime's restrictions on independent verification. The repression extended beyond suspected resistance members to include civic leaders, teachers, and medical personnel who had participated in the zone's democratic assemblies or provided services during the liberation period. The NSC characterized these executions as "necessary cleansing of terrorist elements" and warned that similar measures would be applied to any territory that attempted to break away from regime control.
  • II.27: In response to the atrocities in Port Félix post-recapture, Nouvelle Alexandrie and Natopia announce sweeping coordinated sanctions against Oportia's National Salvation Council. The sanctions package includes the immediate cancellation of all defense procurement contracts between the two nations and Oportia, worth an estimated NAX€22.3 billion and 847 million natopo respectively. All military technical assistance programs have been suspended indefinitely, while intelligence sharing agreements have been formally terminated. Financial sanctions include restrictions on banking services, with both nations' financial institutions prohibited from processing transactions involving designated Oportian entities. Technical assistance programs worth approximately NAX€856 million annually have been suspended, including educational exchanges and infrastructure development projects.

Start of the war

III.1745 AN

• • III.11: Miguel Santos-Rodriguez makes contact with the New Alexandrian federal intelligence service through established corporate channels disguised as routine security consultations. Sarbanes-Lopez CyberSecurity's privileged access to the building's network infrastructure allows extraction of detailed operational plans including target lists, timing, force dispositions, and communication protocols for Operation Lightning Dawn.
  • III.13: Complete operational plans for Operation Lightning Dawn are shared with the Committee of Euran Salvation through New Alexandrian diplomatic channels, giving allied forces two full days to prepare defensive measures. Constancian and Zeedic forces begin dispersing aircraft, strengthening defensive positions, and activating coordinated command structures.

Operation Lightning Dawn

• • III.15: Operation Lightning Dawn is launched by Oportia as a pre-emptive strike on the massing forces of the Committee of Euran Salvation.
    • 04:30: Naval Carrier Group Fouche begins coordinated missile barrage against Zeed's air defense installations; tactical surprise completely absent due to intelligence leak. Marine forces from 3rd Battalion attempt amphibious landings but encounter prepared defensive positions and coordinated resistance from Zeedic White Guard and local militias.
    • 05:00: Air assault on Constancian installations begins; Oportian aircraft encounter prepared resistance with dispersed aircraft and repositioned mobile air defense systems. Raids on Asterapolis, Ithonion, and other targets meet carefully prepared defensive traps.
    • 05:30: Hatkrou bombardment commences with ONV Indomitable and ONV Steadfast targeting suspected intelligence facilities.
    • 05:47: Hatkrou Missile Defense Complex launches JAV 100 Checkpoint hypersonic cruise missiles, revealing secret New Alexandrian installation constructed since 1736 AN; ONV Indomitable struck amidships and disabled, ONV Steadfast severely damaged.
    • 06:30: Nouvelle Alexandrie launches devastating counterattack with Javelin F-18 Cyclones from Alduria's CCI facility and Norvind; Vanie left virtually defenseless with 85% of Oportian Security Forces committed to failed Zeed operation.
    • 07:15: First wave of New Alexandrian aircraft reaches Vanie; minimal air defense resistance encountered due to forces committed to Zeed operation. Precision strikes begin against Palais Federal, Department of Internal Security headquarters, and military command centers.
    • 08:00: Second wave of Cyclones joins assault; bombardment of Vanie expands from military targets to critical infrastructure including power plants, communication centers, and port facilities.
    • 10:30: Hatkrou Missile Defense Complex launches additional JAV 100 missiles at strategic targets within Vanie, including military communications center and emergency government bunker where National Salvation Council members had taken shelter.
    • 12:00: Operation transforms from failed offensive into comprehensive military and political disaster; coordination of Zeed withdrawal severely compromised. Rusjar Mechanical Machine-Building Plant remains completely untouched while Oportian forces trapped in multiple theaters.
    • 14:30: New Alexandrian bombardment of Vanie concludes after over four hours of sustained attack; large sections of capital burning with catastrophic civilian casualties exceeding 2,100 killed and 4,800 wounded.
      • The reports of massive civilian loss of life would be greatly played upon by the NSC in the following days in order to bolster the regime in the court of public opinion.
  • III.15: Final casualty accounting reveals 1,247 total Oportian military casualties including 823 killed and 424 wounded, 31 aircraft lost, and 15 naval vessels damaged or destroyed. Infrastructure damage in Vanie assessed at over 12 billion Oportian Mérite.
  • III.16: Natopia and Nouvelle Alexandrie announce full military mobilization against Oportia following Operation Lightning Dawn, with Chancellor Isabella Betancourt and Premier Juan Pablo Jimenez authorizing commitment of all military resources to Committee of Euran Salvation operations under Trans-Euran Command authority; joint naval task force begins positioning near Oportian waters while emergency legislative sessions in each nation prepare formal declarations of military action.
    • The Department of Public Information of Oportia begins broadcasting continuous footage of civilian casualties from the New Alexandrian bombardment of Vanie, with the National Youth Service of Oportia organizing memorial vigils in all 33 federal cities. Youth Service members lead processions carrying portraits of bombing victims while chanting "Never Forget Vanie" and "Defense of the Fatherland." The National Youth Service of Oportia reports a 340% increase in voluntary enrollment applications within 48 hours of the attack.
  • III.17: Emergency CATO Council session results in immediate suspension of Oportia from the organization and initiation of comprehensive economic sanctions. Joseph Fouche blames operation's failure on "systematic betrayal by foreign infiltrators" during closed National Salvation Council session, beginning purges within intelligence services and nationalization of all foreign-owned companies.
    • Fouche delivers a speech from the bombed remains of the Palais Federal, broadcast live across Oportia. Standing amid the rubble with National Youth Service of Oportia members holding Oportian flags, he declares: "They have turned our capital into ruins, but from these ashes rises the steel resolve of the Oportian people. Every crater they have made will become a monument to our resistance."
    • The National Salvation Council announces the "Reconstruction Through Resistance" program, using images of destroyed infrastructure to justify emergency economic measures including expanded rationing, mandatory overtime in defense industries, and the channeling of all available resources toward the war effort.
    • The Congress of Chryse debated authorising the despatch of military aid and volunteers from the Benacian Union to Constancia and Zeed.

Oportian invasion of Zeed

• • III.15:
    • Even as Operation Lightning Dawn unraveled, the 1ère Division Blindée, 4ème Division Mécanisée, and 5ème Division d'Infanterie were identified as spearheading an Oportian advance into the Ashad Republic on the western frontier of Zeed. Even if the objective to knock out Rusjar with a single blow had failed, the imperative to gain strategic depth by occupying Zeed - thereby linking up the two halves of Oportia - remained.
    • Strategic assessments undertaken by the General Inspectorate of Eura and Corum indicated the Oportian National Guard, augmented by the Militia, had established the equivalent of a division apiece in Vanie and Port Félix, and the foundational cadres of brigades in the remaining federal cities of the country. The standing up of these formations in the period following the Mehrshahr Meltdown would allow the regular Oportian Army to devote its energies to the high intensity manoeuvre warfare that it would now be embarked upon against Zeed.
  • III.16: Reports from Ashad indicated the overpowering presence of tactical aviation from the Oportian Armée de l'Air over the battlefield, with close air support aircraft having been gathered in large numbers to establish local air superiority, even if - at the theatre level - the Trans-Euran Command might reasonably expect to establish air supremacy in short order.
  • III.17: First encounter battles between the 6th Motorised Division and 14th Motorised Division of the Armed Forces of Zeed and the onrushing Oportian columns spearheaded by the 1ère Division Blindée resulted in the rout and dispersal of the lightly armoured Zeedic formations.
  • III.18: The 5422nd Parachute Regiment of the 542nd Rapid Reaction Unit, garrisoned in cantonments outside Norvind, was deployed via airlift to Avey, the New Alexandrian enclave on the Zeedic mainland. The deployment was made to reassure the local population in the midst of the ongoing Oportian offensive. The paratroopers would be joining a local garrison formed of a marine detachment, Home Guard volunteers, and Euran Auxiliaries.
  • III.19: The National Salvation Council authorizes Emergency Decree No. ##, establishing the Foreign Volunteer Corps under Department of Internal Security command. Vice Admiral Dufort initiates covert contact with surviving Confederacy of the Dispossessed cells, offering full amnesty, Oportian citizenship, and 2,500 Mérite monthly salaries for former Dispossessed fighters willing to conduct asymmetric operations against Constancian forces. Simultaneously, the "Brothers in Arms Initiative" launches recruitment operations targeting displaced military personnel from collapsed states or warring areas across Keltia and Apollonia, with agents deployed to refugee camps offering immediate citizenship, 50-hectare land grants in occupied Zeedic territory, and veteran pensions for 10 years of service.
  • III.20: Marking the beginning of the so-called "infestation strategy", the Oportian Navy sortied its entire strength of Coastal Patrol Ships (60), Fast Response Cutters (42), Fast Attack Craft (24), and Maritime Security Cutters (48) into the coastal and riverine waters of Zeed and the Altus Isles of Nouvelle Alexandrie.
  • III.21: Rusjar, Norvind, and Avey come under a concerted barrage of submarine launched cruise missiles and ballistic missiles with inert kinetic multiple independent reentry vehicles. It would be speculated that the attack was undertaken primarily to run down the stockpile of the active strategic missile defence system operated by Nouvelle Alexandrie in the region.
  • III.22: Supported by local concentrations of helicopters and light attack aircraft, the 1st Infantry Regiment and 4th Reconnaissance Squadron of the Oportian Foreign Legion were inserted into the Nyongolo region of Zeed. Fears abound that the Oportians will attempt to use their presence in the region to stir up rebellion amongst the Androphagi tribal primitives.

Constancian invasion of Oportia

• • III.15: Generalised skirmishing and artillery duels commenced between Constancian and Oportian forces along the entire line of contact.
  • III.16: Within a day of the commencement of hostilities, Constancian state television broadcast footage of what it purported to be combat engineering vehicles breaking down a sand berm to permit a column of tanks from the 5th (Surenid) Armoured Division to cross into the Central Euran District of Oportia.
    • The National Salvation Council activates "Plan Défense Totale," ordering immediate mobilization of all National Guard and militia units in the Central Euran District. Fouche authorizes the mining of all major road junctions and bridge approaches along likely Constancian advance routes.
  • III.17: First significant Constancian air raid of the war; eight F-17 Axarana, from Omega Moíra of the Imperial Constancian Air Force, and forty-eight F-9 Ashavan III contributed from Epsilon Moíra of the Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm of the Navy, conducted a dawn raid against the Neo-Babkhan fortress city of Koufukafe in the west of Oportia. Heavy resistance was offered from alerted ground-based air defence systems and vectored interceptors. Seventeen Javelin F-19 Greystrikes, assigned to intercept the strike package, were engaged from beyond visual range by the escorting Axaranas, resulted in an exchange of missiles in volleys after which the two formations converged, merging into a high energy dogfight between high performance jets of greatly differing design philosophy. The Constancian Axaranas would swiftly gain the advantage, making use of the "boom and zoom" tactic, at near hypersonic speeds, to force the Oportian Greystrikes to break off from the engagement and dive for lower altitudes before making a run for home.
    • In response to the devastating aerial defeat over Koufukafe, Air Marshal Claude Beaumont implements "Fortress Defense Doctrine," concentrating remaining F-19 Greystrikes and surface-to-air missile batteries around critical targets including Vanie, Port de Huile, and the Alexandrium processing facilities near Kalexisse. Emergency dispersal protocols activated for the remaining tactical air fleet, with aircraft relocated to hardened shelters and improvised airstrips. The NSC authorizes activation of the "Underground Command Network," relocating primary military command functions to the hardened bunker complex beneath the former Alexandrium mines outside Vanie, while establishing a backup command post aboard the flagship ONV Intrepid Dawn in Vanie harbor.
  • III.18:
    • The Aqaba Banner Air Group, the combat aviation grouping of Aqaba Banner Command, mustered its contingent of strike aircraft for a massed sortie carried out against the Oportian OMB Libertas situated near Pax. Rendering the OMB unusable would remove the lingering threat of Oportian reprisal raids against Aqaba and Petropolis. The strike package would consist of 36x A-7 Astil, 12x F-9 Ashavan III, and a fighter escort of 12x F-24 Lightnings.
    • A further massed air raid upon the Nasimshahr Air Base, with the similar aim of taking it out of commission, was undertaken by the Nivardom Banner Group.
  • III.19: Elements of the 504th Army, garrisoned in Petronium (a settlement within the Prosgeiosi Basileus), began probing attacks with light armoured reconnaissance vehicles, supported by attack helicopters, scout rotorcraft, and light attack aircraft of various types, in the direction of Koufukafe.
  • III.20: The Black Banner Fleet, a full 40% of the Imperial Constancian Navy attached to the Constancian Expeditionary Force, departed from anchorages around Arak and Asterapolis during the hours of darkness on the morning of the 20th.
  • III.21:
    • The ESB Corps begins an offensive out of the Ecclesiastical Mountain Republic towards Naya.
    • The 7th (Surenid) Cavalry Division joined the offensive into the Central Euran District, using the inhospitable and radiologically contaminated desert to bypass and flank Oportian defensive positions and obstacles which had focused on the road and rail networks as well as urban strongpoints.
    • Operating out of Vey, the 2 Brigade de Légion Étrangère and Groupement Tactique Désert-Aérocombat of the Constancian Foreign Legion commenced an audacious deep raid into eastern Oportia, targeting the city of Nasimshahr, in an effort to isolate the Central Euran District and link up the Vey exclave with Surenid Constancia. Air support would be provided by aviation assets of Nivardom Banner Command as well as those assets retained by the Surenid Forces of the Home Guard.
  • III.22: The Oportians respond to the attack on Nasimshahr by conducting a high risk airdrop of the 2nd Paratrooper Battalion of the Oportian Foreign Legion to reinforce the local garrison.

IV.1745 AN

• IV.1: In a shocking development, five Javelin B-15 Airsparks, purchased by the Oportians as "testbeds" during the 1720s and 1730s and absent from the official strength of the Oportian Air Force, were used in their strategic role as high altitude missile carriers, conducting a long-range standoff attack against military and administrative sites in and around Mehrshahr, the seat of the Committee of Euran Salvation. The attack was the long anticipated retaliation for the devastating strikes on Vanie at the start of the conflict.
• IV.2: Via the covert contacts established through the Foreign Volunteers Corps, Azad Eura expressed an interest in a Pact with Oportia in return for the Central Euran District and Naya as autonomous enclaves under the control of the movement.
• IV.3: A series of derailments on the Surenid and Zeedic sections of the Trans-Euran Railway indicated the commencement of a sabotage campaign by either Azad Eura or alternatively the Oportian Special Commands. The General Inspectorate of Eura and Corum is directed to investigate as a matter or urgency and to mobilise such forces as are required to prevent a recurrence.
• IV.4: A central internment site for prisoners of war was established by Trans-Euran Command at HIMP Atonement under the control of the Allied Administration of Captive Hostiles. Oportia subsequently warns that any attempt by the Raspur Pact to treat POWs as kuls will be met by equivalent reprisals.
• VI.5: Riots amongst the Yamaqhacha of Kalexisse against conscription and the conditions endured by those involved in Alexandrium mining and refining turned into anti-Oportian racial pogroms, triggering a brutal regime response.

Oportian invasion of Constancian Vipia

• IV.3: Sensing a local opportunity, the Oportian garrison on Port d'Est, mostly comprised of surplus Air Force and Naval personnel, augmented by Home Guard, militia, and gendarmerie, commenced a local offensive into Constancian Vipia in the hope of disrupting the momentum of the Constancia invasion commenced in the previous month. The main axis of the assault would be towards Liondari, with a naval sortie by eight littoral combat ships supported by impressed commercial vessels against Fort Concord intended to disrupt command and control, as well as to pillage fuel stores and munitions by putting raiding parties ashore.
• IV.4: Naval assets of the Surenid Forces of the Home Guard sortied from Kara in response to the Oportian sortie from Port d'Est. Shahzadeh-class frigates (20), Mirza-class corvettes (6), and Sardar-class patrol vessels (12) sailed directly for Fort Concord.
• IV.5: After some difficulties with the Raspurid and Surenid officer corps, Shanene Hadewych was able to reassert full operational control over the Eastern Eura Army Group and direct it towards the defence of Constancian Vipia.

See also

• Committee of Euran Salvation
• Trans-Euran Command
• 1744 Oportian coup d'état
• National Salvation Council
• Joseph Fouche
• Raspur Pact
• Operation Verdant Reach
• Operation Sovereign Bastion
• Democratic Restoration Committee
• Fortress Oportia