Streïur uis Faïren
| Streïur uis Faïren | |||||
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 Shireroth
|  Benacian Union
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| Imperial Forces
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The Streïur uis Faïren (Praeta: kin strife), Shiro-Benacian War or in many newspapers simply called the Benacian War, was a major conflict between the Benacian Union and Shireroth, bring to a head the longstanding geopolitical competition for hegemony over the continent of Benacia. The outbreak of war was the result of a combination of several factors: the Shirerithian victory in the Sathrati Emergency brought the nerves in Chryse to a fever pitch. This followed an increase in conflicts on the border between the two countries. The nuclear attack by Shireroth, carried out on the orders of Kaiseress Salome, finally initiated the official launch and had far-reaching international consequences, including a first international meeting to limit nuclear weapons.
Background
By the eleventh month of 1733 AN the scale of the build up in Shirerithian forces, evidenced by their reconquest of Sathrati during the previous year, had made it abundantly clear to Benacia Command and the High Presidium of the Benacian Union, that there would be no prospect of preventing the massive reinforcement of the Imperial Republic in Benacia from Greater Kildare. Moreover, the absolute advantage of the Imperial Forces in naval tonnage and manpower would place the entire coastline of the Benacian Union at risk of assault from the sea. Defensive counters, such as building up the coastal defence forces and repairing the East Wall, were both feared to be insufficient countermeasures. As such, Benacia Command came increasingly to the view that the only chance the Benacian Union had of achieving "Endsieg" would require immediate action within a rapidly closing window of opportunity.
The Ankh incident
| Date | 22.XI.1733 AN |
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| Location | Red Elwynn above Ankh |
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| Summary | River Fencibles flotilla of three armed merchantmen and six speedboats driven off after a sharp engagement midchannel with the Shirerithian corvette IRS Lacrymosa I. |
| Related Articles | 1733 Ankh incident |
Activation of Bad Neighbour II
Assembled and calibrated on the command of Kaiseress Salome following the death of Princes Rubin and Ichiro, Bad Neighbour II received orders to fire a warning shot on 23.XI.1733 AN in response to the Ankh Incident.
At 4:13am, residents of Shirekeep were wakened by a general alert: all windows within the Inner City higher than 5 stories were to be removed or boarded up for civilian safety. Similar alerts had been issued in the months prior, usually in the middle of the day and followed by a "resume normal activity" within the hour. This time, however, the alert to remove or board up windows was repeated at the top of the hour for the next four hours. At 9:00am, another general alert was sent out, this time instructing residents to take cover. A sonic boom was felt throughout Shirekeep a few minutes later, shattering a few windows that had not been sufficiently protected in the northwest corner of the Inner City. A hypersonic object appeared on RADAR, crossing the border into Alalehzamin on a ballistic trajectory, reaching the Ardashirshahr metropolitan area three and a half minutes later. After the electromagnetic pulse dissipated, it was determined that a 350kt nuclear warhead had airbursted within the Bailiwick of Babran.
Estimates after the fact indicated that the strike claimed the lives of 599,300 subjects with a further 224,940 injured. Fortuitously the height of the airburst was such as to preclude the production of significant radioactive fallout. Nonetheless, all of the Ardashirshahr metropolitan area was under the shadow of a mushroom cloud that towered to an altitude of 16 km. Command and control for the 58th Combined Arms Army and its subordinate formations were immediately thrown into chaos, whilst communications reliant upon the Benacian Data Network in the Governorate of Alalehzamin were temporarily disrupted by the loss of a network node and the concurrent spike in data traffic.
Riposte: Musica burns
Benacia Command was still reeling from the strike delivered against it from somewhere within the bounds of the Imperial County. The Benacian Union had triggered its continuity of government protocols within the first hour of the strike, and its leadership cadres, including the staffs associated with the High Presidium and the Security Council, had dispersed. Under these circumstances operational control defaulted to the General Staff of Benacia Command. Fortunately the BUDF had been on an war footing since 1731 AN, in long anticipation of this moment. Orders, once issued via encrypted channels, were swiftly acted upon. At 10.49 am, from the Selmuliet Bastion in Ransenar and the Šlomxala Arsenal in the Unified Governorates, dozens of missiles were fuelled, prepared and launched in rapid sequence against Shireroth. In the next six minutes these were joined by a further seventy-five launches from trailer units situated in remote forested sites throughout the Governorate of Austland. The major targets were the Imperial Shirerithian Air Forces bases located in the departments of the Gaudin and the Guttuli. A further wave of one hundred intermediate range ballistic missiles followed an hour later, again from dispersed sites in Austland, this time focused more narrowly upon Shirerithian bases located within the Schwinn Circle of Brookshire. None of the Schlächters launched in the first hours carried anything other than conventional high-explosive warheads. Except one.
The missile, lofted from a bastion facility in North Lunaris, had followed a ballistic trajectory towards ancient and storied Musica, where it detonated as a groundburst directly upon the dockyards and seaport of the city. The only nuclear device in the BUDF's declared arsenal, the M1708 special munition, had a maximum yield of an equivalent to 15 kilotons. Estimates made by the Operations Directorate of Benacia Command anticipated that immediate fatalities in the city would not exceed twenty-five thousand souls. However, by electing to detonate the device on the surface, an area of 148 km² around ground zero would be subjected to over one-hundred rads per hour from the fallout plume that drifted on the wind in the wake of the 6 km mushroom cloud. The purpose of the strike had not been to exact an a death toll from the Shirerithians equivalent to the one that they had inflicted, but rather to ensure that a strategic port and its associated infrastructure had been rendered completely inoperable for the duration of hostilities.
Shirekeep and the Confluence
A little after midday on 23.XI.1733 AN, lines of communications were briefly restored to an extend sufficient to allow a single succinct order to be relayed from the Northern Banner Group HQ to 60th Siege Army in Varpûr. That order, once decrypted, was simply one word: “commence”. Within the hour orders had promulgated down the chain of command to the corps and division level and shortly thereafter 1,824 203 mm self-propelled howitzers, grouped into batteries of six apiece in prepared positions behind the Alalehzamin Security Line, began to open up against a number of pre-sighted targets in the Greenwood district of the Imperial County.
At 1.54 pm a F-18 Cyclone from the 4th Air Division of Strike Command launched four S-2/A(S) air to ground missiles whilst overflying the bailiwicks of Zarddeh and Aslanshahr. The gesture was mostly symbolic, two missiles directed against the Palace of Zirandorthel and two against Raynor's Keep.
More impactful would be the mixed packages of F-18 Cyclones and F-17 Axaranas that would shortly be ranging over the airspace of Brookshire and the Guttuli methodically hunting out Shirerithian radar sites and communication hubs.
As the second day of the war lengthened into its evening, the F-9 Ashavan II strike aircraft assigned to support the Northern, Eastern, and Southern Banner Groups were airborne on route towards their assigned combat air patrol coordinates, with the intent to counter in full force whatever the Shirerithian side might put up in retaliation.
And all this, whilst all across northern and eastern Benacia the ominous rumbling of innumerable columns of armoured vehicles could now be heard.
Operation Hiericus I: Strategic Bombing of Alalehzamin
With the opening of open conflict, His Illustriousness Zhao Feng, the Minister of Military Affairs, authorized Operation Hiericus. Bad Neighbour II was brought back up to firing speed and, by nightfall, the first sonic booms had begun to ring out again across the Imperial Capital, this time from the south of the Inner City at hourly intervals. By morning of 24.XI.1733 AN, the civilian population had begun to adapt to the routine of the hourly sonic boom, followed by a broadcast message, warning civilians to avoid looking northwest for the next few minutes.
Operation Hiericus I's targets, substantially closer than Ardashirshahr's warning shot, took between 58 seconds and 1 minute 28 seconds from launch to airbursting behind the Outer Security Belt of the Alalehzamin Security Line.
Operation Blue Shield
Phase I: Defense of the Alalehzamin-Shirekeep Border
Following the opening of hostilities, 5. Corps and attached civil defense and reserve troops began the evacuation of the civilian population of Greenwood southwards across the Blue Elwynn. The increased hostilities over the past few years between Shireroth and the Benacian Union had already encouraged civilians to consider seeking safer living accommodations elsewhere, making the job of civil defense a matter of identifying which homes had already been abandoned versus those that had to be evacuated.
13. Legion and 14. Legion were deployed in reserve behind screening units, who were deployed forward in distributed small units to receive initial offensive movements. All were issued radiation badges and respirators to be used in the event of exposure to fallout or chemical weapons.
Phase II: Offensive into Southern Alalehzamin
As news permeated through the Shirerithian government of the Benacian message to His Serenity, Louis Thuylemans, concerning the cessation of strategic bombing, orders were issued from Raynor's Keep for a general advance through the Alalehzamin Security Line, which by the morning of 1.XII.1733 AN had been thoroughly disrupted from some two dozen atomic bombs.
This invasion coincided with a strategic shift in Operation Hiericus, shifting from the outer and middle belts to target hardened locations along the Redoubt Line.
A bad day for Lichkeep
Without recourse to orbital observation platforms controlled by Natopia and Nouvelle Alexandrie, it was not until the morning salvos of 1.XII.1733 had been analysed that the BUDF's Air Defence Command had been able to triangulate with a reasonable degree of accuracy the main loci of launch points for the Shirerithian system that had been pummelling Alalehzamin.
An anxious debate then ensued via remote conference between the members of the Benacian Security Council. Everything indicated multiple launch points which would require multiple strikes in order to effectively disrupt. The fact, inescapably, was that these were occurring from a densely populated region of the Imperial County, which would entail a catastrophic loss of life and further erode the limited sympathy that the Benacians had been able to garner after the destruction of Babran. Moreover, evacuation of juveniles from Benacian cities had only just begun, anything that would potentially initiate countervalue strikes by Shireroth against the Union-State before that process could be completed would endanger the survival of precious lineages cultivated at great expense as well as deprive factories and farms of the labour substitutes they would require as adult males were called up.
Set against this, the Alalehzamin Security Line had been ruptured, the 60th Siege Army seriously degraded, and lines of communication and supply seriously disrupted throughout lower Alalehzamin. Everything beyond the Redoubt Line, the backstop of the security line, had already in effect been cracked open. The Shirerithian armies of the confluence, were they to chose to advance into the hell of their own making, would be able to push through and effectively not encounter any organised resistance until they reached the belt of fortifications between Varpur and Mariyechelân. If the Shirerithians were to begin hammering other sections of defensive works in a similar manner the entire strategy of containing and isolating Shirekeep from the rest of the Imperial Republic would rapidly fail.
After hours of fraught debate, the recommendations of Lors Bakker-Kalirion to strike Lichkeep with full force were adopted by the BSC. At the same time the proposal of Ayesha al-Osman was adopted, that the Benacian Legation in Hurmu communicate an offer to the Steward of Shireroth via the Order of the Holy Lakes that there should be no further countervalue strikes against civilian population centres, and that strikes against military and industrial targets outside of those population centres should be limited to devices with a yield of 20 kilotons equivalent. Acceptance of the offer was to be required within forty-eight hours. By the time that Thuylemans was in receipt of the offer, the awful spectre of Lichbrook's fate would be hanging over him in order to focus his mind.
At 11.29 am on 2.XII.1733, Lichkeep was bracketed by nine S-3 intermediate ballistic missiles. launched from dispersed locations in the backwoods of Austland and Mishalacia, with the first initiating an airburst at a height of 1,200 metres above the centre of the city, with the remaining eight detonating as surface impacts in a radial pattern around the zero point of the initial device. Each warhead being equivalent to fifteen kilotons of high explosive, the salvo had been required to achieve a zone of death within the heart of Lichkeep, bracketing the supposed launch apertures of the device which had been lashing out at Alalehzamin over the last two days. Within the zone of death, as the multiple overlapping shock waves subsided, the rising fireballs and the thousands of instantaneous fires that had been triggered in the gaps between them by cumulative heat pulses, quickly drew together into a single conflagration. One minute after the near simultaneous detonations, the nine mushroom clouds had all but converged into a single 9 kilometre tower of broiling black smoke looming over the Imperial County south of the river. As cooler air rushed in to replace the rising cloud, it provided fresh oxygen for ever fire that raged below, especially those in areas caused by ruptured fuel pipes and storage tanks. The result was the ignition of one vast and terrible firestorm, with flames fanned to an extent that the inferno would rage out of control for more than twenty-seven hours to come. As oxygen was burnt out of the surrounding area, those who had been fortunate enough to find shelter in bunkers, basements, or air raid shelters, would find themselves slowly asphyxiated by the accumulation of carbon dioxide – if they were fortunate – while those less so were slowly roasted to death in sealed air tight compartments that had in effect become little more than ovens as the temperatures rose inexorably but without the oxygen to serve as the requisite fuel for combustion. And yet again was the terrible scourge of fallout, from the eight surface detonations laid upon the land, with winds drifting north-west towards Cabbagefall. The heir apparent of the comital throne of Highpass, Ozymandias Jaas Peet Niit n Taag, was killed in the attack on Lichkeep.
"The Kaiseress is Tired"
As the hours ran out on the 48-hour ultimatum, Thuylemans cabinet became increasingly concerned for the consequences. After their daily meeting with Salome on 2.XII.1733 AN, they learned that the Kaiseress had ordered an increase in Bad Neighbour II's tempo, and that it was to begin targeting locations in Holwinn and Monty Crisco as well; this would be in order to support Operations Green Shield and Red Shield respectively. The Kaiseress had also isolated Bad Neighbour II from the command structure of the Ministry of Military Affairs, officiating what she had begun when she circumvented the chain of command to initiate Hiericus and begin the war.
Once news had arrived on casualties in the Benacian Union strike on Lichkeep, Thuylemans received a private visit from one Tribune Herzl, indicating that a portion of 1. Legion was with him and his interest in stopping the nuclear war. The firestorm had burned through neighborhoods containing many of their families. Another hit, possibly on the city center itself would literally mean a devastating blow to the Imperial Government.
Recognizing the critical situation and the imminent threat of a full-scale nuclear war, Thuylemans made a bold and decisive move. He ordered Tribune Herzl of the 1. Legion to put Kaiseress Salome under house arrest, attempting to halt the escalating conflict. The ensuing confrontation in Raynor's Keep was intense, with fighting erupting between the Palatini and the Legionnaires in the small corridors of the Keep. Salome-loyalists fiercely defended the Kaiseress, but they were met with equally determined guards who were loyal to the Steward - or at least fond of the idea to not see their families die in nuclear hellfire - and who had lost family members in the Benacian counterattack. The battle was fierce but short-lived. The guards loyal to the Steward, driven by a desire to prevent further devastation, managed to overpower Salome's defenders and secure a victory for the coup.
Following the coup's success, the Kaiseress was taken to Mahamantot Bunker, which offered more safety than a castle which served as a target for Benacian artillery fire, where she was brought face-to-face with the Steward. In this tense and pivotal meeting, she received an informal declaration outlining the terms of her new role and the transfer of power:
- Cessation of Real Power: Salome would no longer wield any real power over the government. This effectively granted the Steward control over the Armed Forces, ensuring that military operations would be conducted under more cautious and calculated leadership. This arrangement would remain until the situation had improved and a suitable successor was groomed and deemed trustworthy enough not to unleash nuclear devastation.
- Spiritual Leadership: The Kaiseress was to take up a more active role in the spiritual guidance of her people. She would work to cooperate with existing religious institutions, such as the Batavian Catologian Church and various cults like Tianchaodao, aiming to bring them closer to the Imperial Cult. This new responsibility would allow her to contribute to the nation's well-being in a non-military capacity, fostering unity and moral resilience among the populace.
- Public Reassurance and Diplomacy: To prevent further panic and to stabilize the internal situation, the Kaiseress would make public appearances and speeches, reassuring the citizens and the international community of the Empire's commitment to peace and reconstruction and commit to supporting any future convention against nuclear warfare. She would serve as a figurehead of continuity and hope, while the Steward handled the practical aspects of governance and military strategy.
In the eyes of the public, the Kaiseress remained in charge of daily affairs. However, shortly after the coup, the cabinet decided to move southwards, further away from the frontlines, to ensure the safety and continuity of the government's functions. Salome remained in the capital, guarded by a group of Legionnaires, and made impossible to throw around orders. This move ensured that while Salome was still the symbolic leader, the real power resided with the Steward and the cabinet, who could now try to act decisively.
Fall Krokodil and Operation Red Shield
Two attempts at strategic encirclement by the opposing parties cancel each other out, leaving the warzone in the confluence region in the same tenuous position as it was in at the commencement.
"The land between Maltenstein and Woodshire Village was, by the end of the year (1733), wasted and greatly spoiled. Viewing the country, from the river to the mountains and the frontier, the villages and manors are desolated, and razed in a manner to the ground, no inhabitants to be found in them, scarcely any houses but here and there scattered, and every property ransacked. The roads are cratered, and the wreckage of burnt out vehicles are scattered about everywhere. The number of tanks that evidently suffered catastrophic detonations along one stretch of road were simply staggering."
The Maltenstein Meat Grinder (1734–1735)
Relocation of the Shirerithian Government
In 1734 AN, the outbreak of the Maltenstein Meat Grinder turned the area surrounding Shirekeep into a war-torn no-man's land. Faced with increasing instability, the Steward, Thuylemans, urged Kaiseress to evacuate the capital, along with her court, to a safer location. However, the Kaiseress, already physically weakened by a lingering illness and mentally drained by the ongoing crisis, refused to leave Shirekeep. This refusal placed Thuylemans in a difficult position; while he had no desire to govern from a war zone (and certainly not die there), he was left with limited options.
Determined to ensure the continuity of his government, Thuylemans ultimately made the decision to relocate the administration. His official reasoning was that the government should not be cut off from the rest of the Imperial Republic, a sentiment that fueled his desire to move. Although some members of the government favored closer locations like Maltenstein or Fortis, the city of Novi Nigrad on the island of Yardistan was ultimately chosen. This choice was made due to its relative safety, far away from the war, and the fact that the city had been largely pacified in recent years, following the Sathrati Emergency. Additionally, the influx of refugees from Kildari and Benecian Shirerithians had bolstered Novi Nigrad's stability (at least, on the surface).
Thuylemans' decision, however, did not come without resistance. In the Folksraad, many members were opposed to the relocation, seeing it as a retreat. Domitius W. Iritatus, a prominent Shirekeepian politician, even accused the Steward of cowardice. The debate only ended after an hour long rant from the honorable Folksraad member at the adress of the Steward (represented by his poor chauffeur) when a bomb narrowly missed the Palace of Zirandorthel, convincing the Legislature of the necessity of the move. The government leadership's proposal was swiftly agreed upon after this close call.
By mid-1734, as the Benecian offensive intensified with the aim of encircling Shirekeep, the government and parliament evacuated the capital aboard requisitioned airships. Chaos ensued on the airdocks, with locals becoming hysterical after seeing their representatives fleeing. Three politicians were grabbed by a growing mob and torn apart before being incinerated by the heat of the ascending airship. The capital was left in the hands of a skeleton crew of officers, minor bureaucrats, and politicians, with a terminally ill Kaiseress remaining behind at the helm of what was left of Shirekeep's leadership.
This relocation marked a turning point in the Imperial Republic's handling of the conflict, as it moved the center of governance far from the conflict's epicenter to ensure the survival and continuation of the state. he move had been successful and secured the government for the time being, but it dealt a blow to its long-term credibility. Something that would have dire consequences in the long run.
Elections of the Provincial Assemblies of Greater Kildare (late 1734)
By the end of 1734 AN, for the first time in eleven years, the Heavenly Light, the Xinshi Light, called for new elections for the Provincial Assemblies. While disunited and broken up in different Dominions, the former Jingdaoese territories had kept operating more or less with the same political systems and kept cooperating with each other informally. The provincial assemblies, whose composition was still based on the long-outdated elections of the Shirerithian Adelsraad of 1723, had become completely irrelevant. Many of the original representatives had either died, retired, or been replaced by others who had been handpicked by their parties to represent their interests. The political stagnation left the system unresponsive to the rising social and economic challenges.
As hundreds of thousands of young men - both of Kildarian and Jingdaoese descent - were sent to the front lines to fight in the war, the demand for legitimate representation grew louder. Soldiers and civilians alike began to question why they were fighting abroad while socio-economic conditions at home were deteriorating. With increasing food shortages, wage cuts, and oppressive war taxes, the people’s patience was running thin.
The Xinshi Light, renowned for her lack of interest in governance - focusing instead on the more symbolic and social aspects of her role - had largely allowed political decay to take root. Her reputation for easily accepting both the syndicalist regime and the annexation of the Great Jing into Shireroth further eroded her standing among traditionalists and reformers alike. But as pressure mounted due to the war and growing public discontent, even the indifferent Xinshi Light had to act. Reluctantly, she ordered all Provincial Assemblies to be dissolved and, for the first time since the last Imperial Yuan elections of 1657 AN, she called for free elections. While protests erupted among the old political elites, who were unwilling to relinquish their comfortable positions, their opposition remained confined to the backrooms of power, unable to openly challenge the Heavenly Throne amid the ongoing war.
Provincial Elections amidst war
The 1734 AN elections were unique in several ways. Soldiers on the front lines, many of them hardened by the brutality of the war, were granted the right to vote, a move meant to placate the growing unrest within the ranks. However, far from quelling dissent, the elections amplified the divisions within the Greater Kildarian society.
The results were a disaster for the status quo. The long-dominant political parties, such as the Mango-Strengthening Movement and especially the Greater Kildarian Humanists, who had maintained their presence in the Assemblies despite the chaos of war and political crackdowns, were decimated. In their place emerged a lot of independent candidates and a much smaller, but more vocal and extremist faction of monarchists, many of whom called for a constitutional monarchy as a solution to the nation's deepening crisis. These monarchists, though far from unified, generally sought to preserve the Kaiseress' and Heavenly Light's symbolic role while radically reforming the governmental structure to restore stability.
The rise of radicalism
While monarchists dominated the conversation, the elections also gave a platform to more radical elements. A small, but fiery group of republicans began to gain traction, openly calling for the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of a republican system. Although still in the minority, their presence marked a significant shift in the political landscape. These republicans were particularly popular among the urban working class and disillusioned soldiers who had grown tired of fighting a war they neither understood nor supported. Their call for a people's government resonated deeply with those who felt betrayed by both the old aristocracy and the Heavenly Light’s administration.
The political environment was further destabilized by the growing influence of revolutionary thinkers like Ren Sakuragi, whose message of equality and anti-segregation struck a chord with those tired of the aristocratic privileges and the collusion between the Heavenly Light and the Kaiseress of Shireroth. Ren’s ideas were particularly dangerous for the existing order, as they combined elements of both Jingdaoese and Kildarian dissatisfaction into a cohesive revolutionary vision.
Impending socio-economic collapse
As the war dragged on, the economic situation at home worsened. Food shortages were becoming commonplace in urban centers, while inflation skyrocketed. Corruption and mismanagement within the provincial assemblies made it clear to the people that the old system could no longer provide the stability or prosperity that Greater Kildare - and Jingdao before it - once prided itself on. Simultaneously, the people saw how their Steward, Louis Thuylemans, fled the capital of Shirekeep and exchanged it for Novi Nigrad. The people, exhausted from the war and embittered by the lack of support from the political class, became increasingly radicalized, with many beginning to openly defy their commanders.
The Jingdaoese and Kildarian youth, once patriotic and eager to fight for the nation, now returned home on leave (at least, if they survived the dangerous travel across the Shire Sea, plagued by Benacian attacks) as disillusioned veterans, questioning the legitimacy of the entire political and religious order. The war, which had initially united the people in defense of the empire, had instead become a catalyst for unrest.
The Novi Nigrad Quarrels (1734 - ...)
- See also: Novi Nigrad Quarrels.
The war in the air
As the reeling continent absorbed the consequences and full horror of the "limited nuclear exchange" between the two belligerents, the emphasis of the war shifted towards the struggle for dominance in the skies, as the Benacian Union struggled to establish air superiority over its southern neighbour – a war of attrition which would take up the final three months of 1733 AN.
Cruise of the Dominion
On 8.VII.1734 AN, the Benacian gravnought Dominion departed its duty station over Chryse after taking onboard a number of unknown persons and cargo at the city's air station. The gravimetric cruiser then disappeared northwards into the interior of Ransenar for a duration of three days before appearing again over the port of Avakir in the Sovereign Confederation.
The war at sea
The Shirerithian naval advantage proving near insurmountable, the Benacian Union was obliged to focus its efforts upon defending its own extensive coastline whilst attempting to organise a commerce raiding and submarine warfare campaign with which to hinder Shirerithian efforts to reinforce it's mainland holdings with the full industrial and manpower might of Greater Kildare.
- 1734.IV.8: The MV Sirius Business, a Shirerithian flagged container ship, issued a distress signal after being struck amidships by a suspected torpedo or naval mine whilst approaching the estuary of the Camoleo River. Suspicion naturally arose that a Benacian U-boat might be operating in the Northern Sea.
- 1735.XIII.12: Sinking of the Biternion
Batavian front
Panic Among the Masses
“Generally, the Batavian is typically sober and sharp-minded. However, the threat of war, especially east of the Waterline, reduces this people to wild beasts who strike out fiercely. Just yesterday, I saw in Caesterburgh how refugees from the nearby countryside were simply not allowed to enter my city because the soldiers—under pressure from the local population—refused them access. Stories of Benacian spies attempting to sabotage the defense and poison people behind the front have incited widespread panic.” ("Over het algemeen is de Bataaf doorgaans nuchter en schrander van geest. De oorlogsdreiging, zeker ten oosten van de Waterlinie, herleidt dit volk tot wilde beesten die ferm om zich heen slaan. Gisteren nog zag ik in Caesterburgh hoe vluchtelingen van het nabijgelegen platteland simpelweg niet de stad binnen mochten omdat de soldaten – onder druk van de lokale bevolking – de toegang weigerden. Verhalen over hoe Beneciaanse spionnen trachten om de verdediging te saboteren en mensen achter het front te vergiftigen heeft aangezet tot wijdverspreide paniek.”) - Philippe de Slaegher, mayor of Caesterburgh, 1733 AN
The first weeks and even months of the war saw little movement on the Batavian front. While Shiro-Batavian officers had expected a blitzkrieg, the war on the Batavian-Benacian border seemed to be evolving into a static front. Both sides had invested enormous funds in their defensive works and neither seemed willing to launch a direct attack. The Batavians breathed a sigh of relief, as with each passing day, new reserves were called up and mobilized to man the Batavian Waterline. Not only Batavians, but also tens of thousands of militiamen arrived by ship at the main western ports, including Koningenwaarde. These Jingdaoese and Kildarian soldiers had often endured weeks-long journeys via the eastern Keltian sea route to avoid unnecessary losses and needed time to regain readiness.
Nevertheless, there was also concern on the Batavian side: the nuclear attacks on the Benacian Union had led to mass protests, often exacerbated by humanist agitators and even violent clashes between protesters and the police force. Both Voorwaarts Batavië! ("Forward Batavia!") and Republikeins Links ("Republican Left") put the Ultraroyalists under pressure: had they not said years earlier that the annexation of Batavia by Shireroth would protect the country from war with its aggressive Benacian neighbor? Strikes and sabotage were rampant in various cities. Fear and paranoia gripped the Batavians. In Nackholm, which lay outside the safety of the waterline, a quarrel between neighbors over a broken window turned into a revolt, forcing the city government not only to declare a state of emergency but also to order the army to shoot at the crowd. The result was three dead and fifteen wounded. Thousands of residents fled. In Caesterburgh and other towns and cities, a chaotic flight westward followed, all without the enemy having fired a single shot.
Meanwhile, Caesterburghers who still aligned with the Old Republic saw an opportunity to regain prominence. A group of Kasterburgers who styled themselves as the Staatsburgers, which refered to the Kasterburger name for the privileged (and racially pure) upper-classes. Originally intending to take the City of Caesterburgh, they realised that the Shiro-Batavian forces were too large to combat, and that they location of the city on top of a large hill would render an attack a bloody affair. In turn, the Staatsburgers moved their attention to the South. Making a pact with mercenaries from the Iron Company, still present in Batavia, the Staatsburgers formed a small attacking force and marched on the port city of Zuydend, which in Kasterburger time was known as Nieuw-Ingelheim. Carrying banners of Kasterburg and Ostesia, an attack was launched from both land and sea, and the badly defended city quickly fell. The Joint Staatsburger-Iron Company force declared the city to be the Free Port of Nieuw-Ingelheim, and vowed that they would no longer be governed either by the Batavians, nor by the Shirithians. Jacob Utherion Lewis, the direct male heir of the late Kasterburger leader Reginald de Montfort, was chosen as head of state of the Free Port. Currently, it remains unclear if he accepted the title.
Preparations for a Benacian Ground Offensive
By mid 1735, the Western Banner Group of Benacia Command had amassed 556,765 infantry on the Batavian frontier, including 50,400 shock troops in seven legions supported by 958 tanks. Against these, the Imperial Forces in the Department of the West could muster five legions supported by 754,088 auxiliaries and 703 armoured fighting vehicles. However the continual arrival of Kildari reinforcements, some convoyed by routes that represented an extreme circumvention of those shores controlled by the Benacian Union, threatened to eventually negate the slim advantage enjoyed by the BUDF and Benacia Command. A window of opportunity was therefore closing. As such, after some more grandiose strategic plans were considered and discounted, it was decided that the first blow by the Western Banner Group against the Imperial Forces in the Batavian theatre would be in the form of the reduction of the so-called Nackholm Pocket.
To the 11th Army, under the command of the venerable Frainan Hohmin Sepp “Papa” Käser, fell the task of capturing the one-time seat of the Republic of Ashkenatza, now long vanquished and languishing under the Batavian yoke. On his southern flank he would be supported by the Siyacher Hohm, commanded by the Babkhan Frainan Hohmin Farzad Riahi, whose forces, while deprived of the armour, artillery, and mechanised support he might otherwise have desired, had been bolstered by the conscript divisions of the State Guard of the Unified Governorates – initially deployed to man the completed sections of the frontier defences, but now expected to go over onto the attack with whatever was to hand. Reports of civil unrest and factional fighting in Nackholm and Casterburgh had raised hopes for success, but after the horrors of the meatgrinder conflict in the east, the prospect of assaulting prepared defensive works with such slim margins of material advantage was viewed with increasing apprehension amongst the higher echelons of command. Nonetheless, political demands from Chryse and Merensk for there to be an end to the period of false war in the west were increasing daily. A telling blow needed to be landed somewhere, and the hopes of the leadership in the east were pinned upon the delivery of a spectacular success in the west.
To shift the balance decisively, between the eighth and tenth months of 1735, two thirds of the available combat air assets of the BUDF were shifted to the Western and Central Banner Group areas of operation, including the entirety of the gravimetric, air transport, and unmanned aerial systems.
Fierce Resistance from the Batavians
Unbeknownst to Benacian Command, while a large portion of Shirerithian legions had safely retreated behind the Batavian Waterline and its extensive defensive structures, the Batavians had reinforced their position in the Nackholm Pocket. This strategic area, which had seen increasing unrest due to factional strife, was now a death trap for any potential attackers from the south.
Led by a coalition of around 24,000 Batavian volunteers and patriots, the defense was fortified by the presence of veterans, many of whom had survived previous conflicts or had some experience fighting the Benacians around Maltenstein. They were supported by battle-hardened Kildarian officers, whose experience in asymmetric warfare was instrumental in transforming the Nackholm region into a formidable defense zone. Notably, some Shirerithian officers who had stayed behind after their units withdrew also joined the efforts, coordinating logistics and bolstering the fighting spirit of the defenders.
Among the Shirerithian officers who assumed command in the Pocket was the Batavian Tribune Leander Malkontent. In a twist of fate, Leander was well-acquainted with Benacian Frainan Hohmin Käser, having first met him at the Sansabury Conference in 1685, where Leander had attended as a Batavian observer. Over the years, the two had developed a strong rapport, and despite rising tensions between their nations, they maintained correspondence until the outbreak of war severed their connection.
The Nackholm Pocket, already surrounded by marshes and the Opperlinge to its south, was now fortified with layers of trenches, bunkers, and artillery positions both in its outskirts and inside the city. If the line were breached and Benacian forces crossed the Opperlinge, guerrilla forces stationed in the dense forests surrounding Nackholm were poised to disrupt the enemy's supply lines. Several secret depots, tunnels, and hideouts had been established, allowing these irregular forces to operate behind enemy lines with devastating efficiency. The defenders aimed not only to stop the Benacian advance but to wear down their enemy with a series of quick, relentless strikes, turning the natural terrain into a weapon against any invader.
This unexpected development significantly complicated Benacian Command's plans. What had initially seemed like an opportunity for a quick and decisive strike could rapidly turning into a potential quagmire, as the Shirerithian resistance, prepared for an intense and protracted defense. The Nackholm Pocket was no longer just a geographical location; it was now a symbol of Batavian defiance, poised to exact a heavy toll on any force attempting to conquer it.
Guttuli front
A duel in Lindstrom
Delegates of the Benacian Union and Shireroth, on the rapidly unraveling Permanent Commission of the Raspur Pact, decided to resolve a question of honour between them. The scene would subsequently unfold on Lindstrom Square in the heart of the eponymous city.
Spillover
International responses & diplomacy
Calbion: The Calbain government issued a short declaration calling for the cooling down of tensions and urged both parties to strive to avoid all-out war. It denounced the use of nuclear warheads as regretable and escalatory. It was made clear, however, that Calbion will remain neutral and will at all costs avoid being dragged into the conflict. One exception was made regarding the Calbain vassal-state of Blackstone. Were the sovereignty or security of the island's waters to be treatened at any point, then the full might of the Calbain armed forces will be deployed to protect the Lordship.
Constancia: Within hours of news of the nuclear detonations, the Imperial Constancian Government recalled its Ambassador from Shirekeep, mobilized and called all Constancian nationals in Benacia to active duty under the command of the nearest Constancian Embassy, legation, or consulate, and directed evacuation of women and children from the Imperial Republic. The Viscountess of Lumenetra issued a statement deploring the escalation and calling upon fellow Landsraad members to hold the Government accountable for the intentional targeting of civilians. Forces in the Viscounty of Lumenetra were placed on full alert. Forces within the Principality of Arboria were likewise placed on full alert.
Floria: President Hutchinson harshly condemned the nuclear attacks committed by both sides and has called for severe sanctions towards both nations whilst acknowledging that Floria should also face the spotlight regarding its use of WMDs. Military alertness was raised to 'heightened' and nuclear air defence was deployed for the first time. Hutchinson also marked this as the nail in the coffin for the Raspur Pact and stated that the nation would remain neutral throughout the conflict however was aware of mass volunteering to the Vanguard Division.
Order of the Holy Lakes:
- The Order of the Holy Lakes vacated its diplomatic missions in Shireroth and the Benacian Union and called upon its citizens to immediately leave the countries, due to the security situation there. Organised evacuations mainly went through fellow XC countries Tellia and Sanama (in Benacia), while evacuations from Apollonian Shireroth were more in line through chartered air, sea and train services. Hurmudan passport holders with Benacian nationality were however placed into detention pending their assignment to duties commensurate with their service obligations as meritorious subjects.
- On 25.XI.1733 the Benacian legation in Ghawlama approached the Order of the Holy Lakes with a request that it serves as the protecting power for Benacian interests for the duration of its conflict with Shireroth. The legate further requested that a message be communicated to the Steward, pointedly not the Kaiseress, that there should be no further countervalue strikes against civilian population centres, and that strikes against military and industrial targets outside of those population centres should be limited to devices with a yield of 20 kilotons equivalent. Acceptance of the offer was requested within forty-eight hours.
Imperial Federation: Following the commencement of nuclear hostilities, the central government at Gondolin and Glacier City immediately ordered all subjects, citizens, and nobles of the Imperial Federation not there for humanitarian purposes to depart Benacia at the soonest possible opportunity. However, a small number of such subjects would conveniently re-interpret the order and take it upon themselves to join one side of the conflict or another as armed volunteers, thanks to strong cultural, historical, or political connections these people held in common with either side of the fresh conflict. Most of these would be subjects of low birth swept up by either side's propaganda campaigns, but a few were minor nobles hoping to win themselves gold and glory as wannabe soldiers of fortune.
Meckelnburgh: Vice Chancellor Christine Alfons gave a statement to the Royal Meckelnburgh Broadcasting Corporation following the destruction of Babran, calling the Shirerithian attack "one of the greatest crimes of our modern time." All citizens on the Benacian continent were warned to return due to danger of escalating nuclear attacks.
Natopia: After radars and sensors in Arboria registered the nuclear exchange in Benacia, Chancellor Eiiard Darkroot issued a strenuous condemnation of both Shireroth and the Benacian Union, swiftly recalling its ambassadors from both. The Court of the Calm Waters issued urgent advisories for all Natopians to leave Benacia at once, as "there is a likelihood that nuclear strikes may continue unimpeded." The Natopian Defense Force begins mobilization of all its forces, giving orders for full readiness of all forces, especially the Natopian Spacefleet.
Normark: On 25.XI.1733 AN, as the extent of the initial exchanges became clear, the government of Normark gave notice that the Shirerithian embassy in Elijah's Rest was required to quit the country at the earliest moment that practicality and international norms and customs would permit. At the same time it responded favourably to a request by the legation of the Benacian Union to invoke the Boreal Defence and Security Agreement, committing the kingdom to the provision of full logistical and material support to the Union-State such as may be required and provided.
Northbloom: Minutes after the initial nuclear strikes, Northbloom closed the airspace over Ermingander Village and announced that an "experimental energy barrier" was in operation over the capital. The latter is believed to have been responsible for the temporary outages subsequently affecting Northbloom and northern Kalgachia.
Nouvelle Alexandrie: Upon news of the first nuclear attack, New Alexandrian Secretary of State Morissa Baumann stated, "This heinous act against humanity cannot go unanswered. We call upon all nations to unite in condemning this barbaric use of nuclear force and to impose stringent sanctions against the Shirerithian government." Following the retaliation by the Benacian Union not soon after, which resulted in another nuclear strike, has further raised alarms in Cárdenas. Reports confirm that tens of thousands of Ransenari citizens, fearing a repeat of The Scouring 40 years earlier, are attempting to obtain asylum in Nouvelle Alexandrie but local authorities in the Benacian Union are forbidding it. "Decades ago, many Elwynnese and Ransenari came here to escape another nuclear holocaust. We cannot stand idly by while another happens on our watch."
Oportia: Federal Representative Galilea Montijo, while campaigning for re-election in the city of Pax, Oportia, announced that it was high time that perhaps "we have a real debate on the value the Raspur Pact provides - will it condemn us to more nuclear catastrophe? Is this the alliance we think it is?" After the rally, the Oportian government released a statement stating that "the State of Oportia unequivocally condemns the reckless use of weapons of mass destruction, yet again, in the continent of Benacia;" while also announcing that it was recalling its ambassadors.
- Following the statement by the Oportian government, Federal Representative Galilea Montijo called for an emergency meeting of the Tripartite Pact, which has been confirmed by Natopia and Nouvelle Alexandrie to coordinate responses and mutual support.
Sanama: Following the confirmation of a nuclear blast in the Benacian Union, the Sanaman Union Armed Services were put on full readiness and a general mobilisation ordered. All border crossings with Shireroth were closed and the ambassador to Shirekeep recalled. The government issued a statement condemning the use of weapons of mass destruction. Sanaman citizens currently in the Benacian Union or Shireroth were advised to return immediately. After the bombing of Musica, a further condemnation was issued and the ambassador to the Benacian Union recalled.
Suren Confederacy: Following the use of atomic weapons against the majority Babkhan Governorate of Alalehzamin, a nationalist mob, waving the flags of old Babkha, engaged in seven nights of protracted disorder during which Shirerithian owned properties in Mehrshahr were ransacked and torched. Gendarmes were reportedly instructed only to ensure that no foreign lives were lost during the tumult but to otherwise give the protesters free rein during which to vent their anger. The senior Shirerithian diplomats in Surenshahr were subsequently summoned to face the Surenšāh, whereupon they were berated for the "barbarity" of their conduct in the war. With the Suren Confederacy's own protracted civil conflict only coming to a close recently, the regime was in no mood to become directly embroiled. Nonetheless, it was common knowledge that any Humanists or Babkhan nationalists who wished to enlist with the Benacian Union Defence Force would experience no obstacles to their plans.
Vegno: The Government of Vegno has harshly and harshly condemned the nuclear attacks of the two nations. Both the President of the Republic of Vegno Orazio Torlo-Marani and the Prime Minister of Vegno Luca Zarrella spoke out harshly against the attacks. Every flight departing from the Cossa International Airport and Mhazar Central Airport to the continent of Benacia was canceled and the airspace above Benacia was closed and prohibited to all Vegnese aircrafts. Flights from Benacia to Vegno remain open to allow vegense citizens to return home. A special asylum visa will also be granted to any citizen of the Benacia's countries who wishes to enter Vegno as a war refugee.
- The former Prime Minister of Vegno and High Commissioner of the Raspur Pact Angelo Greco commented on the incident: "We were aware of the tensions between Shireroth and the Benacian Union, but we never expected such an evolution. I am strongly disappointed by the respective governments, which will create unprecedented damage on Benacia and all Micras"... "Following these events I'm going to present to the Permanent Commission my resignation as High Commissioner of the Raspur Pact."
