Florian invasion of Port Balaine

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Operation Python
Phyton Ship.jpg
Wells invasion.jpg
Date 1706 AN
Location International waters surrounding the Liberation Islands and Port Balaine.
Status Ongoing:
Belligerents
Floria Floria Port Balaine Port Balaine
Units involved
Floria Fleet Command
  • Coastguard
  • Norfolk Isles Squadron

Floria 205th Army

  • XXIV Corps

Floria 1st Expeditionary Air Group

  • 9th Fighter Regiment
  • 31st Transport & Communications Regiment
  • 624th Reconnaissance Regiment
Port Balaine Gendarmery
  • Port Balaine Constabulary

Port Balaine National Railway Service

Strength
50% of available naval assets, including:
  • 10 frigates
  • 12 coastal submarines
  • 40 troop landing ships

The Florian invasion of Port Balaine is an ongoing military operation in Port Balaine by Floria with the objective of reclaiming the Norfolk Isles back into Florian control for the first time since the occupation of Los Liberados.

The invasion has been internationally condemned by organisations such as WANC and Xäiville Convention whilst the majority of Floria's allies have stayed silent on the ongoing events.

Background

After the successful territorial claim of Outer Mesoun. Florian President Ronald Trueman ordered Florian Navy vessels to swiftly surround Port Balaine and the Norfolk Isles plus increase military presence in the Liberation Islands. Floria has a history with the Norfolk Isles formerly occupying Los Liberados which is now partially part of the Liberation Islands. However, the southern islands of the Norfolks became the independent nation of Port Balaine angering Florian ultranationalists and a large section of the United Party of the Republic. Trueman in a statement to Florian media such as the international TV network Floria Today said that there was 'Unfinished business' with the archipelago.

Since the start of the military buildup, there was no official response from Port Balainian officials.

After Floria was put in martial law by President Trueman in 1706 AN, Florian naval vessels proceeded to block routes out of the archipelago only allowing Florian ships to pass. Two days before Founders Day, Florian vessels began the attack with President Trueman planning a swift annexation of the territory to be celebrated on the national holiday.

Events

First Offensive on Wells

Florian progress in the first day of the land offensive.
Florian progress after the capture of St.Peter.
Florian progress after capturing the Promenade.
Florian progress before the announcement of the second ceasefire and peace talks.

After the initial shelling of some settlements in Wells, landing parties formed from units of the XXIV Corps arrived from Augusto and, upon disembarkation, immediately commenced raiding the villages in the north of the island. The first settlements to fall into Florian control.

Whilst the northern settlements were relatively straightforward to capture it was obviously the more populated cities of Wellingdon and other settlements in South Wells which became an issue due to the local terrain and more densely populated urban areas which afforded a defensive advantage to the local resistant forces.

The initial landing force, drawn from the 42nd Florian Assault Grenadier Division, comprised of 4,800 light infantry. Until such time as a viable port was captured, the heavier mechanised elements of XXIV Corps, including artillery and air defence systems, could not be brought ashore. Moreover, the first landing parties only went ashore with sufficient rations and ammunition for three days of operations. Again, without the capture of a deep water port, supplies needed to be landed on a suitable beach or airlifted in by helicopter. Personnel from the 13th Corps Commissariat Brigade took the first captured village as their base of operations but they struggled to establish a functioning logistics supply chain under these conditions as early attempts to capture Wellingdon were unsuccessful.

More ominously, the invasion was being conducted against the backdrop of the impending summer monsoon season which interrupted the already tenuous flow of manpower and material to the forces ashore.

Capture of St.Peter and Herm

Frustrated with the lack of progress in Wells, Trueman ordered Navy vessels to box in the isles of St.Peter and Herm with the vision of capturing these less populated isles and claiming the capital of the nation in the process. With weakened defences in these islands and the eventual end to the humanitarian ceasefire, Florian soldiers proceeded to arrive on the islands to capture them. St.Peter was the first to fall under Florian control with settlements captured despite courageous resistance by Port Balaine Gendarmery and citizens who decided to stay behind and fight. After the capture of the island, resistance moved to the bridges connecting both Herm and Wellingdon.

That resistance on the bridge would be deemed useless overnight as Florian soldiers took amphibiously approaches from three angles both directly and indirectly attacking The Promenade. With resistance stretched the nation's capital became under Florian effectively dealing a crushing blow.

Second offensive on Wells

On the same day that members of the Micrasian community officially began to impose sanctions on Floria, Florian troops arrived in the southern and western parts of the island having captured the nation's capital the day before and made slow amounts of progress. However, after official sanctions by the Xäiville Convention were imposed Florian troops agreed on another ceasefire in hopes of official peace talks.

Once again the Arcadian mountain range, dominating the interior of the Isle of Wells, had proved an obstacle to the advance, bestowing a defensive advantage upon the gendarmes and volunteers and providing a location from where small bands of resistance fighters could organise attacks against Florian logistics convoys and checkpoints.

Peace talks

After the announcement of a second ceasefire peace talk proposals were submitted by numerous parties. Sanama who was one of the first nations to condemn the invasion offered to host the peace talks in Semisa City, the nation's capital. However, the Florian administration declined the proposal due to the sanctions imposed by the Sanaman Government and felt that hosting peace talks would be some 'reward' for its attempt to affect the Florian economy.

After the capture of The Promenade, the Florian administration proposed talks to be held there with no options for peace talks to be held in the mainland.

During the ceasefire a bulletin was circulated to the gentlemen of the press informing that Vice-Admiral Runncy Thorpe, lately of the Norfolk Isles Squadron, and Lieutenant-General Westley Stephens, formerly commander of the XXIV Corps, had been taken into custody on the authority of the Apollonian Continental Theatre Command so as to answer for their conduct of the initial invasion - particularly with regards to the failure to capture the Island of Wells within the first week of the landing force going ashore.

As a part of efforts to secure the peace, Apollonia Command established, with effect from 10.XI.1706, an air defence identification zone (ADIZ) encompassing the entirety of the Norfolk Isles, including Port Balaine. All aircraft transiting the declared ADIZ would be subject to challenge by ground-based Florian air-traffic controllers, followed by interception and visual verification by Confederate fighter aircraft operating out of the Augusto aerodrome. To support this new mission, the 9th Fighter Regiment was reinforced by a flight of four F-17 Axarana making their first operational deployment in Florian service.

Reactions

International

  • Jääland Jääland: Petri Pukki confirmed neutrality in the conflict stating that support for Floria could have large implications regarding economic sanctions.
  • Hurmu Hurmu: Lyudmila Eduardovna, chair of the Senate's diplomatic committee, deplored Floria's invasion, and urged Floria to respect the territorial integrity of Port Balaine. Hurmu would be open to discussing sanctions against Floria within the WANC framework but would find difficulties in doing so due to the Hurmu–Raspur Pact Free Trade Agreement. Moreover, Hurmu's embassy in The Promenade called for all Hurmu citizens to leave the islands, if possible. Moreover, Hurmu citizens were recommended to avoid travelling to Port Balaine.
    • Chaghagan Khoga, the senior of two Humanist delegates on the diplomatic committee, condemned talk of sanctions as being premature and liable to foster the growth of extreme ultranationalist sentiment in Floria.
    • On 20.X.1706, Hurmu's Senate denounced Floria's invasion as an "illegal war of aggression" and instituted sanctions
      • Ban of Florian businesses operating in Hurmu
      • End of visa-free travel for Florian citizens in Hurmu
      • Freezing of all Florian assets in Hurmu
      • Ban of Florian trains on Hurmu tracks
      • Ban of Florian ships in Hurmu waters
      • Ban of Florian use of Hurmu airspace
    • A few hours later, the Xäiville Convention, of which Hurmu is part, introduced sanctions on Floria as well (see below)
    • On 24.X.1706 AN the Hurmu government introduced sanctions relief measures for Florian personnel attached to the Allied Mission in Eastern Apollonia, Hurmu & Lyrica, in view of their ongoing contribution against the 1706 Vanic insurgency.
  • Sanama Sanama: The Sanaman government issued a condemnation of the invasion of a sovereign nation, and would bring up the issue of sanctions against Floria with the members of WANC, most notably Kildare. Sanama later froze all Sanaman assets belonging to President Trueman and his closest supporters, as well as restricted travel to Sanama for the same people. The Foreign Relations Committee also summoned the Florian ambassador to receive a diplomatic note condemning the invasion and calling for a peaceful resolution. On 3.XI.1706 Sanama harmonised its sanctions with those imposed by the Xäiville Convention nations, while also maintaining its own set of sanctions.
  • Benacian Union Benacian Union:
    • The legatine mission of the Benacian Union in Northcliff is reported to have advised the Florian foreign ministry that, while the objective of conquering the Norfolk Isles is a worthy one, long term structural obstacles may delay or prevent the recognition of any changes to the status quo by the international community.
    • The Commission for Foreign Affairs subsequently issued a statement recognising the Norfolk Isles as lying within the legitimate Florian sphere of influence and exhorted third party nations to refrain from any forms of undue interference in the ongoing Florian effort to restore the harmonious society in the region.
  • Suren Suren: The Maijis-e Suren passed a resolution which expressed its support for the Florian invasion, in spite of seemingly having only a hazy grasp of the actual location of Port Balaine.
  • Phineonesian Confederation Phineonesian Confederation: President of Phinbella, Muhammad Furkorn Mat Jeen strongly condemned Floria’s invasion of Port Balaine which is a sovereign state. He said that although this country was part of Florian history, it did not mean that it arbitrarily invaded the country, this was a war crime offense under Micras law.
  • Lac Glacei Lac Glacei: Lac Glacei condemned the invasion and declared the event an act of tyranny. The Grand Duchy has offered to provide transportation of Balainese fleeing the country to refugee camps in Lac Glacei.
  • Ashinthael Ashinthael: The King decried the invasion as a unnecessary violation of peace on the continent. Although exchange with Floria is minimal, the King immediately imposed strict sanctions and seized all Florian assets within Ashinthael.
  • Kildare Kildare: The people's government of the Kildarian republic was shocked, but not surprised, by the imperialist behavior from Floria towards the Norfolkians of Port Balaine. The isles, once Kildarian, are seen as brothers and sisters. The government warned for harsh retaliation and offered both humanitarian and military aid to the invaded nation. Together with its allies in WANC, it seeks to revolve the matter in a peaceful matter. The People's Revolutionary Army was moved in heightened readiness along the Kildari-Florian border, in fear of Florian aggression.
  • Xäiville Convention: On 20.X.1706, the Xäiville Convention introduced sanctions against Floria, due to its war of aggression on Port Balaine. The sanctions included an import ban on Florian products, a release of copyright on Florian products already in the XC is lifted (making piracy legal), and no broadcasting of Florian football games, and no audience for Florian games taking place in XC countries. The XC also agreed to organize a football tournament with proceeds going to the victims of the war.
  • International Mandate International Mandate: A well attended pro-Florian parade progressed through the Blackfriars district of Tiegang on 20.X.1706.

Domestic

Anti-Trueman Administration protests.
  • Widespread riots throughout Northcliff occurred throughout the city with protestors raising issues against the rise of Florian ultranationalism and the recent lack of Florian democracy before the invasion.
  • Outside the Presidential Palace, protestors held up banners of President Trueman with a Jeremy Spencer moustache, branding him as Jeremy Spencer 2.0
  • However in Southern cities, the invasion encouraged rallies of support in city squares further dividing the nation.