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Eastern Vengeance | Germanian Theatre

Crotobaltislavonia

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Aug 13, 2007
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509
The initial rocket bombardment was devastating. The Army's positions had been abandoned. But though the Air Force's aircraft were obsolete and grounded, it's air defense network was intact. Radar stations, SAM sites, and triple-A emplacements were hit hard and took casualties. Soon, Crotobaltislavonia was blind in the Western Sector. Also taking casualties were the Border Guards and refugees. Men, women, and children who were in the wrong place at the wrong time were wounded, maimed, or killed by rockets falling short or bombs going off target.

With the Eastern Front imperative, Crotobaltislavonia's only modern armored brigade, along with two infantry brigades, had been close to Trivodnia to "support" the disastrous Militia attack, quite far from Bourgogne. In the last forty-eight hours, these units had received their marching orders and moved closer to Banja Luka to join two other two infantry brigades and supporting units in defending the capital and its now all-important airport. The western half of Crotobaltislavonia had been occupied by four light infantry brigades with only one stationed on the border with Bourgogne. The others had been scattered around west and south of Banja Luka on internal security operations. Like their brethen in the east, these units had recently moved closer to the capital to take cover under the capital's air defense umbrella, to support the Kadikistani air-bridge, and to mount stay-behind operations if necessary.

In effect, large portions of the country, including the border with Bourgogne, were defended only by minimally armed Border Guards, local police, and ad hoc volunteer units of old men and boys.

@Bourgogne
 

Rheinbund

Established Nation
Joined
Oct 30, 2006
Messages
11,806
Location
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Capital
Fehrbellin
Some people had the feeling that this war was not about fighting but about transporting. First the Occitanians transported a part of their army to the south of the country so that they could be used in the Eastern Theatre, then those troops were transported back. First the Eiffellandians transported the first army to the North to enter the Eastern theatre, and now the first army was transported back to the South to join the Western Theatre.

But not the complete 1st army left Northern Eiffelland. The Regiment Spezialkräfte (RSK) stayed there. They carried out clandestine operations in Crotobaltislavonia, among other sabotage actions, but also stimulating the people to rise up against the government in Banja Luka and presenting the Burgundians as their liberators. Furthermore, the RSK carried out hit-and-run actions against the Crotobaltislavonian army and police in Southern Crotobaltislavonia.
 

Polesia

Established Nation
Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Messages
5,741
Capital
Amstov
Nick
Norse
Tichin

By the time the Xinhese had finished their bombardment, Tichin was little more than a graveyard of buildings, columns of dark smoke carrying the souls of the departed to the heavens above.

There was no end to the cacophony of war. Once the explosions stopped, they were swiftly replaced by the roar of burning fires, the groan of crumbling buildings and the wails of grieving survivors.

Many had fled the city during the ultimatum issued by Xinhese forces. But not everyone made it out in time, and so their bodies filled the streets, along with the brave defenders who had refused to surrender.

The sheer scale of the Xinhese onslaught had eliminated much of the Trivodnian armour and artillery in the city. They had tried in vain to fire back and limit the Xinhese attack but to no avail - the shells, rockets and missiles continued to rain down on the city.

Now it was time for the ground assault.

Slutsk

The story was much the same in Slutsk, except being entirely encircled by the Kadikistani military few civilians felt safe fleeing the city, and so we're trapped Inside, awaiting their impending doom.

The Kadikistani army was similarly ruthless and effective at destroying armoured or artillery-backed defensive pockets in Slutsk, and like the Xinhese, were willing to strike critical infrastructure or civilian targets suspected of hiding units from the Free State Self-Defence Forces. By the time the first Kadikistani tanks and infantrymen rolled into the city, it was a husk of its former self.

Inner Sea coast

The coastline between Kretyn and Brod offered little resistance to the Kadikistani naval assault. The static coastal defences had been virtually wiped out in the opening hours of the conflict, as had the largest vessels of the Trivodnian navy. The only settlements in the region were declining fishing ports, which had been mostly abandoned when it was clear the Free State was fighting for its very survival.

Under heavy protection from the Kadikistani air force, the first wave of Kadikistani naval infantry waded onshore largely unopposed. Yet once word of the beach head reached Brod and Kretyn, what remained of the Trivodnian navy - small missile and torpedo boats and patrol craft - headed out on what they knew was ultimately a suicide mission to try and disrupt the landings as much as possible.

The old Kadikistani battleship, devoid of the technology that afforded modern warships some protection from attack, also presented an easy target - and a quick propaganda win for an embattled Amstov.

Black Mountains

Kremenetz was soon to fall after Brisk, and for the Jewish population of Trivodnia, this was a major psychological blow, being the first Jewish-majority city to be overwhelmed by Rurikgrad Pact forces. This made the defence of Gonin and Tuchin - the two cities that stood between Kadikistan and Crotobaltislavonia - and Izola - the gateway to the capital, Amstov - all the more important.

The fact the Burgundians were on their way provided some comfort, though a big question mark hung over how quickly they could plough through Crotobaltislavonia. But with Eiffelland and Retalia preoccupied with defending Occitania, and unable to reach Trivodnia through Bergenheim or Ruthenia-Galicia, the men of the Free State Self Defence Forces fighting in the Black Mountains knew they were on their own.

The triumphalism of units arriving fr noom the Crotobaltislavonian border, where victory had been unexpectedly quick, soon evaporated obde they reached the frontline. The mountainous terrain did little throw the Kadikistanis off their rampant pace. Local knowledge of the geography enabled some successful ambushes, especially now both sides were blind in the sky after the satellite attacks.

Reservists helped provide some much needed weight in terms of raw numbers, but with Kadikistanis continuing to pour over the border the Communist superpower would soon regain its overwhelming numerical superiority.

Yet the Trivodnian military battled on. Surrender wasn't an option now, they'd given too much ground already. Yet the cost of the war was already astronomically high. How long would the politicians, only a few of whom actually believed in the idea of Trivodnia, demand they continue to put up a fight?
 

Kadikistani Union

Established Nation
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
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2,841
Location
Belgium
Capital
Ivar
Nick
Spelev
Periphery of Gonin and Tuchin
Olrusk Offensive
Northern Trivodnia

With the highest peaks of the Black Mountains behind them the spearhead divisions of the Olrusk Offensive could finally breath. Away from the treacherous mountain corridors were Kadikistani units were ambushed by very well-calculated and organized remnants of the Trivodnian border guards and other regulars. Not that the Black Mountains were now under full control of the Revolutionary Army, in fact it might take weeks or even months before the last pocket of resistance would be crushed and the Black Mountains pacified. But as the Trivodnian resistance behind enemy lines was a nuisance to say the least, it could not hope to stop the Rurikgrad Pact combined forces from pouring men and equipment into the country. The Olrusk Offensive now contained no less than 5 divisions with boots on the ground in Northern Trivodnia and while these numbers and the amount of armour were primarily meant to ensure a fast conquest and eventual victory, they also allowed for the flanks and the rear to be tightly covered. Besides that they also dragged along 2 artillery regiments in their tail to soften up any known enemy position before the vanguard would arrive. The air defence corps made sure that another strike on the front lines, such as that of the Eiffellandian air force just a few days ago would be equally devastating for whomever bold enough to try it.

The ASAT attack had resurfaced a higher reliance on surveillance flights and in lesser amounts on information coming from infiltrators on the ground. Luckily for the Rurikgrad Pact they had won the two battles for Trivodnian airspace, the first one against the Free State Air Force itself and the second battle against the almost reckless Eiffellandian 6th Air Division. Surveillance flights had indicated Trivodnian troop concentrations in and around the two cities of Gonin and Tuchin, but the continued reliance of the Trivodnian defence strategy on cities to hold the defensive line would again be circumvented. While in medieval times whomever held the castle or fortress would control the surrounding lands, this was different today. Like they had done in Brisk and Krementz the armoured vanguard would surround the cities, waiting for the mechanized divisions to arrive and overtake their positions and installations, before continuing to they objective under heavy air and significant artillery support. Even if Gonin and Tuchin would, against all odds, manage to keep the cities free of Kadikistani forces for weeks to come, it would not stop the front-line from shifting both West and South.

Trivodnian forces mounting the defence of the cities were under constant thread by the Kadikistani Bomber Aviation Divisions. Nonetheless taking the cities would still come as a high price as the enemy was smart enough to hide their remaining hardware throughout the city in various buildings, factories and even homes. If the Trivodnian soldiers and possible irregulars remained committed to fight for Amstov until the bitter end and ignore the courtesy ultimatum, which was given to every Trivodnian city so far, it would result in street-to-street combat that could last for days or even weeks and cause a significant drain in resources.

Western Crotobaltislavonia

The Burgundian attack was relentless, but not entirely unexpected. It seemed that Gallia had entered the fray in Germania on behalf of the Trier Concordat. Ancient Burgundian imperialist sentiment seemed to be on the rise once more, the Union remembering very well that Bourgogne actively tried to divide Crotobaltislavonia between itself and Trivodnia in the late 1950s. At that time it was the unilateral decision by Bourgogne, backed by Trier and Trivodnia, to establish a no-fly zone that prompted a possible intervention by Kadikistan. The situation was different today than it was over 60 years ago. The Crotobaltislavonian military was in bad shape and the fiasco at the Trivodnian border would not easily be digested. But while the alliance between the Kadikistani Union and Crotobaltislavonia was too young for the militaries of both nations to be as uniformed as for example the Kadikistani and the Xinhaiese respective armies, a lot had been done since the first Kadikistani boots landed on Slavonian soil during the Christmas Coup. Time would tell if it would be enough to stall the Burgundian Offensive long enough for the Kadikistani forces to reach the Trivodnian-Crotobaltislavonian border.

The four Slavonian light infantry divisions in Western Crotobaltislavonia would not nearly suffice to stop the Burgundian Operation Depanneur. The Crotobaltislavonian High Command was advised to redraw two of those four divisions to the Banja Luka defence line. The latter had been under construction for seven months, ever since the Kadikistani military intervention, in and around the capital of Banja Luka. With the Burgundian threat becoming more imminent the defensive line was expanded and established from the border with Carinthia-Harkany in the South, connecting to the Banja Luka defence network, and all the way to the Elbener border and ahead of the Polesian shores in the North. It was on this line that the Rurikgrad Combined Command would attempt at forming an elastic mobile defence against the Burgundians forces. The two divisions that remained west of the defensive line were ordered to stall the Burgundian advance as much as possible, every minute counting as the Kadikistani Union and the Grand Duchy of Bourgogne were now in a race to reach the Trivodnian border. The two light divisions that were to withdraw were also ordered to destroy all infrastructure that could serve the Burgundian offensive and scorch the earth on their way back to the Banja Luka defence line.

The two Slavonian light infantry divisions left behind would do what they could to slow down Operation Depanneur, but the Revolutionary Aviation Force would no doubt deal the hardest blows to the spearheading Burgundian divisions. The Burgundian ground assault brought air support with it, but these would still have to contest the reinforced Rurikgrad 7th Guards Fighters, formerly Belgarsk based 19th Fighters and the Mixed Aviation Division for air superiority. The latter would focus on ground attacks against the highly concentrated Burgundian attackers. After all Chagny was funnelling 245,000 troops over only four main entrances. All four were targetted by heavily escorted bombing raids as the fighters not on escort duty started hunting down any Burgundian air craft it could find. Realizing that Chagny would soon unleash the entirety of the Burgundian air fleet, two more Kadikistani Fighter Aviation Divisions along with two Calidian Fighter Regiments were being deployed to aid secure the airspace of the Crotobaltislavonian allies. Xinhaiese air support was also on route while the Kadikistani transport divisions had to greatly reduce their efforts to bring more Xinhaiese ground forces over from the orient so they could now focus totally on deploying Kadikistani troops into Crotobaltislavonia through the air-bridge. The large deployment being more than the Banja Luka International Airport could bare, smaller existing or quickly constructed airstrips were also used to house the Rurikgrad Pact air forces.

Inner Sea Coast & Northeastern Trivodnia
Inner Sea Naval Offensive & Marekt Offensive

The 88th Naval Infantry Division had managed to secure a beachhead relatively unopposed. As what remained of the Trivodnian navy in the Inner Sea attacked the vessels used in the naval invasion. Indeed these bold attackers managed to sink a few transport ships and even some amphibious assault vehicles, not to mention that the massive canons of the old towed battlecruiser had been permanently silenced and received their final resting place on the bottom of the Inner Sea. The problem on the Trivodnian side was that once they uncovered themselves by launching an attack they would become clear targets for the anti-naval retaliation and unlike on the Kadikistani side Trivodnian equipment was not so easily replaced. Damaging the naval assault was more than likely the last hurrah of the Trivodnian Inner Sea fleet, the fact that they could still mount such an attack being unexpected in itself.

On the Trivodnian shores the 88th was already in the process of securing a safety perimeter around the landing zone, supported greatly by the air superiority which reduced the enemy's ability to launch a successful counter attack. Once established and in full strength the 88th would move up north to the Krasnislavian capital Kretyn and form the southern encirclement of the city, meeting up with the Marekt Offensive, the latter also in the process of taking Izola, the gateway to Amstov. Capturing and securing Kretyn would be a huge symbolical victory for the Rurikgrad Pact as the Kadikistani Union could claim a Krasnislavian people reunited. Utilizing the cellphone networks the Kadikistani intelligence had been able to send text messages to many Trivodnians announcing the imminent liberation of Krasnislavia, the fall of the Amstov elite and hopefully a quick end to this war.

Druzhnia
Zarkazeni Offensive
Southern


With the last pockets of resistance being eradicated in Slutsk, the absence of satellites and the decreased effectiveness of air surveillance over a city even prompting the use of Bergenheimer BNTV footage to locate the resistance, the armoured offensive had reached the periphery of the coastal city of Druzhnia. The same routine happened here as it did in any other city, surround while the spearhead continues on to secure the coast all the way to Amstov. The fact that Druzhnia was a coastal city did offer some problems. Unlike the land-locked cities that could basically be starved into submission these coastal cities had a tendency to smuggle in basic needs and arms more effectively than on land. This is why the assigned Kadikistani bombers started focussing heavily on targetting the docks and the port infrastructure in general, and also because the latter would be a pain to conquer on the ground with possible ambushes at every corner. The sea heavily monitored any and all ships that would be caught resupplying Trivodnian forces in the city would be considered a military target as they serve the sole purpose of postponing the surrender and lengthening the suffering of the besieged people.
 

Bergenheim

Establishing Nation
Joined
Nov 27, 2016
Messages
330
Location
Anor Londo
Capital
Midweis
Nick
Vextra
Did you ever wonder why we ran for shelter
when the promise of a brave new world
unfolded beneath a clear blue sky?

-Pink Floyd, Goodbye Blue Sky


Druzhnia
Zarkazeni Offensive
Southern


The relentless bombing of Druzhnia's harbours was recorded grimly by the last few reporters of BNTV, who were taking shelter on the first floor of the crowded King Solomon Hotel. But where once it had been crowded with tourists eager to enjoy the clement and sandy beaches of the eastern Polesian shore, now it was crowded with a multitude of refugees, media, and aid workers. A large White cross had been painted on top of the building, to signal to the Rurikgard Pact that it was being used for non-millitary purposes.

Few had confidence that this would protect them for long.

Lena Oxten looked grimly at the huddled families, sleeping on bedrolls, cots, spare mattresses. her hair was spiky and matted. She hadn't had a shower in days. The water had been among the first of the things to go, along with electricity. Thankfully, they had a backup generator, though fuel for it was also running low.

She looked at the handful of men who had remained with her. Her bodyguards, her cameraman, her sound-technician. The rest had fled after the fall of Slutsk.

But she had sworn to be the last reporter to leave the country, if possible.

"We record it all." She had promised, fighting back tears. "We won't look away."

It was never silent now. The distant rumble of gunfire and artillery grew closer by the day. And always, always there was the fear, the cut-glass tension of when the air raid sirens would next sound.

Lena now fully understood the Occitanian painting The Raid, and the anguish of a city at the mercy of bombers it had depicted.

There was a crackle on their radio. It was tuned into millitary wavelengths. They rarely heard anything, lacking decryption ability, but sometimes they got lucky.

"Another one?" she said wearily, rising from her bed, where she had been trying and failing to prepare the transcript for this evening's broadcast. It was difficult to write clear, professional and formal words when your nerves were shaken by lack of sleep and the distant falling of bombs.

This time they were suprised. An unecrypted message, in German. Eiffeland?

No, their own!

"...Repeat, requesting permission to approach and dock Druzhnia, over. This is the SS Wiesenthal
out of Yharnam, we are requesting permission to approach and dock for civillian relief..."


"Are you hearing this?"

Lena nodded slowly. They must be mad!

Suddenly, their local guide came running in, gasping for breath. "Come quickly, you're not going to believe this."

She grabbed her hand-camera and mobile phone and came.

Anything that broke this terrible routine was surely something worth seeing.

As they ran to the other side of the hotel, and faced out over broken buildings and onto a ruined harbour filled with detritus and sunken, twisted debris, they could see what looked like half a dozen- no, more- outlines appearing on the horizon.

"The Cavalry's here." Lena Oxten breathed.

Operation Moses
Polesian Sea,
Outside Trivodnian Territorial Waters, 12km* from Amstov

Admiral Oskar Burckhalter watched as the crowded port of Amstov came into view, the remnants of the Trivodnian Coast Guard and Navy in the Polesian carefully keeping their distance as a dozen ships, departing their escort of neutral Bergenheim Republic Navy gunboats and destroyers, began their slow, solo journey beyond the territorial line.

"This may be our operation, but you are officially in charge now, Captain." the grizzled admiral laid his hand on the shoulder of the skipper.

The old seadog turned, and grinned. "The Gustloff won't let you down. She's ridden worse storms than this."

Burckhalter nodded. "Amstov should still be safe, for now. But god save those headed for Druznia."

The old sailors crossed themselves.

"I hope that young dyke in Midweis knows what she's doing." he muttered. The Navy had always been small, underfunded,and subordinate to the army of Bergenheim, but it had a fierce independent streak. It also suffered the last "brain drain" of the three armed services, its volunteers most often staying on for a long career. Burckhalter had been a navy man for nearly forty-five years. Man and boy, he had risen to become the effective Fleet Admiral, though no such rank formally existed.

So when some nameless staff officer had suggested during one of the AFC's big strategic meetings an attempt to evacuate the civillians- and millitary- of Trivodnia, Lotti Degurechaff had jumped at the notion. She had ordered him to put together as massive an evacuation convoy as he could, using drafted civillian assets as much as possible.

She had said she would make sure the Trivodnian High Command were made aware of the plan.

And so Operation Moses was born, a daring and quite possibly suicidal mission to save the people of Trivodnia, and maybe some of her fighting spirit too.

Almost the entire surface fleet of the Bergenheim Navy- which wasn't much- divided into three task-groups, one headed for the three major ports of Druzhnia, Amstov and Dakla.

Each escorted between a dozen and three dozen ships of varying size, pressed into the purpose. Large trawlers, a pleasure cruiser, a large vehicle ferry and numerous haulers and tankers had all been privately chartered- via a Navy-friendly shell company of course- to undertake this bold mission of relief and evacuation.

Amstov and Dakla would, it was hoped, be relatively easy, and could begin taking off the most vulnerable and most important civilian personnel first.

Druzhnia would be the riskiest, however. Entering a hostile port with most of its facilities wrecked, Captain Rau, serving as "attache" to the merchant navy personnel onboard those ships, would seek to evacuate as many as everybody as possible.

Midweis wasn't sure if they could save even 10,000 civillians, let alone any millitary personnel. Lotti had optimistically set the threshold at 30,000, and encouraged them to try for more if it seemed feasible.

"I'll be below, in the radio room." Burckhalter said gruffly, as the least risky convoy began to enter Amstov. Would they be greeted with cheers? derision? Disbelief? It didn't matter. They had a job to do.

And he could only pray and hope the Rurikgrad Pact would look kindly on this bizarre extension of neutrality, under the guise of humanitarian aid.


Embassy of the Republic of Bergenheim,
Amstov

The smell of burning paper permeated the whole residence, and the whirr and grind of shredding machines on full blast filled the air. Hard-drives were wiped with magnets, and then put in a large bucket to be flash-burned with packs of thermite.

Ambassador Loerch was a heavy-set man in a white collar shirt and light blue tie, sweat beading on his brow and heavy flabby arms. He had wanted to leave as soon as the war started, but he had been ordered to remain with the embassy security detail and a skeleton staff to oversee what communications could be maintained.

Now they were given the order for evacuation at last. Decades of documentation had to be liquidated in hours, and a Tiger copter waited to take them out to sea, to join the ships in Operation Moses.

A detail of Jagdkommando had landed five minutes ago, and now the special forces were taking up positions. Outside the compound, crowds were beginning to form. The city was not in panic, not yet. But there was a tension in the air, a sense of uncertainty.

Some, perhaps, sensed this might be the last safe chance to leave. Rumours that the wealthy Yiddish citizens were leaving first began to spread.

"Ambassador Loerch? I am Subcommandant Kessler. My men have orders to secure the compound untill all of your staff have been evacuated. I also need to use your secure diplomatic line, to contact the Trivodnian Parliament. An offer of evacuation is being extended to all high-level Trivodnian personnel and their families who are not critical to their war effort."

Loerch frowned. "Isn't that a flagrant violation of neutrality? I was given strict orders by the Archchancellor herself-"

Kessler made to push past the fat ambassador into his office. "I'm afraid this is terribly urgent. I have my orders."

"Now you listen here-" Loerch began, but the commando wasn't listening. He quickly found the one remaining telephone on Loerch's desk.

"Thats a secure line! You have no right-"

Kessler shoved the phone into his pudgy hands.

"Its ringing. You better tell them."

"But-"

"We don't have time for buts, Ambassador."

Loerch was about to say something more, but then the voice of the Parliamentary secretary came on the other line.

"Ah, Gertrude, a pleasure- listen uh- could you get me your boss? I'm afraid its rather urgent...."
 

Khemia

Establishing Nation
Joined
Mar 2, 2010
Messages
2,837
Location
Hawaii
Nick
Saaya
TICHIN

The constant, maddening rumble of artillery rolled to an almost surreal stop shortly after 6 a.m. on the third day of barrage. A full sixty hours of bombardment that would have cracked the minds of lesser recruits, conscripts, and rabble militia. The silence that followed was deafening, and as the tinnitus subsided slowly, the sounds of flies became a dull roar. Corpses of soldiers and civilians, stranded in the streets and left to rot under the summer sun, lay mixed with shattered concrete and twisted metal clumps - the remnants of a car or the twisted steel skeleton of a battered building.

Sporadic heavy machine gun fire illustrated the reality of this scene, interrupting the calm with high caliber holes punching through rock and bodies as the foolish tried to rescue the dead or salvage weapons and equipment from the fallen. In the distance, beyond the sound of flies and heavy weapons, the whine of engines and creak of treads pounding the earth.

Soft explosions hissed billowing, white gas into the air. Smoke shells, fallen across the defensible positions of the Trivodnian army, concealed the advance of mechanized and footmobile infantry alike as they advanced into the rubble. Gun fights broke out as pockets of resistance encountered the probing Xinhese skirmish units...



Nearly three full days of artillery had broken this front of the city. Broken concrete was strewn everywhere, prepared defenses such as mines had long been detonated by the impact of shells, and rotting bodies became precariously difficult terrain. The smell alone was overpowering, Dorzen thought, and the immense wall of white smoke ahead seemed an ominous sign. As if the gates of hell had opened before him to swallow the city. He knew it was in fact simply smoke to cover his advance so that he was not gunned down in the fields, but he could not muster it in him to give thanks for this.

He slammed into the crumbling wall of what had been a three story apartment complex built at the edge of a neighborhood block overlooking an unused field to the East. The smoke had begun to dissipate and, with it, the defenders retaliated. Gunfire intensified across the front. The leader of Dorzen's unit, Chief Sergeant Tan, looked intensely into his eyes and signalled to within the building. Above, from a window, the crack of rifles erupted sending lead into the field. Shouts from the east came and the reply pelted the side of the building with soft tufts of dust as bullets impacted above them. "We breach in one minute! Stack on the wall!" he slapped Dorzen's shoulder. A rookie took point, nervously fumbling with a grenade. Another soldier seized the handle and the rookie nodded - the door opened and the grenade flew in. Gunfire slapped the door from the inside and the soldier that had opened it fell with a howl. A few screams were followed by an explosion that tore through the defenders. "Zǒu! Zǒu! Zǒu!" the Sergeant bellowed. The rookie sucked in a breath and charged, rushing the room and pumping gunfire into anything that looked like a person.



SOUTH OF BROD

Xinhese armor had advanced further west and was now south of Brod. A full armored division had pushed along this axis, nearly half a thousand tanks and comparable numbers of armored personnel carriers were now ready to push south, through a gap in the mountains, towards Kilno. Behind them, People's Republic Revolutionary Guards and Red Army Ground Forces infantry would continue to push northwest through the hills towards Brod in a bid to assert fire control over that city as well.



PROSKEREV GAP

The advance towards Proskerev had slowed, but time was on the Rurikgrad Pact's side. With every day, the rapid strategic deployment of units brought fresh troops to the front. Where the Proskerev axis was the lesser of the three pushes, it was nonetheless significant and the number of personnel assigned to it had nearly doubled to four combat brigades. It was time to renew the offensive.

Heavy shelling slammed into the western riverbanks to cover the advance of combat engineer pontoons, each vehicle heavy enough to withstand the strong currents of mountain rapids. Gunfire from the defenders raked across the vehicles, killing many of the engineers who became subsequently pinned, but such actions drew retaliatiory mortar and heavy machinegun fire from the east bank. Mechanized units bolted into action; wheeled and tracked armored vehicles sent thirty millimeter explosive hell into the treeline, ripping through bodies, as they assaulted the river. The concentration of Xinhese forces here was significantly higher than before, though the assault by a full motorised brigade and a full infantry brigade was blind - the Xinhese command had no idea about the disposition of Trivodnian forces here and were merely guessing that they maintained the edge.
 

Gunnland

FTR
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Messages
2,035
Location
Virginia, USA
Capital
Windhaven, Gunnland
OOC: I don't know if Gunnish troops will be met in direct combat, and I'm a bit bored by detailed military-spec RP à la Sortain and Rokolev (let the reader understand). The two named I Division regiments are approximately 5,000 troops each. So I have a 10,000-strong brigade complete with supporting elements in SE Elben that I intend to move around Lake Elbe to SE Elben. Moving towards/across the Gunnland-CBS border is the entire III Division, 30,000 strong plus supporting elements.

Gunnland is a medium-sized country, hence its close coordination with its neighbors Elben and Geotri, with limited force-projection capabilities that will be stretched by this attempt to hold territory in northern CBS. It has a proud but mediocre army, technologically a generation behind the leading powers, with equipment purchased from an assortment of big producers (Kadikistan, Eiffelland, Bourgogne) though not high-tech equipment the foregoing countries reserve for close allies. Its most advanced equipment is defensive A2AD materiel purchased from Eiffelland, irrelevant to this mission. Its military strengths lie in Swiss-style southern fortresses and the well-drilled "Lower Marpesian" soldiers of what is now southern Gunnland.

Visislava Port of Envy
Gunnland-Crotobaltislavonia Border

A line southbound tanks now mirrored the line of northbound cars at the main port of entry between Crotobaltislavonia and Gunnland. This would be the armor column that would race towards Banja Luka, if the refugee-cluttered highways, retreating communist forces, advancing Burgundian forces, and anti-Fyodorov partisans permitted "racing." Colonel James Gunn Wilson hoped they didn't have to use the bulldozers. He looked over the photographs from the aerial reconnaissance planes of the Burgundian advance splayed over the hood of one of the tanks. The vanguard alone is three times the size of our initial deployment. He hoped that the Elbeners would be able to get the two regiments from I Division under Colonel Liam Keith MacRigh, 11th Highland Dragoons and the 14th Arundel Guards, to the other side of Lake Elbe quickly. They might be able to get to Banja Luka before we do. And he hoped the Geotrians that had trained with III Division that summer would join the mission. Wilson envied their more technologically advanced, specially trained forces. A canvas-topped green truck full of infantrymen rattled by. There was bagpipe music in the distance. Gunnland was a medium-sized country with a proud military tradition, but Wilson worried how much elan would be worth in a modern war. Hopefully Operation Bartholomew's Day would just involve shooting the odd Crotobaltislavonian partisan. Wilson did not kid himself about the discipline of some of his soldiers. Calling Gunnish troops poised to occupy northern Crotobaltislavonia a detachment of "peacekeepers" was a stretch. And the reservists and part-time soldiers of II Division, drawn up from clan militiamen, would be even harder on the Crotobaltislavonian citizenry if this occupation lasted a long time.

Eight Gunnish fighter planes roared overhead into Crotobaltislavonian airspace. Behind them would come the big cargo planes to drop leaflets with a recreation of President Fyodorov's invitation for Gunnish forces to set up a humanitarian "demilitarized zone" in the north of the country. Wilson wondered how many spelling mistakes the Gunnish translators of Slavonian would make.

On the first day, the armor column would push no more than ten miles south on the road to Banja Luka. Infantry and armor would fan out to secure four border towns on the Crotobaltislavonian side. A test of what kind of resistance to expect. The refugees would have to be cleared from the road, checked for weapons, and herded into tent cities. The Elbener Hospitallers would be tasked with building tent cities on the Crotobaltislavonian side of the border as quickly as possible. There would be no rush towards Banja Luka, yet. First Wilson had to be clearer about what kind of support he could receive: both from the Geotrians and from the I Division regiments he expected to cross the Elben-Crotobaltislavonian border.
 

Rheinbund

Established Nation
Joined
Oct 30, 2006
Messages
11,806
Location
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Capital
Fehrbellin
Staatsschutz headquarters
Trier, Eiffelland


“Good job, Mr. Holzbrenner,” Ferdinand Strauss said. “Very good job.” Bastian Holzbrenner had just gained access to a Gunnish bank where Premier Martinique and some other high figures in the Serenien hierarchy had stalled a lot of money. Not in what Strauss called the “fake currencies of Communist nations”, but in Gunnish Talents. Bastian immediately emptied the bank account of Premier Martinique. He also dragged some money out of the accounts of the other high figures in the Serenien hierarchy, but not too much. It was not his intention to drag the poor bank down, only to tease the people leading Serenierre. After he had done his job, he cleared out his traces. That was something he had learned during his part-time job at the Staatsschutz. After he had done his job at this Gunnish bank, he started to redirect some flows of Kadiki money.
Strauss, who was incurably addicted to nicotine but quitted smoking after his best friend Krämer died of lung cancer, took the empty nicotine gum out of his mouth, put a new nicotine gum into his mouth and wheeled back to his own computer. He had some banks to crack as well.

Already early in the internet age, even before ADSL was rolled out to the public, Eiffelland had understood the power of cyberwar. The fact that Georg von Weizenburg’s far right terrorist group had been rolled up was for a large part the result of Von Weizenburg’s son Christoph going to the police, but also the result of intercepting e-mail traffic and hacking far-right websites in obscure parts of the internet. As a result, the Staatsschutz had a department of 5000 hackers spread over the country who did nothing else but tracing internet communication of far right factions, far left factions, radical environmentalist factions and any kind of other factions, organisations, companies or countries who had plans that could harm Eiffellandian interests.
That was not the only thing those 5000 hacker did, however. A large part of their job consisted of defending the Eiffellandian internet network, electricity network, water network, traffic lights, banks, companies and everything else that was connected to the internet against hackerattacks. They did so by finding and closing leaks in the security systems, but also by shielding off attacks and counterhacking. Furthermore, they conducted hacks themselves as well.

Strauss’s group was currently focussing on tracing and disrupting flows of Kadikistani, Xinhaiese and Serenien money. The disrupting mainly consisted of redirecting Kadikistani, Xinhaiese and Serenien money into such a direction that it eventually landed in Eiffelland. But of course in such a way that it remained unclear where the money would flow to.
Other groups were focussing on disrupting the electricity and water network in Serenierre, Xinhai and Kadikistan.

Also the armed forces had a cyberwar department. This department consisted of 2000 people, and mainly focused on securing and defending the systems of the armed forces. It also tried to hack the military systems of Kadikistan, Xinhai and Serenierre.
 

Polesia

Established Nation
Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Messages
5,741
Capital
Amstov
Nick
Norse
Presidential Palace
Amstov


It was hard to describe how dark the mood was in the President's office. Even blacker than midnight didn't quite capture it.

The war with the Rurikgrad Pact had been a disaster, although why anyone else felt it would be anything other than one was unclear. Thousands of soldiers and civilians lay dead, half the air force had been destroyed in the opening days of the conflict and the entire Inner Sea fleet - admittedly little more than a collection of ageing missile boats - had been annihilated. Trivodnian Krasnislavia lay in Kadikistani hands, as did the cities of Brisk, Kremenetz and Slutsk. Tichin had been subjugated by the Xinhaiese, who would soon be taking Brod and Proskerev. Druzhnia, Gonin, Izola, Kretyn and Tichin fought valiantly on but everyone knew in the Free State Self Defence Forces knew it would only be a matter of when, not if, they fell.

At this point, President Meier Lauterpacht wasn't sure who he was more angry at: the Trier Concord and Burgundy who had promised to come to Trivodnia's aid or Chancellor Alexander Kahnemann, whose constant provocations had encouraged Ivar to wage this punitive war. It didn't really matter now: once Izola fell the path to Amstov lay clear. Kadikistani tanks would be parading in Unity Square soon enough.

Lauterpacht's bid for a negotiated end to the conflict had fallen on deaf ears. A Free State Intelligence Bureau source had claimed the Rurikgrad Pact would be willing to be merciful to demonstrate benevolence to the outside world, despite the the destruction they had wrought on Trivodnia so far. But with the Communist powers ignoring his plea, it was likely that information was designed to humiliate the Free State further.

Surrounded by his closest aides, friends and allies, Lauterpacht knew he had a historic decision to make. He could lead a heroic, if doomed, defence of the capital, which had been spared much of the fighting, or surrender unconditionally, leaving his country's fate unknown.

As he gazed out onto the streets of Amstov, he knew he only really had one option.

The Chancellery
Amstov


Chancellor Alexander Kahnemann was growing restless. He hadn't spent this long holed since the election protests earlier this year. Yet the Ministry of National Defence had insisted he stay indoors under protection lest a Kadikistani agent get a lucky shot and claim a swift propaganda victory. But the longer he was in his study or the bunker beneath, the more he felt like he was being imprisoned.

An unexpected knock at the door woke him from his despondent day dreams.

"Chancellor Kahnemann, a message from the President," a nervous junior officer from the Presidential Guard, overdressed in his ceremonial uniform, handed him a scroll of paper.

Unfolding, Kahnemann could barely believe what he was reading. Talk of surrender. Plans of evacuation to Bergenheim and a government-in-exile in Eiffelland. Transferring remaining military assets abroad.

Looking up to the Guardsman, Kahnemann struggled to speak.

"If you don't comply, I've been ordered to shoot you," the Guardsman spoke for him, his hand trembling as he reached for his pistol.
 
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Bergenheim

Establishing Nation
Joined
Nov 27, 2016
Messages
330
Location
Anor Londo
Capital
Midweis
Nick
Vextra
Embassy of Bergenheim, Amstov
Midnight, T Minus 24 Hours

The phone rang. Subcommandant Kessler answered. "This is Fox Leader. Henhouse is clear."

"Fox Leader, this is Den Mother. Operation Egg Basket is a go. I say again, Operation Egg Basket has been authorised. God speed, over and out."

Kessler put the phone down. He took a minute to consider his position. All civillians had been evacuated. Even the reporters for BNTV were now safely ensonced onboard ships in the Polesian, despite protests. Alongside with them were at least ten thousand Trivodnian refugees, with many more on the way. They would keep evacuating till challenged, or untill there was any sign of deterring aggression from the Pact.

So far they'd been damn lucky. Ballsy as hell and lucky to boot. The experienced commando took a deep breath. Which made this next move absolutely reckless.

But he had his orders.

"Is the ambassador gone?" He went to ask one of his underlings. Just him and a dozen good men, more or less alone in the empty embassy compound, the last chopper overloaded with personnel and any Trivodnian government employees who'd made it to the Last Evac.

The Last Evac but one.

"Yes sir. We getting out of this hothouse? City's about ready to blow with all this tension."

"Negative. Our orders are to commence with Egg Basket. We are to retrieve Golden Goose as a primary objective. All claws unsheathed."

The commando's expression hardened, but he nodded. He flicked the safety off on his submachine gun. This was dirty work, but they were Fox Team. They did the ugly stuff their nation needed, and blamed it on the Black Hand if need be. But often times, they didn't need to. A successful op was measured by two criteria: did it achieve the objective and how few people know who to blame.

Kessler disconnected the telephone line, their last connection to the world at large. He looked around one last time at the empty spot, ransacked of anything valuable or incriminating.

"Time to burn the Henhouse." He kicked over a canister of petrol that had been brought in for that purpose, feeling the thick scent of kerosene hit his nostrils as it leaked out onto the once-fine persian rug of the Ambassador's Office.

"Here's to you, Ivan and Chang." He chuckled darkly, lit a fuse, and ran for it.

Fifteen minutes later, a black pall was beginning to rise over Amstov. The Bergenheim Embassy was on fire. Nothing but ashes for the enemy, even if they weren't technically at war with them.

It was also a signal, to the ships in the harbour.

Admiral Oskar Burckhalter watched from aboard the Gustloff. He saw the smoke rising above the flickering lights of Trivodnia's capital city. A premature funeral pyre, perhaps. Word had leaked that they were planning an unconditional surrender. An understandable, if grave mistake.

"Alright, thats the signal. We start pulling out. God help these poor bastards. Moses is going home."

The Chancellery
Amstov


The guards were jittery, nervous. The air was thick with tension, and many turned their thoughts to home, to loved ones. They had all heard the rumours of surrender. Some welcomed it as a relief, and prayed their families were safe. Others wondered if they should desert, flee, or stand and fight.

It didn't really matter though. Tonight, they were in the way. Fox Team moved through the grim shadows, avoiding light where possible. They were dressed entirely in black.

"Remember, No German."

They checked their weapons one last time, and moved into the palatial grounds. They had made it pretty far in without attracting any attention, but it would be impossible to progress further without conflict.

They did not have time, authority, or ability to reason, cajole or negiotiate.

They were here for the Chancellor. Nothing else mattered.

"Halt! Who goes-"

The first silent shots were fired within Amstov's walls, and they came not from the enemy, but their erstwhile "allies".

The Foxes moved silently, swiftly, towards their destination. Bring out Kahnemann, whatever the price.

Luck was with them. Evidently the Presidential Guard were thin on the ground here. Most likely everyone was being moved to the bunkers, or to the Presidential Palace for the surrender. They just had to hope that their Golden Goose hadn't flown either...
 

Rheinbund

Established Nation
Joined
Oct 30, 2006
Messages
11,806
Location
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Capital
Fehrbellin
Eiffellandian and Retalian embassies
Amstov, Trivodnia


Already at the start of the war, the staffs at the Eiffellandian and Retalian embassies had been reduced. Only male employees of the embassies had stayed. The reputation of (or maybe prejudice against) the Rurikgrad Pact troops among the Eiffellandians and Retalians was so bad, that Xinhaiese and (especially) Kadikistani soldiers were considered to immediately start to booze and after that rape all the women after having captured Amstov. The families of the people staying behind had been evacuated as well.
Now that the war in Trivodnia would come to an end and Amstov would be captured, the remaining staffs of the Eiffellandian and Retalian embassies evacuated as well. According to the applicable procedures, the broadcasting devices were disassembled, computer hard disks were destroyed, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, floppies and USB-sticks were destroyed, and papers were either shredded or burned. Meanwhile, the Bergenheimer embassy started to burn. It wouldn't be the last building to burn though. It wouldn't be the last embassy to burn, either. Luckily for the Bergenheimers, the Eiffellandians and Retalians burnt down their embassies after the Bergenheimers did. But the Eiffellandian and Retalian embassies burnt in such a way that the Rurikgrad Pact soldiers wouldn't find a trace of the electronic equipment, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, USB-sticks, floppies or whichever other things that carried computer data that had ever been in the embassies. Paper wouldn't be found, either. Even the state portraits of King Albrecht and his wife burnt. The only things that the embassy staffs took with them, were some of their clothes and the Eiffellandian and Retalian flags.

Supported by the last few Retalian ROCC teams that were still in Trivodnia, the Eiffellandian and Retalian embassy staff rushed to the marina of Amstov, where there were a couple of fast motoryachts. At the marina, the cars were parked at a remote location and foreseen with explosives with mobile telephones attached. Also the lodges the Eiffellandians and Retalians used were foreseen with explosives. As soon as everybody was on board, the yachts slipped their moorings. After having left the marina, the ROCC members phoned the mobile phones attached to the explosives in the cars and the lodges. Immediately after that, the cars and lodges exploded.
 

Kadikistani Union

Established Nation
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Messages
2,841
Location
Belgium
Capital
Ivar
Nick
Spelev
Trivodnia

Seven days. Seven days of onslaught, of bloody war. That's all it took to subdue the Trivodnian scourge that had plagued the Kadikistani Union for so long. Not that anyone ever expected Trivodnia to stand a chance, knowing that there was no denying the various provocations made by Amstov in the past years. Indeed many of those who would've sworn to the Trivodnian defence decades ago had been repelled to do so, not by Ivar, but by Amstov itself. Safe for Eiffelland, which is always blinded by their self-centred vision of duality, a world without nuance where the 'good' capitalists fight the 'evil' communists. An oversimplification of global politics unworthy of an alliance leader and in fact one of the major reasons that this war couldn't be avoided. Realizing the delicate balance of power, pragmatism and co-operation without being blinded by ideological differences, these were some of the lessons that Ivar hoped Trier would have learned the hard way by now. Whatever the case, Ivar would find out in the following days as the Eiffellandian aerial attack against the Rurikgrad Pact forces operating in Trivodnia was obviously considered an act of war. Regardless of the unconditional surrender of Trivodnia a state of war with Trier remained in effect. Time would tell if the latter would utilize pragmatism, or even just realize that the Union had purposely not attacked the Eiffellandian mainland yet, nor had it ceased Eiffellandian assets in the enormous Kadikistani Union Economic Free Zones unlike Trier itself which did so in the first days.

The Union, however, did not have any more lessons to teach Amstov. Their chances of a diplomatic solution had long passed, their better understanding of Kadikistan's unconditional commitment to stability now irrelevant as their fate was sealed. As fasts as the mechanized and armoured units could roll further into the country, so long it would take for Trivodnia to cease to exist. Indeed the weak Central Committee in Ivar had to prove themselves domestically and abroad, show they could be as relentless as the strong leaders that preceded them. Trivodnia would be made as an example for all others in the periphery of the Union in such a way that it will no longer exist. True political changes would take place once the entire country was under control of the Rurikgrad Pact. This wasn't expected to take long as the bulk of the Trivodnian Defence Force followed the orders of their government and surrendered unconditionally. Pockets of resistance remained, but safe for a few charismatic commanders who managed to rally enough men for some delay operations and guerilla actions those who continued the fight were largely unorganized and chaotic in nature. Remnants of the Trivodnian army still keeping up the fight would be dealt with in the most brutal fashion, to deter other from following their example and deal another hard blow to the already highly demoralized forces.

The liberation of Krasnislavia remained top priority as long as the Burgundian offensive against Crotobaltislavonia was ongoing. The divisions that were fighting their way to Amstov were largely redirected towards the Trivodnian-Slavonian border were a total of more than 160,000 Union soldiers would cross. The same went for the Kadikistani Revolutionary Air Force which, now that the most intensive combat operations were over, could dispatch more units to the west to maintain air superiority over Crotobaltislavonia while remaining dominance in uncontested Trivodnian airspace. Moravscik's lackeys were determined to pay back the Burgundian arrogance with blood and steel. While this war was short it would no doubt chance the geopolitical map of Europe permanently.
 

Tyonic Confederacy

Establishing Nation
Joined
Sep 25, 2016
Messages
463
Location
USA!USA!USA!USA!
Capital
Roxana
Nick
Geotri
Visislava Port of Envy
Gunnland-Crotobaltislavonia Border

Delayed due to weather, they arrived on the border and began their march in Crotobaltislavonia. They were behind a good days travel, but would travel further to make up for this. Their path was clear and straightforward, left behind by the Gunnish forces that had left before them.
The Combined Arms Brigades knew that the first four towns would be the first test to see if there would be much resistance so they speed off to reach those in time to assist the Gunnish troops in the taking of the town.

Major General Adam Menke knew the risks of the operation but if the men did their job then this will be easy and the benefits grand.
 

Gunnland

FTR
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Messages
2,035
Location
Virginia, USA
Capital
Windhaven, Gunnland
Eugene N. Ferguson High School
60km west of Banja Luka

Colonel James G. Wilson looked over glossy hi-res satellite images of the Burgundian advance. He thought his armor column had been slow moving south; delayed by rain, his own concern for supply lines, the tardiness of the Geotrians (whose equipment and training Wilson knew he must rely upon), and the overcautious Colonel MacRigh bringing the Highland Dragoons and Arundel Guards down from Lake Elbe. The temporary refugee shelters had proven more time consuming to erect than they were supposed to, and because most of the refugees were still streaming for the borders, Colonel Wilson had to devote many more units to minor roadways to funnel them into the new refugee camps then he would have liked. As for resistance, of the gangsters and partisans fled like cockroaches by the time Gunnish infantrymen started going house-to-house, confiscating weaponry in the strategic towns along the route. There had been a handful of "armed engagements" and "live-fire incidents," and the reports that reached Wilson's desk described weapons caches, anti-Fyodorov partisans, Radekites, and criminals. Wilson was realistic enough to know that some of these were just Slavonic burghers resisting the violent seizure of their property by less disciplined Gunnish officers with a clannish mentality. The reports he trusted most were those that described engagements with "confused" Crotobaltislavonian units that hadn't received stand-down orders from Banja Luka. Still, all in all he was satisfied that the resistance had not been stiff, and most of his officers refrained from pillaging too much: Crotobaltislavonians, he supposed, had a high tolerance for this kind of malfeasance.

We're slow. But Jesus Christ, the Burgundians move like the snails they love to eat. Military intelligence had guessed that Mortier was trying to move a 100,000-man vanguard through Trivodnia in 48 hours, with some additional 200,000 men to follow in short order. That was what, four days ago? The radio silence from his Burgundian counterparts was unnerving, especially since only the most delusional Gunnish commander could deny they had air superiority. But the Guard Lancers hadn't even reached the Gunnish positions west of Banja Luka. Wilson understood more than anyone that military operations took time, especially one as large as the Burgundian operation. But his intuition was that there was some hangup in Chagny. Maybe it was Mortier, the old dinosaur. Or perhaps, and Wilson kept this as a secret hope, the Gunnish feint and the Eiffellandian failure to bring troops into the Germanian theater had caused Chagny to recalculate. But mostly we shall take credit.

Wilson had been careful to leave two main southerly roads open for the Burgundians to pass by his zone of control, if they wanted to risk engaging the Crotobaltislavonians and Kadikistanis coming through a bottleneck. He had other business to attend to. There was a knock at the door of the principal's office of the high school that was serving as Divisional HQ. Coincidentally it was named for the late Raoul Farrago's onetime Gunnish physician. An orderly let in three men in suits and kilts: the Gunnoil man, the coal representative, the mining magnate. It didn't take them long. The Army Council had come down with the orders: in exchange for strategic maneuvers that helped the Rurikgrad Pact, the plan was to help themselves to some Crotobaltislavonian mineral and energy concessions.
 

Rheinbund

Established Nation
Joined
Oct 30, 2006
Messages
11,806
Location
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Capital
Fehrbellin
Now that Trivodnia had surrendered, the discussions in the Eiffellandian government had started. There was agreement on one thing: The Rurikgrad Pact would not be attacked, unless the Trier Concord would come under attack. If it was up to Eiffelland, the hostilities between the Trier Concord and the Rurikgrad Pact would remain non-military. Eiffelland would not attack Rurikgrad Pact forces unless the Rurikgrad Pact would attack the Trier Concord.
There was also agreement on who was guilty of the war: The Rurikgrad Pact. First of all, they fired the first shot. Furthermore, it did nothing else but threatening its neighbours. No wonder that Chancellor Kahnemann was looking for support in the West. And no wonder that Elben was doing the same. And finally, the regimes controlling Kadikistan and Xinhai were mainly known for the terror they inflicted upon their own people. No wonder that nobody wanted a Marxist-Leninovist government. And no wonder that the whole world was afraid of the Rurikgrad Pact. Under no circumstance would the Trier Concord accept any responsibility for the war.

But how to handle the aftermath of the war? Must Eiffellland recognise an annexation of Trivodnia by Kadikistan? Must Eiffelland recognise an independent Kranislavia consisting of territories formerly part of Trivodnia? Must Eiffelland recognise a Marxist-Leninovist Government in Trivodnia?
The Christiandemocratic Ministers answered these questions with “No”. The only thing they wanted to recognise, was a democratic Trivodnia within the pre-war borders, to be precise democratic according to Eiffellandian principles.
The Sociodemocratic and Socioliberal ministers were more flexible. They were not willing to consider the Rurikgrad Pact’s actions justifiable, but they were willing to recognise an annexation of Trivodnia, a free Kranislavia or a Trivodnia under a Marxist-Lenninovist government for pragmatic reasons, or as part of a deal with Kadikistan.

And then: What to do with the seized Kadikistani and Xinhaiese assets? “Seized” was not the same as “confiscated” according to Eiffellandian law. In principle, the Kadikistani and Xinhaiese assets were still the properties of Kadikistan and Xinhai. The only thing those countries had lost, was the access to the assets. Currently the Eiffellandian Government managed those assets (and received the profits). The seizing could easily be lifted, and then Kadikistan and Xinhai had access to their properties again. The Christiandemocratic ministers didn’t want to lift the seizing, unless Kadikistan and Xinhai would withdraw from Trivodnia and Trivodnia would become a democratic country again, to be precise democratic according to Eiffellandian principles. But also here, the Sociodemocratic and Socioliberal ministers were more willing to compromise.

The Christiandemocratic ministers formed a minority in the Government, so there was a majority in favour of doing concessions to Kadikistan within the Government. However, if the Sociodemocratic and Socioliberal ministers would enforce concessions against the will of the Christiandemocratic ministers, the Government could fall. Maybe not now, but then later over a small issue.

In any case, even if the Government would recognise an annexation of Trivodnia by Kadikistan, the creation of a free Kranislavia or a Marxist-Leninovist Trivodnia, the Eiffellandian press wouldn’t stop describing Serenierre and the Rurikgrad Pact as the agressors in this war, and Kadikistan as the big boy constantly bullying the small boys. The Eiffellandian Press clearly saw the Rurikgrad Pact and Serenierre as the agressors in this war. It described the Kadikistani train of thought of why it considered it justifiable to start this war, but clearly condemned it in opinion articles. Given the freedom of the press, the Eiffellandian Government couldn’t prevent that from happening.

Meanwhile, the camp guards of a couple of prison camps spread over Eiffelland had been informed about an order. That order was: "Shoot all your prisoners when soldiers from the Rurikgrad Pact or Serenierre set their feet on Eiffellandian soil." Their prisoners were all known members of the KPE, all known sympathizers with the KPE and all known far-left radicals. Heinrich Liebknecht would not survive a Communist attack on Eiffelland. But nobody in the Government knew about that. That order had come from Jens Lorbach, Head-Director of the ASdS, the department of the Staatsschutz that guarded the prison camps.
 

Gunnland

FTR
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Messages
2,035
Location
Virginia, USA
Capital
Windhaven, Gunnland
Dunrobin Castle
Near Windhaven

It was the dead of night. Maddie MacNicholls had called Arundel Castle just after lunchtime. It doesn't take ten hours to drive from Ayr to Windhaven. Queen Julian had learned of Operation Götterdämmerung when Colonel MacGarry called from the Black Keep at about eleven in the morning. No luck so far trying to reach Robert Gunn in Port Stanley. She hoped she could reach him by telephone before she had to call Friedrich Maria the next day. The Elbeners were peeved. The same thought ran through her mind. Where the hell is Jake Blackthorn? Headlights of a bouncing car down the hill. Minutes later, a livid Julian almost collided with him into the foyer, livid, all 5'4" of her looking up into the face of a man a foot taller than her. He had just taken his hat off his coiffed red hair. Before his trademark goofy smile could appear, she was lighting into him.

"By what authority are you moving us to war? I gave Sergei Moravcsik my word that we would deal plainly with him if he would do the same. You idiot. Do you want to get everyone in Gallogermania killed?"

The Leader motioned downwards with open palms as if to say Calm down. He did not have an expression to suit the occasion. His eyes were comically wide and his lips were pursed, as if Queen Julian were an overly emotional girlfriend having a tiff. He did not need to explain that the Leader could exceed his enumerated powers and order a military strike. The cryptic "Law of the Deed" in the Book of Gunni gave him the power to do almost anything in an emergency: the Thing would retroactively have to choose between approving the action and charging him with a crime. It was akin to the ancient Athenian graphe paranomon. Backward Gunnland! What modern country would have these kind of laws?

"Nothing has been decided yet. 15AR thinks Ivar has blackmailed Grand Duke Charles somehow into standing down, and we will stand alone against Rurikgrad without Bourgogne in the future. The emperor is dead. There is no small chance that Eiffelland will lose this war in Occitania. Do you really think the communists will be happy to keep you around after this war is over? Do you really want to go hat in hand to those strung-out cross-dressing sadomasochists in Engellex to balance against Kadikistan? Director Tyler, Colonel Fylgiset, and Commander Gallagher believe this is our last good chance to maintain our freedom."

Julian could see his point, especially if what Blackthorn said about Bourgogne was true. Without Chagny and Propontis, the balance of power in Gallo-Germania suddenly looked very different. Then she remembered this was a soft coup against her royal authority. And that we could all die at the end of a Xinhaiese rifle. We kick out the hardliner bastards, the cardinal dies, and now the moderates plot against me, too! She wished Robert were in country. Without him it felt like the political boys' club acted independently, out of her control, and in ways that caught her completely by surprise.

"Excuse my Burgundian, but that's not the fucking point, Jake...!"
 

Kadikistani Union

Established Nation
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Messages
2,841
Location
Belgium
Capital
Ivar
Nick
Spelev
Outskirts of Amstov
Occupied Trivodnia
9th of July 2018

"This place is fucking dirty. Almost as if the stench of these swine's has managed to penetrate the very infrastructure.", Colonel Mika Svjevskra said as he was entering the suburbs of Amstov, riding on top of a T-80U, spitting on the rubble-ridden ground and flicking his cigarette in the direction of a long line of refugees marching in the opposite direction. The latter were marching out of the city mostly on foot, faced down and heavily packed with their most precious personal belongings that they could carry. Most of the refugees who's motorized vehicle has survived the bombing campaign on Amstov had left in the two days before when the unconditional surrender of Trivodnia was announced. Those walking in the opposite direction of Svejvskra's tank column were those who had either lost everything or never had much to begin with. Colonel Svjevskra was an ethnic Kadik, not particularly loved by his subordinates, was a commander in the 6th Guards Tank Division. The same division that spearheaded the Olrusk Offensive and was largely made up out of Krasnislavians. Svjevskra was a prime example of an elitist Kadik that was bold enough to show his self-given superiority, but smart enough not to voice it out loud or against the wrong people. Even though the Central Committee was considered the weakest in history it was still very unwise to speak against reformist Ivar. Nonetheless had his past battle orders been different and his personality not considered a liability it was likely that the Colonel would have been swayed by the Ultranationalists wrecking havoc in the enclaves.

Like many Kadiks the Colonel had seen the dominant societal position of the ethnic Kadiks, and by expansion also of other Slavic groups, crumble. He remembered his father breaking several pieces of furniture and even beating his wife during the of the Party when unitary Kadikistan broke with the old under Salatic and carefully began a process of creating an inclusive union. Following in his father's footsteps Svjevskra felt that the Kadiks were in the defensive, presenting the latter as the key to keeping the country united as they always have. He shared the idea of the ultras that the war was bad not because Trivodnia didn't deserve the punishment, but because it would add even more minorities to the ethnically diverse patchwork that the Union was. Further tipping the scales in favour of other minorities. That is why in sharp contrast with most of the 6th Guards Tank Division this Colonel and several other like him struggled to hold in their contempt for the conquered. While most of the soldiers were greeting the Krasnislavian as brothers, distributing food and basic needs to Slavs and Yiddish people alike, nothing was tossed to the people from the Colonel's tank, except for spit and hot cigarette buds.

As the column continued into the city, pushing aside rubble, burned out cars and anything else in the way, the Colonel contacted the forward Operational Command Centre and announced that his tanks would be arriving in the centre of Amstov within the hour. The second he ended that call a faint sound was heard from the rear "RPG!!!", almost immediately followed by a large blast. Jumping inside his tank while some infantry hitch-hikers stormed the houses on both ends the Colonel could see a large flame coming out of the tank hatched of a T-80 about a dozen vehicles back. Several tanks immediately split off an tore everything down in the direction of which the rocket grenade was launched, closely followed by an infantry unit sent to root them out. With the gunfire ensuing in the back ground Colonel Svjevskra opened the hatched and signalled the column to continue, pushing the still burning tanks out of the way. This wasn't the first ambush and it wouldn't be the last. The Trivodnian army might have surrendered, but the resistance had only just begun.

East Crotobaltislavonia
9th of July 2018

The Burgundians in full retreat and a corridor established between the Union and their Free Canton ally the Revolutionary Armed Forces started pouring into Crotobaltislavonia, bringing not only weapons but also much needed aid. Chagny's sudden withdrawal was a surprise to everyone, but likely the heavy casualties suffered during the first days of overzealous en mass assaults had played their part. Proud as they were the Burgundians knew that the Union wouldn't allow anyone of its enemies the luxury of buffering themselves. It was a mistake to believe that if the situation had been different the Rurikgrad Pact armies would've stopped at the Burgo-Slavonian border. Nonetheless with the Burgundians on the retreat there was no more need for the Gunnish forces whom had thrown themselves upon Crotobaltislavonia. Gunnish ambitions in central Germania were no secret, but the Kadikistani Union did not yet have major reasons to doubt their word, one of the most important matters of honour. Not that the Kadikistani Union was particularly happy with Gunnland, or any of the nations taking part in the Bergenheim Conference. The latter was seen by the Union as a mere waste of time, not understanding the sense of a peace conference without involving all of the parties unless it was to plot against the socialist states. Kadikistani leadership was surely paranoid enough to consider the plotting not only a rumour, but also truth. Then again there was a false sence of confidence, to say it in the words of Second Secretary Mikhaljev, "Let them talk, we will exchange their words with blood and steel as long as it is in our interest." A communique was dispatched from Ivar to Windhaven.

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNIQUÉ
FOR THE EYES OF Her Majesty Queen Julian
FROM: Marshall Sergei Moravscik, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Kadikistani Communist Workers' Party, People's Federal Socialist Republics of
TO: Julian, Queen, Kingdom of
SUBJECT:

Your Grace,

It is with great pleasure that we can announce this terrible war as over. The Trivodnians perished in a week and the Burgundians once again cower behind their borders. The invasive Eiffellandians have been tempered and taught a very important lesson about international politics and the balance of power. As stated before we must now seek to return our beautiful continent to a state of normality, regain balance. As agreed previously this balance includes a Crotobaltislavonia under its legitimate government and a dismantled Trivodnia. Once pacified we seek not to incorporate the whole of Trivodnia under the Union flag, only those desiring to do so, the Krasnislavians. The remainder of Trivodnia shall regain non-socialist independence when the provisional military government is no longer deemed necessary. Consider this as an act of good will and a sign that we lack the imperialist ambitions of our forefathers.

But as our Union has always upheld its end of any bilateral or multilateral treaties and agreements we now expect that Your Grace does the same. Meaning the immediate withdrawal of all Gunnish and Council of the North affiliated forces from Crotobalislavonian sovereign soil, returning control to the legitimate government of President Valerian Fyodorov in Banja Luka. We would also like to address eventual concerns that Gunnland or its neighbours have considering this reformed balance of power at a later time. Our forces will push West in 40 hours, help reunite the territory of our allies and extinguish eventual fires left behind by the retreating Burgundians. Our infrastructure is at your full disposal during this withdrawal in order to make it as effective and rational as possible. We have full faith that we can continue to rely on Gunnland as a regional partner, the alternative of-course being unthinkable.

Signed,
Marshal Sergei Moravscik
First Secretary of the Kadikistani Communist Workers' Party
People's Federal Socialist Republics of

The importance of one's word might be an outdated concept elsewhere in this complicated world, but in Kadikistan it was what separated humans from beasts. Like Elben, regardless of the very recent normalization of relations, would always carry the stigma of a conniving liar after the . That didn't mean that Kadikistan was not preparing for the worst. The chance had always existed that a scenario would take place where Gunnish forces would refuse to give up their positions in Crotobaltislavonia. Such a thing would inevitably lead to war with Gunnland and by expansion the entire Council of the North. The Revolutionary Armed Forces prepared for it either way. Both Kadikistani and domestic forces in Calidia were on high alert and fully mobilized along with the rest of the massive Kadikistani ground army. Naval activity in the Gothic Sea was increased and reconnaissance operations both on land and in the skies were maximized. Military strength along the Elbener border was drastically increased. The bulk of the 160,000 Union forces swarming into Crotobaltislavonia, adding to the 40,000 forces airdropped the past 9 days or already there since the Second Crisis, had already entered the war-torn country. Time would tell if these men could return home soon or not.
 
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Polesia

Established Nation
Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Messages
5,741
Capital
Amstov
Nick
Norse
National Assembly
Amstov
Occupied Trivodnia


The Kadikistani military administration had made itself comfortable in the home of Trivodnian democracy.

A grand modernist structure of curved stone, steel and glass, the National Assembly sat just overlooking the old walled town that was considered 'true' central Amstov. The 800-seat chamber was nestled among some rather more boring brutalist office blocks, which hosted the various ministries, departments, agencies and other organs of the Trivodnian government.

The building's construction had proven deeply controversial at the time. Ordered in 2001 to celebrate the eightieth anniversary of the Free State's founding, its proponents said it would be a worthy commemoration to freedom in a region dominated by petty autocrats and reactionary monarchs, while detractors claimed it would end up being a monumental waste of money that only congratulated a political class that had done little more than mostly enrich themselves.

Standing in a queue outside waiting to enter, Zipkiyah could remember watching the Folkist mayor of Amstov Faivish Gelfand stand with the Social Democratic Chancellor Hershel Moscheles calling for the project to go ahead, claiming it would bring jobs and investment to the city. The fact the preferred building contractor was a relative of Gelfand's was secondary. In the end, the new National Assembly was approved, taking over ten years to complete and the final cost being almost ten times the estimated first budget.

"Zipkiyah Loew," a Kadikistani military officer called out Zipkiyah's name in heavily accented Yiddish, before signalling he step forward and walk through security.

Another soldier then swiftly grabbed his testicles, before firmly patting down the rest of his body, never once breaking eye contact with Zipkiyah. His pockets were then emptied, before being shunted passed a snarling dog and through a metal detector. The lifetime civil servant hadn't expected hotel-style treatment from his new overlords but had hoped after years of being a loyal informant to the Kadikistani intelligence services he would be... trusted a bit more.

It had been several days since President Meier Lauterpacht had announced Trivodnia's unconditional surrender, lowering the Free State tricolore and replacing it with a white flag above his palace on the outskirts of Amstov.

The surrender had led to the total and utter collapse of the Trivodnian state. The majority of the Trivodnian establishment - senior politicians, top bureaucrats, wealthy businessmen, high-ranking army officers - had already fled across the Polesian Sea to the supposedly neutral Bergenheim.

Among the lucky to reach the mountainous republic was Chancellor Alexander Kahnemann, who had since declared a government-in-exile in Bergenheim, vowing to lead Trivodnian resistance from abroad. But following the Free State's defeat, Kahnemann was now near-universally loathed by others, who held the Chancellor partly responsible for the conflict. His leadership would not last long.

President Lauterpacht remained in Amstov, trying to position himself as a peacemaker and saver of lives. However, trapped in his palace under Kadikistani protection - or imprisonment - he had little direction over the day-to-day running of Trivodnia, which was now the responsibility of the hundreds of Kadikistani apparatchiki that now filled the National Assembly.

In the hours after Kadikistani tanks had secured Unity Square, Ivar had flown dozens of bureaucrats into Amstov. Working under heavy protection, these men spoke fluent Yiddish and Krasnislavian, knew the identities of all the key players (even if most of them were gone), the roles of different government functionaries - everything. To Zipkiyah, the scale of Kadikistani penetration into Trivodnia's inner workings was revealed. There must be hundreds of traitors like me.
 

Rheinbund

Established Nation
Joined
Oct 30, 2006
Messages
11,806
Location
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Capital
Fehrbellin
Kanzleramt
Trier, Eiffelland


It was the weekly cabinet meeting. Without Minister Zimmermann this time, who was in Bergenheim. And it was quite a tense meeting. Trivodnia was lost, that was clear. But what to do next?

Normally only the Chancellor and the Ministers were invited to the cabinet meetings, together with notulists. This time Staatsschutzhauptdirektor Abt. Ausland Oliver Landauer had been invited as well. He was asked to give an overview of the situation in Bergenheim, Crotobaltislavonia and Trivodnia after a secret letter from the Gunnish government about an Eiffellandian involvement in Crotobaltislavonia. Also Großadmiral Feders had been invited.

"So summa summarum, the Gunnish plan is to overthrow the Government of Bergenheim, install a Government which grants us right of passage, and then roll our armed forces into Crotobaltislavonia," Landauer explained.
"So a coup d'état. To be very honest, I am against such a plan. The LDP will not cooperate with that," Minister of Finance and Vice-Chancellor Fritschler said.
"The SPE will not cooperate wth that, either," Minister of Internal Affairs Peter Langenhorst said.
"That could very well be the right decision, to be honest," Landauer said. "We assessed the situation in Bergenheim. An attempt to a coup d'état has a very uncertain outcome. The end result could be a government willing to grant us right of passage, but an attempt to a coup d'état can also horribly backfire. The country could lose its stability, or get a type of government that we definitely don't want. It may stimulate Prof. Lansky's popularity, and that man has very cordial ties to Ivar. He envisions to turn Bergenheim into a socialist country."
"OK, then a coup d'état is off the table. At least as long as Prof. Lansky isn't in charge," Chancellor Dr. Röpke said. "Is it possible to get a right of passage in a different way?"
"The main reason why Bergenheim initially revoked the right of passage is a Kadikistani threat of a missile attack against Bergenheim. Archchancellor Vogt would be willing to give us right of passage again, if we could guarantee protection against Kadikistani missiles, so one or more ARS installations. But that is not enough. We must also guarantee a victory," Landauer said.
"And that is not what we can guarantee. In theory, the Trier Concord could throw all the troops currently in Mainland Eiffelland and Retalia into the battle, but then we leave ourselves undefended. Serenierre could perform a landing operation into Mainland Retalia in that case, and Kadikistan could push through Ruthenia-Galicia and attack us. The maximum amount of troops we can send in safely is 40,000 soldiers, consisting of the 1st and 9th brigades, as well as a couple of batallions and regiments from the 2nd army. The Retalians can send in maximally 20,000 troops. That makes 60,000 troops. The Gunnish were very sparse about the information on the amount of troops fielded in Crotobaltislavonia by the Council of the North. Suppose they are there with 100,000 troops. That combined with our 60,000 troops may be enough for kicking out the Kadikistani on the short term, but then the Rurikgrad Pact returns with the remainder of their six million soldiers," Feders said.
"Ladies, gentlemen, we also have to take into account that we are facing a war west of us as well. I'm afraid that we have no choice but allow the Kadikistani their moment of pride, that we have to watch them becoming even more arrogant than they already were, and that we have to swallow their insults," Chancellor Dr. Röpke said.
"But I consider it very unsatisfactory that we have to allow them to bully the complete region. Because that is what they do. They are the bully of the neighbourhood, bullying all the little kids. Now the bully of the neighbourhood has killed the kid who stood up against him and told about what kind of bully he is, and we do nothing," Minister of Defence Ferdinand Jung said.
"Minister Jung, Von Seydewitz made promises about Trivodnia's safety that we could not hold," Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Marina Dahles barked. "Indeed, Kadikistan is the bully of the neighbourhood, but the fact that we gave Chancellor Kahnemann too much self-confidence is also a reason why this war started. We could not help out Trivodnia, because we could not reach it with ground troops. We can reach Bergenheim and Ruthenia-Galicia with ground troops, simply because they are neighbourcountries, but also in those cases the only guarantee we can give is that we will help them with defending the country. We cannot guarantee them a victory against the Rurikgrad Pact. Maybe I can smash Moravchik with my handbag, but that won't help us, either."
Minister Dahles was quite an unconventional person as a Minister. The fact that she was a lesbian was not the controversy, but the fact that she hardly paid any attention to her looks and the fact that she was known to be very direct and unfriendly were. Furthermore, she was known to have smashed a journalist with her handbag because the latter asked a question she considered extremely stupid. And she had a very big and heavy handbag. Her relation with the press was a bad one anyway. Once she was walking in a demonstration against the far right movement. When a journalist asked her why she was joining the demonstration, she replied: "Why do you think? I live in Ingelheim and I come to Wetzlar for some sightseeing?" On the other hand, she was a very hardworking woman who got things done. That was the reason why she had become Minister.
"But isn't there anything we can do against Kadikistan? I can guarantee you that that country won't stop with Trivodnia. The bully is too egoist to realise that his bullying is hurting people, so he has to be stopped. Especially now that the bully has become a criminal," Jung said.
"Well, maybe there is something we can do. We are considering Kadikistan to be a unified nation-state like Eiffelland. In fact it is not. Kadikistan is a hotchpotch of ethnicities that all hate the currently dominant ethnicity: The Kadikistani in a narrower sense. And there are ethnicities that take up arms, or intend to take up arms, against the national government. What we could do, is stimulate those ethnicities and destabilise the country," Landauer said.
"Hhmmm ... But then we should destabilise it in such a way that no ethnicity can ever become victorious," Jung said. "Tell us more."
 

Gunnland

FTR
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Messages
2,035
Location
Virginia, USA
Capital
Windhaven, Gunnland
STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNIQUÉ

FROM: Julian Regina, Regnum Marpesiae
TO: Marshal Sergei Moravscik, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Kadikistani Communist Workers' Party, People's Federal Socialist Republics of
SUBJECT: Crotobaltislavonia

Marshal,

I am greatly pleased for peace in the long-suffering lands. It is my hope that Trivodnia will be de-militarized, never again to be a haven for arms dealers.

The delusions of the southerners became clear at the Midweis Conference. We expected a summit about two humanitarian emergencies: the use of chemical weapons in Occitania, and the refugee crisis. Instead, the foreign secretary reports that the southerners are focused upon maintaining their political influence in the north. I hope, as you say, they have learned their lesson. I fear otherwise.

The Army Council informs me that some Gunnish and Geotrian forces will be necessary to facilitate the refugee camps. Of course we are operating under the express invitation of President Fyodorov.

We shall gradually withdraw our combat forces and transfer our positions to Crotobaltislavonian military in the coming weeks. Colonel James G. Wilson will establish a timetable as my liaison with the general staff officers in Banja Luka.

I am assured that our forces will be able to return north of the 55th parallel much more quickly than it will take Kadikistani and Xinhaise units to return east of the 80th meridian. But if you wish to renegotiate this agreement, or you assume its terms do not apply to Gunnland and Kadikistan equally or according to the same timeframe, it is a shorter flight to Ivar from Midweis, and I am afraid Foreign Secretary Larkin is of no use to me in Bergenheim.



Signed,

JUL. R.

Transcribed by Dionysius G. MacHugh.
 
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