Just a drill...

[Újország]

Exercise Megóv-54
Somewhere near the Twente-Wendziema Border
6/11/1954

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What began as and what was said would only be a scaled back command-and-staff map drill evolved into mass exercises which took on the character of military maneuvers with mass participation of combat units including armored units as well as large amounts of ground troops and the air forces. Entire divisional formations joined together in an impressive display of power as several branches of the armed forces simulated a large-scale invasion complete with rear-area security and stability operations. A total number of around 500,000 personnel participated in the exercises making it one of the largest war games ever commenced in recent history.

The ending of the first day of exercises was comprised of air-defense readiness drills as well as simulated air to ground bombardments and interception with the positions of several units deployed at alternate positions to 'combat' simulated air defense targets.

The Carpathian Government makes very little attempt to hide the overt nature of the exercises.

 

[Újország]

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The second day of exercises involved much more precise boundaries taking into account real wartime premises both in respect to the space in question and in respect to the forces of Wendziema and Twente. Offensive operations called for close adherence to predetermined operational plans in which army groups organized their offensives in two divergent directions the first direction being Veszprém, Mekelnborg, Hoksebarge and a second divergent offensive directing towards Érd, Giecz, Krajenka respectively. In the simulated movement, the 3rd Army attacked forces of the Commonwealth whilst shelling several Twente positions to allow the 2nd Army greater mobility of movement as their part in the offensive involved the encirclement and destruction of any armed units within Mekelnborg as well as the destruction of logistics depots and C&C centers. The simulated movement ended with Carpathia seizing control of the entire Southeastern territory of Wenziema up to Giecz and Krajenka and the encirclement of Hoksebarge, in the exercises the capture of these areas took place rather swiftly whilst the actual operational plans, however, envisioned the outright captures of Giecz and Krajenka after approach to take place around the third or fourth day of war.

Within such tasks the Carpathian General Staff envisioned the encirclement or seizure of Zairsk within only a week and a half and thereby the capitulation of the Wendzieman Government. Twente was largely seen as a non-entity in this context and it's occupation was envisioned to be only temporary and valued for it's positioning to allow direct bombardment of the Commonwealth's Capital as well as important military and industrial targets. At this point there was little denying the aim of the exercises which was clearly the preparation of the higher echelons of the Capathian Command Staff for the conduct of offensive operations in the theaters of military offensives as well as testing military readiness in the event of war.

The Carpathian Foreign Ministry continues to remain silent.


([mention=8]Twente[/mention], [MENTION=34]Wendziema[/MENTION])

 

[Josepania]

Command Center, Eastern Army HQ
Giecz Military Base, Wendziema
13 / 06 / 1954​

Although the Carpathians stayed silent, their exercises did not go unnoticed in the Rzeczpospolita, not that they made much effort to hide them. Perhaps that was the point: to provoke the Wendowie into committing an error of some sort, be it diplomatic or military. The Nadzorca of the Revolution made it clear to the Revolutionary General Staff, though, that no such error could be afforded, and caution was advised to be the name of the game. The military, fortunately, gave no argument on the matter, and informed the Nadzorca and his Revolutionary Executive Council that they would be kept closely advised of the developing situation.

The first order of business was putting the Eastern Army on increased alert, and forward units of the Eastern Army were being deployed to the mountain border forts, officially as a low-key military exercise (the irony was fully intended), unofficially to let the Carpathians know the Wendowie would not be caught unawares. The army itself was approximately one hundred thousand personnel strong, and infused with many veterans of the Revolutionary War with the Dansk Reich. They were kept from the western third of the Rzeczpospolita to give them a break as well as allow the newcomers a chance to rack up experience in guerilla warfare with the Dansk resistance, but also to make sure that the eastern border was secure. Combined with the blessed curse of Dansk military equipment, a blessing in its modernity but a curse in the debt that had resulted, there was confidence in the ability of the Eastern Army to at minimum hold or more likely delay any invasion force long enough for reinforcements from the Central Army and the reserves to arrive. The Eastern Air Division was also put on increased alert, and it was similarly well-equipped (which did much to contribute to the headache that was the Dansk debt) and well-stocked with veterans, though it had sustained slightly more damage during the Revolutionary War due to Eiffellander intervention, so its ability to fight had unfortunately decreased.

Speaking of the reserves, preparations were made to mobilize those reserves of the army and the air force, but the order was not given out. Not just yet. That came from the Nadzorca's office insisting on not provoking the Carpathians. It was a gamble, to be sure, but the gamble was, according to the compliant military, well-founded due to the terrain on their side: specifically the northeastern mountain range that separated most of the Rzeczpospolita from the so-called "New State". To counter the drawback of a late mobilization, other preparations were made for elements of the Central Army and Central Air Division to redeploy east to reinforce the Eastern Army and Eastern Air Division, should the need arise. Defensive lines were also being drawn and prepared on paper, centered around holding the rivers and, failing that, choke-points in the eastern mountain passes, those very same passes the Dansk failed to hold against the Revolutionary Armies and thus led to the fall of Christiansborg, now Zairsk. The Wendowie were determined in that regard not to make the same mistake. Alongside the defensive lines, concealed supply depots and makeshift guerrilla HQs were being set up in order to prepare for behind-enemy-lines action against enemy supply lines and reinforcements, to disrupt offensives and give the front lines some ease.

A classified report to the Revolutionary Executive Council was also made by the Revolutionary General Staff, informing them of their preparations to mobilize and deploy a portion of the navy to the Implarians and increase the strength of ground and air forces there. The reasons were known only to these two groups, and not much discussion was recorded. It was, though, for a contingency they did not much wish to think about at the present moment.

On the political front, preparations were being made to transition a majority of temporary emergency powers from the Congress to the Revolutionary Executive Council, in order to create as few bureaucratic hurdles for communications between the government and the military as possible. The post-delegationists, as expected, complained and raised hell in the backrooms, but they were eventually shouted down by the communists and the military based purely on practicality. The Rzeczpospolita needed to be preserved, and though extensive political freedom was a wonderful ideal, in a world unfriendly to such ideals pragmatism was the name of the game. The post-delegationists, eventually, quieted down, but not without many a lecture on the precedent this caused, lectures that the pragmatists assured them was closely noted. There was no intention of going back to the days of the Dansk.

Finally, on the diplomatic front, a curt, unclassified diplomatic telegram was delivered via the Twentish embassy to the "New State" informing the Carpathians that their military maneuvers were "noted". Nothing more. No word of their objections, no threats, no offers of talks, just that they were being watched. It was non-provocative, but informative.

After that, it was a game of wait-and-see, to observe what the Carpathians would do next.

[MENTION=1732]Újország[/MENTION]

 

[Thaumantica]

Exercise Megóv-54
Somewhere near the

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-Wendziema Border
6/13/1954

Of the assorted first, second, and even third generation immigrants to Ommeroth - a select few of those men who sought careers in the Commonwealth Armed Forces were re-directed to the Central Intelligence Service. For many years Újország was no different in the CIS dossier, a minimal and unrelated group of splinters that were surprised to hear a message from the Service more than once a year. In the last few years however the steady growth of right-wing nationalism within the Carpathian Government inspired the investiture of several more cells with increasingly more communication with the Service.

Never before had the Service checked in with their assets in the Carpathian Armed Forces as they had this week, requesting summaries of movement, mood, and especially the doctrinal craft the Carpathian Armed Forces as they conducted this ominous drill. When asked what intent they thought their officers had, the assets confirmed the Service's suspicions that the rise of a right-wing in the near eastern mainland was clearly imminent.

With Operation Iron Symphony in effect within the Central Intelligence Service, an even smaller intelligence minority had pinged outside and inside the armed force; seeking ways to destabilize the region, operating independently of Vestefjor and more importantly: independently of President Rothstein, a man unaware of the Symphony at all. Suspecting war, these agents merely invested themselves in to the potential wartime economy and political scene - encouraging war and angling to force it if the Carpathian Government began to get cold feet.

There along the Twentish and Wendzieman border, some of the agents were tempted to "get lost on patrol", or "misfire an artillery shell" to kick things off quicker. The risk in these manipulative pulls was great however, and the mood in the Carpathian Military seemed to indicate that the local nationals would inspire instability all on their own.

 

[Eternal Empire]

Somewhere along the border to Wendziema, inside the Eternal Empire


They had marched out in the foggy early morning hours, before sunrise and before the people in their neighborhoods would have awaken. They counted one thousand and five hundred men, they were a small section. But for now, one detachment of brothers would suffice. They had left their homes and families as they would often do, not without grabbing their rifles, military-grade rucksacks, balaclavas and other gear that they would need in the upcoming days. Their families knew of the duty they had to fulfill at times, a sacred duty to the truth. So would their bosses, or their sons, who would have to toil their farms on their behalf, as their sons would have to someday when they themselves would hopefully join the brothers to defend the Arakans' way.

The information that had been passed down to them from their contacts in the State Office of Foreign Affairs had been of great concern. For unclear reasons, the Carpathians had in the last few days been mobilized significant military assets at their border to the former Danks Imperium, which for all intents and purposes a failed state. The grander purposes of the New State's military buildup in the area had eluded their network, it was most likely yet another drill, but perhaps even a surprise attempt at driving out the revolutionaries in the rotting carcass of the formerly domineering Danish state was being conjured as they marched towards the West? To think that the Danish state not two years ago had been rivaling other Lords of the West of greater potency for world influence was an irony that was lost on few that day. Even then, it also served as a warning. All power was fleeting. Of course, it was an illusion ultimately - but the very earthly reality of the collapse of state power was not lost on those that were walking the Golden Path.

Nothing could be said for sure when it came to these supposed drills. The Enlightenment Brigades did have good contacts into bureaucratic and political circles; many men of power were after all, some more, some less informally, associated with the Brigades, so the Imperial government's guess was probably as good as the brothers'. If anything, their leaders had a greater insight into many affairs than official Imperial actors had. The Union for Truth Propagation and Preservation, nominally unaffiliated to the more controversial and militant Brigades, had means of information gathering that the bureaucrats couldn't even start to dream about, which was another reason why many men of power amongst the ranks of the Golden Porte had found good reason to cast their lot with the just cause even if their faith was of less than stellar steadfastness. Necessity made strange allies, especially in the convoluted and traitorous labyrinth that was Imperial politics.

Unlike the Imperial government however, the Enlightenment Brigades were prepared to give a decisive response, should a swift strike against the sun's deluded followers beyond the border be required. That's what they had always done - walk the Golden Path when others would or could not. More often than not, these others had been the Imperial bureaucrats, unwilling or unable to react in timely banners to matters of great importance for the preservation of the Arakans' revealed truth. For many of the sworn brothers, the bureaucrats were synonymous with the weakness of the Empire, a plague in the body of the greatest realm that ever was and would be. If the Empire crumbled, would not the faith inevitably as well? And if the New State did decide to stomp out the rebels in the former Danish territories, would not Christians and other enemies of the truth, agitators and destabilizing no-gooders, slip over the border, into an Empire unable to respond in the efficiency demanded of it in this day and age?

That's why they were marching towards an uncertain goal, and the brothers would make sure to give the Empire the breathing room it didn't even know it needed yet. Each and every man that was now marching to make camp not far from the border to the West had shed precious blood during their initiation into this fellowship of committed truth affirmers. None of them were afraid to shed the blood of idol worshippers.

For now, their plan was simply: Wait and see. If the Carpathians would actually strike beyond the border, they, too, would cross the border and push a few kilometers forth, just enough to secure the first few villages and forests beyond the border. Any refugees and spies would then be caught by the sworn brothers before they would even have a chance to reach the Empire, but most importantly, they would create facts on the ground: If the Empire would then not act, its border controls would be revealed as the inefficient nightmare they were. It was no secret that the Empire was deeply afraid to show weakness towards the West. The only option left then would be to officially authorize the Enlightenment Brigades' deployment, to even send backup and expand upon the operation. Who knew, perhaps new realms could be secured for the one truth. That would have to be seen.

The Brigades would once again make the decisions for an oblivious Empire in need, as they had always done.

 

[Újország]

Exercise Megóv-54
6/14/1954

The third day of exercises began during the period of increased diplomatic tension and Wendzieman military contingency preparations and primarily involved the Air Force especially as a means to stress test newer aircraft such as the Ks-17 high-subsonic fighter and the cutting edge Se-7 fighter-bomber. Drills primarily involved ground-attack exercises and tactical positioning planning, the close proximity of which caused several aircraft to stray into Wendzieman airspace on multiple occasions.

The Carpathian Government had taken notice of the increased political and military movement by the Wendziemans long before they issued diplomatic acknowledgement of Carpathian exercises, to which there was nothing but continued silence on behalf of the Carpathian Government. Wendziema and Carpathia were quite similar than they wished to admit, both had experienced a recent civil war and both had given rise to extreme ideologically-opposed regimes, regardless of the similar history the Carpathians believed themselves to be in a much better situation in 1954 not only basing this on the fact they too had a military made up of combat veterans but also that they had double the population of Wendziema, a large industry, an efficient non-socialized economy, a unified people of one ethnicity and the belief that they were internationally favorable in comparison to the Communist Wendziemans. In fact, military policy for a theoretical occupation of Wendziema was to unify the ethnic Germans and Danish under a Conservative or otherwise Right-Wing platform to politically isolate the Poles who were widely believed to be the predominant ethnicity when it came to political and military control and who were also alleged to have initiated a campaign of persecution against non-Polish peoples, certain extreme theories even suggest that Magyars once inhabited Wendziema and were massacred during the civil war in a campaign of ethnic cleansing by the supposedly domineering Poles.

Whether or not these wartime preparations would be utilized would be determined in the coming days.



General Bonifác Császár had just finished meeting with the commanders of his Army Groups when he found an AVH Officer waiting in his office, an hour later and he was on the phone with a Colonel from the same agency. Yesterday a group of soldiers were caught deserting their posts heading towards the Wendzieman border, when they were intercepted by paramilitary units they opened fire rather than, surrender two were taken prisoner yet they managed to kill themselves by ingesting cyanide during transit. Only a few hours ago another report came in about how during a artillery live fire exercise a crew took it upon themselves to launch a series of rounds into neighboring Wendziema, when political officers and other crews rushed to stop them they too opened fire only to be gunned down whilst one was captured alive due to his weapon jamming, this time the AVH wouldn't make the same mistake and he was thoroughly searched before being thrown into a transport truck naked and under guard.

"Any casualties across the border?" the General began.

"We've got no intel on our end, it could've hit a crowded street or just a patch of grass for all we know." a voice from the other line spoke, the closest border towns were Grzebsk and Zarnow.

"What about the captured soldier?"

"He's sitting in a cell at the moment, his interrogation will begin momentarily," Császár nodded to himself, by 'interrogation' they actually meant torture, the AVH was notorious for being rather effective at the practice "Until then I've been tasked with coordinating the efforts of the Népbiztos' to root out any other Communist infiltrators, under the authority of the Field Marshal you're to issue a theatre-wide bulletin instructing your officers to aid the political officers to this effect."

"Already done, I can read my own orders, haven't gone blind yet."

After hanging up he sat there and pondered the situation, if those shells caused fatalities, especially of civilians, then Wendziema would be obligated to act either by demanding compensation or by outright attack. If they decided to press the issue war could be inevitable as the Party would never give in to the demands of an outside nation especially considering they hold the strategic advantage both in the short and long-term. They certainly wouldn't publicly admit to an infiltration of their military either, although they would definitely be eager to find out where their prisoner's true loyalty lies.

It all depended on the Wendzieman reaction, and where exactly those damned shells had fallen...

 

[Ostria]

No mobilization. This was the Leaders will.

Though his will would be obeyed, all knew that the Leader was taking a great gamble. The unfolding Carpathian military drills had the Ostrian establishment on full alert; few thought the Carpathians had any intention of striking Ostria but equally few were willing to trust the Carpathians enough to rule out that possibility. Reassuring no one, there had been a string of close brushes between Ostrian and Carpathian aircraft near the border since the exercises had began. A particularly unnerving incident had occurred when a flight of Ostrian fighters had 'intercepted' what they reported was a flight of Carpathian fighters penetrating into Ostrian airspace. Only after the fact did the high command realize the "interception" had occurred just across the border in Carpathian airspace. It transpired the ground radar controlling the the intercept had been improperly surveyed by a few thousand meters and what they thought was a Carpathian incursion was really an air patrol skirting aggressively but mindfully along the border.

It was perhaps a microcosm of the feelings that pervaded Ostria.

Without mobilization Ostrian defenses in the border region were weak. Aside from a handful of infantry brigades manning a patchwork of border forts the formed the much-vaunted "Eastern Wall" that was a staple of Legion propaganda reels
(and derisively referred to by many on the General Staff as the "Eastern Ribbon") the lions share of the combat power available to Ostria in the reason rested in the VI Panzer Corps. While it was one of Ostria's most powerful maneuver forces, fully manned and equipped with the best equipment available, it was not meant to act alone. Without the line divisions that were intended to support it, it's powerful blows could not be consolidated and it could be swamped by hostile infantry forces. Nevertheless if war came tomorrow the VI Corps would have no choice but to strike out alone.

Though they were now betting the Carpathians would not strike against them, the Ostrians were not standing still. From patchy intelligence reports they knew the main body of the Carpathian forces was massing near the Wendzieman border - a surprise to no one. But piquing the Ostrians interest much more were the forces gathering along the Twentish border. There was no love lost between Ostria and Twente, but the fate of Twente had a special significance for the leaders of the Legion. They still remembered the final revelation of the Saint, his last instructions to his mortal followers, setting forth the labours they still had to undertake to pave the away for the salvation of Ostria and of mankind. As far as the Legion was concerned, the fate of Twente had already been revealed.

In private places some senior Legionaries even whispered: Was not the hand of God plain to see? Blind the Carpathians may be, but through them God's plan would be realized. Who could deny that history was unfolding just as the Saint had revealed to them?

And so the order had gone out. No mobilization, but all Commissariats must be ready. If the Carpathians enter Twente, Ostria must be ready for war.

 

[Rheinbund]

“Verfluchte Scheisse.” Damned shit.

That was the first thing the Chancellor said.

Months ago, when he Wendzieman Civil War started, the Eiffellandians helped out Franciszek Komorowski, simply because there was no alternative. Yes, Komorowski was a communist, but a communist-light, and he was by no means a dictator type. Of course, Eiffelland wanted to spread its social market economy and its democracy, but it had already realised that it was not a good idea to impose it. It was a better idea to show the world that the Eiffellandian system works.
All in all, supporting Komorowski was a good alternative to waiting until the fascist regime and Komorowski’s rebels had weakened each other to such an extent that the Eiffellandian armed forces could simply roll them both up. By supporting Komorowski, Eiffelland kept the humanitarian catastrophe limited by limiting the duration of the conflict and sending in food packages, kept revenge actions by the Polish and the Germanics against the Danes (who actually formed the fascist regime) limited, and gained itself a friendly neighbour (despite the difference in ideology).

And now these Carpathians stood on the other side of the border with Wendziema. Was this really an exercise? Or did the Carpathians want war? In the latter case, it was plainly obvious that Komorowski’s government would be replaced with a fascist puppet regime. And that fascist puppet regime would probably not be very friendly towards the Eiffellandians, given the fact that they helped Komorowski to topple the former fascist government.

All the generals and admirals were in a meeting with Chancellor Matthias Graf von Seydewitz and Minister for Defence Ralf Clausewitz. The representant of the military intelligence service had just finished his briefing about the situation along the Wendziema-Újország border.
“Well, gentlemen, what is your opinion?” the Chancellor asked the generals and admirals.

General Modersohn, nicknamed “The Sphynx”, was the general of the 3rd army. This army fought in Wendziema during the civil war. It was also the only land army that the government could send abroad with a simple majority, so this army would be sent to Wendziema again if the government would decide to support Eiffelland’s neighbourcountry. He was 53 years old, had watery blue eyes, dark blonde hair, an athletic body and ice-cold gaze in his eyes. It was impossible to conclude from his face what he thought.
“We don’t know for sure that the Carpathians want war, but they certainly provoke the Wendziemans to a high extend. Maybe they want war, but then they want the Wendziemans to start it. Or maybe they are just showing the Wendziemans that they can do whatever they want. They are the stronger party in this,” Modersohn said.

“Verfluchte Arschlöcher,” the Chancellor said. Damned assholes.

“Herr Kanzler, we helped Wendziema freeing itself from the fascists,” General Modersohn said. “Actually, my 3rd army did it. We sustained losses for that. Those dead people would have died for nothing if Carpathia turns Wendziema into a fascist dictatorship again.”
“But we can’t mobilise now, Herr General. People will ask why we do so. Even Wendziema hasn’t mobilised yet,” the Chancellor said.
“We can’t sit here like lame ducks, either,” another general said. “When we start mobilising the moment that the Carpathians attack, we have our troops at the border only when the Carpathians have taken the country.”
“I understand that as well. What we can do, is already sending some fighter planes to the North of the country, and preparing a mobilisation without mobilising, so that we have less time between the start and the end of the mobilisation,” the Chancellor said.

That was what happened.

 

[Asylan]

Colonel Savon was in his office in the Asylan Embassy thinking to himself. He had a laundry list of things to accomplish, all of which had to do with rendering assistance to post-civil war. He had fought with the Wendowie, at one point known as the Commonwealth, through nearly the entire war. It had been rough, but he had been welcomed into the closest inner ring of Franz, his nickname for the leader of Wendziema. After the end of the civil war, Asylan thought best to continue his posting in the country as a military advisor, and over the past few months had sat in on more than one Congress session, offering his expertise on military matters. He wasn't exactly sure who he would be called to work with now that emergency powers had been called, which worried him to some extent, but Franz had exceptional control of the political landscape one both civilian and military ends, and he was positive that he would restore the full powers of the Congress when the time came.

He looked out of his window at the bleak city underneath him Things were improving, but the city of Christiansborg, or Riga now, still showed the deep scars of the war. There were a few damaged buildings still in his view and almost every building showed trademark bullet marks all over their exteriors. The Asylan embassy looked like a luxury resort compared to what was around it, as it was one of the most recently constructed buildings after hostilities ended. Still though, one could see the signs of reconstruction around as well, with new buildings popping up here and there.

"Colonel, sir? Do you have a moment?"

His musings were broken by the arrival of one of his assistants, a Lieutenant Johan Krogh, holding a telegram in his hand. He looked back at him, nodding his head, "Sorry Lieutenant, its alright. What do you have?"

"Your request from High Command. The President approved the use of five hundred troops, for protecting the embassy and training Wendowie troops."

Savon sighed, he had asked for a thousand, but he shouldn't have been surprised. After the aquisition of the Eastern Cape into Asylan territory, security forces had been stretched thin, and Asylan's small military hardly had the manpower to be everywhere at once. "Well, I suppose I should have expected it. But five hundred is better than nothing. Probably the only reason I'm getting these troops is because I served under her."

During the troubled in the Eastern Cape, former Commodore Lange was in charge of the small Asylan naval station next to the main territory. Later after her promotion to Admiral her work in the Eastern Cape earned her national attention and admiration, and after the disgraceful exit of her predecessor she was able to run for and gain the presidency. Savon had been stationed in the Eastern Cape working directly with the Admiral until she had left for the homeland.

"Well I guess I'm going to have to offer the Wendowie military the best we can under the circumstances. How long until the fleet update?"

The lieutenant looked down at the telegram again, "Not until tomorrow sir."

Savon nodded, "Thank you lieutenant, dismissed."

 

[Josepania]

Revolutionary Palace
Zairsk, Wendziema
16 / 06 / 1954​

"You are certain...?" The Overseer of the Revolution, Franciszek Komorowski, asked.

The recipient of the question, the Overseer of Internal Affairs, nodded gravely. "Yes. There are seven confirmed deaths, with twenty-three wounded, all civilians. Two of the wounded are in critical condition, the rest are likely to survive."

Franciszek sighed and allowed himself to rest his head into his hands, covering his face as he took in these facts. It was exactly what he, the Executive Council and the General Staff had feared: that these military exercises by their eastern neighbors would cause loss of life. It was thankfully on the outskirts of Grzebsk, in the residential areas, so the casualties were nonetheless minimal, but it further complicated an already nearly impossible problem of what to do about the Carpathians.

But Franciszek needed more information before he could make a decision, so he turned to his Overseer of Security. "What steps has your office taken?"

The minister's assistants, on his signal, passed around another report to the men present, and as they read through, the Overseer responded, "As detailed in the report, we have covertly spread rumors that it was a terrorist attack by Dansk Resistance forces. It's a shaky story, to be sure, considering their power remains in the west, but we feel it has nonetheless taken strong hold amongst the local populace, and combined with the newspapers and radios reporting what the locals hear and say, we expect it to be at least plausibly considered by the rest of the Rzeczpospolita. I have advised that we refrain from blaming the Dansk Resistance, although admit that it was likely, and we are conducting an investigation."

Franciszek nodded, but grimaced as he did so, as though he had just bitten into something rotten. For this whole exercise did leave a bad taste in his mouth. This was not what he had in mind when it came to leading the Wendowie to peace, prosperity and partnership, but the Executive Council had insisted, to a man, that to be truthful now would potentially bring the deaths of further Wendowie, whereas this option, although it was distasteful and hypocritical, had the potential to save lives and lands from death and destruction, respectively. The Overseer of the Revolution, however, wasn't so sure he'd be able to forgive himself for this betrayal of his ideals and the ideals of his people.

"And what intel do we have on the attack?" This question was directed towards the Overseer of Military Intelligence, who nodded in recognition before he replied.

"It's limited, considering the nature of the Carpathians, but my office has confidently concluded that this was an isolated incident, and unlikely to have been deliberate at that. The scale of the attack was too small and its duration too abrupt. It's entirely possible that it was an individual effort of a few artillery crews to take out their ideological anger on leftists. There is, however, the fact that the Carpathian government has not acknowledged the incident, publicly or privately, as the Overseer of International Affairs has stated to me. It's likely they're waiting and seeing what we do, but the intentions behind that are unclear."

Franciszek nodded, trying to take in as much good news as possible, even though it was debatable whether or not this was good news. It was highly likely, to him, that the Carpathians were deliberately trying to provoke the Wendowie into acting, rather than this simply being an accident, the evidence being their silence, even confidentially, about it. Franciszek was convinced the Carpathians wanted war, and would do whatever it took to get their excuse beyond their hatred of communism and post-delegationism.

"And what is the opinion of the Overseer of International Affairs, in regards to Carpathian intentions?" Franciszek asked, willing despite his beliefs to listen to others.

Boleslaw Zalenski, a man who had been more active than he anticipated in involving the Rzeczpospolita in international affairs, shrugged his shoulders as he replied, "Personally, Overseer? I feel that they're not actively looking for a war with us, or else they would have simply declared war on the grounds of our revolution being a threat to their existence or some other excuse. They, however, would be willing to have a war if handed an excuse. They are a proud, patriotic people, and any slight against them should be made with extreme caution. Were we to demand compensation for the loss of life and property damage, it would be safest to do it through a confidential communique, in the interests of preserving their honor, if it can be called that. I believe that the success of a demand is shaky at best, so if it is the opinion of this council to make it public, I will not object."

"I see..." Franciszek muttered, before he turned to the assembled Chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force. "Should it come to war, gentlemen, how do you feel the Wendowie would fare? And I need your honest assessments here, no patriotic or ideological speeches."

There was a momentary hesitation, but the Chief of the Army elected to stand, Franciszek knowing the three military men had already spoken about this amongst themselves previous to this meeting. "Make no mistake, Overseer. The Wendowie will fight no matter the odds, and fight hard given the circumstances. If our strategies for defense are effective, and we receive substantial assistance from abroad, be it from the Kingdom of Eiffelland or the Republic of Asylan or Democratic Republic of Saaremaa or others, we can conceivably halt any advance of the Carpathians." He paused. "That being said, the eastern third of the Rzeczpospolita will experience severe destruction, and the population severe hardship, due to the lack of defensive terrain in most of the area. Morale will drop if we abandon the east, but if we stand and fight at the borders, we will take further casualties, and the Carpathians can replace more soldiers than we can. No matter the result, any war would be bloody, brutal, and devastating. But I must repeat, Overseer, that we will fight, and we will not break as easily as the Dansk."

There was a chorus of "hear-hear" around the table, and Franciszek nodded firmly, heartened somewhat by his advisor's words. He turned to the Chief of the Navy. "If the worst should happen, though, are we prepared for alternatives?"

The mood visibly darkened, no one wanted to talk about this possibility, of complete and utter disaster, but Franciszek felt it was absolutely necessary no matter how unlikely it was or they wanted it to be. He wanted the mentality of "expect the worst, hope for the best" to be the name of the game here. After some reviewing of notes, the Chief of the Navy stood.

"The Second Fleet is being deployed to the Wendowie Implarians as we speak. Combined with reinforcements from the army and the air force," He nodded to the Chief of the Army and Air Force respectively, "We expect that within a week the Implarians can be considered secure for the foreseeable future. We will coordinate with the Office of International Affairs for any possible foreign assistance."

Ah... yes, speaking of that... Franciszek turned to two more men who had sat through the entire meeting thus far, but had remained silent, for even though they had been accepted into the most inner sanctum of power in the Rzeczpospolita (at least at the present moment), they felt and were considered the odd men out. They were foreigners, but they represented nations whose interest in the Rzeczpospolita's survival despite minor or major ideological disagreements was immense, and one was a close friend of Franciszek.

"And what say you, Colonel Savon and Major Lubomirski? What information and advice can you give me before this council makes a decision on how to go forward?"

[MENTION=1673]Asylan[/MENTION], [MENTION=1517]Saaremaa[/MENTION]

 

[Asylan]

Colonel Savon stood and nodded to the men around him, "Thank you Franciszek. I know many of you are not sure about foreign assistance, however I hope you can come to trust us as time goes on. I fought with you all during the war, and I hope we can win this one if it comes to it. Now what you all waiting for is, what can Asylan do? At this point, after acquiring the Eastern Cape, not a lot, the National Council authorized only five hundred troops, however it seems they changed their minds and authorized one thousand. Around seven hundred of these troops will be regulars, accompanied by about a dozen Pershing tanks. About a hundred and fifty of these men will be training officers if you wish to dispatch them to assist in training exercises with your men, it's what they're here for. The last bit, are all special operations troops. We'll keep them ready for when the fighting really begins."

He crossed his arms and took a look around him, "I've also heard that the Second Light Carrier fleet will be arriving in a few days from Erdenshire, with the men in tow. We can also dispatch a few cruisers to your Implarian holdings to ensure their security."

 

[Saaremaa]

Kristijan Lubomirski, a tall, blonde man, with deep green eyes, in the mid 30s. He arrived as a military attache to Saaremaa's embassy in Zairsk, but secretly he was one of the first volunteers who will come to Wendziema to defend it against the fascist aggression. He came here for two reasons. First, it was his chance to see the place from where his family emigrated two generations ago to Saaremaa. Secondly, it was a feel that was present in the hearts of many Saare people. For many, the Wendowie revolution represented an example for them. This revolution showed them the way to end the fascist regime and how the power represented by the people, united is infinite. For this, him and people from Saaremaa were supporters of the Commonwealth and some of those would even come and defend it if necessary, for if a war should start, this would be an ideological one, fascists against socialist, totalitarianism against liberty, the past against the future.

"Some of you may be skeptical of my presence here. I have come here to represent Saaremaa and its will to defend the Commonwealth against the fascist threat. I want to state that Saaremaa sees the Commonwealth as a model for its liberation struggle. Regarding the provocation from the fascists, I would make it public, to gain foreign support, maybe even bring it to the International House in Ivernia, that would make more people listen and maybe ask for an official condemnation from its member states," he said immediately after Colonel Savon ended his last statement.

 

[Josepania]

Revolutionary Palace
Zairsk, Wendziema
16 / 06 / 1954​

Franciszek Komorowski nodded at both Colonel Savon's and Major Lubomirski's words, and he spent a few moments reflecting on all that was said in the Council before he could make a final decision. Part of him wished to follow the advice of his Council and keep things silent, cover up the deaths and injuries and destruction as yet another instance of Dansk treachery and mindless violence. But that required him to sacrifice more of his ideals, ideals he and the people he oversaw fought for, bled for, suffered and died for. He had already begun to sacrifice some of those ideals with the initial response of the Council, but what was being asked for now... it was too much and going too far. The warnings of the post-delegationists would turn out to be true if he and this Council went down this path, and the ideals of the revolution, ideals that called for peace, prosperity and partnership, would be betrayed.

Besides, it was unlikely the Carpathians would accept the demand for compensation even if it were to be made confidentially. Following that, the situation would become even more impossible for the Rzeczpospolita, for the faith it enjoyed from its people and at least some of the international world would be lost, and war would occur anyway, but without any moral high ground, which may be all that the Wendowie reliably had. The risk was high to make things public, but the risks to keep it private were even higher, and ultimately unacceptable.

"It is my belief that Major Kristijan Lubomirski is right. We cannot stay silent about this crime against our people, even if it was not committed with intent by the Carpathian state. We have an obligation to serve the interests of the Wendowie, not the other way around. Otherwise, we would be no better than the ultra-nationalists who threaten our way of life." He turned to the Overseer of International Affairs. "Draw up a public announcement of the deaths and injuries of those affected by this incident. State that after an investigation by the Overseer of Internal Affairs we have discovered that, contrary to on-the-ground rumors, it was not an attack by Dansk partisans, but Carpathian artillery shells, likely an accident. Nevertheless, we must calmly ask for just compensation to the friends and family of the deceased and those wounded by this accident. Be sure also to contact those sympathetic to us: the Kingdom of Eiffelland, the Republic of Asylan, the Democratic Republic of Saaremaa, the High Kingdom of Ivernia, and request their support." Overseer Zalenski nodded, already turning to his aides to begin drawing up drafts.

He then turned to the Chiefs of the military branches, "In the meantime, prepare to mobilize immediately if the Carpathians refuse, show them that we will not back down from this. It's possible our show of resolve, combined with that of our potential allies, will cause the Carpathians to back down, but if they don't, we must be prepared to fight, and not be caught off-guard." They nodded with grim determination.

His focus fell next on Colonel Savon, "Get in touch with your government, if you can. See if they can assist us to the best of their abilities in regards to the Implarians and the mainland. Let's get the officers to assist in training new recruits, the regulars to prepare to reinforce the defenses here in Zairsk, and the spec-ops to do what they do best..." And then Major Lubomirski, "The same goes for you in regards to your government. Should the worst happen, make sure your government can send what it can and do what it can to assist us."

He then stood, "Let us hope all of these preparations prove unnecessary, and the Carpathian ultra-nationalists see reason, either through their own efforts or the efforts of ourselves and our friends abroad. Let it not be said, though, that the Wendowie cowered in the face of danger, but stood firm against it and injustice."

The Council was shortly afterward dismissed, and the wishes of the Overseer of the Revolution were followed swiftly. It was now the move of the Carpathians and others.

[MENTION=1732]Újország[/MENTION], [MENTION=1673]Asylan[/MENTION], [MENTION=1517]Saaremaa[/MENTION], [MENTION=18]Eiffelland[/MENTION], [MENTION=1717]Ostria[/MENTION], [MENTION=2]Ommeroth[/MENTION], [MENTION=1661]Eternal Empire[/MENTION], [MENTION=1187]Ivernia[/MENTION]

 

[Újország]

Felszabad, Carpathia
6/17/1954

Bertalen Széll was enjoying a cigarette as he sat on the balcony which overlooked the courtyard, the gardens were active with life as birds filled the air with their songs of cheer. Beautiful he thought to himself, his brief period of relaxation was disturbed by a gray uniformed man who gave him nothing more than a nod before departing back into the building. After a sigh he put out his cigarette and rose from the chair, back into the lions den, only a short walk down the hall were some of the most powerful men in the country and they would be expecting his presence. He would count himself among them if they didn't always try to undermine him when it came to the power of his departments, it was only a few years ago when his expertise in handling industrial production in his home province brought him significant acclaim, enough to catch the Leaders attention who then promptly put him in a position to exercise his abilities on a much larger scale and shortly thereafter he found himself appointed 'Minister of Armaments and Production'. His new-found authority allowed him to universally dictate industrial output and under his suzerainty Carpathian production increased exponentially and became the epitome of efficiency, this made him confident enough to believe the Leader would sign anything that came from his office, but with his success came certain consequences and even dangers.

The power structure of Carpathia was centralized around the Leader who's very word was law but other power blocs had formed to influence and cajole him in support of their own particular agenda which everyone undoubtedly had. Defense had it's own agenda centered around Tibor Kalmár, State Security had it's agenda spearheaded by Kálmán Kalocsay, Foreign Affairs had it's and even the Party itself under Miklos Orbán competed in court politics against the others. A precarious balance of power was maintained in the end by the Leader himself who kept his subordinates just short of purging one-another as he believed the competitiveness would create proactive and excellent leaders.

By the time Bert arrived everyone was engaged in their own conversations with many flocking around Leaders side who immediately commenced the meeting quickly after everyone had arrived and were seated.

"Comrades," the Foreign Minister began. "This morning the Wendzieman Government has officially demanded compensation for the deaths of seven of it's citizens which it claims was a result of artillery shelling by our forces, I'm sure State Security has a comment on this." Kalocsay was quick to respond,

"We believe that the incident is a concerted attempt by Communist saboteurs to provoke war between our two nations as a means to sponsor regime change and destroy the threat that our new way of life presents to them, especially the nations of the Tripartite Agreement." he stopped just short of actually quoting party rhetoric, he had an annoying tendency to answer perceived slights with political buzzwords.

"What?" The Defense Minister spoke up now. "They want to provoke a war they would most certainly lose? Do you honestly believe that?"

"Gentlemen." The Leader finally gave voice to the discussion. "The fact is that an ideological enemy has demanded us to provide compensation and apology for an incident we have not perpetrated, whether or not foul play was involved is something we will find out in due time but at the moment we will have to respond to the allegations. András, I understand you have a proposal?" the table turned it's attentions back towards the Foreign Minister.

"Indeed, rather than give in to their demands outright we must stall the process to allow us time to present a case for our innocence. I propose that my office immediately drafts a response demanding impartial investigation of the incident to prove that we are directly responsible for the incident before we answer to it, in the meantime it will be the job of Mr. Kalocsay to find out the motivations and allegiance of our captured spy which we can then use to not only potentially dismantle a spy ring in our nation but to also destroy the credibility of the nation behind the incident."

"I concur with the Foreign Minister." said Lóránt Kárpáty the self proclaimed 'Minister of Public Enlightenment' a weaselly man who's only real value was being able to whip crowds into a fervor through expert use of propaganda.

"No opposition?" the Leader said as he gazed around the table. "Then it's decided, we will initiate the Foreign Ministers plan. What is the military situation if war is to break out, Comrade Kalmár?"

"Exceptional. Moreso than that, even if Wendziema is able to match our manpower we still have more armor and airpower than they could ever hope to reach with the industrial capability to double those figures in only a few months as our Comrade Armaments Minister can certainly corroborate." Bert gave a nod and the Defense Minister continued his assessment. "We estimate that we can seize the entire border region in only the first weeks of conflict putting the front lines somewhere around Krajenka in the South and Czempin to the North, at which point we also expect to hold air superiority."

"What of the nations who are diplomatically favorable to them? Would that pose any further threat?" spoke the Leader.

"We expect very little from Asylan and even if they wish to commit fully to a war over a foreign conflict they would have to join their Saaremaan comrades in sailing around Europe to reinforce Wendzieman positions, we believe the most commitment will come from Saaremaa as they hold similar ancestry and ideology to the Wendzieman regime, shit they even still call us 'Fascists'. Either way we predict the war to be in our favor irregardless of their direct support and no matter whether we seize control of Twente or not, for which I've heard the illustrious Foreign Minister has yet another proposal."

"Indeed he does, but we'll save that for later. I apologize for keeping you gentlemen for so long, but please join me for a brief lunch before we return to our respective offices. I'd enjoy the company."

And so the decision was made, the Carpathian Foreign Ministry would demand an international impartial investigation whilst they hurried to extract a confession from their surviving prisoner.

 

[Josepania]

Revolutionary Palace
Zairsk, Wendziema
18 / 06 / 1954​

"This was an unexpected response..." Franciszek Komorowski pondered, reading the report presented before him by the Overseer of International Affairs. He had expected blustering denial. Accusations of communist or post-delegationist double-dealing. Even stony silence would have been unsurprising. But a demand for an impartial investigation into the incident? Even if it were crudely requested, it was still unusual reasonable from the ultra-nationalists.

"I agree..." Overseer Zalenski responded, "This changes things. It shows for certain that, regardless of the Carpathian's vehement feelings towards us, this incident was not an intended result of the military exercises. There may be a third party involved, and if so, it means the Carpathians are as unwilling as us... or at least somewhat unwilling, to start a war."

Franciszek nodded, reading over the Carpathian message again, trying to decipher any further hidden meanings, but finding none. "So what do you think?"

"Accept the demand for an impartial investigation by a neutral nation, or a body of them, into the incident, request nominations for those nations who shall investigate. Hold off on mobilization unless things take a turn for the worse. We may yet come out of this without conflict, and with our people's honor intact."

The Overseer of the Revolution was silent for a full minute, turning the proposal over in his mind and looking for potential flaws, traps, or poorly considered facts. Finally, he nodded, "Draft a response immediately."

The Rzeczpospolita Wendziema would cooperate with the request of the Carpathians... for now.

 

[Újország]

Veszprém, Western Carpathia
6/18/1954

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The building was a dismal place, the only way one would know it was a State Security building was a small plaque to the right of the main entrance detailing its association. Inside it resembled little more than a bureaucratic AVH Field Office but it's basements were what revealed its sinister purpose, below were several floors of concrete prison cells and interrogation centers where much of the structures business was concluded. Prisoners were driven in via trucks down the neighboring alleyway which was reinforced heavily with barbed wire fencing and lead down the only other entrance to the cells which was a relatively concealed staircase build into the side of the building where prisoners could be brought in discreetly. The neighboring abandoned factory had it's windows and doors bricked shut to prevent spying by nosy citizens and foreign elements, adding yet another layer of security were plainclothes AVH operatives who actively patrolled the block searching for 'suspicious individuals' which lead to the citizens of Veszprém largely avoiding the main sidewalk to begin with, leaving the area noticeably barren aside from the occasional suited figures who were easily distinguishable as AVH spooks.

Apor Ábel sat with his assembled team, across from him separated by reflective glass was the man of the hour and suspected Communist saboteur who's name had yet to be accurately determined. Whilst Kalocsay was the designated leader of State Security almost all of his organizations effectiveness was a result of Ábel's oversight, the AVH was once nothing more than a band of thugs before Ábel was entrusted with it's re-organization into an effective and brutal organization which more than lived up to its nickname as 'one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies to have ever existed'. Even though he occupied a subordinate status to his 'boss' his influence was felt everywhere and he often strong-armed his way into cooperation with several ministries to accomplish the goals laid out by his Leader and as a result his career was made up of several rapid promotions.

The man across from him, however, wasn't nearly as successful, he was hung uncomfortably off the floor by his wrists and his body was covered in bruises, he was completely nude so as to induce a feeling of vulnerability and had been deprived of food and sleep until Apor's arrival.

"Shall we begin, sir?" said an officer wearing the distinctive gray dress uniform of the AVH.

"Not yet, it was a long drive and I'd like to help myself to some of the local cuisine."

He never did like working on an empty stomach.