FedCom Civil War

FedCom Civil War
Clockwise from top: Optikhalee forces advance on Nycero; Civilians flee from fighting around Sirontonde; Cacertian armored column advancing to Sobanda; A Cacertian Tartaruga conducting an airstrike; Loyalist Rooikat during Operation Diamondback.
Date October 1987 - July 1989 Location Knichus Result Government Victory Dissolution of the Optikhalee Movement Reform of Democratic system in Knichus
Belligerents
Government Loyalists Cacerta	Optikhalee Movement
Commanders and leaders
Chancellor Kereenyaga President Nicusor Raducan Field Marshal Haoniyao Andriana Alvizi Marana Tierno	Lt. General Drahoslav Negutesco Praetor Keanjaho
Strength
1,750,000 (Peak) 200,000	1,250,000 (Peak)
Casualties and losses
300,000 killed 600,000 wounded	350,000 killed 700,000 wounded

The FedCom Civil War (also known as the Knichan Civil War or the Optikhalee War) was a civil war fought in Knichus between 1987 and 1989. The paramilitary political faction, the Optikhalee, attempted to overthrow the Knichan democratic government and replace it with a single party authoritarian state that would attempt to solve Knichus's various problems without the inefficiency of a democracy. The war eventually involved the Kingdom of Cacerta, which supported the Government loyalists in eventually defeating the Optikhalee and restoring democratic rule.

The key causes of the conflict centered around the rise of the Optikhalee, a nationalist paramilitary organization with a strong authoritarian ideology that advocated for the end of democratic rule in Knichus, citing the immense corruption and inefficiency plaguing Knichus's current government. More uniquely, the Optikhalee was the first major extremist group in Knichus that was not centered around racial identity or identity politics; this made the Optikhalee popular among those affected by racial and ethnic violence. Because of this the Optikhalee grew in size rapidly during the 1960s through the 1970s, reaching more than a million members by 1983. Although not officially a political party, the Optikhalee did lobby on behalf of nationalist and anti-democratic candidates, and opposed the leadership of those that wished to strengthen democratic rule in Knichus. In 1987, the election of Chancellor Kereenyaga—who vocally opposed the Optikhalee—led to the movement attempting to overthrow the government. The coup, led by Lt. General Drahoslav Negutesco, failed and open warfare soon broke out between the Optikhalee and government loyalists.

Fighting raged across nearly all of Knichus, however many of the country's ethnically Cacertian population attempted to distance themselves from the war by taking refuge in the southeastern province of Nuoverri. In order to protect Cacertian expatriates and the Condettieri, Cacerta deployed military forces to the province. Although originally there to function as peacekeepers, tensions quickly escalated between the Optikhalee and the Cacertians, and fighting broke out between the two in March 1988. Cacerta subsequently joined the war, siding with the Knichan Government and began fighting the Optikhalee openly. Aided by Cacertian intervention, the Loyalists were able to inflict a series of decisive defeats on the Optikhalee and in 1989 the remainders of the movement laid down their arms.

Shortly after the end of the civil war, the Optikhalee Movement was officially disbanded. More than 700,000 Knichans died in the war, making it the bloodiest conflict in Knichan history. Following the conclusion of hostilities, Chancellor Kereenyaga completed a series of reforms that effectively ended the period of corruption and bureaucracy that had plagued Knichus for decades. The official end date of the conflict, July 15th, is celebrated as Victory Day in Knichus.

Background

The Optikhalee Movement was founded by 1959 by Zakia Macek who, like many Knichans, was frustrated by the corruption and inefficiency that plagued Knichan democracy in the years after the Great War. The Optikhalee grew in popularity in large part to its egalitarian views on race relations during a time where race riots and ethnic tensions were common throughout the country. The key element of the Optikhalee, however, was the organization’s strong anti-democratic stance, which it felt had failed to properly govern the Federal Commonwealth. Not assisting efforts was the string of corruption scandals that rocked Knichus between 1960 and 1985. Between those years, Knichus had 9 chancellors and 13 presidents, and more than 300 government officials, civil servants, and politicians were implicated in corruption scandals by the Constitutional Court.

Macek died in 1973, but by that point the Optikhalee had grown to include hundreds of thousands of members, and his leadership was soon replaced by Darweshi. Darweshi continued Macek's standard of not having the Optikhalee act as an official political party by nominating members to to the National Assembly or the Federal Council of Provinces. Nevertheless Darweshi expanded the movement in other directions; under his leadership the Optikhalee began forming "national action unions", paramilitary militia groups by any other sense. The Optikhalee justified the creation of such groups by arguing that if the Knichan government ever collapsed (which in the scandal filled era of the 60s and 70s seemed a likely occurrence), it would be the national action unions that would maintain rule of law and prevent the outbreak of violence. The Knichan government officially declared such groups illegal, but lacked the resources and the capability to forcibly disband the unions. By the 1970s the rise of the Optikhalee had co-opted several prominent members of Knichus's political scene, even if the Movement officially refused to run for office.

In 1984 Keanjaho became Praetor of the Movement, the officially recognized head of the Optikhalee. He shared power with the Movement’s most prominent military member, Lt. General Drahoslav Negutesco. Negutesco, a senior officer in the Federal Commonwealth Defense Forces, had successfully influenced hundreds of officers and leaders within the Knichan military to support the Optikhalee. Negutesco's open support for the Optikhalee was a cause for alarm for many members of the Knichan government, whom by now were wary of the popularity of the Movement, and its open calls for the end of democracy in Knichus. Not helping matters was the rise of several prominent politicians, namely Flaviu Voinea, who were supportive of the Optikhalee. Although the Movement did not officially promote and candidates for office, the Optikhalee did in effect endorse several nationalist and populist candidates whom they believed would be supportive of the Optikhalee.

However rising to challenge the Optikhalee was Minister of Justice Kereenyaga. Kereenyaga had openly spoke of his opposition to the Optikhalee and used his position as the Minister of Justice to root out corruption within the Knichan government, undermining the main justifications the Optikhalee had for opposing democracy. Optikhalee efforts to discredit Kereenyaga largely failed after the Minister successfully brought to light a major lobbying ring that resulted in the dismissal of over 20 public officials, including several prominent supporters of the Optikhalee. By 1986 Kereenyaga had even begun undermining Negutesco's influence in the armed forces, leading the Optikhalee to label Kereenyaga as the Movements principal opponent.

Election of 1987

1987 was a critical year for Knichus. The election for the National Council and Council of Provinces virtually guaranteed a new Chancellor and President after Loriana Sedita announced she would not seek re-election owing to her declining health. The Optikhalee once again did not appoint an official candidate within Parliament, but effectively endorsed Flaviu Voinea. Opposing Voinea was Kereenyaga, who represented pro-democracy elements both within the government and the country in general. Both sides began extensive propaganda campaigns aimed at undermining the opposition, with Optikhalee national action unions taking to the streets to protest against Kereenyaga and his supporters. Kereenyaga in response labeled the unions as violent attempts at voter intimidation and suppression. Street brawls broke out in major cities as anti and pro-democracy forces clashed in the weeks approaching the election. On September 1st, voters took to the streets to elect members to parliament, which in turn voted to elect the next Chancellor and President on the 12th. Although a close contest in some cases, by midnight on the 12th it was clear that Kereenyaga was slated to become the next Chancellor of the Federal Commonwealth. Protests by the Optikhalee broke out across the country, while Kereenyaga was sworn in as Chancellor on the 21st.

Fighting Breaks Out

Knichan police clash with Optikhalee protestors following the results of the 1987 Election.

The Optikhalee responded to the election with outrage and calls for a recount, which were ignored by the Kereenyaga administration. Thousands of Movement members took to the street, engulfing the cities of Sirontonde, Toposava, Orani, Bepeni, and Njokara. Praetor Keanjaho publicly announced that the Optikhalee did not recognize the result of the election and would refuse to obey the rules and laws of the Federal Commonwealth so long as Kereenyaga was in power. The Knichan Government responded with deploying law enforcement to major cities to crackdown on the protests, many of which were disrupting the lives of everyday citizens. On September 25th, Lt. General Drahoslav Negutesco flew to Njokara, the unofficial headquarters of the Optikhalee, to meet with Keanjaho. Both men discussed how to respond to the election. Negutesco suggested demanding an emergency election by initiating a vote of no confidence within the Knichan legislature. Keanjaho dismissed the possibility, pointing out that the Optikhalee didn't have enough supporters in the National Assembly or the Federal Council to pass such a motion, nor would using democratic means to achieve power reflect well on a movement based around it's strong anti-democratic principal. Negutesco's response was to a suggest a coup d'état, using what military forces were loyal to the Optikhalee to seize power by force. Keanjaho was originally apprehensive, but eventually gave his approval when Negutesco assured him he had support from over half the armed forces.

Negutesco returned to his headquarters in Toposava and began organizing the forces necessary to carry out the coup. To move military forces into Nycero without arousing suspicion, he orchestrated a series of riots by Optikhalee supports within the capital. He would then move in forces loyal to the Optikhlaee under the guise of protecting the administration, and then seize control of the capital once in position. While some local garrison commanders were supportive of the Optikhalee, Minister of Defense Daniel Caramitru was not. Caramitru in fact had begun to suspect Negutesco was a member of the Optikhalee, and when Optikhalee aligned units began moving to the capital on October 4th he himself began gathering military forces that were still loyal to the government.

Attempted Coup

A Loyalist trooper during the initial outbreak of fighting in October 1987.

On the 6th of October the Optikhalee 3rd Anton’s Legionnaires from the 3rd Division arrived in Nycero. To the surprise of the regimental commander, the 8th Federal Guards Regiment were already deployed to the city. Believing the Federal Guards were fellow Optikhalee supporters, the Legionnaires withdrew to the outskirts of the city in a support role. It wasn't until the 7th that Negutesco was informed of the presence of the Federal Guards in the capital. Realizing the Minister of Defense was aware of the Optikhalee plans, Neguteso ordered the coup to be commenced immediately, despite the fact that only the Legionnaires were present. Negutesco's attention was soon diverted elsewhere as he began mobilizing other sympathetic forces, hoping to seize the initiative before the government could react in time.

On the morning of the 9th of October the 3rd Anton's Legionnaires rolled through the streets of Nycero to within 6 blocks of the Federal Square, home of Knichus's legislative and executive branches. They were blocked by the 8th Federal Guards, who demanded the Legionnaires return to their barracks. The lead company of the Legionnaires at first complied, and only after they had withdrawn back three blocks was the order given to open fire. A firefight quickly developed between the two regiments. The dug in and prepared Federal Guards however quickly proved too much for the Legionnaires, who had only chosen a single avenue of advance and soon came under heavy fire from all sides. They quickly withdrew over the Eastern Canal, losing over 150 killed, captured and wounded. That evening the Legionnaires regrouped and attempted another assault on Federal Square, this time attacking from the east, west, and south, but again the Federal Guards were too much, and the Legionnaires were forced to pull back to the outskirts.

Chancellor Kereenyaga had refused to leave the capital even during the most heated engagements between the Guards and Legionnaires, and as soon as the Optihkalee had withdrawn from the city, he appeared on public television to announce the attempted coup, information as which had been slow to leak due to efforts by the Optikhalee to shut down major telecommunication centers in Nycero. The Chancellor's address was a huge blow to the Optikhalee, who were trying to keep details of the coup out of public ears.

Mobilization

Once news that the coup had failed reached Negutesco, he immediately ordered Optikhalee commanders across Knichus to seize control of vital infrastructure, namely power stations, radar arrays, radio stations, and major highways. In addition, the leadership of units still loyal to the government were to be rounded up and arrested. But with news of the coup now public, many loyalist commanders were now aware and the Optikhalee attempt to seize power. The result was violent infighting, often between staffs and small units, breaking out across Knichan military installations. The bloody, often rapid battles that took place in the early days of the war are confusing and difficult to document in detail, but it is estimated that at least 60% of the armed forces joined the Optikhalee, while the rest remained loyal to the government. There was no discernible "front line" during the first few months of war, spheres of control fluctuated rapidly as both sides attempted to establish control of vital zones and areas of operation. Early fighting destroyed much of the combat power of active duty units, resulting in both sides attempting to call up reservists and Auxiliary Forces to assist in the struggle.

Operation Safeguard

Cacertian Prime Minister Tierno during the emergency session of Parliament.

The rapid escalation of the conflict following the failed coup in October was cause for concern in the Kingdom. Knichus was home to a large Cacertian expatriate population and, although they had grown to become their own peoples, the Condettieri also maintained close ethnic and cultural ties to Cacerta; the Unitarian-dominated Parliament was concerned with the possibility of a major refugee crisis. Following the rift of the Knichan military and the intensity of the initial fighting, an emergency session of Parliament was called that would go on to last several days. In late November 1987, Prime Minister Tierno—at the recommendation of Army Commander Alesso Fiorelli—authorized the deployment of the 4th Royal Guard Motor Rifle Brigade to Kapsochakos dubbed Operation Safeguard. Ultranationalists members of the House Assembly called for a larger commitment of Royal Army assets, but were defeated by Unitarians who feared that deploying more troops would be seen by Optikhalee leaders as an indirect act of aggression.

Although Operation Safeguard was designed as a peacekeeping and protection mission, the 4th Royal Guard Motor Rifle Brigade was deployed at full strength, including its complement of armored vehicles. This was done primarily as a result of the split of the Knichan military; Optikhalee forces were in possession of more than half of Knichus’ former military arsenal and were not ill-equipped. The first Cacertian units began arriving by land via Molise on 9 December 1987, arriving at post in Kapsochakos four days later.

Optikhalee Victories

Fighting between divided elements of the same unit had largely died down by December, and by January 1988 there was a clearer picture of where each side stood. However the front lines as they would be called remained extremely fluid. Pockets of Optikhalee support and government loyalists intermixed and bordered one another across urban areas and the countryside, resulting in frequent but often inconclusive skirmishing. Heavy fighting in particular raged in Taravilor, Terrumen, and Nafayetu provinces. The Optikhalee leadership was divided in how to best approach the situation. Negutesco wanted to assemble forces for another drive on Nycero, based on the belief that capturing the capital would bring an end to government resistance. Keanjaho disagreed, stressing the importance of capturing Knichus's major urban areas along the northern coast, which were largely under the control of government forces. Negutesco eventually rescinded his desire to drive on Nycero and began planning for several key offensives to wrestle control of Knichus's coastline from the loyalists.

Taravilor Campaign

Negutesco laid the groundwork for what was in effect a massive sweeping movement across the Knichan coast, in which Optikhalee forces would steadily roll up and overwhelm loyalist forces continually eastward until they had fallen back to the capital. The foundation of the strategic offensive was first laid in Taravilor, where Optikhalee forces had been gathering since November 1987. In March 1988 the Optikhalee fielded a corps sized force south of the Stea River, consisting of several army regiments and several brigades of 'volunteers'; Optikhalee supporters equipped with small arms and some armored vehicles. While not well trained they were well motivated and led; four brigades took part in the first offensive known as Operation Hooper. Hooper's main objectives were to seize control of Orban then move north towards Cisvana. Upon reaching the coast the Optikhalee could then swing east, hugging the coastline towards Giurvana. On March 4th they crossed the Stea River and began moving towards Orban. On the 5th they encountered resistance from the 3rd Baraka's Grenadiers, who halted their advance 20 kilometers outside of Orban. Despite outnumbering the loyalists, the Optihkalee forces rapidly became bogged down due to the terrain, which limited their avenues of advance. It took two days of fighting before the Optikhalee finally overwhelmed the Grenadiers through sheer firepower, reaching Orban on the 9th.

Pivoting north towards Cisvana, the Optikhalee faced the elements of the 9th Commonwealth Militia and the 7th Knichan Guards. Unlike the Grenadiers, the Loyalists did not have the advantage of holding easily defensible terrain, and were forced to commit to open battle on the coastal plains between Cisvana and Orban. The much larger Optikhalee forces surrounded and destroyed both the Militia and the Guards, but not before noting the tenacity of the loyalist troops, who in effect fought to the last man. Many Optikhalee officers, believing that military personnel that remained loyal to the government had done so largely out of self interest, were taken back by how often and willingly Loyalist troops fought to the last man. Despite such heroics, the Loyalists were broken and forced to abandon Cisvana to the Optikhalee.

Originally the Loyalists planned to retreat to Giurvana, but on March 27th, Optikhalee forces crossed the Taravilor highlands, threatining to cut off Giurvana from the rest of Loyalist territory. Facing a potential encirclement, the Loyalists were forced to abandon Taravilor in its entirety and withdraw across the Frontiera River.

Loyalist Counteroffensives

Blunted by their defeat in Taravilor, Loyalist forces rallied under the command of Major General Loretta Di Marzio in early April to reconstitute a defensive posture just west of Bucova on the Frontiera River. Di Marzio recognized the need to prevent further territorial losses to the the Optikhalee. She had under her forces just three regiments, the 10th Federal Guards, the 11th Ahama's Regulars, and the 3rd Zaccaria's Dragoons against four Optikhalee regiments and four brigades. Realizing that she faced an insurmountable numerical disadvantage Di Marzio deduced that holding the Frontiera River was a doomed operation, she pulled her forces back closer to Bucova hoping that she could counterattack in force after the Optikhalee had already crossed the river. By striking as Optikhalee forces were attempting to cross and consolidate their troops, the Loyalists could offset their numerical inferiority. Di Marzio's efforts however were undone by government officials who feared that pulling Loyalist forces away from the Frontiera was implicating a refusal to fight on behalf of the Loyalist side.

As a result Di Marzio was forced to commit the 11th Ahama's Regulars to cover the Frontiera, a task the single regiment was ill-suited for. On April 8th the Optikhalee committed to the border crossing, engaging the Regulars across the expanse of the river's banks. As expected, Di Marzio's forces on the river were unable to surmount their numerical deficiency and were forced to retreat by the 9th. As Optikhalee forces crossed the Frontiera the rest of the Loyalist forces counterattacked, inflicting heavy losses on the Optikhalee but unable to fully halt their advance. After three days of fierce figthing, the Loyalists battered remains were forced to retreat back towards Bucova.

Badly battered Loyalist forces started to coalesce around Bucova following their defeat on the Frontiera River. Di Marzio rallied local forces to her headquarters and by April 15th had reorganized her troops into three regiments, the 10th Federal Guards, the 3rd Zaccaria’s Dragoons, and the 1st Bucova Native Guards. Wary of damaging the interior of the city and turning the local population against the Government, Di Marzio chose to abandon the city and head further east along the coast, aiming to regroup west of Nycero. Just a day after leaving the city however trailing elements of the Dragoons came under fire from pursuing Optikhalee troops under the command of Major General Andrei Vlaicu. Vlaicu’s formation was collectively called IV Corps, and consisted of three army regiments (The 1st and 2nd Milicovi Rifles, and the 15th Tisa Militia along with four ‘Volunteer Brigades’).

Upon this revelation Di Marzio pivoted her forces south, sending the Federal Guards further south while drawing out the bulk of Optikhalee forces with the Dragoons, while her Bucova Native Guards kept moving west. As expected Vlaicu reconstituted his forces to center their drive on the Dragoons, whom appeared to be growing increasingly stretched out along a north-south axis. The Optikhalee assault by IV Corps was aimed precisely at the center of the Dragoons and spearheaded by the 1st and 2nd Milicov Rifles. Once the Optikhalee were committed Di Marzio ordered the Federal Guards to swing around and hit the southern flank of the Optikhalee, while ordering the Native Guards to turn around and hit the northern flank.

Vlaicu had screened his flanks with Volunteer Brigades which proved unable to handle the assault from either regiment, and both quickly began to route. Vlaicu responded by redeploying the 15th Tisa Milita to the south to handle the Federal Guards while he sent in a fresh Volunteer Brigade to bolster his northern flank. Rallying what was left of the Volunteers, the 15th Militia proceeded to break the Federal Guards attack and forced the regiment to break contact and retreat with Optikhalee forces in close pursuit. Meanwhile the Native Guards proved unable to make headway against the two brigades and had to call off the assault. While the Dragoons held their own against the Milicovi Rifles it soon became clear to Di Marzio her plan had failed and she gave the order to withdraw, pulling back further east of Bucova.

Having suffered several key defeats and unable to mount a successful counteroffensive, Loyalist forces began full scale withdrawal from western Knichus, rallying under Lt. General Avilmanjoh near Nycero.

Operation Spyglass

Although the Taravilor Campaign did not directly affect the Cacertian peacekeeping operation in Nuoverri, Cacerta's High Command was both alarmed with how quickly the conflict was expanding and of the the successes of the Optikhalee. Army Commander Fiorelli alongside Air Fleet Commander Helena Calza approached King Doriano on the morning after the Optikhalee took Orban, subverting the Parliament with a request to deploy the Army's 1st SRS Regiment in secret.

During their meeting, Fiorelli and Calza—both aligned with Cacerta's Ultranationalist Party—admitted that a number of SRS squads had already been dispatched and forward deployed to Knichus prior to the 1987 election with a strict intelligence mandate. Both branch commanders believed that, should the Optikhalee succeed, the establishment of an authoritarian one-party state could destabilize politics in eastern Siduri. In documents declassified by Queen Anelyn in 2010, it was noted that both Fiorelli and Calza were reprimanded by the King for acting without the permission of the Parliament. However, he agreed with their assessment as a result of a briefing provided by SISMI chief Attaviano Grimani that had been conducted two days prior.

SRU units of the 1st SRS allegedly began deploying to Knichus on 14 March 1988 via civilian airliners through Bucova, Lweroti, and Floscara.

Initial Clash between the Optikhalee and Cacertian Peacekeepers

Cacertian peacekeepers on patrol in Kapsochakos.

Although the 4th Royal Guard Motor Rifle Brigade was a prestigious and elite mechanized infantry unit of the Royal Army, its commander—Brigadier General Vettorio Dandolo—found it difficult to cover the entirety of the Nuoverri province. Without direct support from the Army’s logistical branch and support groups, the 4th was often relegated to moving throughout the vast distances of Knichus on only its ground vehicles which severely hindered Cacertian response time to areas that required peacekeepers especially in areas that were far away from the 4th’s FOB. Between December 1987 and February 1988, Dandolo sent in nearly two dozen requests for additional support to High Command.

The early months of 1988 saw most of the fighting between the Optikhalee and Government forces concentrated in Taravilor, but occasional skirmishes and battles occurred throughout much of the country including a number of fights in Nuoverri. Units of the 4th relied heavily on their armored fighting vehicles and APCs to intimidate Optikhalee troops away from areas deemed as refugee zones, however it was clear that the Optikhalee did not appreciate foreign troops in the country. There were several incidents involving molotov cocktails and large rocks, but no direct exchanges of gunfire.

On the night 31 March 1988, the Royal Guard’s V Mechanized Company was travelling from the town Canixa to Vittoceno as part of a routine patrol when Optikhalee forces, later identified as under the command of Captain Neculai Bunea, ambushed the Cacertians while they crossed the Mariconda Highlands. The firefight only lasted half an hour before Optikhalee troops disengaged, but resulted in several Cacertian deaths and a number of damaged APCs and trucks. News of the attack would later be used to justify the expansion of Cacerta’s peacekeeping mission into allowing troops on the ground to utilize force if deemed necessary.

There is significant debate over whether or not Optikhalee forces misidentified Cacertian troops for Government forces given the low-light and low-visibility conditions in which the ambush took place.