|
|
| (12 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) |
| Line 7: |
Line 7: |
| | alt = | | | alt = |
| | caption = '''Clockwise from top:''' Tairngiric infantry during the opening offensives; Glasic troops depart from an APC; Kolodorian mechanized infantry; Anglian soldier on a captured Kolodorian tank; Kolodorian heavy artillery in Tír an Crainn | | | caption = '''Clockwise from top:''' Tairngiric infantry during the opening offensives; Glasic troops depart from an APC; Kolodorian mechanized infantry; Anglian soldier on a captured Kolodorian tank; Kolodorian heavy artillery in Tír an Crainn |
| | date = 11 April 1975 - 4 October 1980 | | | date = 11 April 1975 - 4 June 1980 |
| | place = [[Kolodoria]] </br> [[Tír Tairngire]] </br> [[Tír an Crainn]] | | | place = Central Vinya |
| | coordinates = | | | coordinates = |
| | map_type = | | | map_type = |
| Line 20: |
Line 20: |
| | status = | | | status = |
| | combatants_header = | | | combatants_header = |
| | combatant1 = {{flagicon image|Kolodorian_Flag.png|22px}} [[Kolodoria]] </br> {{flagicon image|Yugoslovenski.png|22px}} [[Sebrenskiya]] </br>{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Polvokia.png|22px}} [[Polvokia]] | | | combatant1 = {{flagicon image|Kolodorian_Flag.png|22px}} [[Kolodoria]] </br> {{flagicon image|VyzhvanFlag.png|22px}} [[Vyzhva (Septentrion)|Vyzhva]] |
| | combatant2 = {{flagicon image|TT_Flag.png|22px}} [[Tír Tairngire]] </br> {{flagicon image|TC_Flag.png|22px}} [[Tír an Crainn]] </br> {{flagicon image|TG_Flag.png|22px}} [[Tír Glas]] </br> {{flagicon image|TyranFlag.jpg|22px}} [[New Tyran]] </br> {{flagicon image|TE_Flag.png|22px}} [[Tír Ealga]] </br> {{flagicon image|TF_Flag.png|22px}} [[Tír an Fáill]] </br> {{flagicon image|CF_Flag.png|22px}} [[Crioch Fuinidh]] </br> {{flag|Hallia}} </br> {{flag|Themiclesia}} | | ---- |
| | '''Supported by:'''<br> |
| | * {{flagicon image|Yugoslovenski.png|22px}} [[Sebrenskiya]] |
| | * {{flag|Letnia}} |
| | * {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Polvokia.png|22px}} [[Polvokia]] |
| | * {{flag|Menghe}} |
| | | combatant2 = '''Vinyan Coalition'''<br>{{flagicon image|TT_Flag.png|22px}} Selnoa </br> {{flagicon image|TC_Flag.png|22px}} Crainn </br> {{flagicon image|TG_Flag.png|22px}} [[Tír Glas|Banbha]] </br> {{flagicon image|Fēderæt Fȳrēþel long flag.png|22px}} [[Federated Fire Territories]] </br>{{flagicon image|TyranFlag.jpg|22px}} [[New Tyran|Anglia]] </br> {{flagicon image|TE_Flag.png|22px}} Livonia </br> {{flagicon image|Dayaflag.png|22px}} [[Dayashina]] </br> {{flag|Hallia}} </br> {{flag|Themiclesia}} |
| | combatant3 = | | | combatant3 = |
| | commander1 = {{flagicon image|Kolodorian_Flag.png|22px}} [[Aleksis Kraulis]] </br> {{flagicon image|Kolodorian_Flag.png|22px}} Jazeps Buļs </br> {{flagicon image|Kolodorian_Flag.png|22px}} [[Oktavians Zvinelis]] </br> {{flagicon image|Yugoslovenski.png|22px}} Branislav Župan </br> {{flagicon image|Yugoslovenski.png|22px}} Antonija Grbić </br> {{flagicon image|Yugoslovenski.png|22px}} Isidora Kovačević </br> {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Polvokia.png|22px}} Barda Ulušun | | | commander1 = {{flagicon image|Kolodorian_Flag.png|22px}} [[Aleksis Kraulis]] </br> {{flagicon image|Kolodorian_Flag.png|22px}} Jazeps Buļs </br> {{flagicon image|Kolodorian_Flag.png|22px}} [[Oktavians Zvinelis]] </br> {{flagicon image|Yugoslovenski.png|22px}} Branislav Župan </br> {{flagicon image|Yugoslovenski.png|22px}} Antonija Grbić </br> {{flagicon image|Yugoslovenski.png|22px}} Isidora Kovačević </br> {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Polvokia.png|22px}} Barda Ulušun |
| Line 29: |
Line 35: |
| | units2 = | | | units2 = |
| | units3 = | | | units3 = |
| | strength1 = '''Peak Strength:''' </br> {{flagicon image|FlagKolodoria.png|22px}} 3,500,000 </br> {{flagicon image|Yugoslovenski.png|22px}} 140,000 </br> {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Polvokia.png|22px}} 15,000 | | | strength1 = '''Peak Strength:''' </br> {{flagicon image|Kolodorian_Flag.png|22px}} 3,500,000 </br> {{flagicon image|VyzhvanFlag.png|22px}} 1,000,000 |
| | strength2 = '''Peak Strength:''' </br> {{flagicon image|TT_Flag.png|22px}} 627,591 </br> {{flagicon image|TC_Flag.png|22px}} 488,127 </br> {{flagicon image|TG_Flag.png|22px}} 290,552 </br> {{flagicon image|TyranFlag.jpg|22px}} 50,000 </br> {{flagicon image|TE_Flag.png|22px}} 7,773 </br> {{flagicon image|TF_Flag.png|22px}} 3,731 </br> {{flagicon image|CF_Flag.png|22px}} 2,226 </br> {{flagicon|Hallia}} 200,000 </br>{{flagicon|Themiclesia}} 45,000 | | | strength2 = '''Peak Strength:''' </br> {{flagicon image|TT_Flag.png|22px}} 627,591 </br> {{flagicon image|Fēderæt Fȳrēþel long flag.png|22px}} 500,000 </br> {{flagicon image|TC_Flag.png|22px}} 488,127 </br> {{flagicon image|TG_Flag.png|22px}} 290,552 </br> {{flagicon image|TyranFlag.jpg|22px}} 75,000 </br> {{flagicon image|Dayaflag.png|22px}} 100,000 </br> {{flagicon image|TE_Flag.png|22px}} 7,773 </br> {{flagicon image|TF_Flag.png|22px}} 3,731 </br> {{flagicon image|CF_Flag.png|22px}} 2,226 </br> {{flagicon|Hallia}} 200,000 </br>{{flagicon|Themiclesia}} 45,000 |
| | strength3 = | | | strength3 = |
| | casualties1 = 550,000 killed </br> 1,500,000 wounded | | | casualties1 = 650,000 killed </br> 1,700,000 wounded |
| | casualties2 = 350,000 killed </br> 950,000 wounded | | | casualties2 = 500,000 killed </br> 1,400,000 wounded |
| | casualties3 = | | | casualties3 = |
| | notes = | | | notes = |
| Line 39: |
Line 45: |
| }} | | }} |
|
| |
|
| The '''Vinyan War''' (Kolodorian: ''Vinija Karš'') was a {{wp|war}} between [[Kolodoria]] (with the support of [[Polvokia]] and later [[Sebrenskiya]]) and the [[Anglo-Ivernic Coalition]] composed of [[Tír Glas]], [[Anglia and Lechernt]], and the other Ivernic states. The war began on 11 April 1975 when Kolodoria invaded [[Tír Tairngire]] following decades of border disputes and tension. | | The '''Vinyan War''' (Kolodorian: ''Vinija Karš'', Fyrish: ''Wīnyawig'', Ivernic: ''Cogadh Vinyan'', Hallian: ''Vinyan Sota'') was a conflict fought between the multinational Vinyan Coalition against [[Kolodoria]] and [[Vyzhva (Septentrion)|Vyzhva]]. The war began on 11 April 1975 when Kolodoria invaded Selonia with the intent of capturing the disputed territory of Zavijava, but expanded following Koldoria's continued incursion into the rest of Selonia, triggering intervention from a multitude of foreign powers including Banbha, [[Federated Fire Territories|Fyrland]], [[Dayashina]], [[New Tyran|Anglia]], and the Hallian Commonwealth, which in turn led to the intervention of Vyzhva on the side of Kolodoria. Kolodoria was supported by various states including [[Sebrenskiya]], [[Letnia]], [[Polvokia]], and [[Menghe]]. The fighting ended following the signing of a peace treaty following negotiations in neutral [[Ostland]]. |
|
| |
|
| At the height of the [[Anglian Empire]], the region known as [[Zavijava]] came under Anglian control but was inhabited primarily by ethnic Kolodorians.
| | Zavijava was a historical region of Kolodoria that had been conquered by the Anglian Empire during its colonization of central Vinya. The [[Confederation of Kolodoria]] attempted to unsuccessfully recapture Zavijava during the [[War of Sylvan Succession]]. Following the [[Northern War]] (1940-1944) Kolodoria underwent a communist revolution in 1954, becoming the Socialist Republic under the leadership of Premier [[Aleksis Kraulis]]. Although Kraulis publicly supported the decolonization and independence of the Ivernic states in the post-[[Pan-Septentrion War]] he also lobbied heavily for the return of Zavijava to Kolodorian control from newly independent |
| Tír Tairngire was granted independence in 1968 from the Anglian Empire, but retained control of Zavijava. The establishment of the Socialist Republic of Kolodoria in 1954 and the subsequent growth of Kolodoria as a major power in Vinya led to increased tensions between the two states, in large part due to the nationalist and expansionist desires of Kolodorian dictator [[Aleksis Kraulis]]. Beginning in 1972 Kraulis began lobbying the Tairngiric government for a peaceful transfer of control of Zavijava to Kolodoria. While the Tairngiric government did not completely disavow the idea, suspicions around Kolodoria's communist government and the trustworthiness of Kraulis undermined negotiations, and after dragging on for two years Kolodoria withdrew from the negotiations and began planning an invasion.
| | Selonia while promoting communist activities across Vinya. This drew Kolodoria into a cold War with the [[Federated Fire Territories]] throughout the 1960s and 70s over Eagla and Isperia as both sides backed up communist and anti-communist forces in a bid for ideological influence in central Vinya. The years leading up to the conflict was a steady escalation of violence as Fyrland engaged in hostilities against separatist and communist-aligned forces across central Vinya, while Kolodoria engaged in covert support of socialist groups both through arms and financial backing, with the latter especially common in the democratic states of Ivernic Vinya. |
|
| |
|
| Kolodoria invaded Tír Tairngire in 1975 and made rapid progress as the much larger [[Kolodorian People's Defense Forces]] routed the [[Tairngiric Armed Forces]] in a series of clashes in Zavijava. The invasion prompted condemnation by Tír Glas, Anglia and Lechernt, and the other Ivernic states, whom declared war on Kolodoria and deployed their armed forces. By May Kolodorian forces had seized nearly all of Zavijava, however their rapid success led Kraulis to believe that even more territory could be gained and he ordered the KPDF to push even farther south. Through the summer Kolodorian forces seized [[Ballindine]] and [[Lahardane]], but were halted by a combined [[Anglo-Ivernic]] forces outside [[Knightstown]] and [[Newtown]]. The Anglo-Ivernic Coalition would then push Kolodorian forces back across the entire front, and by December 1975 had restored the pre-war borders. | | By 1974 the Selonian government had largely shut down negotiations with Kolodoria over the return of Zavijava, prompting Kolodoria to begin preparing to take the region by force. On 11 April 1975 the Kolodorian military (officially the [[Kolodorian People's Defense Forces]]) invaded Zavijava, formally starting the war. Kolodoria seized Zavijava in two weeks against outnumbered Selonian defenders, but the rapid success led Kraulis to order the KPDF to seize as much of Selonia as possible. Following the Kolodorian invasion, communist revolutionary forces in Isperia launched their own uprising, seizing control of northern Isperia and establishing the People's Republic of Isperia. The expanded invasion prompted intervention by Banbha and the Ivernic states, followed by Fyrland who joined over concerns of communist expansion following the Isperian revolution. The anti-Kolodorian coalition, later officially titled as the Vinyan Coalition, was later joined by Anglia, Dayashina, the Hallian Commonwealth, and [[Themiclesia]]. Kolodoria received material and political support from [[Letnia]] and [[Sebrenskiya]], and from its ideological kin in [[Menghe]] and [[Polvokia]] |
|
| |
|
| Believing it necessary to destroy further Kolodorian ability to wage war, the Coalition then invaded the southern Jedorian regions which held much of Kolodoria's industry and agriculture. By July 1976 the Coalition had captured Dranga, Elgin, Strana Mecthy and Leoben and were threatening to cross the [[Luminovian Canal]] the heart of Kolodoria. In response, Kolodoria opened a second front in [[Tír an Crainn]], invading the Ivernic nation on 19 July. Caught off guard, the Coalition was forced to divert much needed manpower and supplies to the newly formed [[Crainnic Front]], allowing the Kolodorians to reinforce their lines in the east. In August they launched a major counter-offensive in Jedoria, and proceeded to drive Coalition forces south in a series of hard fought campaigns. By January 1977 the Kolodorians had recaptured Zavijava but were halted in the central highlands of Tír Tairngire. The situation on the Crainnic Front continued to swing back and forth until the summer of 1978, at which point the entire war settled into a stalemate, with both sides launching large scale but ultimately unsuccessful offensives.
| | Within three months of the start of the war Coalition forces began massing in Selonia and halted the Kolodorian invasion. By the winter of 1975 the Kolodorian offensive had collapsed and was followed by a Coalition buildup and counter-offensive into Isperia. By Fall 1976 the Coalition had driven communist forces in Isperia back while halting Kolodorian offensive operations into Selonia. Facing failure on both fronts, Kolodoria began mass mobilization of its populace, raising over two million men in uniform amid large scale delivery of supplies and military hardware from Letnia. Over the winter of 1976-1977 Vyzhva mobilized its armed forces and made preparations to join the war to prevent a potential Kolodorian collapse. An especially harsh winter largely halted combat operations over the front, amid growing logistical demands on behalf of the Coalition forces. In the spring of 1977 Kolodoria and Vyzhva launched a series of offensives, invading Juverna, Arasindey, and Fáill. Vyzhvan forces conquered Juverna and crossed into Fáill while reinforcing Isperian communist forces by Autumn 1977 communist forces had driven the Coalition back across the Isperian and Selonian fronts. Following these developments the Banbhan government invoked support from Dayashina, the Hallian Commonwealth, and Themiclesia. |
|
| |
|
| Ceasefire negotiations began in late 1978 but dragged on for over a year as both sides attempted to leverage their position by military success on the battlefield, which resulted in tens of thousands of casualties on each side. By early 1980 Coalition forces had driven the Kolodorians back to the northern mountains of Tír an Crainn, but attempts to dislodge Kolodoria from Zavijava failed. A peace agreement was finally signed in 1980 following mediation by [[Themiclesia]], and the war officially ended on 4 October. Per the terms of the armistice, Kolodoria gained control of Zavijava, fulfilling the original goal of the invasion but was forced to withdraw all other military forces from territory occupied during the war.
| | By the winter of 1977-1978 the war had effectively divided into three fronts; the mechanized Selonian front, the littoral central front, and the mountainous Crainnic front. Following the [[Sieuxerr-Tyrannian Conflict of 1978]], which brought about the withdrawal from Anglia from the conflict, Kolodoria attempted a major offensive on the Selonian front which was met with heavy losses. Despite the departure of Anglian forces, the Coalition launched its own counter-offensive which pushed back exhausted Kolodorian forces into Kolodoria itself by winter 1978. By spring 1979 however extended supply lines and renewed Kolodorian forces pushed back the Coalition invasion, resulting in the capture of Zavijava again by Kolodoria in the summer of 1979. Compared to the Selonian front, the Crainnic front had largely seen steady Coalition gains between 1978-1979. In the winter of 1979-1980 Coalition forces in the central front launched a major offensive across the Sodor Firth into Juverna, entrapping Vyzvhan forces in the Targan exclave. |
|
| |
|
| The bloodiest war fought in Vinya since the [[Northern War]], the Vinyan War had a severe political and psychological impact on Vinya and the states involved. Kolodoria's war effort incurred billions in debt, but convinced Kraulis of Kolodoria's ability to take what it wanted through military force, leading to later conflicts against [[Vyzhva (Septentrion)|Vyzhva]] and the [[Cherniyan War]]. The Vinyan War would profoundly impact the development of the Vinyan Defense Union and the development of the Ivernic nations post-independence. | | Negotiations to end the conflict had begun after the nuclear crisis of 1978 but did not gain traction until the winter of 1979-1980 as the strategic considerations for both sides emerged. The growing threat of a Vyzhvan collapse on the communist side, and the daunting task of retaking Zavijava once more from Kolodoria for the Coalition, provided an impetus for negotiations that were carried out in neutral Ostland. The ensuing treaty was signed on 1 June 1980 and went into affect on 4 June; Kolodoria retained control of Zavijava and Vyzhva retained the exclave of Targan in exchange for the dissolution of the People's Republic of Isperia. The Vinyan War was the deadliest conflict in [[Septentrion]] since the Pan-Septentrion War; military casualties amounted to more than one million killed and more than three million wounded, while an estimated 3.5-4.5 million civilians were killed and wounded. Both sides claimed victory following the conflict, though active dispute remains among academic circles regarding the true winners of the war. Modern historians generally believe that the Vinyan War was the last major victory for international communism; relations between Vyzhva and Kolodoria declined less than a decade after the Vinyan War ended, leading to the [[Kolodorian-Vyzhvan War]] breaking out in 1985. Despite residual tensions between the member states of the Coalition, the conflict is generally considered to have been an inspiration for the development of a pan-Vinyan economic and political community. The effects of the war on its belligerents and their cultures is widespread, with more than a thousand published works in both fiction and non-fiction media pertaining to the conflict. |
|
| |
|
| ==Background==
| | [[Category:Septentrion]] |
| | |
| The territory of Zavijava had been conquered by the [[Anglian Empire]] during it's colonization of Vinya, despite being populated primarily by ethnic Kolodorians. Kolodoria, a mess of various kingdoms and states, were powerless to prevent Anglian conquests, a fact that did not change when the [[Confederation of Kolodoria]] was founded in the 19th century. Kolodorian efforts to regain Zavijava were primarily diplomatic in nature, as Kolodorian leadership did not believe a military solution was feasible against the power of the Anglia. Kolodorian focus on Zavijava was suspended in the middle of the 20th century due to the threat of the [[Letnia|Letnian Empire]], which culminated in the [[Northern War]]. Following Kolodoria's defeat in 1944 the cost of the war, combined with numerous domestic issues such as rampant income inequality and aristocratic corruption, drove Kolodoria into internal unrest, which paved the way for the communist led [[Kolodorian Revolution]] in 1954. The Socialist Republic of Kolodoria was established that same year, led by General Secretary of the Kolodorian Communist Party [[Aleksis Kraulis]] who served as Kolodoria's de facto dictator.
| |
| | |
| Following the [[Pan-Septentrion War]], [[Anglia and Lechernt]] began dissolving it's overseas territory during a prolonged period of decolonization. The Ivernic nations (with the exception of [[Tír Glas]], which was granted independence in 1902) began gaining their independence in the 1960s. Tír Tairngire was granted independence in 1968, while retaining control of Zavijava. Originally General Secretary Kraulis was openly supportive of Ivernic decolonization and personally toured the Ivernic states in the late Sixties while calling for greater "Pan-Vinyan Cooperation and Prosperity". On the surface relations between the Ivernic countries and Kolodoria remained cordial, but internally many of the Ivernic governments questioned the sincerity of Kolodorian efforts. Attempts by Kraulis to create a "Vinyan Community" largely fell flat once it became clear that Kolodoria intended to dominate Vinyan affairs, while spreading its communist ideology throughout the continent.
| |
| | |
| Beginning in 1972 Kraulis began lobbying the government of Tír Tairngire for discussion of the state of Zavijava, which had remained populated largely by Kolodorians despite centuries of Anglian control. The Tairngiric Prime Minister Covey Keefe was not entirely opposed to the idea of ceding Zavijava to Kolodoria and agreed to meet with Kraulis regarding the issue, but negotiations failed to solve the issue. Undercutting talks was Tairngiric concerns about Kolodorian intentions and trustworthiness, which Kraulis failed to ease with his often bellicose stance and speeches regarding Kolodoria's intentions to spread communism throughout the world. By 1973 Keefe and Kraulis had failed to reach a settlement, and Kolodoria broke off the negotiations. In a meeting with his chief of staff in September 1973 Kraulis outlined his desire to take Zavijava by force. Many senior members of the [[Kolodorian People's Defense Forces]] were unenthusiastic about the idea; their chief concern was that other Ivernic states, along with Anglia itself, would object and possible retaliate against Kolodoria. But Marshal Jazeps Buļs, chief of staff of the KPDF, believed that a rapid invasion could seize Zavijava before any major foreign forces arrived, at which point they could be persuaded to back down in order to avoid a prolonged conflict.
| |
| | |
| The sudden end to Kolodorian diplomatic efforts concerned Tír Tairngire, but after a year of inaction many assumed that Kolodorian interests had been focused elsewhere. Between 1973 and 1975 Kolodoria took advantage of the growing crisis in [[Tír Ealga]] to steadily build up and expand the KPDF in preparation for the invasion.
| |
| | |
| ==Course of the war==
| |
| | |
| ===Buildup and invasion===
| |
| | |
| Since its inception in 1954 the KPDF had been extensively developed and expanded with assistance from [[Letnia]], despite the ideological differences between the two. By 1974 the KPDF numbered well over two million men in uniform. Extensive preparation for the invasion began in 1974 and were concealed as "national emergency exercises". The KPDF took advantage of the concurrent turmoil in southern Vinya to covertly train and field an invasion force larger than the entire Tairngiric Armed Forces. While the KPDF was armed primarily with Letnian-influenced weaponry and equipment, the TAF was equipped mostly with surplus from the [[Anglian Armed Forces]]. The Kolodorian name for the invasion was [[Operation Viper]] a their forces were led by Lt. General Noldis Brunkevičs. Brunkevičs had at his disposal four corps (11th, 15th, 20th, 29th) formed into the Second Army Group, for a total of 200,000 men, 1,500 tanks, 2,000 artillery pieces, and 150 combat aircraft. The TAF numbered just 110,000 men in total, and on the even of the invasion only three light infantry battalions were stationed near the border. Most of the Tairngiric Armed Forces were only put on alert a few days before the invasion, and the Army lacked heavy weaponry.
| |
| | |
| ===Kolodorian invasion===
| |
| | |
| The KPDF began its invasion in the early morning of 11 April 1975, using artillery and aircraft to target border outposts and checkpoints that had been identified by Kolodorian intelligence in the preceding months before the invasion. In 1975 the border between Kolodoria and Tír Tairngire was defined by geographic features, namely the Azuolus, Rudzitis, and Arins Rivers, and the Visvaris Mountain Range. Within 24 hours of the invasion the Kolodorians had seized every major bridge crossing the Rudcitis and Azuolus, and within 48 hours two entire Corps had crossed the rivers and were pushing deeper into Zavijava. Initial resistance by the TAF was limited and light, largely conducted by disorganized border guards and local reserve units that lacked the numbers or firepower to halt the Kolodorian advance. Haldana was captured by the KPDF on 14 April, as the city had been left largely undefended by the TAF. Kolodorian airstrikes continuously harassed the TAF as it attempted to mobilize and respond to the invasion. By 20 April the first Kolodorian advance guard had reached the foothills of the central highland of Tír Tairngire. With the aid of terrain and freshly mobilized reserves the TAG was finally able to put up credible resistance, but severely outnumbered and still short of heavy weapons including artillery and tanks they failed to halt the advance. On 24 April the Kolodorians broke through Tairngiric defenses around the Red Friar Hills, effectively leaving them in control of all of Zavijava.
| |
| | |
| Within 48 hours of the invasion, the governments of the Ivernic states as well as Anglia and Lechernt had condemned Kolodoria and demanded an immediate withdrawal of all Kolodorian forces behind the pre-war border. Once it became clear that Salhar would not oblige, both declared war on Kolodoria and made plans to dispatch military forces to aid in the defense of Tír Tairngire. At the time of the response it was uncertain whether Kolodoria intended to invade just Zavijava or all of Tír Tairngire, but regardless hundreds of thousands of Ivernic and Anglian troops were mobilized and prepared to be transported to Tír Tairngire, although due to the sudden nature of the conflict it would be weeks before significant numbers arrived.
| |
| | |
| [[File:Kolotankinvasion.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Kolodorian armor of the 13th Tank Division during [[Operation Viper]].]]
| |
| | |
| On 25 April Lt. General Brunkevičs contacted Salhar to inform the KPDF Headquarters that all of Zavjiava was under Kolodorian control. According to the original text of Operation Viper, once offensive operations had been concluded the Second Army Group was to dig in and prepare to repel counterattacks by Tairngiric and other enemy forces. But on 26 April KPDF Headquarters informed Brunkevičs that he was to continue his advance and seize as much territory as possible. This apparently stunned Brunkevičs, whom had already ordered his troops to begin digging defensive positions. Brunkevičs made clear his concerns in a message to General Headquarters later that day, outlining that he neither had the supplies nor manpower to continue a drive south; by this point it was clear that thousands of Glasic, Ivernic, and Anglian troops were en route to Tír Tairngire. Brunkevičs's concerns were overridden and he was ordered to continue south and seize as much territory as possible.
| |
| | |
| On 27 April Second Army Group continued it's advance south outside of Zavijava, with the 11th and 15th Corps heading west towards Ballindine and Newtown while the 20th and 29th Corpss moved east towards Lahardane and Knightstown on the border with Norsatir. Having had some time to mobilize now, the Tairngiric Armed Forces began to resist in greater numbers. On 2 May the 25th Guards Mechanized Infantry Division siezed Ballindine, and two days later the 14th Guards Infantry Division captured Lahardane after some resistance by the Tairngiric 8th Cavalry Regiment.
| |
| | |
| ===Foreign Intervention===
| |
| | |
| Since the independence of Tír Tairngire and the other Ivernic states, [[Tír Glas]] had strongly pushed for a pan-Ivernic coalition built around economic integration and mutual defense. Within 24 hours the Glasic Government had been informed by Tairngiric Prime Minister William Berrington of the invasion. King Henry II, the head of state for all Ivernic nations, immediately requested that the Glasic government authorize the deployment of military forces to assist Tír Tairngire against the Kolodorian invasion. At 11:35 a.m local time on 12 April the government of Tír Glas officially declared a state of war existed between itself and the Socialist Republic of Kolodoria. Subsequent and additional declarations of war were made by [[Tír Ealga]], [[Tír an Fáill]], and [[Crioch Fuinidh]]. [[Tír an Crainn]] also declared war, but only after Prime Minister Thomas Kilbride had been offered assurance that Tír an Crainn would be defened against Kolodorian invasion (Tír an Crainn being the only other Ivernic nation that bordered [[Kolodoria]]). Within hours of the declaration, tens of thousands of Ivernic troops were being mobilized and prepared for deployment to Tír Tairngire.
| |
| | |
| Additional support came from traditional allies of the Ivernic nations and geopolitical associates. Within 72 hours of the invasion the Anglian government of [[Andrew Forster]] announced it would support the defense of Tír Tairngire. Additional support came from the [[Hallian Commonwealth]] and [[Themiclesia]], both of whom contributed military forces and supplies. In time the coalition against Kolodoria would come to be known as the [[Vinyan Multinational Force]]. At their peak, the VMF constituted nearly 2 million men under arms from a dozen nations.
| |
| | |
| ===Fighting in Tír Tairngire (May-December 1975)===
| |
| | |
| The expansion of Kolodorian efforts beyond the original goals of [[Operation Viper]] strained Kolodorian logistics and resources, slowing down their rate of advance significantly. Second Army Group's drive southward slowed ot just a few dozen kilometers a day, dropping even further as increasing numbers of Tairngiric reserves and Ivernic reinforcements took the field. The first engagement between the [[Glasic Army]] and the [[Kolodorian Ground Forces]] (KGF) ocurred at [[Pontheugh]] on 10 May when lead elements of the Senior Brigade of the 2nd Airborne Division engaged the advance guard of the Kolodorian 19th Mechanized Infantry Division. After a five hour battle the Glasic airborne troops broke contact and withdrew, ceding Pontheugh to the Kolodorians. The Kolodorian advance continued elsewhere at a mixed pace as increasingly stiff resistance by Tairngiric reserves and allied forces began to halt, and in some cases reverse, the Kolodorian invasion.
| |
| | |
| By June the KGF had followed the Azuolas River south and were nearing Newtown. Capture of Newtown would put Kolodorian forces in striking distance of Oldcastle and Tír an Fáill. The Kolodorian advance was being led by the 11th Corps, moving towards Newtown from directly north while it's flanks were being screened by the 15th Corps all the way to the Central Highlands. [[Marcus Hefferman]], overall commander of the VMF, ordered the First Tairngiric Guards Army to form a defensive line across the Drograry Hills directly north-east of Newtown. Alerted to the VMF deployment by aerial recconnasaince, Lt. General Brunkevičs ordered the 15th Corps to attack the positions of the 1st Guards Army and hold them in place while the 11th Corps seized Newtown itself. Serious fighting broke out around 5 June between Tairnigiric I Corps and the Kolodorian 15th Corps, lasting until 16 June. Defense of Newtown itself fell largely to the Tarngiric 7th Cavalry Regiment and the Glasic III Corps. In two weeks of intense combat the combined Ivernic forces succesfully stonewalled the Kolodorian advance, in the process heavily mauling the 12th Mechanized Infantry Division and the 60th Infantry Division. On 18 June the Glasic 1st Armored Division succesfully broke through Kolodorian lines at the corps boundary between 11th and 15th Corps, managing to inflict heavy damage before being eventually forced back by the 440th Guards Separate Tank Regiment.
| |
| | |
| In the east the 20th and 29th Corps continued their drive towards Knightstown near the border with Norsatir, crossing the Halirona River on 6 May. Both Corps kept west of the Coastal Highlands in order to shield themselves from the growing naval forces assembled off the coast of Tír Tairngire. The approach of Kolodorian troops towards Norstair provoked strong language from the neutral {{wpl|Autism|Fyrland}}, although [[Aleksis Kraulis]] publicly declared that Kolodoria had not interest in the small state, it did little to alleviate Fyrish concerns. A major mechanized battle between the 20th and 29th Corps against the First Tairngiric Reserve Army broke out in the Hilledian Fields north of Knightstown. In what was at the time the largest engagement of tanks since the [[Pan-Septentrion War]], the Anglian 1st Armored Division and the Glasic 3rd Armored Division clashed against the Kolodorian 6th Guards Tank Division and 319th Guards Separate Tank Regiment. In the ensuing battle, 53 Glasic and Anglian tanks were destroyed or heavily damanged in exchange for 89 Kolodorian tanks put out of comission. The armored engagement succesfully blunted the advance of the 20th Corps 75 kilometers north of Knightstown, while further west near the Central Highlands the 29th Corps was blocked by the II Tainrgiric Corps.
| |
| | |
| [[File:VMFOffensive1975.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Tairngiric troops in defensive positions.]]
| |
| | |
| In light of heavy losses suffered by the Second Army Group and it's failures to capture either Newtown or Knightstown, Lt. General Brunkevičs ordered Kolodorian forces to halt and dig in on 26 June. Despite its defeat the Second Army Group still posessed significant combat power, and thus the VMF was unwilling to go on the offensive immediately afterwards. General Hefferman wished to wait until he had built up a sufficiently large enough force to drive the Kolodoroians all the way back to the pre-war border. For two months there was relatively little action on the front line. Kolodorian efforts to resupply their forces in Tír Tairngire were severly hampered by VMF air power and naval strikes. In between this standstill were several naval engagements between the Kolodorian Navy and the combined naval forces of the VMF, the most significant being the clash between the Kolodorian 1st Fleet and the Glasic 1. Carrier Squadron, which resulted in the sinking of three Kolodorian vessels and major damage to the Fleet Carrier LC Clíodhna courtesy of Kolodorian naval aviation.
| |
| | |
| By September Hefferman wielded an international force of nearly 300,000 troops, including Glasic, Tairngiric, Crainnic, Anglian, and Hallian personnel. By September Second Army Group had been reduced to just 170,000 men and was under continuous attack by VMF air power, and morale had plumetted. Hefferman envisioned a major pincer movement to repel the Kolodorian invasion; the First Tairngiric Guards Army, supported by the Glasic III Corps and Anglian 1st Armored Division would roll back the 11th and 15th Corps in the west, while the First Tairngiric Reserve Army and the Glasic XIV Corps, supported by the Anglian 1st Armored Division, would push against the 20th and 29th Corps in the east. Hefferman set the offensive to begin on 7 September but delayed it to 14 September due to poor weather, in order to maximize the VMF's advantage in air power. On 14 September the VMF launched its assault, and by 18 September had forced the KGF into retreat in both east and west. Aware of the imbalance of the forces was in favor of the VMF, Brunkevičs attempted to conduct a fighting retreat to conserve as much of Second Army Group as possible, but this made difficult by the poor state of his forces and the enemy's control of the skies.
| |
| | |
| Kolodorian efforts to block the advance of the VMF proved costly and ultimately unsuccesful. On 21 September the First Tairngiric Guards Army succesfully overran and destroyed the Kolodorian 18th Guards Infantry Division, and a week later the Glasic III Corps defeated a counter-attack lauched by what was left of the 13th Tank Division and the 406th Separate Mechanized Infantry Regiment. In the east the KGF had a little bit more success; the 319th Guards Separate Tank Regiment succesfully delayed the First Tairngiric Reserve Army between 23-26 September until it was ultimately destroyed. By early October Second Army Group had been forced back into a rough defensive line centered around Zavijava and Halirona River. On 6 October Brunkevičs was contacted by KPDF Headquarters in Salhar and instruted to hold Zavijava at all costs; further mobilization efforts were ongoing in Kolodoria but would take time before they were completed. On 13 October Ballindine was liberated by the Tainrgiric 6th Homeland Division. Despite efforts to hold the Halirona River the VMF was able to cross it in several areas on 17 October, forcing a hasty evacuation of Kolodorian forces from Lahardane to avoid being cut off from the rest of Second Army Group. Fierce resistance by the 128th Guards Separate Infantry Regiment allowed this to happen, at the cost of virtually the entire regiment killed, captured, or wounded between 18-22 October.
| |
| | |
| Between 21-23 October the Glasic 4th Mountain Division crossed through the Central Highlands and surprised the Kolodorian defenders in Zavijava, who were not expecting a central assault through the mountains, whom the heavily mechanized Kolodorians considered largely impassable. A fierce stormfront rolled in throughout late October and early November, granted the Kolodorians some reprieve from VMF airpower while slowing down the tempo of operations for both sides. Amid heavy snowfall through November and December the Kolodorians were steadily pushed back out of Zavijava, and on 20 December the pre-war boundaries were restored. Hefferman's pincer movement had succeeded in driving Second Army Group of entirely of Tír Tairngire, while inflicting nearly 40,000 casualties on the KGF. In many of the coalition countries, celebrations were held under the assumption that Salhar would soon be forced to negotiate a ceasefire and an end to the conflict.
| |
| | |
| ===VMF Offensive into Kolodoria===
| |
| | |
| Hopes fora negotiated ceasefire however soon faded once it became clear that [[Aleksis Kraulis]] was in no mood to negotiate. Anglian intelligence also identified additional mechanized and armored forces being mobilized and prepared in northern Kolodoria. It soon became clear to the leadership of coalition governments that the Kolodorians would resume the war, and possibly launch a second invasion, once they had prepared sufficient forces for the task. In face of these developments, Hefferman proposed invading Kolodoria itself. Reservations were held by several involved parties, including [[Themiclesia]] and [[Hallia]], whom feared that invading Kolodoria proper would be seen poorly internationally, especially with other Communist states. It was ultimately agreed to launch a limited drive into southern Kolodoria, where much of the Socialist Republic's agriculture and heavy industry was located. The threat of capture of these resources, in addition to several major urban centers, was assumed to be enough to force Kolodoria to come to the negotiating table.
| |
| | |
| The decision to invade Kolodoria was controversial; [[Themiclesia]] refused to authorize the use of its forces for the invasion, though it agreed to keep them in theater to assist in Tír Tairngire. [[Sebrenskiya]] publicly warned the VMF against invading Kolodoria and threatened to deploy its forces to support the communists. Kolodorian leadership, despite clear indications by the VMF insisting they planned only a limited offensive, believed they were facing an anti-communist crusade meant to capture Salhar itself. Hastily an additional nine divisions were mobilized and deployed to support Second Army Group, but these were recently raised reserve units lacking training and experience. Much of Second Army Group's heavy equipment and weaponry had been lost in Zavijava, and VMF airpower was still unbeaten. Hefferman had wanted to begin the offensive in Feburary, but an unexpectedly bitter winter, combined with heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures, forced the VMF to delay the invasion until March.
| |
| | |
| [[File:VMFRiverCrossing.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Glasic forces crossing the Rudzitis River]]
| |
| | |
| After weeks of buildup the VMF finally invaded on 2 March, 1976. The Kolodorians, aware that the VMF would have to cross the Azuolus, Rudzitis, and Arins Rivers, had deployed much of their forces close by to directly prevent river crossings. However their close proximity made them vulnerable to VMF artillery and airpower, which devestated many front line units and allowed for multiple crossings and brigdes to be constructed within the first few days. For most of March fighting revolved around controlling the rivers that served as the border of Kolodoria. Repeated counter-attacks by Second Army Group succeeded in eliminating some of the bridgeheads, but in the face of overwhelming VMF airpower and artillery the Kolodorians were eventually forced to withdraw further north, ceding control of the border to VMF forces.
| |
| | |
| Having lost control of the major rivers, Kolodoria forces were subsequently pushed back on all fronts by renewed VMF advances. Throughout March Kolodorian forces attempted to stymie the VMF advance by orming defensive lines along the Railands River Valley, Sakele Ridge, and the Aloyzas Passage. Kolodorian efforts were undermined by VMF airborne and light infantry forces; on 17 March elements of the Glasic 4th Mountain Division, along with Anglian and Tairngiric airborne elements crossed through Mount Visvaris to break into the rear echelon of the 20th Corps, rupturing Kolodorian defenses in the Aloyzas passage, forcing the withdraw of the 20th Corps back into the Radstadt Corridor. Things continued to go poorly for the Kolodorians; on 20 March what remained of the 15th Corps was surrounded in Dragna, hemmed in by the Third Glasic Guards Army. Further west the 11th Corps was able to make better of its situation, thanks largely to the flat expanse of the Katolaunian Fields which allowed the heavily mechanized Kolodorian Corps to avoid pitched battles with the First Tairngiric Guards Army. In the west the 29th Corps was forced to abandon it's positons between Mount Visvaris and the Bay of Tukayyid following the retreat of the 20th Corps; by 2 April the entire corps would be forced to retreat along the South Tukayyid River to avoid being trapped by the First Tairngiric Reserve Army.
| |
| | |
| By mid-April Kolodoria's strategic position appeared near collapse. The 15th Corps was able to break out of encirclement in Dragna and cross the Railands River into the Satalice Plains, but at the cost of its heavy equipment and armor. With Second Army Group severely depleted and VMF forces nearing the industrial heartlands of Rasalhauge and Bessarabia it seemed a strategic defeat was on the horizon. However VMF concerns were now pletny; by March Glasic intelligence had detected a major buildup of an estimated 8 divisions north of the Luminovian Canal. Hallian intelligence had also confirmed the transfer of at least three Sebrenskiyan divisions through Letnia, intended to aid Kolodoria in repulsing VMF forces. Growing concern over Kolodorian intentions led Hefferman to slow down the VMF advance, in part to avoid his forces from getting spread too thinly. Although he would later face criticism for his failure to press the invasion while Kolodoria was still on the backfoot, Hefferman defended his actions by pointing out that intelligence on Kolodorian troop movements was becoming increasingly scattered; significant improvements to Kolodorian air defense tactics made aerial reconnasaince spotty, and satellite photography had thus far proved unreliable.
| |
| | |
| Between May and June the fighting slowed down as VMF forces continued to push into southern Kolodoria, remaining cautious about possible Kolodorian counter-strokes. By June the 20th Corps had been pushed back into the Ceslovas Fields, while the 29th Corps had been forced to the Tukayyid River, essentially abandoning the peninsula to the VMF. What remained of the 15th Corps had been pushed up near the Reutas Bay, and only the 11th Corps largely holding position in its defensive line along hte Vastargyis Hills through the Jomantas Highlands.
| |
| | |
| ==Characteristics==
| |
| | |
| ==Impact and Legacy==
| |
| Vinyan War |
|---|
Clockwise from top: Tairngiric infantry during the opening offensives; Glasic troops depart from an APC; Kolodorian mechanized infantry; Anglian soldier on a captured Kolodorian tank; Kolodorian heavy artillery in Tír an Crainn |
| Date | 11 April 1975 - 4 June 1980 |
|---|
| Location | Central Vinya |
|---|
| Result |
Peace Treaty
Kolodoria annexes Zavijava |
|---|
|
| Belligerents |
|---|
|
 Kolodoria
 Vyzhva
Supported by:
|
Vinyan Coalition
 Selnoa
 Crainn
 Banbha
 Federated Fire Territories
 Anglia
 Livonia
 Dayashina
 Hallia
 Themiclesia |
| Commanders and leaders |
|---|
Aleksis Kraulis
Jazeps Buļs
Oktavians Zvinelis
 Branislav Župan
Antonija Grbić
Isidora Kovačević
 Barda Ulušun |
Andrew Forster
Robert Hurst
King Henry II
William Berrington
Thomas Kilbride
Marcus Heffernan |
| Strength |
|---|
Peak Strength:
3,500,000
1,000,000 |
Peak Strength:
627,591
500,000
488,127
290,552
75,000
100,000
7,773
 3,731
 2,226
200,000
45,000 |
| Casualties and losses |
|---|
650,000 killed
1,700,000 wounded |
500,000 killed
1,400,000 wounded |
The Vinyan War (Kolodorian: Vinija Karš, Fyrish: Wīnyawig, Ivernic: Cogadh Vinyan, Hallian: Vinyan Sota) was a conflict fought between the multinational Vinyan Coalition against Kolodoria and Vyzhva. The war began on 11 April 1975 when Kolodoria invaded Selonia with the intent of capturing the disputed territory of Zavijava, but expanded following Koldoria's continued incursion into the rest of Selonia, triggering intervention from a multitude of foreign powers including Banbha, Fyrland, Dayashina, Anglia, and the Hallian Commonwealth, which in turn led to the intervention of Vyzhva on the side of Kolodoria. Kolodoria was supported by various states including Sebrenskiya, Letnia, Polvokia, and Menghe. The fighting ended following the signing of a peace treaty following negotiations in neutral Ostland.
Zavijava was a historical region of Kolodoria that had been conquered by the Anglian Empire during its colonization of central Vinya. The Confederation of Kolodoria attempted to unsuccessfully recapture Zavijava during the War of Sylvan Succession. Following the Northern War (1940-1944) Kolodoria underwent a communist revolution in 1954, becoming the Socialist Republic under the leadership of Premier Aleksis Kraulis. Although Kraulis publicly supported the decolonization and independence of the Ivernic states in the post-Pan-Septentrion War he also lobbied heavily for the return of Zavijava to Kolodorian control from newly independent
Selonia while promoting communist activities across Vinya. This drew Kolodoria into a cold War with the Federated Fire Territories throughout the 1960s and 70s over Eagla and Isperia as both sides backed up communist and anti-communist forces in a bid for ideological influence in central Vinya. The years leading up to the conflict was a steady escalation of violence as Fyrland engaged in hostilities against separatist and communist-aligned forces across central Vinya, while Kolodoria engaged in covert support of socialist groups both through arms and financial backing, with the latter especially common in the democratic states of Ivernic Vinya.
By 1974 the Selonian government had largely shut down negotiations with Kolodoria over the return of Zavijava, prompting Kolodoria to begin preparing to take the region by force. On 11 April 1975 the Kolodorian military (officially the Kolodorian People's Defense Forces) invaded Zavijava, formally starting the war. Kolodoria seized Zavijava in two weeks against outnumbered Selonian defenders, but the rapid success led Kraulis to order the KPDF to seize as much of Selonia as possible. Following the Kolodorian invasion, communist revolutionary forces in Isperia launched their own uprising, seizing control of northern Isperia and establishing the People's Republic of Isperia. The expanded invasion prompted intervention by Banbha and the Ivernic states, followed by Fyrland who joined over concerns of communist expansion following the Isperian revolution. The anti-Kolodorian coalition, later officially titled as the Vinyan Coalition, was later joined by Anglia, Dayashina, the Hallian Commonwealth, and Themiclesia. Kolodoria received material and political support from Letnia and Sebrenskiya, and from its ideological kin in Menghe and Polvokia
Within three months of the start of the war Coalition forces began massing in Selonia and halted the Kolodorian invasion. By the winter of 1975 the Kolodorian offensive had collapsed and was followed by a Coalition buildup and counter-offensive into Isperia. By Fall 1976 the Coalition had driven communist forces in Isperia back while halting Kolodorian offensive operations into Selonia. Facing failure on both fronts, Kolodoria began mass mobilization of its populace, raising over two million men in uniform amid large scale delivery of supplies and military hardware from Letnia. Over the winter of 1976-1977 Vyzhva mobilized its armed forces and made preparations to join the war to prevent a potential Kolodorian collapse. An especially harsh winter largely halted combat operations over the front, amid growing logistical demands on behalf of the Coalition forces. In the spring of 1977 Kolodoria and Vyzhva launched a series of offensives, invading Juverna, Arasindey, and Fáill. Vyzhvan forces conquered Juverna and crossed into Fáill while reinforcing Isperian communist forces by Autumn 1977 communist forces had driven the Coalition back across the Isperian and Selonian fronts. Following these developments the Banbhan government invoked support from Dayashina, the Hallian Commonwealth, and Themiclesia.
By the winter of 1977-1978 the war had effectively divided into three fronts; the mechanized Selonian front, the littoral central front, and the mountainous Crainnic front. Following the Sieuxerr-Tyrannian Conflict of 1978, which brought about the withdrawal from Anglia from the conflict, Kolodoria attempted a major offensive on the Selonian front which was met with heavy losses. Despite the departure of Anglian forces, the Coalition launched its own counter-offensive which pushed back exhausted Kolodorian forces into Kolodoria itself by winter 1978. By spring 1979 however extended supply lines and renewed Kolodorian forces pushed back the Coalition invasion, resulting in the capture of Zavijava again by Kolodoria in the summer of 1979. Compared to the Selonian front, the Crainnic front had largely seen steady Coalition gains between 1978-1979. In the winter of 1979-1980 Coalition forces in the central front launched a major offensive across the Sodor Firth into Juverna, entrapping Vyzvhan forces in the Targan exclave.
Negotiations to end the conflict had begun after the nuclear crisis of 1978 but did not gain traction until the winter of 1979-1980 as the strategic considerations for both sides emerged. The growing threat of a Vyzhvan collapse on the communist side, and the daunting task of retaking Zavijava once more from Kolodoria for the Coalition, provided an impetus for negotiations that were carried out in neutral Ostland. The ensuing treaty was signed on 1 June 1980 and went into affect on 4 June; Kolodoria retained control of Zavijava and Vyzhva retained the exclave of Targan in exchange for the dissolution of the People's Republic of Isperia. The Vinyan War was the deadliest conflict in Septentrion since the Pan-Septentrion War; military casualties amounted to more than one million killed and more than three million wounded, while an estimated 3.5-4.5 million civilians were killed and wounded. Both sides claimed victory following the conflict, though active dispute remains among academic circles regarding the true winners of the war. Modern historians generally believe that the Vinyan War was the last major victory for international communism; relations between Vyzhva and Kolodoria declined less than a decade after the Vinyan War ended, leading to the Kolodorian-Vyzhvan War breaking out in 1985. Despite residual tensions between the member states of the Coalition, the conflict is generally considered to have been an inspiration for the development of a pan-Vinyan economic and political community. The effects of the war on its belligerents and their cultures is widespread, with more than a thousand published works in both fiction and non-fiction media pertaining to the conflict.
