Great Astyrian War

Great Astyrian War
Many leaders, such as the King of Trellin (not pictured), had better things to do during the war.
Date 1920 - 8 February 1925 Location Lorecia, Teudallum, Eastland and Hesperidesia, Astyria Result BC gets stuffed Territorial changes Usmalím annexed by Andamonia Castineos and other islets annexed by Aquitayne
Belligerents
Western Powers Berique Beriquois Kamalbia Cote d'Cuivre Prudensia Nikolia Txekrikar Haguenau Étlaurlande Seraphic Republic Aquitayne Aswick (1920-23) Template:Country data Yellosia (1920-23) Kobolis (1922-25) Arimathea (1922-25) Romberg (1924-25) Kyashi (1925-30)	Northern Powers Nouvel Ecosse Platteisen Adler Romberg (1920-24) Empire of Exponent Noordenstaat Fyngarian Socialist Republic Andamonia Riysa Heideland (1920-24)
Commanders and leaders
Lisa Reich II Arthur Liberman Reginald White Petar VII Adarin ha'Roita Zyruan Lumetiso Template:Country data Yellosia Eirikur I Template:Country data Yellosia General Uramuduor Josev VI Tafarad Kerimso Proconsul Guillaume Armand Karoutchi Roger Bouchet Hyamora Iwanami Isamu Hayato James Stonebridge	Template:Country data Glisandia Staniszlaus II Template:Country data Glisandia Larus Armannsson Liberius XXI Decius Arminius Laurentius Gildedsword Turaehoc III Hanrel Mata Auhaz Sanetyaan Hichairaz Niltlantl Ulrich von Hohenstein Milan III Friedrich III Horst Schäuble
Strength
1,750,361 1,150,000 1,525,970	The aforementioned 'rest'
Casualties and losses
Non-survivors	The deceased

The Great Astyrian War (GAW), often simply the Great War, was a major war that engulfed much of Astyria, but especially Lorecia and northern Teudallum from its beginning in 1920 until 1925. The war's casualties have been estimated at as many as lots and lots.

Elaborate networks of treaties and alliances quickly pulled together what were otherwise separate conflicts across Lorecia, with two major blocs forming - the Western Powers: Yellosia, Nikolia, Haguenau, the Seraphic Republic and Txekrikar, later joined by Arimathea and Kobolis; and the Northern Powers of Nouvel Ecosse, Exponent, Glisandia, Noordenstaat, Andamonia, Heideland, Riysa and others. Some nations, such as Aquitayne, would remain relatively neutral throughout the beginning of the conflict, but would later be pulled into the war as a member of the Western Powers. The Great War led to wars of independence or revolutions in Aswick, Romberg, Heideland and Yellosia.

Background

Political and military alliances

Western Allies

• Gaulic League (Hagenau, Cassone, Berique, Belka)
  • Cassonais-Txekri Alliance
  • Beriquois-Nikolian Alliance

Northern Allies

Cevrazu Conference forms an Anti-Gaul Bloc of Glisandia, Exponent, Andamonia, Heideland, and Nouvel Ecosse, which decides to simultaneously strike across the world, paralyzing Gaulic League forces

Arms race

The lead-up to the war saw many of the great powers of Astyria increasing their arsenals. Arimathea, disgraced at the Imperial Fleet Review in 1919, doubled its dreadnought count with the introduction of the state-of-the-art Barezh-class and possessed at least one hundred and thirty nine modern or retrofitted warships at the outbreak of war, making it one of Astyria's foremost naval powers. After Trellin entered isolation in 1913, Txekrikar modernised its arsenals, principally with Arimathean-made warships, to protect against Andamonian aggression over the Usmalím, a region it had previously contested with the Andamonian First Republic during the infamous Baira Debacle. Under Hanrel Mata's plans, imperial Andamonia replaced most of its surface battleships with submarines for commerce raiding outside the Sea of Velar, as Trellin kept an increasingly tight hold over traffic through the Straits of Jajich.

Hostilities Commence

Communist revolution in Fyngaria

At the end of 1920, the Fyngarian political scene began changing rapidly. A communist separatist movement, the Communist Party of Fyngaria (Fyngarian: Partíjé Kómunísztíka Fjőngariká), started to gain more and more political power. The Communist Party was also secretly financially aided by Nikolian Emperor Milan III who supported the separatist movement in favour of personal gains. The movement grew so strong that eventually on 22nd of January, 1921, chairman of the communist party, Érke Számík, followed by as much as 35,000 separatists, stormed the Ducal Palace in Kíjmafőrsz, executed the duke, and proclaimed independence of Fyngarian state from the Nikolian Empire.

Soon after, words spread throughout Fyngaria alerting local groups of separatists to storm the local authorities. In many places, separatists had no struggle to take power, as many Fyngarians were against the Imperial leadership. In some places in south, however, separatists had clashes with local Imperial Army units, but lacking ammunition and support, they quickly retreated to Noordenstaat, which marked total independence of Fyngaria from the Nikolian Empire.

Global War Erupts

• April 21, 1921, a coordinated Ecossian-Glisandian attack spills over the Belkan border, smashing front line forces and advancing deep into the country before slowed by trench warfare
• April 22, 1921, Exponential forces pour across the border with Coute d'Cuivre. The same day, Heidish forces cross into Cassone
• April 23, 1921, Andamonian troops enter Txerikar
• April 26, 1921, the Exponential Exploratory Expedition lands in Kamalbia

Progress of the War

Teudallum

Cassonnaise-Heider Front

A recruitment poster for the Txekri Guard

Aswick Campaigns

One of many recruitment posters for the Aswickan Imperial Force

Aswickan involvement in the Great Astyrian War was an unusual phenomenon. When the war began, Aquitayne ordered Aswick to assemble a force of 50,000 men, which would form the Aswickan Imperial Force (AIF). Upon official Aquitaynian involvement, the AIF was sent to Aquitayne where it took up position in the trenches. There was, however, a rising sympathy for Aswickan independence in the AIF, as well as back on the homefront.

In an effort to symbolically satisfy these sympathies, as well as to show the Aswickan people that independent Aswickans would not fare well, the AIF was released from direct Aquitaynian command and Aswickan officers were appointed to lead the AIF. The intended effect was not accomplished, however. Aswickan troops performed better than had ever been expected of them, even though they took many casualties. To this day, some historians still claim that this was due to how close-knitted the AIF was, although this theory has never been proven.

When in 1923 Aswick declared its independence, the leader of the country had already negotiated with Gaulish and Kobolian commanders that the AIF would be staying in the trenches. Those leaders forced a ceasefire between the Aswickan and the Aquitaynian troops, and both forces would proceed to occupy parts of the lines far away from eachother. By now, Aquitayne had installed a naval blockade around Aswick. Because of this blockade, Aswick could not send supplies or reinforcements to the AIF. The Aswickan troops had to rely on Gaulish and Kobali supplies while the blockade lasted.

Exponential Support

Following the Aswickan secession, Aswick and the Empire Exponent formed an alliance to help Aswick secure her independence. The small Aswickan joined an Exponential fleet and broke the blockade in early 1924. Immediately after this, Aswick began sending whatever supplies and men it could miss to the AIF, while a combined force of Aswickan and Exponential troops fought the Aquitaynians in the bush of Aswick.

Cuivran Campaign

Aquitaynian Support in Cote de Cuivre

The Liberman Telegram

A photo taken by Confederate soldiers of the Liberman Telegram.

The Liberman Telegram was a diplomatic row that ultimately lead to Aquitayne officially entering the war. The document was found on deceased officer Jon Velsha, an Aquitaynian Army Infantry Officer that took part in the Cuivran Campaign, disguised as a Seraphic soldier. The Liberman Telegram confirmed the suspicions by the Empire of Exponent of Aquitaynian involvement in the region and solidified the Empire's casus belli to deploy vessles to Aquitayne in early 1922, leading to the Attack on Castineos. The ramifications of the Liberman Telegram were felt also in the Parliament of Aquitayne, where any ministers were outraged at the nation's involvement overseas with Parliamentary approval.

The publication of the telegram incited protests against Aquitayne throughout Hesperidesia. The telegram itself read as follows:

More troops en route; continue training and guerrilla assaults against Confeds. Minister wishes supply lines dealt with quickly. ~MD Liberman

The Emperor of Exponent, Liberius XXI, stated in a Senatorial address that,

Had it not been for the Minister's signature, his seal and mark, perhaps this great and terrible war would have delayed just a bit longer.

Insula Fera Campaigns

To include native uprisings and the eventual attempt by the Empire to conduct a landing on Cape Town.

Tide Turns

Attack on Castineos

Main article: Attack on Castineos