2005 Polnitsan War

2005 Polnitsan War
Clockwise: the North Polnitsan invasion of South Polnitsa, Latin Air Force Ifrits during the war, Arthuristan paratroopers during Operation Daffodil, South Polnitsan Special Forces passing destroyed Northern armour, North Polnitsan artillery in action, street fighting during the North Polnitsan Revolution
Date 25 December 2004 – 4 March 2005 Location Polnitsa Result Coalition victory. Polnitsan reunification and merger with Garima
Belligerents
North Polnitsa Gariman Revolutionary Front Supported by: Template:Country data Valgtea	South Polnitsa Garima Arthurista Garza Latium Drevstran (naval forces only) Yisrael (aerial forces largely)
Commanders and leaders
Colonel General Pavle Kosyk	Henry III  † Generalleutnant Hans Ziegler
Strength
55,000	Operation Daffodil: 20,000 (ground forces) Gariman insurgency: Never accurately assessed
Casualties and losses
Operation Daffodil: Circa 5,000 military casualties	Operation Daffodil: Circa 67 killed and 410 wounded Gariman insurgency: Never accurately assessed

The 2005 Polnitsan War was a ten-week undeclared war fought in early-2005 between the forces of republican North Polnitsa, on the one hand, and a coalition of nations opposed to it on the other. North Polnitsa, supported by Valgtea, invaded South Polnitsa on Christmas Day of 2004 in an attempt to forcibly unify the divided nation, swiftly defeating all opposition and occupying the country. At the same time, Valgtea mobilised its forces along the border with Garima in an attempt to dissuade Gariman intervention in the Polnitsan situation. In response, the South Polnitsan monarchy and government in exile, as well as the Gariman government, called for international assistance in liberating the occupied country. Over the next several weeks, land forces from Arthurista, Garza and Latium were deployed in Garima, in preparation for a battle to eject the occupying North Polnitsan forces. A four-brigade ‘Multinational Division’, roughly 20,000 in total in manpower terms, was established in order to coordinate the coalition’s ground troops.

After satisfying themselves that further diplomatic efforts were fruitless, the governments of the coalition granted final political sanction for Operation Daffodil. The plan entailed the Multinational Division, backed by the extensive use of air power, breaking through screening North Polnitsan Forces and dashing along the North-South Polnitsa border for the shore of Lake Kupalnista, thereby cutting off and surrounding the entire North Polnitsan Army. Over the course of the 96-hour ground campaign, the four coalition brigades defeated three divisions of North Polnitsan troops and for all intents and purposes destroyed it as a viable military force. North Polnitsan units cut off in the occupied south surrendered en masse to the Multinational Division.The North Polnitsan squadron on Lake Kupalnista was also engaged and destroyed by the Drevstranese Navy.

News of the defeat triggered the North Polnitsan Revolution, which led to the overthrow of the republican one-party government and, in a referendum, reunification with South Polnitsa and the eventual merger with Garima. In Valgtea, the defeat of North Polnitsa constituted a major humiliation and greatly damaged its international prestige, leading to its relative decline in the subsequent ‘Decade of Chaos’, as well as triggering far-reaching military, political and economic reforms.

Historical background

The Valgtean War of the 1940's was for Polnitsa also a civil war. Aided by the Valgtean and Ostrozavan armies, Polnitsan republicans fought the monarchist for domination of the country. When ceasefire was declared, Polnitsan republicans controlled the northern and more populous and industrial part of the country, whereas the Grand Duke's government retained controlled over the south, including the capital city.

In the subsequent decades, both Polnitsan regimes claimed de jure sovereignty over the entirety of pre-war Polnitsa, and neither recognised each other, although the ceasefire more or less held up. Whilst South Polnitsa made little effort at attempting to reunify the country, North Polnitsa developed into a militaristic state, aided by Valgtea, with the declared goal of ultimately 'liberating' the south, by political means if possible, but by force if necessary.

In the years since the 2005 War, historians have debated the immediate causes which led to the North's invasion of the South, basing their arguments on the fragmentary documentary records uncovered from the former North Polnitsan state archives. Some contend that it was planned and executed solely by the North Polnitsan regime, eager for rapid success in order to shore up their political status domestically by fulfilling its 'historical mission', whereas others argue that Valgtean pressure played a dominant role, in an attempt at carrying out Supreme Prophet Frederick the Pious's 'aggressive engagement' policy vis a vis the monarchies and capitalist states of south and west Belisaria. In any event, the current consensus is that it was the North Polnitsan leadership which made the ultimate political decision to execute the invasion.

Invasion of South Polnitsa

The Polnitsan People’s Army

The structure of a Valgtean-style Mechanised Infantry Division

The North Polnitsan military was largely equipped and heavily-influenced by Valgtea. In the four years leading up to the war, a significant Valgtean military aid program was instituted in order to modernise North Polnitsa's armed forces. These included, most significantly, a large increase in North Polnitsa's air defence capabilities, with new SA-17 Grizzly and second hand SA-8 Gecko regiments being formed in order to protect North Polnitsa and its maneouvre units from air attack. Such extensive Valgtean aid in the period shortly preceding the war is often cited to bolster the argument that the invasion of South Polnitsa was premeditated long before 2004 and instigated by Valgtea.

The largest component were the land forces. Out of a population of 3.3 million, the use of conscription enabled North Polnitsa to constitute four Mechanised Infantry Divisions organised on contemporaneous Valgtean lines. Each was a combined arms force of roughly 14,000 personnel, equipped with 210 main battle tanks and 144 artillery pieces. Of the four divisions, the 1st and 2nd Divisions possess more than 85% of their personnel in peacetime, the 3rd was at 50% strength and the 4th at 25%. The latter two divisions were augmented by reservists upon a mobilisation order being given by the Ministry of Defence. The total mobilisable strength of North Polnitsa's ground forces was constituted by some 55,000 troops and 840 main batte tanks.

Of the four divisions, the 1st Mechanised Infantry Division was the most deeply modernised, being equipped with the PS-72/91 variant of the Valgtean PS-72M1 main battle tank. It was an elite force with a high proportion of professional commissioned and warrant officers who were considered 'politically reliable' and ideologically indoctrinated.

The North Polnitsan Air Force was equipped with two squadrons of J-21 Fishbed and one of J-29 Fulcrum fighters, as well as a number of KH-24 Hind and H-17 Hip helicopters. It was also responsible for operating long range surface-to-air missiles intended to defend North Polnitsan territory rather than mobile forces in the field and to that end it was equipped with SA-6 Gainful and SA-17 Grizzly medium range missiles, as well as at least two batteries of SA-10 Grumble long range missiles tasked with protecting the capital region.

A naval squadron was deployed on Lake Kupalnista, consisting of six Model-77 hydrofoil missile boats, with its flagship being a 560-ton Model-70 Corvette. They were operated by Valgtean personnel dressed in Polnitsan uniform and were for all intents and purposes a unit of the Valgtean navy.

South Polnitsan forces

South Polnitsan defence preparation was hampered by a number of factors. Most importantly, it had a population half the size of that of North Polnitsa. Conscription was politically unpopular and as such, although it was on the statute books, in practice it had never been enforced. Accordingly, at full mobilisation strength, the Grand Ducal Army could field as many brigades as the North Polnitsans had divisions.

The full mobilisable strength of the army, including both active and reserve personnel, stood at some 20,000 troops. The standing force consisted of two Mechanised Brigades, each with a battalion of 58 tanks, two battalions of mechanised infantry, a battalion of artillery, a logistics battalion, as well as a company each of reconnaissance, air defence, engineer and signal units. There was also a special forces battalion intended primarily for unconventional warfare and anti-terrorism duties.

Two Territorial Defence Brigades, essentially light infantry units, were constituted using a mixture of ex-regular personnel and civilian part-timers who volunteer to train on nine weekends per year.

The equipment available was largely outdated, comprising of second hand Belfrasian armour, second hand Yisraeli artillery, and a squadron of third hand (by way of Garima) Ghantish fighters.

Essentially, the defence of South Polnitsa was to a significant extent dependent on Gariman assistance. The Grand Ducal government was convinced that North Polnitsa would not initiate a military adventure without first fully mobilising its reserves, which would allow for sufficient strategic forewarning to enable Garima to come to its aid. Accordingly, even though the South Polnitsan military was seriously deficient in both qualitative and quantitative terms, those responsible for defence planning were reasonably satisfied that they were adequate in the circumstances.

The invasion

The invasion of South Polnitsa was executed on Christmas Day of 2004. Contrary to previous South Polnitsan expectations, there was no forewarning whatsoever, as North Polnitsa did not mobilise its reserves. Rather, the two ready Mechanised Infantry Divisions were engaged in a military exercise immediately prior to the invasion and it was simply a matter of driving these units, which were already in full battle order, straight across the border.

The invaders met with virtually no resistance in the border regions. Refugees driven from their homes clogged the motorways and greatly hampered South Polnitsan attempts to maneouvre defending forces. In the end, having successfully mobilised one of the Territorial Defence Brigades, it was decided that this unit, along with the 2nd Mechanised Brigade, would attempt a defence of the capital city. Army General Staff attempted to convince the government to fortify the city and place it into a state of defence, a request which was denied, as it was feared that urban combat would have led to extensive damage to the city and high civilian casualties.

Accordingly, the two brigades met the North Polnitsan 1st Mechanised Infantry Division outside the city along a hastily dug-in line. They were outnumbered and outgunned by a considerable margin, as well as outflanked, so as to be rendered unable to retreat. The defenders were essentially overrun and compelled to surrender in situ.

Nevertheless, the battle outside the city bought the royal family and the government a precious few hours with which to effectuate their evacuation into Garima. During the course of this process, Grand Duke Henry III died of what was publicly stated to be a heart attack, although to this day rumours of an assasination attempt by North Polnitsan special forces on the way to the airport persists.

The 1st Mechanised Brigade, which was on exercise in the western regions of the country, was ordered to fall back into Garima, rather than attempt a futile last stand against the invaders. Whilst a controversial decision at the time, it preserved the brigade intact as a fighting force and it later formed part of the coalition force which ultimately liberated the country.

Within the South Polnitsan capital city of Módbrjóh itself, Baroness Anastasia Duklav, then a captain of special forces, organised a highly effective underground resistance using remnants of the defeated defending forces as well as civilian volunteers. They initiated a campaign of urban guerilla warfare and sabotage against the occupiers, as well as gathered valuable intelligence on Northern troop movements which would be of much utility to the coalition forces gathering in Garima.

From the crossing of the border to occupying South Polnitsa in its entirety, the invasion was completed within 18 hours.

Rebellion in Tungria and Milcenia

Within Garima itself, pro-North Polnitsan elements in the states of Tungria and Milcenia initiated a rebellion against the royal government. In the Duchy of Milcenia, the government fell to a Putsch by the rebels, whilst in Tungria large swathes of the countryside came under insurgent control.

The regular Gariman military was being mobilised to defend the northern border against a threatened Valgtean invasion. Accordingly, the suppression of the rebellion fell to the State Militia of domains further to the south, aided by a unit of volunteers from Ghant led by Bolvar Dain. These forces reacted swiftly and largely cleared the rebels from Milcenia in short order, although those in Tungria melted into the mountainous border region with Valgtea and carried on a prolonged partisan war.

Building a coalition

In order to deter a Gariman intervention in the Polnitsan situation, Valgtea initiated the partial mobilisation of its Southern Group of Forces, which was reinforced up to full combat readiness for a total of more than 330,000 troops in 24 divisions. The Gariman military counter-mobilised in order to forestall what appeared to be a threatened Valgtean invasion. With very limited forces to spare to deal with the Polnitsan situation, on new year's eve, the South Polnitsan government in exile and the Gariman foreign ministry began to contact their international partners in an attempt to solicit assistance. In the event, the main source of reinforcement came from three anti-Valgtean nations which were nevertheless not directly threatened by Valgtean land forces - Arthurista, Garza and Latium.

Arthuristan response

The Arthuristan government reacted swiftly upon receiving the joint request for aid. It was aided by the fact that, although the large-scale deployment of armed forces is as a matter of constitutional convention something which Parliament ought to be consulted about and given the opportunity to give or withhold consent, as a matter of strict law it is a Shield's Prerogative. Accordingly, within 48 hours, it despatched 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, some 700-strong, by air to Garima. This was to a significant extent merely a symbolic deployment, but it signalled the political resolve to not allow international aggression to go unanswered.

Parliament convened on 2 January 2005. The Prime Minister of the newly-elected Labour government, Charles Halliday, declared in his speech that Arthurista would not allow international aggression to go unanswered. His majority was razor-thin, but the motion passed, and Parliament officially granted consent to the large-scale deployment of military forces to Garima.

The land component of the Arthuristan force was built around the Commonwealth Army's 9th Armoured Brigade, consisting of two tank units (the Lord Protector's Life Guards and the Parliamentary Dragoon Guards), a mechanised infantry battalion (the Oldcastle Guards), one of self-propelled artillery (7th Commonwealth Horse Artillery), as well as an engineer company and logistical support. It was reinforced by two armoured cavalry squadrons (C and D Sqn Prince Adrian's Hussars) and an air defence battery. Sufficient quantities of 6-tonne lorries were also made available to provide motorised transport for the 3rd Paras, enabling the latter to act as the brigade's fourth maneouvre battalion. The total strength of the 9th Armoured Brigade, thus reinforced, was approximately 4,500 troops, 90 tanks and 24 self-propelled guns.

In respect of the air component, the Commonwealth Air Force deployed two squadrons of the new UFC Tempest fighters, supplemented by two squadrons of the legacy Kestrel GR.8. A joint support squadron was also despatched, comprising of Glaucus AEW.3 airborne early warning aircraft, Sentinel JSTAR aircraft, TriStar refuellers and Rivet Joint SIGINT aircraft leased from Belfras.

Finall, the Strike Destroyer HHS Pandora was despatched to the Periclean in order to support coalition forces with long range cruise missile strikes.

Latin and Garzan response

Latium and Garza were the next to respond to the Gariman appeal and despatched a joint expeditionary force. The ground element of this was centred around the Latin Army's Legio IX Ferrata, a mechanised infantry formation consisting of a cohort of 58 tanks, two mechanised infantry cohorts, as well as a cohort each of armoured reconaissance forces engineers, self-propelled artillery and logistical support and maintenance troops. Augmenting the Legion was a Garzan army battalion of self-propelled artillery. The total strength of the reinforced Legion stood at approximately 5,500 troops, 58 tanks and 36 self-propelled guns.

The Latin Air Force also committed a total of four fighter squadrons for a total of 48 Aigios Ifrits.

Yisraeli response

Yisrael also contributed forces to the coalition, making available a group of Raven attack helicopters to support the Multinational Division.

The Multinational Division

In order to coordinate the force that would ultimately be entrusted with the liberation of South Polnitsa, the headquarters for the Multinational Division was established on 15 January 2005. The commander-in-chief of this force would be a Gariman lieutenant general, Hans Ziegler, although the divisional staff was cobbled together by officers of five different nationalities in a largely improvised fashion. The command language used was Latin. Although there were some initial teething problems, the fact that these forces had in the past exercised with each other and exchanged personnel on at least a semi-regular basis ensured that nobody was too unfamiliar with how others operated and, by the time the ground campaign was ultimately fought, the divisional headquarters had gelled into an effective command team.

The Multinational Division was a four-brigade force. Aside from the Latin legion and the Arthuristan and South Polnitsan brigades mentioned above, the Garimans also contributed their own 13th Panzer Brigade, consisting of some 4,500 troops, 90 tanks and 18 self-propelled guns. In addition, they provided a divisional artillery battalion equipped with Belfrasian TDI Ares multi-launch rocket system.

North Polnitsan deployment

North Polnitsa knew from the outset that, despite Valgtea's sabre-rattling across the Valgtean-Gariman border, there was an even chance of a military response from western powers. It also knew that, as Valgtea had previously guaranteed the security and independence of North Polnitsa, an actual invasion of North Polnitsa was highly unlikely. Accordingly, its military preparation was primarily intended prevent the reconquest of South Polnitsa.

The full four-division order of battle of the North Polnitsan army was fully mobilised. Three were deployed in South Polnitsa. The 2nd and 3rd Mechanised Infantry Divisions were arrayed along the western border, with one taking responsibility for the northern sector, the other the southern. The elite 1st Mechanised Infantry Division was held back as an operational reserve. Additional regiments of anti-aircraft missiles were deployed throughout South Polnitsa in an attempt to shield this force from aerial retaliation. Finally, the largely reservist 4th Mechanised Infantry Division was deployed along the border between North Polnitsa and Garima as an insurance policy.

On the eve of the invasion, North Polnitsan forces deployed in South Polnitsa outnumbered the Multinational Division more than 2:1 in manpower and tanks, and 4:1 in artillery.

Operation Daffodil

See also: Coalition Order of Battle for Operation Daffodil

Strategic deception

Garima and Polnitsa

The plan for Operation Daffodil ('Unternehmen Narzisse') revolved around a major political constraint, i.e. that coalition forces were forbidden by their respective governments from attacking or crossing into North Polnitsan territory. To that end, the operational plan as finalised called for the Multinational Division to commence the offensive from the Duchy of Milcenia, at the spot where the borders between Garima, North Polnitsa and South Polnitsa meet. The division would then drive across the border and make a high-speed dash to the shores of Lake Kupalnista, thereby cutting off the occupying army from its North Polnitsan homeland and bottling them in South Polnitsa, where they would be forced to surrender or be destroyed in situ.

In order to effectuate this, the Multinational Division was initially assembled in the border between the Electorate of Morinia and south west South Polnitsa. Public pronouncements by the coalition's governments spoke of "ejecting", "repelling" and "pushing back" the invading North Polnitsans. Finally, a pro=North Polnitsan hacker was allowed to obtain what appeared to be a copy of the coalition's operational plan, entailing the Multinational Division entering South Polnitsa from the southwest and wheeling north, pushing the North Polnitsans back across the north-south border.

After mid-February, the Multinational Division was moved north into Milcenia in stages, through the use of returning trains which were ostensibly delivering materiel to the military encampments in Morinia from Milcenia. After the departure of a given unit, a Gariman electronic intelligence team would stay behind to broadcast radio signals simulating the continued presence of a formation headquarter.

The North Polnitsan general staff was entirely convinced that the Multinational Division remained near the south. Accordingly, it shifted the bulk of the 3rd Division to the projected point of breakthrough and used all available engineering units to fortify the area heavily. By contrast, the 2nd Division's sector along the Milcenia frontier, i.e. the actual point of breakthrough, was to remain relatively lightly defended.