Marco-Thoren Wars

Marco-Thoren Wars
Date May 5 1722 – 2 September 1889 (1889-09-02) (167 years, 3 months and 4 weeks) Location Southwestern Olivacia Result Treaty of Wilstream
Belligerents
Maricoen	Thorenland Hoterallia(1833-1889)
Commanders and leaders
Albin II Christopher I Albin III Jonas III Jonas IV Jonas V Jonas IV * Stepan Bagge * Wilgelm Horn * Yevgeni Collart * Jakob Makarov * Klas Vitgeft	Oscar I Richard I Alfred II John II * Oliver Goderich * William Baltar * Percey Freimark * David Houstal * Lewis Goudmour * Edward Wessent * Michael Holsten * Henry Karmill Emperor Hojo Emperor Kokun * Naoki Matsuo * Tsubasa Tanaka * Satoshi Ōta * Tomohiko Sakai * Yūzō Saitō
Strength
Maricoen: 12,365,000 (total) * 800,000 (peak)	Thorenland: 6,182,000 (total) * 650,000 (peak) Hoterallia: 500,000 (total) *400,000 (peak)
Casualties and losses
Maricoen: 6,500,000 (Military) 1,400,000 (civilian)	Thorenland: 2,500,00 (Military) 1,000,000 (civilian) Hoterallia: 300,000 (Military) 10,000 (civilian)

The Marco-Thoren Wars were fought between the Empire of Maricoen, the Kingdom of Thorenland, and the Empire of Hoterallia from 1722 to 1889 over growing Maricoenian colonies in Southwestern Olivacia. The major theaters of military conflict were Sootmapeevakeea in the the southern front, Noptmapeevakeea in the northern front, and the Scholand Peninsula in the eastern front.

First Campaign

Battle of Forgostia Heights

Until this battle, the Maricoen army had pressed home its advantage against the army to the south of Thorenland. Knowing that the army would face certain defeat in open ground, Colonel Morris Dernak of the Forgostian Light Infantry Regiment and Major Liam Maverist of the 3rd Forgostian Militia, sent word to General Goderich of their intentions to draw the Maricoen force into the mountains in the hope of using the terrain to their advantage. In the days before the battle, the two officers ordered their men to make several defensive trench lines, each with obstacles to make it harder for an advancing force to pursue them. As the Maricen force approached, the defence lines had only been partially constructed, and the officers decided that half their force would be positioned in the mountains, using the terrain for cover.

At dawn on the 18th of October 1722, the Maricoen army arrived at the bottom of the slope. Knowing that going around the mountains would take too long, they decided to press on through the mountains, hoping their enemy’s lack of number would be easily overcome. At that moment, the forward defence line opened fire on the advancing force, concentrating fire towards the centre of the formation. After the first volley, the Maricoen troops began to scramble for cover, with some choosing to return fire where they stood.

The forward defence line continued firing volleys for the next 30 minutes at the enemy, until the Maricoen force unleashed their artillery on the Thoren troops. Peppered by artillery fire, the forward defence line began a retreat to the second line under fire from the troops advancing up the mountains. At this point, the troops at the second defence line began firing upon the artillery crews, hoping to take out the guns before the second line could be targeted. The Maricoen force successfully reached the wreckage of the first defence line at around 09:22, before being suppressed by the troops who had fallen back to the next defensive line. Swiftly, the artillery recalculated their aim so as to strike at the second defence line and began firing, hoping to continue clearing a path up the mountain. While the aim was initially off, they soon adjusted and began bombarding the line. For the next hour, the Thoren forces desperately tried to knock the artillery guns out whilst under heavy fire, but to no avail.

Realising that the enemy was going to try and come up the mountains, Major Maverist suggested that their forces pull back further, thus making it near impossible to use their artillery and tiring out the Maricoen force. Colonel Dernak agreed and gave the signal to fall back. Seeing their enemy in retreat, the Maricoen troops began to charge up the hill, hoping to take out as many of the fleeing troops as possible. At 10:35, the forces that had been in hiding further up the mountains began to fire on the charging troops. Caught by surprise, the Maricoen troops tried to find cover as best they could, but many were killed or wounded before they knew what was happening. For the next few hours, the advance towards the higher ground was slow, with many falling foul of the terrain and the volume of gunfire.

By early afternoon, the Maricoen force had decided it could not continue its advance up the mountains, and so decided to take up positions on the second defence line and hope to starve the Thoren troops out. Noting that the enemy would be tired, Colonel Dernak ordered his troops to advance down the mountains, hoping that he could drive the enemy off the mountains. Personally leading the charge, he wielded his sword and made haste for the defence line. Seeing the Thoren troops coming right at them, the Maricoen troops opened fire hoping to thin the numbers that were coming for them. At 14:01, the charging Thoren troops reached the defence line and brutal close-quarter fighting broke out. Colonel Dernak, though fighting bravely, was killed as his regiment began to force the Maricoen’s back down the mountain. Choosing to press the advance, Major Maverist ordered his militia to push forward as well, adding to the number of Thoren troops able to engage the Maricoen force. By 16:49, the Maricoen troops were in full retreat from the mountains. Battered and weary from the fight, Major Maverist ordered the remaining troops not to pursue, instead choosing to fortify the positions that were salvageable and prepare for any future attacks. For his bravery, Colonel Dernak was awarded the King’s Gallantry Medal Posthumously.

Second Campaign

Battle of Fort Alfred

Considered one of the most brutal and horrific battles in the Marco-Thoren Wars, this battle would show how determined troops of Thorenland were in the defence of their homeland. It also showed the determination of the Maricoen troops in achieving their objectives.

In the early morning of the 2nd of April 1792, the garrison watchers at Fort Alfred saw that they were surrounded by a Maricoen force, some 4-5 times their number. The Garrison Commander, Captain Ricard Mitchel, ordered his men to man the guns and adopt defensive positions. The Maricoen force had begun to entrench themselves in places, ensuring the garrison could not inflict casualties easily. At 08:26 that morning, the Fort Alfred’s main batteries opened fire on the besieging Maricoen force. In short order, the besieging troops returned fire with their own artillery, aiming to take the main batteries out as soon as they could. The troops on both sides also began firing shots at one another, hoping to whittle down the numbers of soldiers they would inevitably have to fight later. The fighting would continue in this fashion for 3 days, with respite only during the night. On the fourth day of the battle at 0936, with the Fort’s main batteries destroyed, the Maricoen troops began to advance on the Fort’s remaining outer defences. The defending garrison continued to engage the advancing troops, in most cases running ammunition down to nothing. As the attacking troops reach the outer defences, the garrison retreats deeper into the fort, leaving their rifles behind.

Acknowledging the dire situation, Captain Mitchel ordered his surviving troops to draw their blades, and engage the enemy in the tunnels between the outer and inner defences. Within minutes, the tunnels became a slaughtering ground. With the Thoren troops engaging in brutal close-quarters combat, the Maricoen forces begin to establish firing positions at the outer defences end of the tunnels, while the troops in the tunnels fight to escape the slaughter. Captain Mitchel in one account was said to have slain no less than 12 Maricoen soldiers as part of an ambush in the tunnels. For the rest of the day, wave after wave of Maricoen troops would slowly push the now weary garrison towards the inner defences, but with a significantly high casualty rate. As night fell, the Thoren troops fell back to the inner defences. Captain Mitchel, realising defeat was likely and that reinforcements, if they were coming, would not make it in time, gathered his men and asked if they would follow him in one last attack. To a man, the answer was yes.

At dawn, on the 6th of April 1792, the remaining soldiers of the garrison entered the tunnels, moving to where they knew the enemy would be waiting. Minutes later, the attack began. The Thoren soldiers battled bravely in the tunnels, killing many Maricoen troops, but the Maricoen soldiers continue to fight on. As more soldiers fell within the tunnels, Captain Mitchel and several of his men broke out of the tunnels, charging at the firing positions the Maricoen had established the day before. On seeing the blood-soaked Thoren troops, the soldiers fired, injuring Mitchel and a few others, but the attack continued. As the morning continued, more of the garrison broke out, taking casualties but continuing the attack. On seeing this, the Maricoen force decided to withdraw, believing the casualties would become too much to make it possible to hold the Fort and press on the offensive. As the enemy withdrew, the survivors of the garrison cut down any that continued to fight. Captain Mitchel, despite his injuries, would remain in command of his men until reinforcements under Colonel Jaris Lukenson arrived to relieve them on the 11th of April 1792. For his leadership and determination in the face of the enemy, Captain Mitchel and the Fort Alfred Garrison were awarded the Thoren Cross, the highest military award a member of the Armed Forces can achieve.

Third Campaign

Battle of Dathus Ridge

After the King’s Own Massacre, the Thoren Army in the north had been given enough time to start regrouping. As the days went on, General Percey Freimark knew they would inevitably need to make a stand to stop the Maricoen forces. When the scouts sighted Dathus Ridge, the General gave the order for his troops to take up position on the ridgeline, hoping to use the high-ground the ridge provided to give them an advantage. On the 10th of May 1835, the Maricoen Scouts had reported that the Thoren troops had taken position on the ridge, and that they were numbering less than what was expected. With confidence from the success of the last engagement, the Maricoen troops were ordered to engage at dawn the next day.

At dawn on the 11th of May 1835, the Maricoen troops began to advance up towards the ridge. Moments later, the artillery began to bombard the ridgeline, intending to dislodge the Thoren troops from their positions. Within minutes, the Maricoen troops were close enough the artillery was forced to cease fire, for fear of incurring friendly casualties. When the bombardment stopped, General Freimark gave the signal for his men to move back onto the ridge line and open fire on the enemy. Caught by surprise, the Maricoen line was struck by multiple volleys of rifle fire. In an effort to maintain momentum, the Maricoen troops began to charge up the hill, bayonets ready to strike. The Thoren troops, seeing this, formed a firing line 2 men deep, and began to fire volley after volley into the enemy. By 04:57, the Maricoen soldiers had reached the firing lines, causing the battle to erupt into close-quarters fighting. Seeing that they had locked the enemy into a melee fight, General Freimark ordered what little cavalry he had to hit the enemy in the rear, thus making it harder to retreat. At 05:16, the cavalry charged over the ridge line, sweeping round and cutting several of the stragglers down as they passed.

Noticing the cavalry had outflanked them, the Maricoen troops began to fight more fiercely, hoping that they would break through the Thoren forces. Outnumbered, but determined to halt the enemy, the Thoren troops fought on, at times feigning retreats to open holes through which the cavalry could sweep in to deal additional casualties. The fighting lasted for over an hour, with men on both sides suffering horrific injuries from the sheer ferocity of the fighting. At 06:22, the Maricoen troops began a retreat away from the ridge line, allowing the artillery to come into play once again. As the bombardment resumed, the Thoren troops withdrew over the ridge line. Having failed in the initial attack, the Maricoen forces were surprised at the level of resistance the Thoren troops had put up. Having re-evaluated their strategy, the Maricoen troops launched another attack at around 09:36. With the bombardment pounding the ridge line, the Thoren troops waited. As the bombardment stopped, they began to advance back onto the ridgeline only to be greeted by rifle fire from the Maricoen troops. Scrambling to what cover they could, the Thoren troops also came under intense bombardment. With no option to retreat, the soldiers fought as best they could, returning fire when they could. On learning that they had been caught off guard, General Friemark ordered the cavalry to charge the artillery, doing what they could to eliminate it before the ridge, as he is believed to have said was “pounded out of the landscape”.

By 10:27, the ridge was struggling to hold. The Thoren troops were pinned down in several places, and the Maricoen troops were closing in. At 10:30, the cavalry began its charge for the artillery, bolting through the rifle fire and artillery as they went. As they closed on the guns, the cavalry split in two and moved to flank the gun crews. The cavalry successfully took several of the guns out before they withdrew, knowing the damage was done. General Freimark, determined to see the enemy off, stepped onto the battlefield, wielding his sabre and allegedly screaming insults at the Maricoen soldiers. Seeing their general entering the fight, the Thoren troops rose up and charged towards the enemy. By 11:08, the battle was once again a close-quarters affair. Freimark, while fighting a Maricoen officer, was struck hard on the shoulder, causing him to drop his sabre and fall to the ground.

Seeing their general fall, the surviving Thoren troops became outright savage in their fighting style. At 11:47, the Maricoen troops feigned a retreat, but before they could turn to face and catch their enemy off guard, the Thoren soldiers were there and pounced on them. Realising that the Thoren troops were now emboldened, the Maricoen began to retreat away from the ridge. By 12:19, the Thoren troops gave up the pursuit, choosing instead to return to the ridge line to take care of their wounded and dying. Although badly wounded, General Freimark managed to make a recovery, but his injury would mean he could no longer lead his men in battle. For their efforts, the Maricoen advance had been halted, but at a great cost. In the weeks that followed, reinforcements would arrive from across the country to help build up a frontline. It would be over a month before the next battle in the North, with the fate of the nation hanging in the balance.