Bogoria War
| Bogoria War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Fall of Communism in Holynia | |||||||
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 BLA |
 Holyn Kingdom (2000-01) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Bartosz Korda Marceli Rostkowski Błażej Karlik † |
1997-98: Gen. Army. Benedikt Jelínek1998-2001: Jonáš Široký Jaromír Mach Gen. Army Klement Brož Alexandr IV 2001Rafał Golas 1998-2001 | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
Bogorian Liberation Army |
Holyn Armed Forces 1997-99 Holyn Defence Forces 1999-2001 Socialist Army of Bogor 1997-99 Army of Christ 1998-2001 | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
110,000–150,000 troops 95,000 rebels |
710,000 regular troops (~100,000 troops in vicinity of Bogoria) 1,000,000+ reserves 31,000+ pro-Holyn militias | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
42,000+ troops and rebels killed 21,000 troops and rebels injured 17,913 civilians killed |
7,313 troops killed 14,310 troops injured 4,087 civilians killed | ||||||
The Bogoria War was an armed confict in Bogoria that began on 7 August 1997 and concluded on 19 June 2000. It was fought by the military of the Holyn Socialist Union, its succesors, the Republic of Holynia and briefly the Holyn Kingdom, and the Bogorian Liberation Army. Holynia controlled the territory of Bogoria prior to the outbreak of the war. The war formally concluded in June 2000 when the Treisburg Treaty was signed between the warring parties. This followed significant political upheaval and waining public approval of the conflict in Holynia after numerous terrorist attacks by Bogorian rebels.
Background
Holynia was formed by a union formed by the Duchy of Hornat and Duchy of Masovia. Bogoria was an independent state known as the Bogor Order. The Bogor Order was invaded by the Holyn Realm during the Catastrophe, a war between the Holyn Realm and several of its neighbors. In 1330, Holynia defeated the invaders and annexed Bogoria into the Holyn Realm. Violence erupted between the populace of Bogoria and the new Holyn rulers. This was tamed down by the 1400s as the economy began to improve. In 1611, the first national legislature of Holynia convened in Cizekporok. The Bogoria delegation was the smallest of all the constituent countries. As Holynia industrialised in the 1800s, Bogoria, home to warm water ports, became home to several shipyards. The transformation from a largely agrarian economy into an industrialised economy saw Bogoria gain prominence in the Holyn Kingdom. Despite this, Bogoria was still the poorest region of Holynia, with Hornatyia having an average income 3 times higher than Bogoria's average. In the early 20th century, the Holyn Workers' Party began to openly challenge the authority of the ruling Monarchy in Holynia. As the country descended into civil war in 1923, parts of Bogoria gained de-facto independence, forming the Bogor Republic. In 1924, communist troops and militias invaded the independent parts of Bogoria and defeated the Bogor Republic.
Volen Hajek was able to cool simmering ethnic rivalries in Holynia, especially in Bogoria. The strong, centralised authoritarian leadership of Hajek saw attempts at succession by Bogoria stamped out. State security forces deported thousands of Bogorian civilians to Hornatyia to work in coal mines. Hornat civilians migrated into Bogoria. The state schools only taught Hornatyian, not the Bogorian language. This, among other strategies, were to remove any nationalist feelings within Bogoria.
In 1957, Bogoria descended into violence as Bogor civilians were outraged at the death of 3 civilians at the hands of the state police forces. The government responded by opening fire at protestors in Utena. Bogoria was largely ignored by the massive infrastructure campaigns of the 1970s and 1980s. The economic disparity between Bogoria and the rest of Holynia became more apparent. In 1984, unrest again broke out as Bogorian civilians were outraged at the removal of popular Bogorian state leader Filip Sieja. Sieja, an ethnic Bogor, was removed as he disagreed with the economic policies being pursued in Cizekporok. The unrest was supressed after months of lockdowns and mass arrests of thousands of civilians. In September 1989, the Łuków Volcano erupted, devastating the River Chełm valley and killing roughly 11,000 civilians. Allegations of the central government prioritising rescue operations on the Hornatyian side of the valley led to protests in Utena. Kamil Sládek forced the Environment Minister and the Energy Minister to resign, with the former being imprisoned. Holynia's economy slid into recession by late 1989 and only emerged from this recession a year later.
The sluggish national economy hit Bogoria particularly hard. Heavy industries and services began to be concentrated in other regions of Holynia. This resulted in Bogoria suffering rising unemployment throughout the 1990s. Kamil Sládek died and Vlastimil Prusík took over leadership of the country. Prusík hoped to reduce simmering ethnic tensions in Bogoria by introducing political and economic reforms. The political reforms introduced "one-party democracy" where multiple candidates would be elected to party seats. Sládek emphasised that party elections should be entirely free and allow multiple viewpoints. Heavy opposition from the conservative wing of the Workers' Party was defeated and the reforms went through.
Sládek's economic reforms initially increased industrial output and slowly increased the availability of consumer goods. However, the bueraucratic and top heavy state run industries were unable to effectively handle operating without 5 year plans, worsening availability of products. Empty shelves and food shortages became common by late 1995. In October 1995, the central government began distributing ration cards for the first time since the late 1940s.
The first democratic election for the Central Committee was held in March 1996. This led to a wide range of differing viewpoints entering the Central Committee and by extension, the Narodna Rada. Various nationalist politicans were elected in all three of the socialist states in Holynia. Bogor nationalists gained top leadership posts in the Bogorian branch of the Workers' Party. In Masovia, nationalists made up 25% of the regional Central Committee. Bartosz Korda, a former army general who commanded the Bogorian military district from 1991 to 1995, was elected as First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Bogoria. In January 1997, Bogor nationalists in the Narodna Rada attempted to pass a amendment to the national constitution allowing supremacy of local laws over laws passed by the Narodna Rada. This was defeated but is seen as the first attempt at seperatist activity by the Bogoria delegation.
Conflict
Preparing for war
In March 1997, the Bogorian state parliament passed legislation declaring state sovergienty where Bogorian laws would have supremacy over national Holyn laws. The central government in Cizekporok declared this act illegal and the issue was taken up by the Constitutional Court. Korda refused to allow Bogorian lawyers to appear in court, challenging the legitmacy of the court to rule on the matter. Despite the court siding with the Holyn government, Korda challenged the issue in the Bogorian state court. This court sided with the Bogorian side and declared the national constitution void in issues where the Bogorian constitution contradicted with the former.
In June 1997, Korda announced the formation of the Bogorian People's Defence Force. This force quickly grew in strength as several ethnic Bogor officers defected in late July. The government in Cizekporok deployed the Interior Army and National Police to Bogoria to seize control of the defecting barracks and prevent weaponry falling into the hands of the rebels.
The defecting officers brought along thousands of soldiers, along with weaponry and other equipment. Military barracks in southern Bogoria were left unguarded and looted throughout July. Central government forces attempted to prevent this but were hindered by poor knowledge on which units were loyal to the central government. On 2 August 1997, Korda announced his resignation from the Workers' Party and the state parliament banned the Workers' Party from operating in Bogoria. The state police leadership declared allegiance to Korda and arrested their political officers. On 4 August 1997, Prusík and the Politburo declared the actions by Korda illegal. The Prosecuter General issued arrest warrants for Korda and other leaders of the growing Bogorian independence movement.
A combined force of the State Security Service, Interior Army and the National Police entered Utena with the goal of carrying out the arrest warrants. They were supported by elements of the 3rd Guards Tank Army from Uhrov. Local police, defecting soldiers and protesters surronded the State Security Service headquarters in Utena. Meanwhile, other pro-independence forces took positions around the Bogorian parliament.
War breaks out
On the night of 6-7 August 1997, the central government forces attacked the State Parliament building in Utena. Fierce fighting broke out throughout the city as rebels attacked government convoys with seized weapons. The Holyn troops, not expecting such fierce fighting, were ill-equipped to counter and a significant portion withdrew. Rebelling soldiers in other parts of Bogoria began to seal off roads and take control of the state. On 10 August 1997, Korda oversaw the Bogorian Parliament as it declared indepdence from Holynia. The central government in Cizekporok responded by launching a second attack on the building, this time causing considerable damange.
The month of August saw a lull in fighting as the Holyn government attempted to prevent outright war and sought to eliminate leaders of the independence movement. However, this strategy was blamed by then Minister of Defence Marshall Benedikt Jelínek for allowing the rebels to entrench themselves and gain more weaponry. On 2 September 1997, rebels seized control of a number of barracks containing anti-aircraft weaponry. This provided them a significant advantage. The Bogorian Military District, essentially all the Holyn military units stationed in Bogoria, faced upwards of 75% of its force defecting to the independence movement.
Throughout September and October, clashes began to escalate as rebels seized large swaths of Bogorian countryside, while the central government gradually became distracted by the escalating political crisis throughout the Holynia. Violence continued to escalate as pro-Holyn forces faced sophisticated weaponry fielded by the rebels. In November 1997, Defence Minister Jelínek authorised fully fledged military units to deploy into Bogoria. Since little remained of the Bogorian Military District, the 3rd Guards Tank Army and the 15th Guards Tank Army of the Central Military District were deployed into Bogoria.
On 23 November, Korda declared the formation of the Bogorian Liberation Army in response to the escalating fighting. Korda declared himself commander-in-chief of the BLA and sought to unify the various, disjointed operations of the rebels. BLA forces controlled much of the Bogorian countryside, as well as the outskirts of Utena. The majority of border crossings with Movargovina and Stesopol were under the control of the BLA. In response, both countries closed these crossings but took no further action at the time.
Fighting escalates
December would see the largest escalation in fighting so far. Government forces took advantage of fairly mild December weather and launched a coordinated offensive under the codename Operation 1700. Operation 1700 included the 3rd Guards Tank Army, 5th Guards Tank Army, 9th Guards Tank Army and 15th Guards Tank Army, consisting of roughly 45,000 troops. Aviation and naval assets were to be used. The operation would be personally led by Defence Minister Benedikt Jelínek. The goal was to seize control of all major villages and recapture border crossings with Movargovina and Stesopol. Holynia activated the mutual defence clause of the Goranci Treaty. This saw Movargovina deploy military forces in support of Operation 1700. Stesopol assisted by allowing Holyn troops to deploy from within Stesopol.
On 12 December, Operation 1700 commenced. Holyn Air Force bombers attacked rebel positions in the Kłodawa kraj (region). This region had the heaviest concentration of BLA forces, with the de-facto headquarters of the BLA in Gniewkowo. BLA forces utilised captured air defence systems to shoot down several government aircraft. A force of roughly 6,000 Holyn troops moved into the town of Byczyna. Another major force of Movargovinian and Holyn troops attacked the rebel stronghold of Cieszyn.
Despite this massive use of force by the Holyn communist government, Operation 1700 soon became bogged down in house to house fighting. Air support came under intense anti-aircraft fire both by AA gun systems and shoulder launched SAMs. Prusík issued orders for Operation 1700 forces to prevent civilian casualties and limit destruction. However, BLA forces possesed large quantities of armour, resulting in the Holyn government forces responding with increasing destructive weaponry. MLRS systems devastated several towns in the Kłodawa region. As a result, civilian casualties began to mount.
Morale among the government forces participating in Operation 1700 was low. The economic situation at the time led to a rapid decline in the living standards of soldiers and officers alike. Compensation for conscripts, NCOs and officers had been cut drastically. Some of the units participating were the "elite" units of the Holyn military, while others were ordinary units. This resulted in varying morale, quality of equipment and training. The Movargovinian troops had extremely low morale, resulting in some even defecting to the BLA. Many of the government troops were disgruntled at being deployed and in some cases thought they were being deployed for training. In contrast, the BLA were largely highly motivated officers and soldiers that formerly served in the Holyn military or police. Many had combat experience and were fighting for a cause they believed in. However, they received little to no monetary compensation and units were disorganised.
The disorganized and chaotic mobilization of Holyn government forces led to high casualties of both civilian and government troops. By 19 December, Holyn forces had sustained over 1,000 casaulties. On 21 December, a column of Holyn military, police and security services troops was ambushed in Świdnica. This battle resulted in the death of Holyn Army Colonel General Tomáš Gábor, along with almost 500 Holyn soldiers. A counter attack by government forces saw almost 1,000 civilians and 300 BLA rebels killed.
The rising casaulty rate saw the first attempts at negotiation in Uhrov. The Bogor delegation wanted full independence for Bogoria, which was unnacceptable for the Holyn negotiators. The Politburo would not accept anything less than surrender of the BLA and limited autonomy for Bogoria. Public opinion in Holynia was also turning against both the war and the government. On 25 December, despite the failure of Operation 1700 to capture all the major cities and towns under BLA control, it did succeed in capturing all the border crossings. BLA rebels retreated to several major cities, including Gniewkowo, the de-facto capital of the seperatist Bogoria.
A new Holyn government offensive, titled Operation 2000, began on the 26 of December. This would see a midnight storming of Gniewkowo with the goal of disrupting BLA command and control. Massive air raids, consisting of almost 50 plus aircraft, were conducted throughout the night. This led to the near destruction of the city and civilian casaulties of around 2,000 within 24 hours. Poor visibility and lack of clear objectives meant aircraft simply dropped their weapons unguided. The ground force had trouble moving into the city as road signs had been removed and bridges had been destroyed.
Heavy urban fighting began in Gniewkowo with government forces having to fight building to building. Government armour sustained heavy losses as infantry failed to advance with tanks. A major snowstorm struck the Gniewkowo region on New Years Day. Logistical issues complicated the government advance. A force of almost 1,000 Holyn soldiers surrendered to BLA rebels after they ran out of ammunition. By 19 January, almost 3,000 Holyn troops had been killed in Gniewkowo alone, with almost 15,000 civilians also being killed.
On 1 February, Holyn troops reached the regional administration building in Gniewkowo. By this time, little remained of Gniewkowo and the limited information that flowed from the battlefield to the rest of Holynia shocked the populace. Public dissaproval of the war saw massive demonstrations against the war and the Workers' Party. Citizens rallied around Jonáš Široký who made a high profile speech during a Central Committee meeting broadcast live on TV. He displayed classified photos from the battle showing the immense human casualties of both civilians and soldiers. He called the Politburo inept and responsible for the "bloodbath" in Gniewkowo.
Široký resigned from the Workers' Party shortly after and began leading demonstrations against the government. As the political situation in Cizekporok began to deterioate, so did the situation in Bogoria. On 20 March 1998, the Communist government in Movargovina resigned as a result of the immense public outcry at the war and growing economic collapse. As a consequence, Holynia lost a major ally in the fight against the BLA. The war reached a stalemate at this point, with Gniewkowo largely split 50/50 between the Holyn government and the BLA.
On 30 March, an attempt to break the stalemate was Operation Storm. The 15th Tank Army was to storm Gniewkowo and relieve the beleagured forces in the city. However, the battle resulted in a massive defeat for the Holyn government. The 15th Tank Army, largely consisting of fresh conscripts were extremely low on morale. Many soldiers deserted as the fighting escalated. The remaining forces became bogged down in the muddy and wet conditions. The Holyn Air Force began to use cluster munititions against the BLA.
Operation Storm was declared a failure after the 15th Tank Army was largely defeated. High casaulties, logistical issues and poor operational planning were blamed for the defeat. Defense Minister Jelínek was sacked by Prusík as a consequence and several top military officers were replaced.
During May 1998, demonstrations against the Holyn government again broke out. Anti-communist groups demanded an end to single party rule, meanwhile larger anti-war groups demanded an end to the war in Bogoria. Despite promises of both reform and peace, Prusík was forced to resign with the Politburo from the Workers' Party. Prusík temporarily remained Premier in a caretaker government with Široký as his Deputy. This government was largely for resolving the war militarily and indepdendence for Bogoria was never seriously considered.
In July 1998, BLA rebels took advantage of the confusing situation and besieged Utena and the port city of Ożarów. Fears of a bloodbath led to the evacuation of civiliansin Ożarów. Civilian liners were used to evacuate thousands of ethnic Hornat, Masovian and Bogor civilians out of the city. As fighting continued, a Holyn government aircraft mistakingly attacked one of these evacuation ships. It resulted in the death of almost 2,000 civilians as the ship sank rapidly.
BLA artillery caused a series of explosions in Ożarów, leading to further civilian deaths.