Vinyan War
| 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 | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kolodoria  Sebrenskiya  Polvokia |
 Tír Tairngire  Tír an Crainn  Tír Glas  New Tyran  Tír Ealga  Tír an Fáill  Crioch Fuinidh  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:  3,500,000 140,000 15,000 |
Peak Strength: 627,591 488,127 290,552 50,000 7,773 3,731 2,226 200,000 45,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
550,000 killed 1,500,000 wounded |
350,000 killed 950,000 wounded | ||||||
The Vinyan War (Kolodorian: Vinija Karš) was a 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.
At the height of the Anglian Empire, the region known as Zavijava came under Anglian control but was inhabited primarily by ethnic Kolodorians. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Background
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 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.
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 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.
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 (March-June 1976)
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.
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.
On 21 May Brunkevičs was summoned back to Salhar where he was sacked and removed from command, with control of Second Army Group falling to his deputy commander. Colonel General Oktavians Zvinelis was then given overall command of KPDF forces in southern Kolodoria. Zvinelis immediately set about planning a counter-offensive meant to drive the VMF out of southern Kolodoria. Prior to his appointment, Zvinelis had been charged with mobilizing and organizing Kolodorian reserves and on 28 May officially formed Fourth Army Group consisting of the 4th, 8th, 16th, and 27th Corps. On 3 June KPDF headquarters in Salhar officially created Third Army Group composed of the 7th, 10th, 19th, and 21st Corps. Creation of two large formations was made possible by extensive training facilities located north of Bessarabia, who's existence was not known to the VMF. Marshal Jazeps Buļs, Head of the General Staff at KPDF Headquarters, envisioned a two-pronged offensive against the VMF; one in southern Kolodoria to drive out the VMF from Kolodorian soil, and a second cocurrent offensive against Tír an Crainn. Buļs believed that by opening up a "Crainnic Front", the VMF would be forced to divert resources and troops away from the Koldoria and pave the way towards an easy repulsion of VMF forces out of southern Kolodoria. Not all of the General Staff were convinced, and Kraulis himself was skeptical of the plan, but ultimately relented and gave his approval after he was convinced that since Tír an Crainn was already at war with Kolodoria, it was an acceptable strategic decision. Throughout late June Kolodorian reserves continued to cross the Luminovian Caval in preparation for a major offensive agains teh VMF.
In order to maintain operational security the Kolodorians went to extreme lenghts to hide their buildup, moving entire formations soley at night, setting up fake field headquarters and having embassies in foreign states make supposed overtures towards peace. In order to keep VMF attention focused elsewhere the KPDF launched operations elsewhere; in early June the 29th and 20th Corps carried out local counter-offensives to keep attention focused directly on the frontline. Glasic and Anglian intelligence nevertheless managed to detect signs of the impending Kolodorian counter-offensive, but were unable to formulate a coherent picture. Rumors persisted that Kolodorian forces intended to cross through neutral Vyzhva to out-maneuver VMF forces despite little hard evidence to support the claim. Hefferman remained convinced that a Kolodorian counter-offensive was imminent, but increasingly stiff Kolodorian air defenses were making intelligence collection difficult. To compensate Hefferman had the VMF slow down its advance, and for much of June the multinational forces made little northern progress.
In early June Glasic intelligence had detected indications that an invasion of Tír an Crainn was being planned, but later radio intercepts indicated that the proposed invasion was merely a diversionary effort meant to divide VMF attention away from southern Kolodoria, and Glasic intelligence therefore dismissed the possibility of invasion. It wasn't until 2 July that Anglian intelligence, acting on information obtained from their embassy in Letnia, deduced that the proposed invasion was in fact real and that Kolodorian forces were on the verge of invading Tír an Crainn. The Crainnic government was informed that the expected invasion date was 19 July and immediately requested the deployment of allied forces to the Crainnic border. In response Hefferman authorized the re-deployment the 11th Provincial Mounted Division to Tír an Crainn. The deployment however was detected by Kolodorian intelligence, which the KPDF deduced was proof that the VMF knew of the impending invasion. The set date for the invasion, 19 July, was moved forward to 9 July by Colonel General Austrums Ozols, commander of Third Army Group.
Kolodorian Counter-Offensives (July-December 1976)
On 9 July 1976 the KPDF launched two simultaneous offensives, Operation Copperhead, the invasion of Tír an Crainn, and Operation Python, a counteroffensive against VMF forces in southern Kolodoria. A total of 525,000 Kolodorian, Sebrenskiyan, and Polvokian forces were unleashed against approximately 400,000 VMF troops. In the east the combined Kolodorian/Sebrenskiyan forces ufocused on splitting off and encircling the Third Glasic Guards Army and the First Tairngiric Reserve Army, while pinning the First Tairngiric Guards Army and preventing it from assisting its sister formations. Between 9-12 July the Third Glasic Guards Army engaged in a pitched battle against the fresh 4th Corps and what remained of the 20th and 15th Corps. Further east along the banks of the Tukayyid River the First Tairngiric Reserve Army found itself facing the fresh 27th Corps and the battered 29th Corps.
Within two days General Hefferman recognized the VMF was facing overwhelming mechanized and armored forces that it was ill-prepared to face. On 11 July the Third Glasic Guards Army was ordered to withdraw from the Satalice Plains and reform a defensive line along the Sakele Ridge. Hefferman also ordered the First Tairngiric Guards Army to disengage and reofrm along the Azuolas and Railands Rivers to protect the flank of the Third Glasic. On 14 July the First Tairngiric Reserve Army abandoned its positions along the north Tukayyid River and began retreating to take up positions between the Radstadt Corridor and the south Tukayyid River. Hefferman hoped that seizing strategic terrain would allow the VMF to weather the Kolodorian offensive. This plan was thrown into dissarray on 16 July however when the Kolodorian 16th Corps, assisted by three divisions of Sebrenskiyan forces, unexpectedly crossed Mount Zarins and smashed through the VMF flank guard held by the Tairngiric 11th Homeland Division. The Third Glasic Guards Army now had nearly seven divisions on its right flank, separating it from the First Tairngiric Reserve Army.
Still under attack from the Kolodorian 4th Corps north of Sakele Ridge and through the Radstadt Corridor, Hefferman recognized the Third Glasic Guards Army was in no position to re-establish a defensive line and ordered the army to withdraw straight for the Aloyzas Passage. Likewise the First Tairngiric Reserve Army, facing potentially being trapped in the Tukayyid Peninsula should the Kolodorian 16th Corps swing south-east, was ordered to retreat south towards the Bay of Tukayyid. Facing potential disaster if the 16th Corps were to break into the Third Glasic Guards Army's operational rear, Hefferman ordered the Hallian 3rd Mechanized Division, the Anglian 3rd Armored Division and 5th Infantry Brigade to hold the line and fight a delaying action at the South Zarins Hills. In the ensuing clash both sides suffered heavy casualties, but the VMF was able to succesfully withdraw and reform a new defensive line around Zavijava. By mid-August the fighting had reached pre-war borders once again.
Hefferman had hoped on strong fire and avation support from VMF naval task forces off the coast of Tukayyid but on 20 July the Kolodorian Navy, which had spent most of the war up until this point within the Gulf of Kolodoria, sailed south to engage the VMF naval forces. The subsequent Battle of the Eastern Gulf ended in a lopsided VMF victory; eight Kolodorian ships were sunk including the carrier Iekarotājs at the cost of two VMF vessels. But the battle had diverted VMF naval forces from supporting the beleaugered First Tairngiric Army, allowing the Kolodorians to score a major victory on land. VMF naval forces support the retreat of their land counterparts throughout August, but on 3 September the threat of Kolodorian strategic bombers and land based anti-ship batteries along the Tukayyid coast forced their retreat after the Fleet Carrier Cailleach was heavily damaged by a Kolodorian anti-ship missile.
Fighting came to a lull throughout September as both sides attempted to reconstitute their forces in light of recent losses. The VMF had suffered almost 50,000 casualties during the retreat from Kolodoria, while Kolodorian forces had suffered over 40,000.
In the west, the launch of Operation Copperhead had suddenly forced the diversion of thousands of VMF troops to support Tír an Crainn. The sudden invasion caught the Crainnic Armed Forces largely off-guard, as they were expecting the invasion not be launched until mid-July. On 9 July the Kolodorians had a near 3:1 advantage in manpower, and enjoyed an even greater advantage in tanks and artillery. Crainnic defensive planning had long relied on the notion of trading space for time, namely ceding land north of the Nothern Mountains to the Kolodorians and using the rugged terrain further south as the basis for a defensive line. Third Army Group's rapid advance over its various river crossings on the border occurred faster than Crainnic planners were expecting. By 11 July the near entirety of Third Army Group had crossed the border and was advancing towards the Northern Mountains. Crainnic forces were well dug in along the mountains but were faced with serious deficienices in firepower; they posessed just 205 artillery pieces against nearly 2,000 Kolodorian guns. Between 12-20 July Kolodorian forces continuously shelled Crainnic lines while breaching their defensive positions in several locations.
In order to circumvent Crainnic defenses, Colonel General Austrums Ozols dispatched the 19th Corps to seize Inverin on the western coast. The city was caputred after a brief struggle by the 35th Mechanized Infantry Division on 19 July. After capturing the city, the 19th Corps subsquently turned south and began advancing down the Crainnic peninsula, outflanking Crainnic defenses. The General Staff of the Crainnic Armed Forces, recognizing they were now facing a potential encirclement, ordered a withdrawal south towards Dunaree. On 22 July the Northern Mountains had been fully captured by Third Army Group, granting Kolodoria control over the entirety of northern Tír an Crainn. Ozols then split up his forces; he ordered the 7th Corps to advance through Crainnic territory bordering Vyzhva while the 19th Corps continued along the western coast. In the center, the 21st and 10th Corps were ordered to seize Dunaree.
Between 24-29 July Kolodorian forces surrounded Dunaree, which capitulated on 30 July. By now tens of thousands of Crainnic reserves and Glasic reinforcements were being mobilized to defend Tír an Crainn, but the Kolodorians retained the iniative. Ozols himself was concerned about continuing the advance; he was now hundreds of kilometers away from Kolodoria over increasingly rugged terrain, but with the potential to seize more of Tír an Crainn he was ordered to continue the offensive by KPDF Headquarters. Concerned about overextending his forces he ordered the 7th Corps to halt while the 19th Corps was to secure the western coast. The 10th and 21st Corps were ordered to advance south through Barlow Gap, which provided the only direct route for the Crainnic capital of Rossinver. Recognizing the strategic importance of Barlow Gap, tens of thousands of Glasic and Crainnic troops were rushed to seize control and prevent a Kolodorian advance on the capital. In the ensuing Battle of Barlow Gap on 6-8 August the Kolodorians were halted by the combined Glasic-Crainnic force. Following his defeat Ozols opted to withdraw his forces back towards Dunaree than risk a prolonged engagement so far away from his own supply lines.
Although both sides has been exhausted by the fighting, Kolodoria remained determined to reclaim Zavijava. Following a lull that lasted most of Setptember Second and Fourth Army Group began preparations for a renewed offensive against the VMF focused on seizing control of Zavijava once agian. Aware of what had befallen the Kolodorians in the Spring, the VMF established a defense-in-depth in Zavijava, hoping to prevent a succesful Kolodorian push across the Rudzitis, Arins, and Azuolas Rivers. Zvinelis, aware of the extent of VMF defenses, concluded that the only realistic option was to conduct a breakthrough and attempt to push as many forces through as possible. To this end Zvinelis focused on Second Army Group launching a diversionary attack across the Azuolas River while the bulk of Fourth Army Group poured across the Rudzitis. To further compenstate for the VMF defenses Zvinelis planned for a major air offensive to be conducted simultaneously to prevent VMF air power from striking aginst river crossings.
After several weeks of buildup combined with elaborate deception efforts to make the VMF believe the real push would be across the Azuolas and the Arins rivers, the Kolodorians began a series of short but intense artillery barrages while some 230 aircraft launched strikes against VMF forward positions and airbases. Despite fierce resistance by VMF forces manning the river boundaries, by 11 October Fourth Army Group had crossed in four locations and had 6 divisions across the Rudzitis. Unable to prevent further crossings, General Hefferman ordered the VMF to reatreat further into the Rabaciauskas Plains, hoping to force a mobile battle where the VMF could sucesfully annihilate the Kolodorian armored spearheads in the open. The Battle of the Rabaciauskas Plains was officially the largest tank battle of the war, and the largest since the Pan-Septentrion War, involved nearly 2,000 Glasic, Tairngiric, Hallian, Themiclesian, and Anglian tanks against three armored and mechanized corps totaling 2,700 Kolodorian tanks in addition to thousands more armored fighting vehicles and artillery pieces. The battle was effectively a tactical stalemate; the VMF hadn't been able to destroy the bulk of the Kolodorian forces while still holding their own ground. The VMF had lost a total of 368 tanks destroyed or abandoned in exchange for 673 Kolodorian tanks eliminated. However the massive engagement had distracted VMF attention long enough for the 27th Corps to cross the Arins River, threatining to cut off the VMF's escape route through the Ino Valley.
Faced with another massive armored clash, but limited opportunities to withdraw, Hefferman made the controversial decision to order the VMF to withdraw out of Zavijava. Hefferman explained his decision in a letter to King Henry on 27 October stating that "the possibility of another climactic battle presents with an offer of a crushing victory...but equally threatens us with catastrophe should we fail". Hefferman ultimately decided waging the near entirety of the 300,000 strong VMF army was not worth it, and throughout late October and early November the VMF withdrew through the Central Highlands. Fighting continued throughout much of November the KPDF attempted to seize more territory in Zavijava and beyond, ultimately the fighting died down around the rough boundaries of the disputed territories. Ironically both Hefferman and Zvinelis would comment to their staff that they were essentially in the same position they had been in a year prior.