Midsummer War
The Midsummer War, also referred to as the Iron Island Conflict, was a major conflict fought between Shalum, Acrea, and Æþurheim (Aethurheim). The war took place from 21 June 2015 to 7 August 2015 following heightened tensions in the aftermath of a breakdown in talks following a dispute over the treatment of peoples in Maldoria and its status as former Æþurian and Svinian territory.
Aethurian Supreme Chancellor Karlos Vocht deliberately avoided diplomatic escalation once negotiations with Shalum had ceased, intending to gain an immediate advantage with a surprise attack. The plan partially succeeded; despite Shalumite surveillance and intelligence taking note of troop movements within Aethurheim, brief troop buildups and aggressive posturing were common under Vocht's administration, and Shalumite forces on Iron Island were placed on alert without units on the mainland being moved to provide rapid reinforcement if necessary. While Acrean intelligence disagreed with this assessment and expressed desire for more considerable preparations, their concerns were overruled in favour of the Shalumites attempting to not provoke an even more aggressive response from Aethurheim.
The initial invasion was successful, with Aethurian forces occupying swathes of territory on Iron Island and reaching deep inland. However, the deployment of Shalumite and Acrean reinforcements to the island largely ground their advance to a snail's pace. The Coalition subsequently launched Operation Overture, beginning an intense campaign of airstrikes and bombing targeting Aethurheim itself. The operation caught the Aethurians by surprise, resulting in the largest air battle in Tyran's history and the single worst event for the Aethurian Air Force (Luftforsvar) in its history, with high losses to its air fleet and severe degradation of its operational capability. The high casualties and immense damage to military and civilian infrastructure in Aethurheim sustained over several days of intense ground combat and bombing led Aethurian leadership to the conclusion that the operation was a failure, and decided to withdraw rather than risk total destruction of the forces it had landed on the island. Damage inflicted by RAAF airstrikes exacerbated the chaos of the withdrawal and made it difficult to rapidly withdraw troops. Recognising the retreat, Shalumite and Acrean ground forces did not actively pursue, and a ceasefire was declared after several long weeks of intense combat operations.
In the aftermath of the conflict, the Coalition forces had dealt a severe blow to the Aethurian military, and crippled its air force. Their success in the conflict was afterward attributed to a number of factors. One of these factors was the numerous misperceptions and miscalculations were made by Aethurian leadership; Vocht believed that the invasion would be capable of inflicting enough shock on the Shalumite defence that it would be able to occupy the entire island within days, and thus little accommodation was made for supporting sustained combat operations. Likewise, he believed that the relative isolation of Iron Island and the rapidity of a presumed Aethurian victory would mean that the Acreans would either decide not to intervene in strength, or if they did that they would be unable to mobilise enough forces fast enough. Vocht believed that by seizing Iron Island, he could force Shalum into ceding the territory of Maldoria. The defeat caused Vocht to resign in shame, paving the way for Monika Schefer to replace him.
The conflict dramatically subverted expectations of how a war between the three nations would play out. Traditional perceptions had assumed that any conflict between the two sides would result in a large-scale war of attrition, not unlike the Zemplen War which it has often been analysed alongside. The fast-paced technologically-dominated conflict that ensued was thought to have been unlikely. Tensions have remained high in the years since.
Background
Course of the war
Initial Invasion
The invasion began in the early morning before daybreak on June 21, with Aethurian landing forces landing on the southern and western parts of the island. Shalumite-Acrean surveillance recognised the impending attack, however were only able to maneuver forces on the island into pre-prepared defensive positions per an existing war plan, and only began preparing reinforcements to move to the island shortly before Aethurian landing forces arrived. Consisting primarily of six Sturmtropper brigades, the first wave of the invasion force concentrated at the relatively lightly defended stretch of Brighton Beach, using amphibious troop carriers and heavy transports to land Mammut tanks on shore. The shock troops swept over the seaside residences in what was initially bitter house to house fighting with forward elements of the National Guard, who did not fare well against the aggressive breakthrough formations. At the time, air support for Brighton was mostly handled by the RMS Jormungandr, with her supporting naval group providing long range cruise missile fire on positions further inland.
Although the initial landing was successful, with Aethurian Stormtroopers managing to establish several beachheads and begin pushing inland towards Iron Island's capital of Kaiserwerth, they suffered heavier casualties than expected due to a tenacious Shalumite defence, bolstered by strong defensive positions and fortifications. Aethurian naval assets, initially poised to provide fire support to landing forces, was forced to fall back from their initial positions trying to avoid engagement due to the arrival of Acrean warships: several Type 729-class and Type 727-class destroyers supported by other smaller vessels arrived to the north off Iron Island, and several Type 906-class submarines were launched from submarine pens near Aragon.
Aethurian troops had made their way deep inland despite stiff resistance, however had largely been halted by the arrival of Shalumite and Acrean reinforcements from the mainland. Aethurian naval assets were redirected to secure their line of supply from the Aethurian mainland, protecting logistical ships transporting troops and materiel from Acrean warships and submarines. Despite the intial success of the land operation, the Luftforsvar was still continuing to battle for air superiority with the ISAF and RAAF and had been unable to secure it by that evening. Aethurian fighter aircraft utilised "jousting" tactics learned from the Syaran CAF during the Zemplen War, firing at long range at Shalumite fighters before turning away to avoid committing to engagements. This was done to preserve airpower, but nonetheless resulted in several fighter aircraft being shot down on either side. Aethurian attack aircraft endured more substantial losses in the initial stages of the invasion, suffering from prevalent Shalumite surface-to-air defences and a lack of air superiority to prevent them from being engaged by Shalumite fighters. Ground combat turned into a functional stalemate; the Aethurian advance was halted at the point it had progressed by nightfall on , and rather than attempt a counterattack, Shalumite-Acrean forces bolstered their defensive positions in the fact of aggressive Aethurian strategy.
Aerial Campaign over Æþurheim
With defensive ground operations proving successful and the frontline on the island stabilising, Coalition attention turned to the implementation of Fall Høst (Acrean: Case Harvest). Envisioned as the blueprint for an air campaign in case of an Aethurian attack across the southern Shalumite border, the plan was slightly modified and implemented as Operation Overture. It began shortly after nightfall at 21:00 on 29 June. The operation consisted of two components: an extensive bombing campaign accompanied by an offensive counter air operation, divided into three waves, and targeted Aethurian military installations in six states: Norscveg, Skjardel, Gallagher, Radik, Fjellende, and Liam. Priority targeting focused on striking pre-identified SAM sites, ground radar installations, airbases, and other key command centres.
The first wave of airstrikes was conducted largely by the RAAF, taking advantage of its substantial fleet of low-observable aircraft. The opening airstrikes severely damaged the incomplete Aethurian integrated air defence system, which had been undergoing construction following a doctrinal shift in the early 2010s after the Luftforsvar's experience in the Zemplen War. The Luftforsvar suffered the destruction of key command centres for its fledgling IADS. These stations were responsible not just for tracking and assigning targets for SAM sites, but were also responsible for guiding and directing Aethurian fighters, as the Luftforsvar did not use AWACS aircraft. Aethurian pilots had become over-reliant on the use of the stations, lacking other supporting assets such as airborne EW&C. As a result Aethurian fighters attempting to respond to the airstrikes had limited situational awareness. They clashed with RAAF fighters providing aerial cover for strike groups in an intense series of aerial engagements which would persist for the rest of the conflict. The loss of important command centres created major gaps in the Aethurian air defence network, opening air corridors for Coalition strike aircraft.
Subsequent waves took advantage of the chaos that had been created by the operation's opening airstrikes, hitting a wide array of targets. Of particular effectiveness was the CRAF's bombing of Aethurian harbors and rail stations, which severely hindered the URA's ability to resupply and reinforce its troops on Iron Island. The RAAF's targeting of Luftforsvar airbases contributed greatly to the success of the aerial campaign; it succeeded in rendering 30% of Aethurian airbases in the north and east of the country inoperable. In combination with continued OCA operations, the Luftforsvar was unable to organise an effective defense of Aethurian airspace and suffered heavy losses to its air fleet from a combination of aerial engagements and aircraft lost on the ground.