Zemplen War
| Zemplen War | |||||||||
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 Clockwise from top: Syaran artillery during the initial invasion; A Syaran tank on the outskirts of Sagerejo; A Syaran soldier taking up a defensive position at the base of the Kurilla Mountains; Ruvelkan armor advances; A Ruvelkan attack helicopter taking off in the summer of 2009; Ruvelkan Fusiliers during the Winter Counteroffensive. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Supported by:  Acrea |
 Syara | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Edviná Molnár |
Dragomir Zhelev | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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4.7 million |
4.1 million | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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455,671 killed 34,452 missing 1.6 million wounded |
470,791 killed 37,886 missing 1.8 million wounded | ||||||||
The Zemplen War (Syaran: Zemplenska vojna) was a major conflict fought between Ruvelka and Syara over the long-disputed territory of Zemplen. The war took place between 23 May 2008 to 19 July 2010 following a period of heightened tensions between the two nations over the Zemplen territory, a border province that was populated primarily by ethnic Ruvelkans but controlled by Syara. After a period of escalation, conventional hostilities broke out that pitted largely two equal powers against one another in what would be one of the bloodiest conflicts in Tyran of the 21st Century.
Syara and Ruvelka had long fought over disputed territory following the collapse of the Arkoennite Empire. During the Ruvelkan Civil War, Syara had invaded and occupied several regions of western Ruvelka and maintained a number of these territories even in the era following the end of the Siduri War, the Zemplen area being the largest in terms of size and population. Per an agreement between the Syaran and Ruvelkan governments, both sides had deployed peacekeepers to the area in an attempt to reduce tensions. In 2005 the two nations came to blows in the Imerti Conflict, a brief five day war that further soured relations between Ruvelka and Syara. After a rise in nationalist activity, however, the Syarans doubled the size of their peacekeeping force. While this increase in military presence was within the parameters of the agreement, the build-up was heavily armed and included tanks and artillery. Ruvelka protested and responded with an increase in its own forces. A series of unresolved standoffs followed and eventually broke out into fighting between the two sides, prompting both nations to mobilize their armed forces. Attempts to mediate the conflict failed after neither side was able to come to an agreement.
Syaran and Ruvelkan forces were largely evenly matched in terms of numbers, technology, and training. As a result, many of the early major battles in the early months of the were were largely inconclusive. In August 2008 Syara unleashed a major offensive aimed at northern and southern Ruvelka, resulting in major gains made between August through October. In late November Ruvelka launched a strategic counter-offensive that lasted until late December, which reduced Syaran gains across the entire front. In the Spring of 2009 Syara launched a number of offensives in the north and south but failed to make much progress against Ruvelkan forces in the south, resulting in a stalemate around Aszód. By the summer of 2009 Syara had captured Kaposvar and Kunhegyes, but another failed offensive against the Aszód front resulted in a protracted stalemate in the autumn of 2009. In the winter of 2009-2010 Syara launched a major offensive in central and northern Ruvelka, but suffered heavy casualties and failed to achieve a major breakthrough. In early 2010 Ruvelka began gathering its strategic reserves for a major offensive, which it unleashed in June, throwing the frontline into dissarray and forcing Syara to withdraw from Ruvelka entirely. Both sides agreed to a ceasefire in July.
The peace talks were mediated by Shalum and resulted in the Treaty of Aragon. Syara was forced to abandon all its claims to Zemplen and all disputed territories inhabited primarily by Ruvelkans; in exchange Syara received lands that were controlled by Ruvelka but populated by ethnic Syarans. Although the terms of the treaty exchanged ethnic territories, it was largely seen to have favored Ruvelka as Syara lost 8,045 square kilometers of territory. Diplomatic relations between the two nations were eventually re-established in 2011.
Fought between two modernized and industrialized nations on par with one another in terms of technology and organization, the war shattered many pre-concienved notions about how a modern war between peer opponents would play out. Expectations of a rapid war of technological dominance were overshadowed quickly by the rapid depletion of smart munitions, advanced fighter aircraft, and modern armored fighting vehicles, and instead boiled down into a war of attrition marked by heavy casualties and slow moving offensives. Both Ruvelka and Syara conducted extensive information warfare efforts to sway international opinion to either side. In an agreement with Ossoria and Cacerta, both Ruvelka and Syara abstained from naval operations in the Sundering Sea so as to avoid interference with the major sea lanes that ran through the Divide. In the air, Ruvelka initiated a strategic bombing campaign to destroy Syaran military production facilities and manufacturing capability. Both sides conducted cyberattacks on one another. The war was extensively covered by international media outlets on television and the internet. Tensions remained high between Ruvelka and Syara in the years following the war, and only recently have both sides made efforts towards establishing a peaceful relationship.
Background
The territory of Zemplen had been contested between Ruvelka and Syara for much of modern history. Tensions between the two sides increased following the dissolution of the Ruvelkan Imperium and the outbreak of the Ruvelkan Civil War. Before becoming distracted by the Divide War, Syaran forces intervened in the fighting by seizing control of Zemplen. None of the Ruvelkan factions were in a position to stop the seizure, and Zemplen was annexed by Syara following the war.
Despite Syaran efforts to encourage Ruvelkan emigration from Zemplen, a sizeable Ruvelkan population remained within the territory in the years leading up to the Siduri War. Zemplen was used as a staging point for the Syaran invasion, and remained under Syaran control after the end of the war, as the Commom Axis felt that pre-war borders needed to be restored. Syaran control over Ruvelka remained a sore spot for Ruvelka, but in the post-war reconstruction there was little desire to force another conflict. In the 1980s both sides had undergone radical domestic changes, with Syara sliding into the Refusal War. Despite the ongoing civil war, the Ruvelkan government elected to avoid any attempt at recapturing Zemplen, fearing the possibility of getting dragged into the conflict. The Wardens rise to power in Syara prompted concern within Ruvelka, which was fearful of a nationalist, revolutionary Syara. Relations between the two powers managed to remain largely cordial despite comments made by public officials on both sides. Beginning in the 21st century however relations began to sour considerably. In 2003 Syara and Ruvelka clashed in the Imerti Conflict, a brief five day undeclared war in which Ruvelkan military forces attempted to seize control of strategic areas within the Imerti territory. Ruvelkan forces however were unable to force out Syaran garrison troops, and a ceasefire was brokered by Acrea.
The brief fighting over Imerti set the tone for Ruvelkan-Syaran relations over the next several years, with both sides viewing each other with suspicion and accusing the other of fostering and promoting instability. Both nations began extensive military buildups, increasing productions of weaponry and armaments while expanding the size of their armed forces. As part of the Imerti ceasefire, both Ruvelka and Syara had agreed to deploy peacekeepers to disputed territories to prevent the outbreak of nationalist inspired acts of violence. In Zemplen, both sides were authorized to deploy peacekeeping contingents of 2,000 personnel, though in practice nominal levels were roughly 1,200 on each side. Tensions remained high between 2003-2008, eventually coming to a head in the spring of 2008.
In January 2008 Telev Mining Consortium, the second largest employer in all of Zemplen, filed for bankruptcy and laid off it's entire workforce within the region. Unemployment skyrocketed, and Zemplen's economy, long dependent on the mining industry, began to collapse. In Feburary after extensive lobbying the Syaran government agreed to implement a stimulus program aimed at revitalizing Zemplen's economic fortunes. However in the midst of a general economic downturn caused by a recession in Azurlavai, Syara's largest trading partner, the Syaran government limited it's stimulus package to focus on urban areas populated predominantly by ethnic Syarans. While not officially excluding Ruvelkans, the prioritization of Syaran neighborhoods had clear effects on Zemplen. By March revitalization efforts had largely stabilized wages and unemployment numbers for Syaran towns, while Ruvelkans living in Zemplen struggled with rabid unemployment, food shortages, and rolling blackouts. On 11 March the Ruvelkan government announced its intentions to start aid deliveries to ethnic Ruvelkan enclaves in Zemplen, which Syara refused to allow out of fear that the Ruvelkan government would attempt to smuggle in weapons, as had happened in Imteri five years prior.
Riots soon broke out in ethnic Ruvelkan population centers, leading Syara to increase its peacekeeping force to the maximum limit of 2,000 troops. Debrecen condemned the act, pointing out that Syaran peacekeepers were being reinforced with main battle tanks and heavy artillery, and not further law enforcement or riot police. In response Ruvelka deployed additional peacekeepers, a move that Zovahr denounced as a "flagrant attempt at intimidation through escalation". Through April 2008 there were more than 50 reported clashes between peacekeeping forces and rioters, resulting in 27 deaths and hundreds of injuries, along with hundreds of arrests. On 13 April Ruvelkan peacekeepers operating near the border town of Siratz were shelled, resulting in the death of two Ruvelkan soldiers. Syara denied responsibility, blaming the attack on Ruvelkan nationalists within Zemplen.
On 25 April riots broke out in Sopron as over 15,000 ethnic Ruvelkans occupied the city center, demanding a withdrawal of Syaran peacekeepers and allowance of aid from the Principality. The protestors remained in Sopron until 14 May, when they were finally forced to disperse by Syaran riot and military police in clashes that killed 17 people and left more than 500 wounded. Ruvelka urged the Organization of Tyrannic States to officially condemn Syara, which the Commonality responded by accusing Ruvelka of inciting ethnic violence within Zemplen. Tensions finally came to a head on 20 May when Ruvelkan nationalists seized control of a radio station on the outskirts of Szellő and began broadcasting anti-Syaran messages. A Syaran peacekeeping force was dispatched to take control of the radio station and arrest the Ruvelkans, all of this just 2 kilometers from a Ruvelkan peacekeeping outpost. According to Syara, when Syaran peacekeepers approached the radio station they were fired upon by the inhabitants, forcing them to level the building. Ruvelka maintains that Syaran forces purposefully destroyed the building before attempting any kind of take over. A nearby Ruvelkan patrol, which was attempting to respond to a distress call issued by the radio station, arrived on the scene shortly thereafter. Both sides reacted negatively to the other's presence, and a firefight broke out between the two forces. Syara and Ruvelka to this day maintain the other side fired first, but by 16 May clashes between the two peacekeeping forces had broken out across Zemplen.
Although both sides made efforts to negotiate a ceasefire, neither was able to come to terms. Syara refused to remove it's peacekeepers until Ruvelka did so, and Ruvelka was unwilling to remove their protection of ethnic Ruvelkans in Zemplen. Both sides hastily mobilized nearby military forces and deployed them to Zemplen, resulting in a series of engagements that began on 23 May, which is generally considered to mark the beginning of the war.
Build up and deployed forces
Prior to the outbreak of hostilities between the two sides both Ruvelka and Syara had mobilized military forces and placed units near the border on high alert, but the rapid unfolding of the conflict meant that both sides were largely caught unprepared for the scale of the fighting. The months of June and July 2008 saw frequent but disorganizing engagements between Syara and Ruvelkan forces as military units were committed piecemeal, responding to tactical developments rather than any greater operational or strategic planning. By late July however the Syaran Commonality Armed Forces had been organized enough to launch a series of general offensives across the entirety of the border, resulting in heavy Ruvelkan losses.
Both sides would go on to mobilize large conscript armies and produce large amounts of military hardware and ammunition over the course of the war. Ruvelka enjoyed a numerical advantage during most of the war due to it's larger population and deeper reserve system, namely the Territorial Forces.
Course of the War
Border Battles
Although both the Imperial Armed Forces of Ruvelka and the Syaran Commonality Armed Forces had been placed on high alert and partially mobilized prior to the outbreak of hostilities, neither side was fully prepared for the scale of the fighting, which quickly escalated to beyond Zemplen. On 24 May two battalions of the Ruvelkan 18th Royal Mechanized Division were ordered to advance into Zemplen and secure strategic areas near ethnic Ruvelkan towns, while on the same day elements of the Syaran 23rd Mechanized Infantry Division were ordered to take up positions within Zemplen to repel expected Ruvelkan assaults. Fighting quickly erupted across the rest of the border in a series of confusing and ad hoc engagements between border forces.
On 25 May Syaran troops shelled Ruvelkan positions along the border in the Kunhegyes Distrct, resulting in a number of casualties both civilian and military. Further south on 27 May Ruvelkan fighters from Albertirsa bombed Syaran border outposts, killing or injuring twenty Syaran border guards. Such one sided engagements continued until roughly mid-June, when mobilized military forces began conducting organized operations. On 4 June the Syaran Central Command issued a full mobilization and call up of all reserves, which was followed by an official declaration of war issued by Zovahr later in the day. The Syaran declaration placed the blame fully on Ruvelka for "instigating ethnic violence and lawlessness within disputed regions". Debrecen responded with it's own declaration of hostilities just after midnight, resulting in both nations being in a state of war effective 5 June. The Ruvelkan Imperial General Staff ordered an immediate mobilization of all military forces including the Territorial Defense Forces.
While sporadic fighting and skirmishes continued to erupt all throughout June and July, the Organization of Tyrannic States attempted to negotiate a ceasefire between Ruvelka and Syara. Despite 12 sessions over a two week period in mid July no agreement was reached, with both sides blaming the other for a refusal to compromise. Once it became clear the conflict would not be halted in the short term, pressure from both Ossoria and Cacerta resulted in a rare joint Ruvelkan-Syaran agreement to refrain from any kind of naval operations within the Sundering Sea. A joint Ossorian-Cacertian task force would remain off the cost of the two nations for the duration of the conflict, and no major incidents occurred between the Ruvelkan and Syaran navies in the Divide.
By late July it was clear that a negotiated settlement would not bring an end to the fighting. In the meanwhile both Syara and Ruvelka had deployed hundreds of thousands of troops to the border, and major military operations were underway. Both sides developed plans on how to resolve the conflict. The Syaran Central Command envisioned a major thrust into all disputed regions with the assumption that once all territory was under Syaran control, Ruvelka would have no choice but to accept a ceasefire. Ruvelkan planning was largely focused on Zemplen; despite the outbreak of fighting across the entire border the Imperial General Staff believed that Syara would not pursue a large scale conflict given how suddenly it had broken out. As a result Ruvelkan forces were arrayed across the border in a generally uneven defensive line, with units unable to support each other and little depth to their lines. Syaran forces assembled on the border were organized into three Army Groups, Alpha in the north, Beta in the center, and Gamma in the south. The total Syaran front line strength was roughly 43 divisions. Ruvelkan border forces consisted of 49 divisions, but Ruvelkan formations were smaller than Syaran ones, and possessed less combat power.
August offensives
On 1 August Syara launched a series of offensives aimed at seizing control of all disputed territories, including Zemplen, Armavir, and Imerti. Syaran forces began shelling Ruvelkan positions in the early morning before armored and mechanized forces began ground assaults. The scale of the operations overwhelmed the Ruvelkan defenders, whom had organized their forces centered around defending Zemplen. As a result many Ruvelkan units were poorly arranged to defend against the scale of the attack, resulting in rapid Syaran gains during the first few days of the offensives. By 7 August Syara had captured over 150 villages, towns, and cities in the disputed regions, causing a mass exodus of the Ruvelkan populations of those territories. Within two weeks an estimated 1.5 million Ruvelkans had fled from the disputed regions.
By 10 August Ruvelkan defenses along the border were beginning to crumble under the weight of the Syaran offensives. In the Kunhegyes District Ruvelkan forces began to retreat starting on 11 August, allowing Syaran forces to capture the small city of Gerjen on 12 August. Elsewhere along the front Ruvelkan forces began to buckle and withdraw further east. On 15 August Chancellor Edviná Molnár confirmed that Ruvelkan forces were pulling back from the disputed regions but denied that Ruvelka was willing to accept a ceasefire. Molnár later stated that Ruvlelka would not accept an armistice until "the invaders have been driven from every inch of our soil". By 20 August Syaran troops were in control of over 90% of the disputed regions. Executive Dragomir Zhelev announced a unilateral ceasefire on 22 August, but it was quickly broken when Ruvelkan and Syaran forces clashed near the town of Tira in the Sagerejo District.
The Ruvelkan refusal to accept terms surprised the Syaran government, who assumed that Ruvelka would sue for peace after being driven out of the disputed regions. Attempts to negotiate a ceasefire was outright refuted by Debrecen, who stated they would only negotiate once Syaran forces had pulled back to pre-war borders, a demand that was summarily refused by Syara. For the next few weeks there was comparatively little fighting save for sporadic skirmishes bewteen Syaran and Ruvelkan forces as the Syaran government tried to decide a new course of action. In general the Syaran government did not desire a protracted war, but did not believe that Ruvelka would simply accept Syaran control of the disputed regions. Beginning on 27 August Syaran intelligence also deduced that Ruvelka was massing forces for a counter offensive, aimed at 'liberation' the disputed regions from Syaran control. With that in mind Syaran Central Command devised a new strategy; the destruction of the Imperial Armed Forces of Ruvelka, under the assumption that with it's military destroyed Ruvelka would have no choice but to cede to Syaran demands. Syaran assumption that the SCAF would be able to defeat the IAFR was based on the success the Syarans had found during the August offensives, but Central Command failed to take into account that a war of attrition favored Ruvelka, with it's larger population and deeper reserves of manpower. Aware that Ruvelkan reserves were beginning to mass, the SCAF began preparing for an immediate resumption of the offensive.
Syaran invasion
On 14 September 2008 Syara launched a full scale invasion of western Ruvelka. The Syaran Air Force began the offensive in the early morning by striking at Ruvelkan airfields and defensive positions, hoping to sow chaos behind Ruvelkan lines and prevent the escape of Ruvelkan forces along the border. Syaran success was limited as the Ruvelkan Imperial Air Force counter attacked and downed several Syaran aircraft. Throughout the morning Syaran artillery continued to shell Ruvelkan outposts and bases across the border. In conjunction with airstrikes, the Syarans managed to disrupt the coordination and defensive efforts of the Ruvelkan Imperial Army. Not long after Syaran ground forces crossed the border in a multi-pronged offensive across the 600 kilometer border. The Syaran government publicly stated the intention of their invasion was ultimately to force Ruvelka into a ceasefire, but the action nevertheless drew condemnation by several countries.
The Syaran invasion force was divided into three Army Groups, Alpha in the north, Beta in the center, and Gamma in the south. Each Army Group was composed of three field armies, and three corps per field army. A total of 140 Syaran divisions, many of which had only been activated in the four weeks before the invasion, took part in the invasion, which was known to the Syarans as Operation Aspis. Opposite were six Ruvelkan Fronts, each composed of four or five field armies. A total of 171 Ruvelkan divisions had been activated, although nearly all were smaller than their Syaran counterparts. Although Syara framed its invasion in ultimately defensive terms, right up to the name (Aspis meaning 'shield'), the Syaran goal was to destroy as many Ruvelkan forces as possible and therefore focused on wide sweeping offensive operations designed to encircle and destroy Ruvelkan divisions in detail. Although on average heavier and better armed than their Ruvelkan counterparts, Syaran divisions had difficult maneuvering in the thick forests and valleys of western Ruvelka.
Better suited for a modern mechanized war due to their emphasis on heavy armor and firepower, the SCAF originally made good progress but after a few weeks the advance had become uneven. In northern Ruvelka the generally flatter terrain favored Syaran forces, allowing them to advance nearly 70 kilometers within 2 weeks in spite of fierce Ruvelkan resistance. In the more mountainous south however Ruvelkan forces proved harder to break, backed up by terrain and the presence of several fortress cities such as Albertirsa and Balatonalmadi. Although both cities were in Syaran hands by October, near fanactical defense of both areas severly slowed down the progress of Army Groups Beta and Gamma.
My late October fighting had begun winding down as both sides exhausted their pre-war stockpiles of munitions and supplies, and regular divisions had been depleted of much of their strength. Reservists and conscripts began forming most of the units at the front line. Both Ruvelka and Syara were not prepared for how quickly their armies consumed fuel and ammunition, forcing rapid and radical alterations to transform their peace time economies into ones better suited for war. Neither side was well prepared for a protracted war, and in late October Syara offered a ceasefire, but Chancellor Molnár refused.
In early November both sides had settled into a temporary stalemate with little offensive action, the only notable exception was the Syaran recapture of Sarud on the 8th. The supply situation for both sides was a major contributor. Fuel was especially concerning; both sides were consuming nearly a million gallons a day and neither Ruvelka nor Syara were major oil producers. Lack of fuel quickly became the primary concern for both armies. Ruvelka possessed a large strategic petroleum reserve of nearly 300 million barrels, but by October over a third of it had been used up. Although less mechanized than Syara and therefore less dependent on oil, Ruvelka's smaller economy had more difficulty acquiring more. A much needed trade agreement with Acrea alleviated Ruvelkan fuel concerns for the most part, and by the end of the year Ruvelka was the second largest importer of oil in Tyran, only behind Syara. Syara's larger economy allowed it to purchase fuel in greater quantities than Ruvelka, but the constant drain of its foreign currency reserves on acquiring petroleum would lead to a severe financial crisis later on. Syara would ultimately consumed nearly 10 billion gallons of fuel during the war, and Ruvelka over 8 billion. Total consumption by both sides would be 500 million barrels by the end of the war.
Winter Counter-Offensive
By late October Ruvelkan conscription had produced 300,000 additional troops ready for deployment, which convinced the Ruvelkan Imperial General Staff of the feasibility of a grand strategic offensive. Although they had been on the back foot for most of the war thus far, Debrecen believed that a properly planned counterattack could throw Syaran forces into disarray and pave the way for a recapturing of Ruvelkan territory in the west. Planning for the offensive began on 2 November and by the 7th a plan, known as Operation Szablya, had been put in place. Szablya envisioned two main thrusts concentrated against the Syaran 6th Army, which was holding the center of Army Group Beta, by the 1st Derecske and 1st Pálháza Front.
Ruvelka began its offensive on 13 November 2008 with a major armored thrust north of Sgerejo against the Syaran XII Corps. Only Colonel General Arisdages Koundakjian, Deputy Commander of Army Group Beta, had suspected the main blow would fall on the Syaran center, but his efforts to redeploy the Army Groups reserves were summarily rejected by it's commander, Field Marshall Aleksandar Čorić. Under attack by three Ruvelkan armored divisions the XII Corps began to collapse, threatening to unhinge the entire forward line of Army Group Beta. When the scope of the attack became clear Čorić attempted to redeploy his reserves to face the Ruvelkan push but his armored forces struggled to do so against repeated Ruvelkan attacks in other sectors. On 18 November, XII Corps commanding officer Lt. General Nedelko Shishkov bluntly informed 6th Army Headquarters that his Corps was no longer combat effective and was falling apart. The next day Čorić was sacked and replaced by Koundakjian, who redeployed the under strength XXVI Corps to block the path of advance of the Ruvelkan Fronts.
The sudden collapse of XII Corps had been an unexpected boon for Ruvelka, but their offensive was already beginning to founder. The rapid advance and lack of clear communication between field commanders and higher headquarters, a leftover from the highly autonomous doctrine the Ruvelkan military practiced, meant that by 25 November the Ruvelkan divisions of the 1st Derecske Front were out of position and unable to effectively support one another. On 29 November the 55th Royal Armored Division was badly mauled by the Syaran 67th Mechanized Infantry Division at the Battle of Tulzuni, and not long afterwards the Front was ordered to halt its attacks. Unable to make more progress in the center, the Imperial General Staff shifted its operational reserves north to press the attack on Army Group Alpha. On 4 December the 2nd Kunhegyes Front unleashed its own offensive against the Syaran 2nd and 3rd Army, but after six days of fighting the Ruvelkans had been halted at Highway K-5.
After 12 December the Imperial General Staff dispatched what strategic reserves were left to try to reverse the situation in the Aszód District, but by now the Syarans were aware of Ruvelkan intentions and were able to repulse the attacks with few losses. Sporadic fighting and local counter strokes continued for a few more days until the Imperial General Staff officially declared Operation Szablya over at 23 December. A Christmas ceasefire was agreed upon the day after that lasted until 26 December. It took several weeks for both sides to rebuild their stregnth following nearly 5 months of continuous fighting, as noted by Gwenllian Ní Áeda in her book Zemplen in Flames: The Syaran-Ruvelkan Conflict:
With the end of 2008 came a brief respite from the intense combat that had dominated Ruvelka's western Districts for six months, but it was just an inkling of what was to come. By January 2009 both sides had suffered in excess of a quarter-million casualties; that number would rise drastically in the next several months. With their pre-war forces largely depleted by constant operations and munitions stockpiles constantly in need of replenishment, both Zovahr and Debrecen filled their ranks with freshly raised troops and reservists. These soldiers, overwhelmingly young men and women between the ages of 18-25, could scarcely call themselves adults but they were suddenly thrust into what would become the most destructive conflict of the 21st Century. Their rushed training, combined with the hastily manufactured weapons they carried, would lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths over the next two years.
The strategic situation at the end of 2008 mostly favored Syara. The SCAF had made impressive gains in some sectors, surrounding Kaposvar and Kunhegyes in the north, and having captured Balatonalmadi, Dunakesi, Pannonhalma, and Albertirsa in the south. Fighting subsided for the winter of 2008-2009 as both sides rebuilt their shattered forces and geared their economies towards war production.
Operation Promrzlina
Syaran Central Command desired to return to the offensive in southern Ruvelka by seizing Aszód, Ruvelka's largest southern city as well as a major industrial hub. The Syarans hoped that capturing Aszód would pave the way for a general offensive east into the Matra Mountain range where Army Group Gamma could envelop and annihilate the Fifth and Ninth Imperial Armies, leading the collapse of the Second Army Group. Syara launched Operation Promrzlina on 18 February 2009, employing the bulk of the 10th Army, namely XXXVI and XXXV Corps. Entrenched behind strong defenses the Ruvelkans succesfully resisted the Syaran attack for several days, but after a week of fighting Syaran artillery had steadily reduced Ruvelkan defenses through continuous shelling. Equipped largely with mountain howitzers of 75mm and 105mm, Ruvelkan batteries could not match their Syaran counterparts in range and firepower. On 25 February Syaran forces broke through Ruvelkan lines 40 kilometers north-east of Aszód, which allowed the 90th Mechanized Infantry Division to rapidly push through and seize the vital road junction at Akhtenis. The Ninth Army and Aszód were effectively cut off from the rest of Ruvelka.
XXXV Corps proceeded to initiate a loose encirclement of Aszód, assuming that the city would surrender not long after the Ninth Army realized it was surrounded. North and east of the city XXXVI Corps continued to overrun Ruvelkan defenses in the foothills of the Matra Mountains, reducing Ruvelkan positions with heavy artillery fire. Very quickly the Ruvelkan Fifth Army counter-attacked across a 70 kilometer front on 2 March, trying to turn the northern flank of the XXXV Corps. The hastily thrown together offensive failed almost immediately, with Ruvelkan tactical leaders unsure of their objectives and unaware of the exact locations of Syaran forces. An attempted air assault by Imperial Fusiliers had to be called off after losing six attack helicopters to Syaran air defense systems, which had been retooled and reoriented after the lessons learned at the Battle of Sarud. Further disaster befell the Ruvelkans when the 48th Armored Division was caught in the open by the Syaran 102nd Armored Cavalry Division at Annohk Valley, where Ruvelkan KH2 tanks were unable to reliably penetrate the armor of Syaran Myrmidons resulting in a one-sided slaughter. The complete failure of the offensive, which Chancellor Edviná Molnár later said "felt like one of the darkest days of the war" resulted in the immediate sacking of Fifth Army's commanding officer and a suspension of offensive actions in the Aszód District.
The first major campaign of 2009 had ended in disaster for Ruvelka. Ruvelkan losses were exceptionally high, nearly 38,000 troops killed, wounded, or captured, along with 228 armored fighting vehicles destroyed and 18 aircraft lost. Syara casualties were just 8,000. Despite their immediate success however things did not turn out entirely in Syaran favor. It was expected by Central Command that the encirlement of Aszód, combined with the defeat of the Fifth Imperial Army would force the Ninth Army to surrender. But both the city and the Ruvelkan garrison refused to do so. On 5 March XXXV Corps attempted to push into the outer districts of Aszód, only to be repulsed within eight hours. The Ruvelkan garrison continued to refuse Syaran demands for surrender, locking both sides into a protracted siege that would last until the final months of the war.
Battle of Sagerejo
Despite their failure to force Aszód's capitulation, Central Command was encouraged by Syaran success in southern Ruvelka and deemed further offensives feasible. In March 2009 the SCAF was holding a frontage largely in line with major Ruvelkan population centers, namely Kaposvar and Kunhegyes in the north, and Sagerejo in the center. Up until now the main goal of Syaran operations had been the destruction of the Imperial Armed Forces of Ruvelka, but in light of the seemingly massive pool of manpower Ruvelka was capable of summoning, Central Command deduced that victory could instead be achieved by capturing and threatening major Ruvelkan urban areas, many of which held major arms manufacturing centers and military production facilities.
Seizing Sagerejo would give Syara the most direct route to the Ruvelkan capital of Debrecen, as well as the industrial heartland of the Grand Principality. Controlling Kaposvar and Kunhegyes on the other hand would offer an anchor point from which the rest of northern Ruvelka could be seized, and the Karilla Mountains could be circumvented as they flattened out somewhat as they drew closer to the Sundering Sea. Ultimately Central Command deduced that Sagerejo offered the quicker solution, and Army Group Alpha was ordered to hold its positions outside Kaposvar and Kunhegyes, while Army Group Beta assaulted Sagerejo.
Ruvelkan intelligence became aware of Syaran intentions not long after Army Group Gamma began, but suggestions of a spoiling attack were discounted following the failures of the Ninth Army's disaster. The Imperial General Staff instead ordered that the First Army Group, consisting of the Second, Third, and Eighth Armies, dig in and prepare an elaborate defense in depth around and within Sagerejo, hoping to bleed the Syaran offensive of manpower and material. Ruvelkan combat engineers created numerous defensive belts consisting of minefields, anti-tank traps, concealed pillboxes and hidden surface-to-air missile systems. Ruvelkan engineers also opened several local dams to flood certain areas and render them impassible for Syaran armor. Sections of forests were cleared of trees just enough to allow attack helicopters to fly through them, effectively beneath tree-top level. Future Chancellor of Ruvelka Elsa Szekeres, who fought at the battle, would later comment she "never seen so much barbed wire and sandbags in [her] life".
The Army Group Beta launched its assault on 20 March 2009 and almost immediately the depth of Ruvelkan defenses proved troubling. Within a week more than a hundred Syaran tanks had been destroyed and casualties had exceeded 5,000. It once again fell to Syaran artillery to pummel Ruvelkan defenses into position, but this proved to be a time consuming and logistically intensive affair. Although Ruvelkan defenses remained largely static, Imperial Fusiliers carried out numerous small scale counterstrokes and raids meant to silence Syaran artillery and keep the SCAF off balance, giving time for Ruvelkan forces to withdraw to further defensive positions. After three weeks of fighting Syaran forces had advanced just six miles while suffering heavy losses. Once they reached the outskirts of Sagerejo on 15 April the fighting grew even more costly as intense urban combat became the norm. Syara forces were forced to once again lean on their artillery to flatten entire city blocks and to suppress the Ruvelkan defenders inside the city.
On 19 April IX Corps finally broke through Ruvelkan defenses south of Sagerejo. Despite repeated counterattacks, the Ruvelkan Eigthth Army was forced to withdraw further east, paving the way for IX Corps to roll up from the south and outflank the Second and Third Armies. Rather than risk so many troops in a potential encirclement, the Imperial General Staff gave the order for the First Army Group to retreat, ceding Sagerejo to Syaran control. Syaran forces exercised complete control over the city by 24 April. Syara's victory had come at a tremendous cost; more than 34,000 Syaran soldiers had been killed, compared to 28,000 Ruvelkans. The Battle of Sagerejo would become the bloodiest battle of the war, and the high costs the Syarans had suffered, in addition to reports indicating the Ruvelkans had reinforced their lines among the Karilla Mountains and the passes leading to Debrecen, convinced Central Command to abandon any idea of directly seizing the capital.
Ruvelkan summer offensive
Throughout March until May 2009, Ruvelka had steadily been mobilizing and organizing a strategic reserves behind the safety of the Karilla Mountains. By May this amounted to over 300,000 troops. Syaran forces by comparison were beginning to run seriously low on reserves, having depleted them during their spring operations. Having abandoned the concept of a series of limited thrusts, on 7 June Ruvelka committed to an all out strategic offensive along the entire front line, throwing the full weight of it's reserves, armor, and air power against the Syaran Army Groups. The overwhelming nature of the offensive quickly overran Syara's primary and secondary defensive lines, and within four days the SCAF was in full retreat.
Pitched battles erupted across the front as Syaran armored and mechanized reserves attempted to stem the tide of Ruvelkan forces, but were largely in vain. On 10 June the Syarans abandoned Sagerejo, and a day later had pulled completely out of the Püspökladány District. Further losses were to follow as on 22 June Syaran forces abanonded the long standing Siege of Aszod, and two days later abandoned Dunakesi. By 28 June Syaran forces had pulled back to the pre-war borders, hoping to establish a new defensive line and halt the Ruvelkan advance. Ruvelka however continued to attack, resulting in climactic engagements in Zemplen, Imerti, and Avramir. Syara forces, depleted of manpower, were forced to abandon most of their heavy equipment as they finally abandoned their positions and fled back into Syaran territory. The Ruvelkan summer offensive finally came to a halt on 9 July.
Both sides had suffered heavy losses, but Syaran losses were irrecoverable. By the end of the offensive the Syarans had lost 1,300 tanks, 2,900 IFVs and APCs, 79 aircraft, and 1,600 artillery pieces. 150,000 Syaran troops were killed, missing, wounded, or captured. Syara's front finally stabilized on 10 July, but at that point there were no more reserves, and hardly any units were above 60% strength. Syara had been dealt a crushing defeat.
Ceasefire and Resolution
On 12 July Chancellor Edviná Molnár announced the cessation of Ruvelkan combat operations and declared that Ruvelka was ready to negotiate an end to the conflict with Syara. The next Zovahr signaled it's willingness to come to the table. Later that day both sides agreed to a summit held by Imperator Tyler Holland of Shalum. The summit was held on 16 July in Aragon, where both sides sat down to discuss the resolution to the conflict. It was attened by Chancellor Molnár and Executive Zhelev. The Ruvelkan proposal was as follows:
- Complete cessation of hostilities and signing of an official peace treaty
- All military forces stand down and be returned to their normal garrison stations
- Syaran withdraws all claims to control of Zemplen, Imerti, and Armavir
- Ruvelka will transition control of Tarnova and Rostuša to Syaran control
- Full exchange of prisoners of war
- Re-establishment of full diplomatic relations within an appropriate time frame
Syara was ultimately in no position to contest Ruvelkan demands and agreed to terms on the 17 of July, slated to officially go into effect on 19 July. The war was officially over at 0001 19 July 2009.
Aftermath
The Zemplen War had far reaching ramifications that continue to be felt to this day. Both states were profoundly affected by the conflict and it's aftermath, politically, economically, socially, and culturally.
Analysis
After the war, the Acrean Defense think tank Ruental and the Acrean Royal Institute for Defense and Security at Varberg published reports analyzing the performance of the SCAF and IRAF during the war.
Ruvelka
According to General Friedrich Eklund, Ruvelkan victory in the Zemplen War was largely a result of it's superior strategic planning and preparation for conflict. While Ruvelka did not envision a Syaran invasion, it's much deeper system of reserves, along with it's Territorial Defense Forces, and superior preparation of the civilian economy, allowed Ruvelka to sustain the war effort beyond what Syara was capable of. Ruvelkan grand strategy was fundamentally more sound than Syara's, emphasizing Ruvelka's advantages in numbers and long term planning. Ruvelkan usage of it's air power was tactically and strategically well executed, and Ruvelkan forces demonstrated strong tactical flexibility over their Syaran counterparts.
However Ruvelka suffered from a number of doctrinal and operational shortfalls. Ruvelkan doctrine emphasized highly autnonomous units carrying out their own operations, aimed at undermining the occupation of Ruvelka by a foreign power, and exploiting Ruvelka's natural terrain as defensive measures against invaders. This emphasis on unit autonomy had the negative consequence of leaving Ruvelkan forces poorly prepared to plan and carry out complex combined arms operations, a field in which they were routinely outclassed by their Syaran counterparts. The Ruvelkan winter-counteroffensive was a principal example of that, when Ruvelkan commanders developed the routinely bad habits of exploiting tactical gains instead of pursuing operational objectives. Ruvelkan operational art could be described as "undeveloped".
Ruvelkan forces routinely struggled to meet Syaran forces in the open field due to deficiencies in firepower and heavy armor. Ruvelkan armor was heavily centered around light tanks, which performed poorly when matched up against their Syaran counterparts. Early battles between armored formations routinely resulted in lopsided losses for Ruvelka, who's lighter tanks lacked the firepower, range, and armor to compete with Syaran main battle tanks. The Ruvelkan counter to this was to emphasize ambushes and asymmetric tactics to offset Syaran armor, but these were never universally effective. Ruvelkan efforts to counter Syaran armor ultimately ended up relying heavily on artillery barrages, which proved more reliable.
Ruvelka's decision to engage in a strategic bombing campaign was a controversial one. Ultimately the damage done to Syaran industry and logistics was negligible. For more damaging was that it forced Syara to divert aircraft from the front lines to protecting Syaran airspace. Ruvelkan willingness to bomb Syara was also impacted by Ruvelka's information war, which wanted to emphasize the defensive nature of the conflict for Ruvelka, and thus limited what the Ruvelkan Imperial Air Force was able to target.
Syara
Syara suffered from two major flaws; lack of a cohesive strategy and sufficient air power. Syara embarked on a war with originally limited gains, but then expanded the conflict into a major war without making proper strategic decisions. The goal of destroying the Ruvelkan military was based on an overestimation of Syaran military capability, and it failed to factor in Ruvelka's larger population and deeper reserves of manpower. Syaran leadership allowed itself to be distracted by operational victories and territorial acquisitions, which largely blinded them to growing strategic imbalances in manpower and frontage. Syara in general suffered from a lack of strong leadership at the highest level, with neither the civilian government nor the Central Command able to effectively communicate with each other when discussing strategic aims. A lack of strategic preparation for the war, namely the zero levels of preparation for the civilian economy meant that Syara was facing financial disaster towards the end of the war, and likely would've had extreme difficulties financing the war effort had the Ruvelkan summer offensive not occurred.
Syaran air power was at a significant disadvantage throughout the war. Syara started the war with almost 300 less fighter aircraft than Ruvelka, and a significant chunk of the rest of the Syaran air force was composed of tactical bombers and fixed wing gunships. Many of these aircraft, similar to the Cacertian Tartaruga, were slow and highly vulnerable to Ruvelkan MANPADS and SHORAD, and constituted the majority of Syaran aircraft shot down during the war. Syara possessed no strategic bombers or ballistic missiles, rendering it largely incapable of directly targeting Ruvelkan industry beyond the Karilla Mountains.
Syaran doctrine was a hit or miss issue throughout the war. Superior operational planning, centralized communication systems, and a more structured chain of command meant that Syaran operations were largely more successful than Ruvelkan. Syaran emphasis on firepower at all levels meant that Ruvelkan forces were routinely outgunned, and artillery exchanges almost always favored Syara. However Syara's emphasis on mechanized maneuver warfare was out of place in Ruvelka's rugged terrain, where Syaran armor and mechanized infantry were routinely unable to prevent lighter Ruvelkan forces from slipping away or escaping encirclement. Syara's attempts to circumvent this with the training and deployment of Light Infantry divisions diminished this flaw somewhat, but Syara continued to rely heavily on mechanized formations that were largely inflexible.
Impact
In Syara, the shock of the defeat after months of what seemed like military success profoundly shook the core of Syara's Warden ideology. The administration of Dragomir Zhelev collapsed shortly after Syara's defeat, with the former Executive receiving much of the blame for Syara's woes. The Syaran economy struggled in the immediate post war aftermath, though by the end of 2009 had largely recovered in terms of trade volume. Syaran society was deeply impacted by the war, doing much to shake faith in Syaran's Warden dominated government and called into question many of the nationalist and revolutionary aspects of the Warden Way.
Syaran culture was affected in many ways. In the immediate aftermath of the war dozens of memoirs and stories were published in Syaran literature, combined with a spike in war-related films, songs, and poetry.
The Ruvelkan victory in the Zemplen War helped to establish the Grand Principality as a capable military power under proper leadership, contrasting heavily with the Ruvelkan performance during the Imerti Conflict. Chancellor Molnár’s Cooperative Commonwealth Party (and by extension the greater political alliance of which it was a part, the Progressive Alliance) dominated the nation’s federal elections in 2010. The war validated the Ministry of Defenses long-term strategy of defense-in-depth and restored the populace’s confidence in its military commanders.