Vinyan War

Vinyan War
A Jedorian tank during the Highlands Campaign.
Date April 14, 1961 - November 6th, 1963 Location Andor, Jedoria Result Peace Treaty Jedoria reclaims Zavijava and Nesedana
Belligerents
Socialist Republic of Jedoria Federation of Soviet Republics Polvokia	Andor New Tyran Thonador Tol Galen
Commanders and leaders
Aleksis Kraulis Col. General Jazeps Buļs	Prime Minister Andrew Forster Robert Hurst King Henry II Marcus Heffernan
Strength
545,000 15,000	230,000 40,000 75,000 8,000 Other Galenic States: 10,000
Casualties and losses
165,000 killed 300,000 wounded

The Vinyan War (Jedorian: Vinija Karš) was a war between the Socialist Republic of Jedoria (with the support of the Federation of Soviet Republics and Polvokia) and Andor (supported by Tol Galen and New Tyran). The war began on 14 April 1961 when Jedoria invaded Andor after a long running border dispute.

When New Tyran had established Andor as a colony, it had claimed the lands of Zavijava and Nesedana which were inhabited primarily by ethnic Jedorians. Jedoria at the time was too decentralized and weak to oppose the colonization, and even after unification Jedoria could not contest foreign occupation of both territories. Following the Pan-Septentrion War New Tyran began decolonizing it's former subjects, including Andor which came under the influence of Tol Galen. Meanwhile Jedoria had come under the control of communists thanks in large part due to support from Polvokia, which overthrew the Confederation and established the Socialist Republic in 1954. In just half a decade Jedoria rapidly industrialized and expanded it's military might under the leadership of General Secretary Aleksis Kraulis. Shortly after Andor gained independence from New Tyran and came under the protection of Tol Galen, Kraulis attempted to negotiate a peaceful annexation of Andoran territory that was inhabited by ethnic Jedorians but to no avail. When diplomatic efforts fell through Kraulis began preparing to seize the disputed lands by force.

Jedoria launched Operation Viper (code name for the invasion of Andor) on April 14, 1961 and for the first weeks of the war rapidly overwhelmed Andoran territory thanks in large part to overwhelming Jedorian numerical superiority. In response both Tol Galen and New Tyran declared war on the Socialist Republic and dispatched troops to repulse the Jedorians. Jedorian forces were able to overwhelm large portions of Andor's countryside, capturing Dalath Dirnen in the west and coming within 100 kilometers of the capital of Dirbar. The arrival of hundreds of thousands of Galenic and Tyrannian soldiers were able to halt the Jedorian advance, and eventually repulse the Jedorian People's Army.

The war subsequently settled into a quasi-stalemate where both sides traded major offensives in an attempt to regain the initiative and defeat the other in detail. The front lines eventually were divided into three main sectors, the Coastal Theater, the Highlands Campaign, and the Western Theater. Both sides employed relatively new technology and weaponry including helicopters, missiles, and fighter jets. The Jedorians were supplied liberally by the FSR, including surface-to-air missiles that frustrated Tyrannian attempts to strategically bomb Jedorian industry and military production. At sea, the Jedorian People's Navy was unable to match the Tyrannian Royal Navy and spent most of the war patrolling the Jedorian coast, with some notable exceptions.

Fighting eventually reached a stand-still on the Glanhír River, and after nearly three years of fighting both sides eventually agreed to an armistice. The war officially ended on November 6th, 1963. Kraulis claimed victory as Jedoria had successfully captured both Zavijava and Nesedana, which remain in Jedorian control to this day. Both Andor and Jedoria engage in border conflicts for the remainder of the existence of the Socialist Republic. For New Tyran, this would be the first of three more conflicts that would see Tyrannian forces fight against the Socialist Republic.

Background

When the Tyrannian Empire colonized the lands of present day Andor, they expanded north across the Glanhír River into Zavijava and Nesedana, which were occupied primarily by ethnic Jedorians. At the time, Jedoria was a fragmented state with no central government, and as a result there existed no capacity to challenge Tyrannian control of both territories. The establishment of the Confederation of Jedoria in 1843 did nothing to change the situation as Jedoria was still largely engulfed in it's own internal affairs when not consumed with conflict with Letnev.

The 1950s brought a series of major changes to Vinya. Sovereingty of Andor was transferred from Tyrannian to Galenic control, with Tol Galen replacing Tyran as the major power in Vinya opposite of Jedoria. Jedoria itself was subject to a violent revolution in 1954, which dissolved the Confederation and replaced it with the Socialist Republic. Led by General Secretary Aleksis Kraulis, Jedoria finally posessed a strong central government not distracted by internal machinations and divides. Beginning in 1955 Kraulis began a major industrialization campaign across Jedoria, supported financially and materially by the Federation of Soviet Republics and Polvokia (who had helped the Jedorian Communist Party seize power). Jedoria rapidly evolved from an unevenly modernized loose confederation into a centralized industrial power boyoued by exports of petroleum, lumber, and manufacturing.

Although an avowed communist, Kraulis was nationalistic at heart and viewed foreign occupation of Zavijava and Nesedana as unacceptable. The transfer of ownership from Tyrannian hands to Tol Galen did little to ease Kraulis's mind, and began planning ways to return the disputed territories to Jedorian control. Beginning in late 1958 Kraulis made several overtures towards Tol Galen regarding a peaceful annexation of Zavijava and Nesedana. Although Avallónë did not outright refuse to discuss the situation with Kraulis, there was little indication that Tol Galen was willing to cede the territory to Jedoria. Most likely Avallónë believed that voluntarily ceding ground to a state that had just undergone a violent revolution, and was now more or less aligned with a global political faction that Tol Galen was on uncertain terms with would serve as a potentially dangerous precedent. Despite not being outright refused, Kraulis broke off talks shortly thereafter and instructed the Jedorian People's Army senior staff to begin drawing up military plans for an invasion of Andor.

Colonel General Jazeps Buļs, head of operations of the Jedorian People's Army senior staff, began laying out the framework for the invasion in March 1960. Within a short period of time the JPA had risen from a garrison force of 250,000 men to a large standing army of over 500,000 troops. Supplied by the FSR the JPA became heavily mechanized and armed, fielding modern armor and artillery in far greater numbers than their Andoran counterparts. Because of their wide disparity in firepower and numbers the Jedorian senior leadership assumed that victory could be achieved rapidly.

By 1960 the JPA fielded 40 divisions, 5 tank divisions, 15 motor rifle divisions, and 20 rifle divisions. On the eve of the invasion some of these forces were arrayed across the border in the following order, under the umbrella formation 1st Satalice Front, commanded by Colonel General Sangvids Blekte.

• In the West, the 2nd Mechanized Army (2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division, 5th Motor Rifle Division, 18th Tank Division, 21st Rifle Division) and the 11th Rifle Corps (16th Rifle Division, 19th Rifle Division).

• In the Center, the 5th Mechanized Army (3rd Guards Motor Rifle Division, 8th Motor Rifle Division, 11th Tank Division, 14th Rifle division, 15th Rifle Division) and the 4th Rifle Corps (22nd Rifle Division, 24th Rifle Division).

• In the East, the 1st Guards Tank Army (6th Guards Tank Division, 9th Tank Division, 25th Motor Rifle Division, 27th Motor Rifle Division), and the 7th Mechanized Corps (23rd Guards Motor Rifle Division, 26th Motor Rifle Division, 28th Rifle Division)

Andoran Forces under the command of Lieutenant General Marcus Geffernan were on the whole completely outnumbered, with just 25,000 troops against an invasion force of 150,000. The Northern Command of the Andoran Armed Forces consisted of a cavalry squadron, two infantry battalions, an artillery regiment, and an engineer company against 4 tank divisions, 8 motor rifle divisions, and 8 rifle divisions.

Course of the War

At 0400 local time, the Jedorian People's Army began a massed artillery barrage of border outposts along the Andoran-Jedorian border with more than 340 guns. Under the cover of the barrage, teams of Jedorian motor rile troops seized border crossings and bridges, after which lead elements of each of the Jedorian armies crossed Zavijava and Nesedana. The 2nd Mechanized Army crossed the Rudzitis River at 0530 with lead elements of the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division, and by 1200 had nearly the entire army across the river and pouring into the Rabaciauskas Plains, with main spearheads driving east towards the banks of the Glanhír River. In the center the 5th Mechanized Army crossed the Rudzitis by 0615 with lead elements of the 3rd Guards Motor Rifle Division, hugging the foothills of Mount Visvaris in the direction of Ino Valley. In the east, the 1st Guards Tank Army crossed the Arins River by 0445 spearheaded by the 6th Guards Tank Division, hugging the coastline of the Nesedana Bay towards the Pohjas Peninsula.

As could be expected, the lightly armed and thinly spread Andoran forces of Northern Command were completely overwhelmed by the size and scale of the Jedorian invasion. Jedorian and Andoran troops first clashed just outside Haldana, capital of Zavijava, where recon platoon of the Andoran cavalry squadron assigned to Northern Command came into contact with the advance guard of the 6th Guards Tank Division. The 11 minute engagement produced a handful of casualties on both sides before the Andorans withdrew in the face of overwhelming odds. By the end of the first day the Jedorians had seized control of Haldana. Further west the Andorans traded space for time; having virtually no real defensible terrain across the Rabaciauskas Plains the 2nd Mechanized Army made good progress, and by April 17th was nearing the Glanhír.

In Ino Valley terrain slowed the advance of the 5th Mechanized Army, but by April 21st were nearing the foothills of the Central Highlands. Andoran forces like their counterparts in the west gave ground, falling back to easier defensive positions in the Highlands. Along the coast Andoran forces were able to provide further resistance thanks to the developed infrastructure of Nesedana. But even here the Andorans could offer only delay the advancing Jedorians, as they lacked the heavy armor and firepower necessary to blunt the offensive. By April 29th, just over two weeks after the invasion began, the Jedorians had reached the banks of the Glanhír in all sectors. What Andoran forces remained withdrew further south across the river. Three more days of consolidation followed, after which the Jedorians completely controlled the banks of the Glanhír and exercise total influence over Zavijava and Nesedana.

At this point, had the Jedorians pushed for a ceasefire and suspended operations, the war might have ended then and there. Andor was in no position to challenge Jedoria alone, and despite international outcry there were those who agreed in the Jedorian decision to seize territory inhabited primarily by their own people. Had serious diplomatic efforts been made, the war could've ended there and then. It did not, however; On May 1st General Secretary Aleksis Kraulis ordered the JPA to cross the Glanhír and sieze the rest of Andor. The decision to invade the rest of the country was a controversial one and the reasoning behind it has never been fully established. It's possibly Kraulis did not believe that Andor's allies would tolerate the blatant Jedorian aggression and seizing the rest of Andor would provide a buffer state, or perhaps the rapid success of the JPA had led Kraulis to overestimate the capability of his forces. Regardless of the reason, Jedorian forces obeyed and proceeded to invade the rest of Andor in May.

Foreign Intervention

Within 24 hours of the invasion the Andoran government had sent out urgent cables to it's allies informing them of the Jedorian invasion and requested aid in repelling the communist aggression. Andor's closest allies, namely the other Galenosphere states and Tyran, all agreed to send aid and condemned the Jedorian invasion. The news that the Jedorians had cross the Glanhír and were attempting to seize all of Andor only hastened deployments of troops. The first to arrive were from Lothlann. The Lothlannic Expeditionary Force (LEF), commanded by Brigadier General Felan McQuillan crossed the border early on May 4th and moved north of Dirbar to protect the Andoran capital. Reinforcements from Thonador followed afterwards, a brigade under the command of Colonel Charles Irwin that would become known as the Thonadoran Expeditionary Force (TEF). The larger states of Tol Galen and Tyran also pledged their support, but it would not be enough to save the administration of Andoran Prime Minister Covey Keefe, who resigned on May 15th as Jedorian forces poured down the eastern coastline towards Dirbar. His replacement, Donald MacNamara, immediately began his term by mustering Andoran reservists and introduction conscripts while pleading with Andor's allies for aid.

Before long both Tol Galen and Tyran had mobilized military forces to be sent to Andor. The first to arrive were airborne and air mobile light infantry from the Galenic Army. Tyran deployed a carrier group along with an expeditionary force of some 30,000 troops. Before long the Tyrannian Royal Navy had engaged the Jedorian People's Navy in a series of indecisive skirmishes.

Continued Jedorian Offensives

At the behest of their de facto dictator, the JPA continued to seize Andoran territory south of the Glanhír river. In the west, the 2nd Mechanized army under Lt. General Dikijs Zeltiņš began driving towards Dalath Dirnen. A combined force of Andoran, Galenic, and Thonadoran troops opposed their advance. In the ensuing Battle of Dalath Dirnen the combined forces were able to stonewall the Jedorian motorized rifle troops, but could not stop the Jedorian Kr-58 tanks that the 2nd Mechanized threw at them. After three days of heavy fighting the combined Galenic force withdrew using river transports, allowing the Jedorians to capture the city. Following their capture of Dalath Dirnen the 2nd Mechanized Army continued it's advance by moving south along the river border with Vyzvha, capturing coastal towns and villages along the way.

In the center however the Jedorians faced difficulties. The central highlands that form the spine of Andor were naturally well suited to the defender, as the Jedorian 5th Mechanized Army quickly learned. Lt. General Marcus Heffernan, realizing the strategic value of the highlands, quickly flooded in reinforcements to the sector, bogging down the Jedorian advance amid the rugged and uneven terrain. In the Battle of the Broken Hills the combined Andoran-Galenic of just 11,000 troops were able to hold off the 5th Mechanized Army and 4th Rifle Corps for nearly two weeks despite being outnumbered by a factor of 7. The lack of dedicated mountain troops for the Jedorians (as they were never supposed to advance this far south in the first place), quickly proved a crippling issue for the JPA as they pushed further into Andor.

Along the western coast things went more smoothly for the Jedorians, at least at first. Despite Andoran efforts to blow up all the bridges spanning the Glanhír the 1st Guards Tank Army successfully crossed the river in it's entirety by May 6th. Adnoran forces put up strong defensive efforts along the highway system that hugged the coast, but could not match the Jedorian numbers or firepower. Along the coastline the Jedorian People's Navy supported the Jedorian advance. The People's Navy was equipped largely with ships left over from the Pan-Septentrion War, mostly donations by the FSR, but some newer vessels including anti-ship missiles and modern radar systems. As the JPA advanced along the coast it regularly called on naval fire support to clear out defenders and demolish defensive structures created by the retreating Andoran forces. The arrival of the Tyrannian Royal Navy however put a stop to this and forced the People's Navy into a confrontation on the open waters, a battle it lost. For the remainder of the war the People's Navy would not venture too far from the coastline.

The clash with the Royal Navy heralded the arrival of the Tyrannain expeditionary force, which began landing thousands of Tyrannian troops near Dirbar. Once assembled the Tyrannian forces then moved north to reinforce the faltering Andorans. They met the lead elements of the Jedorian 1st Guards Tank Army on May 14th, in the Battle of Black Bridge. Although the Jedorians were able to push back the Tyrannian-Andoran force the enagement with the Tyrannian regulars was an unwelcome suprise to the Jedorians, especially the 6th Guards Tank Division which had lost an entire regiment in just 8 hours of fighting. Supported by carrier-borne aircraft, the Tyrannian-Andoran-Lothlannic force subsequently ground the Jedorian offensive to a halt, 70 kilometers north of Dirbar.

The Jedorians soon had even more pressing concerns. Operation Viper's objectives had only been the Glanhír river, and as a result the Jedorian logistically system put in place for the operation had only accounted for a campaign of limited duration. By now the Jedorians were flung out hundreds of kilometers away from their estimated farthest extent. The Jedorian logistical system was struggling to keep it's forces supplied, and now that the 1st Satalice Front was experiencing regular combat consumption of fuel and ammunition was outpacing the expenditures. Aware of the increasingly poor position of his forces, on May 31st Colonel General Sangvids Blekte ordered the 1st Satalice Front to halt their advance long enough to bring forward sufficient supplies to continue offensive operations. The halt however was a boon for the Galenic-Tyrannian forces, whom now could build up their positions without fear of further Jedorian assaults.

The Jedorians lose the initiative

At the start of Operation Viper, the Jedorian Revolutionary Air Force had dedicated 150 aircraft, mostly fighters and some bombers, to support the offensive. At first the Jedorians had enjoyed near complete control of the sky, but by May the increasing number of Galenic-Tyrannian fighters had begun to contest Jedorian dominance. Supply problems soon began to degrade the JRAF as well; with their focus on supplying the JPA Jedorian aircraft soon were lacking in both spare parts and aviation fuel. Not helping matters were the demands placed on the JRAF, whom had to cover hundreds of square kilometers beyond their original area of operations, but had to protect Jedorian supply lines as well. By June the ability of the JRAF to do both had been significantly reduced, which in turn allowed the Galeno-Tyrannian air forces to begin bombing Jedorian forward positions and supply depots.

The loss of air power, continued bombings, and the steady build up of more and more Galeno-Tyrannian forces began to concern Blekte, who realized that everyday the Jedorians delayed further operations the longer the the Andorans and their allies would have to replenish their own and construct further defenses. Opposite the fence, recently promoted General Marcus Heffernan was given command of all Galenic Forces in Andor (GFA). Heffernan was more than content to build up his forces behind an increasingly strong defensive line, but also eager to go on the offensive. Starting in June he began coordinating with his Tyrannain counterpart, General StuffyBritishName, on a future counterattack against the Jedorians. Heffernan was keen to push the Jedorians all the way back to the original pre-war border, and began planning in detail an amphibious invasion of Nesedana, to be carried out in conjunction with a counter offensive by both Galenic and Tyrannian forces across the entire front.

Their planning was interrupted on July 2nd by a rapid Jedorian offensive across all sectors. Wary of his increasingly poor position, Bletke ordered the JPA to resume the attack across all of Andor. This time however, the Jedorians were attacking entrenched numerically equivalent forces in a deep defensive position and the results showed. After weeks of little gains Bletke ordered the JPA to halt their offensive. The July Offensive as it would be known inflicted few casualties among the Galeno-Tyrannian forces, while the JPA in turn suffered nearly 10,000 killed, captured or wounded. To make matters even worse, the Jedorians had exhausted what meager supplies of fuel and ammunition they had been able to build up during the lull in the fighting.

Galenic-Tyrannian Counter Offensive

Having exhausting the Jedorians thoroughly in July, General Heffernan was now ready to take to the attack. On August 18th the Galenic-Tyrannian forces unleashed Operation Phoenix across the entire front. In the East, XIV Corps under the command of Lieutenant General Keiran Cassidy overwhelmed the 2nd Mechanized Army, which fell back in disarray. In the center, XVI Corps under Lieutenant General Ardal Conroy pushed through the Highlands and rolled back the 5th Mechanized Army while along the eastern coast Lieutenant General William Manning's XVIII Corps in conjunction with Tyrannian forces pushed back the 1st Guards Tank Army. In certain engagements Jedorian forces put up stubborn and fierce resistance, but on the whole the JPA's efforts were undermined by a chronic lack of fuel and ammunition. Along the entire front line the Jedorians entered into full retreat, pursued hotly by Galenic-Tyrannian forces which occasionally resulted in pitched battles across the Andoran countryside.

At the Batle of Spinnaker in Western Andor XIV Corps defeated the 2nd Mechanized Army and crushed the 11th Rifle Corps, resulting in over 15,000 Jedorian prisoners. In the Battle of Harte Sercur the 1st Guards Tank Army attempted a counter stroke against XVIII Corps by pinning the Galenic-Tyrannian force against the Black Hills while the 7th Mechanized Corps encircled the rest of the Corps. Instead Manning's Corps smashed the 25th Motor Rifle Division and nearly annihilated the 23rd Guards Motor Rifle Division if not for the valiant efforts of the 28th Rifle Division. By November the Jedorians were back on the banks of the Glanhír river. Attempts to implement a scorched earth policy by destroying railroads, motor ways and bridges failed to halt the Galenic-Tyrannian forces, and on November 10th the last Jedorian forces evacuated Andoran territory south of the Glanhír.

Jedorian forces then dug in on the northern banks of the Glanhír in an attempt to re-establish a cohesive defensive line. With winter setting in the Jedorians were desperate to establish a proper area of operations where they could defend their rapidly degrading position.

Nesedana Landing Operation

Realizing that the Glanhír provided the JPA a proper fallback point by which they could anchor a renewed defensive line before winter set in full, on November 13th Heffernan gave the order to go ahead with the proposed amphibious invasion of Nesedana. On the 15th a combined Galenic-Tyrannian force of infantry and marines made landfall inside the Bay of Pohjas on the port of Vale. The landing, largely unopposed, stunned the Jedorians, who had not had any inkling of the endeavor. Realizing his army was under threat of being encircled, Lt. General Videvuts Zvejnieks ordered the 1st Guards Tank Army to abandon it's positions on the Glanhír and retreat further into Nesedana. Without the 1st Guards Tank Army defending the Glanhír, XVIII Corps was free to advance across the river and link up with the troops of the amphibious landing operation on November 22nd. Without the 1st Guards Tank Army to anchor the line, the remaining Jedorian forces in Andor began to fall retreat as well. If left to it's own devices the Jedorians stood to soon lose all the territory they had gained in Operation Viper.