Spring-Summer 4185 AF (Update 7)
This year, things go from bad to chaotic. Large parts of Asia remain in flames, as the wars and civil wars continue to draw in more and more nations. While America-Europa still remains calm, it seems the world is heading into a new ‘great war’. Meanwhile, Celtonia seems to have its global interventionist role stolen by another nation...
The Fall of Latium
Byzantium’s long running war against the Romans and the ASP in Latium seemed to be coming to its conclusion. The well-ordered Byzantine forces continued an all-out attack, finally reaching the coast at south east end of the peninsular. By now, the Byzantines greatly outnumbered the disorganised ASP armies, and had almost complete control of the skies. The Romans still had fairly strong forces on the ground, but they were broken up into pockets as they were pushed up against the sea. As the Roman troops rallied to defend the last few coastal cities, they were quickly surrounded and isolated by the Byzantines.
(Byzantine fighter-bomber supporting the advance with rocket fire)
The recent battle of the Venetian channel had bought some time for the surviving ASP navy to help evacuate troops from Latium. The two Venetian aircraft carriers kept the reduced Byzantine fleet occupied with a series of skirmishes and pursuits in the seas north of Venice. Venetian and Dutch forces were able to begin evacuating, while Roman forces tried to hold the line… But many retreating troops were still cut off and trapped by the Byzantines, and had to surrender. Those that made it to port took more losses from air attacks as they tried to board ship. The Venetian expedition force made it back to Venice with roughly one-third of the troops it had set out with. Meanwhile, the Dutch expedition force was almost completely wiped out, and very few of its units made it out of Latium in fighting condition.
Reluctantly, the survivors of the Roman government prepared for exile in Venice. The ASP commanders also urged the Roman troops to get out while they could, and some units did begin leaving for Venice. There are also rumours that several Roman officers, along with some of their elite troops, have deserted the ASP altogether and have been evacuated to safety by various neutral countries in exchange for their military services. But many of the Roman soldiers stayed behind, and the fighting dragged on as Byzantines poured their firepower into the last remaining strongholds…
Meanwhile, the island of Crete remains in a state of anarchy as pro-Byzantine militia continued to wear down the Venetians, helped by occasional Byzantine air and naval attacks. The Venetian army continues to hold on to the island, but only just.
Byzantium: -7 land power, -2 air power, -1 naval power
Rome: -9 land power(1 army lost), -2 air power (nothing left), -1 naval power
Venice – 5 land power, -3 air power, -2 naval power
Holland – 2 land power (1 army lost)
The Battle of Kurskuchal
Throughout the previous winter, the people of Copan had been willing their troops onwards, the entire nation gripped by news from the front. Everyone knew, this offensive was the only chance for victory. Every day had brought news of new gains... Troops were less than 200 miles from Zeeland, then 150 miles, 120 miles, 100 miles, 90 miles… And then, the good news had stopped…
(Copanese light tank, abandoned somewhere in Yaxchilan)
The Copanese advance had been halted at the small town of Kurskuchal, in the province of Yaxchilan. The Copanese lines had left a large bulge around the town. After the massive battles of last year, both sides had paused for breath. Only one good road remained open to the Mayans through southern Yaxchilan, and it was still dangerously close to the front line. Mayan command was determined to stamp out this bulge as soon as possible, to remove the head of the Copanese offensive and relieve pressure on occupied Holland. Although Mayan forces were still thinly spread, and ‘Copper Viper Army’ was still outnumbered by nearly 2 to 1 in Yaxchilan, an ambitious and aggressive plan of attack was soon set in motion. The Mayans knew their experienced mechanised forces were still superior to the Copanese. Mayan hopes were raised by the arrival of a handful of new ‘Kamaxtli-B’ tanks, which had even heavier armour and firepower.
Mayan forces now struck out with a great pincer movement. The Copanese commanders had been expecting counter-attacks, but not so soon, and not on such a scale as this. Once again, there were now tremendous all-out tank battles raging across the countryside. The Mayans attacked with great ferocity, and soon managed to outmanoeuvre their enemy. Simultaneously, a furious air battle was raging overhead, as the Copanese and Mayan airforces concentrated on the area. The massing of so many tanks and vehicles on the open terrain made an ideal target for air attack, but each side was also desperate to protect their own ground forces.
The area around Kurskuchal was soon littered with burned-out tanks, crashed planes, and hundreds of thousands of dead soldiers. Fires began to rage out of control across the dry grasslands, covering the region in thick smoke… The Mayans ploughed on through the hellish battlefield and eventually achieved their main goal, as their pincers met up behind Kurskuchal and trapped a large chunk of the Copanese army. But the Copanese commanders forbade retreat, not wanting to give up any of their hard-won gains. They ordered their trapped soldiers to remain put until they could be rescued, although that might be impossible. The Copanese army has lost many more soldiers, tanks and artillery pieces in the fighting. But the Mayan victory came at a high cost... Many of the best Mayan mechanised forces had also been destroyed.
Elsewhere, the Mayans had bought enough time for ‘Jade Tiger’ army to finish off the last of the serious Dutch resistance, all but destroying the Dutch army in Geldre. A few scattered units managed to evacuate by sea, but not without the loss of several ships to the Mayan navy and airforce. The Mayans then moved into Flandern, attacking the under-manned fortifications from behind. Mayan units even began to probe across the Flandern/Copan border, causing panic in Copan.
In the north, the Egyptian army tried a more cautious attack into the jungles of Lazapa, but was still badly mauled by the well-prepared forces of the Mayan ‘Iron Wolf’ army, with few casualties on the Mayan side. The Arequipan rebellion continued to spread, and the rebels managed to capture and destroy a section of the ‘Trans-Continental Highway’. Work on this enormous project has stalled in recent years, due to Mayan and Byzantine war efforts. Although pushed back from the highway section, Mayan garrisons are still holding out in other parts of Arequipa.
Meanwhile, Mayan propaganda praised their heroic army at Kurskuchal for the ‘greatest victory in Mayan history’. With Egypt not seeming like much of a threat, and with most of the Dutch lands secured, Mayan confidence was restored. Although Copan was not yet defeated, the crisis seemed to be over, as Mayan forces could now begin to attack them on other fronts.
Mayans: -7 land power (extra tank, halftrack and mobile artillery losses), -2 air power
Copan: -12 land power (extra tank, artillery and conscript losses), -5 air power (dive-bombers lost)
Holland: -3 land power (1 army lost), -3 naval power
Egypt: -6 land power, -1 air power
Arequipa: -1 land power
China and Japan invade Neuw Zeeland island
The Dutch made an attempt to fortify the island with their surviving soldiers from Latium and Geldre, but it was too little too late. The remnants of the Dutch navy were chased away by the Mayan fleet, even before the Chinese and half of the Japanese fleet arrived with their combined invasion force. The GDI now had an impressive show of naval power in the area.
This time, Chinese and Japanese troops were fully coordinating their efforts. Japanese carrier aircraft pounded the strongpoints on Neuw Zeeland, as their elite marine troops invaded from the east. At the same time, Chinese troops hit the northern beaches. Foreign observers also noted that the Chinese fleet was looking more modern overall, and was without its old steamships and sailships. Chinese ground forces were also looking surprisingly well-equipped, with more modern rifles and machine guns.
(Chinese ship on fire after hitting a mine)
The small and ill-equipped Dutch garrisons made a brave last stand, but could not hope to contain the two beachheads at once. The battle was soon over, and it was announced that China would take possession of the whole island. Several Chinese ships took damage from mines during the landings, while the Japanese were more fortunate. Otherwise, casualties were light on all sides.
As with Aruga, it seems the Scandinavians had attempted to back an uprising against Dutch rule on Neuw Zeeland and declare an independent state. However, there was not much time for this plan to get of the ground, and the population on this island was almost totally ethnic Dutch and loyal to the government. In any case, it seemed unlikely that the Japanese and Chinese would have called off the attack. However, unlike Aruga, the population of the island was entirely opposed to the GDI invasion and will not easily accept Chinese rule.
China: -2 land power, -1 naval power
Japan: -1 land power
Holland: -1 land power
Assassination attempt on US President
The US president Andrew Jackson was gunned down in Chicago, scene of the fascist uprisings of a few years ago. The president has survived a shot to the chest, and is apparently recovering well, soon to be discharged from hospital. The gunman fired from a distance and has not yet been caught. Rumours have spread of a socialist conspiracy to destabilise the USA, being carried out by the Alaskans with help from the Celts and Iroquois. Meanwhile, the president has gained popularity following the shooting. A recent opinion poll put his approval rate at 68%. A presidential election is due to be held later this year, and the president was campaigning for votes at the time of the assassination attempt.
Fighting continues in Alaska
The USA’s superior military power did not dent the determination of the Alaskans to fight back with all means at their disposal. Alaska’s airforce had been all but destroyed in the first days of the invasion, but a few biplanes still survived, many of them hidden in camouflaged shelters, warehouses, even in caves. Alaskan command managed to organise a final attack with all these surviving aircraft, to cause as much damage as possible to their own former oilfields in the west. At all costs, the USA would not be allowed to benefit from its invasion.
US forces were on high alert around the oilwells, but the sudden air attack still caught them by surprise. Most of the low-flying Alaskan planes made it to their target. But the biplanes could not carry enough firepower to do serious damage to the extensive oilwells, and the damaged areas were not put out of action for very long. American artillery and flak around the oil wells made sure few of the planes made it back. Nonetheless, news of the attack helped to raise the morale of the Alaskan soldiers.
At the same time, the Alaskans also gathered their handful of remaining tanks, halftracks and mobile artillery for a ground attack on the oilfields in support of the airstrike. It was a brave move, but never had much hope of succeeding. The USA had already brought far more tanks and artillery onto the island, and they stopped the Alaskan advance dead in its tracks, long before it broke through to the oilwells. The Alaskans lost all but a handful of their armoured vehicles, and fell back on guerrilla tactics.
Guerrilla warfare was actually proving much more effective, especially after the appearance of the ‘Biathlon’ Militia. Biathlon had been declared the main sport of Alaska just prior to the war, and involved physical fitness and outdoor training in cold conditions. Such athletes made ideal recruits for Alaskan infantry and militia. Although the actual number of Biathlon athletes was small, they formed a core around which larger units could be trained and assembled. These new militia units came to symbolise Alaskan resistance and were a further boost to morale.
Meanwhile, the USA’s troops had been angered by suggestions that Alaska was somehow responsible for the assassination attempt on their president. The Alaskan guerrilla raids did not discourage them, and resentment and bitterness continued to grow deeper on both sides. The USA made one last demand for the surrender of their former ally, warning that failure to do so would mean “Alaska shall be destroyed with no chance of rebirth in the future”. When Alaska once again refused, the US airforce did its best to carry out the threat. Most of its bomber aircraft were now concentrated in and around Alaska, operating from carriers and captured airfields. The Alaskan capitol, really just a large town, was now subjected to the full force of the US air power in a sudden and brutal aerial bombardment. Few buildings were left standing, and there were large civilian casualties. The last hope of repairing US-Alaskan relations was now gone.
(The Alaskan capitol, after the destruction by US aircraft)
As weather conditions improved, the USA’s armoured divisions were soon rolling forwards into the flattened ruins of the Alaskan capitol, encountering little resistance. US reinforcements arrived - the ‘Army of Thor’ arrived to take control of the west, allowing the ‘Army of the Valkyries’ to make an all out attack on the east. There was now a huge amount of US troops on the island, roughly four times the number of Alaskan soldiers and militia. A handful of the new US rocket-launchers also made an appearance. These mobile rocket vehicles, also called ‘Valkyries’, were especially terrifying for any inexperienced troops who had the misfortune to encounter them.
(US ‘Valkyrie’ rocket launchers)
Despite the bravest defence, the front-line Alaskan forces were now overwhelmed and scattered, and all the island’s major towns were soon captured… but the war didn’t end. Officially, the island is conquered, but Alaskan independence survives inside shifting pockets of resistance. Alaska seems prepared for a long guerrilla war.
The US has also kept a tight naval blockade of Alaska, with a powerful naval force in the area. Several Alaskan gunboats and light ships were sunk as they attempted to flee the island with troops onboard, and the US took a number of prisoners. However, the Alaskan cabinet managed to escape in a long-range Celtic transport plane. The plane managed to land at night and land at a remote snow-strip, before refuelling and taking off again, flying low all the way under the nose of US radar arrays. Despite a few close encounters with trees and other tall objects, the Celtic pilots and their passengers eventually made it back to Celtonia across the north eastern ocean. An Alaskan government-in-exile was then set up in the Celtic capitol.
Prime Minister Icmarin is believed to have stayed in Alaska, but has not yet been captured by US forces.
Alaska: -3 land power, -1 air power (nothing left), -1 sea power (nothing left)
USA: -4 land power