Wurst War
|
Wurst War
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Gallante F-15EX's overflying Wurst oil fields, set ablaze by Coalition Bombing | |||||
| Period | |||||
| 2124 - 2125 | |||||
| Location | Wurst | ||||
| Result | Total defeat of Wurst | ||||
| Territorial Changes | Wurst annexed by Wuste, forming Wurste Protectorate of Phoenia | ||||
| Belligerents | |||||
| Warlords of Wurst | International Coalition | ||||
| Various local warlords | Iroa (later Phoenia) Wuste Orion Elohim Belka Gallante |
||||
| Strength | |||||
| 225 Aircraft 160 Tanks 40 AD Vehicles 200 Infantry ATGM/MANPAD Teams |
2 Aircraft Carriers 2 other ships 656 Aircraft 219 Tanks 38 Air Defense Vehicles 5 Orbital Bombardment Spaceships |
||||
| Casualties and Losses | |||||
| All forces destroyed | 208 Aircraft 34 Tanks |
||||
The Wurst War was a war fought in 2124 and 2125 between Wurstian Warlords, designated as terrorists by Iroa, and an International coalition consisting of Iroa, Wuste, Orion, Elohim, Belka and the Gallente Federation. It was started by rebel attacks on Iroan Border towns in 2124, which some "conspiracy theorists" still claim were a false flag operation. The war ended in a hard fought, and bloody victory for the coalition, resulting in Wuster annexation of Wurst in it's entirety, containing both the rebel and government controlled areas. Coalition actions during the war came under UKN scrutiny, resulting in the formation of it's Wurst Tribunal, and a War Crime trial.
Background
During the 2110's, Wurst as a nation was mostly aligned with Nuvastia, with a large part of the country being Nuvan. However, in 2120, after population changes due to the crumbling Carsodonian state, and worsening quality of life in Nuvastia and it's spehere of influence, Wurst suffered a bloodless coup, which lead to the installation of a neutral, less Nuvastia-alligned government. In response to this, in 2121, a coalition of Ethnically Nuvan Wurstian rebel and mercenary groups announced their plans to take control of Wurst, and depose it's government, returning to the pre-coup one. They launched an insurgency located in the countries north, securing the majority of the region by the end of 2122.
Run-up to War
In 2123, the Wurst warlords begun executing cross-border raids into territories held by Iroan rebels, officially aimed at sabotaging potential campaigns by the new state to consolidate control over the area. The International response was far stronger than expected with them considering the act a declaration of war, and in early 2124 an international coalition was assembled to deal with the Wurstian threat. The coalition included Iroa's new allies in Orion, Gallante, Elohim and Belka, who all sent their expeditionary units into Iroa to prepare for war. The nearby state of Wuste also joined the conflict fearing warlord incursions, and allowed allied forces into its northern counties to use as a staging ground.
War
Early Actions
The first offensive action of the war was taken by Elohim, with an aggressive reconnaissance and SEAD mission launched following the formal declaration of war on Wurstian Warlords by Coalition forces. The Strike package consisting of 28 Aircraft (of those, 16 Fighters and 12 heavy attack aircraft) entered Wurstian airspace before being intercepted by Wurstian Rebells Airforce Z-80 Lancer's, and Wurstian Air Defenses. The air fight resulted in a loss of all aircraft for Elohim, who despite that managed to inflict significant casualties to the WRAF and Air Defenses. Elohimian losses for the battle were estimated at about 2 000 000 funds.
Following the morning's failure, Gallante Federation Aircraft entered Wurste in the evening, against coalition orders, and engaged the WRAF Aircraft over their air defense net. Seeing the danger in the attack, Elohim sent their own air forces into the fray as well to assist Gallante forces. The attack was again a failure, with the coalition losing some 140 aircraft to the WRAF Z-80 Lancers and air defenses.
Day one losses to the coalition amounted to 8 000 000 funds, and over a 100 Coalition Pilots killed, with another dozen captured. Following the setback, the coalition ceased offensive actions to regroup and organize, and to hopefully avoid such mistakes and disobeyment of orders.
Second Phase
After a pause in offensive actions, the Coalition began reorganization, to avoid mistakes such as those made on day one. The military command of coalition forces was shifted to Orion, and their commanders took control of the forces from the Aircraft Carrier Illustrious in nearby waters. The first actions under the new command were SEAD Missions, this time conducted from beyond Wurst borders using aircraft, naval nissile attacks and orbital strikes from the OSF Space Fleet. These attacks proved as highly successful, and Orion forces took out majority of the Wurstian air defense using these strategies. Belkan commanders notably opposed some of the changes, believing that the solution was to begin a strategic bombing campaign, with the goal of punishing Wurst and it's population for supporting the terrorists. The rest of the coalition considered these plans barbaric and refused to implement them.
Those attacks were followed by an air engagement, with the Iroan Air Force attempting to take out the remnants of the WRAF Lancer's. 50 former Carsodonian Swift and Liberator model fighters entered Wurstian airspace, and engaged the fighters launched to intercept them. A fight ensued, eventually ending in a loss for the inexperienced Iroan air force, with 42 aircraft shot down, while the final 8 retreated. However, Wurste also lost 35 Z-80 Lancer aircraft from their diminishing airforce stocks, and as such the coalition effectively took air supremacy. Another round of Orbital and Naval strikes followed, destroying what remained of the Wurstian air defenses, and forcing the Wurstian ground forces to move into denser populated areas to avoid bombardment. Having taken air supremacy, the coalition now began using their air forces to strike strategic targets, such as communication points, electrical transformers, air fields and more. This would last multiple months, before Coalition armor would cross beyond their initial incursion into Wurst, and engage the Wurste ground forces. As Wurstian tanks were usually followed by civilians supportive of the Warlords, the coalition could not strike them from the air.
The Ground War
After months of bombing and missile strikes, Coalition armor would finally cross the border of their initial incursions, thus beginning the ground campaign. Undeterred by Wurstian Mortar fire, Elohimian, Iroan MBT-3 and Orion K-04 Tanks pushed into Wurst, meeting limited resistance from Wurstian Rhodie tanks. 1 week in, the two Coalition armored columns met up and proceeded into what would be the decisive battle, meeting the remaining 150 tanks of Wurste, supported by ATGM squads hidden in buildings and bushes. 300 Coalition tanks entered the fight
The fight ended in Coalition victory, with most Wurst tanks destroyed, and a couple remaining ones surrendering. Coalition ground forces showed their exceptionalism, losing only 34 tanks while taking out almost 150. This was the final engagement of the war, as right after it's conclusion, the Wurstian Rebels surrendered unconditionally to Coalition forces, and total victory in the war was declared for the Coalition forces.
Aftermath
Peace Settlement
Debates over how to divide the territory were contentious among the allies, and after the unconditional surrender of the warlords, 5 occupation zones were established among the allies. Several proposals were considered, including a partition...
Accusations of Genocide
Prior to the war, the province of Ostwurst was home to around 30,000 Kerbals. The crippling of infrastructure and constant, sometimes indiscriminate bombing and shelling against civilian areas killed an estimated 8,000 residents and displaced the remaining 22,000. These refugees were mostly Wusters, Nuvans and Vastians, and fled into neighboring countries or into the coastal areas of Wuste. The long voyage through the desert and lack of supplies resulted in thousands of deaths by starvation, dehydration and illness.
During the trials held by the UKN, the accused attempted to justify their actions claiming that warlord forces had installed military positions among civilian areas, leaving them with no other choice. Meanwhile, the disproportionate size of the coalition lead some among the prosecution to allege that Wurst was being used as a live testing ground for new weaponry by coalition forces, particularly Orion and Elohim who were embroiled in an aerial arms race.
A report by the UKN Human Rights Division assessed the damage to infrastructure at 80%, with the former largest city of Ostwurst being completely destroyed. In the 75 years since the conflict's end, the population had barely recovered and currently sits at around 1800 with ongoing resettlement efforts by the current Ba'athist Republic of Wuste and other confederacy partners.