1950 War
The 1950 War was a civil war in Unkerlantum between the ethnic western Traxans and eastern Unkers. The war was the largest the nation has ever experienced and resulted in a complete upheaval of the government.
Background
The seeds that eventually bore the fruit of the war were planted during the Steppe Wars. As an increasing number of settlers continued landing on the eastern shores of Unkerlantum, overcrowding pressured the people into moving westward. This began a series of skirmishes with the native Traxans and ultimately culminated into an official war under the commands of the two monarchies. The superior armor, weaponry, and organization of the Unkers finally resulted in the Traxans surrendering control of the entire continent in 1180.
The Traxans remained oppressed and treated as second-class "residents," forbidden from holding titles of nobility and denied access to certain careers, until the 1930s. By that time Unkerlantum had become sufficiently weakened from war and internal strife that the Traxans began reasserting control. In 1939, they revived the dissolved Tribal Council and elected their first Chieftain since 1180. In the following decades they began forming their own Traxan-dominated city governments, establishing foreign relations with Unkerlantum's traditional enemies, and developing a stronger western military. The government in Kuzov voiced its displeasure with the westerners, but was for the most part powerless to act.
Causes
On February 8, 1949, the US Peak (Unkerlantum Ship Peak), a Traxan-operated cruiser, was on route to the island of Malachor III carrying a Traxan ambassador. The purpose of the voyage was to establish a trade agreement with the islanders that would give the Traxan merchants a monopoly on all trade with the Malachorians. However, as the ship steamed into harbor, it suddenly burst into flames, killing the ambassador along with most of the crew.
An Unker investigation showed the cause of the fire to be an engine malfunction, but because the study was financed by the eastern government, the Traxans considered the ruling biased. When they sent their own experts they were denied access and sent back west at gunpoint. Infuriated, the Traxan chieftain froze all incoming taxes to the Unker government. In response, Kuzov declared this an act of treason and executed several Traxan noblemen. Embittered Traxans assassinated Unker nobles in retaliation.
Tempers reached their height as lynchings and bar-room brawls took place on both sides of the continent. Finally, on August 1, a riot in a border-town between the traditional Traxan-Unker ethnic line resulted in chaos; an eastern official called in a nearby Unker division, while at the same time a western military force was sent in as well. Rather than cooperating together to end the rioting, the two sides only escalated the conflict by firing on the civilians and (supposedly) each other.
Under pressure from its overseas allies, and due to the age-old Traxan desire to regain the land lost to the eastern invaders, the Traxan government officially declared its independence from Unkerlantum on April 16, 1950. Roughly 40% of the total continent's landmass became the Republic of Traxa. However, these were only the areas that were demographically Traxan; the lands of their forefathers still laid under Unker control in the east. Furthermore, the chieftain feared that if they did not deal Unkerlantum a quick and decisive blow, the easterners would be able to overwhelm the much smaller republic. And so, on May 25, 1950, Traxa invaded Unkerlantum.
The Early Years
Despite the growing conflict, the Unker government had been slow to mobilize its forces to the western provinces. Mounting social tensions between the nobility and the lower classes made the government reluctant to send its troops away from the major cities. As a result of their hesitancy, the small and mostly isolated units near the newly formed border were quickly engulfed and forced to surrender. The only unit to experience even moderate success was Colonel Vokhuz's 300th Armored Regiment, which held off a frontal assault and then counter-attacked, actually driving as much as 80 miles into Traxan territory. However, he soon risked being cut off and surrounded, and so Vokhuz withdrew.
Traxan forces enjoyed unexpected success that took even their own commanders by surprise. By August they had advanced nearly 180 miles into Unkerlantum, and Traxan officials believed the easterners would sue for peace by the end of September. However, their intelligence network did not extend into the heartland of the Unkers, where public outrage with the government's ineptitude was on the verge of rebellion.
Operation Shield
Finally, a council of frustrated generals (newly appointed Deputy General Vokhuz being one of them) approached the leading nobility asking them to loosen their control over how the war was being run. With their consent, the generalship formed a unified strategy of their own making. They accepted that the present line would not be able to hold due to the extreme distances reinforcements and supplies had to traverse in order to reach the troops and opted to trade space for time. They drew a north-south line approximately 200 miles behind the current front line and codenamed this the "Shield Line." The majority of all troops and fortifications would be set here and in the areas behind it; the soldiers fighting on the current front and the 200 miles between them and the Shield were to be "sacrificed" with only minimal supplies being sent in.
By mid-October the Traxans had advanced to the Shield Line. Their intelligence again failed them as the Unkers were reported to be "on the verge of collapse." Their advance came to an abrupt halt as elements of the 16th Army literally stumbled into the Unker defenses around Urzuk. The town held for the remainder of the month until Traxan air superiority crippled the Unker supply lines. Although seen by the government as proof that the military was incapable of leading itself, the battle stands as the first engagement in which Traxan casualties were greater than those of the Unkers and served as a major morale booster for most of the soldiers within the area.
The following months were followed by a Traxan drive to the Unker capital, Kuzov, and its sister city, Kenov. Fighting took place in dense forests where armor and air power were rendered useless, placing Traxan progress behind by over a month.
Then, on October 28, the Traxan generalship made a fateful decision. The 3rd and 5th armies were transfered from Combat Group Center and formed into their own formation, Combat Group South, and moved to take part in a joint Traxan-Malachorian assault on Vauten. The remaining forces would continue on to Kuzov and Kenov. This left Group Center deprived of its most powerful armies, and more than a quarter of its tank force.
The Fortress
By November 3 Traxan forces had broken out of the forest and were advancing on Kuzov, with Kenov already under siege. General Rark was placed in charge of the capital's defense, and Lieutenant General Vakar for Kenov's. Rakar had been given most of Unkerlantum's infantry and air reserves, while Vakar held the largest tank formation: the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th Tank Armies. The strategy was for Vakar to use the tanks' mobility to drive out Combat Group North, then sweep around and cut into Combat Group Center's flank. However, they did not take into account Group North's air superiority, which decimated the unprotected tank forces. Vakar broke out of the city with the remnants of his forces and held position 200 miles east of Kenov.
Meanwhile, the drive on Kuzov was slowly working its way into the capital. By November 8 Traxan forces had gained entry into the city's suburbs, and by the 12 were less than 100 miles away from the city center. Yet Traxan progress was grinding to a halt as their armored units became vulnerable in the bitter street fighting and their air power became unable to strike dug-in Unker forces in fortified buildings. Battle Group North dispatched the 82nd and 83rd Armored Corps in the hopes of driving into Kuzov's eastern flank.
However, Deputy General Vokhuz rushed in the 103rd Infantry Regiment as a spoiling action against the 82nd and 83rd. Despite having few heavy anti-tank weapons on hand, the 103rd stalled their progress long enough for the 2nd and 6th Tank Armies to surround and destroy them. Vokhuz later renamed the 103rd to the 103rd Shock Regiment in honor of their heavy losses.
On November 26th, Vokhuz's 300th Armored Regiment, leading elements of the 6th Tank Army, made contact with Battle Group Center. This coincided with an uprising in occupied Kenov, and Traxan forces were driven out of both cities by the end of the month. Vokhuz was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and given command of the 6th Tank Army. Parades were held in both cities, even Kenov, which suffered artillery bombardment for the next week.
After this major setback, the Traxan government urged their ally, Malachor III, to enter the war. Eventually the island succumbed to the pressure and declared war on December 2. They were hesitant to mobilize, however, and it wasn't until the 15 that they blockaded the port of Vauten. While this greatly relieved the Traxans, the effect was deceiving; Unkerlantum was largely self-sufficient, and relied very little on foreign imports.
Meanwhile, the Unker forces were confused as to what their next move should be. Their forces in the north and center were exhausted, and they were suspicious that the Traxans were preparing another push towards the capital. The senior officers were in favor of reinforcing the line and letting the enemy wear themselves out once again. Yet the younger generals proposed a different strategy. The line between Combat Group Center and Combat Group South was greatly stretched as the latter continued its push into Vauten. Supply lines had to make their way around the Smoking Mountains in the south, and then push through the jagged terrain to the city. A thrust to the mountains would effectively cut off the southern armies from supplies, and it was unlikely forces could be diverted from Combat Groups North and Center when they were already needed to strike the capital cities.
