---

The Great Southern War was a large European conflict fought between November 2004 and February 2005. While originating as a civil war in the jungles of Vocur it would later pit some of the most prominent socialist and capitalist nations in the region against each other, culminating in full scale invasions of both Vocur and Daracnia by Greater DCU (GDCU). Peace would eventually be brought about through the efforts of diplomats at the Gaasbeek peace conference.

Great Southern War Summary
Date:	November 2004 –February 2005
Locations:	Europe - Vocur, Daracnia, Radilo, Greater DCU, Fennbridge Sea of Revolution, Implarian Ocean
Outcome:	Stalemate
Casualties (approx.)
Military:	200,000+ dead
Civilian:	100,000+ dead
Total:	300,000+ dead
Main Participants
Greater DCU	Free Market States
Greater DCU Monkecia Vocur Radilo	VNLF Qantrix Gunnlandia Kheion Daracnia Nuttyland Wazistan

The Road to War

The Cold War Heats Up

Regional tensions first began to build after a number of small skirmishes between the more prominent capitalist and communist nations of Europe. These were generally confined to Europaland and Prax, where Qantrix clashed with Europaland and Greater DCU in a series of tense crises. While war was averted in each case, the involved nations were in no doubt that a larger conflict was looming in the near future. The delicate balance of power in Europe had long been shattered and, buoyed by an influx of likeminded nations, the capitalist and fascist nations felt confident enough to confront the dwindling stock of socialist nations. Of the left-wing powers, only Greater DCU possessed the military might and confidence to openly oppose the resurgent right. In this context a clash between the increasingly powerful new fascists, as epitomised by Qantrix, and Greater DCU seemed not only likely but inevitable. The only surprise was that the war did not take place in the traditional flashpoint of Europaland but to the far to the south in the war ravaged jungles of Vocur.

Civil War in Vocur

As tense as the situation in Europe was, the one consoling factor to the leaders of Greater DCU was their hegemony over the southeastern corner of the region. Vocur, Radilo and Socialist Scotland were all ideological allies while the small nation of Daracnia could hardly be expected to oppose its powerful southern neighbour. Even the other established powers in the region, Gunnlandia and Nuttyland, were sufficiently removed so as not to pose an immediate threat. It was therefore deeply ironic that the war that would rock both the Union and the region would begin in this communist stronghold.

For many years the Vocurian Stalinist government had been waging a brutal campaign to eradicate the Vocurian National Liberation Front (VNLF), an insurgent movement fighting to overthrow the governing regime. In the autumn of 2004 the GDCU Politburo, alarmed at recent VNLF progress, authorised the Red Army to begin giving material assistance to the increasingly beleaguered Vocurian government. This aid continued to escalate and by late October 2004 there were almost 30,000 Red Army soldiers active in the jungles of Vocur. Far more damagingly to the VNLF, the Union Air Force was inflicting considerable damage on their strongholds and supply routes. In the absence of their own air force and desperate to limit the communist air superiority, the VNLF leadership purchased four anti-aircraft systems from a Qantrixian company. When it became clear that GDCU would not allow the delivery of these systems, a Qantrix Navy escort was provided to transport the missile systems to their destination on the Vocurian coast. War then broke out after the naval group refused to accept a GDCU ultimatum that they withdraw within 24 hours.

The War

Naval Manoeuvres

The Sinking of the Heron (Early November '04)

</div>

The first shots of the conflict were fired by a Greater DCU naval group under the command of Admiral Ballack and the Golden Heron. The People's Navy vessels engaged and destroyed the Qantrixian transport task force near in the Sea of Revolution. Qantrix was immediately joined by its fellow Free Market States (FMS) in declaring war on GDCU and its puppet regime in Vocur. As the Golden Heron group began to sail at speed towards friendly ports, Gunnlandian, Azorean, Qantrixian and Kheion naval fleets began to converge on the battle zone. Daracnian submarines also accompanied the FMS fleets but were under orders not to engage. Many battles were fought as the Golden Heron fleet tried to avoid the enemy forces but eventually the fleet and its flagship were destroyed in pitched battle with the Gunnlandian fleet. However, of more overall importance, Daracnian submarines were reported attacking the Union fleet and cryptographers in Verde City began working on transmissions from Halgeria to the fleet.

An attempted sortie by the Radilan navy was aborted after the Empire of Nuttyland issued an ultimatum demanding that the nation stay out of the war. The Empire would later use this pressure to annex much of the borderlands between the nations.

The Implarian Sea (November '04 - December '05)

The destruction of the Golden Heron was a grievous blow to Greater DCU but particularly to its navy. For most of the war's duration the three carrier fleets would be confined to port or operating within range of friendly aircraft. On two occasions Qantrixian fleets began aerial offensives against the Union mainland. Both fleets were destroyed by Naval Aviation. The Qantrixian bombers did manage to launch a raid on the GDCU capital, Verde City, which caused widespread devastation.

The Vocurian Front

The Initial Stages (November '04 - December '04)

Shortly after the announcement of war the Greater DCU Politburo took the decision to deploy massive numbers of soldiers to crush the VNLF. This would serve the duel purpose of safeguarding the Union's southern border while also strengthening the resolve of the, increasingly nervous and unreliable, Vocurian government. Despite the enormous obstacles presented by the inhospitable terrain, the Red Army and its Vocurian auxlillaries proceeded to make headway against the lightly armed VNLF fighters. Within two weeks of the war's start the west of the nation was clear of major insurgent forces while Red Army divisions occupied strategic towns and cities throughout the nation. Despite this apparent success, VNLF guerrilla attacks and the natural terrain made supplying these divisions a nightmare and, even in later stages of the campaign, up to two thirds of Red Army divisions in Vocur were engaged hunting insurgents far behind the frontline troops.

The Republic of Vocur (December '04)

In spite of, or perhaps because of, the large Union presence, the VNLF continued to grow in membership. Among the many new fighters were those who had deserted from a national army that was now directed by foreigners. Three weeks after the beginning of the regionwide war VNLF assassins infiltrated the capital, Grutzel, and murdered the government Chairman and most of his cabinet. After claiming to now represent the only authority in the country, the VNLF proclaimed a new Republic of Vocur and began to take control of the various ministries, institutions and local government throughout the nation. These efforts were largely successful and, as the former regime wavered without its head, only those soldiers and areas controlled directly by the Red Army remained in communist hands. The new government immediately opened contact with the FMS and within days Gunnish and Kheion soldiers had begun landing on the nation's southern shores.

Onslaught (December '04 - February '05)

Despite the betrayal of the Vocurian military the plans of Greater DCU remained virtually unchanged. With the vast gulf in class between the two nation's militaries, the tanks of the Red Army continued to drive forward almost unopposed. However with the bulk of the communist forces remaining behind to secure transport and logistic routes and a lack in guides familiar with the dense jungle, the progress of the armies slowed to a crawl. Only on the southern coastal plains was there any real progress. Even that was short-lived as FMS divisions began to take to the field. Soon Red Army progress had almost halted as Qantrixian, Gunnish and Kheion divisions bolstered the Vocurian ranks. Only in the mountainous north was there any significant progress in December. Furthermore FMS aircraft began their campaign to dominate the skies. The superiority of their planes coupled with an inability of the Union Air Force to concentrate its assets led to the near complete destruction of Greater DCU's southern air wing.

</div>

In late December the Emperor of Nuttyland, alarmed at the Red Army drive across northern Vocur, openly sided with the FMS and VNLF. An elite armour division was dispatched to the major Vocurian city of Wartijan. However the narrow streets were ill suited to armoured warfare and, after a larger Red Army force had surrounded the city, the division was annihilated by communist soldiers. Enraged at the failure the Nuttian Emperor ordered that the city be destroyed. Over 50,000 civilians were killed in the resultant firebombing. Following a similiar failure two weeks later the town of Lebjin was also destroyed by Nuttian bombers.

Stalemate (January '05)

Towards the end of January only in the north was the Red Army still making progress while to the south a Union army group had been cut off and was bitterly fighting for survival. However, following an agreement on Daracnia, increasing numbers of communist soldiers began moving south as the Union continued to commit more of its large reserves. The stage was then set for a prolonged and bitter war of attrition that neither side wished for. A ceasefire was finally agreed on in the last week of January and all parties continued their sparring in the chambers of Gaasbeek Castle.

The Daracnian Front

The Heron Fallout (November '04)

In the immediate build up towards war, the Greater DCU Politburo had been alarmed by the rhetoric emanating from the Daracnian capital, Halgeria. However diplomatic assurances were taken on face value and the Union planners continued to concentrate on the southern theatre. This changed radically after the sinking of the Golden Heron. No assurances could disguise the fact that submarines corresponding to known Daracnian classes were involved in the attack and, much more damningly, an intercepted and decoded transmission appearing to originate from the Daracnian High Command contained implicit instructions to launch an attack of the Heron fleet. Greater DCU's reaction was rapid. Three days after the battle the Party Assembly declared that a state of war between the Union and Daracnia had existed since the attack. Two days later the Red Army launched an invasion of Daracnia.

The Invasion of Daracnia (November '04)

</div>

Following a massive bombardment soldiers from the various Union marine divisions began landing along Daracnia's Bay of Cheddar coast. After a beachhead had been established the Union Navy began ferrying combat divisions across the Bay. Up to two Red Army divisions (an estimated 40,000 men) would arrive on these beachheads daily for the rest of the war. An initial thrust north along the coastline towards Pilington was successful at first but was then forced back by counterattacking Gunnish troops. Gunnlandia had stationed several divisions in Daracnia prior to the war and these made up almost half of the resistance forces, mostly concentrated to the west. The town of Pilington was soon evacuated as a fierce battle broke out in the surrounding lands. Captain Wilkinson on Gunnlandia famously fell here leading a desperate counterattack. Monkecian MIST commandos were responsible for a short lived guerrilla campaign to the north of the country.

Blue Angel and the Battle for Eregerian (November '04 - December '04)

Despite the furious counterattacks the Red Army beachheads (Codename:Talc) continued to hold out. As the days and weeks went by the strength of the invasion army continued to increase. After almost three weeks of consolidation, and combat around Pilington, the commanding Union general (Alax) felt confident enough to press forward towards the major city of Eregerian. With a small landing to the south of the city serving as a distraction to the Daracnian reserves, the bulk of the army group began to rollback the defending divisions towards the city. In a bid to cut off and destroy the armoured thrust, the Prime Minister, Dorian Lyndham, ordered a counterattack codenamed Blue Angel. Unfortunatly for the Daracnians the Red Army invasion force had grown to the degree that it was capable of committing enough reserves to contain the counterattack while continuing to push forward. In late December breakthroughs were achieved to the north and south of the city and the Daracnian divisions were forced to retreat into the suburbs. Instead of following them into an urban death-trap the Union divisions encircled the city and began to dig in.

Endgame in Daracnia (December '04 - January '05)

By the beginning of the new year the bulk of the Daracnian forces were encircled in Eregerian. Red Army divisions were then almost free to move throughout the east of the nation. Major pushes were launched to the north and east as superior numbers and power were brought against those Daracnian divisions holding the vital highway routes. By the end of the month three urban centres had been occupied and General Carcer's drive north had almost split the theatre. Meanwhile the Red Army had been unable to progress against the well dug in Gunnlandians at Pilington but a major new push to flank the town was underway. While Great Britannia had broken a Monkecian blockade and had come to the assistance of the defenders at Pilington, support amongst all parties for war was low. At the end of the month a ceasefire was agreed and peace negotiations began at Gaasbeek.

Gaasbeek Negotiations

By the early new year it had became increasingly apparant that a decisive victory for either side was unlikely and that further bloodshed would serve little purpose. Nonetheless it took a proposal and pressure from the government of Erlangen-Ansbach before any involved nation would agree to meet. While the fighting continued on the various fronts diplomatic representives from Vocur, Daracnia, Gunnlandia, Kheion, Qantrix, Azores Islands, Nuttyland, Radilo, Wazistan, Monkecia and Greater DCU sat down in Gaasbeek Castle in Aartrijke and began to discuss possible solutions to end the war.

Despite the many arguments and opposing beliefs, it took less than a month to find agreement on Daracnia. This process was signficantly aided by the revelation that the order to launch the attack on the Golden Heron had not been issued by the Daracnian government but rather an agent of a subversive group with ties to Greater DCU itself. Under the agreed terms Greater DCU began to withdraw the Red Army for the country while the Darancia committed itself to paying war reparations, ending all defence ties to the FMS and holding a referendum on Dorian Lyndham's leadership and actions during the war. Both nations also undertook a commitment to demilitarise the Bay of Cheddar.

Argeement on Vocur was harder to reach as, in the face of eagerness for peace from both GDCU and FMS parties, the VNLF refused to take any real part in the negotiations. Indeed discussions were led by Kheion and an agreed proposal to partitation the nation found widespread acceptance. However issues such as the rebuilding of Lebjin delayed the signing until mid-February. Even then the VNLF refused to agree to any peace treaty and as such both Greater DCU and the People's Republic of Vocur are still technically at war with the VNLF which they claim to be part of the PRoV. The rest of the region recognises the Republic of Vocur as an independant nation.

</div>

Legacy

Apart from the number of lives lost (estimated to be upwards of 300,000) the Great Southern War had far reaching consequences for each of the major involved nations.

• The most drastic change was the partition of Vocur with the creation of the VNLF run Repulic of Vocur in the east of the country and the communist People's Republic of Vocur to the west. The former would forge close ties with the Alliance of Capitalist Europe (ACE) as it attempted to rebuild after decades of stagnation. The PRoV would turn to GDCU for guidance and support becoming a client state of the communist power.

• After Vocur it was Daracnia that had suffered the most from the Red Army tanks. Dorian Lyndham would look to fellow capitalist nations and would rebuild the country in the centre of the the ACE alliance. The Gaasbeek Referendum was planned but never executed and Lyndham remains as Prime Minister today.

• Geater DCU retreated into isolation following the war. Only maintaining its ties to the PRoV, the nation embarked on one of its habitual internal reconstructions. It would only emerge briefly before finally withdrawing from European affairs.

• Nuttyland continued to increase its influence and power within Radilo. This process eventually lead to a union between the two nations.

• Despite their eventual capture, reputation of Monkecia's elite MIST units for brutal effectiveness was only enhanced.